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"I'm gonna search for the Yorozuya."

Toushirou Hijikata
Qotd


Hijikata Toushirou ( 土方 十四郎 Hijikata Tōshirō ) Vice-Commander of the Shinsengumi. Introduced as the brains of the Shinsengumi, he is commonly known as the Demonic Vice-Commander (鬼の副長, Oni no Fukucho), striking fear into his enemies and subordinates (with the exceptions of Kondou Isao and Okita Sougo).

He had a split personality named "Tosshi," an otaku identity that developed as a result of buying a cursed sword. This incarnation first appeared during the Shinsengumi Crisis Arc and again later in the Otsu Arc, where this personality dies by exhausting himself in a final match against fellow otaku, Shinpachi.

Background[]

Hijikata Toushirou was the son of a mistress and a rich farmer. His father was known to be a spoiled and irresponsible man. Toushirou was born after his father died. His identity as an illegitimate son was revealed after he lost his mother and home.

His older brother Hijikata Tamegorou welcomed Toushirou to the Hijikata home. Unlike his father, Tamegoro was known to be a responsible, good man and took care of him. Toushirou viewed Tamegoro as a fatherly figure and was very fond of him.

When Toushirou was eleven, there was a large fire in the village, and some bandits used this opportunity to break in, attacking Toushirou in the process. In the attack, Tamegoro protected Toushirou from being killed by the bandits and ended up losing his eyes. Though unaware at the time, Toushirou was driven by uncontrollable rage and attacked the bandits in retaliation. When he came to his senses, he was holding a knife, and the bandits were strewn across the floor, each with injuries to their eyes (similar to the ones that they inflicted on Tamegoro). His other siblings saw what had happened, and they all stood glaring in fear at him in silence.

Toushiro was known as "Thorny Toshi" after this incident, and he could no longer be with his beloved brother. He left his home to become stronger and became a trouble-making ronin, seeking out fights in various dojos in Bushuu 武州.

Losing face, the members of other dojos that he had previously fought against decided to team up to take him out. Hijikata fought but didn't stand a chance against such numbers. Kondou Isao, who was watching, decided to pick him up and take him back with him to his dojo. At this dojo, Toshirou met the Okita siblings, Okita Sougo and Okita Mitsuba. Toshirou later became a student to the Dojo and an underclassman to Sougo, who disliked Toshirou due to his jealousy of the latter receiving an unfair amount of attention from Kondou and Mitsuba.

Before leaving to Edo with Kondou and Sougo, Okita Mitsuba confessed her love to Toushiro, but he rejected her, He went back to his brother's home for the first time in many years and had a final dinner with him. Toushirou refused to speak to him, but Tamegoro asked Toushirou to send him letters regularly.

In Edo, Toushirou would meet new friends and would continue to grow stronger as a member of the Roshigumi which would later become the Shinsengumi.

Appearance[]

Toushirou appears as a very handsome and attractive man. He has short, black hair with dark green highlights (black in the manga) and gun-metal blue eyes (red in the manga). His usual attire is a Shinsengumi uniform, and on his days off he can be seen with a dark yukata & sandals.

As his otaku alter-ego, Tosshi, he wears a light-blue, ragged vest, a red shirt underneath, a red headband, and black pants.

During the events of the Dekoboko Arc, he switched genders due to a curse and was seen in his female form. As a woman, he had long black hair tied in twin braids and was overweight due to eating too much mayonnaise while in his normal form. Later he wore a purple kimono with a pig design on it.

Gallery[]

Personality[]

Due to having to endure being hated by his other family members for being an illegitimate son, being indebted to his older brother, and having no place to belong, Hijikata was an outsider. Despite this, he never stopped moving forward and aimed to become stronger because of the deep regret stemming from his being unable to save his brother and protect the ones he loves.

Feared by both his enemies and his underlings, Hijikata, typically known as the Demonic Vice-Commander (鬼の副長, Oni no Fukucho) is very strict and dedicated to his work. He formulated the Kyokuchou Hatto (局中法度, Kyokuchō Hatto), the 45 Regulations that form the disciplinary framework for all Shinsengumi members, and he implements them firmly. He is also fiercely loyal to the Commander of the Shinsengumi, Kondou Isao, as seen in the Shinsengumi Mutiny Arc when he (with help from the Yorozuya) went to save Kondou from Itou Kamotarou. Hijikata has a strong sense of pride, as seen in the Yagyuu Arc, when he claimed that his injuries (received from his fight with Kitaooji Itsuki) were actually from getting caught in an automatic door at the Marui Department Store. This is also evident in his going after Sakata Gintoki in order to avenge Kondou and the Shinsengumi's honor after Kondou lost a challenge to the silver-haired samurai for the right to date Shimura Tae.[1] He is very strict and efficient, managing to turn Yorozuya into an efficient organization with multiple branches and leaders in the Soul Switch Arc while he was in Gintoki's body. Similarly, his strict and imposing nature allows him to effectively command and lead the Shinsengumi. Hijikata puts on a tough attitude, but is willing to help those in need, as seen in the Yagyuu Arc and the Shinsengumi Crisis Arc. He has a stubborn streak and does not like to reveal his weaknesses. He also veils his good or kind actions with exaggerated annoyance and agitation, at times even appearing as a tsundere.

Hijikata is a very short-tempered individual, always getting annoyed by other characters' antics and reprimanding them for it. He also threatens his subordinates with seppuku if they do not follow orders or fool around.

