The live-action movie adaptation of Gintama was a blockbuster in Japan this summer and is still going strong since its release in July 2017. I’m sure that original author Hideaki Sorachi would make fun of himself even if the movie had been a flop. As a fan of Gintama, I’m simply happy for more people to know how brilliant it is. The original manga series running in Weekly Shonen Jump is also building up steam as it enters its final arc. The arc depicts an all-out war with an all-star cast on a massive scale. Readers can’t take their eyes off the white-knuckle battles. I have no idea how the story will end. However, I’ll keep reading it, believing that Gintama will end in a very Gintama-like fashion.

In this article, I’m going to write about the must-watch arc, which is also my personal favorite from the long-running Gintama’s story- the ‘Benizakura Arc’. It’s the first major arc and the base for the theatrical anime movie and live-action movie adaptations. I’ll focus on chapters 93 and 94 of the manga, which correspond to Episode 60 of the anime series.

Proof of the Samurai

There is a scene in which Takasugi strikes Nizou with his sword, and after exchanging words, Takasugi sheathes it. In the anime, he switches his grip and lifts the sword once before sheathing. It’s a split-second action which doesn’t appear in the manga, though I personally love it very much.

The action shakes the blood off the sword after use in order to prevent it from rusting. A samurai sword requires meticulous cleaning to keep it razor-sharp. However, it’s impossible to do so in the middle of battle. Samurai would perform this action as an emergency procedure while battling.

Nizou’s arm has already turned into the Benizakura bio-mechanical sword at this point, therefore Takasugi’s sword shouldn’t be stained with blood unless he slashes the body of Nizou himself. In my opinion, he performed this action subconsciously as a habitual action. Katsura performed the same action in this arc as well. Such scenes are proof of them being legendary heroes who, together with Gintoki and Sakamoto, fought through the savage and dreadful Joi war. The scenes explain without words that they are true Samurai and survivors who killed numerous opponents.

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