Sakata Gintoki: More than Just Another Shounen Hero 

Gintoki is the most realistic shounen anime character ever, I mean, who likes to pay their rent when you can just run away, gamble and come home drunk?

My favorite protagonist in all of shounen anime.

Gintoki isn't the usual shounen protagonist who told you to chase your dreams. Gintoki would tell you even if you didn't reach your dreams, it's okay, even if you are a Madao, it's okay, as long as you live beautifully.

Get stronger* Other mc : I'll do anything to get stronger Gintoki : no thanks

No matter what people say, Gintama will always be my no 1 anime.

Shinpachi the most realistic glasses ever

There are two types of people One : who thinks gintama is one of the best anime of all time Second: who did not watch gintama 👍👍

Gintoki is my favorite anime character of all time and i have watched over 100 anime and manga. I love Gintoki maybe because he is imperfect and I relate to him. But his bonds with friends is SO strong that they wont forget him even if someone alters their memory, that is what I want to relate to and he inspires me. Thanks for covering Gintoki because no one talks about him.

Sorachi makes us bond with Gintoki with his day to day common needs, his realistic attitude in life and his bonding with people around him with whom he doesn't befriend because of their sad past or whatever, but because of who they actually are in the present. Then later on you see Gintoki's past and you are so attached to this character that your heart completely breaks for him when you realize that he is just trying to live like a normal person, despite once having been a swordsman most feared. He doesn't want to gain more power, he just wants to cherish the small moments and that's why he fights. Literally thinking of what he will have for breakfast the next day in the middle of a death match. It's a shame I haven't met many fans irl.

Its easy to like Gintoki because he is more human than most shonen heroes. Gin's faults are so real that most of us have one or two. He feels real but at the same time he is not. Thats the best quality he has, at last for me.

Arguably the best written shonen character of all time.

Everything about Gintoki is super unconventional in the Shounen industry from his age, his way of life, and how we come to know him through his past. What I find very intriguing about him as the protagonist is how he is the "aftermath" of a goal instead of the beginning. In addition to being older than most typical MCs, he is in the novel position where he had not only completed the "journey" to his objective, but also failed to achieve it. Usually Shounen promotes the concept of if you work hard, struggle alongside your friends, and overcome adversity through victory, you will achieve your goal. But that isn't how things turned out for Gin. Even though he and his friends struggled through so much hardships in the war, and even earned a name for himself that made him a living legend, it all ended up being for nothing as he destroyed it all in one single moment with his own hands. Coincidently this poses a very interesting question to the reader that you hardly see presented through a traditional Shounen protagonist; when the objective you struggled for is gone, what do you have left? Later on Gin confessed to Shinpachi and Kagura that he actually created Yorozuya out of the lofty reason that he had nothing better to do. It ironically reflected what Shouyou was talking about when he was chatting with Takasugi, how it's okay to wander in life. It's okay to be lost and not have an ambition, because it's when we are wandering that we find something worth picking up. Gin through his day to day life with Yorozuya managed to find countless moments in which he found fulfillment and purpose. And though they weren't always as grand as Sakamoto's business, or as noble as Zura's Joi Patriotism, or as ambitious as Takasugi's pursuit to completely overthrow the corruption of power, his way of life was far from being meaningless. It's like he said before, the things he protected then are no different to what he protects now. Even in the most difficult of circumstances he will always find a reason to raise his sword.

Talk about Takasugi Shinsuke from Gintama. He is one of the best written villain and rival but no one talks about him.

I really love how while Gintoki might seem to be the male lead of the show, every other character get so much development and backstory that we begin to love them all. Heck, even up to season 3, we know more about the other characters than Gintoki's own past. Not to mention the touching OSTs and fire af openings and endings. THE BEST!

Gintama's entire cast are relatable. Everyone feels like a real person.

Do you know why Gintoki made odd jobs He had nothing to do So he decided to do everything

"...a bit more complex than we give him credit for", wtf? For me Gintoki is THE deepest and best written Anime character in history. No conventional tropes, multi layered character and absolutely relatable.