Hijikata is a rabid lover of mayonnaise; in fact, he drowns almost all of his food in a ridiculous amount of the condiment before eating it, including desserts and coffee.[2] He is also a chain-smoker, and once went to great lengths, in fact to other planets, to get his smoking fix when Matsudaira declared a city-wide smoking ban with immediate effect,[3] though during the Silver Soul Arc he tried to quit smoking. However, as shown in the two-year time skip when he meets with Gintoki again, he was unable to quit and continues to smoke. In fact, he shows obsessive behavior and unhealthy addictions which seem to be hard for him to break and are his biggest weakness. He eats copious amounts of mayonnaise and believes the world loves mayonnaise. He similarly smokes so often that in episode 119, when smoking was banned at the Shinsengumi headquarters and all across Kabukicho, he left to space to obtain cigarettes and smoke (though later episodes show that smoking is still allowed in the Shinsengumi headquarters, implying the ban didn't last long). He does not lust for women and does not like cabaret clubs (when he was on leave, he went to the sauna and cinema). This is probably due to him being unable to forget Mitsuba, the one girl he truly loved.

His personality is very similar to that of Gintoki's, as Mitsuba once remarked [4], resulting in the two frequently clashing as rivals [5]. The two share similar fears, such as being terrified of ghosts and dentists, but they can also reach an unbelievable synchronization when fighting together [6]. In the Baragaki arc, Hijikata claims that he and Gintoki are the same due to the fact that they don't seek or expect forgiveness to those they kill, but rather aim to stop those from making the same mistakes they once did.

After he bought the cursed sword Muramasha, he developed a split personality named Tosshi ( 十四 Tōshi ). Tosshi's personality is similar to an otaku who was slain by Muramasha, the cursed soul from the sword: he watches anime in the Shinsengumi Headquarters, reads mangas that Hijikata used to hate and cares a lot about his anime figurines. He is also weak and afraid of fighting. During the Terakado Tsuu's Fan Club Voting Competition Arc, Hijikata (not Tosshi) reveals that Tosshi is the real Hijikata Toushirou, simply enhanced by the cursed sword's powers. Hijikata suppressed him but eventually had to face him and agree to send him off after granting his wish of conquering something. Tosshi dies in a final battle boxing match against Shinpachi in the Fan Club Voting Arc.

Strength & Abilites[]

Hijikata's weapon of choice is a samurai sword, which would later be the Muramasha sword. He is very talented in his sword-fighting skills and has also shown incredible strength in many episodes (such as in Mitsuba arc where he killed almost an entire enemy force by himself). His strength was also mentioned by Shinpachi in episode 163 where Shinpachi realized that he was boxing with the weak coward Toshi and not Hijikata himself; Shinpachi admitted he would not be standing if he had taken a punch from Hijikata. Although his sword skills might not be at Gintoki's level, he was able to defeat Sougo in the Mitsuba arc. Another moment where he displayed his swordsmanship as well as his reflexes was during the Baragaki (Thorny) Arc. He was able to cut Sasaki Isaburo's bullet completely in half. Hijikata is also exceptionally skilled in writing follow-ups, as seen when he was helping Shinpachi with his penpal.

Relationships[]

Family[]

  • Hijikata Tamegoro: His older brother whom he views as a fatherly figure, although he doesn't speak to him. Toshirou would send a letter every month even after his death. Tamegoro always looked forward to them even when blind. Tamegoro was the only person who actually loved and cared for Tōshirō as a child. 

Friends & Allies[]

  • Kondou Isao: He is fiercely loyal to the Commander of the Shinsengumi, Kondo Isao, and views him as the soul of Shinsengumi. During Nobu Nobu's reign, he was told by Gintoki that Kondo entrusted him the Shinsengumi's honor, and take care of Edo once he was sentenced to be decapitated along with Matsudaira.
  • Okita Sougo:
    Sougo and Hijikata Episode 10 Woof

    Sougo put a dog collar around Hijikata's neck in Episode 10

    Sougo disliked Toshirou at first as the latter constantly received attention from both Kondou Isao and his sister Okita Mitsuba. However, it was revealed that the main reason behind Sougo's hate towards Hijikata was due to him rejecting his sister's affections. After the Mitsuba chapter and the Crisis Chapter, Toushirou views Sougo as a friend during the Shinsengumi Death Game Arc.
  • Sasaki Tetsunosuke:
    Vlcsnap-2013-05-19-20h22m03s26

    Episode 244

    Tetsunosuke became Toshirou's assistant. Although Toshirou disliked Tetsunosuke because of his Bad boy gangster act, elite background, and spoilt behavior at first, Toshirou defended Tetsunosuke when Sasaki Isaburo talked badly about Tetsunosuke in front of him. After Tetsunosuke learned from Kondo Isao that Toushirou and Tetsunosuke had a similar background-story and Toushirou knows how Tetsu feels, Tetsunosuke turned from a B-Boy(Bad boy) into C-Boy(Cherry Boy). Tetsunosuke decided to become stronger to walk the same path as the Shinsengumi. In a letter that was addressed to Sasaki Isaburo, Toshirou stated that he is ashamed to admit that he learned one or two things while watching Tetsunosuke struggle.
  • Sakata Gintoki:
    Ginhiji
    The two are usually seen arguing or making unpleasant comments about the other (though it is normally Gintoki who initiates this back and forth), but when the situation calls for it, they aren't afraid to work together when fighting the same fight. Hijikata is also shown to be somewhat hesitant, even afraid, to cross paths with Gintoki, knowing that interaction with Gintoki usually results in something bad. He even warned Tetsunosuke that Gintoki is the one man you shouldn't want anything to do with, as he is the worst of all people and is rotten to the core. When Kondou was about to be beheaded along with Matsudaira during Nobu Nobu's reign, he almost ended up in the same situation as Gintoki during the days of the Joui war - having to watch the person who changed their lives for the better be executed after they were told to carry on and keep the honor that they have been taught. Gintoki prevented him from making the same mistake he did and after the mission to rescue Kondou, Hijikata thanked him for it. The two were seen swapping specialty dishes at their favorite bar and laughing together before the Shinsengumi left Edo.
  • Yamazaki SagaruHe is usually the man Hijikata targets whenever something goes wrong, most likely because of Yamazaki's former occupation as a terrorist.
  • Katsura Kotarou: They were enemies when Hijikata was the vice-captain of the Shinsengumi. During his day as a Shinsengumi officer, he has had shown a liking of torturing Katsura. During Nobu Nobu's reign, Katsura sacrificed himself to rescue Hijikata, Gintoki, Tae, Heiji, Haji, and the people inside a bar who grew tired of Nobu Nobu's reign from a corrupted Bakufu.
  • Itou Kamotarou:
    101pic

