Gintama

Episode 305

Throughout the last decade, glimpses into Gintoki's tragic past have been few and far between. However, in the last two weeks, we've learned more about the silver-haired samurai's backstory than in the previous 300-odd episodes combined. If the parent manga weren't still being serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump, I'd be inclined to believe the series' conclusion was right around the corner.

Continuing where last week's feels-fest left off, episode 305 features what is arguably the show's biggest revelation to date. In flashback, the bullies Shoyo chased off last week reveal that Shoka Sonjuku and its proprietor are in big trouble. Rumors have surfaced that the school is spreading anti-bakufu propaganda, and local law enforcement is slated to pay Shoyo a visit that very night. Hoping to protect their teacher, Gintoki, Takasugi, and Katsura make a bungled attempt at ambushing the bakufu officials before they can reach the school. However, before any blood can be shed, Shoyo arrives on the scene, scares off the bakufu cronies, and administers herculean love-taps to his three headstrong disciples. Realizing that Shoka Sonjuku can no longer operate in this town, Shoyo and Gintoki resolve to move on, and Takasugi and Katsura, the school's newest pupils, decide to accompany them. Katsura no longer has any living relatives, Takasugi despises his father, and both boys are fed up with the Military Arts Academy.

In the current timeline, the Gintoki/Takasugi faceoff grows increasingly more intense. After inflicting countless stab wounds on one another and breaking their swords, both men mercilessly pummel one another with their fists. The amount of damage Gintoki can withstand is pretty amazing, and he's really put through the wringer this week. Then again, in the name of comedy, the dead-eyed Odd Jobs proprietor has been bludgeoned, blown up, and cremated—to say nothing of the plethora of dangerous objects that have gone up his backside. (He's basically anime's answer to Wile E. Coyote.) Both men firmly believe that they're the only ones capable of killing each other, and after witnessing this fight, that may be true.

As the battle reaches its climax, the audience is treated to a flashback that took place during the closing days of the Joi War. The Tenshoin Naraku had just slaughtered a battalion of rebels and apprehended three of the Four Heavenly Kings. (Sakamoto had withdrawn from the war by this point.) Fully aware that these men initially joined the war effort to rescue their master and adoptive father, the Naraku brought Shoyo along to witness his disciples' defeat. This culminated in Gintoki, Shoyo's star pupil, being offered an ultimatum; he could either kill Shoyo and save Takasugi and Katsura, or kill his friends and save his master. Although he promised Takasugi that he'd "take care of Sensei," Gintoki also promised Shoyo that he'd take care of his fellow pupils. As Shoyo mouthed "Thank you," the defeated White Yaksha drew his sword and decapitated the man who raised him. Enraged by this development, Takasugi rushed toward Gintoki, only to have Oboro throw a dagger directly into his left eye. Reasoning that the men no longer had anything worth protecting, which is tantamount to death for a samurai, Oboro decided to let the remnants of Shoka Sonjuku live out their rest of their days in defeat.

Gintoki beheading his master is one of the series' most emotionally powerful moments to date, and it nicely mirrors Zenzo's current situation. To protect his friends, Gintoki slayed his master, and to protect his master, Zenzo slayed a friend. Despite their best efforts, neither man was able to protect everything he held dear. We've seen images of Gintoki, Katsura, and Takasugi gazing solemnly at Shoyo's severed head, but learning that Gintoki was the one who removed that head is downright shocking.

After returning to the current timeline, a thoroughly battered Gintoki proclaims that he doesn't care if he has to step over his master's corpse—he'll still protect "the soul of his student and our friend, Shoka Sonjuku's Takasugi Shinsuke." On the verge of collapsing, Takasugi smiles and basks in his former friend's kind words. However, before the men can reconcile, a battalion of Naraku (led by Oboro) appear out of nowhere. As Oboro impales Takasugi on his staff, he admonishes both him and Gintoki for wasting the lives their master saved. I have no idea how the Naraku fit into this story, but I'm intrigued to find out. At this point, every major Gintama villain has played a role in this arc, creating the impression that something big is on the horizon. Like Sa-chan and Zenzo a couple weeks back, Takasugi's fate is left unclear. However, it would be disappointing to see him done in at this stage in the game.

The removal of the letterbox framing for the flashbacks about halfway through the episodes is confusing, but I suppose the letterbox may have represented Takasugi's view of the past through the "inner eyelid" of his missing left eye. Even so, the scene where Gintoki executes Shoyu is letterbox-less from both Takasugi's and Gintoki's perspectives. It's jarring to see the same scene twice in such a short time, but this narrative choice does shed some insight into why Takasugi feels Gintoki betrayed their teacher—while also showing why Gintoki did what he did.

This week's Gintama feels like the episode fans have been longing for ever since Takasugi's introduction. Since this series is a screwball comedy at heart, I'm reluctant to give a perfect rating to any humorless episode, but the latest installment is just that good. The action is some of the best the show has ever featured, and it felt rewarding to finally see Gintoki's history fully fleshed out. It's hard to imagine how the upcoming episodes can top this one.

Rating: A+

Gintama is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Amy is a YA fantasy author who has loved anime for two decades.