The highly anticipated first season of the Gintama spin-off anime, “Gintama: Mr. Ginpachi’s Zany Class,” officially concluded its run on December 22-23, 2025, with its twelfth episode airing on TV Tokyo and streaming platforms globally. The series, which reimagines the beloved Gintama cast in a chaotic school setting, wrapped up with a class reunion scenario that aimed to provide a grand finale to its season-long antics.
Recapping “Gintama: Mr. Ginpachi’s Zany Class”
“Gintama: Mr. Ginpachi’s Zany Class,” known in Japan as 3-Nen Z-Gumi Ginpachi-sensei, is an anime television series adaptation of a popular light novel series by Tomohito Ōsaki, illustrated by Gintama creator Hideaki Sorachi. The spin-off transports the familiar faces of the Yorozuya, Shinsengumi, and other fan-favorite characters into Gintama High School, with Gintoki Sakata reluctantly taking on the role of the titular teacher, Ginpachi-sensei. The series, produced by Bandai Namco Pictures, premiered on October 7, 2025, and aired weekly, quickly becoming a source of new comedic hijinks for Gintama fans.
Throughout its 12-episode run, the anime focused on Ginpachi-sensei’s attempts to manage Class 3-Z, a ragtag group of troublemakers ranging from idol otaku and stalkers to sadists, all while navigating his own indifferent approach to teaching. Episodes typically devolved into chaotic and often meta-commentary-filled scenarios, staying true to the unpredictable humor that defines the Gintama franchise.
The Grand Finale: Episode 12’s Class Reunion
The season finale, Episode 12, aired on December 22 on TV Tokyo and December 23 for streaming audiences, wrapping up the inaugural season. The episode employed a class reunion as its central premise, a common narrative device for concluding school-centric stories. This setup aimed to show what the various Gintama characters had been up to since graduation, leading to a series of comedic reveals about their post-school careers and lives.
Many of the jokes in the finale revolved around anime and video game references, alongside a recurring gag involving recycling advertisements. While some gags landed with viewers, the repetitive nature of certain jokes and a reliance on established character gimmicks were noted by critics. The episode also included callbacks to the original Gintama series, such as Shinpachi working an abusive service job reminiscent of his introduction.
Critical Reception and Looking Ahead
The finale’s reception was somewhat mixed, with some critics expressing a sense of being “underwhelmed” by the conclusion, despite appreciating the funny setup of a class reunion. The episode was described as “a bit of a strange episode to end on,” highlighting how some of the spin-off’s jokes felt less refined compared to the main Gintama series. However, the sheer shamelessness and meta-humor inherent to Gintama were still present, with some moments even attempting a twinge of sincerity before reverting to punchlines.
Despite the varied reception of the finale, the “Mr. Ginpachi’s Zany Class” anime provided a fresh take on the beloved characters, maintaining the core spirit of chaos and comedy that fans expect from the franchise. The series was streamed globally by Crunchyroll and in English in the United States via Azuki’s Anime.com platform, broadening its reach to the international Gintama fanbase. With its foundation in an ongoing light novel series, the future of “Mr. Ginpachi’s Zany Class” as a concept remains open, but the initial anime television adaptation has now officially concluded its first 12-episode run.
