Although the legendary Gintama anime wrapped up in 2021, Gintoki isn’t done yet. Earlier this month, Gintama made a comeback with the spin-off series Gintama: Mr. Ginpachi’s Zany Class (also known as 3-Nen Z-Gumi Ginpachi-sensei). This side story imagines the characters in a very different school setting.
Right from the first episode of this spin-off, Mr. Ginpachi’s world is ready to poke fun at other major shonen franchises, and this time the Z Fighters got called out.
In this short, hilarious segment, Gintama’s classic characters are redesigned to look exactly like they were drawn by Akira Toriyama, the creator of Dragon Ball.
The scene features a brutally self-aware and biting statement: “Gintama already had a beautiful, pure ending. I warned them, dragging it out with Ginpachi-sensei would only ruin the aftertaste. What pure ending? Forget Gintama, they even dirtied Dragon Ball! You can see it from miles away. What’s coming isn’t Ginpachi-sensei, it’s Gintama GT! GT stands for ‘Good grief, Toriyama-sensei, we’re so sorry.’ Whatever! It’s you, Gintama, who should apologize to Toriyama-sensei!”
This scene grabbed attention for its willingness to mock both itself (Gintama is famous for being stretched out) and other influential characters in the industry.
This isn’t the first time Gintama has made fun of Dragon Ball, but directly naming Dragon Ball GT is a notable detail.
Dragon Ball GT (where GT stands for “Grand Tour”) is the first sequel to Dragon Ball Z, though it’s not considered official canon. This series, with over sixty episodes, is known for Goku turning into a child thanks to the Black Star Dragon Balls. Although Grand Tour was never officially part of the main universe, the recent Dragon Ball Daima anime has incorporated many elements from this “black sheep” series and made them official.
After the tragic passing of Akira Toriyama, Gintama’s creator Hideaki Sorachi revealed that their manga would never have succeeded without Dragon Ball’s influence.
Hideaki Sorachi shared: “Dragon Ball, Dragon Quest, Chrono Trigger, worlds where I threw away my homework and spent every free moment before bed, all born from Toriyama-sensei’s pen. I was born from the discarded eraser shavings after admiring his drawing style and trying to imitate him, but I failed. Thank you, Toriyama-sensei, for teaching me so much about the world of manga.”
This humorous scene in Gintama is more than just a joke, it’s a respectful tribute to Toriyama’s great legacy.