#takasugi icons

[pfpanimes]

⌕ HAPPY B-DAY TAKASUGI!

like or reblog if you save/use.

[herseyboktan]

His anger is something else

[leverythingbluel]

This is such a nice ending that I forgot existed

god bless Gintama rewatches

[tae-shimura-is-my-wife]

Gintaka literally right there being rivals to friends to enemies to lovers

[kamaitachi-hime666]

[averagelonelypotato]

ok but takasugi was so iconic for causing chaos and ruining an entire countries political scheme then went straight to bed and took a nap for an entire arc

[sankatsuka]

Takasugi really feels like the embodiment of a character who's literally the enemy of the entire narrative... The narrative painted him as Gintoki's archenemy who rightfully harbours anger and hatred for him for his actions in the past and turning a blind eye, but it turns out Takasugi was actually angry at himself and couldn't stand seeing Gintoki cry.

There's how Gintoki and Hijikata have strongly contrasting designs and compatible personalities, as if hinting at how their dynamic would likely have a strong role in the overall narrative... And Takasugi was just the toxic yaoi ex who Hijikata was meant to replace. Only for Takasugi to entirely take Hijikata out of the picture and leave Hijikata pathetically tailing the two of them in Silver Soul arc.

And if Takagin really is romantically implied... You can interpret "wait for me in hell" as Takasugi getting Gintoki to promise that the only person he would belong to and go home to is Takasugi alone. Tsukuyo had commented that Gintoki is the type who can't belong to one place and it's why there is no romance in the story - and Takasugi destroyed that.

Takasugi destroyed all the allegations and tropes against him that were established at the very start. The way this iconic line is unironically true... Takasugi is the troll to Gintama that trolls everyone. Takasugi is the enemy of the entire Gintama universe.

He's so terrible he won't even make his character clear to the audience... Best boy BTW.

[lotus-tower]

hi hi i hope you are still doing essay commentary because WOAG this latest oboro visual poem meta thing. messed me UP. predictably your mention of third person perspective is my favourite part of the whole post. im wondering why you chose those specific oboro and gintoki Eye Moments for example. but anything else or anything more on the rainbow body segment that you want to talk about would be wonderful! aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

(— groupofcrows main)

yesss thank you for the question! i love talking about this stuff.

So the rainbow body is a phenomenon and concept from Dzogchen, a tradition within Tibetan Buddhism. Essentially, when a master attains full knowledge, their body changes. I'm not going to go into the details here because it's not too relevant, but upon death the master's body will dissolve into light instead of leaving a corpse behind, and then their spirit can go wherever in the world to aid others. (Very much like how I think of Shouyou's final death in the final arc where he The World arcana's himself into sublimation.)

I was originally going to go in a different direction with the collage, but it didn't work with the flow as well, and it was difficult to get suitable quotes. You haven't seen the end of the rainbow body quotes though, I have a bunch more I'm saving for another collage. lol.

Anyway, what's meant by "third person perspective" in the actual definition of the rainbow body is just that this is what's observable to the people around the master. Buddhism is largely concerned with the internal, which is probably why it's phrased this way. I took it and ran though! The first screenshot in that section is of Gintoki's iconic PTSD moment when he sees Utsuro's face for the first time, perfectly coincidentally in the arc where Utsuro is depicted with a LGBT pride aura as he moves for no reason (except, I presume, hilarity). What more significant moment of "knowledge" attainment is there for him? For Oboro, though, that moment of horrified realization is when he "realizes" he's been replaced, that Shouyou getting to live means that he will actually, you know, live his life and move on.

I juxtaposed these moments because, in a way, Gintoki and Oboro are already "third person perspectives" of each other. I've already talked about how Oboro is a retroactively created echo of Gintoki. What's fun in the wording of the quote is that it's the third-person perspective of someone else attaining knowledge, right? Oboro and Gintoki are "at the scene" of their respective deepest horror, with Oboro's image being second because it implicitly frames him as potentially looking at Gintoki. Because that's indeed what happened. Oboro is also always looking at Gintoki, but not at all in the same way as Takasugi.

In the execution pic, he's simply watching the execution--Gintoki is just the guillotine, and despite how terrible this moment is for everyone involved, Oboro isn't haunted by this. Some part of him knows that the worst is yet to come--that Gintoki will survive because of this choice, so one day he may come to the truly horrible realization, Utsuro. And so the images also imply that Oboro is looking at Gintoki's realization with horror. Oboro in the present had already come to this realization long ago, and so he's become empty of all (or almost all...) desires, attachments, resentments and lets himself be dressed by the narrative in priestly attire without protest.

What about Gintoki? He's not watching anything in this moment except his own memories flying past, but we, the viewer, are watching him have this realization. Just as we watch Oboro have his realization, and understand the catalyst for the entire underlying tragedy of Gintama. Which was Gintoki, or rather Oboro seeing Gintoki. In this situation we are also literally the third person. Gintoki finding out about Utsuro is just the sound of a pebble hitting water a very, very long time after Oboro first dropped it into a well over 10 years ago.

But also, Gintoki meeting Utsuro is quite literally why Utsuro has that LGBT pride aura going on. Because Utsuro needs a very dramatic entrance scene, because this is a very tense moment the narrative can't not gas up. So that we can enjoy it as viewers.

[bossladytae]

Gintama x Trigun 

This post is obviously not intended as a direct comparison of characters, but rather on character design and how much Trigun influenced my later love for Gintama. I became a fan of Trigun in 2003 when the manga first came to North America, and I later watched the original anime series. Three years later, I became a fan of Gintama, and even then I noticed the similarities and how much I gravitated toward the same types of characters and designs. Sakamoto and Vash wear red coats, wield guns, and are generally eccentric; Hijikata and Wolfwood dress in black and smoke cigarettes; and Takasugi and Legato share similar hairstyles and function as antagonists. 