    Hijikata and Itou in Episode 101

    At first, Itou wanted to steal Kondo's position and Hijikata was the only one suspicious of him since Itou, who was still haunted by his past, as he was an outcast during his childhood, didn't remember of Kondo's kindness being a friend, and got manipulated by Kiheitai for an uprising in taking over Shinsengumi, until he remembered his peaceful life with Kondo, sacrificing his life for the sake of Shinsengumi's honor, taking a bullet meant for Kondo. At the end of the Shinsengumi Crisis arc, the Shinsengumi wanted Itou to die not as a traitor, but as their friend; Hijikata allowed him to die with honor as a samurai.

Love Interest[]

  • Okita Mitsuba: She is Okita Sougo's older sister; Hijikata has romantic feelings for her as shown in the Okita Mitsuba Arc. When Kondou and the rest of Roushigumi which would later become the Shinsengumi moved to Edo from Bushuu 武州, he deliberately distanced himself from her after she professed her wish to follow him. Out of consideration for her safety and happiness, he told her that he didn't care about her. [7] However, it was later revealed that Hijikata did, in fact, love her. He felt that he was unable to give her the happiness she deserved and wanted her to be able to live normally with someone who didn't live a dangerous life. He was seen crying after Mitsuba died, blaming it on the extra spicy senbei she had sent to the Shinsengumi before her death. [8]

Enemies[]

  • Kuraba Touma: Kuraba was initially thought of as friendly, but Hijikata became suspicious of him during an investigation and discovered that Kuraba was working with one of the Joui factions, selling illegal weapons. He deliberately began his relationship with Okita Mitsuba as a way to blackmail the Shinsengumi, using her connection to her brother, Sougo. Touma was killed by Toshirou and Sougo, with the help of Gintoki, but they are unable to save Mitsuba from dying.

Former Enemies[]

  • Sasaki Isaburo: He met Isaburo when Isaburo captured Gintoki, Isaburo mocked his half brother in front of him. Hijikata protected Tetsunosuke because he felt he could relate to him. When Tetsunosuke was captured by the Check it Gang, Isaburo was willing to kill him despite saying that he was a fan of the Shinsengumi (although he was sarcastic as he didn't hesitate to kill Hijikata) and this made Hijikata angry. He became even angrier when he found out that Mimawarigumi serves Nobu Nobu. However, turns out Isaburo had been planning a rebellion all along and aware of Shinsengumi's status being well-known by the public to be disbanded quickly. Upon Isaburo's noble sacrifice to save Tetsunosuke and Nobume from Naraku's attack, Hijikata and the other former Bakufu police forces honored his death.
  • Hitotsubashi Nobu Nobu: Hijikata knew that he's responsible for Shige Shige's death, and Shinsengumi's defunction, even dictating the country and allying with Tendoshu and he manifested his tyranny by killing innocent people who have done nothing wrong, and he even threatens one of the people that Kondo's left behind, Otae. Now that Nobu Nobu being betrayed by Tendoshu (later revealed to be under the manipulation of the true mastermind behind the event and a Naraku leader Utsuro) and under the protection of Sakamoto Tatsuma, they are no longer enemies and fight together on protecting Earth from both Ensho's now unwilling army and Utsuro.

Story[]

The first appearance was when Katsura Kotarou tried to recruit Gintoki but the Shinsengumi followed them, Hijikata Toushirou witnessed Gintoki throwing an explosive bomb outside to save lives. This causes the Shinsengumi on high suspicion, especially Hijikata Toushirou who wonders what is the connection between Katsura and Gintoki.

When Shinsengumi appeared, Hijikata Toushirou was in Kondo Isao's place (he was stalking Shimura Tae at the time) and lead an attack against Joui Patriots. After learning that a silver hair samurai beat Kondo Isao at a duel, the whole Shinsengumi went seeking for Sakata Gintoki. In the end, Hijitaka lost against Gintoki, although Sougo wants to challenge but Kondo claimed better not to.

Gengai Arc[]

The Vice Commander organizes a crisis meeting to talk about the New Year and the presence of the Shogun. We see him later at the party, discussing with Kondo the "integrity" of Sougo. He says he sent Yamazaki to get him something to eat. During the attack, he and other officers fight against Gengai's robots.

Rengokukan Arc[]

at Yorozuya Hijikata tried to stop Gintoki from trying to enter the Rengokukan to get revenge for Kidoumaru but Gintoki explains his way of living as Hijikata thinks he is a real fool. Though when he sees that Sougo joins to put down the Rengokukana also as a similar fool to Gintoki he reluctantly joins also. Later on, Hijikata together with the Shinsengumi shows up at The Rengokukan to arrest the owners even though their interference would have cost them their heads.

Memory Loss Arc[]

Sakata
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Umibozu Arc[]

Inugami Arc[]

Benizakura Arc[]

Toushirou would instruct Yamazaki Sagaru to spy on Gintoki to found out the connection between Katsura and Gintoki. But in the end, Yamasaki wrote a school-like essay with no crucial information.

