3-nen Z-gumi Ginpachi-sensei [Season 1 Episodes 1-12]

“Gintama’s Back (Sort Of) – And It’s Just as Chaotic as Ever”

Let’s cut to the chase: if you’re here for a normal school anime, you’ve clicked on the wrong show. 3-nen Z-gumi Ginpachi-sensei isn’t about exams or crushes or “finding yourself”—it’s about Gintoki Sakata ditching his samurai sword for a chalkboard, Shinpachi still yelling at everyone like he’s herding cats, and Kagura eating everything in sight (including the classroom snacks). Oh, and yes, there’s a guy with a mayo addiction in the back row.

This 12-episode spin-off (dropping October 6, if you’re marking calendars) takes Hideaki Sorachi’s iconic Gintama crew and plops them into Gintama High School’s Class 3-Z—a “ragtag group of troublemakers” that’s basically the Yorozuya but with desks. Think: Hijikata losing his mind over a mayo shortage mid-lecture, Sougo hiding a BB gun in his pencil case, and Katsura still trying to “rebel” against the school’s dress code (spoiler: he fails). It’s the same chaos we loved, just with a side of math homework.

And let’s talk about that chaos. The first episode doesn’t even hit the one-minute mark before breaking the fourth wall harder than Gintoki breaks a promise. “You know it’s Gintama when they’re already roasting the production staff,” one fan laughed on MyAnimeList, and they’re not wrong. The opening scene parodies Dragon Ball so hard it’s basically a love letter (or a diss track—who’s to say?), with Gintoki even joking about how this spin-off is just “passing the baton” to keep the franchise alive. Meta? Yes. Hilarious? Absolutely.

But here’s the thing: this isn’t just a cash grab. It’s a reunion. Fans are losing it over seeing their faves again—“Felt like getting back with old friends,” one user wrote, and that’s exactly the vibe. Shinpachi’s tsukkomi rants? Still on point. Kagura’s gluttony? Unmatched. Even Elizabeth shows up (in a school uniform, somehow) to remind us that Gintama’s weirdness is its superpower. “I was smiling the whole time,” another fan gushed. “This is the Gintama I remember.”

Sure, there are tiny kinks. Some jokes feel like they’re leaning too hard on old tropes (“The characters relied on their gags a little much,” one viewer noted), but c’mon—this is a spin-off. It’s supposed to be nostalgic. And when the jokes land? They land. Like Kondo getting his butt stabbed by Ayame (classic) or Gintoki calling cheating “creative helping” (relatable). The humor is still that perfect mix of dumb and clever, the kind that makes you snort-laugh at 2 AM.

The production team gets it, too. The art style nods to Gintama’s roots—no flashy 3D, just that gritty, hand-drawn charm—and the OP? A total throwback. “The intro sold me,” a fan said. “We’re in for a good time.” Even the meta jabs at Hollywood live-action remakes (yes, that happens) feel like a wink to long-time fans who’ve stuck around through every arc.

Is this the Gintama finale we never knew we needed? Maybe not. But it’s a love letter to the series that taught us to laugh at life’s messiness. As one user put it: “This feels like a comedy arc from the actual show—and honestly, we can’t ask for more than that.”

So grab your mayo, hide your BB guns, and settle in. Class 3-Z is now in session, and Ginpachi-sensei’s lesson plan? Zero math, 100% chaos. And let’s be real—we wouldn’t have it any other way.

We’re so back, baby.

Final Verdict: 9/10. It’s not perfect, but it’s ours. And in a world that’s way too serious, that’s exactly what we need.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to rewatch the part where Kondo’s ass gets stabbed. Again.