Shinsuke Takasugi

Shinsuke Takasugi is a character from the Gintama anime and manga.

A former comrade of Gintoki and Katsura during the Joi War and leads a radical branch of the Anti-Foreigner Faction called the Kiheitai (Demon Soldiers Army) and is known amongst the Shinsengumi as one of the most dangerous criminals around. After the war ended, he vanished and has since gained a deadly reputation due to his assassination of many of the Bakufu's main officers.

Unlike Katsura, he believes that the only way to save the country is to destroy the "rotten" post-Joi war world. His resentment and overwhelming spite drove him to strike a partnership with the Harusame Space Pirates in order to eliminate the Bakufu.

Appearance
Takasugi has short, black hair with dark-purple highlights, often appearing pure dark purple in some shots. He wears a bandage covering his forehead and left eye and is usually seen wearing a yukata with a design dependent on the medium and occasionally a haori jacket to go with. He is usually seen smoking a thin pipe called kiseru when gazing from his boat's windows. He has also been seen playing the shamisen and wearing a sedge hat.

In the Class 3-Z universe, Takasugi wears the standard school uniform but has unbuttoned it to reveal a crimson red shirt underneath. He wears a more standard, medical eye patch and he doesn't seem to smoke in this universe.

As a samurai in the Joui war, he wore a low-collared black vest under a long coat lined with violet cloth and patterned with gold-colored lines. He wore black pants and boots and a white obi. Like his companions, he also adorned his head with a long strip of white ribbon.

As a child, he wore a light green kimono with a diamond pattern trimming the edge. Over it, he wore a violet or crimson haori with no design.

Personality
A ruthless man, Takasugi is defined by his tenacity towards destroying the world. A very charismatic individual, all of his soldiers willingly trust and assist him in his desire. However, it's very clear that he is not exactly the most stable person around and he openly admits it; often comparing himself to a beast, Takasugi is driven by anger and guilt that is seen through every action he takes. He rejects the change of the world and refuses to see anything but the path of total destruction, willing to kill even his subordinates if they defy him or get in his way even by accident. His cold nature is widely feared by those who respect him.

Most of his bitterness originates from the loss of his mentor Yoshida Shouyou, as Takasugi wants to destroy the world that took away his teacher. The idea to take revenge for his teacher's death clouds his mind and it's what drives him to be antagonistic towards Gintoki and the Bakufu, for it was during the Kansei Purge that his teacher was killed. He blames himself and his comrades for being too weak to save Shouyou and ending up being the ones who killed him.

It's unknown how he gets along with Sakamoto now, but he was fond of him during the war.

Generally though, Takasugi is quiet and more of a listener than a speaker. Like some other antagonists, Takasugi tends to appear randomly, but unlike others it's usually cameos or the like. He rarely ever takes action himself, using caution and tricks to his benefit and often being uncannily apathetic about things. He appears to be avidly watching those around him and he was quite aware of Itou Kamotarou's desire to have friends, Okada Nizou's desire of destruction, and being very receptive to the opinions of others since most of his men were recruited with similar ideologies in mind.

However, Takasugi has a peculiar tendency on humoring people, suggested by Gin or up front, despite his otherwise threatening persona. For instance, despite his antagonism towards Gin, Gin himself believed he would be one of the few to send a geniune New Year's card in chapter 294, wishing a Happy New Year and making note that he will "destroy everything this year as well", written like a threat. He also dropped by and humored the jailed and broken Kada twice, guessing at "Odds and Evens", and even slipping up and calling Admiral Abou "Admiral Aho (Stupid)" like everyone else during the events of Lessons 310 and 311. It was also easy for Gin, Katsura, and Sakamoto to believe he wrote them letters about Yakult that were ridiculous enough for them to question his leadership. Furthermore, Henpeita said he once ordered for the Kiheitai a large amount of Yakult and shirako because he couldn't show up for the New Year's party.

As a child, Takasugi was largely stubborn and desiring strength, something that can still somewhat be seen. He constantly sparred with Gin even when heavily wounded, battling day after day until he won and then continuing on after Gin's own suggestion. In the Joui army days, although he seemed largely concerned about Shouyou and rescuing him, he was always childish with Gin and often fought with him, largely over petty things like choosing a geisha or playing kick the can.

In the 3-Z Universe, his taste for destruction is heavily downplayed, turning into a simple case of absolute defiance. He's still quiet and commanding of his gang, but he's been seen balancing on his chair with his feet kicked up and onto his desk (see picture). He also refused to become the lead singer of Bansai's band due to "attending abacus class", despite the fact he just returned from an excessively long suspension and tending to show no interest in class.

Since the Reunion arc, he has been known for having an affection for Yakult. Although it was only mentioned in a passing set of jokes, it has made a large impact as prior to it: Takasugi lacked any kind of "features" (catchphrase, favorite food, obsession, running gag, or so on) like the other characters, so when given the chance, it became quite popular.

Abilities
Master Swordsmanship Specialist: He's an excellent swordsman, being a perfect equal to Gintoki despite the other's own capabilities and skill. Although he usually strays from battling, he can take on armies by himself and can win battles. Takasugi uses a katana, which he always carries with him, a shikomizue, which is a kind of concealed blade that, while lacking the tsuba, or guard, has a casing made of wood and on first glance isn't much different than the kind of sword Gin wields. However, Takasugi's sword has an actual blade.

Charisma and Leadership: Just like his fellow Heavenly Kings, Takasugi was shown to be a charismatic leader. This is best shown during the war that despite being in his teens, he created and commanded his own personal force and was greatly known for his battle strategies. For the new Kiheitai, most of Takasugi's subordinates, including his closest, seem to have been won over by Takasugi's words, not actions. He recruited most of his men by finding those with similar ideas to him and brought up his goal of destruction to them, promising to assist if they desired the same. It's known that he did this to Okada Nizou, and it can be inferred that Matako was also pursued through a similar method. Despite how outlandish the goal is, there is not a single person who doubts his power.

Takasugi also holds some ability in playing the shamisen, as he has been seen playing it alone and with Bansai. It might just be a hobby of his.

Trivia

 * Takasugi Shinsuke is based on the real Kiheitai leader Takasugi Shinsaku, a samurai who founded and commanded the Kiheitai in an effort to fight against the Bakufu. His actions eventually lead to the Meiji Restoration, but he died before he could see it through, which mirrors the final events of the Gintama series.
 * In all versions of Episode 150 he appears as the final enemy, in a battle against Gintoki while Edo is burning, but this is proven false because he joins forces with Kamui.
 * In the manga, Takasugi's yukata is a complicated pattern of mountains, flowers and fog, but in the anime it was turned into a very simple-looking yukata with yellow butterflies and a "fog" of yellow at the very end. His jacket, however, remains a constant: a dark green jacket carefully patterned with gold swirling lines.
 * In the popularity poll, Takasugi is placed 4th in the first and second popularity poll and in 5th during the third popularity poll which makes him one of the most popular characters even though he barely appears. Furthermore, although Takasugi is often brought up, is the largest known villain, holds a connection with most of the main characters, and holds probably the most destructive potential, he never appears in any filler episode content unless in flashback or as a joke. As such, other characters take his place when he's needed: Madao dresses up as him in the Popularity Poll arc, Katsura in the second movie, and Henpeita when Takasugi is away or somewhat important to the plot.
 * However, in chapter 454, Matako outright states that no one told Takasugi that a reunion was being held, so it could be said his previous absences are simply because of communication failure.
 * A part of his popularity may come from his Japanese voice actor in the show: Koyasu Takehito, who has voiced well over four hundred characters and is currently one of the most prolific voice actors around.