# Gokusen (ごくせん)
**Gokusen** (ごくせん) is a Japanese manga series by Kozueko Morimoto about Kumiko Yamaguchi, a young mathematics teacher who hides the fact that she is the heir to a yakuza family while she takes charge of a class of delinquents at an all-boys private high school. The title is a contraction of *Gokudo Sensei*, literally "Gangster Teacher".[1](https://themanime.org/viewreview.php?id=1578&lang=en)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original manga | Kozueko Morimoto, serialized in *YOU* (Shueisha) 2000–2007, 15 volumes, josei demographic[2](https://manga.fandom.com/wiki/Gokusen) |
| Premise | Kumiko "Yankumi" Yamaguchi, granddaughter of a yakuza boss, becomes a math teacher at the all-boys Shirokin High School and is assigned the worst class, 3-D[3](https://asianwiki.com/Gokusen) |
| Film | *Gokusen: The Movie*, released in Japanese theaters on July 11, 2009[2](https://manga.fandom.com/wiki/Gokusen) |
## Story and characters
Kumiko Yamaguchi, nicknamed **Yankumi** by her students, is the granddaughter of a yakuza boss and the fourth-generation heir to the Oedo group, a yakuza clan. She chooses teaching instead, takes a post as a mathematics teacher at Shirokin High School, and hides her family background from everyone at the school because exposure would cost her the job.[3](https://asianwiki.com/Gokusen) In the manga's own framing, she was born as the heir of the Kuroda group, a feared chivalrous organization, and chose the unlikely trade of high school teacher.[4](https://www.shueisha.co.jp/books/items/contents.html?isbn=978-4-08-619141-8)
She is assigned as homeroom teacher of Class 3-D, a group of delinquents and troublemakers with no respect for teachers. Their leader is Shin Sawada, rumored to have beaten a teacher at his previous school. The students try to bully her into quitting, but she is no ordinary teacher: confident in fighting and backed by yakuza-style loyalty, she defends her students, never tolerates bullying, and gradually wins the affection of the rebellious class.[3](https://asianwiki.com/Gokusen) • [5](https://www.ntv.co.jp/english/pc/2011/03/gokusen.html) The comedy rests on the gap between her dull, jersey-wearing teacher persona and her underworld identity and fighting ability.[5](https://www.ntv.co.jp/english/pc/2011/03/gokusen.html)
## The manga
A 2008 special chapter featured some of Yankumi's former students as working adults.[2](https://manga.fandom.com/wiki/Gokusen) Shueisha later reissued the series in its bunko (paperback comic) format, with volume 1 released on August 18, 2010.[4](https://www.shueisha.co.jp/books/items/contents.html?isbn=978-4-08-619141-8)
## Live-action drama
The third season, *Gokusen 3*, aired 11 episodes from April 19 to June 28, 2008 as Nippon Television's 55th anniversary program, with [Aqua Timez](https://www.edgepedia.org/aqua-timez)'s "Niji" as its theme song, followed by a graduation special on March 28, 2009.[2](https://manga.fandom.com/wiki/Gokusen)
The drama became a social phenomenon and a showcase for young male actors: [Jun Matsumoto](https://www.edgepedia.org/jun-matsumoto) and [Shun Oguri](https://www.edgepedia.org/shun-oguri) played students in the first season, Kazuya Kamenashi in the second, and Yuya Takaki and [Haruma Miura](https://www.edgepedia.org/haruma-miura) in the third.[6](https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2163051/full/) A concluding theatrical film, *Gokusen: The Movie*, directed by Toya Sato, opened in Japanese theaters on July 11, 2009.[2](https://manga.fandom.com/wiki/Gokusen)
## Anime
Madhouse adapted the manga into a 13-episode television anime directed by Yuzo Sato, broadcast on Nippon Television from January 7 to March 31, 2004. Because the manga was still being serialized when the anime aired, the anime covers only part of the story; sources disagree on whether it corresponds to volume 6 or volume 7 of the manga.[7](https://www.comic-zukan.site/works/gokusen) Only one anime season was produced, and it does not share continuity with the live-action productions.[1](https://themanime.org/viewreview.php?id=1578&lang=en)
## Later availability
In June 2026 the drama also arrived on Netflix outside Japan, with all 12 episodes of the first series available.[8](https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/lifestyle/content/990524/gokusen-now-streaming-on-netflix/story/) As of late 2026, [JustWatch](https://www.edgepedia.org/justwatch) listed the show as streaming on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video in the United States.[9](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/gokusen) A first-series Blu-ray box including all 12 episodes and the special was released on March 19, 2025.[10](https://japan-drama.com/gokusen/)
## References
1. [The Gokusen review, THEM Anime Reviews](https://themanime.org/viewreview.php?id=1578&lang=en)
2. [Gokusen, Manga Wiki (Fandom)](https://manga.fandom.com/wiki/Gokusen)
3. [Gokusen, AsianWiki](https://asianwiki.com/Gokusen)
4. [ごくせん 1, Shueisha](https://www.shueisha.co.jp/books/items/contents.html?isbn=978-4-08-619141-8)
5. [GOKUSEN, Nippon TV program catalog](https://www.ntv.co.jp/english/pc/2011/03/gokusen.html)
6. [『ごくせん』第1シリーズが18年ぶりに復活, ORICON NEWS](https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2163051/full/)
7. [ごくせん, コミック図鑑](https://www.comic-zukan.site/works/gokusen)
8. ['Gokusen' now streaming on Netflix, GMA News Online](https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/lifestyle/content/990524/gokusen-now-streaming-on-netflix/story/)
9. [Gokusen - watch tv show streaming online, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/gokusen)
10. [ごくせん, Japan Drama Guide](https://japan-drama.com/gokusen/)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Anime and manga › Manga titles, publishers, and magazines › Seinen and josei manga titles › Comedy and slice-of-life titles*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license