OVA
Description
Sōji Okita captains the first unit of the Shinsengumi, the special police force active in Kyoto during the late Edo period. Renowned as "The Sword of the Shinsengumi," his exceptional skill stems from training at the Shieikan dojo under Kondō Isami and Hijikata Toshizō from childhood. He is considered the group's strongest warrior.
Born to a samurai family, Okita lost his parents young. Financial hardship led his eldest sister, Mitsu, to place him at the Shieikan around age nine. Initially treated as a servant and bullied severely by older students, Kondō intervened upon seeing bruises, though this worsened the abuse. Okita later requested Kondō stop intervening, reflecting his independent and detached nature. A breakthrough sparring match, where he continued fighting and won despite a head injury, earned him respect and formal training. He rapidly mastered Tennen Rishin-ryū, earning the Menkyo Kaiden by roughly eighteen and becoming the dojo's head instructor.
Physically, Okita is a tall young man, approximately 178 cm, with chestnut-brown hair in a topknot and emerald-green eyes. His typical attire is a distinctive red, gray, and orange haori over green hakama, with white kyahan leg wrappings. On duty, he wears a blue haori and a black-and-white headband. As tuberculosis progresses, he appears in a white sleeping robe confined to headquarters. Later, he adopts similarly colored Western-style clothing.
Okita's personality blends charm, sarcasm, and cruelty. He frequently teases others, especially Hijikata and the protagonist Chizuru Yukimura. He advocates killing Chizuru upon her discovery as a potential witness and repeatedly threatens her life, yet consistently protects her in danger. His moral compass is unconventional: he genuinely enjoys combat and killing perceived Shinsengumi enemies but demonstrates fierce loyalty to comrades, particularly Kondō, whom he idolizes as an older brother. This loyalty fuels jealousy towards Hijikata, seen as Kondō's closest confidant.
His story begins with the Shinsengumi's formation. He participates in key early events, including the assassinations of co-commander Serizawa Kamo and Uchiyama Hikojiro. During the Ikedaya incident, he collapses fighting the demon Kazama Chikage, revealing his tuberculosis. His health deteriorates significantly, often confining him to quarters. Desperate to regain strength to protect Kondō and the Shinsengumi, he consumes the Ochimizu offered by Kaoru Nagumo. This transforms him into a Rasetsu—granting enhanced abilities but a limited lifespan and vulnerability to silver. As a Rasetsu, he fights in key battles, including Kondō's defense and later Shinsengumi campaigns.
After Kondō's execution, a devastated and declining Okita confronts Hijikata but stands down. Learning of an assassination plot against the wounded Hijikata, he intercepts the attackers alone. In his final act as a Rasetsu, with his sword bound to his hand, he eliminates the threat but succumbs to the combined toll of his illness and the Ochimizu's corruption. His body disintegrates into dust, leaving only his sword behind.
The prequel *Reimeiroku* depicts his younger self as withdrawn and emotionally detached, feeling abandoned by his family. His primary drive is proving his worth to Kondō. This arc shows his early struggles to find purpose within the Rōshigumi, leading to reckless killings based on a warped belief that eliminating perceived threats benefits Kondō. His relationship with Yamanami Keisuke is fraternal; acting as Yamanami's second during seppuku causes him profound anguish.
The spin-off *Sweet School Life (SSL)* reimagines Okita in a modern high-school setting, retaining core traits—mischievousness, academic prowess (except in Hijikata's classical literature class), and kendo excellence—without the historical tragedies. He interacts more lightheartedly with Chizuru and others, showing a softer, more emotionally adjusted side. He earns a kendo scholarship, symbolizing a path to fulfillment unavailable in the main timeline.
His signature swordsmanship technique is the Sandanzuki (Three-Piece Thrust), targeting an opponent's neck, left shoulder, and right shoulder rapidly. He historically wielded a Kaga Kiyomitsu katana, which broke during the Ikedaya raid. Legends about him wielding a Kiku-ichimonji are considered unlikely. Historically, Okita died of tuberculosis on July 19, 1868, in Edo, after leaving the Shinsengumi due to illness. He was buried at Senshō-ji Temple.
