'Gintama' Creator Doubles Down on Series' Ending

Gintama has been going on for some time, but even be best series have to come to end. For some time now, the man behind Gintama has hinted at its ending, and it looks like the finale may really hit this year.

Recently, Gintama put out its latest volume in Japan, and the publication contained a note from Hideaki Sorachi. The creator addressed fans about Gintama ending, and he said the end was slated to run up before 2019 comes in.

"Up until now, it's been a constant cycle of 'it's gonna end' over and over up until now, hasn't it? It's been like this for about three years, but no worries. I'm positive it will end this year — soon. Even if my arm gets modified into a psycho gun, it will end this year," Hideaki said, according to Yonkou Productions.

"Though, since it's likely my arm may really get modified into a psycho gun, I guess I'll allow myself a little leeway. I thought that I'd end around August or so, so I thought at the beginning of the year that maybe saying summer this year would be okay."

However, it doesn't look like Gintama is as finished as the artist had hoped. Hideaki says he's still got more to do on Gintama as 2018 enters the tail-end of summer.

"But, rather than my arm being modified into a psycho gun, it became a G pen. The cicadas are crying out because it's August, and I'm just crying. It doesn't feel like I'm wrapping things up at all."

Hideaki's 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. Its largely episodic nature has been a hit with fans, especially when it dives into longer story arcs like the final "Silver Soul" arc.

Gintama follows a young samurai named Gintoki Sakata during Japan's Edo period. However, the historical period is not the one we are familiar with; The story's world has been overrun by aliens called Amanto, and they are not too friendly to Earth's natives. The series follows Gintoki and his friends as they do odd jobs to survive. The series is primarily episodic by nature though it has a few well-received story arcs which see Gintoki take on his country's ruling class head-on.

Do you think Gintama will really close before 2018 wraps? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime!