Gintama Others / Characters

Supporting characters not belonging to any of the other character pages.

open/close all folders

Anti-Foreigner Faction

Kotaro Katsura / Zura

Kotaro Katsura (a.k.a. Zura)

Voiced by: Akira Ishida (JP), Matt Ellis (series), Illich Guardiola (movie) (EN), Emilio García (Spain), Masaki Okada (live action movie)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kotaro_katsura_5663.png

A former comrade of Gintoki during the Joi War. Even after the Amanto take-over of Japan, Katsura continues to resist the Amanto, and has amassed a band of followers known as the Anti-Foreigner Faction, which is in continuous, direct conflict with the Shinsengumi.

Although his initial methods were more violent in nature, Katsura has since come to believe that there are people important to him in Edo, and decides that he no longer wants to destroy the country. He and his faction now seek a way to bring about change without causing needless bloodshed.

Since he is a wanted man, Katsura is often seen wearing disguises (which are always completely ineffectual). Katsura sometimes works odd jobs to raise money for his terrorist activities and is often seen trying to coerce Gintoki into assisting him with his eccentric endeavors. He is always accompanied by his pet, Elizabeth, whom he cares deeply for. Gintoki often calls him "Zura," to which he will typically respond with "It's not Zura, it's Katsura."

Accidental Misnaming: People often call him "Zura", but he always corrects them that it's "Katsura", because "zura" literally means "wig" in Japanese, which he resents given that he wears his hair long and loose. It's later revealed in chapter 564 that "Zura", for him, is personal (as it can be read as "friend"), because he can rely on Gintoki and Takasugi as both a friend and a general, so when he declares "Katsura ja nai. Zura da!" while fighting Shoukaku, he finally embraces it.
Accidental Pervert: How he meets Ikumatsu. He has to climb at the rooftops to escape from the Shinsengumi. As he is trying to walk with an injured leg, he accidentally grabs a bra Ikumatsu hung up to dry and gets beaten by her.
Alliterative Name: Kotaro Katsura.
Asskicking Leads to Leadership: After the cataclysmic events of the "Silver Soul" arc, the new Japanese government sees Katsura ascending as Prime Minister—which is remarkable considering the highest his historical counterpart ever reached was primarily Imperial Advisor. Not that he gains any dignity for it—especially when he's publicly known as "Donald Zurump".
Attractive Bent-Gender:
- Invoked as Zurako when he is forced into drag with Gintoki by Saigo.
- If Katsura had been involved in Gender Bender Arc, he might become an actual Zurako. He was in the genderbent anime ending, but looked exactly the same save a bow in his hair.
Badass Long Robe: Clad most of the time in a blue kimono, and fights quite effectively while wearing it.
Bomb-Throwing Anarchists: At least initially. His Cartoon Bombs are still indicative of his scatterbrained nature.
Brick Joke: Katsura finally embraces being called "Zura" in the tail end of chapter 563. Well, maybe not, given his first act as Prime Minister is to tell everyone that he's Katsura. Old habits die hard it seems.
Bunny-Ears Lawyer: His actions and reasoning are often incredibly eccentric and strange but he's displayed a shocking amount of competence in managing to evade the Shinsengumi day-after-day. Need it be pointed out again that he fought side-by-side with Gintoki during the Joi War?
Captured on Purpose: At the start of the Farewell Shinsengumi arc, Katsura lets himself get arrested and sentenced to death as part of a plan to have his Joi faction and the Shinsengumi work together to save him and Kondo.
Catchphrase:
- "Zura ja nai, Katsura da!". Along with myriad variations such as: "I'm not Zura, I'm Captain Katsura.", "I'm not Zura, I'm Zurako", "I'm not Fruit Punch Samurai, I'm Katsura.", "I'm not Zura, I'm a pine tree.", and "It's not rap, it's Katsu-rap, yo!". Episode 176 has an incomplete list of this, at the time of its airing.
- When he believed his role was taken over by Kyuubei, his new catch phrase was "I am/was on standby the entire time."
Character Development: Started out willing to go to any extreme to destroy everyone and everything related to the new Edo. Thanks to Gintoki and the Yorozuya, he's softened his stance and only goes against the government and Amanto and is now seen by the Shinsengumi as a moderate rebel. Doesn't mean he's not any less dangerous though. Shown really well in the final arc where he finds out that not only is Elizabeth an alien but also the rightful king of an Amanto kingdom, and he still accepts him as family.
Cloud Cuckoo Lander: He thought that Gintoki could hide from some ronin in an empty tin can, keeps Elizabeth as a partner without so much as a single question (completely ignoring the fact that it's just a guy in a costume^noteand when a similar-looking person switches places he doesn't notices at all), and fends off attackers using poisoned curry as a weapon. Heck, when he has a Newtype reaction, he can only say completely nonsensical things!
- Here's a really extreme example: he once went out for a pleasant bicycle ride... through a safari park during the Popularity Poll arc, just because he wanted to see the animals' paws up close—while everyone that has a lower ranking than him wants to kill him.
Combat Pragmatist: While Katsura does value personal honor, he doesn't care about fighting fairly and will freely use bombs to win a fight.
The Comically Serious: Subverted because we see him doing something utterly stupid or weird more times than we see him be serious, but he remains perfectly serious during all of his appearances.
- Lampshaded during the Popularity Poll arc, where he challenges Kyubei and Tsukuyo (but especially Kyubei) for having the same character type as him, claiming that There Can Be Only One.
Commonality Connection: Initially, he and Takasugi shared the goal of destroying the world after the war and death of their mentor. This was before Katsura slowly grew fond of the people in Edo and tried to convince Takasugi to change his ways.
Cosplay Otaku Girl: A Rare Male Example. He's so single-mindedly incompetent at disguising himself that it might just be something he does for fun.
- "He likes his pet alright, but he loves his costume" as Kagura put it once when he showed up in Captain Harlock cosplay for the second time. Live on television, no less. Using Captain Katsuura as his alias.
Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: A highly capable and lethal warrior, on par with Gintoki, completely obscured by the fact that he is always seen with a giant duck by his side.
- Was a certified prodigy when he was young. Despite being poor, he was accepted into a prestigious millitary academy as a scholarship student. Back during the Joi War, Sakamoto credited Katsura's war tactics for allowing them to fight for as long as they did.
Cuteness Proximity: Has a weakness for cute animals and will often be overcome with a desire to pet them.
Dark and Troubled Past: He was an orphan (he lost his parents to an illness and his grandmother followed suit not long after them) and had to learn to survive on his own with the ideal of becoming a strong "coward" samurai to be able to protect his comrades. Eventually, together with Gintoki and Takasugi, he lost a war, and, more importantly, he also lost his teacher, Shoyo. Worse, Gintoki was forced to decapitate Shoyo in exchange for Katsura's and Takasugi's lives. He parted ways from them shortly after Shoyo's decapitation. While he didn't end up obsessed with his death as Takasugi or with apparent apathy as Gintoki, he did become a terrorist against the Bakufu.
Everyone Has Standards: He may want to kill the Shogun, but he wouldn't do it when the Shogun was naked and had his dick out. In fact, he insisted Kondo protect him!
Eyepatch of Power: Always wears an eyepatch as part of his Captain Katsura disguise. His future self in the second movie also sports bandages over his eye in the same manner as Takasugi.
Faking the Dead: Twice. In the Benizakura arc, he fooled Nizo Okada into thiking he really was dead. His own faction and possibly Takasugi's men were also led into believing he was killed by Nizo. Even Elizabeth got desparate. It turned out he was hiding on Takasugi's ship, disguising himself as Elizabeth and planting bombs in the Benizakura factory. Faked his death the second time as the Prime Minister so he could leave the political scene. The whole point of him being a ridiculous politician was to make him an obvious target for individuals unsatisfied with the new government's reform policies so that they would target him, not the government or other high-ranking officials. The plan was to have Sougo Okita pretend to assasinate him but Takasugi broke into his office before the assasination plan could be carried out. But he worked things out with Takasugi.
Fantastic Racism: Hates the Amanto, and claims they are "soiling" the country simply by living there.
First Friend: To Takasugi.
Flanderization: In his first appearance, he's at least reasonably competent, dangerous, and aware of the world around him, if a bit prone to idealistic ranting. After the debut of Elizabeth, he's a silly Cloud Cuckoo Lander with the naive idealist traits exaggerated. He's considerably funnier this way.
Has a Type: Katsura has a thing for young widows, something that goes way back to his childhood according to Gintoki. Katsura proclaims that's not the case; he just likes Netorare.
Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Gintoki. Gintoki normally thinks of him as a bother, but they've been around each other since childhood. The flip side of that is that Katsura is extremely serious about keeping Kagura and Shinpachi safe, claiming that Gintoki wouldn't forgive him otherwise.
His Quirk Lives On: His hair and dress sense as an adult heavily mirror his dead teacher, Shoyo.
Historical Domain Character: His historical counterpart is Katsura Kogoro, later known as Kido Takayoshi.
Historical In-Joke: A lot of his characterisation is based on his historical counterpart's nickname "Running Kogoro", as he lived a lot longer than most rebels by virtue of clever disguises and running away when he needed to. In one chapter he hides from the Shinsengumi with a ramen shopkeeper named Ikumatsu. The real-life Katsura met his wife, a geisha named Ikumatsu, while in hiding from his enemies.
Insane Troll Logic: Just look at the exam he wrote for new anti-Bakufu terrorist's recruits...
Insistent Terminology: A Running Gag of sorts for him. He always corrects others' Accidental Misnaming as a way of insisting that the things around him should be referred to as their proper terms, especially his own name. The latter move in particular often gets himself into trouble in situations where there is a need for obscurity or for him to hide his identity.
- He tries to get around this occasionally by giving himself aliases that don't stray too far from his actual name (Captain Katsuura, Katsuo, Zurako, etc), but nonetheless still corrects them to his actual name out of habit.
- And then there are other times where he does correctly use his aliases to refer to himself, but still ends up being corrected to his actual name by others.
Let's Get Dangerous!: He takes after Gintoki in chapter 562.
Katsura: Forgive me, Elizabeth. Everyone. As I am now, I have no chance of winning this fight. As a general of an organization, I cannot beat that thing. So I must go back. Not for the organization, nor my comrades. I will swing this sword for myself. As a lone samurai.
Likes Older Women: Has a thing for married women and widows, according to Gintoki. While playing a Dating Sim in the Owee arc, he even chooses to romance the heroine's mother instead of the heroine herself. There was also the incident with Ikumatsu, which Gintoki teases him for much later on in the manga.
Gintoki: "Zura, might you have ****** with Ikumatsu?"
Long-Haired Pretty Boy: Long hair? Check. Handsome? Check.
Lovable Coward: He can fight, but as long as he is able to protect his comrades, he will run away from battles, as indicated by an early flashback in which he tries to persuade Gin to do the same. (See Historical In-Joke above.)
- Even when he was a kid, he would refrain from engaging in personal fights with other students at Shoyo's temple school. During the war, because their side was consistently fighting losing battles, his strategies were often focused on retreating and protecting allies instead of attacking foes, which earned him a reputation of "being a coward", among enemies and subordinates alike.
- Subverted when he stays behind to protect the back even though he instructs the others to retreat. When he really goes for it, his fighting style was to engage in all-out attacks without the sense of self-preservation.
Master of Disguise: Or so he thinks. He's managed to fool the Shinsengumi at least.
Meaningful Name: His "Zura" nickname can be read as "Friend" in Japanese. This is important during his childhood, because that way he became acknowledged by both Gintoki and Takasugi as both their general and a friend they both could truly rely on.
Paper-Thin Disguise:
- Whether he dresses up as a priest, as Captain Katsura (Dattebayo/Believe it!), or as Katsuo, almost nobody (excluding Gintoki & co.) ever seems to recognize him, despite baring his unaltered face in plain sight. A lot of times, he doesn't even bother going for secrecy:
After accidentally stepping on a kid's toy, disguised as a priest.
Kid: "Hey, smelly priest!"
Katsura: "I'm not a smelly priest, I'm Katsura."
- When he's interviewed by Hanano, he's outraged with the network altering his voice, obscuring his face with a mosaic, and using an alias instead of his real name. Instead, he has them stop, using only a pair of gag glasses as a disguise, and he even takes those off just to eat some ramen.
Pocket Protector: Carries around an old school book which saves his life against Nizo.
Put on a Bus: Parodied. He was on standby the entire time.
Red Baron: It's probably a good idea to not take someone with the nickname "Young Noble of Terror" lightly.
Reformed Criminal: Subverted in that he is still a criminal, just much less extreme. When we first see him in the show, he is in the process of blowing up Edo's Space Terminal, and had been running a campaign of bombings against Amanto embassies upto then. Gintoki's influence urges him to seek more peaceful methods for reforming Japan. This is seen in the way that many of his later terrorist acts are largely harmless, such as his plan to attack the Shinsengumi headquarters in order to hang their toilet paper the wrong way.
She Is Not My Girlfriend: Freaks out and denies having done the deed when Gintoki asks him about him and Ikumatsu.
Shower Scene: While talking about how he sometimes likes to take a whizz in the shower.
Sleeps with Both Eyes Open: He sleeps with his eyes open.
Snark Ball: Has his moments.
Sobriquet Sex Switch: Everyone calls him Zura by mistake; his crossdressing "persona" is named 'Zurako'.
Suspiciously Specific Denial: When Gintoki tries to tease him about his relationship with Ikumatsu, Katsura gets really detailed with what he denies to be wanting:
"Don't be stupid! As if Ikumatsu-dono and I would ever have ***, get *** and ***, or worse, *** like ***!"
"Screw you! When did I say I wanted to plunge into Ikumatsu-dono's ***, ***, or ***?"
Taking the Bullet: Katsura took a bullet for Kondo while trying to rescue the latter during the Farewell, Shinsengumi Arc. Also shielded Gintoki and Takasugi from a blast in the Silver Soul arc.
Traumatic Haircut: In the Benizakura Arc. It's grown back the next time we see him.
Use Your Head: Has an epic headbutt against Neptune Shoukaku. He even says he can forfeit the position of a general, but he will not give up the position of number one stone-head.
- It is implied in the flashback that when he did fight Gintoki and Takasugi in the dojo during their younger days, he would headbutt them.
Vitriolic Best Buds: With Gintoki. Used to be with Takasugi. Gets back to be this way with Takasugi later in the story.

