▶ CHARACTER
NAME: Shimura Shinpachi
CANON: Gintama
CANON POINT: Post Timeskip Arc (Episode 203)
AGE: 16
BACKGROUND: Gintama is a strange series that's basically aliens meet Edo period Japan. This allows it to be an odd mix of historical and futuristic. You have the technology of the modern world, but the attire of the past, for example. The samurai are a dying breed with the Amanto (the aliens) taking over. And some samurai are set against this (there are several terrorist organizations of varying degrees of animosity toward the Amanto). But some are just trying to get by. Which is where we're introduced to Shimura Shinpachi!

Shinpachi's father owned a dojo that he passed onto him and his sister (Tae) when he died. However, Shinpachi and Tae are struggling to make the payments on it, so Shinpachi is forced to work a job at a cafe where he is abused and treated poorly by the boss. When he first runs into the main character Gintoki, it's at work. A few high ranking Amanto poke fun of Shinpachi and trip him, forcing him to drop Gintoki's order. Gintoki seems to stand up for Shinpachi, attacking the Amanto..... and then sort of pins it on Shinpachi as he leaves his wooden sword behind.

Shinpachi follows him and this is what gets the ball rolling for their relationship. Gintoki finds out their situation with the dojo when an Amanto they're indebted to comes by to collect a payment and says Tae can make it up if she dances in his seedy club. She agrees and goes with him. Shinpachi and Gintoki team up to rescue her, and when they do wind up bringing her back -- Shinpachi decides to stick around with Gintoki to learn the ways of the samurai (and also earn money through the Yorozuya). And thus sets things into motion for the rest of the series.

You can find more details about his history under the contents link here. His character history only goes up to the timeskip arc.

PERSONALITY: Shinpachi's main role in Gintama is to act as the 'straight man' to all the 'funny guys.' He's usually (but not always!!) the voice of reason when his teammates or other characters around him are being unreasonable or just plain idiotic. He can often be seen (or heard) yelling about the sheer absurdity and, as Gintoki once said, pointing out the punchline of most of the jokes.

But beyond that, Shinpachi is also a very caring person. He's compassionate and sympathetic. If he sees someone in trouble, he won't hesitate to help them. This has sometimes caused him to butt heads with Gintoki (the leader of the Yorozuya) as he can sometimes view Gintoki's take on things as callous or cold hearted. But despite small 'familial' spats he has with Gintoki or his other teammate Kagura, Shinpachi is fiercely loyal to them. When Kagura was about to go back to her home planet with her father, even though Gintoki pushed her away because he thought that was best for her -- Shinpachi chased down the space craft in order to get her to come back. And when his older sister (Tae) entered into a marriage arrangement she didn't necessarily want, Shinpachi led a team to get bring her home. He might not be as strong as a lot of the others in his canon, but he will not hesitate to fight for what he believes in.

He has also been called domestic, as he has a propensity to bring tupperware with him to parties and other gatherings and pack up the leftovers. It's also been stated that he tends to do a lot of the tidying up around Yorozuya headquarters, and he will switch off with his fellow teammates to do the cooking from time to time. Cooking has been something he's had to learn how to do because his sister is quite terrible at it (especially making eggs which are often referred to as 'dark matter.') It's highly likely he switches off cooking with Tae much the same way. So in this sense, his "domestic" qualities could also equate him as the "caretaker" in many of his relationships. But it's a role he seems more than happy to take.

Of course, we can't ignore that Shinpachi is a BIG nerd. He is the strict president of a Terakado Tsuu fan club -- a famous pop idol in his world. He and his other members have their own uniforms and often go to Otsuu-chan's (as they affectionately call her) performances. He has come up with a strict set of rules all members of the club must abide by and will often deliver fierce punishments to those who break a rule! (Shinpachi's infamous nose hook destroyer!!!) Within this club, Shinpachi commands respect as their unwavering leader. Though considering it's a club full of otaku, it's hard to say whether this is necessarily an accomplishment or not.

Sort of tying into this, Shinpachi is woefully inexperienced with women. He's incredibly shy and self-conscious and prone to inwardly panicking whenever he gets into romantic situations (which really aren't often at all). His lack of experience is usually a running gag. And that's not to say he doesn't have a healthy teenage libido! But he's far too shy and awkward for most girls to look twice at him. And while at times he'll claim he only has eyes for Otsuu-chan, he very clearly craves affection from anyone willing to spare it.

Finally, and probably most important, Shinpachi tends to be an optimist. He carries with him a very 'look on the bright side attitude,' often times opting to be a voice of positivity when the other yorozuya members are negative. At one point in the series, he was helping out a robot named Tama who claimed he had a statistically low chance of keeping her safe from the people who were pursuing them. Shinpachi told her those odds didn't apply to a samurai. He would still find a way to keep her safe, even if the odds seemed impossible. And this is who Shinpachi is at his core -- believing the best in people and situations in spite of the difficult hand life has dealt him.

POWERS/ABILITIES: Shinpachi doesn't really have any extraordinary powers or abilities unless you count piercing eardrums with his shrieks! He is a very good with a sword, though, considering his father owned a dojo. So he has trained from a very young age. And while he can't really stand up to the talents of the rest of his cast, he is able to hold his own in a fight.

INVENTORY:
1 wooden sword
1 cd player
1 pair of earbuds
3 Terakado Tsuu albums!

MOONBLESSING: Iris.