Fuyo Arc[]

Yagyu Arc[]

Okita Mitsuba Arc[]

Okita Mitsuba, Okita Sougo's sister, came to Edo because of her fiance Kuraba Touma. She spends the afternoon with Sougo and Gintoki, who pretended to be his best friend. When arriving at her fiance's mansion, Sougo leaves first as Gintoki and Sougo talk for a bit. Toushirou arrives at the gate of the mansion with Yamazaki to see Kuraba regarding their investigation, when Mitsuba sees Toushirou, she faints due to her frail body. Sougo comes over to the mansion and tells Toushirou to stay away from her. Later in the dojo, Toushirou and Sougo have a kendo fight. Toushirou tells him that Kuraba has illegal dealings with the Joui extremists, that he is just using Mitsuba to get close to the Shinsengumi, but Sougo tells him to slow down the investigation if not stop it, since Mitsuba does not have much time left, he wants to give her a happy and normal life. But Toushirou just tells him that he does not care about Sougo, and that they are doing a trade tomorrow. When Mitsuba is then in a critical state, Kondo, Sougo, and Gintoki are in the hospital looking after her. That's when Yamazaki barges in and tells Kondo that Toushirou went off to finish off Kuraba on his own, because Sougo's title could be stripped if others find out that his sister is related to someone with the Joui. Sougo feels guilty from hearing this, Kondo tells him to stay by his sister as he gathers the Shinsengumi to help Toushirou. Sougo tells the "sleeping" Gintoki about their past, how he was angry that Toushirou did not respect him as his sempai to how Toushirou never accepted Mitsuba because he could die anytime. He runs to help Toushirou with Gintoki. Toushirou just got shot in the knee, just in time, Kondo and the Shinsengumi show up to help, but when Kondo turns to face Toushirou, he goes missing. He catches up with the car that Kuraba is escaping in, and destroys it with the help of Gintoki and Sougo. They all head back to the hospital, but the doctors could not do anything to help her, Sougo was by her side for her last moments as Toushirou was at the roof eating the spicy food that was meant for Mitsuba from Gintoki.

Owee Arc[]

The Shinsengumi competed against the Yorozuya and Katsuo (Katsura in a Mario costume) in an attempt to get the Owee. Hijikata was dragged along by Kondo, who was threatened by Tae to get the game console. The first two challenges were between Kondo and Katsuo, and Shinpachi and Yamazaki. The third challenge was a Dragon Quest like a virtual game in a tag-team format (Hijikata & Okita vs Gintoki & Kagura). The first team to defeat the northern bandits would win the Owee. Because of glitches in the game, Hijikata started with 3 hp, all of which he loses after stubbing his toe, in a similar position, Gintoki was poisoned. The two, Hijikata and Gintoki, are forced to team up after being abandoned by their partners. They work their way to the cave and eventually fight the bandits. But, the game is stopped short after Gintoki realizes that the four have been beating all the audience members due to lack of sight with their virtual glasses and gloves.

Shinsengumi Crisis Arc[]

Hijikata Vs Itou Kamotarou Episode 104

Hijikata vs. Itou in Episode 104

Toushirou went to a blacksmith to repair his Katana and he grabs the cursed Muramasha sword as a replacement. Toshirou encounters a group of Joui Patriots and he was possessed by the cursed Muramasha sword as a cowardly Otaku called Tosshi. Itou Kamotarou saves Toushirou and returns to the Shinsengumi headquarters. Toushirou warns Isao that Kamotarou is seeking to take Isao out of his position. Gradually the cursed sword becomes stronger, affecting Toushirou to step down his role in Shinsengumi. When Toushirou takes back control from Tosshi, he asks the Yorozuya for help to protect Shinsengumi in spite of his pride, calling it his "first and last request" for them. Yorozuya decides to help him, and they steal a Shinsengumi police car while protecting Tosshi from Itou's faction. They then chased after the train which Kondou and Isao were on before they got to him, Sougo had already disconnected the trains, making the distance between Kondou and Itou as he is on the train with Itou and his group. Kondou finds out the reason why Toushirou was acting the way he was, he ends up regretting treating him the way he did and taking away his position. He tells the Yorozuya to take Toushirou away from the battle, as Toushirou has no intention of fighting the way he is, and tell the Shinsengumi that he himself died in action. Toushirou takes back control from Tosshi and tells the Shinsengumi that Kondou was saved and that they should keep fighting. Hijikata jumps to the train where Isao was located as they both engage each other in battle. Later on, the train that they were on was blown up on top of a bridge by Kawakami Bansai, who was working with Itou but had secretly made plans along with the Kiheitai. As the rest of the train is about to fall off the collapsed bridge, a Kiheitai helicopter comes in to kill the survivors of the wreckage. Itou uses himself as a shield against the bullets from the helicopter to save Hijikata and the others. At that point, he finally found out that he already found the "bond" he was searching for so long.

105pic

Episode 105

After Gintoki manages to break down the helicopter together with Bansai, Hijikata joins the Shinsengumi to fight the rest of the Kiheitai soldiers. Afterward, Toushiro decides to fight with Itou in his final battle so that he could die a respectable samurai. The duel ends with Hijikata's victory and Itou's death.

Ryugujo Arc[]

GintamaEP118

Episode 118

Otohime opened a snack house. Hijikata and Kondo become its regular costumers and Otohime gave advice to the drunk Kondo for every time he got dumped by a woman. Kondo asked to marry with Otohime, but she said that she already has someone, making Hijikata curious. A man came to the shop and called Otohime beautiful.