Elizabeth

Voiced by: Shinji Takamatsu, Tōru Furuya (in Episodes 234 & 235) (JP), Andrew Love (EN, movie)

Katsura's right hand... duck/penguin-costume-guy-thingy. Originally a present from Sakamoto, Elizabeth hangs around with Katsura, who doesn't even think twice about treating it like a dear friend (and not some person in a costume). It almost never talks, preferring to communicate with signboards (which it uses as weapons, whenever necessary).

Alternate Company Equivalent: A Japanese counterpart of Will E. Coyote of the Looney Tunes franchise. Considered both are well known for Talking with Signs.
Amnesiacs are Innocent: Is Prince Hata's older brother with amnesia. He has left quite the trail of blood behind him. Still, Katsura accepts him as family when he finds out and allows him stay with him.
Author Avatar: It has been revealed that underneath the costume is the director, although this is obviously a non-canon gag exclusive to the anime adaptation.
BFG: Sometimes uses a bazooka.
Carry a Big Stick: His Bad Future self in the second movie wields a huge spiky mace.
Future Badass: His Bad Future self in the second movie is extremely buff and fights with a huge spiky mace.
Homage: Elizabeth seems to like dressing up as a reference to Golgo13, while Eren is a complete shout out to Amuro Ray. Heck, they even pilot the same Gundam and are voiced by the same person.
Irony: He's part of the Anti-Foreigner Faction, despite being an Amanto himself.
Long-Lost Relative: As mentioned in Put on a Bus below there are many different Elizabeths doing shifts. It seems like the regular one is Prince Hata and Prince Barkas' older brother Dragonia who was known for his long chinko and who seemingly died at the age of 5 after falling off a cliff. But he was actually saved by what appeared to be Renho. After his real identity is revealed however, he refuses to go and rule Oukoku, instead referring to himself as "Elizabeth of Earth".
Paper-Thin Disguise: Elizabeth's appearance already seems like a costume, but look at Elizabeth when it's running, and you'll see flippers being worn by hairy legs. More obviously, when its mouth is open, you can see either glowing eyes or a man (non-canonically, the director).
Put on a Bus: Subverted! In probably the greatest moment of trolling in the series, at the end of the Renho Arc Elizabeth/General Eren presumably leaves with the rest of the Renho forever, only for it to be revealed that General Eren was just a temp who fills in on Mondays while the regular Elizabeth is away.
The Quiet One: It talks once in a while (emphasis on while), but usually, it just communicates through instant signboards.
Rightful King Returns: Is the king Oukoku wants as he's the most fit with the hugest chinko and best leadership skills to boot. But gives it to his younger brothers so he can stay with Katsura.
The Rival: He strikes up a rivalry with the Shinsengumi's Saito Shimaru... because they have the same gimmick of talking with signboards.
Significant Birth Date: Shares name and birthday with Elizabeth I. Foreshadowing him being the Rightful King of a kingdom.
Taking the Bullet: When Enshou launches several energy blasts at Katsura, Elizabeth blocks them with his body, before falling over heavily injured.
Talking with Signs: Always uses signboards to communicate. Well, except for the times he's the director...
Undying Loyalty: Towards Katsura. Whom he is willing to give up his kingdom for.

Kaientai

Tatsuma Sakamoto

Voiced by: Shin-ichiro Miki (JP), Andrew Francis (EN, series), Chris Ayres (EN, movie), César Díaz (Spain)

A former comrade of Gintoki during the Joi War. He is perpetually cheerful and upbeat even in the most dire of situations. Despite his goofy nature, Sakamoto is actually a successful businessman and pilot with a private, well-equipped defensive business fleet: The Kaientai. Sakamoto's goal is to use trade to improve relations and negotiations between Earth and the Amanto in order to bring about freedom in a peaceful manner.

Advertised Extra: He more than once complains about how he rarely participates in the main story despite frequently showing up in the anime openings, endings and merchandise.
Badass Longcoat: Wears a long coat in the present. Subverted most of the time, as he rarely ever does anything badass while wearing it, but it makes it all better when he is badass.
Beware the Silly Ones: He's all laughs and smiles until he's angry. And when he's angry, he's furious, as shown when he demands the Chidori captain to give Mutsu back when he appears to have captured her.
Blasting It Out of Their Hands: He's a good enough shot to shoot enemy guns out of their hands.
Bring My Red Jacket: He wears a red longcoat and is prone to being physically abused and bleeding.
Bunny-Ears Lawyer: He may be goofy, but he's actually a quite competent businessman (when he actually does work that is). During the Renho Arc, he even gets most of the Renho to join their side by working out a business deal.
Career-Ending Injury: Batou of the Harusame cut up his right hand with a beam saber during the war, leaving him with a nasty scar and a hand that can no longer properly wield a sword.^note
Chekhov's Gunman: A few casual mentions of him are made when Katsura receives Elizabeth as a present from him. When he makes his proper introduction, he's stated to be part of the famous Joui 4 alongside Gintoki and good with ships which comes to be important later in the plot.
Chivalrous Pervert: A goofy variation of this. He makes it clear he appreciates the ladies and/or their assets, but is as polite to them as he is to other people.
Cloud Cuckoo Lander: Sakamoto's mind is not of this world. When Nobunobu is stuck with him while he's being held prisoner by his crew and they're fighting against the enemy on Rakuyou, he attempts to analyse Sakamoto's strange decision-making and wonders if he's just really impressive in his own way (before Mutsu beats them both up and clarifies that, no, Sakamoto really is just an idiot).
Cool Shades: Always wears sunglasses in the present day unless they get knocked off in battle.
Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Though he doesn't get much of a chance to show the 'badass', he did fight alongside Gintoki and Katsura during the Joi War and does have his moments in the present.
Dark and Troubled Past: Despite his incessant laughter, Sakamoto actually suffered a lot from losing most of his friends during the Joi War. This is what motivated him to leave Earth and start a new life as a businessman.
The Fool: Manages to make his way in the world with a positive outlook despite his sheer idiocy.
Genius Ditz: A very competent businessman, but he's too busy acting like an idiot most of the time.
The Gunslinger: Now prefers a pistol to the sword he used to wield during the Joi War. Later explained by losing proper mobility in his right hand when Batou of the Harusame cut it up.
Heterosexual Life-Partners: When they were younger, he said that he was only willing to try flying because he knew Gin was waiting for him on the ground. Gin is impatient with him in the present day, but both are willing to risk their lives for the other.
Historical Domain Character: Based off of Sakamoto Ryouma. Ryoma, in history, was best known for brokering the alliance between the anti-Shogunate domains of Satsuma and Choshu, spearheading momentum for the Meiji Restoration. The latter part of the series finally picks this up when Tatsuma's resources and actions become instrumental for the protagonists' comebacks.
The Hyena: He is always laughing in the most annoying manner, even while getting bitten or after having his head smashed into the ground.
Informed Ability: In the anime-only episode about him, Gintoki mentions Sakamoto was a great samurai during the Joui War. While footage of him fighting in the war in the anime and opening/ending sequences (for example Opening 5 and Opening 18/the Gintama. opening) show he indeed fought on par with the other Joui 4, there's no proper fight scenes of him in the flashbacks to confirm how good of a swordsman he was. In the present day readers never get to see him demonstrate these skills either, since he's switched to using guns and is also now unable to wield a sword thanks to the injury on his dominant hand. Takasugi also made an offhand comment of how terrible Sakamoto was as a samurai in a flashback (although since he had just got injured that could had just been Takasugi exchanging banter with him to lighten up the situation), so it's unclear overall where his swordsman skills stood.
Keet: A rare grown-up example. He's been the most optimistic out of the Joui 4 ever since he joined them, always cheerful and energetic, and prefers to talk things out rather than fight.
Made a Slave: He was once captured and enslaved by the Chidori Space Pirates, which dealt in human trafficking and which Mutsu was part of due to her father being its leader. Sakamoto ended up stealing the whole fleet with the help of the human slaves and Mutsu. This then turned into the Kaientai merchant fleet.
One Head Taller: Sakamoto, who's quite tall to begin with (the tallest out of the Joui 4), is a head taller than his co-worker Mutsu, who he greatly appreciates but otherwise doesn't show romantic interest in.
The Pollyanna: Rare Male Example. He can somehow find an optimistic explanation for waking up to being eaten by a giant dog.
"(...) Must've sweated while I was asleep too. Eh? Why's everything going red? ...Oh yeah...I was drinking tomato juice."
"Look, there's a limit to positive thinking, okay?!"
Retired Badass: After suffering a Career-Ending Injury during the War, Sakamoto has more or less retired from combat. While he's still a gunslinger and is shown to be pretty good at combat when there's no other choice, he looks for the peaceful solution as much as he can.
Running Gag: Refers to Gintoki as "Kintoki" for a good chunk of the series, which replaces the "silver" kanji with "gold" kanji. Gintoki's usually pretty annoyed every time he does it.
Snake Oil Salesman: A Professional trader, but he also has a habit of trading complete crap.
Strange Minds Think Alike: Seeing as he was the one who gave Elizabeth to Katsura as a gift, it's probably safe to assume that these two are the only ones who operate on the same wavelength.
Technical Pacifist: He doesn't like pointless battles and will try anything to resolve conflicts without violence. But if you challenge him, all bets are off.
Uncle Pennybags: According to Gintoki, it was Sakamoto who managed to raise the funds to support their army during the Joui War.
Urban Legend Love Life: There's a brief mention that he can "only handle Earth women" and Mutsu implies that he may have once or twice caught an STD, but we never actually see any evidence one way or another, as all the women he hits on reject him.
Verbal Tic: Ends many of his sentences with the suffix "-o" which is an informal way of emphasizing the whole sentence.
Wide-Eyed Idealist: Believes there is a way to bring about peace in a non-violent manner whereas Gintoki has succumbed to indifference and both Katsura (initially) and Takasugi have resorted to terrorism to bring about change.
You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry!: It takes a lot to get him angry for real. But when he's pushed to that point, things get ugly quite fast.

