Gintama is an anime show that brings out the laughter and joy in me after binge-watching 10 to 20 episodes. And whenever I have the opportunity, I pick a story arc or several episodes to rewatch so my loneliness can be cured. 😄
Since “Gintama: The Final” movie will be released in Japan on January 8, 2021, I thought I should rewatch the funniest episodes that the tv series can offer.
Laughter is the best medicine after all. 😄 And, since laughter doesn’t cost anything, I’m going to list the best and funniest Gintama episodes of all time!
Disclaimer: This list will group episodes into their respective story arcs while discussing minor spoilers.
10Episodes 98-99 (The OwEe Arc)
- Episode 98: Play Video Games for Only an Hour A Day
- Episode 99: Life and Video Games Are Full of Bugs
The OwEe Arc is a perfect parody of real-life otakus waiting in a long line for the next game console.
Instead of “Wii by Nintendo”, the show changed it into the hilarious “Bentendo’s OwEe” because a) it is trademark-free, and b) so the anime can be protected from any copyright claims.
I’ve seen this arc many times, but my stomach still hurts a lot from laughter after re-watching Kotaro and Elizabeth dressed up as Mario and Luigi!
Kotaro and Shinpachi must also compete with their respective video game competitors to win an OwEe console. Shinpachi must play Tetris while looking at the video game character vomiting Tetris bricks.
Meanwhile, Kotaro participates in a role-playing girl game. To win, he must be the first one to “bonk the heroine”. This certainly woke me up from my sleepiness!
Then, Gintoki and Kagura participated in a virtual-reality game. But by the end of the episode, they ended up punching the spectators (the otakus who have been lining for days to purchase the OwEe consoles). The poor otakus!
9Episode 100 (The More Something Is Disliked, The More Lovely It Is)
Reaching the 100th episode often means a milestone for any anime series. And the smile in my face after re-watching the 100th episode is a testament to how thankful I am to have reached Gintama’s 3rd season. 😊
This episode is better than coffee! When Gintoki showed caricatures of himself (including the one in Super Saiyan form), there was no way to control my laughter! 🤣
I was laughing out loud so hard that I don’t know if I want more Gintoki-sensei or Gintoki caricatures.
And that’s what makes Episode 100 so memorable! Sure, it’s not comedy gold unlike later episodes of the series, but it’s up there alright.
Several popular franchises were also used for parodies in this episode: Death Note, D. Gray Man, One Piece, Naruto, Bleach, Hunter x Hunter, and Dragon Ball). (All anime series had their titles changed, of course, for copyright protection.) 😃
The animators of this episode even parodied Dragon Ball’s opening theme song, “Cha-La Head-Cha-La”, and inserted Gintama characters in it instead of the original Dragon Ball casts!
8Episodes 182 – 184 (Character Poll Arc)
- Episode 182: Screw Popularity Polls
- Episode 183: Popularity Polls Can Burn in Hell
- Episode 184: Popularity Polls Can…
Who would have thought that the characters would fight amongst themselves just so they can be at the top of a character poll?
Thanks to Shinpachi, this arc came up with the most ridiculous scenes — from Fist of the North Star parody to Paint version of Gintama OPs! 🤣
You heard me right! Episodes 182 to 183 showed wobbly abstracts and a Paint OP version of Gintama. Its obviously intentional and low budget because they were drawn with the poorest quality!
The content of the arc says otherwise because there’s a traitor among them ensuing chaos among low and high-ranked poll characters. Naked men are also everywhere in this arc! 😳
If the low-ranked characters can humiliate the high-ranked characters, the latter ones’ poll rankings would decline and boost up lower ones’ poll rankings.
Even when I thought everything was A-okay by the end of episode 184, I knew more troubles would ensue!
I also love the numerical poll rankings constantly appearing in this arc, and the rearrangement between Wonderful Days ED and Light Infection OP on episode 184. 😄
7Episode 265 (Dog Food Doesn’t Have As Much Flavor As You’d Think)
The title of this episode alone made me think I’m in for more gags and antics of Gintama. But boy was I so wrong!
Although the first half of Episode 265 starts with the usual banter, it ends on a more emotional note. The comedic and emotional tone on this episode blends so well.
With just their facial expressions, Sadaharu and the orphaned puppy moved my soul. It takes a lot of apologies to say you’re sorry; but in truth, only a few spoken words (and actions) are needed to rectify one’s mistake. That’s how I felt after re-watching this heartwarming episode. 🥰
Sure. The episode went on the comedic route when Captain Sogo, Vice Chief Hijikata, and Sarutobi Ayame made their appearances one by one. But the laughter slowly diminishes as I realized the essence of this episode:
Choose “home” instead of “solitude”; “laughter” instead of “destitution”; and “hope” instead of “starvation”.
