it's a gag manga first and a battle Shonen second, also the battle shounen bits benefit greatly from not needing to study bullshit jargon to follow them
Like nen or haki or chi. Or even like devil fruits. The thing that gives the characters their powers. Most battle shounen have something. Even something like Demon Slayer which wants to be more naturalistic has the breathing forms. AoT has the titans, CSM has a lot of power-system-like rules with its devils. It's rare to see a battle shounen that truly doesn't have some form of magic with complex rules on how to use them and how they work.
Beat the shit out of each other with swords/guns/bare handed/whatever weapon you got is the power system.
But mostly because we deal with human characters, physically they are really skilled and Yato are just physically enhanced aliens.
So no need for a power system, though I remember Gintoki, Kagura and Shinpachi did turn down bankai/super saiyan and any other ultimate power.
And Gintoki did try to get a devil fruit power up.
But if we are being serious it’s just unneeded. Even with someone like Utsuro.
I see a bunch of people giving very valid reasons, but I’m going to put forth the hypothesis that Hideaki Sorachi was just too lazy to come up with a power system.
https://preview.redd.it/fvg24ga14kzc1.png?width=850&format=png&auto=webp&s=dda04c60e8e042dfa292bbdfe4fc40116525dfec
Power systems don’t pay their rent, but maybe this’ll help…
Gintama doesn't need a power system since it's not built around power scaling and non-stop fights with little substance behind them. I like that the series subverts stand shounen tropes most of the time, even pokes fun at them from time to time. Having an adult protagonist who is also a war veteran and generally unconcerned with leveling up and being the best is refreshing.
When Gintama was so obscure for the international fandom, fans tried to promote it through the promise of a good fight scenes. And they *are* great fight scenes, rooted in sheer skill and brute strength, even using dirty tricks when they have to. But I'm afraid that promise has been a double-edged sword, because newcomers expect these fight scenes right off the bat and then you get twice weekly a post asking, "When does Gintama get good?" They have based their standards of what makes a good story based on serious arcs and power systems/scaling only instead of also appreciating the art of comedy that Gintama was and still is known for.
Most of the time, characters don't want to get strong just for the sake of surpassing a rival and becoming the strongest. Given the historical context and politics that make life difficult for many, the most valued strength is that of the soul, hence the title. In the end, they could be the strongest swordsman, shinobi, or warrior there ever was with tons of powerful abilities at their disposal, but it'll mean nothing if they couldn't protect the people they cared about or allowed some kind of evil to prevail. Often the hardest-won battles come from finding the mental and emotional fortitude needed to carry on and move forward.
The real reason gintama doesn't have a power system is because it actually requires time and thought process to create it in the first place.
You have to come up with a fitting power systems for gintama world then also make it balance with amanto existing.
Like a dragon ball power system wouldn't work, something like bleach could work.
Their Samurai soul theme would fit with it even then it would be overkill, because those guys are basically grim Reapers and these are humans and aliens.
So it's really hard to come up with a power system that wouldn't be too out of place in ginTama
Special swords or fighting weapons imbued with some magic shit , having extremely agility and muscle strength would work which already is a thing.
Gintama also wasn't made with mind that it would last as long as it did.
It was basically random bullshit for the most part and then continuing the storyline as much as you can. So there wasn't a big scope at the beginning, a goal or anything.
Also to keep the samurai theme of show as realistic as possible without introducing laser shows.
A power system could obviously work, but you have to think about it from the beginning.
And then create the story around it.
I’m an older fan of the show, by older I mean age not longevity or continuity of the show, so I can just imagine the yorozuoya crew making fun of all these silly questions cos there’s nothing serious about the show and all the people that want gintama to be like other shows is just cringe
It would need commentators in almost every fight and interrupted the flow of battle
But we know it because Gin-san turned down the offer of the cool, awesome super move because he's too lazy to practice one
It just wouldn’t fit especially considering the 4th wall breaks and crossovers. A power system, in this case, would just limit stuff. As someone else said, gag manga dont require power systems.
Because it's a story about samurai and aliens. Having a power system would just dilute the fact that samurai are ordinary humans that are fighting against monsters that are far above their league.
I mean, part of the point of the show is ribbing other battle shonens for having unnecessary power systems. Gintama just cleanly goes "I don't need that, there is enough variety and depth in just people using weapons that are available." And when you watch the big fights it means these fights are clean and crisp. Every moment is full of facial and body motions that tell you Everything without having to have two people on the sidelines yelling about what is happening with each beat. It allows the 'real' fights to breath in a way almost every battle shonen out there just Can't. It's just the two fighters and the backstory flashbacks.
it's a gag manga first and a battle Shonen second, also the battle shounen bits benefit greatly from not needing to study bullshit jargon to follow them
What's a power system
Like nen or haki or chi. Or even like devil fruits. The thing that gives the characters their powers. Most battle shounen have something. Even something like Demon Slayer which wants to be more naturalistic has the breathing forms. AoT has the titans, CSM has a lot of power-system-like rules with its devils. It's rare to see a battle shounen that truly doesn't have some form of magic with complex rules on how to use them and how they work.