Mutsu

Voiced by: Akeno Watanabe (JP), Tabitha St. Germain (EN), Pepa Agudo (Spain)

Sakamoto's serious, down-to-earth second-in-command, and the real leader behind the Kaientai.

Competent and reliable, Tatsuma usually leaves her in charge of everything while he's away... which is 90% of the time. A Running Gag in the series is her trying to find him. As we later learn, she's actually a Yato and former member of the Chidori Space Pirates.

Action Girl: It takes a long time, but the arc detailing her backstory finally shows off her fighting skills, revealing her to be one of the strongest female characters in the series.
A Day in the Limelight: After more than 400 chapters since her introduction and never having been in the spotlight for long, we finally get an arc detailing who she is and where she comes from, starting with chapter 477.
Balloon Belly: In chapter 599, she is shown to be as much of a Big Eater as fellow Yato Kagura and Kamui, complete with a full belly that disappears shortly after.
Beleaguered Assistant: Played straight and subverted. While she is Sakamoto's assistant, she's only truly suffering as one when he's aboard his ship. When he isn't, she's the one in charge.
Bifauxnen: Downplayed. She dresses and speaks like a man in the present day, but her femininity is still obvious and she doesn't go out of her way to pretend to be a man.
Blasting It Out of Their Hands: Like her boss, she's a good enough shot to blast enemy guns out of their hands.
Combat Stilettos: Wore high-heeled boots into combat when she was younger.
The Comically Serious: She's constantly serious and composed, so any time a comedic situation involves her, she doesn't need to emote much to be funny.
Crazy-Prepared: She had the Kaientai fleet modified into a Combining Mecha behind Sakamoto's back just in case they had to work out business deals with giant aliens, which proves useful in defeating the Renho's artificial planet.
Curtains Match the Window: In the anime at least, her eye color is a light brown and the same as her hair.
Deadpan Snarker: Prone to deadpan comments over somebody's antics, usually her boss.
The Gunslinger: Carries around a pistol as her weapon and is a good enough to blast guns out of the enemy's hands though.
Historical Gender Flip: She is based on the historical Kaientai member Mutsu Munemitsu, who was a man. The historical Mutsu would also spend the rest of the Meiji Restoration as a high-level government official and diplomat—so there's actual basis for this Mutsu to be as high-functioning as she is.
Hypercompetent Sidekick: Mutsu is so much more competent than her boss that she's effectively the one in charge, even when Sakamoto is on board.
Intergenerational Friendship: She has a close friendship with Umibouzu, since he and her dad were old acquaintances, and he often worked as her bodyguard.
Miser Advisor: In the anime she tricks Gintoki into getting less pay for a job—that is, finding her boss.
Not So Stoic: Tries to maintain a calm and serious appearance, but she occasionally flips on her boss in anger over his sheer stupidity.
Number Two: Serves as Sakamoto's second-in-command, which means she practically runs the entire Kaientai most of the time.
Only Sane Woman: A variation. She isn't more moral than Sakamoto. Just more realistic and practical.
Pirate Girl: Used to be a high-ranking member of the Chidori Space Pirates as a teen, before she joined up with Sakamoto.
The Reliable One: To Sakamoto. She always backs him up during his dealings and transactions or when they're fighting.
The Stoic: Controls her emotions well and so doesn't show much expression. She's no Ice Queen, though, and is generally just serious.
Super-Strength: She is later revealed to be a Yato with strength capable of stopping an escape vehicle dead in its tracks and is just as capable of punching a huge hole in it.
Taking the Bullet: When Hankai launches a surprise attack on Sakamoto, Mutsu pushes him out of the way, getting stabbed and infected by his nanomachines, but manages to survive. Later happens again when Enshou tries to stab Sakamoto with his expanding beam saber, pushing him out of the way and getting impaled in his place.
The Woman Behind the Man: She pretty much runs everything concerning Sakamoto's business.

People from Gintoki's past

Shoyo Yoshida

Voiced by: Kōichi Yamadera (JP), Simon Hayama (EN, series), David Wald (EN, movie)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yoshida_shoyo_1.jpg

The swordmaster who taught Gintoki, Katsura and Takasugi everything they know. He was unjustly accused of trying to raise an army and executed by the government, in return for saving his students' lives.

The Atoner: It is implied that he had a bloody past, which he tries to atone for by teaching children in the countryside. Later confirmed when it's revealed he was one of many Utsuro's selves, the leader of Naraku.
Back from the Dead: Utsuro who was defeated and thought to be dead... was reborn as Shoyo from another Altana gate hence greeting Gintoki with a genuine smile when he grows fast into a boy. Even after taking his heart out for Gintoki to keep from the Naraku remnants, his body is still on life support as they plan to have him come back as Utsuro.
Charles Atlas Superpower: He's strong enough to knock people straight down into the ground with a simple tap to the head—normally Played for Laughs against his unruly students. This of course gets a darker nuance when it is revealed it's because he was the superhuman villain Utsuro.
Decapitation Presentation: Gintoki, Katsura and Takasugi learned of his execution when they received his head. Except not, Gintoki was the one forced to kill him. They just left the head behind for the three of them to look at afterwards.
Disappeared Dad: He was effectively Gintoki's father figure. He's long dead by the time the series takes place because Gintoki had to kill him.
Face Death with Dignity: While his death isn't immediately afterwards, last he's seen alive he allows himself to be taken by the Naraku while making his promise to Gintoki. When his time of death actually comes, he accepts it willingly to ensure his three students survive.
The Faceless: His eyes aren't shown until a flashback in the Courtesan of a Nation Arc, which showed him to look either like a long haired and gentle version of Sougo, or a white haired version of Katsura.
Heel–Face Turn: Had his moment in abandoning his past as one of many Utsuro's selves and changed to become a better person as a way to supress and resist his immortal identity in all possible means. This lasted until a grown up Gintoki was forced to execute him, which led him to come back to life as Utsuro again when the Naraku tried to burn his corpse.
Historical Domain Character: Loosely based on the historical Yoshida Shoin.
Long-Haired Pretty Boy: Long-haired? Check. Boyish good looks? Check.
Mentor Archetype: Considering how he taught Gintoki, Katsura, and Takasugi everything they know about the path of bushido and the amount of respect those three still have for him in return, Shoyo-sensei definitely qualifies despite appearing only in brief flashbacks.
Off with His Head!: The Bakufu ordered him executed and had his head cut off. The person who did said deed? Gintoki, by way of a Sadistic Choice to kill either his own teacher or his friends. This later led to Shoyo coming back to life as Utsuro again after being burned on a pyre.
Parental Substitute: He's effectively the closest thing to a father Gintoki's ever had.
Perpetual Smiler: Has a cheerful smile constantly plastered on his face.
Posthumous Character: He's dead in the present time of the series, but we learn of him through flashbacks and accounts from other characters. Later subverted, as Utsuro was revived almost near-immediately after his death.

Tasuke Kurokono

Voiced by: Kensho Ono

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/b5ba10b6303f4127742a782d9af42868.jpg

The phantom fifth man of Gintoki's comrades during the Joi War. A team player and supporter, he was so forgettable that even his friends forgot about him during the war. In fact, they even forgot he was left in the temple they lured the Bakufu forces into and blew up, since they were playing kick the can and he was counting. Remembering this event, they begin fearing Kurokono has returned to take his revenge on them at a reunion party he supposedly invited them to. When it proves to be a plot from the Kiheitai to take out Takasugi's former comrades, Kurokono himself shows up to stop them, proving the phantom fifth man is real and alive.

Big Damn Heroes: Shows up to save Katsura and Sakamoto from the Kiheitai.
The Faceless: To enforce how people forget about him and can’t remember his face, his eyes are always obscured when his face is shown.
Forgettable Character: Gintoki, Katsura and Sakamoto all completely forgot about him until the fake reunion planned by Henpeita. They had to go through a flashback to discover that he might actually have died. Not that he did anyway.
The Generic Guy: Apparently seen as so generic and helpful that people forget about him completely.
Homage: He is a complete Shout-Out to Kuroko's Basketball. Not only is his name in Japanese order Kurokono Tasuke, he has Kuroko's voice actor, is referred to as the phantom fifth man, and has a special talent for avoiding attention.
Overshadowed by Awesome: Despite being pretty good in his own right, he is completely overshadowed by the feats of his friends. He is pretty content with helping them out from the shadows though.
Remember the New Guy?: Invoked and parodied; he suddenly gets introduced into the story as the fifth phantom member of Gintoki's war comrade, but Gintoki, Katsura, and Sakamoto all have a hard time remembering who exactly he is.

Pakuyasa

Voiced by: Nobuyuki Hiyama

This legendary warrior once fought in the war against Amanto. Known as Pakuyasa, he cut his way across the battlefield, his white hair and clothes colored red with blood. During the war, he fought against the great swordsman Batou of the Harusame to avenge his wounded comrade. Unable to kill him, Batou has been looking for him for ten years in order to fight him again, seemingly finding him during the battle on the planet Rakuyo.

In reality, Pakuyasa was just a self-proclaimed disciple of the great Shiroyasha, Gintoki. He lacked any real skill with a sword, but had a lot of passion, so he was put in charge of food supplies. When Batou fought him, his mind-reading third eye picked up on Gintoki's powerful killing intent, putting him in a fight against an illusion and making him confuse the two.

He left the war after a short while because he was not cut out for it, opening up a candy shop. After he got sued, he opened a lingerie shop and got arrested for public obscenity. Now he does sketchy odd jobs, just like Gintoki.

Fan Disservice: When Gintoki talks about him opening a lingerie shop, we get a shot of him wearing said lingerie. Appropriately he was arrested for public obscenity.
Identical Stranger: Parodied. He almost resembles Gintoki during the war, having white hair and wearing the same outfit, except he's fat. Batou somehow still confuses him with Gintoki.
Mistaken for Badass: Batou thought he was the most amazing warrior he has ever fought and confuses him with Gintoki, but he is actually a novice with the sword who left the war shortly after. The reason Batou is mistaken is because his mind-reading third eye picked up the nearby Gintoki's powerful killing intent, putting him in an illusionary battle against him.
Non-Action Guy: Batou thought he was a great warrior, but he actually has little skill with the sword, which is why he left the war shortly after.
Only Known by Their Nickname: Pakuyasa is just a nickname he was given during the war, while his real name is never mentioned.
Worthy Opponent: Batou thought he was the most amazing warrior he ever fought against and is excited when he encounters Gintoki on Rakuyo, having confused not only the two's appearances, but also their fighting skills.

Onmyoji and Shikigami

Ana Ketsuno

Voiced by: Sayaka Narita

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ketsuno_ana_9860.png

A reporter and weather forecaster for Oedo News, well-known and loved for her cheerful disposition. It isn't elaborated until later, but she uses fortune telling in both her weather and horoscope predictions, which are always very accurate. It's mentioned in the series that she gets married, and that she later gets divorced. The latter is the focus of the Onmyoji arc. Gintoki has a crush on her.

Her real name is Crystal.