Born to a samurai family, Okita lost his parents young. Financial hardship led his eldest sister, Mitsu, to place him at the Shieikan around age nine. Initially treated as a servant and bullied severely by older students, Kondō intervened upon seeing bruises, though this worsened the abuse. Okita later requested Kondō stop intervening, reflecting his independent and detached nature. A breakthrough sparring match, where he continued fighting and won despite a head injury, earned him respect and formal training. He rapidly mastered Tennen Rishin-ryū, earning the Menkyo Kaiden by roughly eighteen and becoming the dojo's head instructor.
Physically, Okita is a tall young man, approximately 178 cm, with chestnut-brown hair in a topknot and emerald-green eyes. His typical attire is a distinctive red, gray, and orange haori over green hakama, with white kyahan leg wrappings. On duty, he wears a blue haori and a black-and-white headband. As tuberculosis progresses, he appears in a white sleeping robe confined to headquarters. Later, he adopts similarly colored Western-style clothing.
Okita's personality blends charm, sarcasm, and cruelty. He frequently teases others, especially Hijikata and the protagonist Chizuru Yukimura. He advocates killing Chizuru upon her discovery as a potential witness and repeatedly threatens her life, yet consistently protects her in danger. His moral compass is unconventional: he genuinely enjoys combat and killing perceived Shinsengumi enemies but demonstrates fierce loyalty to comrades, particularly Kondō, whom he idolizes as an older brother. This loyalty fuels jealousy towards Hijikata, seen as Kondō's closest confidant.
His story begins with the Shinsengumi's formation. He participates in key early events, including the assassinations of co-commander Serizawa Kamo and Uchiyama Hikojiro. During the Ikedaya incident, he collapses fighting the demon Kazama Chikage, revealing his tuberculosis. His health deteriorates significantly, often confining him to quarters. Desperate to regain strength to protect Kondō and the Shinsengumi, he consumes the Ochimizu offered by Kaoru Nagumo. This transforms him into a Rasetsu—granting enhanced abilities but a limited lifespan and vulnerability to silver. As a Rasetsu, he fights in key battles, including Kondō's defense and later Shinsengumi campaigns.
After Kondō's execution, a devastated and declining Okita confronts Hijikata but stands down. Learning of an assassination plot against the wounded Hijikata, he intercepts the attackers alone. In his final act as a Rasetsu, with his sword bound to his hand, he eliminates the threat but succumbs to the combined toll of his illness and the Ochimizu's corruption. His body disintegrates into dust, leaving only his sword behind.
The prequel *Reimeiroku* depicts his younger self as withdrawn and emotionally detached, feeling abandoned by his family. His primary drive is proving his worth to Kondō. This arc shows his early struggles to find purpose within the Rōshigumi, leading to reckless killings based on a warped belief that eliminating perceived threats benefits Kondō. His relationship with Yamanami Keisuke is fraternal; acting as Yamanami's second during seppuku causes him profound anguish.
The spin-off *Sweet School Life (SSL)* reimagines Okita in a modern high-school setting, retaining core traits—mischievousness, academic prowess (except in Hijikata's classical literature class), and kendo excellence—without the historical tragedies. He interacts more lightheartedly with Chizuru and others, showing a softer, more emotionally adjusted side. He earns a kendo scholarship, symbolizing a path to fulfillment unavailable in the main timeline.
His signature swordsmanship technique is the Sandanzuki (Three-Piece Thrust), targeting an opponent's neck, left shoulder, and right shoulder rapidly. He historically wielded a Kaga Kiyomitsu katana, which broke during the Ikedaya raid. Legends about him wielding a Kiku-ichimonji are considered unlikely. Historically, Okita died of tuberculosis on July 19, 1868, in Edo, after leaving the Shinsengumi due to illness. He was buried at Senshō-ji Temple.