Gintama
The story takes place in Edo which has been taken over by aliens called Amanto since the late Edo period. The samurai of Japan have fallen, and the Amanto placed a ban on carrying swords in public. The story focuses on an eccentric samurai, Gintoki Sakata, his (partial) apprentice Shinpachi Shimura, and a teenage alien girl: Kagura. All three are "free-lancers" who search for work in order to pay the monthly rent, which usually goes unpaid anyway.


Characters
Sakata Gintoki
Gintoki Sakata is the main character of the story.He enjoys reading Shonen Jump comics and he has a sweet tooth and will go into crazed combat if he does not have his sweets



Shinpachi Shimura
Shinpachi works under Gintoki to learn the ways of the samurai. However it seems more like he is just trying to help Gintoki pay the rent than to learn. Shinpachi is the captain of the "Otsu Imperial Guard," a pop-singer's fan club.



Kagura
Kagura is an alien from the "Yato Clan," one of the strongest races in existence. Despite her alien heritage, she looks like a normal human and talks with a Chinese accent.She apparently loves to eat sukonbu


Kondou Isao
The leader of Edo's police organization, the Shinsengumi. He is a bit goofy, but nevertheless good-natured and honorable; the members of the Shinsengumi are loyal to him. He has a crush on Shimura Tae and stalks her.Some characters often call him a gorilla



Okita Shougo
Okita is the best swordsman in the Shinsengumi. Personality-wise, he tends to be light-hearted and somewhat childish, not entirely unlike Kagura, though his speech is heavily deadpan. He continuously tries to kill (or at least badly wound) Hijikata whenever he has the chance so that he can become the Vice-Commander. Hijikata once called him "the Prince of Planet Sadistic". He wears a distinctive eye mask when taking a nap during duty, which is a frequent occurrence. At one point, he refers to himself as the best sniper in the Shinsengumi. Although he is a master of kenjutsu, he uses a bazooka more often.



Hijikata Toshirou
The vice-commander of the Shinsengumi. Hijikata is obsessed with mayonnaise, and thus has the nickname "Mayora".Hijikata takes his work seriously, and is fiercely loyal to his leader Kondou(gorilla)
He also seems to care for Okita's sister and is willing to sacrifice his life to protect her.


Left Hijikata,right Okita


(O)Tae Shimura
Tae Shimura is Shinpachi's older sister. She runs Dojo, which was her father's failing dojo, with her brother. She is usually addressed as "Otae" Kagura always addresses her as "Big sister" Despite her sweet face, she is one of the most violent characters in Gintama (and arguably strong too). She mercilessly beats up Kondo Isao and Gintoki whenever they anger her.She has a "gorilla" stalker;Kondou.



Kotaro Katsura
After the Amanto take-over of Japan, Katsura continues to resist the Amanto, and has amassed a band of followers. His weapon of choice is a metallic grenade. He is a wanted man due to his involvement in terrorist activities against the Bakufu, and is constantly on the run from the Shinsengumi. Because of this, he is often seen wearing disguises. He has a weak spot for cute things; therefore, he gets along well with Elizabeth. He claims that his heart has started to be moved by Ikumatsu in episode 39
In the Japanese version, Gintoki often calls him "Zura." In the first English volume, Gintoki calls him "Casserole," or "Cough syrup." Afterwards, the English version features Gintoki calling Katsura "Zura." In the Japanese version, Katsura indignantly replies "Not 'Zura'! It's Katsura!" (and will do so anytime he is called something other than his name). In the English version he replies "Not Casserole! It's Katsura!" The Japanese version joke is a pun.



Ms. Otose
Gintoki's landlady. He swore to protect her when he ate food offerings to her dead husband. Her real name is Ayano Terada
she proves to be quite skilled in martial arts (or at least has above average reflexes) by dodging Ayame's flying kick simply by tilting her head to the left and catching a thrown dagger with two fingers (and then pockets it). She is apparently one of the four "emperors" that rule the Kabuki District.





BLEACH