Arranged Marriage: She married Doman as part of a peace agreement between the Shirino Clan and Ketsuno Clan. Seimei got her to divorce Doman when he noticed how sad she was.
But Not Too Foreign: According to Sorachi, the reason her real name is Crystal is because one of her parents was a foreigner.
Chekhov's Gunman: She is a minor character for most of the series, but later ends up important in the Onmyoji arc, along with the fact she was once married and now divorced.
Cloudcuckoolander: She names her dog Last of the Mohicans Night of the Living Dead McGuffin.
Dissonant Serenity: She is almost always smiling, even while giving her Black Horoscopes.
Today you die! Today your lucky color is red. So let's hide that blood-covered body with something red!
Let's Get Dangerous!: Previously thought to be little more than a cutesy weather reporter, but when a shikigami comes crashing into Gintoki's house she reveals herself to be a rather badass onmyoji and destroys it.
The Ojou: A nice, humble one.
Perpetual Smiler: Always smiling and seemingly happy.
Punny Name: Ketsuno Ana sounds like "ketsu no ana", which means "butthole". Hulu's dub changes her name to Maya Sizitzy ("My ass is itchy") to preserve the pun.
Summon Magic: As an onmyoji she has a shikigami under her command that she is able to summon at will. Hers is the sadistic Cute Bruiser Gedomaru.

Seimei Ketsuno

Voiced by: Hikaru Midorikawa

The young head of the Ketsuno Clan and also Ana Ketsuno's big brother. A very talented onmyoji, who is regarded as one of the most powerful in history. He works for the Bakufu as the lead guardian of Edo, which means he has shikigami scattered all over town to gather information. He processes this information and delivers it to the Bakufu. He used to be friends with Doman despite their clan's rivalry, but their relationship soured as Doman became obsessed with defeating Seimei and having his clan surpass Seimei's. Despite this, he still seeks to end the centuries long rivalry between the two clans.

The Ace: An immensely talented and super powerful onmyoji, well respected and looked up by almost everyone that knows him.
Animal Eye Spy: He has over 1000 shikigami all around Edo as his "eyes" to watch over the city.
Bare-Handed Blade Block: Blocks a shikigami's sword with a single hand after releasing his full power.
Beam-O-War: Engages in a battle of magical blasts with Doman, his blue magic against Doman's red, which ends with him blasting Doman off the arena. The commentator even compares it to Dragon Ball!
Big Brother Instinct: He cares a lot for his younger sister and her happiness. The conflict with Doman started because Seimei arranged Crystal's divorce after he saw how unhappy she was from being forced to quit her job as weather girl due to getting married to Doman.
But Not Too Foreign: Like with his sister, one of their parents was a foreigner.
Historical Domain Character: Named after Abe no Seimei. According to legend, Abe no Seimei wasn't fully human, which fits with the Seimei not being fully Japanese in an odd way.
I Am Not Left-Handed: His power is normally limited due to all the shikigami he has stationed around Edo, but in his fight with Doman he recalls every single shikigami to focus his power and utterly curb stomp him.
"I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight: Tries it on Doman when Antenmaru takes over his body. While Antenmaru claims he failed, his doing so allows Doman to reassert enough control to let the others defeat Antenmaru.
Legacy Character: The head of the Ketsuno clan always takes on the name Seimei.
Person of Mass Destruction: Extremely powerful when he calls upon his full power.
Playing with Fire: Countering Doman's boast of incinerating him with "an infinite number of flames", Seimei conjures 1562 flaming wards against Doman's measly 103 wards.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: The blue oni to Doman's red oni, which is even reflected in the color of their spells.
Sinister Surveillance: Strangely heroic example. He has shikigami stationed around the city to act as his eyes and relays the information they gather to the Bakufu.
The Stoic: Calm and composed, except for when his sister is on tv.
Summon Magic: He's able to call upon a lot of shikigami, though he generally only uses them to non-violent ends.

Doman Shirino

Voiced by: Ken Narita

Head of the Shirino Clan and a rival of Seimei. Although the two started out as friends despite the struggle between their clans, Doman was pressured by his father into trying to defeat Seimei and surpass his clan. He eventually became bitter after the years of humiliation he suffered in trying to defeat Seimei and his hatred of his former friend has since then grown. However, he still agreed to a peace treaty between the two clans on a single condition: That he marry Seimei's sister and his long-time crush Ana Ketsuno. Following their divorce, Doman seeks to exact his revenge on both Seimei and his sister.

Arc Villain: Of the Onmyoji Arc.
Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: An onmyoji variant, being overconfident in the superiority of his magic and eager to trample on his opponent's.
Ass Shove: A frequent victim of butt-related abuse, with Gintoki smashing him down several times on Gedomaru's club. While he tries to save face by casting an illusion and claiming his bleeding ass was from hemorrhoids, no one is buying it, and easily figure out how bad his ass has been injured.
Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: Gets turned into a demonic giant when Antenmaru fully takes over his body.
Beam-O-War: Engages in a battle of magical blasts with Seimei, his red magic against Seimei's blue, which ends with Doman being blasted off the arena. The commentator even compares it to Dragon Ball!
Butt-Monkey: Despite being the villain of the arc, he is treated with little in the way of respect and suffers a lot of physical abuse, especially to his ass.
Demonic Possession: His body is possessed by Antenmaru, an evil spirit long since thought to be vanquished.
Dogged Nice Guy: He fell in love with Crystel after she came across his injured form from losing another battle with Seimei and offered to help him with his bleeding ass. Because of the enmity between their two clans however, the most he could do was watch her from afar. When Seimei offered a peace treaty between the clans, Doman used it as an opportunity to make an Arranged Marriage with Crystal be the condition for it, Seimei agreeing out of guilt for their friendship breaking up long ago. Despite being married though, the relationship was surprisingly chaste, largely because Crystal didn't reciprocate his feelings, but he never forced himself on her and seemed more content just getting to be with her, the feud between the clans only restarting because Seimei helped Crystal end the marriage after seeing how unhappy she was, with Antenmaru feeding on Doman's resentment of the Ketsuno siblings abandoning him. At the end of the Diviner arc, Doman has ultimately accepted that Crystal doesn't love him though, and is content with just being one of her fans.
Evil Former Friend: He and Seimei were once close friends, but their clans' opposition to each other soured their relationship. They manage to rekindle their friendship once Antenmaru is defeated.
Fighting from the Inside: Holds back Antenmaru after he takes over his body, allowing Gintoki to defeat him.
Heel–Face Turn: Reforms at the end of the Onmyoji arc.
Heroic Sacrifice: Subverted in that he actually survives, but he tries to pull this off, telling everyone to blast him down and kill Antenmaru while he restrains him. Everyone's desire for Doman to survive though allows him to be spared from the blast that defeats Antenmaru.
Historical Domain Character: He's based on Abe no Seimei's rival Ashiya Doman.
Long-Haired Pretty Boy: He's certainly not bad on the eyes and has long hair to match.
Playing with Fire: Summons 103 flaming wards and boasts of incinerating Seimei with an infinite number of flames. Too bad for him Seimei summons almost 15 times that number of wards.
Power Tattoo: Gedomaru takes the tattoo on his face as a sign he's been dabbling in forbidden magic, but it's actually a sign that he's let Antenmaru's spirit into his body to increase his own power. The tattoo even glows red when he uses some of his dark magic.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: The red oni to Seimei's blue oni, which is even reflected in the color of their spells.
The Rival: Seimei's, as both are the heads of their respective clans and expected to uphold their clan's rivalry. Thankfully, they put that aside after defeating Antenmaru, and restore it to a Friendly Rivalry.
Squishy Wizard: Invoked when he fights Gintoki and Gedomaru, who make it a key part of their strategy to brutally attack him before he can use his magic. He manages to get out of it with an illusion, but not before being thoroughly humiliated.
Stalker with a Crush: For Ana Ketsuno. He never takes it further than watching from afar at least.
Weather Manipulation: Changes the weather through magic to contradict Ana Ketsuno's weather forecasts.

Gedomaru

Voiced by: Ayako Kawasumi

A shikigami, bound in service to Ana Ketsuno. Originally an evil spirit, she was caught long ago by onmyoji when she was tearing up Mount Oe during the Heian period. Cold and relentless, Gedoumaru will do anything to beat her opponent and is not above putting up an act just to get her opponents to lower their guard.

Action Girl: She lays quite the smack down with that mace.
Because You Were Nice to Me: She's grateful to Crystel for being the only master who has treated her as a friend instead of a tool.
Carry a Big Stick: She wields a giant tetsubo, a studded club used in Japanese warfare.
Combat Pragmatist: She will act out a highly dramatic scenario where she's mourning her mother to get her enemies to drop their guard, allowing her to go in for an easy kill. Her teamwork with Gintoki also consists of them physically humiliating Doman before he can use his magic.
Cute Bruiser: She might be small and looks cute, but she packs hell of a punch with that mace.
Empty Eyes: Likely due to her shikigami nature.
Horned Humanoid: Tiny little horns at that.
Our Demons Are Different: An evil spirit turned into a shikigami by onmyoji.
Pint-Sized Powerhouse: One of the shortest characters in the series, but also one of the physically strongest. She takes down huge shikigami several times her own size in her first appearance.
Red Eyes, Take Warning: She's still an evil spirit after all.
The Stoic: She has a mostly cold demeanor about her.
Undying Loyalty: She's genuinely loyal to Ana Ketsuno, who treats her like a friend.
Weapon Across the Shoulder: She often carries her mace over the shoulder.

Antenmaru

Voiced by: Kazuyuki Ishikawa

An evil god who plagued the capital with eternal rain a thousand years ago. He was vanquished and sealed away by the two Mikado brothers from whom both the Ketsuno and Shirino Clans are descended. He eventually possessed the brother from which the Shirino clan is descended, after he had killed the Ketsuno brother, but was sealed away again by the other brother's son.

Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: When he assumes direct control of Doman's body, he turns into a demonic giant.
Breath Weapon: Shoots beams out of his mouth.
Demonic Possession: He possessed the brother from which the Shirino clan is descended until he was killed by the son of the Ketsuno brother. In the present he also takes over Doman's body.
Horned Humanoid: When he takes over Doman's body, he sprouts horns from the top of his head.
Our Demons Are Different: One of the most powerful evil spirits.
Red Eyes, Take Warning: Right there in his character image.
Physical God: Explicitly referred to as an evil god.
Sealed Evil in a Can: He was sealed away through the efforts of the ancestors of the Ketsuno and Shirino Clans. In the present day, Doman breaks his seal and brings him into his body.
Weather Manipulation: Calls forth huge storms with his very presence.

Miko Sisters

Both

Chekhov's Gun: The miko sisters introduce the Dragon's Vein, a source of power below the Earth later known as the Altana, which powers the Terminal. While its importance to the Tendoshu is hinted at, it becomes a lot more important later on when it's revealed to be the source of power for one of the major villains of the series.
Chekhov's Gunman: After introducing the Dragon's Vein, they don't appear much. They later play a major role in the final arc of the series, stopping the Altana's destruction on Earth after Utsuro unleashed it.
Family Theme Naming: Both sisters have a name ending in "ne".
Hime Cut: Their hairstyles with blunt bangs, armpit length sidelocks, and waist length straight hair fit their occupation as miko.
Miko: They are former shrine maidens who had to move out because the Amanto built the Terminal on top of their shrine. Ane still wears miko clothes in her job as a hostess, manipulating people with a miko fetish into giving her money.

Ane

Voiced by: Maya Okamoto

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/miko_ane.jpg

Ane is a former shrine maiden in Edo. Together with her sister Mone, she used to tend a shrine where the Terminal now stands, said to be the location of the Dragon's Hole, where the chi of the Earth flows out. After losing the shrine, they could no longer care for both of their dog gods and left one of them with the Yorozuya, who named him Sadaharu. When Sadaharu later goes on a rampage because of being fed strawberry milk, the two sisters show up to help them bring him back to normal.

Between the two sisters, Ane is the one who earns money for the both of them. She works as hostess in the Snack Smile Cabaret Club in Kabukicho, where she puts her natural talent at manipulating men to good use to wring money out of their pockets. As one of the top hostesses at the club, she gets into a rivalry with Tae.

Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Despite being Tae's rival at the cabaret club, she never appears again in relation to the club after the Ryugujo arc, and Tae is often referred to as the top hostess. She later reappears in the final arc of the series to calm down the Altana after Utsuro unleashed it.
Forced Sleep: She uses a spell to cause all the reporters interrogating Gintoki and Shinpachi about Sadaharu's rampage to sleep.
Gold Digger: She claims to have a sugar daddy who bought her a house. She also manipulates men at the cabaret club to wring money out of them.
Punny Name: Her name is read as Ane, which is also the word for "older sister" in Japanese.
The Rival: Tae's rival as a hostess, particularly after the manager threatens to fire which one scores the lowest. She later vanishes from the series, leaving Tae as the top hostess at the club.

Mone

Voiced by: Masako Jou

Mone is a former shrine maiden together with her sister Ane. They used to tend a shrine where the Terminal now stands, said to be the location of the Dragon's Hole, where the chi of the Earth flows out. After losing the shrine, they could no longer care for both of their dog gods and left one of them with the Yorozuya, who named him Sadaharu. When Sadaharu later goes on a rampage because of being fed strawberry milk, the two sisters show up to help them bring him back to normal. Unlike her sister Ane, Mone usually stays at home, watching television and lounging around with their remaining dog god Komako.

Butt-Monkey: She ends up suffering a fair bit of abuse. She gets her flute stuck in her mouth, with the other end stuck in Gintoki's mouth until Kagura breaks it. The flute stays there until she gets hit in the face by a baseball. And then she gets hit in the face again by the ball shortly after that, despite making a heroic speech.
Hikkikomori: She just stays at home and watches television, while her sister works in a cabaret club.

Hayashi Research Institute

No. 502

No. 502 / Ryuzan Hayashi

Voiced by: Hiroshi Kamiya

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/number_502_2446.png

The last android built by Professor Ryuzan Hayashi, who also built Tama, before his death. He initially works under Professor Meguro after Ryuzan's death, but quickly betrays him to fulfill his own plans. It is quickly revealed that Ryuzan transferred his personality data and memories over to this android, essentially making him the Professor.

Arc Villain: Of the Fuyo arc.
Artificial Human: The last of Professor Hayashi's androids.
Badass Longcoat: He puts on Hayashi's red longcoat after betraying Meguro.
Do Not Adjust Your Set: After causing a power outage in Edo, he appears on all television screens to announce that the robots are taking over the city and that they will kill Shinpachi if they don't get Tama's data back.
The Dragon: Initially looks to be Professor Meguro's right-hand man, but very quickly takes over the Arc Villain role after betraying him.
Faking the Dead: Meguro thought he had killed Ryuzan, but he had already transferred himself into his new android body. He simply got up after the attempt and then used the news of his death to his advantage.
From a Single Cell: A variation. He claims that as long as his central processor is intact his body will repair itself and that said processor is tinier than a single micron. Gintoki gets through this by shoving him in the way of the beam of energy under the Terminal.
Healing Factor: His body will always repair itself so long as his central processor is safe.
I Just Want to Have Friends: Sort of. As a human Ryuzan Hayashi was desperate to avoid loneliness, causing him to create androids as company for both himself and his sick daughter. Unfortunately he ended up killing her when he tried to transfer her personality data over into Tama.
Kick the Dog: Similar to how the defective androids were recalled and then crushed, he orders the employees of the Hayashi Research Institute to be crushed to death.
Please, Don't Leave Me: Screams out for Tama to not leave him before he is completely destroyed by the energy under the Terminal.
The Starscream: Betrays his apparent master Meguro and takes over in his stead.
The Stoic: He is calm and shows little in the way of emotions, which is more than justified by being an android.
Waistcoat of Style: Initially wears a black waistcoat over a white shirt and later adds a red longcoat on top of it after betraying his master.

Meguro

Professor Meguro

Voiced by: Atsushi Ono

Vice-Director at the Hayashi Research Institute. He murdered Professor Ryuzan Hayashi to get control of the institute. He sends the androids on the hunt for the missing Tama to obtain the "Seed" that she contains, so he can continue Ryuzan's Project Fuyo in his own name. After obtaining Tama's head, he recalls all the androids to be destroyed after their rampage. He is then killed by the android No. 502, whom Ryuzan Hayashi transferred his own personality data and memories to.

Beard of Evil: Meguro's beard helps make him look very villainous right from the get-go.
Frame-Up: He frames Tama for murdering Ryuzan Hayashi.
Godhood Seeker: Dreams of becoming equal to a god by creating human beings, more specifically androids with human souls and emotions.
Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: No. 502 kills him by piercing his chest with his arm, shown in the manga but off-screen in the anime.
Laser-Guided Karma: Immediately after it's revealed he murdered Ryuzan Hayashi to get control of the research institute, he is betrayed and killed by the android No. 502, whom Hayashi transferred his personality data into.
Non-Action Guy: He doesn't fight himself, leaving it to his army of android maids.
Smug Snake: He is arrogant and assured of his own importance, despite having murdered his way to control of the Research Institute. While gloating about becoming equal to a god, he is killed by No. 502, who uses the situation he created to his advantage.
The Starscream: He betrayed and murdered Ryuzan Hayashi to gain control of the Hayashi Research Institute.

Mashiroi Gang

Kaguzo Mashiroi

Voiced by: Kenji Utsumi

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mashiroi_kaguzo.jpg

Kaguzo is the Yakuza boss of the Mashiroi gang. He took in Kyojiro as a kid and raised him alongside his own son Utsuzo. Since he is old and dying, he is desperate to have his son succeed him and lead the gang. But his son has no taste for the Yakuza life and tried to work in a textile shop until his father's harassment caused him to be fired. This led to his son locking himself in a storehouse for five years. Unaware that his son hanged himself inside, he hires the Yorozuya to bring him out in an attempt to reconcile with him. He later collapses and succumbs to his illness in the hospital.

Blood from the Mouth: Starts coughing blood from his mouth and collapses when Kyojiro calls him out for harassing his son's workplace to force him to quit. He later succumbs to his illness and dies in the hospital.
My God, What Have I Done?: With his death approaching, he realizes that he only hurt his son by trying to force him to succeed the family.
Parental Substitute: He took in Kyojiro as a kid and raised him alongside his own son. Kyojiro in turn looks up to him and refers to him as his father.
Pet the Dog: He may be a Yakuza boss, but instead of killing a young Kojiro for stealing from his gang, he took him in and cared for him like he was his son.
Punny Name: According to the translation notes, Mashiroi Kaguzo can mean "I'm gonna sniff some white (powder)". This causes the Yorozuya to think that's what he is going to do when he introduces himself, especially since they were worried they had been hired to transport drugs.
Yakuza: He is the big boss of a powerful Yakuza gang.

Utsuzo Mashiroi

Voiced by: Chikara Ousaka, Ayana Ishikawa

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mashiroi_utsuzo.jpg

Kaguzo's only son and heir. He was raised alongside Kyojiro, who became his friend and protector. He is a meek and gentle person who has no taste for the Yakuza life his father wants for him. Instead of becoming his father's successor he left their home to work in a textile shop, but his father harrassed the shop until he was fired. He then returned home, only to take all his belongings, putting it in a storehouse which he then locked himself in five years ago. Kyojiro eventually discovered he had hanged himself inside the storehouse and buried him. In order to spare his father from the truth, Kyojiro kept up the ruse by having people inside the storehouse pretending to be him, until the Yorozuya are hired and discover the truth.

Dead All Along: Gintoki finds out Utsuzo committed suicide quite a while ago. Kyojiro is simply keeping up the ruse to spare his father from the reality his son hanged himself because of his actions.
Driven to Suicide: He hanged himself inside the storehouse in despair over his father preventing him from living his own life.
Hikkikomori: He has seemingly locked himself inside a storehouse for five years and refused to come out, while he slips out papers with request for food and magazines. However, he actually committed suicide inside the storehouse, while the ones inside when the Yorozuya arrive are people hired by Kyojiro to pretend to be him to keep up the illusion he is still alive.
Posthumous Character: He is already long dead by the time the Yorozuya are hired. His character is instead explored through flashbacks and comments by other characters.
White Sheep: He has no desire to succeed his father as the boss of the family, instead he just wants to live an honest life as a textile worker.

Kyojiro Nakamura

Voiced by: Masaya Matsukaze

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nakamura_kyojiro.jpg

Kyojiro is the junior boss of the Mashiroi Gang, known as the Guardian Dog. He used to be a street kid, but after stealing from the Mashiroi Gang he was taken in by the boss Kaguzo and raised alongside his son Utsuzo.

Death Seeker: He knows the other factions of the gang will be out to kill him at his inauguration ceremony as the new boss, but goes to the ceremony anyway to die for failing to stop Utsuzo's suicide.
Go Out with a Smile: He dies sitting against Kaguzo Mashiroi’s grave with a smile on his face.
Gun And Sword: Uses a revolver together with his sword.
Hidden Heart of Gold: After Gintoki discovers Utsuzo is dead, he paints himself as the murderer, pretending to have killed him so he could be the next boss. In reality he is simply planning to take the secret with him to the grave.
Red Baron: Known as the Guardian Dog.
Revolvers Are Just Better: He shoots Gintoki with a revolver, an appropriate gun for the time period, but outdated compared to the modern weapons introduced by the Amanto.
Scars Are Forever: He got the scar on his face as a kid, having gotten injured protecting Utsuzo from a rival gang.
Yakuza: The junior boss of a powerful Yakuza gang and the most qualified candidate to succeed Kaguzo.

Senbokyo Inn

Oiwa

Voiced by: Seiko Tomoe

Oiwa is the owner of the Senbokyo Hot Springs Inn, whose customers consist of ghosts who cannot pass into the next life. She is supported by the ghost of her dead husband Tagosaku, who died 10 years and now serves as her Stand. She is an old friend of Otose, who seemingly sends the Yorozuya and Tae to the inn for the winter break, but they are actually being to sent work for Oiwa for 10 days. After everybody but Gintoki are possessed by ghosts, she forces him to work for her, until he rebels against her with the aid of Rei.

Arc Villain: She is the villain of the Ghost Inn Arc, also known as the Stand Arc.
Evil Old Folks: An elderly lady who ruthlessly rules over her inn of ghosts and forces Gintoki to work for her with his friends as hostages.
Graceful Loser: She gracefully accepts her loss after she is beaten by Gintoki (while possessed by Francis Xavier), acknowledging how well he is able to control the Stands possessing his body. Unfortunately, her own Stand and husband Tagosaku goes out of control and tries to suck in the spirits of everybody in the area.
Heel–Face Turn: After accepting her defeat and acknowledging where she went wrong, she returns to being a good person and works to help ghosts pass on to the next life.
I Just Want to Have Friends: The main reason she forces all the ghosts to remain with her at her inn is because she realised they are some of the only friends she has after her husband died.
I See Dead People: She has been able to talk and interact with ghosts since she was a kid.
I Was Quite a Looker: Just like Otose, Oiwa was fairly good looking in her youth.
Paper Talisman: After catching Rei plotting against her with Gintoki, Oiwa puts her in a disciplinary room sealed with paper talisman which prevents her from leaving.
Powers via Possession: She is able to fight by allowing her husband's ghost to possess her body, turning her huge with strength to match.
Punch Parry: After Gintoki has become possessed by Rei and able to fight back against Oiwa, the two clash with a powerful punch, with Oiwa winning and sending Gintoki flying.
Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs: When possessed by her husband, she pummels Gintoki into the floor with a huge barrage of punches, while also yelling "ora ora ora ora", clearly referencing JoJo's Bizarre Adventure like the rest of the arc.
Second Love: She was originally in love with Otose's husband Tatsugoro, but she later met and fell in love with Tagosaku.
Smug Snake: She is very confident in her control of her inn and completely underestimates Gintoki, falsely believing she has broken his spirit and made him loyal. She is in shock once she discovers he is helping several of the ghosts pass on despite her control.

Tagosaku

Voiced by: Masahiro Okazaki

Oiwa's late husband who died 10 years ago. Because of his close bond with her and his promise to protect her, he remains with her as a ghost and serves as her Stand. The bond between the two has made him the strongest Stand at the inn, leaving nobody able to fight their control.

