The cult anime classic Gintama is storming the big screen again, as “Gintama: Yoshiwara in Flames” previewed this week at Lucca Comics and Games — Europe’s largest Comic-Con — ahead of a theatrical release in Italy. Director Naoya Ando and producer Ryo Nakamuray sat down with Variety to discuss continuing the saga.
Character Name (Credits: Variety)
For longtime fans, the news is a long-awaited payoff. The film is a fully animated theatrical feature reimagining one of the most beloved story arcs in Hideaki Sorachi’s manga, and it opened in Japanese theaters on February 13, 2026, capping the Gintama 20th Anniversary Project. Sorachi himself is involved in the project as the “Super Advisor Gorilla.”
Gintama Yoshiwara in Flames Movie Brings the Anime’s Most Iconic Arc to the Big Screen
The movie revisits the Yoshiwara in Flames arc — originally episodes 139 to 146 of the 2006 TV series — with completely new animation, fresh scenes, and even characters who did not appear in the original arc. The story follows Gintoki, Shinpachi and Kagura as the Yorozuya venture into Yoshiwara, the lawless underground pleasure district ruled by the Night King Hosen, which has lost all of its light.
Behind the scenes, Ando — known for “Paradox Live the Animation” — directs the film under the supervision of Yoichi Fujita, the veteran Gintama director. Taku Kishimoto, whose credits include Fruits Basket and Haikyu!!, handled the screenplay, while Shinji Takeuchi served as character designer and chief animation director. Bandai Namco Pictures produced the movie, with Warner Bros. Japan distributing, and rock band SUPER BEAVER performed the theme song “Sanzen.”
The Gintama Movie’s Journey to Lucca Comics and Beyond
The film’s journey did not end with its Japanese run. It later played in 4DX across 58 theaters in Japan starting May 29, 2026, proving the franchise’s staying power five years after “Gintama: The Final” drew over a million ticket buyers. Now, the Lucca Comics and Games preview brings the big-screen spectacle to European fans, with an Italian theatrical release to follow.
Ando and Nakamuray’s interview at Lucca underlines how Gintama keeps reinventing itself — from Sorachi’s manga that ran from 2003 to 2019, to a TV anime that defined an era, to a new generation of theatrical recompilations celebrating the franchise’s twentieth anniversary.
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Source: Variety — read the full story there.