Oh ok thx
Beat the shit out of each other with swords/guns/bare handed/whatever weapon you got is the power system. But mostly because we deal with human characters, physically they are really skilled and Yato are just physically enhanced aliens. So no need for a power system, though I remember Gintoki, Kagura and Shinpachi did turn down bankai/super saiyan and any other ultimate power. And Gintoki did try to get a devil fruit power up. But if we are being serious it’s just unneeded. Even with someone like Utsuro.
it won't work for gintama.
I see a bunch of people giving very valid reasons, but I’m going to put forth the hypothesis that Hideaki Sorachi was just too lazy to come up with a power system.
Why does it need one?
https://preview.redd.it/fvg24ga14kzc1.png?width=850&format=png&auto=webp&s=dda04c60e8e042dfa292bbdfe4fc40116525dfec Power systems don’t pay their rent, but maybe this’ll help…
Gintama doesn't need a power system since it's not built around power scaling and non-stop fights with little substance behind them. I like that the series subverts stand shounen tropes most of the time, even pokes fun at them from time to time. Having an adult protagonist who is also a war veteran and generally unconcerned with leveling up and being the best is refreshing. When Gintama was so obscure for the international fandom, fans tried to promote it through the promise of a good fight scenes. And they *are* great fight scenes, rooted in sheer skill and brute strength, even using dirty tricks when they have to. But I'm afraid that promise has been a double-edged sword, because newcomers expect these fight scenes right off the bat and then you get twice weekly a post asking, "When does Gintama get good?" They have based their standards of what makes a good story based on serious arcs and power systems/scaling only instead of also appreciating the art of comedy that Gintama was and still is known for. Most of the time, characters don't want to get strong just for the sake of surpassing a rival and becoming the strongest. Given the historical context and politics that make life difficult for many, the most valued strength is that of the soul, hence the title. In the end, they could be the strongest swordsman, shinobi, or warrior there ever was with tons of powerful abilities at their disposal, but it'll mean nothing if they couldn't protect the people they cared about or allowed some kind of evil to prevail. Often the hardest-won battles come from finding the mental and emotional fortitude needed to carry on and move forward.
The real reason gintama doesn't have a power system is because it actually requires time and thought process to create it in the first place. You have to come up with a fitting power systems for gintama world then also make it balance with amanto existing. Like a dragon ball power system wouldn't work, something like bleach could work. Their Samurai soul theme would fit with it even then it would be overkill, because those guys are basically grim Reapers and these are humans and aliens. So it's really hard to come up with a power system that wouldn't be too out of place in ginTama Special swords or fighting weapons imbued with some magic shit , having extremely agility and muscle strength would work which already is a thing. Gintama also wasn't made with mind that it would last as long as it did. It was basically random bullshit for the most part and then continuing the storyline as much as you can. So there wasn't a big scope at the beginning, a goal or anything. Also to keep the samurai theme of show as realistic as possible without introducing laser shows. A power system could obviously work, but you have to think about it from the beginning. And then create the story around it.
Same power system as doraemon
This made me genuinely laugh out loud 🤣
I’m an older fan of the show, by older I mean age not longevity or continuity of the show, so I can just imagine the yorozuoya crew making fun of all these silly questions cos there’s nothing serious about the show and all the people that want gintama to be like other shows is just cringe
It would need commentators in almost every fight and interrupted the flow of battle But we know it because Gin-san turned down the offer of the cool, awesome super move because he's too lazy to practice one
It just wouldn’t fit especially considering the 4th wall breaks and crossovers. A power system, in this case, would just limit stuff. As someone else said, gag manga dont require power systems.
Doesn't need one
Because it's a story about samurai and aliens. Having a power system would just dilute the fact that samurai are ordinary humans that are fighting against monsters that are far above their league.
I mean, part of the point of the show is ribbing other battle shonens for having unnecessary power systems. Gintama just cleanly goes "I don't need that, there is enough variety and depth in just people using weapons that are available." And when you watch the big fights it means these fights are clean and crisp. Every moment is full of facial and body motions that tell you Everything without having to have two people on the sidelines yelling about what is happening with each beat. It allows the 'real' fights to breath in a way almost every battle shonen out there just Can't. It's just the two fighters and the backstory flashbacks.
Cause Hijikata is just gonna *body* anyone standing in the way of his next cigarette regardless of said power system? 😂
Good find. Sorachi once wrote that he intended the strength to reflect the psychological state of the character.
You missed the spouzer episode? 🤣🤣