Gintama

Episode 314

As the latest season of Gintama approaches its conclusion, the biggest battle royale in the series' history continues to heat up. With Sasaki's plan exposed, the Tenshoin Naraku are pulling out all the stops to quash his rebellion before it even gets off the ground. The Odd Jobs crew, the Joi rebels, and the Shinsengumi were initially up against the Mimawarigumi and the Naraku, but now that Sasaki's plot has come full circle, everyone has more or less united against the Naraku. “Chaotic” doesn't even begin to describe the increasingly out-of-control melee unfolding on Kokujo Island.

After Kagura breaks up the skirmish between Sogo and Nobume, the latter admits she's come to care for Isaburo and doesn't wish to see him die. Even though suicide-by-country was Sasaki's ultimate goal, Nobume no longer wants to help bring her adoptive father's self-destructive ambitions to fruition. However, this tender moment quickly comes to a close, as former Naraku leader and current Tendoshu Utsuro arrives on Kokujo Island via airship. Clearly not one to mess around, Utsuro begins his assault by firing a powerful beam cannon in Gintoki's vicinity, burying the silver-haired samurai beneath a pile of rocks.

Utsuro's presence alone causes the fearless Okita Sogo to involuntarily start shaking. As the unapologetic sadist reveals, his body realizes before his brain that he's up against an opponent he can't beat for the first time. Even the combined forces of Sogo, Kagura, and Nobume (three of the Gintama-verse's strongest fighters) are unable to present the mysterious masked figure with anything resembling a challenge. This prompts Nobume to issue a full-scale retreat order to all Mimawarigumi officers. As a former Naraku assassin, she knows how strong Utsuro is—and realizes that her comrades-in-arms don't stand a chance against him.

Now that Takasugi and Kamui share a common enemy with Gintoki and the rest of the “good” guys, Gintama was in desperate need of a new master villain, and Utsuro looks like he'll fit the bill nicely. Sure, there's Nobunobu, but strength-wise, he doesn't begin to measure up to the series' other antagonists. A figure that even Sogo is (somewhat) hesitant to take on should definitely help ratchet up the tension in the coming weeks. (However, with only two episodes left in the current series, I'm not sure how much more of him we can reasonably expect to see.)

It was also interesting to see Sogo stick his neck out for Nobume and every member of the Odd Jobs crew over the course of a single episode. Even in a series populated by comically callous characters, Sogo has often stood out as one of the most devious. His entire schtick revolves around him trying to kill Hijikata—someone he once described as his second-best-friend. Even when he rescued Princess Soyo in the previous arc, I didn't get the impression that he was being entirely selfless. After all, he had lots of fun butchering the traitors who had infiltrated the airship, and fighting Kamui clearly provided him with a wicked rush. However, he never took any pleasure in fighting Utsuro. Instead, Sogo's top priority was incapacitating his opponent long enough to save his friends and make a hasty retreat.

Shortly after Sogo goes down for the count, an enraged Gintoki rises from the pile of rocks and rushes toward Utsuro. Unlike the rest of the heroes, Gintoki is able to fight on equal footing with this super-powered enemy, leading Sogo to wonder if his friend is fighting on pure instinct or is actually familiar with Utsuro's techniques. When a well-timed blow shatters his opponent's mask, Gintoki makes a startling discovery: Utsuro is the spitting image of the late Yoshida Shoyo. Utsuro/Shoyo(?) then informs Gintoki that he should know from experience that he can never best his master in combat. Utterly in shock, Gintoki is nearly beheaded by Utsuro, but a combo attack from Kagura and Sogo quickly brings him to his senses. Although he deals what appears to be a decisive blow to Utsuro, the mysterious figure is completely unaffected and demonstrates a Wolverine-esque healing ability. Not even being struck head-on by an out-of-control airship fazes him in the least. As Oboro informs Gintoki, he can never escape from the karma he incurred on the day he beheaded Shoyo—and as long as he continues to “defy the heavens,” he's fated to keep killing his master.

Utsuro's uncanny resemblance to the founder of Shoka Sonjuku raises a litany of questions. Is he actually Shoyo? Did his healing powers go so far as to allow him to reapply his severed head? Why did the Naraku stage his execution, and why is he working with them now? Is he a clone of some sort? Is he a villain capable of assuming multiple forms, like the Faceless Men from Game of Thrones? Nobume drops some noncommittal hints, describing him as “Shoyo and not Shoyo” and claiming that he “touched the heavens and came back down.” Unfortunately, with the season winding down, I doubt we'll get the full story on this new antagonist any time soon.

The joke count clocks in at zero this week, but you'll be so swept up by the action and the plethora of game-changing revelations that you'll hardly miss the humor, even if it is the show's greatest strength. The fact that the show's new master villain may actually be Gintoki's beloved mentor and adoptive father certainly wasn't something I ever saw coming. With so many big questions yet to be answered, I can't help but dread the idea of another extended hiatus.

Rating: A

Gintama is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

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