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Gintama Manga Enters Final Arc

This year's 32nd issue of Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine is revealing on Monday that Hideaki Sorachi's Gintama manga is entering its final arc starting with its next chapter. Sorachi had reported in the 63rd volume of the manga in March that he would start the manga's final arc this year. He added at the time that he doesn't know himself if the manga will end this year or next.

Sorachi began the manga in 2004 and it continues to be ranked among the top-selling manga in Japan. The manga now has more than 50 million copies in print in Japan. Viz Media published the first 23 volumes in English. Shueisha published the manga's 64th volume (pictured at right) in Japan on May 2.

The manga inspired a television anime that premiered in 2006 and continued (with several extended hiatuses) until 2013. The latest Gintama television anime series premiered in April 2015, and ended in March. Crunchyroll streamed the series as it aired in Japan. The manga also inspired two anime films, including the "final" Gekijōban Gintama Kanketsu-hen: Yorozuya yo Eien Nare film that opened in 2013, and various OVAs and event anime.

The manga is inspiring a live-action film starring Shun Oguri that will premiere in Japan in 2017.