Declaration of Protection: He promised that he would always protect Oiwa and the inn, and he tries to keep that promise in death, protecting her as her personal Stand.
Hair-Trigger Temper: While he was calmer when alive, as a ghost he is easily agitated and angered. This is because of the growing negative emotions at the inn from keeping so many ghosts from passing on to the next life.
Our Ghosts Are Different: Since his death he has become a purple ghost who always hangs on his wife Oiwa's back. Because of his bond with Oiwa, he has become the strongest Stand at the inn.
Powers via Possession: He is capable of possessing his wife's body, granting her his power and turning huge with strength to match.
Second Love: Oiwa was originally in love with Otose's husband Tatsugoro, but she later met and fell in love with Tagosaku.
Your Soul Is Mine!: Because of the strain of keeping so many ghosts at the inn, he eventually becomes overwhelmed by negative emotions and tries to absorb all the souls in the area, including the living, assimilating them so that Oiwa won't be lonely again. They are all released when Oiwa apologises and thanks them, with the living souls returned to their bodies and the dead souls passing on.

Rei

Voiced by: Sanae Kobayashi

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rei_gintama.jpg

Rei is a ghost who works at the Senbokyo Inn. She was taken in by Oiwa as a kid and has worked at the inn since then. She later died of unknown circumstances but continues to work there. After Gintoki arrives at the inn and is forced to work by Oiwa, she assists him with the troublesome guests. She later joins Gintoki in fighting Oiwa to free the inn from her control and let the ghosts pass on to the next life.

Ethereal White Dress: She is dressed in a white burial robe, fitting considering she is a ghost.
Happily Adopted: She used to live on the streets, but was taken in by Oiwa as a kid. She seems to have had a happy childhood growing up at the inn until her unknown death.
Heroic Sacrifice: After Oiwa is about to be absorbed by the out-of-control Tagosaku, Rei jumps in and pushes her out of the way, getting absorbed in her place. However, when all the souls are released, she stays back at the inn to help out Oiwa.
Our Ghosts Are Different: She resembles a typical Japanese ghost, with long black hair, a white robe and a white triangular headband. As a ghost she mostly floats around and can pass through walls. She is also able to possess people as a Stand.
Powers via Possession: She is able to possess Gintoki, giving him power that allows him to fight back against Oiwa.
The Stoic: While not completely emotionless, she mostly has a cold unsmiling expression on her face, and is completely unfazed by Tagosaku roaring at her.
Stringy-Haired Ghost Girl: She resembles a typical Japanese female ghost, wearing a white burial kimono and having long black hair covering her face. However, unlike most examples she is not malicious, only serving as an assistant at an inn for ghosts.

Tama's Body

Leukocyte King

Voiced by: Tomokazu Sugita

The king of the Leukocyte Kingdom inside Tama. He is an anti-virus program based on the strongest person in Tama's collection of data, but has grown beyond an anti-virus program and developed into someone who is more human than even Tama is. When the Tapir virus infects Tama, the Yorozuya journey inside her to find him. Together, they go to confront the Archfiend Tapir, the progenitor of the Tapir virus.

Authority Equals Asskicking: He is the ruler of the Leukocytes inside Tama and the strongest of them all.
Badass Cape: Wears a long white cloak which goes well with his RPG hero look.
Beam-O-War: After a few too many disagreements with Gintoki, they try to blast each other with beams from their weapons: The Leukocyte King using his sword and Gintoki using a modified toothpick that shoots beams. While neither wins over the other, the clash of beams causes the Tapir army to be wiped out as side effect. Together with Gintoki he also engages in a battle of beams against the Archfiend Tapir, then holds it off alone using his own life energy while Gintoki attacks him.
Cast From Hitpoints: Uses his own life energy to hold off the Tapir's beam and blast it back, allowing Gintoki to beat him. It almost kills him, but Tama and the Yorozuya save him.
Chest Monster: After making a speech about only caring about saving Tama, he spots a treasure chest and opens it like the RPG hero he is, only for the chest to spawn teeth and bite down on his hand.
Cool Crown: Fitting the RPG hero archetype, he wears a silver circlet with a blue gem on his head.
Cool Sword: He wields a large sword with a broad blade and a rapier hilt which is sheathed on his back. The sword can shoot out blasts that destroys viruses.
Fire-Forged Friends: After mostly arguing and fighting with the Yorozuya, he becomes friends with them after fighting alongside them against the Tapir.
Forced Transformation: Tama turned him into a dog to prevent him from fighting the Tapir alone and getting killed, waiting until the Yorozuya arrive to turn him back.
Heroic Sacrifice: Attempts to sacrifice himself to save Tama and the Yorozuya, using his own life energy to hold back Archfiend Tapir's beam while Gintoki kills him. However, he is saved from dying by Tama and the Yorozuya after the fight.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He is abrasive and rude towards anyone but Tama, but he ends up caring about the Yorozuya, wishing to adventure more with them at the end.
Let's You and Him Fight: Him and Gintoki are too busy fighting each other to fight the Tapir minions, due to their egos and arguments over the best way to deal with them. However, their clash manages to destroy the Tapir army by accident.
Wrecked Weapon: His sword breaks as he tries to tank Archfiend Tapir's beam alone while Gintoki attacks him. However he does get a new sword after the battle.
Wrong Genre Savvy: He thinks he is the hero of an RPG like Dragon Quest, which causes him to come into conflict with Gintoki. He also thinks of everything in RPG contexts, forgetting that they aren't in a video game.

Archfiend Tapir

Voiced by: Kiyoyuki Yanada

The progenitor of the Tapir virus that has infected Tama and turned her into pixels. Because of how advanced Tama is, the Tapir virus has evolved to take physical form of an evil king in the RPG world inside Tama.

Arc Villain: He is the main villain of the Tama Quest arc.
Beam-O-War: Engages in a battle of beams against Gintoki and the Leukocyte King. When Tapir appears to be winning, the Leukocyte King tanks it alone using his own life energy while Gintoki moves in to kill Archfiend Tapir.
Computer Virus: He is a virus, having infected Tama while she was the internet and turned her into pixels. Because of Tama's obsession with Dragon Quest, he evolved into the physical form of an evil RPG king.
Evil Laugh: When Tapir takes Tama's form, he mocks the Leukocyte King for being unable to attack him and then laughs evilly about it... before getting kicked in the face by Gintoki.
Evil Overlord: He rules over the rest of the Tapir like an evil king from an RPG.
Groin Attack: Hits Gintoki in the crotch with his beam, which turns it into pixels. Poor guy.
Horned Humanoid: He grows horns from his head after transforming.
Kamehame Hadoken: Shoots dark beams from his hands that turns people into pixels.
Keystone Army: All of the Tapir minions stop fighting after he dies, discarding their black bodysuits to wear white again as Leukocytes.
Luke, I Am Your Father: Tries to reveal himself as the Leukocyte King's lost father Fortega, only to be interrupted by the Yorozuya kicking him in the face and mocking him for using such a cliche.
One-Winged Angel: After being plugged out of Tama's system, he reveals his true form, turning into a huge demonic man in a black bodysuit with wings, horns and a cape. He also fires beams capable of turning people into immobile pixels.
Power Gives You Wings: He gains demonic wings after revealing his true form.
Shapeshifter Guilt Trip: Takes Tama's form, making the Leukocyte King unable to attack him, though Gintoki proceeds to ignore that and just kicks Tapir in the face. He also takes the form of the Leukocyte King's lost father Fortega, but with less success as the Yorozuya immediately pile on him.

Rokkaku Inn

Kirie Rokkaku

Voiced by: Akiko Kimura

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rokkaku_kirie.jpg

Daughter of the Rokkaku inn owner Muneharu, who was supposedly killed by Sougo Okita during the Rokkaku Incident. While she and her mother tried to run the inn afterwards, they eventually lost ownership of it and her mother later died of exhaustion. Two years after the incident, she is informed by Sotatsu that Okita killed her father and tries to assassinate him in broad daylight, but fails. She is later captured together with Kagura and Okita by Sotatsu and the Sokai Faction, but they manage to escape.

Assassin Outclassin': She tries to assassinate Okita in broad daylight with a sword when she bumps into him, but fails hilariously as she just stabs the tabasco he was carrying while he smashes her face into the ground with his ass.
Berserker Tears: While she doesn't fight, after Okita says it was her father's own fault he got killed, she screams at him in rage while crying and swears she is going to kill him.
Cranial Eruption: After Okita smashes her face into the ground, she gets a huge bump growing out of her forehead, but it disappears while Okita talks with Gintoki.
Happily Adopted: She is revealed to have been adopted by her relatives after the arc.
Leeroy Jenkins: She was supposed to be bait and lure in Okita so the Sokai Faction could kill him, but instead she tried to kill him herself.
Parental Abandonment: Both of her parents are dead. Her father was killed in the Rokkaku incident while her mother later died of exhaustion after they lost the inn.
You Killed My Father: She is trying to kill Okita for killing her father Muneharu. It is later revealed that he was actually killed by Shinsengumi member Kamiyama in self-defense.

Muneharu Rokkaku

Voiced by: Yasunobu Iwata

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rokkaku_muneharu.jpg

Father of Kirie and owner of the Rokkaku inn. He was killed during the Rokkaku Incident two years ago, presumably by Okita. He is revealed to have been an unwilling member of the Sokai Faction, as his wife and daughter were held as hostages. He was killed by Kamiyama during the incident while trying to stab him with a dagger, believing it was the only way he could save his family.

Awful Truth: The reason Okita claims to have killed him is to prevent his daughter Kirie from learning that Muneharu was killed by Kamiyama when he tried to stab him with a dagger.
I Have Your Wife: The Sokai faction held his wife and child hostage, forcing him to work with them and allowing them to use his inn as a hiding place. He only tried to kill Kamiyama to save them.
Posthumous Character: He was killed two years ago and is only seen in flashbacks.

Sotatsu Tendo

Voiced by: Katsuyuki Konishi

Leader of the revived Sokai Faction, a radical branch of the Anti-Foreigner Faction. He is the younger brother of the original Sokai Faction's leader, Koutatsu Tendo, who was killed at the Rokkaku Incident. He managed to escape from the inn and now seeks revenge against Okita, using Kirie's desire for revenge to trick her into killing him.

Arc Villain: He is the villain of the Rokkaku arc.
Dirty Coward: He only survived the Rokkaku Incident by hiding while the rest of the Sokai Faction were killed. When Okita starts fighting back, he panics and stays behind his men, letting them fight in his place. He even tries to use snipers to take him down from afar. When his remaining men are revealed to be Gintoki, Shinpachi and the Shinsengumi in disguise, he tries to run away in fear only to get cut down by Okita.
The Remnant: The Sokai Faction was almost wiped out in the Rokkaku Incident, but he survived and leads a revived Sokai Faction with more members to get revenge.
Revenge: He wants revenge against Okita for killing his brother Koutatsu and almost destroying the Sokai Faction.
Sissy Villain: He is a male villain who wears lipstick, earrings and fabulous purple clothes.
Smug Snake: He is very smug and overconfident in his plans of revenge. He panics very easily when Okita starts fighting back and kills several of his men.
Sole Survivor: The only surviving member of the original Sokai Faction, having hidden himself while the rest of the group were killed by Okita.

Iga Ninja Clans

Rappa Momochi

Voiced by: Rina Sato (JP), Marÿke Hendrikse (EN)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/momochi_anime.jpg

Head of the Momochi clan and one of three great leaders of the Iga ninja clans alongside Zenzo Hattori and Gaimon Fujibayashi.

