by The new Gintama series TV anime, Gintama: Class 3-Z Ginpachi Sensei, has begun airing on TV Tokyo. The first episode was packed with gags right from the get-go, featuring a barrage of Dragon Ball and Akira Toriyama references, and ” #GinpachiSensei ” trended on X. The episode was filled with Gintama creator Hideaki Sorachi’s love for Toriyama and Dragon Ball.
Why is Gintama, which was supposed to be complete from the beginning, broadcasting a new anime, even if it’s a spin-off? The explanation is subtle, making it hard to tell whether it’s true or not. During the episode, Gintama and Ginpachi Sensei offer a wealth of Dragon Ball and Akira Toriyama references, including “Even if they forcefully bring in Ginpachi Sensei…” “They’re still harboring a grudge against ‘Dragon…'” and “Your old Gintama is the one who’s saying ‘Sorry, Toriyama Sensei!'” Also, when this explanatory line was spoken, the expressions of the Gintama characters displayed on the screen were “Toriyama faces,” exactly like the expressions of the Dragon Ball characters.
This caused a flood of laughter, comments, and surprised voices, with comments such as, “Are they going to do this after Toriyama-sensei’s death!?”, “After the death of Akira Toriyama-sensei, they’re not only parodying Dragon Ball, but also messing around with Evolution in live action. It’s so high-speed that it’s clear this is the usual Gintama lol, “They’re bringing in all sorts of crazy jokes right from the start, like “Sorry Toriyama-sensei” and “Evolution,” and “Sorry Toriyama-sensei, that’s not good lol.”
Why are there so many Dragon Ball jokes in Gintama? When Toriyama passed away in March 2024, Sorachi wrote a tribute to him, saying, “Dragon Ball, Dragon Quest, Chrono Trigger, the worlds that I abandoned my homework and immersed myself in, sacrificing sleep, were all born from Toriyama-sensei’s pen. I admired that pen and tried to imitate it, but it didn’t work out at all, and I am the eraser manga artist born from the accumulated eraser dust.” He continued, “Toriyama-sensei, thank you for teaching me so many worlds, the world of manga. Thanks to you, I have become a strange guy who makes a living from Dragon Ball, even more so than Toriyama-sensei and Toyotaro-sensei.”
“I don’t think that eating a Senzu bean will fill the gaping hole in my heart, but I will carry one of the Genki Dama that the sensei scattered all over the world in my heart and continue to follow in the footsteps of the sensei, who is like Goku, at such high heights, and continue to get covered in eraser dust,” he wrote, paying tribute with love and gratitude, saying, “Thank you so much, Toriyama-sensei. I will always love you. Sorachi Hideaki.”
