Shōgun episode 9 gave Lady Mariko a major moment and finally delivered the epic yet tragic action sequence the show had been teasing for weeks.

Shōgun episode 9 delivered the fight scene the show had been teasing for years, yet it ended up being a rather tragic moment for Lady Mariko. The last episode before Shōgun’s finale, “Crimson Sky” saw Mariko fulfilling Lord Toranaga’s plan in a mission where death was synonymous with victory. To prove that Ishido was holding important daimyos and ladies in his castle, Mariko publicly confronted the leader of the Regents and ordered him to let her leave Osaka. Upon Ishido’s refusal, Mariko assembled her guards and tried to leave the castle by force.

Although the Shōgun characters have been fighting for power and influence ever since the first episode, the show does not always include fight scenes and other action sequences. Many of the battles that have been fought in Shōgun so far happened without bloodshed, instead involving complex political games. However, for Lord Toranaga’s Crimson Sky to work, sacrifices were going to happen. Mariko died at the end of Shōgun episode 9, but not before being part of an amazing fight scene.

Shōgun Episode 9 Finally Featured A Major Fight Scene For Lady Mariko

Mariko faced dozens of guards

Shōgun had shown Lady Mariko training before, but the series had yet to give her an actual fight scene. Born from a family of samurais, Mariko was raised as a warrior and was proud of her name regardless of what happened to her father. This became much more clear after Toranaga revealed to Mariko the whole truth about her father and told her he would have wanted his daughter to continue his mission. Not only was Mariko proud of serving Toranaga on a mission against Ishido and Oshiba-no-kata, but she was also ready to fight for it.

Character
Actor
Real-Life Inspiration

Yoshii Toranaga
Hiroyuki Sanada
Tokugawa Ieyasu

John Blackthorne
Cosmo Jarvis
William Adams

Toda Mariko
Anna Sawai
Hosokawa Gracia

Kashigi Yabushige
Tadanobu Asano
Honda Masanobu

Kashigi Omi
Hiroto Kanai
Honda Masazumi

Ishido Kazunari
Takehiro Hira
Ishida Mitsunari

Ochiba-no-kata
Fumi Nikaido
Yodo-dono

Even though everything Mariko did in Osaka was part of a ploy to expose Ishido for keeping hostages, she had to fight dozens of soldiers in an intense, stressful scene. Mariko’s men made the first move, but Ishido’s guards soon overpowered her forces. Lady Mariko saw herself alone with nothing but a naginata, yet she continued to fight. It was clear that Mariko would not get through all of those samurai alive, but that did not stop her. Lady Mariko’s family backstory, as well as her loyalty to Toranaga, proved that she was willing to die for the mission.

What Anna Sawai Has Said About Training To Fight In Shōgun

It took between three to four days to shoot the scene

Speaking with The Cut on how her musical background helped her prepare for her acting career, Anna Sawai discussed how her final action sequence in Shōgun came to be. The actor revealed that she only did two rehearsals before getting to the set, yet that she was “totally fine” when it was time to shoot it. Sawai noted that, while her previous experience as part of the musical group Faky helped her with the action scenes, there was a significant difference between performing in a band and “getting into the emotion of a character.”

For the last big action sequence on Shōgun, I remember just doing two rehearsals and then on the day, I was totally fine. So in that sense, it helped the action side of acting, but it’s so different when you’re performing in a band than when you’re on set and getting into the emotion of a character and embodying them.

During an interview for Metro, Sawai revealed that she did not even realize she was chipping a tooth during the filming of Mariko’s big fight scene. The actor explained she was performing the scene with “all the might” she had in her body because she likes to play it safe and make sure “no one’s getting hurt.” Also for Metro, showrunner Justin Marks revealed that Mariko’s fight from episode 9 took from three to four days to shoot, a significant number considering how relatively short it was. This highlights how much effort was put into the scene.

Why Lady Mariko’s Shōgun Fight Scene Was So Tragic

Mariko was outnumbered and ready to die

Although it was great to see an action sequence featuring Mariko after the show teased her abilities during the training sequences, the fight itself was very tragic. Mariko’s battle was hopeless, and her only goal at that moment was to die proving a point. If Mariko was killed trying to leave the Osaka Castle and report back to her lord, the entire realm would know that Ishido was keeping prisoners. This would have disrupted his power and brought chaos into the castle, which is exactly what Toranaga and Mariko wanted to accomplish.

After failing to pass through the remaining guards, Mariko announced that she was going to commit seppuku since she could not honor her duty to her lord. Dying by seppuku would lead to similar results as dying in battle – Ishido was going to be exposed for keeping an honorable lady hostage. Sadly, why Mariko did not commit seppuku after all, she was killed during the attack on the castle at the end of Shōgun episode 9. That said, while Mariko’s death didn’t happen the way she planned, it achieved a similar purpose as she denounced Ishido during the attack.