Best Anime Like Gintama

Debuted in 2003, Hideaki Sorachi’s Gintama shonen manga lasted until 2019, producing 77 volumes in the process. An anime adaptation launched in 2006, going on to produce numerous seasons and over 350 episodes. It is safe to say that Gintama left its mark, and the show is a must-watch for both comedy and action fans.

Gintama: The Very Final movie came out a few years ago, supposedly bringing the mainline series to a close. Throughout the years, the Odd Jobs crew have done it all – saved the universe, fought ghosts, argued over a hot pot, and got stuck in the toilet without any paper. While Ginpachi’s journey might be over, the laughter and excitement don’t have to stop here. Feeling the blues after consuming everything this franchise has to offer? Then these anime similar to Gintama are exactly what the doctor ordered.

Inescapable battle shounen series like One Piece, Naruto, Dragon Ball, and Bleach will not be included, but they are all decent picks for fans of Gintama‘s more action-oriented arcs.

Updated December 21, 2024 by Mark Sammut: Good news, Gintama is set to make its animated comeback, with 2025 seemingly likely. Now, this series is a spin-off based around the teacher Ginpachi character who would occasionally make appearances for short skits in the mainline series. These segments and the upcoming show are based on a light novel that produced 8 volumes over about a decade.

While waiting for this spin-off to debut, fans might want to check out some of the best anime like Gintama.

13

Ranma ½ (Original Anime Or 2024 Version)

A Shonen Comedy Classic That Has Mostly Produced Anime Magic

• 	Ranma 1/2	Ranma 1/2
  Release Date	1989-04-15	2024-10-06
  Genres	Comedy, Action, Fantasy	Animation, Action, Adventure, Fantasy
  Studio	Studio Deen	MAPPA
  Based On	Manga	Manga
  Creator	Rumiko Takahashi	Rumiko Takahashi
  Streaming Service(s)	Hulu, Tubi	Netflix

Very few anime comedies can compare to Gintama in terms of influence and reputation, but Ranma ½ might just be an exception. Rumiko Takahashi’s manga is an all-time masterpiece that was quite groundbreaking for the ’80s, with the series challenging gender stereotypes and character archetypes that dominated that era. Ranma ½ could be seen as a parody of battle shonen and harem tropes, despite arguably predating the latter’s rise in popularity in manga and especially anime.

Ultimately, the only thing that matters is the humor, and most of Ranma ½ is timeless. Both the 1989 anime and MAPPA’s 2024 reboot blend slapstick, misdirection, and innovation in delivering their humor, all the while throwing out some surprisingly great martial arts sequences.

Slapstick Silliness In An Otherwise Serious Mecha Anime Franchise

Full Metal Panic started as a mix of comedy and action like Gintama, but the main series dropped the humor pretty quickly. For those who prefer the show’s comedy, Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu is the perfect spin-off. Sousuke Sagara is in charge of protecting Kaname Chidori. When epic mecha battles are not taking place, the two attend high school like ordinary students; however, Sousuke has been raised by the military since a young age and has no idea how to switch off.

Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu is a slice-of-life comedy that throws an absurdly outlandish character into mundane everyday situations. Sousuke’s deadpan intensity is comedy gold.

11

The Disastrous Life Of Saiki K.

The Most OP Comedy Straight Man Surrounded By Chaos

Kusuo Saiki is an extremely powerful psychic who can do pretty much everything. Desperate to not be noticed, Saiki goes out of his way to be as unspectacular as possible. Unfortunately for the stoic high schooler, Saiki seems to naturally attract the most spectacular of people.

Split into short skits, The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. has an impressive roster of characters who come close to rivaling Gintama‘s eclectic cast of misfits. The anime’s humor is also very character-driven, like Gintama.

10

Daily Lives Of High School Boys

Slice Of Life Shenanigans With A Pretty Big Cast Of Characters

Slice-of-life anime comedies are not in short supply. Daily Lives of High School Boys is about as hilarious as any other show produced by the genre, with each one of its 12 episodes delivering multiple hilarious sketches.

The anime follows three boys who attend Sanada North Boys High School, although these characters mostly act as an introductory point to this universe’s wide array of colorful personalities. Despite the two existing in incomparable worlds, Daily Lives of High School Boys‘ humor is highly reminiscent of Gintama. Nichijou – My Ordinary Life is also a solid anime for Gintama fans.

9

Cromartie High School

Matches Gintama’s Ridiculousness

Cromartie High School is bizarre. Set in a high school known for its troublemakers, Cromartie High School demands viewers leave logic at the door as they are taken on an absurdist trip featuring robots, gorillas, and Freddie Mercury. Yes, that Freddie Mercury.

Cromartie High School doesn’t follow much of a plot other than loosely orbiting its stories around Takashi Kamiyama, the school’s only non-delinquent, and it is all the better for it. While entertaining from the start, this anime gets progressively more outlandish and hilarious. If Gintama is the definitive samurai parody, then Cromartie High School is the equivalent series for anime delinquents.

