Gintama is proof that Shounen anime is not always fights, rivalries, and screaming. With a good sense of humor, it could also mean plenty of poop jokes, copyright ripoffs, and a whole lot more screaming. This series is infamous for not only being the comedy kind of Shonen Jump but a standard bearer for all of anime comedy, using the medium to its fullest to dramatize, caricature, and pervert reality to its absurd heights.

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And while much of this can be attributed to its world and its various hilarious situations, what really sells most of the jokes is the characters themselves, a lovable, motley crew of misfits and aliens who use everything in their arsenal to be taken as anything but seriously. They are why people even read the manga or watch the anime; and to give them their due, this list will be giving a shout out to its elite humorists.

10 Sagaru Yamazaki

The straight man routine doesn't always just mean reacting to the ridiculousness of the surrounding world. At its loosest definition, it means being so plain and normal as to be susceptible and vulnerable to it. Thus is the sad case of Yamazaki, a young upstart of the Shinsengumi who, at one point, was Shinpachi's comedic equal.

However, after years of slapstick and one harsh tracking assignment, Yamazaki would soon find himself corrupted by a barrage of different gimmicks to help give his character some edge. This has meant adopting a mohawk, his old tennis racket routine, and, as the series began to pan out, his anpan obsession. Comedy really can do strange things to a man. Anpan!

9 Shimura Shinpachi

A figurehead among all straight man routines, Shinpachi stayed on the straight and narrow and never really lost sight of who he was. Unfortunately, that meant being a glasses wearing otaku. At his best, Pachi boy has been there to react at every little thing the Odd Jobs crew did which was good, considering that the audience needed some grounding as to all the absurd elements going on screen.

However, at his worst, Shinpachi was the series fill in for all creepy, obsessive otaku whose repressed urges manifest in strange ways between his idol fan club, video games, and anyone unfortunate enough to just brush by him. This man really needs another Pandemonium.

8 Ayame Sarutobi

This series really has a thing for glasses and glasses-based gags. A strong entryway to the series' irreverent and ever frightening female characters, Sarutobi is the series' introduction to the world's strange, ninja breeds, and a fun one at that. After lightly connecting with Gin, Sarutobi began an iconic romance that would see her fall over heels for him and Gin calling the police at his newfound stalker.

It's almost like a Where's Waldo? gag in the sense that it's always fun to see whatever strange place Sarutobi is going to pop up next. Is it going to be in the ceiling? In Gin's closet? What about his actual television? Sarutobi is a comedic genius that knows the true power of surprise.

7 Shimura Tae

At one end Sarutobi's rival, at another common decency's rival, Otae really takes the tough woman act to an extreme. While some tsunderes may lightly tap their best friends, Otae is infamous for giving some of the worst gorilla punches ever to put any of these Shounen heroes in the hospital.

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Her cooking skills alone have created fantastical levels of pain in the series, and her vicious relationship with Kondo is one to bring anyone nightmares. That's not even mentioning her natural chemistry with the rest of the cast, as Otae can more than match the speed of any gag going on screen. As the first lady of the series, Otae is quite a comedic empress.

6 Tama

If one needs a master of deadpan comedy from the series, it would be the robotic innocence within Otose Snack House's resident maid. Tama is a maidroid imbued with the personality of a young girl whose very essence in the series is based on learning more and more about human character.

While the Odd Jobs crew may be the worst examples of human civility, this had lead to great chemistry between them. Tama's more robotic elements have also lent themselves to some outrageously shocking scenes, such as her getting into office banter with machines or vomiting up sushi as a food processor of sorts.

5 Okita Sougo

A sadist to outclass even Otae's vicious fist and a deadpan genius to surpass even a robot's, Sougo is easily a fan favorite. Much of this is due to the fact that he takes cartoon violence to great extremes, literally lashing out with blades against Hijikata and easily firing RPGs at his fellow comrades.

He has also had a variety of increasingly drastic examples of his villainy, such as his entire takeover in the dating sim arc or the way his time skip proxy managed to create a dictatorship within the Shinsengumi. Sougo does all this and more while selling it with one of the best deadpan voices in all of anime.

4 Kagura

Kagura is, in so many ways, the female lead of Gintama. However, given the ways she acts and talks, she certainly doesn't reflect the typical Shounen heroine. Kagura is a naive yet somehow bratty alien beast who entered Odd Jobs as their surprising yet ever reliable vanguard.

Much of her screen time is used to display her childish greediness, the bad example that Gin's set for, or her monstrous strength, something that's often used to hilarious beat down those who underestimate this Chun Li ripoff. A master of physical comedy within a world of superhuman, Shounen fighters that somehow maintains some innocence, Kagura is certainly a key member of the main trio.

3 Isao Kondo

As tough and strict as the Shinsengumi may appear, that doesn't mean that they can't lead the pack in terms of comedy. If anything, that's also unfortunately why they may not be the best police officers. Case in point: Isao Kondo is the beloved and respected captain of the group who, despite having trained and inspired much of the group, is also a consistent blemish on their reputation.

If he's not off somewhere crying about his own loneliness, he's stalking Otae in increasingly strange ways, whether that means teaming with Sarutobi, hiding within a food cart, or sneaking beneath her floorboards. Being able to drastically shift between that absurdity and respectability, this smelly gorilla is definitely one of the most consistent characters within the series.

2 Katsura and Elizabeth

Katsura and Elizabeth rapping in gintama

These two get to share a spot, because they are the series leading comedic duo. While Elizabeth may not exactly be the most vocal Abbot to Zura's Castello, the two manage to do well in their slapstick, performance, and even just Elizabeth's signs. Katsura gets plenty of the foreground spotlight, leading Elizabeth and his group into a variety of strange adventures, using his bright personality to bring passion to even the most ridiculous and childish thing. It also doesn't hurt that he never really seems to be on the same page as everyone else.

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Despite that, Elizabeth is a consistent second who not only manages to be Katsura's near endless bag of tricks and gadgets but is also great for some short yet ever delightful banter with its signs.

1 Sakata Gintoki

Gintoki spilling his drink in Gintama.

Standing tall at the top of this list is the king of fools himself, the "White Yaksha" Sakata Gintoki. Once the prized fighter of the Joi Rebels, Gin has now dedicated his days to becoming the much more relaxed and carefree leader of the Odd Jobs crew, spreading joy through laughs much more than any actual work.

He can masterfully switch between his careless deadpan and over-reactive facial expressions, is privy to a variety of dirty and childish jokes, and doesn't mind a strong variety of strange, hilarious, copyright breaking costume changes. There's no denying that Gin's smirking grin is the face of all anime comedy.

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