<P> The episodes of the Japanese anime series Gintama were animated by Sunrise . The first 99 episodes were directed by Shinji Takamatsu . Episodes 100 to 105 were directed by Takamatsu and Yoichi Fujita, while following episodes only by Fujita . It premiered on TV Tokyo on April 4, 2006, and finished on March 25, 2010 with a total of 201 episodes . The anime is based on Hideaki Sorachi's manga of the same name . The story revolves around an eccentric samurai, Gintoki Sakata, his apprentice, Shinpachi Shimura, and a teenage alien girl named Kagura . All three are freelancers who search for work in order to pay the monthly rent, which usually goes unpaid anyway . </P> <P> In Japan, Aniplex distributes the anime in DVD format . A total of thirteen volumes were released for the first season, between July 26, 2006 and June 26, 2007 . The second season was released over another set of thirteen volumes between July 25, 2007 and July 23, 2008 . Season 3 was released in thirteen volumes from August 27, 2008 to August 26, 2009 . The fourth season was collected in thirteen DVD volumes from October 28, 2009 to October 27, 2010 . Prior to the series' premier, an original video animation (OVA) of Gin Tama by Sunrise was showing at Jump Festa Anime Tour in 2005 . A ten - minute long OVA named Shiroyasha Kotan (白 夜叉 降誕, lit . "White Demon's Birth"), set in the war between aliens and samurais, was shown in Jump Festa 2008 . On September 30, 2009, it was published a DVD named Gintama Jump Anime Tour 2008 & 2005 which contains the 2005 and 2008 OVAs . </P>

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