Sougo Okita (沖田 総悟)

Okita is the best swordsman in the Shinsengumi. Personality-wise, he tends to be light-hearted and somewhat childish though his speech is heavily deadpan.

He outwardly displays annoyance and dislike for Hijikata, and continuously tries to harm and humiliate him whenever given the chance.

Okita has great affection and fondness for Kondo, who took him under his wings when he was little. He still regards Hijikata as one of his three friends (the other two being Kondo and Gintoki).

He enjoys seeing women fight, finding the ugly looks on their faces as they grab each other being hilarious. He wears a distinctive eye mask when taking a nap during duty, which is a frequent occurrence. At one point, he refers to himself as the best sniper in the Shinsengumi. Although he is a master of kenjutsu, he uses a bazooka more often.

He also regards Kagura as a rival after an unfinished rock-paper-scissors duel during a sakura-blossom party. He states that he'll "be the only one to defeat her," and usually calls her "China."

In the original Japanese manga he likes to end his sentences in "~desaa" and "~desuzee."

In Sorachi's original character design, Okita was a female, and wielded an umbrella. This concept was ultimately given to Kagura.

In the second Shounen JUMP character popularity poll, he ranked 2nd place, just below Gintoki.

In volume 12, Okita's age is revealed to be 18. Despite being under Japan's legal drinking age, in Edo, you can drink alcohol from 15.

His name is based on the historical Okita Souji.