Yato Family

Yato Family is the family ship between Kagura, Kamui, Kouka and Umibouzu from the Gintama fandom.

Canon
Kagura, Kamui, Kouka and Umibouzu are a family of Yato ethnicity. They are one of the few remaining Yato families in the universe and is the only family of Yatos shown in the series. Despite their happy beginnings, the Yato family is currently separated and has an estranged relationship with one another. Fortunatly though, following the Rakuyou arc, the family is starting to reconnect their bonds and recover their relationship to its former state, albeit very slowly.

In the appearance aspect, Kamui and Kagura is shown to have gotten almost, if not all of their physical attributes from their mother Kouka. Such as, their Vermillion hair colour, ocean blue eyes and fair skin. Due to this, the three have all been praised for their beauty. Interestingly, before the character design for Kamui was revealed, the anime staff used black for his hair colour in an ending song, which is similar to his father's.

In the personality aspect, Kamui is more similar to his father, while Kagura is more similar to her mother. For instance, in chapter 599, Abuto remarks that the father-and-son duo are both very determined. It was also remarked by Kouka that the young Kamui, like his father, was horrible at lying. They were also both willing to sacrifice themselves and their family just to save Kouka. It is seen that Kagura bears some resemblance to Kouka with their ideologies. At the end of the siblings' fight in chapter 589, Kamui sees Kagura as Kouka while he lays on her lap to rest after he realises the importance of family, something Kouka valued very much.

Before Kouka's passing, the family had an intimate relationship like most others. Kamui would often take care of Kagura and Kouka in replacement for their father, whom often leaves to find a cure for Kouka's sickness. The siblings were bullied by others and had to fought back through force, which Umibouzu condemned as he believed that the strong Yato species shouldn't be bullying those weaker than them. This led the bullying to continue for a long period, with the two siblings getting more hurt. Eventually, Kamui started to question his father's teachings as his mother's health deteriorated. Their relationship reached it's turning point as soon as Kamui learnt the reason for his mother's illness was actually because of his father's marriage to her, which enraged Kamui and as a result led him to attempt to bring his mother back to her original planet and provoke a fight with Umibouzu.

During the fight, Kamui chopped off Umibouzu's entire arm as he tried to show Kamui his discovery. The teen then told him he'll do whatever it took to bring Kouka to leave with him, including chopping off his father's arm. Umibouzu consequently tried to kill Kamui, stopping only when Kagura interrupted their fight.

Since departing from his home, Kamui has always claimed that he despised and cared nothing of his family. Such as, calling Kagura a 'weakling' that he has no use for. However, it's clear that his love for them is still there, deep down in his heart. During the Rakuyou Arc, Gintoki tried and succeeded to prove this when he saw him hesitate to punch Kagura in the face while she was defenceless. It is likely that the position she was in at that time reminded him of a scene from his childhood in which Kagura was standing up for him to some bullies.

Quotes
"If you want to blame something, blame me for not realising how your mum felt. But even if I had realised that back then, I would've...you're mum would've probably chosen the same path. If she would still be able to meet you kids."

- Umibouzu to Kamui, explaining why he had left the planet with Kouka in chapter 581.

"I'd thought that if I could become strong like that man, then I'd be able to protect my family. But the one that made Mum suffer, was none other than us, her family."

- Kamui's inner thoughts in chapter 581.

"I learned, along with my own weakness, that I could not protect that person. Nor could that man protect that person. And that we, our family, could not save that person."

- Kamui's inner thoughts in chapter 581.

"The one who said to get stronger to protect the family was you, wasn't it? So even if I have to tear you arm off, I'm bringing mum with me. Even if we're not a family anymore, I'm going to protect her."

- Kamui to Umibouzu, chapter 582.

"Kouka, I even let you, an immortal, die. I was an idiot of a husband. But there are somethings an idiot like that can do. Please, lend me your strength, so I can protect our family."

- Umibouzu's inner thoughts to Kouka, chapter 582.

"Both me and that man cannot go back. And that person, our mother, is gone. So until one of us falls, we're not finished."

- Kamui to the Yorozuya about Umibouzu, chapter 584.

"I still haven't thrown it away? That name."

- Kamui's inner thoughts about his former self, chapter 586.

"Kagura, thank you for always staying with me. With you around, I'm sure our family...will be okay."

- Kouka to Kagura, chapter 588.

"The man that, unable to be by that person's side and watch over her as she suffered, left her side. Or the man that could not acknowledge his cowardice and blamed that man for everything and did nothing but try to escape down the path called fighting. like hell I'm losing to them. Or you, that even when left all alone, stayed by that person's side and even when we were split apart kept trying to fight next to us, your family. A big brother can't just keep losing to his little sister, right?"

- Kamui to Kagura about their family.

"Welcome...home...Kankou...Kamu...I...all four...of us...are finally...back together...aren't we, Kagura? A family...really has...to stick together...Now...we...can all...go...to Earth...together..."

- Kouka's last moments, chapter 589.

"No matter...how far you ran, No matter...how far away you were you could not shake free. Kamui, you are mummy's...our family!"

- Kagura to Kamui, chapter 589.

Fanon
The Yato Family is one of the most popular family ships in the Gintama fandom with it being the centre and secondary focus of three arcs in the story, such as, the Umibouzu Arc, the Yoshiwara in Flames Arc and one of the most important arcs in the series, the Rakuyou Decisive Battle Arc. However, it was only until the Rakuyou Arc that the ship started to grew in popularity, with it exploding during the arcs' climax.

It is noted by fans the importance of the Yato Family in the series as it correlates to one of the main themes of Gintoki and Kagura, family. During Gintoki and Kamui's fight, the former states how they're similar in their beginnings, in which they both had once lost everything. However, Gintoki soon found himself people to call friends and family plus a home, and realised how he was just running away from his weaknesses while Kamui never did so. Kagura also has a flashback with Kouka, in which she tells Kagura the importance of a family. This reminds her of her found family of the Yorozuya.

Romantic
The ship name between the characters Kouka and Umibouzu is KanKou.

Fandom
FAN FICTION