I love both of these series so much, and I’m happy to see new Trigun fans experiencing the series for the first time through 2023′s Trigun Stampede. Likewise, I’m also happy if people become fans of Gintama, as well. Both are great series! For those that adore both as I do, this post is more a celebration of the two series and a few of their iconic characters. 

[incorrect-kihentai]

Takasugi: Name a more iconic duo than my depression and hate for this rotten world. I’ll wait.

Bansai: You and me?

Takasugi: [tearing up] Ok.

[herseyboktan]

His focus

[lilac-5ky]

I was reading your "Takasugi is just like a butterfly" theory (excellent meta btw!) and now I am curious: do you like his actual manga!yukata design? as in which version do you like better? ofc Takasugi looks hot good in both lol--is just that I have never seen his actual manga design anywhere in fics or in fanarts (never even seen his manga panels colored T_T) but yeah the manga!yukata design is way more... complicated(?) so I can see why the anime decided to change it. what can I say, this man is a fashion icon 😭

omg I'm terribly sorry for getting to this so late! I've neglected my inbox a bit while working on my fanfic ideas, so this got buried in there T-T

Honestly, I love both equally and I can't speak in favor of the manga yukata since, like you stated, we haven't seen a colored version of it, BUT if we did, then perhaps that one would outshine his anime butterfly one. The design of his manga yukata is so intricate and the meaning behind it is well thought of! I've read this theory on aminoapp about its design and you can find it here if you'd like to read into it, but I'll quote some of the things mentioned regardless.

Manga!Shinsuke's yukata analysis!

Looking at Shinsuke's most iconic yukata, we can see the theme of nature in the form of sakura flowers, mountains, clouds, and trees.

Sakura blossoms are known for being ephemeral, an attribute shared with butterflies. Sorachi might have made his yukata have a simpler butterfly pattern for the anime so that it's easier to draw and anime, but the concept remains the same. Ephemeral beauty. Something that doesn't last long, unlike the impression it leaves behind. Therefore, sakura blossoms and butterflies are both perfect symbolisms for a man whose life, albeit strong, held an unparalleled beauty in its entirety.

On the other hand, mountains could be seen as the exact opposite of sakura blossoms and butterflies. Mountains are unmoving and unyielding. They remain even after all nature around them dies. This could indicate Shinsuke's unyielding focus to his goal, the memories and the comrades he never forsook, and his ideals. No matter what, mountains can be viewed as a symbol of strength, and Shinsuke surely is a very strong individual.

As for the clouds, in a way, they too symbolize impermanence and are also linked to the divine due to proximity, but personally, when I view the clouds in relation to Shinsuke, I think of his famous poem-like saying in the Rakuyo arc. Clouds bring rain, and we all know how Shinsuke's sick of seeing the rain. The rain to him is both something he can't escape and haunts him, as well as something he's initiated himself. The clouds are an omen of his struggles and the pain he's brought upon himself; the very pain he is tired of feeling.

To sum up, the pattern of his kimono shows his life's flow, his ambitions, and his struggles. It's a very intimate exposure of his inner world, and for a man who doesn't let others in, he sure likes to put all that he is on display.

Since we got into this, I want to include another similar yukata of his, and the meaning behind it.

They look very much alike I know, BUT this one has two notable elements: Peony flowers and Shochikubai.

Starting with the latter, Shochikubai is an expression for Sho, chiku, and bai, the japanese words for pine tree, bamboo, and plum (picture below for reference on what the basic design is supposed to look like). Shochikubai traditionally refers to the 3 friends of winter and it's associated with good fortune. To quote this article right here, Shochikubai is an allegory for weathering hard times through various attributes of each element. A pine tree is tenacious and rooted deep enough to hold. Bamboo can bend in the breeze without breaking, while plum trees are the first to blossom in winter like a promise of hope.

It's hard to properly discern them in this image, but the leaves definitely belong to the pine trees and the little flowers are a mix of sakura blossoms and plum blossoms. Anyway, tenacity is a trait that defines Shinsuke, and the hope that is carried through winter is similar to the hope for a miracle that carries him through his rebellion.

Lastly, the bigger flowers are peonies, a symbol of love and nobility that is mostly preferred by women. A lot of people say that Shinsuke went down this path because of revenge and hatred, but really, his love for Shinsuke and all that he held dear from his days back at Shoka Sonjuku drove him. Nobility is something that Shinsuke himself has forsaken and claims to have never had, but many times he's shown kindness towards others and done the righteous thing. They are both elements of his personality, albeit well hidden.

To conclude this unnecessarily LONG answer, the kimonos he wears in the manga have such deep symbolism that one cannot ignore. They are a small peek into who he is as a person and all he represents, and because of that, I'll have to give them an extra point over his iconic butterfly yukata. One thing's for sure, Shinsuke surely knows how to dress to impress and he might as well be the most fashionable character in the entirety of the show. Hopefully this wasn't a snoozefest for you, I just thought it'd be interesting to explain why I favor his manga yukata more and provide proper reasoning.

[kamaitachi-hime666]

[averagelonelypotato]

just wanna know ur top 5 gintama characters bestie

ahh i love and appreciate lots of Gintama characters so the top 5 is gonna be so hard 😭

but here is my top 5 (not in this order at all)

Gintoki

tatsuma

shinpachi

oboro

sadaharu & tama

i guess these are my top 5 :p but haha I love all the idiots in gintama :)

thanks for the ask bestie 🫡🫶