The silly antics still uplifts the mood in this episode, but Sadaharu’s kindness towards the puppy is stellar! 🤩
6Episode 156 (It Takes A Bit Of Courage To Enter A Street Vendor’s Stand)
“What was that?” 🤣 Those were my only words after watching the most ridiculous episode in Season 1 of Gintama so far. Bravo!
The episode is presented in the most unique style: a black and white skit of Elizabeth and Kotaro imitating a silent 1930s film. They don’t even need sound effects or dialogues to make this work!
Even if the skit was only just 5 minutes, every frame per second was precious! This proves that originality is the ultimate reason why Gintama is top notch! 🥳
The second part focuses on off-screen characters conversing with “The Whinery” street vendor. I thought that 20 minutes of their conversation was the most boring scene I’ve seen in anime.
But Episode 156 ended spectacularly! Viewers were deceived to think that this is finally a romantic episode between Gintoki and Shimura (they’re finally hitting it off)!
But as the episode wraps up, it turns out that the off-screen characters speaking to “The Whinery” vendor were just extras (or possibly, “doubles” of Gintoki and Shimura)! 😂 What a twist!
5Episode 231 (When You Go to a Funeral for the First Time, You’re Surprised by How Happy the People Are)
No matter how many times I watch Episode 231, the laughter never stops!
The episode is a little bit serious in the beginning because a long-time friend of the cast (a restaurant owner) died. But what follows is a series of hijinks that only culminates to the utmost hilarity I’ve seen in anime! 😂
Gintoki and Toshiro are the stars of this episode! Since they are the only ones in the funeral service who can see the owner’s ghost, they tried to avoid it. But the more they avoid it, the more trouble ensues!
It even got to the point where Shinpachi, Kagura, Sogo, and Kondo’s soul are taken as hostage by the owner’s ghost! And the only way to save them is if Gintoki and Toshiro retrieves the owner’s body (which was accidentally taken away by a truck when the relatives tried to move the coffin).
For newcomers, I advise you to focus your attention on the tv screen while watching this episode. There are details you simply cannot miss!
The widow is also hilarious! Her antics are out-of-the-blue for someone who has just lost her husband! I am satisfied by the ending of this episode and couldn’t have asked for more! 😊
4Episode 189 (with Part A and Part B)
- Part A: It’s Better to Take Care of this Year’s Business Within the Year, but Once the Year is about to End, You Figure that You Might as Well Put if Off ’till Next Year for a Fresh Start. That’s How the End of the Year Goes
- Part B: Radio Exercises are Socials for Boys and Girls
I must praise the creative writing in Part B of this episode because it left a broad smile on my face after I watched it!
It shines among the rest because of the heartwarming and emotional connection that Kagura formed with her radio exercise friend (Hongo).
If I could summarize Part B in a few words, it would all be about “friendship, effort, and victory” — the same adjectives Shōnen Jump uses for their company motto!
If Part B is turned into a movie, its heart-wrecking aspects could even be comparable to Makoto Shinkai’s “Kimi no Na Wa” and “Weathering with You” films! That’s how emotional the radio exercise episode is. 😆
But Sunrise nailed Part B in 20 minutes or less! And that’s why it’s an unforgettable Gintama episode!
Part A embraces the comedic side of Episode 189 with a parody of Gundam. 😂 During a not-so-serious conversation between a journalist and a former war reporter (Nagai), Gintoki is revealed to be the “White Devil” (or the “White Shiroyasha”)!
3Episode 119 (Within Each Box of Cigarettes, Are One or Two Cigarettes that Smell Like Horse Dung)
Episode 119 is memorable not only because of the several Dragon Ball parodies in it, but also because of the lessons one can learn from it!
Chain-smoker Vice Chief Hijikata struggles to obey even after Captain Sogo implemented a new smoking ban rule on Shinsengumi members. Unable to contain his addiction, Hijikata smokes outside the headquarters.
However, he realized that restaurants and parks also prohibit smoking because Ooedo’s police department director (Katakuriko) applied a nationwide smoking ban for a week!
What comes after is a parody of the Dragon Ball anime: villainous caricatures like Freeza and Cell appeared; then, Nameks like Dende showed up. (Nameks are green-coloured alien groups that are famous in the Dragon Ball franchise).
Before the real episode preview for Gintama was shown, Episode 119 parodied a Dragon Ball-esque episode preview – OST and all! 😂
Dragon Ball is so nostalgic in Episode 119! I can’t get enough of it! Even Goku and Krillin are wearing their orange martial artist outfits!
When the Namek race was revealed to be the ones harvesting and selling tobaccos, Hijikata vowed to defeat its perpetrators — Freeza and Cell! This episode is certainly fresh out of the box! 🤣 Don’t miss it!
