'Gintama's Final Manga Arc Reaches Climax

It looks like Gintama may be reaching its end sooner than fans thought. After all, a new announcement by Weekly Shonen Jump recently confirmed the series' manga will reach the climax of its current arc in the coming weeks.

Yes, that's right. Gintama will reach its apex come February 5, so fans of the manga better get ready for whatever is about to go down.

The tenth issue of Weekly Shonen Jump will do more than usher in Gintama's final climax (via ANN). The magazine will also pay homage to the series to honor its 14th anniversary. Shueisha will feature Gintama on the cover of its magazine, and its upcoming issue will even get a color page.

If you have not kept up with Gintama's final arc, you do have a bit to catch up on. The 'Silver Soul' arc began in July 2016 at chapter 596. The arc, which follows the 'Rakuyou Decisive Battle' arc, sees Utsuro reveal his final plan. The immortal baddie wants to spark a universal war that will end with Earth's destruction. Gintoki must team up with his current and former allies to take down Utsuro and raze his amassing army.

There is no word on when Gintama will end its manga run, but recent reports did confirm the finale will take place in 2018. Right now, the franchise's anime is also working through the 'Silver Soul' arc, so fans can expect the show to go on once its manga wraps. The anime just aired its 344th episode last week with a new one set to debut on January 29.

Gintama is one of the most popular manga series in Japan with 50 million copies printed since it began in 2004. It has gained fame among fans online with its balance of humor, drama, and action while still jokingly referencing other popular Shonen Jump series like Dragon Ball. The series has seen different forms since its initial anime run from 2006 to 2010, with a second series airing from 2011 to 2013 with sporadic hiatuses in-between, a third series running from 2015 to 2016, two feature-length animated films, a few OVAs, and even a live action film releasing in Japan last July.

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