Taizou Hasegawa

Taizou Hasegawa
Information
Japanese Name:	長谷川 泰三
Romanized Name:	Hasegawa Taizō
Official English Name:	Taizou Hasegawa
Date of Birth:	13 Jun/Gemini
Age:	38
Titles:	MADAO, M, Hasegawa Mamudapao
Physical Features
Status:	Alive
Professional Status
Affiliation(s):	Bakufu, Hasegawa Family 長谷川家族
Occupation(s):	Homeless vagabond, Freelancer
Strong Point(s):	Sunglasses
Voice Actors
Japanese VA:	Tachiki Fumihiko

I don't need beer or work... I have already received enough...

Taizou Hasegawa

Hasegawa Taizou (長谷川 泰三) was first introduced as a government official, but would later lose his job and become a MADAO, short for marude damena ossan (まるでダメなオッさん) , which roughly translates into "totally hopeless middle-aged man". MADAO does however, have other meanings throughout the course of Gintama.

Hasegawa is the legendary "M", the most powerful player in the videogame "Monkey Hunter". His character is a parody of Cloud.

Background

Hasegawa was born into a family of lowly samurais. He claims that he met his wife while he was urinating in the ocean, they've fall in love after this. Despite objections because of difference in social status, he married Hatsu, and so married into her family, adopt her family name Hasegawa in the process.
He was given a job by Hasegawa family, Hatsu brought Hasegawa a suit but he never wore it. He felt that he was unworthy of the job so he wore his dirty looking kimono to work and was complained by his superior.
Hasegawa wore the suit to apologise to his superior and saw Hatsu wearing dirty kimono kneeling to beg for forgiveness on her husband's behalf at his superior's house, even though the superior was of lower social rank than her own family.
Hasegawa saw this and cuts his suit and Hatsu apologises to each other while kneeling outside his superior's house. Haegawa worked his way to became the head of Immigration Bureau.

Appearance

• Height = 179 (5' 10 1/2") cm
• Weight = 67kg

He wears a ragged, old brown suit and a pair of sunglasses. His eyes are rarely shown, and he is often seen smoking. He has dark brown messy hair.

Like Shinpachi, many of Hasegawa's friend like Gintoki stated that Hasegawa's sunglasses are more Hasegawa than Hasegawa himself

Throughout the series he is seen wearing various disguises and has been shown in different styles for gags.

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Hasegawa Taizou's Gallery Hasegawa Standard Fullbody View Hasegawa in neat appearance in Episode 16 Hasegawa in a panda suit in Episode 49 Hasegawa smoking in Gintama Opening 5 Hasegawa as M in a virtual game Hasegawa cosplaying as Takasugi Shinsuke in Character Poll Arc Hasegawa as host with clothes made from cardboards in Episode 241 Hasegawa as Josef from Heidi, Girl of the Alps Hasegawa as a Highschool Teacher in Episode 201 Hasegawa as Mr. Cockroach Episode 201 Hasegawa without his sunglasses in Episode 19 Hasegawa in a piggy suit in Episode 248 Old Hasegawa Taizou

Personality

Hasegawa is a man defined by his sunglasses. He treasures them as the only thing he could hold on to after losing his job and his wife left him.

He would later at multiple occasions pick himself up and get another job, even changing his clothes and losing the sunglasses, but misfortunate events would eventually lead him to become his old madao self again. Interestingly enough, most of his misfortunes could be led back to his involvement with the Yorozuya, even though they are his friends. However, whenever he gets into a real pinch, the Yorozuya steps in and helps him out, as seen in the Hasegawa Trial chapter and when Sakata Gintoki introduced him to the real estate agent Fudou Sanzou.

Hasegawa has been shown to have a masochistic streak for example when the people of Hingromaxon threw fruits at him and he was enjoying it.

Due to his lifestyle as a MADAO, he has shown many time depressed and deep in th void. Hasegawa has tried commit suicide multiple times but he always fail.

Strength & Abilities

In his first appearance, he used a gun as a weapon. In the Sakata Kintoki arc, he used a broom as a weapon.

According to the "Spouzer" Kamenashi had, when Hasegawa puts on Kamenashi's sunglasses, his fighting powers are over 600K. (K is for konbu, meaning kelp), but once the glasses are removed, his powers dropped to 1K in Episode 117.

Relationships

Family

• Hasegawa Hatsu: He's currently estranged from his wife Hatsu because of his jobless lifestyle, however they still keep in touch. But it is shown that they still love each other very deeply, and he wishes to get back together with her.

Friends & Allies

• Sakata Gintoki: He also oftens joins Gintoki in the pachinko parlor or for horse-betting. They seem to be good friends doing everything they can to get money together.

• Kondo Isao: The two are always shown with the same wavelength and are always in good terms. They agree with the character poll discussion, work as a patriot and naked in the soccer team.

Story

After the incident with Prince Hata ハタ皇子 in the first volume of the manga, he was ordered by higher-ups to commit seppukku. He ran away from his job, causing more shame to his family. Hatsu left him from there onwards.
His relationship with his wife is at close to divorce, but he never thinks of signing the divorce papers.
He works as a freelancer. During the most part of the series, he is a homeless vagabond.

The odd jobs he has undertaken so far are:

• Stall holder at a shooting gallery at the carnival in Episode 17
• Janitor at the Hashida Corporation in Episode 51
• Sushi-shop employee in Episode 120
• Konbini employee in Episode
• Taxi-driver in Episode 16, during which Okita Sougo got in and asked him to knock down Hijikata Toushirou.

Trivia

• Chapter 43 revealed that the first version of Hasegawa had him as the leader of the Shinsengumi. His appearance was a cross between Kondou and Hasegawa. Sorachi revealed that the initial Hasegawa was going to be portrayed as a useless man that's always trying to find a date.
  • In the same chapter, Sorachi said that Hasegawa is one of his favorite characters.
  • Until now, fans created fanart of his 'Shinsengumi' form along with Hijikata Toushirou, Shimura Shinpachi, and Okita Sorachi.
• Hasegawa's nickname in the Japanese manga is Madao. In the English translation made by VIZ, it's changed into DORK (Dumb Old Retarded Kook)

See Also

• Characters

References

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