When was the last time I saw a shounen protagonist that didn't have a huge appetite, dense af, loves to fight, sometimes annoyingly loud, op af, and isn't a teenager? Never. Gintoki is the best protagonist hands down.

You've pointed out the reason why Gintoki (to me) is the greatest protagonist in all of fictional media. He's been so fleshed out purely because audiences have been introduced to his wacky and silly side. He is (imo) the most serious and most impactful shonen hero ever made. Mostly because he has no superpower. The reason why he still stands up to fight isn't his ridiculous stamina or body. It's because he doesn't give up and believes in his companions. No matter how bloody or injured Gintoki gets, he stands up and fights because he wants to protect what matters to him the most. There're no special powers that appear. It's just his willpower. And that, to me, is the strongest power a person can have. To protect what matters to Gintoki the most, no matter what. The star wars parody arc made me cry so much because Gintoki cared so much for them all!

Gintoki is my favourite character in all of fiction, and hah (chuckles)....he actually inspired me to talk to girls more openly just like how I talk to ma boys

I recently finished "Gintama" and must i say it is one of the best anime i have ever watched and how much i miss watching it and laughing my ass off. Whoever reading this comment if u have already watched "Gintama" you know how awesome it is n whoever reading this havent watched it you should you really are missing out on this one... Peace

When I was a kid Naruto, Luffy, and Goku were my heros with a few couple others. Then I watched gintama and now Gintoki is my hero now that I'm older 😪👌

Considering how Gintoki and how most of the cast are adults, and how much Sorachi talks about Jump in Gintama, I believe Sorachi wrote Gintama for the adults who still read Jump. A lot of the comedy definitely is not kid friendly and the cast as a whole is more relatable to adults than teenagers.

i wish gintama have more recognition and appreciation, now the series has ended for a year. it has such a huge impact in my life, sorachi is a literal god. he bless himself

You know, I like the fact that Gintoki's past was revealed to us bit by bit. That made it clear that Gintoki just wants a peaceful life. If other shounen main characters use their past as motivation, Gintoki kept his past as a past and just continue to live with it. I don't know about others but to me that is relatable.

Although he's not the best character for being mc with his actions according to community like myanimelist for example, but Gintoki is definitely the very best character when it comes to personality & concept of an Mc with his unique way. Look at how deep & dark the backstory he was been & compare it with his hilarious and funny acts in present times Very agreed with the video's title given by ViniiTube Kai 😎👍

Gintoki is a traumatized war veteran looking for a purpose in life after loosing so much. He finds it in helping people along the way and gaining to more parts of himself that led to even more family and friends.

Same same same. The thing I love about Gintama and Gintoki is the fact that starts after all the "story happens" after all his story as him being the "Shiroyasha", Gintoki living just his life. He has charm, he is just a different from your typical main character. He's so unperfect but perfect at the same time, and I love that about him. His personality and his beliefs in life, the way he goes through life even though he suffered a lot in the past even though that, he tills lives his life at his fullest not thinking in all the pain he lived before in his childhood or with his pals and his master. He lives the now with his friends not worrying about the tomorrow. I'm not the type of girl who usually watches shounen a lot because I usually get bored so easily but Gintama is different and I'm glad I watched a long time ago and even though it has been years since I watched I still remember it so beautifully. ☺

Being a 28 year old myself, I find gin to be more relatable than many shounen protags. I appreciate that he’s an adult with adult problems. Also, despite his laziness, he actually is pretty reliable when it counts, and values his friends in his actions and words (when he’s not being goofy). I think that’s a good protagonist if you ask me.

Very best example of this juxtaposition of Gintoki is the episode "The More Precious the Burden, The Heavier and More Difficult it is to Shoulder" where he beats the ever living shit out of Jiraia and rescues his friend (her name escapes me at the moment). The fight itself was so-so but it was the dialogue that did more to flesh out Gintoki and help explain his motivations. The ass beating was just the cherry on top.

