Share and Follow
The eagerly anticipated addition of the beloved anime series Gintama to Netflix was expected to be a celebratory event for fans worldwide. However, a critical oversight by the streaming giant has instead left viewers feeling frustrated and disappointed.
On February 15, 2026, Netflix expanded its library in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom by including the remaining 24 episodes of Gintama‘s first season, bringing the total available episodes to 49. While fans were excited to dive into the series, they were met with an unexpected hurdle. The Japanese audio version was uploaded without English subtitles, compelling fans who favor the subtitled experience to settle for the English dubbed version instead.
This issue is particularly perplexing as Netflix’s Asian regions offer the anime with English subtitles. Fans had already raised concerns when the initial set of episodes was released in January 2026, hoping for a resolution with this latest update. Despite these calls for action, Netflix seems to have either overlooked or disregarded the subtitle issue once again, leaving many of Gintama‘s followers disappointed.
Netflix Adds Gintama to Its Anime Library, But With a Major Flaw
This comes even as the anime’s version airing in Asian regions on Netflix has English subtitles. Notably, users had already pointed out this issue when the first batch of the anime was released in January 2026, and many were hoping for a fix with this latest rollout. However, Netflix appears to have ignored or accidentally overlooked the problem once again.
The issue is particularly glaring for a comedy anime like Gintama, where much of the humor relies on specific Japanese puns, meta-references and standout performances by the original cast. The series is particularly known for its ability to shift seamlessly between toilet humor and deeply emotional, high-stakes action.
The English dub provided on Netflix is the version originally commissioned by Hulu in 2019, covering the first 49 episodes. This dub was widely panned by fans for its various issues, including the glaring error of mispronouncing Gintoki Sakata’s name. Interestingly, this initial release on Hulu also featured English subtitles alongside the dub.
Presuming that Netflix sublicensed the series from Hulu, it makes it even more perplexing as to why the subbed version is missing. Meanwhile, switching to English dub only presents a new set of problems for long-term viewers, even if this is their preferred viewing language.
The Gintama Anime Still Lacks a Complete English Dub to This Day
This is because the official English dub for Gintama was never fully completed. Apart from Season 1 of the anime, the next two seasons (Episodes 50-150) were added to Hulu in October 2025 with a new dub. Meanwhile, Crunchyroll handled the dub for the Gintama° season (Episodes 266-316), leaving a gap of over 100 episodes in between.
In other words, even if Netflix does release the rest of the series, fans will eventually be forced to switch back to subtitles regardless of their preference. Other than the ones mentioned above, English dubs for Episodes 317-367 are also available, including the movie Gintama: The Very Final.
Currently, Crunchyroll and Hulu maintain a much larger and more functional library of Gintama for viewers looking for an entry point into the series. Even Crunchyroll’s library is more well-rounded at this time, making these the preferred destinations for the Yorozuya faithful.
Based on the manga by Hideaki Sorachi, Gintama follows Gintoki Sakata, a samurai living in an Edo-era Japan that has been conquered by aliens known as the Amanto. Since its debut in 2006, the anime has seen four main television series and three theatrical films.
Despite the main story concluding in 2021, the world of Gintama continues to expand with new projects that keep the fan base engaged. A new anime adaptation titled Gintama: 3-Nen Z-Gumi Ginpachi-sensei premiered on Oct. 6, 2025, produced by Bandai Namco Pictures. This spinoff reimagines the cast in a high school setting, with Gintoki serving as the eccentric teacher, Ginpachi-sensei. Additionally, a new theatrical project reanimating the “Yoshiwara in Flames” arc was recently released on Feb. 13, 2026.
- Release Date
-
2006 – 2021-00-00
- Network
-
TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TVh, TVQ, TSC
- Directors
-
Yasuhiro Minami, Kazuo Miyake, Shuji Miyahara, Naoki Hishikawa, Ai Yoshimura, Shinya Watada, Matsuo Asami, Shouji Ikeno, Seiki Takuno, Taro Kubo, Tomoaki Koshida, Hikaru Yamaguchi, Hitoyuki Matsui, Hiroyuki Hata, Ko Matsuo, Mamoru Enomoto, Yohei Shindo, Tatsufumi Itoh, Jet Inoue, Makoto Moriwaki, Tatsuma Minamikawa, Hirokazu Yamada, Shigeki Takagi, Shinobu Sasaki
- Writers
-
Shu Matsubara, Taku Kishimoto, Masaki Tachihara, Deko Akao
-
Tomokazu Sugita
Gintoki Sakata (voice)
-
Rie Kugimiya
Kagura (voice)