Kagura

Kagura

神楽
Age: 14
Birthday: November 3
Zodiac: Scorpio
Height: 155 cm
Weight: 40 kg

Kagura, meaning "god-entertainment" is a member of the Yorozuya alongside Sakata Gintoki and Shinpachi Shimura and the main female protagonist of Gintama.

Although she appears to be a normal, cute, human girl in Chinese-style clothing, she actually belongs to the Yato Clan, one of the strongest and most bloodthirsty of the Amanto races. The Yato people are said to have "transparent" skin that is highly sensitive to sunlight, so Kagura carries a purple parasol at all times. The parasol is also the Yato clan's weapon of choice; Kagura's is bulletproof and fires bullets from its tip. Because of her Yato blood, she is super-strong and can stop a speeding motor-scooter with one hand. Although stronger than most humans, she cannot control her strength perfectly. Her super-human strength makes her extremely bad with pets. Most of her pets, with the exception of Sadaharu, have met with an untimely demise by her hands.

She is also extremely flexible and fast; capable of catching multiple speeding bullets between her teeth and fingers. During battle, she's often seen flipping through the air and performing various acrobatic feats. Due to her Yato blood, she is capable of rapid regeneration. During the Benizakura arc, she is seen healing from a gunshot wound almost overnight.

Kagura also has an unusually strong appetite. She is able to consume large quantities of food within a matter of seconds. Nevertheless, her tastes are endearingly plain. Sukonbu, rice, and eggs are among her favorite foods.

Her immediate family consists of her father, Umibouzu, a widely recognized alien hunter, her mother, who is deceased, and her older brother Kamui, once presumed missing who is now involved with the space pirates Harusame.

She came to Earth to earn money for her family. She found work fighting for a gang, but when they ordered her to kill her target, she ran away. Not long afterward, she met Gintoki and Shinpachi when Gintoki accidentally ran her down with his scooter. After they helped her to make a clean break from the gang, she intimidated Gintoki into hiring her. She now lives at the Yorozuya and sleeps in Gintoki's closet, like Doraemon.

Kagura and Gintoki share an odd brother-younger sister-like relationship. Together with Shinpachi, the three of them makes for a strange, dysfunctional, yet tightly knit family. Kagura is very protective of Gintoki. Although she herself has gotten into many fights with him, she rarely lets anyone else pick on him. She seems to trust wholeheartedly in Gintoki's ability and strength. Even in sticky situations, she has no doubt that Gin-chan would come and save her. She has a tendency to imitate Gintoki's bad habits (like picking her nose or swearing, hence her unladylike behavior) and would often quote the bad advice he gives her. Some of her lines start with "Gin-chan says..." or "Gin-chan told me..."

Kagura is also somewhat of a tomboy. She is often seen partaking in games with various neighborhood boys. Although her candid manner of speech often causes them to shun her, she doesn't seem to mind. In fact, she has no problem at all with forcing her way into their game. In battle, she has proven to be bull-headed and a sore loser. Like Gintoki, and probably because of his influence, she is not above resorting to petty tricks and manipulation to get the better of her adversary. Unlike many conventional manga heroines, she doesn't display the same consciousness toward decorum, table manners, and physical appearance. Puking, cussing, picking her nose, spitting, fighting, and scratching herself are common behavior for Kagura.

She regards Okita, captain of the Shinsengumi, as a rival. She detests him and appeared to be disgusted when she previously mentioned (about Okita), that "he definitely likes me," but as that hasn't been brought up since, it is uncertain on if it should be considered canon, that he apparently likes her.

Although Kagura usually teases Shinpachi, she deeply cares for him and thinks of him as a brother. She also shows great respect toward his older sister, Shimura Tae, often calling her "Anego" (a term gangster women use to show respect).

Her super-human strength makes her extremely bad with pets. Most of her pets, with the exception of Sadaharu (being her 27th pet), have met with an untimely demise by her hands (with the exception of Sadaharu 28,' a beetle killed by Okita). She cuddles with Sadaharu when feeling down. Kagura also seems to be the only one (aside from Ane, Mone, and Komako) who Sadaharu listens to.

According to the OVA, Kagura is the first and only Weekly Shonen Jump girl to vomit on-screen. To date, she has induced herself to vomit on several occasions. She also has an uncanny knack for seeming calm or detached during high-tension situations; in episode 5, she slept through a car-chase. Her appetite knows no bounds, and she is especially fond of sukonbu.

In Japanese, Kagura speaks in a stereotypical dialect that is associated with Chinese immigrants. In the English-translated manga, she punctuates her sentences with yup, uh-huh (aru), nope, and the like.

In the Yoshiwara in Flames arc, Kagura meets her older brother, Kamui who abandoned her because she was weak in his eyes.
During the Yoshiwara in Flames arc, Kagura and Shinpachi teamed up against a Yato veteran named Abuto. When Shinpachi was mortally wounded by Abuto, Kagura can no longer hold against her Yato blood and revealed her true inner killing instincts against Abuto. Abuto is easily overwhelmed by Kagura's true power.
In the last Gintama character popularity poll, she came in the 6th place.