Unosuke Harada is a captain in the Shinsengumi, known for his big build, bald head, and beard. He's a regular side character from "Gintama," most famous for being one of the few captains whose name and face are both known. Harada is friendly with fellow officer Sagaru Yamazaki and often teams up with Toushirou Hijikata. He enjoys movies, used to smoke, but has quit, and usually stays calm and easy-going, even in strange situations. In different "Gintama" adaptations, his rank sometimes changes, and his name is based on a real historical Shinsengumi member.
Unosuke Harada is tall and strong-looking.
He has a shaved, bald head and a thick beard.
His face might look a bit scary at first, but he is not a mean person.
Unosuke Harada is friendly and has a laid-back attitude.
He is known to be calm, even when things get weird or chaotic.
He is close friends with Sagaru Yamazaki, even though their Shinsengumi ranks are different.
He has a fun sense of humor and can even joke around during serious moments.
Unosuke used to smoke in the past but has chosen to quit and is successful at staying smoke-free.
He often works together with Toushirou Hijikata and rides in his car when they are out on missions.
Unosuke shares a close friendship with Sagaru Yamazaki.
He once watched the movie “Alien vs. Yakuza" with Toushirou Hijikata, and both were so moved by the movie that they cried together.
He will quickly help out other Shinsengumi members when someone reports trouble.
Unosuke Harada is the captain of the Shinsengumi’s 10th squad.
He is one of the only squad captains, besides Sougo Okita, whose name and face are clearly known in the show.
In early sketches, his look was even more funky.
His name comes from the real historical Shinsengumi 10th captain, Sasunosuke Harada.
Unosuke Harada shows impressive “ignore skills” by pretending not to hear Gintoki Sakata’s requests, which sometimes gets him out of trouble.
In both the anime and manga, Unosuke is the Tenth Squad Captain, but in the first live-action movie and TV drama, he is shown as just a regular officer.
Later live-action adaptations give him back his captain title.
His name was first shown in a single panel explaining character settings.
In the anime, while other captains were called "Officer A" or "Officer B" in the credits, Unosuke was called by his proper name.
Watching Movies and Being a Good Friend
Unosuke Harada and Toushirou Hijikata went to see the movie “Alien vs. Yakuza.”
The movie touched both of them so much that they ended up crying together.
Shinsengumi Rebellion Arc
During the Shinsengumi Insurrection Arc, Toushirou Hijikata starts acting weird because of his otaku side “Tosshi.”
While patrolling, Unosuke is called by Gintoki Sakata to report the strange behavior.
He immediately goes to Isao Kondou to help.
When he gets there, Gintoki tries to hand over a bill for catching Toushirou, and Unosuke steps in to take it instead.
He jokes, “Curses, Kamotarou Itou!” and jumps into the action.
After things settle, he asks the Yorozuya to hand over Kamotarou Itou, who is badly hurt.
Differences in Adaptations
In manga and anime, Unosuke is always the captain of the tenth squad.
In the first live-action movie and TV drama, he is just a regular soldier and appears mainly at the beginning.
He can be seen boarding an enemy ship later along with other officers.
In the second movie and drama, he is back as the tenth squad captain and plays a bigger role.
He is shown being blasted with a bazooka with Sagaru Yamazaki and fighting rebels with bravery.
Unosuke was the only squad captain aside from Sougo Okita whose name and face were both known for a long time.
This changed in manga chapter 488, where a second captain was finally introduced.
He is easily recognized because even in the credits, he is called by his family name, not just “Officer.”
His place in the Shinsengumi is an homage to the real Tenth Squad captain, Sasunosuke Harada.
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