Why's nobody talking about DragonBleaPeace?? It is THE BEST anime of all time

I adore Gintoki, I came across him while I was a young girl in high school. He’s helped me through so much growing into the person I am now. I always looked forward to the next chapter or episode and I cried at the final movie, I never wanted Gintama to end but it went on the best note. Now we’re gonna have the spin off so his spirit lives on and I look forward to it. Gintoki is the most realistic shonen protagonist I’ve ever had the pleasure to read. Not to mention had the coolest fights I rewatch each time!!!

Don't ever underestimate the writing skills of a gorilla

Gintoki is a character who actually carried his series unlike other shonen protagonists. Ask a gintama fan who's their favorite character, 9 out of 10 times you'll hear gintoki and if you ask other shonen anime fans you'll often hear zoro, vageta, itachi and aizen.

Who’s Hasegawa? I thought his name was MADAO?

What made gintoki a hero is the fact that he lived through life with happiness and pain(more than some people) like any other but didn't have special power or anything at all, he just accepted that is life,not like some cheap fairy tale story but continues trying to protect what he thinks is important to him and other because he knew how they feel.

Well, in some ways he is the Hero who already lost, so he knows what is important. He has a lot of similarities to Kenshin, not as "refined" but in many was just as mature. He fights to live everyday, not for tomorrow.

He’s really well-written.

The best anime character I've ever seen

A strong friendship with Hijikata or the Shinsengumi? Don't you mean a "rotten bond"?

Gintoki is a legend Tomokazu Sugita is a legend Gintama is G.O.A.T

I like to think Zura (Zura jyanai, Katsura da!) and Hijikata never get into total conflict with each other as it will force Gintoki to choose sides or not choose at all, either way losing a friend.

Gintama is...Meh Mantama on the other hand is an artistic masterpiece that should recieve more praise than this low budget trash. (P.S:i am so grateful that finally someone's finally talking about Gintama ^_^)

I love how wholesome the community is in the comments and no twitter-esque arguments either. Gintama truly is the best anime of all time, because it's got the best community, too.

I’ve heard some really amazing things about this anime! I’ll definitely watch it soon! Believe it!👊

Man, I absolutely love the episodic/ slice of life arc gintama has, with each episodes it just tells you, a lil more about the characters. My fav gintoki moment is definitely, the 2 episode arc where he temporarily loses his memory and sees himself for the first time in eyes of a stranger and realises, how a pathetic man he truly was, it just adds so much to his character and releases kagura and shinpachi, that they are free now. And in next kintoki arc, where tama says that, ‘Your silver soul was brightest and shined more than any gold will ever be’ it just shows that gintoki never faked his true self to anyone and just represented himself the way he was, and people around him truly loved and admired him for what he is.

Well I'm rewatching it...when i finished this anime it really hit me hard...such a great anime...😣

"What I wanted to protect has never changed." What he wanted to protect has always been the people around him, his friends and loved ones.

The movie about the white death is heartbreaking.i love this anime. What kills me though is I cant really recommend it because without knowing the characters, it's just good. It's like reading the last chapters of lies of the rings without knowing the rest.

Gintama will always be my #1 anime, and Gintoki will always be my favorite MC. Bomb ass review bro!

Gintoki has taught me not to take the small things in life to seriously but when the big and important things that must be done come and they will give it your all

Ketsuno Ana no ketsuno ana 😂 Silver words by Silver soul

I'm on final silver soul arc .... 😭 I don't want to gintama to end so I was watching over a year.. And now I'm going to finish it in 2 days. . No spoilers in comments please

Gintoki means the world to me :( He will forever be my favourite shounen main character ever

He got the most depth tbh as a fellow adult he's my absolute fav. I can see teens liking him too even if they cannot relate as much. The show delivers the jokes in a simple manner so everybody can enjoy.

He might not be the most perfect character has ever been writen, but he takes my first place favorite character seat and would never be replaced.

I cannot thank you enough for making this video! Finally someone is talking about GINTAMA!