Monkey Hunter Arc[]

Hijikata and Sougo Episode 122

Episode 122

Toushirou and Sougo both participated in the Monkey Hunter game as they were both turned into screwdrivers. They later grouped up with the Yorozuya, Katsura, and Isao, and fought against the Amanto who turned them into screwdrivers.

Correspondence Arc[]

When the correspondence goes downhill, Hijikata's skill as a follow-up man is proven when he artistically writes a reply back to Shinpachi's correspondent.

Shinsengumi Death Game Arc[]

Vlcsnap-2015-05-04-15h51m13s176

Sougo and Hijikata in Episode 147

Hijikata wakes up in a place with Sougo. They are both chained. Hijikata states that he doesn’t remember anything, so Sougo explains to him what happened during their night patrol. Suddenly, the tv opens and Jigsaw (parody of the movie ‘’Saw’’) appears. He explains the game and states that only the one with the key will live, and if they don’t play, in three days, the Shinsengumi station will blow up. Jigsaw’s mother calls him to a diner and he closes the tv. This surprises Hijikata. He thinks that this is the golden opportunity for Sougo, who always wanted to kill him. Sougo wants to take a piss, but Hijikata thinks that he is plotting something.

He plans to make Sougo play the traitor and wait until he makes his move, but Sougo doesn’t move at all. Hijikata tries to bait him by pretending to be asleep but Sougo doesn’t make a move and Hijikata figures out that Sougo is also using his tactic, trying to make him play the traitor.

When they tell Jigsaw that they won’t betray each other, a dog appears and attempts to eat the key. Hijikata dashes forward and catches the dog, but Sougo thinks that he is a traitor, so Hijikata throws the key out of the window.

Vlcsnap-2015-05-04-15h51m43s207

Sougo's last words in Episode 149

They find a chuubert but can’t share it, so they try to break the pillar. Sougo finally gives up and apologizes to Hijikata and severs his head with a saw. Hijikata drinks the entire chuubert and breaks the pillar. He tries to save Sougo but the ground shackles. Hijikata manages to grab the lower flor and stops falling down. Sougo opens his eyes and thanks Hijikata for his good work. He opens his leash and throws it down, making Hijikata down in the process.

Otsu Arc[]

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Hijikata vs. Shinpachi in Episode 163

Toushirou had been fighting with Tosshi all this time as he thought that over time, Tosshi would disappear, instead he persisted. There were times that Tosshi would take over his body, like when Toushirou just finished assembling a shelf, it would suddenly be filled up with otaku DVDs. So he decided to fulfill Tosshi's wish of being able to leave a mark on the world by becoming the captains of Otsu's official fan club. Hijikata enters the competition for Otsu's official fan club as he had already assembled over five thousand otakus on his team while the only opposing team was Shinpachi's Terakado Tsuu fan club in which a lot of members had gone over to Hijikata's team.

Character Poll Arc[]

Rokkaku Arc[]

Kabukicho Stray Cat Arc[]

When Gintoki and Katsura turned into cats and Kondo into a gorilla, they went to beg some food. Hijikata gave them mayonnaise in the belief they liked it as much as he did.

Timeskip Arc[]

First, he appeared to have drastically changed, allowing Yamazaki to hit and insult him while he just smiled. He eventually revealed to Shinpachi that he too hadn't changed at all. This was proven false when Shinpachi hit everyone with a paper fan to destroy an alien wart which caused people with ambition to change.

Vacation Arc[]

Host Club Arc[]

Hijikata and Sougo Episode 241

Hijikata and Sougo as Host in Episode 241

He was persuaded to become host along with Sougo.

Baragaki Arc[]

Shinsengumi finally out found out that Gintoki is the infamous Shiroyasha 白夜叉 Joui Patriot when he revealed it.

Toushirou knowing that Gintoki is Shiroyasha instructed Yamazaki to spy on Gintoki again, however, he is not interested in Gintoki's past but those around him mainly Katsura. By using Gintoki as bait, Yamazaki would patiently observe. However, Yamazaki at his limit changed his target to Tama who he has fallen for.

Courtesan of a Nation Arc[]

After the Yorozuya, along with Tsukuyo and Nobume, were imprisoned in Edo's castle, the Shinsengumi was asked to guard the castle instead of the Mimawarigumi, since the actions from both Nobume (with the Yorozuya and Tsukuyo) and Isaburo, two of the principal members of the Mimawarigumi, were considered as a betrayal to the Bakufu. Along with Kondo, Hijikata sided with the Yorozuya, set them free from prison, and helped them to get inside the castle.

After all, the ruckus ended and the former Shogun Tokugawa Sadasada finally died, both Kondo and Hijikata paid a visit to Isaburo, and here they find out about a complot from the Hitotsubashi faction towards the Tokugawa faction, and the purpose of the complot is to place Tokugawa Nobunobu as the Shogun instead of Shigeshige.

Beam Sword Style Arc[]

Frozen Time Arc[]

In Episode 267 Hijikata has the battery of the universal clock but his tight-gripped hand.

Dekoboko Arc[]

Hijikata transforms into a female version where he appeared to be overweight due to his obsession with eating mayonnaise that accumulated high calories where he came 'bursting out' as soon as he became a woman. His voice remained as deep while 2 plaits were added onto his hair, one on each side. The female Gin (Ginko) would constantly tease Hijikata and call him names like 'pig' and how he won't get a man. Competitive as ever, they would compete with one another to see who gets many men. Due to his looks, he was brutally rejected by all men (who were women). Though the female Sougo would try to get him to do 'diet' with the rest of the female Shinsengumi, which usually ends up Hijikata being tied up and literally grilled like pork, as teased like a pig. He was seen later then dressed in a kimono with pig patterns all over, together with the female Sougo and Ginko, trying to act feminine just as how the archbishops want. Later when they failed to return back to their original sexes, Hijikata was shown working in a club as a 'miniskirt police' where he was also turned down by most men. At the end, when everyone was back to their normal appearances, in the cinema, Hijikata spreads mayo on top of his popcorn.

