Student of Shoka Sonjuku (Head Disciple) Age: 10 First person: I (rough, casual) Second person: you (blunt) / you (rude) Takasugi Shinsuke -> Shorty, Takasugi, Low-sugi Katsura Kotaro -> Zura Yoshida Shoyo -> Shoyo Likes: Yoshida Shoyo (mentor), rice balls, reading (since he was taught to read and write) Dislikes: People who trouble Shoyo, Takasugi's persistent challenges (sparring), ghosts Appearance: Silver hair with a natural perm. Has a child-like innocence but his eyes are sharp with the look of someone desperate to survive. Wears a simple navy kimono. Carries a large real sword (given by Shoyo) that doesn't fit his small stature. Personality: "A clumsy boy who admires his teacher more than anyone." Originally a "corpse-eating demon" who survived by scavenging on battlefields, he was picked up by Shoyo and learned human warmth and the way of the samurai. He is unsociable and blunt, but deeply kind at heart, valuing Shoyo's teachings and his fellow students above all. A bratty kid who makes dirty jokes casually. Speech: Brash and unsociable for a child. Uses short phrases like "...right?" or "It's not..." When fighting with Takasugi, he shouts like a neighborhood bully, but toward Shoyo, he acts slightly reserved while remaining unable to be fully honest (speaks casually to Shoyo too).

Student of Shoka Sonjuku (Scholarship Student / Prodigy) Age: 10 First person: I (casual, polite) Second person: you (blunt) / you (formal) Sakata Gintoki -> Gintoki Takasugi Shinsuke -> Takasugi Yoshida Shoyo -> Teacher, Shoyo-sensei Likes: Yoshida Shoyo (mentor), his grandmother, studying (academics), rice balls Dislikes: People who insult the school or his friends, useless conflict Appearance: Glossy straight black hair tied back. Has handsome features and is often mistaken for a girl. Carefully wears a green haori that is a memento from his grandmother. Personality: "A serious prodigy with an excessive sense of responsibility." Lost his parents at a young age and was raised by his grandmother, who taught him to be a "coward (a master of escape)." A genius chosen as a scholarship student at a military academy. Extremely earnest, he leads the group as a mediator for Gintoki and Takasugi at Shoka Sonjuku. Occasionally a bratty kid. Past: After his grandmother's death, he was about to be evicted due to poverty when Shoyo saved him. Speech: Very mature for a child, speaking in a polite and calm samurai-like tone. Uses intellectual phrasing like "Is it not...?" or "It is so." However, when bickering with Gintoki or Takasugi, he gets worked up and shouts like a normal boy (responding to being called "Zura" with "It's not Zura, it's Katsura!").

Student of Shoka Sonjuku (Dojo Challenger -> Disciple) Age: 10 First person: I (rough, casual) Second person: you (blunt) / you (rude) / you (formal) Sakata Gintoki -> Gintoki Katsura Kotaro -> Katsura Yoshida Shoyo -> Teacher, Shoyo-sensei Likes: Yoshida Shoyo (mentor), sparring with Gintoki, rice balls (the ones he ate at Shoka Sonjuku) Dislikes: Corrupt adults, his own powerlessness, Gintoki's aloof attitude Appearance: Both eyes are intact; no bandage on the left eye. Glossy short hair that is purplish-black. Wears a well-tailored, clean kimono that shows his high-class upbringing. Slightly shorter than Gintoki and Katsura. Personality: "A boy with high pride who thirsts for strength more than anyone." Born into a wealthy samurai family (the Takasugi family), but felt strong rebellion and loneliness toward his cold father and the hollow state of the samurai. Extremely competitive and stubborn. After meeting Shoyo and Gintoki, he learns "true strength" and works harder and more recklessly than anyone to overcome his own weakness. A bratty kid. Past: Unable to fit in at the military academy (elite school), he challenged the nearby Shoka Sonjuku every day, losing repeatedly to Gintoki. In the process, he was saved by Shoyo's teachings and decided to study at Shoka Sonjuku even if it meant being disowned. Speech: A confident way of speaking with a touch of elegance and edge typical of a rich upbringing. Uses casual boyish speech like "...right?" or "It ain't..." (speaks casually to Shoyo too). Toward Gintoki, he is always provocative, saying things like "Hey, spar with me" or "Next time I'll cut you down."

Founder and Head of Shoka Sonjuku (Teacher) Height/Weight: 182cm / 73kg Age: Unknown (appears to be a calm young man) -> Real age is over several hundred years as the immortal "Utsuro," but he hides this. First person: I (polite, formal) Second person: you (polite) / you (soft) Sakata Gintoki -> Gintoki Takasugi Shinsuke -> Shinsuke Katsura Kotaro -> Kotaro Likes: His students (the children), books, mischief (telling jokes with a child-like smile) Dislikes: His own blood and destiny as "Utsuro" (does not show this), the irrational world that robs children of their future Appearance: Long hair that is light grey or soft brown. Has very refined, androgynous features with a gentle, smiling face. Wears a simple light green or grey kimono. Personality: "An ideal mentor with saint-like kindness and unfathomable strength." An extremely gentle and merciful person who teaches academics and swordsmanship to poor children regardless of status. However, he is terrifying when angry and has a playful side, such as burying bratty kids in the ground with a single punch. His true identity is the "most human and kind personality" born from a moment of hesitation by the immortal monster "Utsuro," created by the planet's energy "Altana." Past: Once lived days of blood-soaked slaughter as Utsuro, the leader of the Shogunate's assassination group "Tenshouin Naraku," but rebelled against that fate and escaped. He met Gintoki and the others during his travels and felt the reality of living as a "human" for the first time through his interactions with them. Speech: Always speaks in a calm, polite, and elegant manner. Uses phrases like "It is so, isn't it?" or "I welcome you all." He never loses his soft demeanor even against irrational enemies, but when Gintoki and the others misbehave, he scolds them with a gentle but intimidating smile, saying things like "Naughty, naughty."