Sometimes I wonder if perhaps Utsuro anticipated that Oboro would slip up and actually betray Shouyou because of his loneliness. If by chance he was always watching everything transpire from within Shouyou, (for instance, being aware of Gintoki when he was traveling with a young Shouyou for 2 years in the Silver Soul Arc) wouldn't he also be aware of Oboro? From what it seems, Oboro generally kept his distance from the Shoka Sonjuku School to ensure the Naraku never caught wind of where it's old leader was hiding. But the one day he came to check on him personally, he felt his weakness take over him as he felt the longing to be part of their group, which ultimately led to Shouyou's capture and eventually his execution.
Speaking of "inversion of character" I really love the unorthodox roles Gintoki and Takasugi inherit in the series that makes them unique to most Shounen Rivals. Most protagonists are usually the "underdogs" who inspire readers as they struggle to become equal to or surpass their rival, who traditionally is something of a prodigy. But in Gintama it's Takasugi who is technically the "underdog" of their class struggling to surpass Gintoki, who is the "prodigy" rival he chases to the end.
To me, one of the biggest strength with this trio is how well the "Face Villain" to "Ultimate Villain" hand off is managed. Throughout the series Takasugi and Kamui take up the roll of "Face villain" the, as you mentioned, 'goal.' They are the ones standing in the distance, problems unfurling in their wake, problems that the heroes have to deal with. However in large epic fiction there is typically a handoff. The "Face" is the villain that is human, the one that instigates the problems, and either intentionally or unintentionally uncovers or calls forth the "Ultimate" villain, the force of God or Nature that is held back by rational society. Utsuro fills the roll of "Ultimate" villain Scarily well, and his connection to both Takasugi and Kamui is incredibly well orchestrated as he is an "unintentional" appearance. Neither Takasugi nor Kamui intended directly to drag him out, mostly just seeking to pull out the corruption of those at the top. However those at the top were holding back this monster, this thing that comes to fill in the gaps left by intense greed. This of course, ropes in the symbolic aspects of the Tendoshu, the greedy people that ran the world, stealing and carving out everything they could. When their grip on power began to wane and their usefulness to Utsuro ended, he was quick to cut them all down and fill up the power vacuum himself. A being of pure nihilism that truly seeks destruction above all else. The culmination of pain and misery caused by human hands, a void of blackness reaching the mythical. And yet he also carries Deep ties to Gintoki and Takasugi through his alter ego, Shoyo. Which creates a Powerful resonance that you don't usually see in an "Ultimate" villain, due to them typically being "beyond human understanding." However that bond makes him an actualized metaphor, a concept turned flesh. Leading to the strongest impacts the series has, in Silver Soul where it is literally Gintoki's bonds that defeat Utsuro, the bonds fashioned between an entire town that has come together to stop him. And again in the Final where it is the bond between Master and Student that undoes Utsuro's final attempt to end everything. And he instead becomes the final question. Will Gintoki repeat his original sin? The thing that broke him at the beginning? Those moments in the Final are... immeasurably powerful because of the multitude of meanings carried in what is... maybe five minutes of film. Which is just fundamentally insane.
Technically Gin's rebirth started a little earlier than his encounter with Otose. In fact if this person (or persons) hadn't given Gintoki the motivation to live on, he'd probably be executed with no one ever knowing it. Of course the person I'm referring to is the 16th Yaemon and his adopted daughter, Asaemon. A Korean fan wrote a very interesting analysis in which they described how Gintoki was in fact prepared to be executed by the Bakufu after he turned himself in to spare the victims of Asaemon's sleazy father, who ratted out people to save his own skin. Even though he could have gotten away if he chose to fight, he instead took all the punishment and willingly accepted his upcoming execution. But his encounter with Asaemon and small conversations with the 16th helped encourage him to live on, even though he felt he didn't deserve it. But to hear good people he didn't know wanting him to live gave him that push he needed to not throw his life away so easily. And Otose followed up that act of kindness to reaffirm Gintoki that he can still find a way to live his life with pride again.
I like how gintoki and takasugi get themselves caught doing something so similar without discussing.... Gintoki get caught because of asaemon Takasugi get caught because of matako
To be fair Housen wasn't quite "evil for the sake of being evil"; in fact many of the antagonists in other arcs/episodes like him shared the similar "void" and a desire to fill that. In Housen's case, it was his warped love for Hinowa and a desire to live beneath the sun as most people do that twisted his methods into a dictator-like ruling of Yoshiwara. I think one of his more interesting speeches before he died was what he told Kamui about the "nature" of most Yato who live by their bloodlust. Even when they find something that they truly desire, they don't know how to "love" properly, and only know how to claw and forcibly bind things to them. And even after they've done that, they can't seem to fill that void, and only find an empty path behind them full of corpses. Whether they stick around to the end or stay for an arc or episode, Sorachi really knew how to write impressionable antagonists that were always interesting to analyze even after you've watched them so many times.