8

KenIchi: The Mightiest Disciple

Battle Shonen Action Blended With Over-The-Top Comedy

Kenichi is a weakling but he desperately wants to change and become someone who can defend himself and others. After a chance encounter with the powerful Miu, Kenichi joins her family’s dojo and sets out to become the world’s strongest warrior.

Kenichi‘s premise is nothing special for a shonen anime, but the show stands out from the crowd by doubling down on its humor. Kenichi is essentially a good-natured idiot, while the rest of the central cast consists of eccentric and likable personalities. Sadly, the anime doesn’t fully adapt the manga, but there is still quite a lot of content to go through.

7

Grand Blue Dreaming

If Gintama Was A College Anime Comedy…

Grand Blue Dreaming offers something quite rare in anime: the college experience. In preparation for University, Iori relocates to a town near the coast and moves in with family members who run a scuba diving shop. Despite having no interest in going underwater, Iori winds up dragged into this world, a process that involves a lot of alcohol, shirtless guys, and all the exaggerated facial expressions a Gintama fan could possibly want.

While this series does not have any supernatural elements, Grand Blue Dreaming is not all that far removed from Gintama, and it should hit the spot for those who love over-the-top reactions. For those who enjoy this show’s 12 episodes, they should make sure to check out Kenji Inoue’s manga. It is considerably better than the anime.

6

Mr. Osomatsu

An Irreverent Update On An Anime Classic

Anime’s most famous sextuplets have been around in some form or another since the 1960s, but their 2015 incarnation is vastly different from anything that came before it. Mr. Osomatsu jumps into the future to find the iconic siblings have fully evolved into no-good NEETs who do nothing but lazy around at home. More importantly, they all work together to ensure none of them ever succeeds in anything. They are the worst, which also makes them hilarious.

Mr. Osomatsu and Gintama are cut from the same cloth, as both comedy anime utilize fourth-wall breaks, references, and dashes of absurdist humor to score their laughs. Pierrot’s series arguably takes a couple more risks than Gintama, and while Mr. Osomatsu‘s sequel seasons can be inconsistent, the show’s highs are incredible.

5

Space Dandy

Like Gintama, Space Dandy Pushes Comedy Beyond Its Traditional Limits

Gintama has two modes: Serious and Hilarious. The former prioritizes narrative continuity, action, world-building, and drama. The latter predominantly consists of inconsequential episodic stories that pit Edo’s residence in a broad range of silly and strange situations. Space Dandy is the latter taken to the extreme (which is saying something).

The sci-fi anime‘s episodes are like mythical stories told through the ages, ones that don’t have to adhere to any predetermined conventions beyond sticking true to the natures of Space Dandy‘s core characters. Things get weird in the best possible way.

4

Golden Kamuy

Bloody, Vicious Action AND Unapologetically Silly Humor…The Blend Works

Golden Kamuy might sound like a strange pick on the surface, but it is incredible just how similar the anime is to parts of Gintama. Golden Kamuy centers around groups of people trying the acquire the hidden riches of the Ainu people, a rat race that Asirpa, an Ainu girl, and Saichi Sugimoto hope to win.

Incorporating historical characters, Golden Kamuy is gory, intense, and surprisingly hilarious. Although not a valid recommendation for people seeking something akin to Gintama‘s sketch episodes, Golden Kamuy is perfect for those who love the shonen anime’s action arcs.

3

Beelzebub

A Delinquent Becomes The Caregiver Of A Demon, And Charming Comedy Ensues

Covering only a fraction of Ryuhei Tamura’s manga, the Beelzebub anime is a lighthearted shonen comedy about a delinquent who is put in charge of taking care of the demon king’s baby. Naturally, fun ensues.

Like Gintama, Beelzebub‘s early chapters are devoted nearly entirely to humor, as the manga and anime push their tough-as-nails lead into adorable and amusing situations. The anime ends before the manga starts to push action to the forefront, but the show gets the humor spot-on.

2

Rurouni Kenshin

Arguably The Biggest Inspiration For Gintama

Ideally, Rurouni Kenshin should be watched prior to Gintama as the latter includes plenty of references to the former. At times, Gintama might as well be a direct parody of Kenshin. Be that as it may, the classic ’90s anime has stood the test of time quite well, courtesy of its strong characters, splendid fights, and intelligent humor.

Rurouni Kenshin is arguably the most famous samurai anime of all time, a reputation that is fully earned. The live-action movies are also fantastic and provide a satisfying conclusion to the story since the anime doesn’t fully cover the manga.

The 2023 reboot/remake is well-worth a watch as well.

1

Sket Dance

The Odd Jobs Crew In High School…Also, Gintama Crossover

Sket Dance is basically Gintama set in high school. Gintama‘s Odd Jobs crew even show up in Sket Dance for a crossover. The SKET Brigade takes on any job that the student body might task them with, although the club’s three members rarely have much to actually do.

Sket Dance works as a parody of shonen anime and a stand-alone comedy about three earnest characters who often cause more trouble than they fix. All the main characters are likable and show more than enough personality to differentiate themselves from the Odd Jobs’ main trio, despite slipping into the same archetypes to an extent. At more than 70 episodes, Sket Dance offers both quantity and quality, making it the perfect anime like Gintama.