Gintama

Alternative Titles

Synonyms: Dandelion, Shiro Kuro, Black and White, Shirokuro, 13, Thirteen, Bankara-san ga Tooru, Here Comes Mr. Uncivilised, Silver Soul

Japanese: 銀魂

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Information

Type: Manga

Volumes: 77

Chapters: 709

Status: Finished

Published: Dec 8, 2003 to Jun 20, 2019

Genres: Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi

Themes: Gag Humor, Historical, Parody, Samurai

Demographic: Shounen

Serialization: Shounen Jump (Weekly)

Authors: Sorachi, Hideaki (Story & Art)

Statistics

Score: 8.64¹ (scored by 41,709 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #85²

² based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #154

Members: 103,034

Favorites: 8,452

Resources

Wikipedia

8.64

Ranked #85Popularity #154Members 103,034

MangaShounen Jump (Weekly)Sorachi, Hideaki (Story & Art)

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Volumes: /77

Chapters: /709

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Synopsis

During the Edo period, Japan is suddenly invaded by alien creatures known as the Amanto. Despite the samurai's attempts to combat the extraterrestrial menace, the Shogun soon realizes that their efforts are futile and decides to surrender. This marks the beginning of an uneasy agreement between the Shogunate and Amanto, one that results in a countrywide sword ban and the disappearance of the samurai spirit.

However, there exists one eccentric individual who wields a wooden sword and refuses to let his samurai status die. Now that his kind is no longer needed, Gintoki Sakata performs various odd jobs around town in order to make ends meet. Joined by his self-proclaimed disciple Shinpachi Shimura, the fearsome alien Kagura, and a giant dog named Sadaharu, they run the business known as Yorozuya, often getting caught up in all sorts of crazy and hilarious shenanigans.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Included one-shots:
Volume 1: Dandelion
Volume 2: Shirokuro (Black and White)
Volume 24: 13
Volume 38: Bankara-san ga Tooru

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BackgroundGintama was nominated for Best Manga under the comedy category at the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation in 2008. As of December 2023, over 58 million copies of the manga are in circulation.

VIZ Media published the first 23 volumes of the series in English as Gin Tama under the Shonen Jump Advanced imprint from July 3, 2007, to August 2, 2011, before it was discontinued. It was also published in German by Tokyopop since December 28, 2006; in French by Kana from March 16, 2007, to March 31, 2023; in Spanish by Glénat, with 16 volumes released from October 2007 to May 2010; and in Italian by Edizioni Star Comics from April 25, 2015, to December 22, 2021.

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Related Entries

More characters
Characters

Sakata, Gintoki

Main

Kagura

Main

Shimura, Shinpachi

Main

Katsura, Kotarou

Supporting

Hijikata, Toushirou

Supporting

Okita, Sougo

Supporting

Takasugi, Shinsuke

Supporting

Hasegawa, Taizou

Supporting

Tsukuyo

Supporting

Kamui

Supporting

Reviews

Dec 29, 2025

midas123

Recommended

Embarking on a 77-volume journey like Gintama is a daunting commitment, but after 700 chapters I can say it is a truly special, one-of-a-kind experience. The premise puts us in a sci-fi Edo period where aliens have taken over, samurai are banned, and our protagonist, Gintoki, is just a guy trying to pay rent by doing odd jobs. What starts as a seemingly simple comedic manga evolves into one of the most emotionally resonant and structurally brilliant stories I’ve ever read.

The early volumes are a bit of a slow burn, especially if you’re like me and generally despise episodic (slice-of-life) content. I need to feel ... the advancement of a plot, and for a while Gintama feels like it’s just vibing in a slice-of-life loop. But the world-building is quietly interesting, and the main trio is the engine that makes the whole thing work. Gintoki is instantly a standout, and the chemistry within the trio is genuinely laugh-out-loud funny. I realized eventually that Gintama doesn’t do "filler" in the traditional sense; even the humoristic chapters often have a small, quiet payoff paved into the moral of the story.

The real turning point (for me) comes when the "serious" arcs start to hit. These arcs are the proving point that the mangaka can write high-octane action and high-stakes thrillers just as well as he writes dick jokes. The character work is where this manga truly flexes though.

But you gotta say it; reading this manga as a non-japanese speaker is a fucking struggle due to the fan translations. Once you hit volume 23 where the official translations end, you’re at the mercy of fan groups. And at the beginning it is fucking torturous. You’re hit with massive walls of literal, bloated text that suck the life out of the comedy. It’s the one major caveat of the manga experience. At times, the density of the text is just overwhelming. But once the translation quality picks back up (shout out to Hiwamatanoboru) for the final stretch the experience returns to being straight gas.

The final stretch of the manga everything happens at full seriousness and because of that, the character development, the fights, the emotional weight, is stellar. What’s truly impressive is how the story manages to redeem villains you once hated, giving them arcs that feel earned and stay true to their core. Even characters that seemed one-dimensional or purely antagonistic are revealed to have layers that make you genuinely care about their journey.

In the final arc we get a mix because the manga brings back the classic comedy while maintaining a massive, global threat. Even at 700 chapters the pace NEVER felt like it was dragging, which is insane, and the ending is Gintama in it’s purest, most amazing form.

Gintama is a rare masterpiece that rewards your patience. It’s a story about family, loyalty, and the struggle to keep your soul alive in a world that wants to crush it.

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Jul 26, 2020

hcoctopus2

Mixed Feelings

Spoiler

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS

I am very offended at *redacted*, so i will write a review for this manga. i don't want to write this as a preliminary review because i know how it ends. the ending was a disappointment, but perhaps i didn't appreciate it enough. but to me, the plot is basically one big circle. convoluted, and nothing useful came out of it. (i could be wrong, since i skipped through some chapters)

Let me explain myself more. You have a trio of the most important characters who have very strong plot armour. I failed to feel anything for them. they're funny, but that's about ...

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Dec 29, 2021

okaaaaay_kee

Not Recommended

kinda funny, kinda not. with a focus on action and comedy, it follows a continuous loop of 3-4 gags(sometimes connected, some standalone) followed but a "serious" action filled arc. this gets repetitive quick and makes for a terrible reading experience.

the gag sequences really just serve as introductions for the action focused parts and are really just a tool for cast expansion. thes first couple of times you go through this loop you enjoy it. there's thrills, laughs to be had and pretty cool swordfights. it seemingly has little to na flaws. as you continue to go through the loop and the novelty begins to wear ...

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