Gintama

Episode 320

The Battle of Rakuyo delivers its most pulse-pounding skirmish yet, as Katsura faces off against the nigh-indestructible ape-man Neptune Shokaku. Despite being one of the series' strongest fighters, Zura rarely goes toe-to-toe with his opponents, and this week, we're given some insight into why. Although the battle in question is fairly short, even by Gintama standards, it's not only this season's best fight sequence, but possibly Katsura's best overall.

After his powerful explosives fail to make a dent in Shokaku, Zura instructs Elizabeth and his battalion of Joi rebels to get as far away from the scene as possible while he fights his opponent one-on-one. As we learn from a series of well-timed flashbacks, Katsura's late grandmother taught him that a general must be “the biggest coward on the battlefield,” since this individual is responsible for the lives of all his men. Taking her teachings to heart, Katsura swore by this sentiment during the Joi War and seldom took part in battles that required him to put his life at serious risk, earning him the nickname “Kotaro the Runaway.” However, this didn't mean that Zura was afraid of fighting—he simply believed that a general should hide his true strength until faced with a threat that requires him to shed his coward's skin.

Following a truly brutal battle involving collapsed buildings, insane falls, and severed limbs, Zura is ultimately able to beat Shokaku, who happily admits defeat and expresses dissatisfaction with Utsuro's plans for the Harusame. Meanwhile, the Kaientai begins to feel the true menace of Uranus Hankai, as the mechanized monk uses microscopic nanomachines to take over both the fleet's ships and its crewmembers. Since Sakamoto lacks the same god-like strength as his compatriots in the Four Heavenly Kings, it's a safe bet that his upcoming battle with Hankai will involve more mental gymnastics than outright blows.

Proving once again that Gintama seldom drags its feet when it comes to action, Zura's showdown with Shokaku only eats up about three quarters of the episode. Fortunately, the lightning-fast pace helps ratchet up the intensity of the battle and deftly illustrates the immense strength of both combatants. Interspersing the fisticuffs with flashbacks that give the audience additional insight into Katsura's backstory is a nice touch that adds depth to an otherwise zany character. Every time we get a glimpse of young Katsura, I'm driven to wonder how he made the jump from “level-headed tactician” to “comically oblivious space-case,” but after seeing this fight, it can't be denied that his knack for strategy is still intact.

There were a number of laugh-out-loud moments this week, but I was particularly fond of Sakamoto and Mutsu's Gundam-themed back-and-forth with Hankai, as it illustrates the show's ability to shift the tsukkomi and boke roles without missing a beat. Certain characters almost always fall into one of these roles, but it's sometimes amusing to see a level-headed tsukkomi-type like Mutsu assume the boke role, leaving nameless observers to comment on the insanity. Like Shokaku, Hankai appears to be a semi-humorous villain—which marks an interesting departure from the series' propensity for taking its antagonists way too seriously.

This week's episode goes to show that the series' three main characters needn't be prominently featured for Gintama to entertain. (Young Gintoki does show up in a couple flashbacks, however.) This is largely due to the fact that Gintama has spent hundreds of episodes fleshing out its enormous supporting cast and making the audience just as invested in them as the staff of Odd Jobs Gin-chan. With Sakamoto poised to battle his first major villain, I'm looking forward to seeing how the belly-laughing space merchant answers the challenge of an opponent he can't even see.

Rating: A

Gintama is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

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