Gintama

Episode 326

The gang pulls out all the stops to calm Kamui's intense bloodlust in the Battle on Rakuyo's tenth chapter. Even though Kagura's older brother is among the show's most powerful characters, we've never really seen him engage in an extended battle—possibly because his superhuman strength ensures that most of his skirmishes are over in a flash—so seeing him put through his paces for an entire episode is an interesting change of pace. While far from this season's most visually impressive fight sequence, Kamui's battle with the Odd Jobs crew is an emotional rollercoaster from start to finish.

With Umibōzu down for the count, Gintoki goes all-out in an attempt to knock some sense into Kamui. However, despite being the one of the series' strongest non-aliens, Gin is soon pushed to his physical limits, prompting Kagura to enter the fray. This momentarily gives Kamui pause, but his emotional emptiness and Yato instincts soon take him over completely, and he proceeds to do battle with his little sister. Hoping to bring Kamui to his senses, Shinpachi and Abuto then enter the fray, as Sadaharu rushes the battered Umibōzu to safety. After a hard-fought battle, Kagura's kindness is eventually able to bring out the humanity in her wayward brother, who rests his head on her lap as he collapses from exhaustion.

Although Kamui is an infrequent presence on the show, both this week's and last week's episodes do an admirable job of fleshing him out beyond his external quirks. This ultimately helps make the latest battle all the more meaningful and give closure to both Kamui and Umibōzu's character arcs. It's also fitting that Kagura's family of choice plays a pivotal role in bringing her birth family back together. Gintoki, Shinpachi, and the various friends she made in Edo helped quell Kagura's loneliness and provided her with a sense of belonging, so it makes sense that kindness, patience, and compassion are what enable her to bring Kamui around in the end.

Episode 326 is also notable for being the first episode in this arc that's completely devoid of humor. While the previous two episodes were certainly light on jokes, this week's installment contains a grand total of zero laughs. To be fair, I'm not sure exactly where comedy could have fit into the mix, but at times, it almost felt like a different show. It can't be denied that Gintama has a knack for nailing its action setpieces, but it'll still be a relief when things start to lighten up. Although the general tone isn't nearly as morbid as the final few episodes of the Shogun Assassination Arc, the story seems to be headed in that direction.

With both Kamui and Takasugi fighting on the side of good, the show's former master villains are finally in league with the heroes. Judging from the preview, it looks like Oboro's backstory is being rolled out next week. Whether this means he's next in line for redemption or the show simply wishes to provide him with some much-needed context, I can't wait to see what the next chapter holds in store.

Rating: A-

Gintama is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Amy is an author who has loved anime for over two decades.