Gintama Review: The Funniest Manga Ever Made, and Secretly One of the Most Moving
by Hideaki Sorachi
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Quick Take
- The funniest manga ever published — consistently, wildly, inventively funny across 77 volumes
- A parody of samurai manga and anime that somehow becomes a genuinely excellent samurai manga
- The serious arcs, when they arrive, hit harder than almost anything in the genre because of everything silly that came before
Who Is This Manga For?
Gintama is for you if:
- You have a high tolerance for absurdist, fourth-wall-breaking comedy
- You want something that makes you laugh in every chapter and then devastates you when it's time to be serious
- You're willing to invest in a long series (77 volumes) that rewards patience
- You love manga that knows exactly what it is and uses that self-awareness as a tool
Content Warnings & Age Rating
Age Rating: T (Teen) — though the comedy often pushes toward M Content Warnings: Crude, scatological humor throughout; parody violence that occasionally becomes real violence in serious arcs; the serious arcs involve genuine action and death; some suggestive comedy content
Gintama's rating is technically T but the humor regularly targets adult sensibilities. The crude jokes are constant. If that bothers you, this may not be for you.
Yu's Rating
| Category | Score |
|---|---|
| Story Depth | ★★★★★ |
| Art Style | ★★★★☆ |
| Character Development | ★★★★★ |
| Accessibility for Non-Japanese Readers | ★★★☆☆ |
| Reread Value | ★★★★★ |
Story Overview
In an alternate-history Edo period Japan, aliens called the Amanto have arrived and conquered. The samurai are forbidden to carry swords. The shogunate has capitulated. The old Japan is being replaced by something new and strange and not entirely welcome.
Gintoki Sakata — a former samurai called the "White Demon" for his white hair and terrifying combat ability — now runs a freelance odd-jobs business called Yorozuya with two assistants: Shinpachi, a serious boy with glasses who is essentially the straight man; and Kagura, a girl from an alien warrior clan who eats too much and is stronger than almost anyone they'll ever fight.
This is the world. What happens in it is: everything. Gintama has no fixed plot. Each arc might be a parody of another manga, a toilet humor story, a pure comedy of misunderstanding, or a devastating exploration of the characters' pasts and the cost of being a samurai who gave up his sword.
The series accumulates. By volume 30, you know these characters so well that when something finally threatens them, it threatens you.
Characters
Gintoki Sakata — One of manga's greatest protagonists. He is lazy, crude, addicted to sugar, deeply allergic to anything that resembles effort. He is also, when something he loves is at stake, one of the most fearsome fighters in the world. The gap between his daily uselessness and his absolute competence when it matters is the series' deepest joke and its deepest truth.
Kagura — The alien girl who eats too much and hits too hard. Her relationship with Gintoki — which is never stated explicitly but is the series' most important bond — defines the emotional register of the serious arcs.
Shinpachi Shimura — The glasses character who exists partly to be the butt of "glasses character" jokes and partly to ground the increasingly insane situations in something recognizably human.
Shinsengumi characters (Hijikata and Okita) — Recurring deuteragonists whose own dynamics provide a secondary emotional through-line. Hijikata's arc is the series' single most moving standalone piece.
Art Style
Sorachi's art is consistent and functional, with a clear, readable style that serves the comedy and the action equally. His character expressions — particularly for Gintoki — are extraordinarily versatile: capable of conveying deep absurdity and genuine grief without changing the underlying character design.
The action sequences in serious arcs are genuinely excellent. Sorachi clearly kept his dramatic instincts in reserve for when they would matter most.
Cultural Context
Bakumatsu period parody — Gintama set in a parody of the Bakumatsu (the end of the Edo period), and many of its characters are parodies of historical figures from that era. Japanese readers have detailed knowledge of the period that adds layers of meaning to Western readers who may need supplementary information.
Manga and anime meta-humor — Gintama regularly references, parodies, and breaks the fourth wall to comment on other Weekly Shonen Jump series and anime. These jokes land at full strength for readers with extensive manga/anime knowledge; Western readers may find some references unclear.
The cost of the Edo-Meiji transition — The alien invasion that replaced the Meiji Restoration is Gintama's central metaphor for the modernization of Japan that ended the samurai era. The series takes this seriously beneath the comedy: what do people who were formed by one world do when that world is gone?
What I Love About It
There is an arc in Gintama called the Yoshiwara arc. You have spent many volumes watching Gintoki be useless, funny, and deeply unheroic. And then someone important to him is in danger, and he goes to get them back.
What follows is the moment Gintama revealed what it had been saving up.
The fight is spectacular. But the moment that stays with me is after — Gintoki, carrying someone on his back, moving through a place that is burning around them. He's not a hero. He just can't leave someone behind.
I have thought about that image many times since.
What English-Speaking Fans Say
Gintama has an intensely devoted Western fanbase that often describes it as the series that made them cry the most — even though they came for the comedy. The contrast between the absurdist humor and the emotional seriousness of the key arcs is consistently cited as the series' greatest strength.
Common advice for new readers: the series is slow to start, and the first 10 volumes are establishing the comedy register before the emotional content arrives. Most fans recommend watching the anime through the first major serious arc before committing to the manga.
Common praise: Gintoki, the Shinsengumi, the Yoshiwara arc, the Rakugo arc, the Farewell Shinsengumi arc. The finale.
Memorable Scene ⚠️ Spoiler Warning
Hijikata's arc.
In a standalone arc that could be its own manga, Hijikata Toshiro — one of the Shinsengumi's most intimidating members — is separated from his sword and must face what he would be without it. The arc involves a strange boy, a specific sword, and a lesson about what we carry and what we put down.
It is not the series' longest arc. It is its most complete. Sorachi tells Hijikata's entire emotional story in a few volumes and closes it perfectly.
It made me cry. I was not expecting to cry at Gintama.
Similar Manga
If you liked Gintama, try:
- Assassination Classroom — Similar balance of comedy and emotion, more accessible
- One Punch Man — Similar genre awareness, less crude
- Rurouni Kenshin — The serious samurai version of Gintama's era
- Bakuman — Meta-awareness about manga itself, similar insider humor
Reading Order / Where to Start
Start from Volume 1. The comedy takes time to establish before the series can subvert it.
Patience required: The first 5–10 volumes are establishing the comedy register. By volume 15, you'll know if you're in.
Official English Translation Status
Status: Complete English Volumes: 77 (all volumes available) Translator: VIZ Media Translation Quality: Good — the translation handles the comedy well, though some cultural references require context
Pros & Cons
Pros
- The funniest sustained comedy in manga
- The serious arcs are among the best in the genre, all the more powerful for the comedy that precedes them
- Gintoki is one of the greatest characters in manga history
- Complete, with a satisfying, emotional ending
Cons
- 77 volumes is a serious time commitment
- The cultural references — especially manga/anime parody — land better for readers with broad otaku knowledge
- The first arc is deliberately slow to start
- Some arcs are weaker than others across such a long run
Format Comparison
| Format | Volumes | Price per vol. (approx.) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paperback (individual) | 77 vols | ~$9–11 | Collecting |
| Kindle | 77 vols | ~$6–8 | Most practical for 77 volumes |
Note: 77 physical volumes requires significant shelf space. Kindle is strongly recommended.
Where to Buy
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Written by
Yu
Manga Enthusiast from Japan
I grew up in Japan and manga literally saved me during a tough time in elementary school. My English isn't perfect, but my love for manga is real — and I want to share it with you.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.