2Episode 113 (Cleaning the Toilet Cleanses the Soul)
The “toilet episode” is memorable because of its unique antics. The first time I watched Episode 113, my eyes and mouth were wide open!
This episode is comedy gold! I bet it has also succeeded making a lot of viewers laugh out loud! 😂
Seizo Kumanaku (whose name means “to completely clean something”) helped Vice Chief Hijikata see how filthy our environment can be if one doesn’t take proper hand washing seriously.
What comes after are hijinks from Captain Sogo, Seizo, and Hijikata so that men of the Shinsengumi HQ would be forced to urinate in the men’s toilet in the “cleanest way possible”. It was impossible, but the shenanigans that ensue are off the charts!!! 🤣
Viewers have never seen such absurd animation scenes like this for a long time despite many comedy-geared animes filtering through their recommendations list.
Furthermore, this episode is sending the right message to fight bacteria and any kinds of disease by properly washing your hands 😊.
Even though it’s only fiction, the animated toilet germs still look disgusting. I was dumbfounded by its absurdity, but I was also cringing!
Hijikata also had a nightmare about his comrades turning into toilet germs by the end of the episode. Hopefully, this doesn’t happen to me tonight before I sleep. 😂
Before we get to number 1, here are other funny Gintama episodes you simply cannot miss:
- Episode 22 – So-Called Marriage Means to Maintain the Wrong Perception for Life
- Episode 50 – Pending Means Pending, It’s Not Final
- Episodes 56, 65, & 114 – episodes centering on the Shinsengumi Gang
- Episode 106 – Love is Often Played Out in Sudden Death
- Episode 153 – Sleep Helps a Child Grow
- Episodes 157 to 163 – Shinpachi and Toshi compete to become the official Otsu Fan Club
- Episode 165 – If it Works Once, It’ll Work Over and Over Again
- Episode 175 – No Matter How Old You Get, You Still Hate the Dentist!
- Episode 188 – An Observation Journal Should be Seen Through to the Very End
- Episodes 237 to 238 – Shogun Goes Skiing
- Episode 248 – Madaodog Madaonaire
- Episodes 253 to 256 – The Kintama Arc
- Episode 266 to 267 – The Frozen Time Arc
- Episode 270 – A Mirror Provides a Frozen Reflection of Both Your Beautiful and Ugly Sides
- Episode 282 – A Phoenix Rises from the Ashes Over and Over
- Episode 292 – Style Goes Out of Fashion the Moment It’s Put into Words / There are Two Types of People in this World: Those who Yell Out their Attack Names, and Those Who Don’t
And now, here’s my top pick after shortlisting several funny Gintama episodes! 😊 Enjoy!
1Episodes 202-203 (The Timeskip Arc)
- Episode 202: Everyone Looks a Little Grown up after Spring Break (Part I)
- Episode 203: Everyone Looks Pretty Grown up after Summer Break (Part II)
The best and funniest episode of Gintama for me is the Timeskip Arc! I cannot explain to you how much endorphins and dopamine chemicals were released in my body while this arc was unfolding! 😂 I even found my heart furiously racing faster in episode 203 than while I wa watching episode 202.
This arc puts Shinpachi in the limelight! ☺️ Upon returning home, he found a Dragon Ball inspired Gintoki; a mature-looking Kagura; and a human-transformed Sadaharu.
Gintoki said that 2 years have passed even if the anime was only on break for a year.
Shimura (Shinpachi’s older sister) married Kondo. Kyuubei and Kotaro became transgender. And Sogo became the ruler of a Shinsengumi empire! But this episode nailed it when babies appeared on screen! 🤣
I wished every Gintama episode is as funny as this one! 😄 But, if that were to happen, the serious plotlines would be set aside.
I believe the serious arcs are as important as the funny ones. They flesh out the people and push the characters on growth and development.
But for the record though, the arcs incorporating time-related storylines boost funny-ranking episodes to the top! 😆
Aside from the Timeskip Arc, check out episodes 266 to 267 (The Frozen Time Arc) for more laughter.
Well, there you have it! I hope you enjoyed reading my list on the best and funniest Gintama episodes of all time!
What about you? Tell me what’s your favourite episode in the show in the comments section below! 😁
About Gintama
The story is set in an alternate-history late-Edo period, where humanity is attacked by aliens called “Amanto.”
Edo Japan’s samurai fight to defend Earth, but the shōgun cowardly surrenders when he realizes the aliens’ power.
He agrees to an unequal contract with the aliens, placing a ban on carrying swords in public and allowing the invaders to enter the country.
The samurai’s swords are confiscated, and the Tokugawa Bakufu becomes a puppet government.
The series focuses on an eccentric samurai, Gintoki Sakata, who works as an Odd Jobs freelancer. Although the story is mostly episodic, a few story arcs and recurring antagonists develop.
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