
Bansai Kawakami, known as Deaf Man is a recurring character in Gintama series. He was the main antagonist of Shinsengumi Crisis Arc and the supporting character of Silver Soul Arc.
Appearance[]
Bansai has a very fashionable style of clothing, which matches his occupation as a producer. He has styled teal green hair and wears a matching tight coat, which reveals his muscles. He is always seen wearing a pair of sunglasses and also headphones with distinctive yin-yang symbols on the sides. When fighting, he can been seen using a sword which is hidden inside a shamisen. The shamisen itself is also a weapon, with which he used its strings to obstruct Sakata Gintoki's movements in Episode 104. He can also play this instrument, meaning that his shamisen serves as an instrument, a sheath for his sword and a dangerous weapon at the same time.
Strength & Abilites[]
Master Swordsmanship Specialist: He is a highly skilled swordsman, as seen in episode 104 when he managed to stand his ground against Gintoki. He can listen into a person's tune, which can be considered a reflection of that person's mood or spirit. This ultimately led him to spare Yamazaki's life instead of killing him, as seen in Episode 105 of the Mutiny Chapter. In the same episode, Bansai told Takasugi Shinsuke that if he can't get into it (the beat/tune), he backs out immediately, because that's how he does things. In combat Bansai also focuses on the rhythm of his opponent, which can be considered a reflection of his opponents' fighting style. Thus Bansai can predict his opponents' upcoming attacks. Bansai is also capable of using the solid thin strings of his shamisen to chain his opponents and tear their limbs off. His speed allowed him to block every single one of Gintoki's attacks and even dodge a direct attack by jumping in the air while chaining Gintoki's limbs with his strings at the same time (despite not being able to read Gintoki's rhythm). However, not just his speed, but also his physical strength is impressive, as he had no problem holding the struggling Sakata Gintoki in place with his strings. He is also capable of fighting while motorcycling.
Bansai's eloquence also makes him a vital part of the Kiheitai. He is in charge of all kinds of negotiations regarding the Kiheitai due to his silver tongue. He can easily convince people and win them over to his side with his clever way with words. Thus he was able to convince the Harusame to support the Kiheitai in their fight against Katsura's men, as well as make Itou and several Shinsengumi officials betray the Shinsengumi.
Aside from his flawless eloquence and his extraordinary combat skills, Bansai is also extremely intelligent. He was able to manipulate each of Itou Kamatarou's actions and made him go against the Shinsengumi, although Itou was a genius who was by far one of the most intelligent people in the entire Gintama series. With that, Bansai caused the death of several Shinsengumi officials, including Itou himself.