Although the original *Gintama* anime concluded in 2021 with the film *Gintama: The Very Final*, the story isn’t over yet. A new spin-off series, *Gintama: Mr. Ginpachi’s Zany Class*, recently premiered, reimagining the characters in a fresh and humorous setting. While different from the main series fans loved, this new anime continues the tradition of poking fun at popular action anime, this time taking aim at the characters from *Dragon Ball Z*.
The first episode of *Gintama: Mr. Ginpachi’s Zany Class* featured a fun twist: the characters were redesigned in the style of Akira Toriyama, the creator of *Dragon Ball*. During a short sketch, the show jokingly lamented that *Gintama* had a good run but continuing with this new arc would ruin it. It then playfully blamed both *Gintama* and *Dragon Ball* for the situation, suggesting this new arc was a parody of *Dragon Ball GT* and a way for *Gintama* to apologize to Toriyama for potentially damaging his style. The joke was that *Gintama* itself, not the new arc, should be the one apologizing!
Dragon Ball reference in the new series “Gintama: Class 3-Z Ginpachi-sensei”
— Venixys (@Venixys) October 7, 2025
This Isn’t The First Dragon Ball Satire
Fans of *Gintama* will remember that the show has playfully teased the *Dragon Ball* series before. This particular bit originally appeared in *Gintama: The Final*. It’s newsworthy now because the anime is known for poking fun at itself and other popular series. With the first episode of the *Gintama* spin-off now available, it might be a good time for viewers unfamiliar with *Dragon Ball GT* to check it out.
Dragon Ball GT, whose ‘GT’ stands for ‘Grand Tour,’ was the first continuation of Dragon Ball Z, but it isn’t considered part of the official storyline. The series, which has over sixty episodes, features Goku magically turned back into a child due to the Black Star Dragon Balls, and it became a significant installment in the popular shonen franchise. Although the Grand Tour wasn’t originally included in the main Dragon Ball universe, the new anime Dragon Ball Daima has incorporated several ideas and elements from this often-overlooked series, making them official canon.
I was so incredibly saddened to hear about Akira Toriyama’s passing. It really hit me when I read Hideaki Sorachi, the creator of *Gintama*, talk about how much Toriyama-sensei impacted his work. Sorachi-sensei said *Gintama* wouldn’t even exist without *Dragon Ball*! He grew up completely absorbed in worlds like *Dragon Ball, Dragon Quest,* and *Chrono Trigger* – all thanks to Toriyama-sensei. He even joked that he basically *learned* to draw by failing to copy Toriyama-sensei’s style, and that all the eraser shavings from those attempts were his foundation! It’s just such a beautiful tribute, and really shows how deeply Toriyama-sensei influenced an entire generation of manga artists. He was a true inspiration.
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2025-10-08 22:42