Let's not forget that Sorachi killed himself in Character Popularity arc

My name is a Gintama Reference!! Gintoki Sakata Bantoki Sata(maru) (My real name is Banerjee Satadru)(actually Satadru Banerjee)!! And Gintama is my absolute favourite anime!!!

Definitely my favorite mc, the moment i saw gintama i knew i loved him

The backstory of gintoki is extremely painful tho.

its so hard to describe Gintoki,he's more relatable than any shounen hero you can't say he's lazy as that would contradict his nature of always helping others you an't say he's a scaredy cat as he willingly runs facefirst into danger and at the same time u cant call him fearless as he freaks out at ghost's he's so fleshed out he makes naruto and co look one dimensional the only character as fleshed out as him would be Lelouch

My 2nd favorite anime of all time it makes me laugh cry and cheer for all these characters.

Agree to every word of the video. ❤️ He's the kind of hero that we can all become, skipping the nose picking and slacking parts.

11:49 Can't agree more. My favourite protagonist of all anime, not just shounen.

That speech during the Ito arc at the beginning of the video is so strong man

I love this show!!! Gin is relatable to me. mostly the slacker parts. I loved the first run of the series the best. so many great arc's and so many funny episodes. I think it's the best show ever and I don't even get most of the parodies.

I'm so happy I was told to watch Gintama because I'm one of those people who loved it from episode 1 and where Rare Breed AND I SAW THE DUB so yeah

I found you through your attack on titan morality video and im so glad i did. Your videos are spectacular!

*GINTOKI is a LEGEND! He wasn't perfect, have so many flaws and troll to the core but he is a legend. Legends NEVER DIES*

The greatest of all time!!!

Gintoki is my 2nd favorite anime protagonist of all time. He's relatable, has so many good one-liners, is funny as hell, and badass. What a legend he is.

I always wanted to hear that.. Thank you for showing those who didn't know what a true mc means and what he battles everyday in his regular life and not just in battlefield...

Gintama is a masterpiece. Change my mind

Agreed. He's a more complex character than any other shonen heroes troupe that get me bored. Now gintama, i can watch a hundred times and i still feel the genuine soul of sorachi giving gintoki and his crew life. When you even care about the villain like nobunobu and cried when they actually died, you know you got a great story

This show is MADDD underrated😭😭😭

Gintoki and Takasugi are my Top Two Characters As Now And Even If Some May Top These They will Always Remain in my Top 10 and Have a Special Place in my Heart

I love Gintama so I watched this video and subscribed

Top 5 anime characters for sure

But what I love about Gintama is that they make their short serious arcs better than most other shows

gintoki and joe yabuki my fav shounen characters

I read a lot of manga/manhua/manhwa and whenever I read the commets I get suprised at how many people drop a certain story because the protagonist makes a mistake, does something evil or for being weak (in like the first chapters of the manga).

my favorite anime

It’s simple I saw gintoki I clicked

Gintoki, the only MC to rank number 1 in every popularity poll in its series. (I think, I might be wrong though)

Gintama literally changes my life 360.

Great 👍🏻 video nice 👍🏻 hype!!!!!!

Gintama is the best imo, amazing video btw

This reminded me of Sougo sister death now that was emotional

Guess I underestimated him, he is more complex them I thought.

first one here nice also thanks for covering gintama

I loved Goku, Luffy, Naruto and Ichigo so much, but Gintoki is The GOAT.

I’m so in love with Gintoki & Hijikata

Well all know if Gintoki had Learnt Bankai he would have been the strongest character in all anime

yes. I love justice for this show

I just finished Gintama today and man it was a good journey.

Looking at Gintoki I dropped all my fav shounen, For me atleast for Me no one can beat our Sakata pakuyasha

Gintama is a masterpiece cuz it didn't follow a protaganist starting from the bottom and chasing a dream. Gintoki and every one of the characters are realistic how hard it seems, it's life.

10:07 Otae should be in there somewhere I think

I Really Want you Analyse an Antagonist and Takasugi Happens to be My Favorite so Can You Please Make an Analysis on Him