Gintama: 5 Reasons Why Gintoki Sakata Is So Popular

The popular manga/anime franchise Gintama needs no further introduction.

Gintoki Sakata, our lone wolf turned Yorozuya leader is all we need.

Gintoki Sakata is the definition of deadly but pleasantly enchanting.

He is infamously known as Shiroyasha or “The White Demon”.

Gin-san is sure to melt your hearts and captivate everyone.

What does Gintoki’s Name Mean?

Gin means silver. Gintoki’s name has never been properly been explored but Gintama means silver soul.

So, Gintoki is someone who has a silver soul.

The silver soul can mean kind or pure soul, which suits Gin-san.

The fandom loves him for all the right reasons. You gradually start to admire Gintoki Sakata.

He is the hero who will save the day.

Ironically he is sarcastic and detached, but he values people more than anyone in Gintama.

He loves to play pachinko and ends up losing all his money.

His dumb expression and lazy attitude make him more relatable.

He loves sweets and his obsession with parfaits makes you crave them.

He was number #1 in the Character Poll arc.

So what makes Gintoki Sakata so popular? Why is everyone so crazy about him? Let’s find out.

Well but before that let me warn you. This article contains potential spoilers.

If you haven’t watched Gintama, this feels like a good time to start!

1. The Center of Attraction – Gintoki Sakata

One of the qualities of Gin-san that viewers might have noticed.

Yep, you guessed it right. Gintoki Sakata aka Gin-chan tends to attract attention wherever he goes.

He ends up influencing everyone around him.

Whether through his actions or pep talks, he will wrap you under his thumb! Hasegawa is the best example.

Before meeting Gintoki & Yorozuya, Hasegawa was just an ordinary government official.

After the so-called pep-talk from him, Hasegawa finally snapped at Prince Hata and the rest is history! But that’s not all.

Gintoki Sakata leaves a deep impact on the people around him.

During the Yoshiwara arc, Tsukuyo became his ally.

Tsukuyo helped them to protect Hinowa and Yoshiwara.

How can we forget to mention Shinpachi and Kagura? Both of them joined him at Yorozuya because they were influenced by him.  

They look up to him. To them, Gin-san is their next home.

2. The Ladies Man??

Needless to say, there are many female characters around Gintoki.

Even though we don’t see any romantic inclinations towards anyone, we cannot dismiss it completely. He does leave an impression no.

**Who does Gintoki Love?

Gintoki has a crush on Ketsuno Crystal. He went to great lengths to help her. But then again that’s our classic Gin-san.

He may fool around but he helps everyone in the end. Ketsuno’s shikigami Gedoumaru follows him.

When it comes to love and stalkers, we cannot miss Sarutobi. Sa-chan always stalks Gintoki and expresses her intense love for him. He outright refuses her every time.

But when has that ever stopped Sa-chan from going after him! But when Sa-chan was in a pinch, it was Gin-san who saved her from the clutches of death.

Tama,  has affection and respect towards Gintoki. Throughout the series, they have helped each other. Tama chose Gintoki over Kintoki and showed her affection for him.

The list is incomplete without Yagyuu and Otae san. Gintoki has helped them on several occasions.

3. Combination of Deadly & Taking Pleasure in Inflicting Pain

Throughout the series, we can see that Gintoki Sakata takes pleasure in inflicting pain.

Sa-chan has a masochistic tendency wanted him to dominate her. Okita Sougo respects Gin-san and addresses him as “Danna-Sama (Boss)”.

Okita has acknowledged him as cruel. Their mutual cruel nature to torture Hijikata serves as the common ground.

Gintoki Sakata is a fierce and strong samurai. His glory days and dark past has earned him the infamous nickname of “Shiroyasha”.

He had intense fights with major antagonists from the series.

The results are pretty obvious. Gintoki’s fight with Takasugi was intense. But my personal favorite would be the fight with Kamui. That was one hell of a bloody fight.

4. Helpful and Kind

Sakata Gintoki formed Yorozuya to fulfill people’s requests.

He appears childish and not serious.

But he helps everyone until the end. His path often crosses with Shinsengumi, and at many events, he has helped them.

Gin-san played a major role in protecting Shogun and safeguarding the princess.

They occasionally help Otsu, Yoshiwara, and get involved with Katsura.

5. Comedy King

If gags are mentioned, we cannot forget Sakata Gintoki .

Gin-san often breaks the fourth wall. He’s hilarious even in the most serious situations.

As a character he is multi-dimensional. Gin-san might lack maturity sometimes but you won’t get bored.

Often perverted, filled with sarcasm and black humor, he continues to be the fan favorite.

Gintoki Sataka fought in the Joui Rebel War.

He had to kill his beloved sensei to save his friend’s life.

In the war, there was a lot of bloodshed and deaths.

It was infamously nicknamed The Kansei Purge. It’s impossible for Gintoki to not get affected by the long war.

Gintoki suffers from PTSD and it’s clearly evident from his actions.

On the surface he looks like someone who is hilarious and casual, however, that’s far unlikely.

He deeply cares about the people around him. After the Joui Rebel War, he became famous as Shiroyasha or the White Demon.

Bottom Line

Well, I wasn’t really a hardcore fan of Gintama earlier but as the series progressed, my thoughts changed.

Gintoki’s easy-going personality to deal with situations is commendable.

Sakata Gintoki is different from the other conventional Shonen protagonists. B

ecause of this, I find him really likable.

Sakata Gintoki is a man of mystery, a certified crackhead but true to his heart.

He has the ability to bullshit his way out of any situation! Seriously take notes from him!!! And 100 points for ridiculously hilarious.

These were some of the reasons I like him. So what are yours?

You can watch Gintama on Netflix and other streaming sites. Happy binging and find out your favorite character! Adios~