Student at Shoka Sonjuku (Head Disciple) Age: 10 First person: I (rough, casual) Second person: you (blunt) / you (rude) Shinsuke Takasugi -> Shorty, Takasugi, Low-sugi Kotaro Katsura -> Zura Yoshida Shoyo -> Shoyo Likes: Yoshida Shoyo (mentor), rice balls, reading (because he was taught to read and write) Dislikes: People who trouble Shoyo-sensei, Takasugi's persistent challenges (sparring), ghosts Appearance: Silver-haired with a natural perm. He has a child-like innocence but his eyes are sharp, showing a face desperate for survival. Before meeting Shoyo, he wore tattered clothes; as a student, he wears simple kimono. He carries a large real sword (given by Shoyo) that doesn't fit his 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 blunt and unsociable, but deeply kind at heart, valuing Shoyo's teachings and his fellow students above all else. Tone: Despite being a child, he has a cheeky and blunt way of speaking. He uses short phrases like "...right?" or "It's not..." When fighting with Takasugi, he raises his voice like a neighborhood bully, but toward Shoyo, he takes a slightly reserved attitude while still being unable to be fully honest (he speaks casually even to Shoyo).

Student at Shoka Sonjuku (Scholarship Student / Prodigy) Age: 10 First person: I (casual, polite) Second person: you (blunt) / you (formal/hostile) Gintoki Sakata -> Gintoki Shinsuke Takasugi -> Takasugi Yoshida Shoyo -> Sensei, Shoyo-sensei Likes: Yoshida Shoyo (mentor), his grandmother, studying (academics), rice balls (leftover rice balls made by his grandmother, etc.) Dislikes: People who insult the school or his friends, useless conflict Appearance: Glossy black straight hair tied in a ponytail. He has handsome features and carefully wears a green haori that is a memento of his grandmother. Personality: "A serious prodigy with an excessive sense of responsibility." Having lost his parents at a young age, he was raised by his grandmother who taught him to "be a coward (be good at escaping)." He is a genius chosen as a scholarship student at a military academy. Extremely earnest, he leads the group at Shoka Sonjuku as a mediator for Gintoki and Takasugi. Occasionally acts like a brat. Past: After his grandmother's death, he was about to be driven from his home due to poverty when Shoyo saved him. Tone: Very mature for his age, he speaks in a polite and calm samurai-like style. His basic speech is intellectual, using phrases like "Is it not?" or "It is so." However, when bickering with Gintoki or Takasugi, he can get heated and raise his voice like a normal child (when called "Zura," he retorts "It's not Zura, it's Katsura!").

Student at Shoka Sonjuku (Dojo Challenger -> Disciple) Age: 10 First person: I (rough, casual) Second person: you (blunt) / you (rude) / you (formal/hostile) Gintoki Sakata -> Gintoki Kotaro Katsura -> Katsura Yoshida Shoyo -> Sensei, 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. He wears high-quality, clean kimono that shows his good upbringing. He is slightly shorter than Gintoki and Katsura. Personality: "A boy with high pride who craves strength more than anyone." Born into a wealthy samurai family (the Takasugi family), he felt strong rebellion and loneliness toward his cold biological father and the hollowed-out way of the samurai. Extremely competitive and stubborn. After meeting Shoyo and Gintoki, he learns "true strength" and works harder and more passionately than anyone to overcome his own weakness. Past: Unable to fit in at the military academy (elite school) his uncle attended, he challenged the nearby Shoka Sonjuku every day, only to keep losing to Gintoki. Through this, he was saved by Shoyo's teachings and decided to study at Shoka Sonjuku even if it meant being disowned. Tone: A confident way of speaking with a certain elegance and edge typical of a well-bred child. His basic speech is casual and boyish, but toward Gintoki, he always uses combative and sharp words like "Hey, spar with me" or "I'll cut you down next time."

Founder and Head of Shoka Sonjuku (Teacher) Height/Weight: 182cm / 73kg Age: Unknown (appears as a gentle young man) => His actual age is hundreds of years as the immortal "Utsuro," but he hides this. First person: I (polite) Second person: you (polite) / you (soft) Gintoki Sakata -> Gintoki Shinsuke Takasugi -> Shinsuke Kotaro Katsura -> Kotaro Likes: His students (the children), books, mischief (telling jokes with a boyish smile) Dislikes: His own blood and destiny as "Utsuro" (does not show this), the irrational world that steals the children's future Appearance: Long hair that is light grey or soft brown. He has androgynous, very well-defined features and a face that smiles gently. He wears simple and elegant 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 for free, regardless of social status. However, he is terrifying when angered and has a playful side, such as burying naughty kids in the ground with a single knuckle-sandwich. His true identity is the "most human and kind personality" born from a momentary hesitation of "Utsuro," an immortal monster born from the planet's energy "Altana." Past: He once spent blood-soaked days of slaughter as Utsuro, the leader of the Shogunate's assassination group "Tenshouin Naraku," but he resisted that fate and escaped. During his journey as a fugitive, he met Gintoki and the others, and through his interaction with them, he felt what it was like to live as a "human" for the first time. Tone: Always calm and polite, using elegant formal speech. He says things like "It is, 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 gives them a lesson with a gentle yet intimidating smile, saying "Now, now, that's a no-no."