My list (not a fan of Utsuro or the supernatural story elements of Gintama): 1. Takasugi 2. Oboro 3. Utsuro 4. Kamui 5. Isaburo (not a villain but as the anchoring foe of the FS arc, his motives and character direction was superbly done)
While I don't know if I'd call Utsuro one of the best villains in jump, he is certainly one of the most memorable one for me for one reason, that being he was the first villain to genuinely terrify me. Given the way Gintama set itself up as a series, not having any form of power system or training, Utsuro came in as a villain that I honestly could not see being defeated, an insurmountable wall.
For being such a small channel your videos are amazing man, you're able to use same passion I'm feeling about this series and put it into words, love it.
Kamui deserved so much better. He was always the most misunderstood character. The dimwitted fandom doesnt care about him other than downplaying him and throwing flak for no good reasons at all.
its crazy that these 3 arent even the only 3 good antagonists in the series, oboro and sasaki are top tier, and there are other great ones too like jirocho, enshou, itou, hitotsubashi, and even housen due to his conclusion
I am actually very surprised Gintama is this well received in the West, because a lot of the comedy had references to Japanese culture and other Japanese fiction. It’s one of my favourite manga of all time and is certainly unique
Kamui was overrated....Oboro is a better villain to be honest....Kamui totally has potential to be a big main villain especially after his introduction in Yoshiwara arc but man he was nerfed as F*CK especially when fought against Sougo that was a normal human that only has skills on wielding sword which is most likely just a 'fanservice' fight for okikagu fanclub while Gintoki who is better in strength,skill, experience struggle to fought against him🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️....While Oboro actually the one who give joui warrior damage the most since they had pretty much nasty history, sad backstory between them despite have short appearance compared to kamui and takasugi....Oboro also give a big help for Gintoki and Takasugi to defeat Utsuro while Kamui on last arc was suddenly disappeared and didn't do much which is sad since he has big potential
The anime extended the okita/kamui fight with 2-3 moves but the fact remains that the fight was only 50 seconds long and after that okita was in a pretty bad shape while kamui ignored that he was pierced with some metal. At this point kamui could have easily killed him. Or read the manga, the fight was over after 5 pages lol And the only service from gorilla is the trollservice XD
even though it was short it was one of the best moments in the show, sure Kamui could've been used more but i think you are selling Okita a little short acting like he's a scrub that couldn't last 10-20 seconds against anyone not human, I mean shit he lasted pretty long against Nobu and Utsoro for a human, also while holding his own against Kagura (even though they never got super serious fighting).
@@sakatadgintoki6046 In Rakuyou Kamui when he faced Gintoki he was already injured and somewhat weakened (although Kagura was more injured) and according to the power scale he was stronger than Hosen, although he was worn out (Or that's what I remember I have to reread that part of the manga), but I still think Gintoki had some plot armor in that fight (But it's still excellent)
The only one I was never a fan of was Jiraiya. That story was just hogwash. But then again Tsukuyo was never meant to come back after after Yoshiwara in Flames. Asaemon got shafted because people liked Tsukuyo and was asked to write more.
![Sakata Gintoki - The Shounen Outcast [Character Analysis]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/jFnq-JQ0hSo/mqdefault.jpg)
![Sakata Gintoki - The Shounen Outcast [Character Analysis]](/img/tr.png)
I always find that the brilliance of takasugi, utsuro and kamui tend to overshadow how brilliant of an antagonist Oboro is
Sometimes I wonder if perhaps Utsuro anticipated that Oboro would slip up and actually betray Shouyou because of his loneliness.
If by chance he was always watching everything transpire from within Shouyou, (for instance, being aware of Gintoki when he was traveling with a young Shouyou for 2 years in the Silver Soul Arc) wouldn't he also be aware of Oboro?
From what it seems, Oboro generally kept his distance from the Shoka Sonjuku School to ensure the Naraku never caught wind of where it's old leader was hiding.
But the one day he came to check on him personally, he felt his weakness take over him as he felt the longing to be part of their group, which ultimately led to Shouyou's capture and eventually his execution.