Grim Reaper Arc[]

Confessional Arc[]

Hijikata goes to the confessional to investigate the Shogun's disappearance. He asks Gintoki questions, explaining that Yamazaki was found unconscious with a bloody message aimed at Katsura, which Katsura corrected to accuse Gintoki. Hijikata informs him of the matter and tells him to contact him if he hears anything about their investigation and walks out of the confessional saying "Amen."

Soul Switch Arc[]

Afro Arc[]

Feigned Illness Arc[]

Shogun Assassination Arc[]

Together with the Yorozuya and the Oniwabanshuu the Shinsengumi is hired by the Shogun to transport him outside the country and protect him from assassination. Hijikata and Kondo later fight together with the Yorozuya to protect the Shogun from countless Yato. Later on, while fleeing from the Yato, Hijikata and Kondo let the Yorozuya together with the Shogun cross a bridge as they both offer themselves to stay behind to hold back the Yato for them. Kondo and Hijikata then make their very first and last request to the Yorozuya to protect the Shogun to the very end. Later on, after being almost at the brink of death from fighting, Kondo and Hijikata are saved by reinforcements from the Shinsengumi.

Farewell, Shinsengumi Arc[]

Silver Soul Arc[]

Buns

The Shinsengumi's return.

Hijikata along with Kondou and Sougo, return to Edo to help out the Yorozuya after they were trapped by the Altana Liberation Army. After the hiatus the Shinsengumi had because of being disbanded for Tokugawa Shigeshige's passing, they came back to Edo with new "powers", since they all trained hard during their hiatus. While Kondo increased his physical strength and speed, and Sougo now is working on quit trying to kill Hijikata, Hijikata now is working on quit smoking. 

Hijikata and the Shinsengumi developed some strategies to take down the huge amanto army that the Altana Liberation Army displayed on Edo, since this army was on numbers advantage. With these strategies and the cooperation with other groups, such as the Yoshiwara's Hyakka, the Imperial Oniwabanshuu, and the Yorozuya, they could successfully expel the amanto army from Kabukicho.

When the night came, the Shinsengumi and the other groups they fought with started discussing what would they do next, because everyone knew that they could not stand another attack from the Liberation Army. The Shinsengumi ended patrolling the city.

Eventually, Hijikata realized that Hiraga Gengai, the inventor who stopped all the machines and the communications, was abducted. He tried to inform everyone of this, but he bumped into a wild party where everyone was drunk and his chief was half-naked and hanging from a wall. As everyone was informed of what happened to Gengai, they all started to look out for him.

At the beginning they all followed a trace of poop on the ground, and Sougo thought it was Gengai's poop (since he was kidnapped while taking a dump behind a wrecked wall), and even made a bet with Hijikata, but it turned out to be Kondo's poop. Again, they all followed a trace of blood, and Hijikata thought that Gengai was seriously injured and followed the trace, but it turned out to be Hattori Zenzo's blood from his hemorrhoids.

When Kagura and Kamui's Seventh Division was fighting against the Yato who kidnapped Gengai, everyone else, including Hijikata and the Shinsengumi, were fighting against the immortal Naraku, and then the ground started to crumble and crack, and these cracks were actually small Dragon Holes, where Kondo was about to fall into.

After this, the Shinsengumi, the Yato sided with Kagura and Kamui and the Yorozuya started fighting against Utsuro's immortal Naraku and Utsuro himself. The Shinsengumi was diminished in members because of Utsuro's sword, and Hijikata and Sougo saw how Utsuro wounded Kondo and how he sliced Yamazaki's throat, nearly killing both of them. Hijikata and Sougo also were seriously wounded by Utsuro, but in the end they stood up.

Hijikata, Sougo, and Kondo fought alongside the Yorozuya and Umibozu and Kamui against Utsuro, who was now fearful of humans.

Two years after the war, Shinpachi realized that the top members of the Shinsengumi were dismissed from the police. While Kondo was commanded to resign from the Shinsengumi and marry Princess Bubbles (Gorilla princess) and Sougo was commanded to commit seppuku, Shimaru Saito, and Hijikata were commanded to leave Edo. Hijikata is now working as a police in a village where Yoshida Shouyo once set the Shouka Sonjuku school.


As Gintoki was captured by the police in that village, Hijikata tried to make him confess his motives to meet Takasugi Shinsuke, the criminal who formed the Kiheitai and caused terror in Edo. He couldn't get Gintoki to speak, but he tracked him (with the help of Yamazaki the Mob Cop) as he escaped in a ship with Takasugi to Edo. Hijikata still followed him in Edo's streets, but he ended in some awkward situations just to disguise himself and not let anyone else know of his presence there, not even to Gintoki.

After he accidentally revealed his identity to Shimura Tae, Sarutobi Ayame, Yagyuu Kyuubei and Tsukuyo, Hijikata said that they would never make him say nothing about the whereabouts of Gintoki (they knew he was in Edo, but didn't know exactly where), but with no efforts, they "tortured" him and he revealed that Gintoki was actually there a few minutes ago. After a bit more of time, Edo's Terminal is destroyed again.

Excalibur Arc[]

Hijikata and Kondo discuss the recent murders by Senbe, and are interrupted when Sougo comes by and tells Hijikata that he'll be "borrowing" his room; he pulls the sword out of Gintoki's ass.

Battles[]

Fight Outcome Time it Occurred
Hijikata Toushiro vs. Sakata Gintoki Loss Episode 9
Hijikata Toushiro vs. Kitaooji Itsuki Win Episode 78
Hijikata Toushiro vs. Yagyuu Kyuubei (Handicapped) Loss for holding back Episode 80
Hijikata Toushiro vs. Itou Kamotarou (First Battle) Interrupted Episode 104
Hijikata Toushiro vs. Itou Kamotarou (Second Battle) Win Episode 105
Hijikata Toushiro (Tosshi) vs. Shimura Shinpachi Win Episode 163
Hijikata Toushiro vs. Shimura Tae Interrupted Episode 184
Hijikata Toushiro vs. Sasaki Isaburo Win Episode 246
Hijikata Toushiro vs. Sasaki Isaburo Interrupted Episode 313
Hijikata Toushiro and Kondo Isao vs. Oboro Win Episode 315

Trivia[]

  • Based on the historical Hijikata Toshizō 土方歳三, he was the Shinsengumi's vice-commander and was known as the demon of the Shinsengumi. Hijikata strictly enforced rules in the Shinsengumi, leading to the creation of the Kyokuchu Hatto (the clauses or regulations for the Shinsengumi) to control the members, but it also caused many to lose their lives.
  • Hijikata was originally meant to be Gintama's main character, but with his appearance being identical to the one of Gintoki.
  • His seiyuu, Nakai Kazuya, coincidentally voices several swordsmen, including Roronoa Zoro in the anime and manga series, One Piece, Mugen from Samurai Champloo, and Date Masamune from Sengoku Basara. Nakai also voices Sainglain from Ixion Saga DT, Shizuka Doumeki from xxx-Holic, Ryuuji Suguro from Ao no Exorcist, and Shoichi Imayoshi from Kuroko no Basket.
  • He also has a tendency to cry after watching movies that are not particularly emotional (as seen in Episode 40 after he watched Alien vs. Yakuza.)
  • Hijikata disappeared somehow in Lesson 466.
  • The Kamen Rider character Kosuke Nitoh (Kamen Rider Beast) from Kamen Rider Wizard is inspired by Hijikata, sharing his liking of mayonnaise.
  • Hijikata and Monkey D. Luffy from the anime One Piece, share the same birthday. They also love eating a certain type of food (Hijikata likes mayonnaise and Luffy likes meat).
  • In Tales of the Rays, Toushirou appears as a playable character in the second collaboration event with Gin Tama. During which, he gains an original arteset.

Quotes[]

  • (To Okita Sougo ) "It's time for the Shinsengumi to shine, it's going to be a fun fight"
  • (To Sakata Gintoki ) "He may be a gorilla, but to us, he's our precious commander. He's my comrade and with this one sword we made Shinsengumi together! I won't allow anyone to disgrace our Shinsengumi, if there's anyone who would obstruct that path, then with this sword I'll cut him to shreds"
  • (to Shinsengumi about Kondo Isao) "The Bakufu is of no use to us humans, you should all realize that by now. What are your swords for? To protect the Bakufu, to protect the Shogun? Not me. Don't you remember? Back then, we had no education, no place to call our own. A bunch of rogues who only knew how to use a sword. Who was it that welcomed us to a filthy washed up dojo? Then when the sword ban came, the one who lost his own sword along with his dojo, and yet didn't abandon us, who was it? The same guy who brought back our lost swords once again, who was it? For that, the only orders I take are the ones from the mouth of Kondo-san, not the Bakufu or the Shogun."
  • (To Banzou ) "Before you try revolutionizing the country, why don't you try to revolutionize yourself first" 
  • "And here I thought love is an illusion"
  • (To Hit Man Samurai 13) "Idiots who interfere with others' love... DISAPPEAR!"
  • (To Kitaooji Itsuki) "I don't care if I lose an arm or a leg, as long as I am still breathing I'll keep fighting, that's a street fight for you"
  • (To Yagyuu Kyuubei) "I don't care if one of my comrades bites the dust. I'll just kill that many more to make up for it. They don't need any sad words. All I can do for them is... keep fighting until I croak too... and give my best, like they did."
  • (To Kondo Isao) "I will give you my life. You are charged with a responsibility in exchange for it. That is to not die! You have to live on no matter what. No matter what disgrace you have to face, and no matter how many members die in front of you, you have to carry on living! That's because as long as you're around the Shinsengumi won't end. We entered the Shinsengumi because we admired you. You're an idiot, so stop thinking about difficult things. All you have to do is continue living in your own way. We will just protect that from everyone else. Kondo-san, you're the soul of the Shinsengumi. We are the swords who protect that."
  • (To Sakata Gintoki) "Try to commit a crime that's worthy of this punishment. What crime will you be guilty of?"
  • ( To Tokugawa Sada Sada's guards) "Who joined forces with who to start a what d'état? Why don't you repeat that?"
  • (To Sasaki Isaburo) "We will come to your funeral"

References[]