Action Girl: She's quite capable of taking direct action herself if she has to.
Fuuma Shuriken: Her puppet can turn into a huge shuriken, which she controls with a large chain.
Ninja Maid: Disguised as a maid that carts around the supposed Momochi, which is actually her puppet and also serves as a decoy.
People Puppets: Controls Gaimon's slain minions as a puppet army against the Yato and a decoy for her own ninjas.
Puppet Fighter: Fights using the puppet in the wheelchair she carts around. Said puppet is multi-purpose, armed with cannons and blades, but also quite capable of making tea or serving as a toilet.
The Mole: Pretends to ally with Gaimon and the Kiheitai in order to smuggle the shogun away to safety, before betraying them.
The Stoic: She's calm and reserved, with little deviation in facial expression.
Swiss-Army Weapon: Her puppet can be turned into and used as a Wave-Motion Gun, a Fuuma Shuriken, a drink dispenser... and a toilet?!!
Variable-Length Chain: Chains are among her puppet's arsenal, which she uses to catch and restrain her foes. When her puppet is in Fuuma Shuriken mode, she swings it around with the chain.
Wave-Motion Gun: The puppet that she poses as herself has one built into it, which she blasts Gaimon with.
Weapon Across the Shoulder: Rests her puppet-turned-shuriken across her right shoulder, despite the blades previously being sharp enough to cut several Yato in half.
You Shall Not Pass!: Destroys the bridge the Yorozuya and the Shogun just crossed, while staying behind on the other side to face the Yato chasing after them. She is joined by Kondo and Hijkata however.

Gaimon Fujibayashi

Voiced by: Hiroshi Shirokuma

Head of the Fujibayashi clan and one of the three great leaders of the Iga ninja clans alongside Zenzo Hattori and Rappa Momochi.

An Arm and a Leg: Hijikata cuts off one of his leg in a surprise attack. He still attempts a shot at the Shogun despite it.
Big Ol' Eyebrows: They're massive and bushy.
Evil Old Folks: An old man with little in the way of noble intentions.
Fast Tunnelling: He only has his bare hands to dig with, yet is so fast at tunnelling he can appear in another location in seconds.
Hidden Weapons: Shoots a kunai out of his mouth at Momochi's puppet after he's been restrained by her chains.
Large and in Charge: He's a huge yeti-like man who also leads one of the great Iga ninja clans.
Ninja: While he doesn't look the part, he is still a ninja and leads one of the Iga ninja clans.
Oh, Crap!: In addition to losing his leg, he's beyond shocked to learn that the Shogun faked his death and is disguised among Momochi's ninjas.
The Quisling: Betrays Iga to let the Yato in and wreck havoc in the region, all for a chance to ally with them and earn a place in the new world after destroying the Bakufu.
Tunnel King: A master of digging through the ground to reach and surprise his foes, even getting the drop at Kagura and almost getting a shot at the Shogun.
We Hardly Knew Ye: Loses his leg in the very same chapter he's introduced and is seemingly killed in the next.

Unsorted

Tsu Terakado

Voiced by: Mikako Takahashi

A popular Idol Singer popularly called Otsu, who's sung multiple hit singles with surprisingly foul lyrics ("Where the hell is your mother from?"). When she started her singing career on the streets, Shinpachi was the first to cheer her on, and he's continued doing so as the leader of her fan club ever since.

Adaptation Dye-Job: Since she rarely appears in the manga, not even colored pages, the anime makes her hair purple. The cover of volume 51 of the manga suggests she's supposed to be a brunette.
Cloudcuckoolander: Her brain must be somewhere up there to mash up those song titles.
The Ditz: Sweet, naive, pretty weird ideas.
Idol Singer: A parody of stereotypical idol singers; she's much more foul-mouthed than an idol should be and all of the lyrics to her songs are threats or insults, with hit singles such as "Where the hell is your mother from?!" and "Oh, if you don't shape up right now, I'm gonna tear that mole right off!"
Historical In-Joke: Sort of, maybe. The historical Nagakura Shinpachi was once married to a stage geisha only known by her stage name Kotsune, whom was the possible inspiration for Otsu, and gave birth to their daughter Iso (later known as Okada Isoko). The joke being that Isoko became a more well-known geisha actress than her mother, who died after giving birth.
In-Series Nickname: She is mostly known by her fans as "Otsu".
Lady Swearsalot: So they have to censor her songs. It's unknown if it's a joke or that they generally shouldn't broadcast it in real life or print it.
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: The one time she drops her Perpetual Smiler schtick is when she couldn't come up with lyrics for her next hit single. Her mom and manager were quite unnerved by her change in personality.
Perpetual Smiler: Probably as part of her image, she's always seen happy and smiling.
Verbal Tic: She's fond of making words out of the last character of each sentence.
Word Salad Lyrics: Her lyrics are all a random assembly of threats and insults.

Mitsuba Okita

Voiced by: Sumi Shimamoto (JP), Shelley Calene-Black (EN, movie), Kie Kitano (live action web series)

Sogo's older sister, who raised him after their parents died. She and Hijikata fell in love with each other, but Hijikata rejected her because he believed his dangerous lifestyle would end up leaving her alone and unhappy. She comes to Edo together with her fiancé Toma Kuraba and takes the opportunity to meet with the Shinsengumi.

Blazing Inferno Hellfire Sauce: She puts tabasco on everything and will gladly force others to eat it too.
Delicate and Sickly: She has terminal tuberculosis, which ultimately claims her life.
The Gadfly: She might not be sadistic like Sougo, but she also enjoys trolling others. For example, forcing Gintoki to eat a tabasco covered parfait by pretending to spit out blood when he refuses. After he eats it and spits out fire, she reveals to be an act.
Go Out with a Smile: She spent her final moments smiling gently at Sougo, comforting him and affirming she had a good life thanks to him and his friends.
A Good Way to Die: Despite succumbing to her illness, Mitsuba dies with no regrets. The Shinsengumi gave her many happy memories and she felt proud of her younger brother growing into a strong man.
The Heart: All of the Shinsengumi adored Mitsuba. She was the only one who could make Sougo to behave like a decent human being. Her death left them all heartbroken.
Historical Domain Character: Her historical counterpart is Okita Mitsu, who was also Okita Souji's sister. Historically however it was Souji (Sougo) who died from tuberculosis, not her.
Hopeless Suitor: She was in love with Hijikata who didn't dare to reciprocate her feelings because he didn't want to get her involved in his dangerous crime-fighting lifestyle.
Incurable Cough of Death: She often coughs up blood whenever put into stressful situations.
Morality Pet: Mitsuba is the only person who could bring out Sougo's soft side that he never shows to anyone else. She was also able to put a stop to his sadistic behavior.
My Girl Back Home: To the Shinsengumi, particularly Sougo and Hijikata. They all left the countryside to become policemen in Edo while Mitsuba stayed and prayed for their success. In her deathbed, Mitsuba states she loved to watch them depart to adventure without looking back.
Nice Girl: Kind-hearted, devoted and loyal to a fault.
Peaceful in Death: She eventually dies peacefully with her beloved younger brother at her side.
Promotion to Parent: She had to raise her younger brother Sougo when their parents died. As a result, he's completely devoted to her.
Sibling Yin-Yang: She is as considerate and gentle as Sougo is unkind and obnoxious.
Single-Target Sexuality: Hijikata was the only man Mitsuba ever wanted to be with. Sougo blames Hijikata for being the reason why Mitsuba never tried to get married until she was about to die.
Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Mitsuba loves Hijikata, who despite his flaws, is a noble man who fights for what is right.
So Proud of You: In her final moments, she tells Sougo how proud she is of having him as her younger brother.
Trademark Favorite Food: She likes very spicy food.
Too Good for This Sinful Earth: Kind-hearted and loved by all, she inevitably ends up dying in the hospital.
Yamato Nadeshiko: Mitsuba is a gentle and domestic Japanese woman dressed in a kimono. She gives maximum support to the men dear to her and the iron core shows in her unique ability to get her brother to behave himself.

Toma Kuraba

Voiced by: Joji Nakata

Mitsuba's fiancé, a rich merchant who runs the trading company Tenkaiya. While he is kind to Mitsuba, he actually doesn't love her and is only trying to marry her to keep the Shinsengumi away from his business. He is secretly a black market dealer who sells weapons to the Anti-Foreigner Faction.

Arc Villain: Of the Mitsuba Arc.
Arms Dealer: He provides weapons to the Anti-Foreigner Faction through the black market.
Half the Man He Used to Be: He is right in the middle of the car when Okita cuts it in half vertically, before it then explodes.
Laser-Guided Karma: Immediately after telling his driver to go to the hospital so he can take Mitsuba hostage, he is stabbed in the shoulder by Hijikata and then shortly after cut in half with his car by Okita.
Non-Action Guy: He is a merchant, not a warrior, so he leaves all the fighting to his minions.
Screw the Rules, I Have Connections!: He is marrying Mitsuba solely to get connected to the Shinsengumi, so they won't interfere in his business.
Wolf in Sheep's Clothing: He pretends to be a friendly merchant and is very kind towards Mitsuba, but he actually doesn't care one bit about her except for her use as a tool in keeping the Shinsengumi away from him.

Kimiko

Voiced by: Touko Aoyama

Kimiko is the rich daughter of a Tokugawa retainer and a user of the drug Paradise, which is supplied by the Harusame. When she goes missing, the Yorozuya are hired by her father to bring her home. The Yorozuya's search for her leads them into conflict with the Harusame.

After being saved by Gintoki, she later hires them to help out her boyfriend Tasuke escape from criminals. Despite throwing her under the bus to save his own skin, she still forgives him. According to Sorachi, she later breaks up with her boyfriend.

Accidental Misnaming: She is almost always called "Hamko" by people, since her size and appearance reminds people of pigs.
Butt-Monkey: She only barely appears in the earlier parts of the series, but when she does appear she is made fun of by everyone and mistaken for pigs. Her boyfriend also throws her under the bus to save his own skin.
Fantastic Drug: She is addicted to the alien drug Paradise, which almost kills her from overuse. After she is saved from the Harusame, she gets off the drug and goes back to normal.
Gonky Femme: Her most notable trait is that she's fat, which she is made fun of for whenever she appears. One of Sorachi's answers in the volumes reveal she later lost weight, but is still ugly.

Tasuke

Voiced by: Takafumi Kawakami

Tasuke is Kimiko's boyfriend and a drug dealer selling the illegal drug known as Paradise. When Kimiko quits using Paradise and wants to live an honest life, he tries to leave the organisation he is part of, but steals some of their drugs in the process. Hunted by the organisation, Kimiko hires the Yorozuya to help him escape. During the rescue, he throws Kimiko under the bus to save his own hide, but she forgives him. According to Sorachi, they later break up with each other.

Dirty Coward: He is an awful person who does not have much in the way of courage, immediately ditching Kimiko after she gets taken hostage while saying he only got together with her because of her money.
Fat Idiot: He is both fat and dumb, having forgotten that he was hiding the stolen drugs under his afro wig when he pulls it off.
Funny Afro: He wears a blond afro wig, which he regards as very stylish. Gintoki disagrees and compares it to pubic hair.
Gold Digger: After ditching Kimiko, he claims he only got together with her because she was rich.
Laser-Guided Karma: Immediately after ditching Kimiko and running away he gets knocked out by Gintoki's bokuto, who then takes the Paradise he had stolen and throws it to Shinpachi, who then scatters it.
Screw This, I'm Out of Here!: Immediately starts running when one of the Amanto hunting him holds Kimiko hostage, but Gintoki halts his escape by throwing his bokuto at his head.

Doushin

Voiced by: Joji Nakata

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kidomaru_4.jpg

Going under the name of Kidomaru and wearing a demon's mask, Doushin is the champion of the Rengokukan fighting arena, which is run by the Tendoshu. He used to be a hired killer and was scheduled for execution, but the organisers of the Rengokukan freed him in exchange for fighting in the arena. Outside of the arena, he lives in a run-down temple with his many adopted children.

When the Yorozuya come knocking by, he is convinced to stop killing and flee Edo with his children, but is killed in the process by his replacement, the Dakini Onijishi. His children then convince the Yorozuya to destroy the Rengokukan arena, avenging his death.