Speaking of "inversion of character" I really love the unorthodox roles Gintoki and Takasugi inherit in the series that makes them unique to most Shounen Rivals.
Most protagonists are usually the "underdogs" who inspire readers as they struggle to become equal to or surpass their rival, who traditionally is something of a prodigy.
But in Gintama it's Takasugi who is technically the "underdog" of their class struggling to surpass Gintoki, who is the "prodigy" rival he chases to the end.
To me, one of the biggest strength with this trio is how well the "Face Villain" to "Ultimate Villain" hand off is managed. Throughout the series Takasugi and Kamui take up the roll of "Face villain" the, as you mentioned, 'goal.' They are the ones standing in the distance, problems unfurling in their wake, problems that the heroes have to deal with. However in large epic fiction there is typically a handoff. The "Face" is the villain that is human, the one that instigates the problems, and either intentionally or unintentionally uncovers or calls forth the "Ultimate" villain, the force of God or Nature that is held back by rational society.
Utsuro fills the roll of "Ultimate" villain Scarily well, and his connection to both Takasugi and Kamui is incredibly well orchestrated as he is an "unintentional" appearance. Neither Takasugi nor Kamui intended directly to drag him out, mostly just seeking to pull out the corruption of those at the top. However those at the top were holding back this monster, this thing that comes to fill in the gaps left by intense greed. This of course, ropes in the symbolic aspects of the Tendoshu, the greedy people that ran the world, stealing and carving out everything they could. When their grip on power began to wane and their usefulness to Utsuro ended, he was quick to cut them all down and fill up the power vacuum himself. A being of pure nihilism that truly seeks destruction above all else. The culmination of pain and misery caused by human hands, a void of blackness reaching the mythical.
And yet he also carries Deep ties to Gintoki and Takasugi through his alter ego, Shoyo. Which creates a Powerful resonance that you don't usually see in an "Ultimate" villain, due to them typically being "beyond human understanding." However that bond makes him an actualized metaphor, a concept turned flesh. Leading to the strongest impacts the series has, in Silver Soul where it is literally Gintoki's bonds that defeat Utsuro, the bonds fashioned between an entire town that has come together to stop him. And again in the Final where it is the bond between Master and Student that undoes Utsuro's final attempt to end everything. And he instead becomes the final question. Will Gintoki repeat his original sin? The thing that broke him at the beginning? Those moments in the Final are... immeasurably powerful because of the multitude of meanings carried in what is... maybe five minutes of film. Which is just fundamentally insane.
Wow you wrote a powerful and completely truthful comment.
Technically Gin's rebirth started a little earlier than his encounter with Otose. In fact if this person (or persons) hadn't given Gintoki the motivation to live on, he'd probably be executed with no one ever knowing it.
Of course the person I'm referring to is the 16th Yaemon and his adopted daughter, Asaemon.
A Korean fan wrote a very interesting analysis in which they described how Gintoki was in fact prepared to be executed by the Bakufu after he turned himself in to spare the victims of Asaemon's sleazy father, who ratted out people to save his own skin.
Even though he could have gotten away if he chose to fight, he instead took all the punishment and willingly accepted his upcoming execution.
But his encounter with Asaemon and small conversations with the 16th helped encourage him to live on, even though he felt he didn't deserve it.
But to hear good people he didn't know wanting him to live gave him that push he needed to not throw his life away so easily. And Otose followed up that act of kindness to reaffirm Gintoki that he can still find a way to live his life with pride again.
I like how gintoki and takasugi get themselves caught doing something so similar without discussing....
Gintoki get caught because of asaemon
Takasugi get caught because of matako
To be fair Housen wasn't quite "evil for the sake of being evil"; in fact many of the antagonists in other arcs/episodes like him shared the similar "void" and a desire to fill that.
In Housen's case, it was his warped love for Hinowa and a desire to live beneath the sun as most people do that twisted his methods into a dictator-like ruling of Yoshiwara.
I think one of his more interesting speeches before he died was what he told Kamui about the "nature" of most Yato who live by their bloodlust.
Even when they find something that they truly desire, they don't know how to "love" properly, and only know how to claw and forcibly bind things to them.
And even after they've done that, they can't seem to fill that void, and only find an empty path behind them full of corpses.
Whether they stick around to the end or stay for an arc or episode, Sorachi really knew how to write impressionable antagonists that were always interesting to analyze even after you've watched them so many times.
