Fans of Gintama have a new reason to rejoice, as the Gintama Ato no Matsuri event recently announced that Tomohito Ōsaki’s spinoff novel series, 3-Nen Z-Gumi Ginpachi-Sensei, will be adapted into an anime. The series is a spinoff of Hideaki Sorachi’s Gintama manga and follows the hilarious story of a high school teacher named Ginpachi Sakata and his mischievous students.

The story behind the Gintama spinoff

The 3-Nen Z-Gumi Ginpachi-Sensei series made its debut in 2006 and is set in Gintama High School. The series has been a fan favourite, with Shueisha publishing the latest volume in 2018. Sorachi, the original creator of Gintama, is credited for their work. The series had been previously adapted into a short animation, which appeared at the end of several episodes of the Gintama anime series.

Gintama’s legacy

Gintama is a science-fiction period-drama comedy manga that started in 2003 and ended in June 2019, with over 55 million copies in circulation. The series has inspired several television anime series, with a total of 367 episodes, as well as three previous anime films. In July 2018, the most recent anime series was launched. The manga has given rise to numerous adaptations, including an event anime, two live-action movies, and two live-action net spinoffs, departing from its original video anime (OVA) format. Viz Media has released the first 23 volumes of the manga in English. (Also Read: Solo Leveling anime adaptation to hit screens in winter 2024)

Gintama THE VERY FINAL (Gintama: The Final) is the third and final anime movie that concludes the original manga, featuring additional story elements. The film premiered in Japan in January 2021 and was later shown in North American theatres by Eleven Arts in November 2021. Subsequently, Eleven Arts and Shout! Factory released the movie digitally in January 2022, followed by its release on Blu-ray discs and DVD in February 2022.

Gintama The Semi-Final

In addition to the anime series and films, there is a net anime special called Gintama The Semi-Final, which acts as a two-episode prequel to the final movie. This net anime was exclusively launched in Japan on the online dTV service in January 2021. Furthermore, a novel by Mirei Miyamoto based on the film was released in January.

The Return of Ginpachi-Sensei

With the announcement of the 3-Nen Z-Gumi Ginpachi-Sensei spinoff being adapted into an anime, fans of Gintama can look forward to more hilarious antics from the lovable teacher and his mischievous students. The upcoming anime will undoubtedly bring the same level of humour and entertainment that has made Gintama a beloved series.