‘Gintama 2’ Shares First-Look At New Characters

Gintama‘s new live-action sequel Gintama 2 is getting ready for its premiere August 17 in Japan, and it’s been fueling fan hype in anticipation.

The sequel is adding brand new characters and actors into the wild fold, and they include such additions as Yuya Yagira as Toushirou Hijikata (who is returning from the original film), Kankuro Nakamura as Isao Kondou, Ryo Yoshizawa as Sougo Okita.

The live-action Gintama sequel, currently titled Gintama 2 (Working Title), previously announced that leads Shun Oguri, Masaki Suda, and Kanna Hashimoto are returning for the sequel as characters Gintoki Sakata, Shinpachi Shimura, and Kagura, respectively along with Masami Nagasawa as Tae Shimura, Tsuyoshi Muro as Gengai Hiraga, Midoriko Kimura as Otose, Masaki Okada as Kotaro Katsura, and Jiro Sato in a role different than the first film.

Film distributor Azoland Pictures partnered with Well Go USA and screened the live-action Gintama film in theaters in both the United States and Canada January 19. Well Go USA has also recently released the film on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD in North America on March 6. The Gintama live-action film opened in Japan on July 14 last year and earned about $8.9 million USD in its first four days of release.

If you want more Gintama, the “Silver Soul” arc is the 64th and final arc of series creator Hideaki Sorachi’s manga is currently being adapted into anime. The longest running arc in the series to date, “Silver Soul” begins when Utsuro – whose immortality has forced him to find a way to truly die – reveals his final plan: to start a war that’ll encompass the entire universe and lead to the destruction of the Earth. Gintoki then must team with old allies and make friends with older enemies in order to stop the rising army of space aliens – the Amanto – from wreaking havoc.

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, and even a few OVAs.

Gintama Season 4 began airing with the “Porori” arc last October before it went on hiatus in March, and you can currently find subbed episodes on Crunchyroll. The “Silver Soul” arc, which will serve as the series’ final story, began airing January 7 and is expected to continue when the series returns in July.