  1. Sorachi Hideaki. Gintama. VIZ media, Vol. 2, Lesson 9, p. 5.
  2. Sorachi Hideaki. Gintama. VIZ media, Vol. 9, Lesson 75, p. 4.
  3. Sorachi Hideaki. Gintama. Shueisha, Vol. 23, Lesson 202, p. 9.
  4. Sorachi Hideaki. Gintama. VIZ media, Vol. 15, Lesson 129, p. 18.
  5. Sorachi Hideaki. Gintama. VIZ media, Vol. 9, Lesson 75, p. 9.
  6. Sorachi Hideaki. Gintama. VIZ media, Vol. 2, Lesson 9, p. 20.
  7. Sorachi Hideaki, Gintama, VIZ media, Vol. 15, Lesson 130, page(s) 185.
  8. Sorachi Hideaki. Gintama. VIZ media, Vol. 16, Lesson 132, p. 19.
v - e - dList of Gintama Characters
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Otose | Catherine | Tama | Terada Tatsugorou
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どろみず じろちょう | くろごま かつお | ちん ぴらこ/どろみず ぴらこ | Hirako's Mother
Hasegawa Taizou | Hasegawa Hatsu
Otose お登勢CatherineTama 卵
Kurikan クリカンKashiwaya 柏谷Yoremon 四ェ門Catherine
Sorachi Hideaki 空知 英秋Amachi Hideaki 天知 英秋Konishi 小西Weekly Shounen Jump Chief Editor 週刊少年ジャンプ編集長Yoshizawa 吉沢Daitou-sanMu-san ムーさんToba-san 鳥羽さん
Other
Announcer 3 | Azumi | Banzou | Catherine | Colonel Cherry | Daitou-san | Daraku | Dark Vader | Death Cancer | Doromizu Jirochou | Dragon Leader | Elizabeth | Enari | 16th Ikeda Yaemon | Abuto | Anigasaki Momo | Archfiend Tapir | Ben | Blu-rayko | Brieza | Cello | Chogoro the Foxfire | Derude | 18th Ikeda Yaemon | Admiral Abou | Amachi Hideaki | Ane | Antenmaru | Beautiful Fleshy Woman | Chin Pirako | Chougorou | Chourou | (Chuu Nen Tai) | Daishikyou | Derude's Father | Double Dragons | Ebina | Gedoumaru | General Gero | Gou | Hachirou | Hanano Saki | Harada Unosuke | Eromes | Fumiko | Gorou | Gourou | Etekichi Kozou | Fat Dragon | Fujibayashi Gaimon | Furuhashi | Goemon | Grillin | Hachibei Takaya | Hachirou's Mother | Haga Kenji | Haji | Hanako | Hasegawa Taizou | Hashida Kantarou | Hayashi Fuyou | Hayashi Ryuuzan | Hedoro | Hijikata Toushirou | Hinowa | Hiraga Gengai | Hiraga Saburou | Honjou Kyoushirou | Houichi | Ikesawa | Ikezawa | Inoue | Jugem Jugem | Juurouta | Kagura | Kamiyama | Ketsuno Crystel | Kim | Kitaooji Daigorou | Kobayashi | Komako | Kouri Hanako | Kuzunoha | Hashida Kanshichirou | Kirara | Kitaooji Itsuki | Kiyoshi | Kouka | Kozenigata Heiji | Kujaku Hime Kada | Kumanaku Seizou | Hattori Zenzou | Hijikata Tamegorou | Hitotsubashi Nobu Nobu | Ishida Genpachi Zaemon | Izumi | Jigsaw's Father | Jii | Jiraia | Kamenashi | Kameyama Duuke | Kidomaru | Kijima Matako | Kikuzou | Kimiko | Kintarou | Makoto | Minamito Sui | Momochi Rappa | Morinosuke | Mosquito Amanto | Murata Jintetsu | Mutsu | Narasaki Donbei | Nishino Tsukamu | No.502 | Obi Hajime | Oboro | Oguri Shunnosuke | Oiwa | Okada Nizou | Okita Sougo | Oryou | Mahha Noriko | Mashiroi Kaguzou | Mashiroi Utsuzou | Matsuo | Megami | Miyabi | Nakamura Kyoujirou | Nakasaki | No.307 | Obi Hajime | Ofusa | Okita Mitsuba | Old Man | Otakai Sayaka | Leukocyte King | Loan Shark Amanto | Madame Yagami | Matsudaira Katakuriko | Matsudaira Kuriko | Matsuno Brothers | Meru-chan | Mone | Murata Tetsuko | Murata Tetsuya | Musashi | Narasaki Sachi | Neptune Shoukaku | Nezumya | Ochi-san | Okita Sougo | Okuni | Onijishi | Otaki | Otohime | Otose | Ougai | Prince Hata | Princess Bubbles | Puusuke | Rotten Maizou | Sadaharu 28 | Sadomaru 22 | Sakata Gintoki | Sakata Kintoki | Shachi | Shinohara Shinnoshin | Shirino Douman | Tagosaku | Takatin | Tama | Toba-san | Tokugawa Morimori | Tomu | Pandemonium パンデモニウム | Prince Hata | Princess Bubbles | Puusuke | Rotten Maizou | Sadaharu 28 | Sadomaru 22 | Sakata Gintoki | Shachi | Shinohara Shinnoshin | Shirino Douman | Sorachi Hideaki | Soutatsu | Space Woman スペースウーマン | Tasuke | Tendou Soutatsu | Terada Tatsugorou | Tokugawa Shige Shige | Pakuyasa | Pluto Batou | Professor Meguro | Sadaharu | Saigou Teruhiko | Saigou Tokumori | Saitou Shimaru | Sakurajima Chiharu | Shimura Shinpachi | Suitsu | Suzuran | Tamo-san | Tatsumi | Terakado Ichi | Terakado Tsuu | Toba-san | Tokugawa Sada Sada | Tokugawa Soyo | Tsukuyo | Umibouzu | Unkei ウンケイ | Urara | Urashima | Weekly Shounen Jump Chief Editor | Tsuu's Father | Uchino | Unknown flashback character | Yagyuu Binbokusai | Yamazaki Sagaru | Yocchan よっちゃん | Yoshida Shouyou | Yoshizawa 吉沢 | Zenzou's Father | Toujou Ayumu | Toyako Hermit's Parents | Ungyou | Uranus Hankai | Utsuro | Wakikaoru | Yoremon
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