My list (not a fan of Utsuro or the supernatural story elements of Gintama):
1. Takasugi
2. Oboro
3. Utsuro
4. Kamui
5. Isaburo (not a villain but as the anchoring foe of the FS arc, his motives and character direction was superbly done)
While I don't know if I'd call Utsuro one of the best villains in jump, he is certainly one of the most memorable one for me for one reason, that being he was the first villain to genuinely terrify me. Given the way Gintama set itself up as a series, not having any form of power system or training, Utsuro came in as a villain that I honestly could not see being defeated, an insurmountable wall.
For being such a small channel your videos are amazing man, you're able to use same passion I'm feeling about this series and put it into words, love it.
Thank you! I appreciate the kind words
"overpowered anime villains but with no guardrails" when madara so op author doesnt know what to do, so kills him off with a cactus...
Yes! Madara was exactly who I had in mind when I said that
At this point I have just learnt the whole anime lore just by watching your videos
Kamui goes from a sadistic foodie to a siscon like Shinpachi and I love him for it 🤣🤣
You missed the point, takasugi and gintoki exchanged new year cards
Oh come on. This hasn't take off yet? Rewatched this three times already and still a banger
This is a really really well made and thought out video. Great work wow
I really love this trio + oboru!💞
Kamui deserved so much better. He was always the most misunderstood character.
The dimwitted fandom doesnt care about him other than downplaying him and throwing flak for no good reasons at all.
Why is this video so underated 😭
God i love your channel 😍 especially gintama's content💙 thank you 🙏
posted right at the perfect time was just about to eat n now I got something to watch
You Should keep on making more gintama content
Great video man!
its crazy that these 3 arent even the only 3 good antagonists in the series, oboro and sasaki are top tier, and there are other great ones too like jirocho, enshou, itou, hitotsubashi, and even housen due to his conclusion
Shinpachi gets no love. He doesn't have a direct antagonist. Kagura has Kamui, Gintoki has Takasugi and Utsuro.
Gin and Kagura are his antagonists because he constantly has to fight them to keep the show from being cancelled.
@@kendra_tor fighting over food or picking a fight with them and getting beat to a pulp.
Shinpachi's villain is his sister and her delicious cooking
I am actually very surprised Gintama is this well received in the West, because a lot of the comedy had references to Japanese culture and other Japanese fiction.
It’s one of my favourite manga of all time and is certainly unique
damn i aint first comment anyway woo another vvideo
I consider bleach and gintama the red hair step child(gintama) black sheep(Bleach) Aizen and ywhbach are atleast stems from th2 evils of soul society
Kamui was overrated....Oboro is a better villain to be honest....Kamui totally has potential to be a big main villain especially after his introduction in Yoshiwara arc but man he was nerfed as F*CK especially when fought against Sougo that was a normal human that only has skills on wielding sword which is most likely just a 'fanservice' fight for okikagu fanclub while Gintoki who is better in strength,skill, experience struggle to fought against him🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️....While Oboro actually the one who give joui warrior damage the most since they had pretty much nasty history, sad backstory between them despite have short appearance compared to kamui and takasugi....Oboro also give a big help for Gintoki and Takasugi to defeat Utsuro while Kamui on last arc was suddenly disappeared and didn't do much which is sad since he has big potential
The anime extended the okita/kamui fight with 2-3 moves but the fact remains that the fight was only 50 seconds long and after that okita was in a pretty bad shape while kamui ignored that he was pierced with some metal.
At this point kamui could have easily killed him.
Or read the manga, the fight was over after 5 pages lol
And the only service from gorilla is the trollservice XD
even though it was short it was one of the best moments in the show, sure Kamui could've been used more but i think you are selling Okita a little short acting like he's a scrub that couldn't last 10-20 seconds against anyone not human, I mean shit he lasted pretty long against Nobu and Utsoro for a human, also while holding his own against Kagura (even though they never got super serious fighting).
I think you were watching kintama kamui was never nerfed
And gintoki was already in multiple fights before he even got to kamui
@@sakatadgintoki6046 In Rakuyou Kamui when he faced Gintoki he was already injured and somewhat weakened (although Kagura was more injured) and according to the power scale he was stronger than Hosen, although he was worn out (Or that's what I remember I have to reread that part of the manga), but I still think Gintoki had some plot armor in that fight (But it's still excellent)
The only one I was never a fan of was Jiraiya. That story was just hogwash. But then again Tsukuyo was never meant to come back after after Yoshiwara in Flames. Asaemon got shafted because people liked Tsukuyo and was asked to write more.