Okita Sougo

Okita Sougo
Information
Japanese Name:	沖田 総悟
Romanized Name:	Okita Sougo
Official English Name:	Okita Sougo
Date of Birth:	8 Jul/Cancer
Age:	18
Physical Features
Status:	Alive
Professional Status
Affiliation(s):	Shinsengumi, Yorozuya
Occupation(s):	Shinsengumi 1st Division Captain
Voice Actors
Japanese VA:	Suzumura Kenichi

In this world, there are things you have to protect even if your hands get stained with blood.

Okita Sougo

Okita Sougo (沖田 総悟) is currently the 1st Division Captain of the Shinsengumi, and was a trainee at Kondou's dojo in his youth. He is younger brother of Okita Mitsuba who raised him after their parents passed away. He was one of the best swordsmen there before joining the force where he is also recognized as one of the best, if not the best, swordsman in the Shinsengumi. Fiercely loyal to Commander Kondou, he pretended to defect to Itou Kamotarou's camp in order to stay by his commander to ensure his safety.

Background

During his childhood Sougo's parents had passed away leaving his older sister, Okita Mitsuba, to raise him by herself in their home village. She herself admits later to spoiling him because of their parents' death, which causes him to be aloof and distant. Because of this personality trait he never had many friends, but that was until he caught the eye of Kondou Isao who took him in as a trainee into his Dojo. He grew fond of Kondou and the dojo and still highly respects him.

However, after a new student, Hijikata Toushirou joined the dojo, Sougo became more distant, feeling that Hijikata was taking over Kondo's attention and favoring Hijikata over him. Sougo noticed that Hijikata had grown a close friendship with Kondou and Mitsuba, this accompanied by his arrogant attitude at the dojo caused Sougo to hate Hijikata with a great passion.

A few years later Sougo along with the other Dojo students set off for Edo and subsequently set up the Shinsengumi. Okita Mitsuba wanted to go with Sougo to watch over him and to be with Hijikata. However after Hijikata rejected Mitsuba's request that she wanted to follow him (out of knowledge that the path he has chosen may cause him to lose his life at any time) This just fueled the fire for the hatred Sougo has for Hijikata and ever since he has undergone numerous murder attempts on Hijikata, from Voodooism, slashing with a sword, to shooting him with a bazooka. He always misses though so it's unknown if he truly wants him dead or just likes threatening him and getting him hurt every so often. He fully understands Hijikata's feeling towards his sister and the reason why Hijikata rejects his sister, but hates him none the less.

Appearance

Okita Sougo appears to be a mild-featured young man with light brown hair and reddish brown eyes. He wears the standard Shinsengumi uniform, and is barely seen without it. When resting he wears a distinctive red sleep mask with eye markings.

• Sougo in Gin-pachi sensei
• Sougo as Bakaiser in Timeskip Arc
• Sougo in his childhood
• Sougo Standard
• Sougo Standard Chibi
• Sougo with his sleeping mask
• Sougo with a Shinsengumi bazooka
• Sougo as a male host
• Sougo disguised as a beetle

1/9

Personality

Sadistic streak, as seen, for example, when he collared and chained up Urara on a metal leash in a 'M' playing role (aka masochistic).

• Eyes the Vice-Commander position. He always tries to 'kill' Hijikata or frame him for other misdemeanors in order to take his place.
  • His attempts on Hijikata appear real enough that Hijikata was genuinely fearful that he would be killed off during the 'Saw' parody in Episode 148 & Episode 149.
• Hijikata mentioned in Episode 20 that Okita is the King of the Planet of Sadists.

Strength & Abililties

Kondou mentions that Sougo has the most most potential in the dojou. His skills are better than Hijitaka when Kondou once said that it's rare for Sougo to lose to him.

Owns a katana known as the 菊一文字 RX-78 Kiku-ichimonji RX-78, the model number is a GUNDAM pot-shot (see Episode 101). Apparantly the RX-78 Kiku-ichimonji RX-78 can play digital music.

Sougo also carries around a Shinsengumi bazooka.

Relationships

• Okita Mitsuba: Very attached to his older sister Okita Mitsuba, who brought him up from a young age when both were orphaned. He speaks with courtesy in her presence instead of his usual slang peppered with scatological references. For example, he kneels and begs for her forgiveness when she gently tells him off for bullying Yamazaki on her arrival at the Shinsengumi HQ.

• Kondou Isao: Kondou is the only one who he is loyal to.

• Hijikata Toushirou: He commits every act of violence toward Hijikata in a deadpan manner or in a sarcastic smarmy attitude which leaves the audience wondering if he really wants to kill Hijikata or not. For now, he just seems to play dangerous jokes that could, but don't cause Hijikata to lose his life. Besides Okita hating him for the past and for coldly rejecting his sister, Sougo's ambition is to become Vice-commander of the Shinsengumi, the same position Hijikata has currently which is why he's always making him look bad or upstaging him any chance he gets. However, events in Episodes 86 & 87 hint that he may perhaps be jealous that Hijikata always appeared to usurp the attention of those near and dear to him. A list of his 'attacks' on Hijikata Toushirou can be found here.

• Sakata Gintoki: Okita seems to get along rather well with Gintoki. After a rough beginning, the two find common grounds in their love of torturing and humiliating Hijikata. After witnessing the fight between Gintoki and Hijikata, Okita said he would love to clash swords with Gintoki one day. Although a hit from Hijikata would often result in a violent retribution from Okita, he doesn't seem to have a problem with taking a lecture or a knock on the head from Gintoki. When his sister came to visit, Okita bribed Gintoki (with a chocolate parfait) to pretend to be his best friend. Later when Okita left, Gintoki acknowledges the friendship to Mitsuba.

• Kagura: He regards Kagura as a rival after an unfinished rock-paper-scissors duel during a sakura-blossom party. He usually calls her "China". They always tend to fight and argue whenever they have the chance.

Story

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

The second appearence was when Hijikata Toushirou in place of Kondo Isao (he was stalking Shimura Tae 志村 妙 at the time) lead an attack against Joui Patroits. After learning that a silver hair samurai beat Kondo Isao at a duel, the whole Shinsengumi went seeking Sakata Gintoki. In the end Hijitaka lost against Gintoki, although Sougo wants to challenge but Kondo claimed better not to.

Trivia

• Based on Okita Soji 沖田総司, the captain of the first unit of the Shinsengumi. Soji was a prodigy and was seen as one of best swordsmen of the Shinsengumi. Though just a rumor (but at least true in Ryotaro Shiba's novels), he may have owned a katana called Kiku-ichimonji. In Gintama, he bought the Kiku-ichimonji RX-78.
• In the original Japanese manga he likes to end his sentences in '~desaa' and "~desuzee'.
  • Sorachi originally designed Okita as a female, and wielding an umbrella. This ended up given to Kagura.
  • But had to change it to a male since only men are allowed in the Shinsengumi, this idea went to Mimawarigumi Imai Nobume.
• Acknowledged as the bishounen (美少年, aka 'beautiful youth') of the series, Gintoki took a mug-shot of him attempting to slice up Shinpachi and sent it off as Shinpachi's photo in the Pen-pal Chapter, explaining that he 'looked better' than Shinpachi. Belying the innocent-looking good looks however is an insanely sadistic person who delights in chaos and is always trying to 'kill' his Vice-Commander Hijikata Toushirou.

References

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