Joui 4

Joui 4 is the poly ship between Sakata Gintoki, Shinsuke Takaugi, Sakamoto Tatsuma and Katsura Kotarou from the Gintama fandom.

Canon
Gintoki, Takasugi, Katsura and Sakamoto are all well-known samurai who formerly participated in the Joui War, a civil war caused by the Government's surrender to the Amantos. As they were the strongest warriors from the last generation of samurais who fought against the Amantos, they were dubbed the 'Four Heavenly Kings'.

Each of the Joui 4 earned a unique title during this time. Gintoki was called the 'Shiroyasha' due to his attire and demonic appearance; Takasugi was called the 'Kiheitai Commander' due to his skilful handling of his men; Katura was called the 'The Rampaging Noble' due to his composure during battles; Sakamoto was called the 'The Dragon of Katsurahama' due to his skilled swordsmanship and noble upbringing. These remarkable titles are still used by people today in order to refer to them.

During the early stages of the war, the four were still children. It was during then when Katsura, Gintoki and Takasugi met Yoshida Shoyou, the head of a school by the name of 'Shoka Sonjuku'. The three were touched by Shoyou's welcoming and kind nature and became one of his disciples. Later on, Shoyou was unjustly arrested, which led the three men to revolt in the Joui War, which was where they met Sakamoto, who vomited upon meeting them.

Following the ending of the Joui War, the 4 men separated and went their own ways. Gintoki became the boss of the Yorozuya, Katura became a fugitive leading a Joui faction, Sakamoto became the leader of the Kaientai and Takasugi went across the universe to take vengeance. Despite their separate ways, Gintama, Sakamoto and Katsura remained good friends with each other and occasionally hung out. They even had a reunion with food and beverages. It wasn't until the Rakuyou Arc that the four were finally united after Takasugi's redemption.

Fanon
Although the Joui 4 is a popular platonic ship in the fandom, it is not as favoured as a romantic ship, most people prefer to ship them individually instead of in a polyamory way. This is why some of the fandom's most popular ships are Gintaka and GinZura. Shippers enjoy their complicated and well-written dynamic, as well as their conflicting personalities. In fan material of this ship, Sakamoto is the friendly one, giving kisses and hugs to everyone, Takasugi is the quiet one who rarely reacts, but enjoys the affection, while the other two are in-between.

Fandom
Fan Fiction

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Trivia

 * Between November 6th to November 12th 2017, there was a Joui 4 week event, where fans would send fan arts and edits of the 4.