The Atoner: He intially saw adopting orphaned children as a way of atonement, but he later began to love them. In order to then atone for killing people in the arena, he tries to flee Edo and raise them elsewhere, but is killed before they get far.
Carry a Big Stick: In the arena he wields a large studded club, known as a kanabo, which is a weapon heavily associated with the demonic Oni.
Cool Mask: Wields a red demonic mask in the arena in his guise as Kidomaru, making him look like the Oni of Japanese mythology.
Good Parents: He loves all of his many adopted children and Gintoki outright calls him a good father.
In the Back: Onijishi kills him by stabbing a spear into his back.
Oni: His Kidomaru persona is themed after the demonic Oni of Japanese mythology, wearing a red demonic mask and using a club heavily associated with the Oni. He also repeatedly refers to himself as an Oni.

Hatsu Hasegawa

Voiced by: Sayuri Kubo, Mana Miyamoto

Hatsu is Taizo Hasegawa's estranged wife. After Taizo lost his job and was ordered to commit, she walked out on him and moved back in with her parents. Despite the separation, they still keep in contact, hoping to move back together after Taizo has gotten his life in order. Which seems unlikely to ever happen.

Amicable Exes: While they are not exactly divorced, she is separated from her husband Taizo until he can get his life back together, and they still seem to maintain a friendly relationship.
The Faceless: Oddly enough, she is not very important at all, but her eyes are always obscured.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: She walked out on her husband Taizo and returned home to her parents after he caused an international incident and was ordered to commit seppuku.
Uptown Girl: She is the daughter of a high-ranking bureaucrat while Taizo is the son of a low-class samurai, which is why their marriage was initially opposed until he agreed to take on her family name.

Shachi

Voiced by: Kenta Miyake

Known as the King of Criminals, Shachi is an infamous prisoner who has committed robberies, murders and kidnappings. He enjoys considerable status as the boss of the other prisoners. Despite his ruthlessness and the crimes he has committed, he is very conscious of his choices in fashion and is easily embarrassed when called out on it. He is also very good at drawing manga and dreams of one day becoming a real mangaka in shonen jump.

He is first encountered by Katsura on the prison island Gokumonto, where he subjects himself to the newcomer after being beaten. He is later transferred to the same prison Gintoki has been wrongfully imprisoned in, where the warden tries to make him cause trouble for Gintoki and the old man he shares a cell with. Instead he ends up becoming friends with Gintoki, who later assists him on his quest to become a mangaka.

Accidental Misnaming: Gintoki initially keeps calling him by the wrong name, like Amachi or Itachi. Later on he mostly says his name correctly though.
Defeat Equals Friendship: Subverted with Katsura, where he seemingly becomes his friend after being embarrassed and beaten by him, only to reveal he was actually pretending to be his friend in order to stay below suspicion while he tried to dig his way out of the prison.
Facial Markings: He has a pair of red stripes below each of his eyes, seemingly to make himself look cool.
Good Scars, Evil Scars: In his second appearance he shows up with a scar in the shape of an X on his forehead. He apparently cut his forehead himself in order to make himself look even more intimidating.
Heel–Face Turn: He is initially a ruthless criminal who picks on the other prisoners, but after becoming friends with Gintoki he turns his life around, assisting him during the prison riot and even starts working on becoming a real mangaka.
Hidden Depths: Despite his image as a ruthless criminal, he actually wants to be a mangaka in shonen jump. Later on this stops being hidden, as most of his chapters are about him working on becoming a real mangaka.
Licking the Blade: Licks his dagger before he tries to attack Gintoki with it.
Luminescent Blush: He is very easily embarrassed and starts blushing when people question his choice in fashion.
Sleeves Are for Wimps: Always wears his prison uniform without sleeves to show off his arms and look more intimidating. In his first appearance the edges are even jagged, until Katsura points it out, embarrassing him and causing him to cut off the jagged edges.

Taro Urashima

Voiced by: Taketoshi Kawano

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/urashima_taro.jpg

The legendary fisherman from folklore who travelled to Ryugujo and fell in love with its ruler Otohime. Urashima spent many years on Ryugujo but when he returned to Earth, everyone he knew and loved had disappeared in his long absence. Because of this he fell into despair and tried to kill himself. While Otohime saved his life, he was stuck in a coma and is now being preserved in stasis. Otohime herself fell into despair over this and sunk Ryugujo below the seas near Japan.

Brain Uploading: Sort of. He doesn't actually upload himself permanently, but because he has been in the capsule for so long, his consciousness manages to take control of Ryugujo's main computer. This way, he temporarily halts the aging cannon Otohime wants to use on Edo, before providing Shinpachi with a vaccine to counter it.
Despair Event Horizon: When Urashima returned to Earth, he found that all those he once knew and loved were long gone and fell into despair before he tried to kill himself.
Driven to Suicide: Despairing over everybody he once knew and loved being gone, he tried to kill himself. However, Otohime saved his life and has preserved him in cold sleep ever since, waiting for him to wake up again.
Human Popsicle: After falling into a coma, he has been preserved in a deep freeze chamber for over a thousand years.
Public Domain Character: Urashima originates from an old Japanese folktale about a fisherman who rescued a turtle and was invited to Ryugujo. Unlike the folktale however, instead of rapidly aging after he returned to Japan he tried to commit suicide, but was kept alive by Otohime.
Unexplained Recovery: When Ryugujo falls apart into the ocean, his capsule is seen falling as well. At the end of the arc he shows up at Otohime's snack house with no explanation as to how he survived and got out.

Tamegorou Hijikata

The older half-brother of Toushirou Hijikata. He was the only member of his parental family who treated him well. However, Toushirou distanced himself from his brother after the latter lost his eyes protecting him from bandits.

Big Brother Instinct: He shielded Toushirou from some bandits, which costed him his eyes.
The Faceless: Flashbacks either show him from the back or obscure his face.
Posthumous Character: He died not long ago. Everything we know about him is from his younger brother's backstory.
Promotion to Parent: Since their father was dead and no one else in the family wanted to accept the secret illegitimate child, Tamegorou took it upon himself to look after his younger half-brother Toushirou.

Taka-tin

Voiced by: Shigeo Kiyama

A muscular foreigner hired by Gintoki to stand in for the injured Taka-chin in the Otsu fanclub competition.

Barbie Doll Anatomy: Averted in a specific area: Taka-tin is the only character who is actually drawn with visible nipples.
Carpet of Virility: Taka-tin has some of the only chest-hair in the series and is very muscular.
Cool Shades: Always wears his sunglasses and never takes them off.
Dual Wielding: Wields a pair of French bread as weapons as he destroys the bridge that Hijikata's otaku minions are occupying.
Edible Bludgeon: Again, he uses French bread as weapons.
Gratuitous English: Since he is not from Japan, he often says a bunch of phrases in English such as "time is money".
No Celebrities Were Harmed: He heavily resembles Hulk Hogan in appearance.
Only Known by Their Nickname: Like Taka-chin whom he is a substitute for, he is only ever called Taka-tin. We never learn his real name.
The Quiet One: Taka-tin doesn't speak a whole lot and stays quiet most of the time.
Phenotype Stereotype: As the only prominent foreigner in the series who is not an Amanto, Taka-tin is of course both blond and blue-eyed (from what little we see of his eyes).
Potty Failure: During the quiz part of the competition, he keeps trying to get permission to go to the toilet but somehow gets every question correct before anybody has a chance to hear it. It ends with him crapping his underwear and asking if he can go and change it.
The Stoic: He mostly has a cold and serious expression on his face with little emotion.
Trademark Favorite Food: He loves French bread and is always seen eating a loaf.

Kozo Etekichi

Voiced by: Akihiko Ishizumi

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/etekichi_kozo_anime.jpg

A famous thief, known for stealing from criminal organisations and exposing their crimes, while the money is used to buy bananas to the poor. While he had seemingly retired for a while, he returns for a time in order to find a successor and sets his eyes on Kondo.

As it turns out, the two already share history: The famous thief was once the chief priest of a shrine dedicated to the monkey god Sarugami. For a time, Kondo attended the temple school where he taught, going from a troublemaker and a thief to a diligent and kind boy. The shrine was burned down in an incident with loan sharks and since then, Kondo never returned and the chief priest turned into the thief Kozo Etekichi.

Animal Motifs: Definitely monkeys. His given name as a thief (Etekichi Kozou) can be translated as "Lucky Monkey Boy", he’s the chief priest of a shrine dedicated to a monkey god, and he hands out bananas to the poor.
Cool Old Guy: He might be too old for it, but he still goes out of his way to expose the real criminals and gives out food to the poor.
Go Out with a Smile: Dies with a proud smile, while holding hands with his student Kondo.
Just Like Robin Hood: Takes the money he steals from criminals and buys bananas, which he then distributes to the poor.
Mentor Occupational Hazard: Kondo's old teacher who appropriately ends up dying while sharing a heartfelt moment with his student.
Only Known by Their Nickname: His real name is unknown as he is only referred to as "Etekichi Kozou", which is a nickname meaning "Lucky Monkey Boy".
Stealth Clothes: Appropriately for a thief in the setting, he wears a handkerchief over his head which is tied under his nose. Surprisingly for the trope, he’s actually competent.

Characters / Gintama Others

Edit Locked

Anti-Foreigner Faction

Kotaro Katsura (a.k.a. Zura)

Voiced by: Akira Ishida (JP), Matt Ellis (series), Illich Guardiola (movie) (EN), Emilio García (Spain), Masaki Okada (live action movie)

Elizabeth

Voiced by: Shinji Takamatsu, Tōru Furuya (in Episodes 234 & 235) (JP), Andrew Love (EN, movie)

Kaientai

Tatsuma Sakamoto

Voiced by: Shin-ichiro Miki (JP), Andrew Francis (EN, series), Chris Ayres (EN, movie), César Díaz (Spain)

Mutsu

Voiced by: Akeno Watanabe (JP), Tabitha St. Germain (EN), Pepa Agudo (Spain)

People from Gintoki's past

Shoyo Yoshida

Voiced by: Kōichi Yamadera (JP), Simon Hayama (EN, series), David Wald (EN, movie)

Tasuke Kurokono

Voiced by: Kensho Ono

Pakuyasa

Voiced by: Nobuyuki Hiyama

Onmyoji and Shikigami

Ana Ketsuno

Voiced by: Sayaka Narita

Seimei Ketsuno

Voiced by: Hikaru Midorikawa

Doman Shirino

Voiced by: Ken Narita

Gedomaru

Voiced by: Ayako Kawasumi

Antenmaru

Voiced by: Kazuyuki Ishikawa

Miko Sisters

Ane

Voiced by: Maya Okamoto

Mone

Voiced by: Masako Jou

Hayashi Research Institute

No. 502 / Ryuzan Hayashi

Voiced by: Hiroshi Kamiya

Professor Meguro

Voiced by: Atsushi Ono

Mashiroi Gang

Kaguzo Mashiroi

Voiced by: Kenji Utsumi

Utsuzo Mashiroi

Voiced by: Chikara Ousaka, Ayana Ishikawa

Kyojiro Nakamura

Voiced by: Masaya Matsukaze

Senbokyo Inn

Oiwa

Voiced by: Seiko Tomoe

Tagosaku

Voiced by: Masahiro Okazaki

Rei

Voiced by: Sanae Kobayashi

Tama's Body

Leukocyte King

Voiced by: Tomokazu Sugita

Archfiend Tapir

Voiced by: Kiyoyuki Yanada

Rokkaku Inn

Kirie Rokkaku

Voiced by: Akiko Kimura

Muneharu Rokkaku

Voiced by: Yasunobu Iwata

Sotatsu Tendo

Voiced by: Katsuyuki Konishi

Iga Ninja Clans

Rappa Momochi

Voiced by: Rina Sato (JP), Marÿke Hendrikse (EN)

Gaimon Fujibayashi

Voiced by: Hiroshi Shirokuma

Unsorted

Tsu Terakado

Voiced by: Mikako Takahashi

Mitsuba Okita

Voiced by: Sumi Shimamoto (JP), Shelley Calene-Black (EN, movie), Kie Kitano (live action web series)

Toma Kuraba

Voiced by: Joji Nakata

Kimiko

Voiced by: Touko Aoyama