Shogun star Hiroyuki Sanada breaks down the show’s epic finale, Toranaga’s grand plan, the major character death, season 2 chances & Mortal Kombat 2.

Toranaga’s grand plans have finally been revealed in Shogun episode 10. Played by Hiroyuki Sanada, the ruthless and cunning Japanese lord has spent much of the FX historical epic show under suspicion of treason by the other four regents of the country and on the verge of being sentenced to death. With the help of Yabushige, Mariko and John Blackthorne, better known as Anjin in the show, Toranaga has worked to maintain his power in his region while also seemingly looking to avoid war.

The Shogun finale ultimately reveals that, despite his prior comments indicating otherwise, Toranaga was actually scheming to acquire the titular ruler position in the country, using many of his collaborators’ deaths as steps in his plan. It’s also revealed that Toranaga had ordered Mariko to negotiate for the destruction of Anjin’s ship, never intending to let the Englishman leave Japan, and successfully convinced the mother of the country’s sole heir to take his side, thus undermining Ishido’s desire for war and becoming victorious without any more blood spilled. All of this is shared to Yabushige before Toranaga executes him for his betrayal that led to Mariko’s death.

Based on James Clavell’s novel of the same name, Shogun has proven to be one of the biggest TV hits of the year, netting a near-perfect 99% approval rating from critics, with many positive comparisons made to HBO’s Game of Thrones for its layered writing, production values and performances. Also acclaimed in Japan, the show has been a hit on streaming platforms, setting multiple records for Hulu across its 10 episodes in both the United States and Canada.

In honor of the show’s finale, Screen Rant interviewed Hiroyuki Sanada to discuss Shogun‘s ending, breaking down the intricacies of Toranaga’s plan, the death of Yabushige, preventing Anjin from committing suicide, his thoughts on a potential season 2, and his upcoming Mortal Kombat 2 return. Sanada also praised the show’s “great reaction from all over the world“, expressing that the acclaim was “more than expected” for him and the rest of the team.

Anjin’s Attempted Suicide Was Him Finally Recognizing The Nature Of “The Samurai Spirit“

One of the big moments in Shogun episode 10 comes when Blackthorne meets with Toranaga in the hopes of convincing him to stop killing the villagers of Ajiro in his search for the one who destroyed Anjin’s ship, instead offering his life in exchange for everyone else. Much like prior deaths in the show, Toranaga nearly sits back and lets it happen before ultimately intervening, with Sanada explaining this was to be a “test” for Anjin and that he can now use the Englishman as a “great weapon“:

Hiroyuki Sanada: Yeah, he tried to let him go before Osaka, and then after Mariko’s death, he came back, so now, he can be a great weapon for Toranaga, but before that, he needed a test. But it looks like he learned the samurai spirit through all the things [he’s experienced]. Also, he saw the dream when he getting older in England, as an old man watching the samurai helmet, and maybe he thought, “Is that the best way to die? Does long life mean happiness?”

And then he saw how Mariko died with honor, with a mission, it was a meaningful death. So, those kinds of things taught him what is the samurai spirit. What is happiness? What is a good death for him? What is the timing? What is an honorable death for him? So, at that moment, the samurai spirit came into his mind. Then, Toranaga watched, said, “Stop it, enough! Come with me.” [Chuckles]

Given the episode also reveals that Toranaga was the one behind the destruction of the ship, some may be left wondering why the lord didn’t let Anjin kill himself and have one less wildcard to deal with. For Sanada, he believes that Toranaga “never wastes a life“, and instead doesn’t see Blackthorne’s death at the moment as something that would be useful to him:

Hiroyuki Sanada: He needed Anjin and just wanted to test him, so, “Enough, okay, you got it. You passed.” He never wastes a life. Nagakado, Hiromatsu, Mariko, like Toranaga said at the end of eight, “I’ll never waste your death. I will never. Thank you for your loyalty and sacrifice.” That went to Mariko and all others who died on his team.

So never waste, that word is important for Toranaga to keep his strength, keep motivation. It’s very sad, of course, but “I will use your death for the future.” So, those kinds of things are important for Toranaga that he’s always thinking about. He’s always watching the future duckets.

Yabushige’s Death Was A “Very Honest” Moment For Toranaga (Including A Unique Full-Circle Moment For The Two)

Throughout the show’s run, Yabushige has proven to be one of the biggest wildcards in Shogun‘s cast of characters, frequently changing alliances all in the means of self-preservation. This ultimately comes to a head in episode 10 when his involvement in letting the shinobi army into Osaka that led to Mariko’s death is revealed, resulting in an emotional final moment between him and Toranaga before the former commits seppuku.

The scene finds Toranaga openly explaining much of what the future will hold for his plans, including how he ultimately will win the title of shogun without any further blood spilled, much to Yabushige’s shock. Before he explains any further, though, Toranaga notes the pointlessness of explaining the future to a dead man, something Yabushige similarly said about the lord in an earlier episode. Sanada loved the full-circle arc of this dialogue and relationship heading into the finale, and felt that despite Yabushige’s betrayal, Toranaga was ultimately being “very honest” with him:

Hiroyuki Sanada: I think that moment was very honest, because they had a long history of working together, and some kind of friendship there. But, he’s gonna definitely die, so he could explain, even though he’d done a bad thing and killed Mariko, it helped Toranaga, as well. He has to die, by the rules. But, again, “Sad, but thank you, old friend. I’ll tell you something before you die.” But only one thing he didn’t answer. [Chuckles]

And as he said, “Why do I have to explain to a dead man?” That word is from Yabushige. Yabushige told Omi in episode 4 or something, when Omi recommended to Yabushige, “We have to report to Toranaga.” And then Yabushige said, “Why do we have to explain to the dead man?” I forgot the English dialogue, but Omi or some spy told that to Toranaga, so he used the same word to Yabushige. It’s a nice arc. It was Justin’s idea, creating that dialogue arc.

Toranaga Always Intended To Fulfill His “Promise” To Fuji

Amid the various heartbreak and shock reveals in the Shogun finale is a lighter moment in which Moeka Hoshi’s Fuji reveals to Anjin that she has been granted her freedom by Toranaga to become a nun, thus leaving Blackthorne and Ajiro behind. Despite his various trickeries and schemes, Sanada confirms that Toranaga always intended to fulfill his “promise” to Fuji to let her go, feeling that his decision of when came from the fact her job was complete:

Hiroyuki Sanada: He’s always following the “promise”. It was a contract, you know, just half a year. So, if it doesn’t work, release. There was a plan from the beginning, and then it was maybe reported from someone, some spy, that Fuji and Anjin never become husband and wife, really. So, he knew what she was wanting. And then also, she lost her husband and son in episode 1. “That’s enough sadness.” And even though she worked for Toranaga as Anjin’s wife, “That’s enough, good job.” Like Mariko, she’s done her job. “Well done.” But Fuji was done, also, so he gives her freedom. That’s a promise from the beginning.

Sanada Isn’t Sure About A Shogun Season 2 (But Is Open To It On 1 Condition)

With Clavell’s novel being told in its entirety by the end of the show, Sanada feels that a Shogun season 2 could be a risky choice. However, the star isn’t totally against the prospect about returning for another season of the show, provided that co-creator Justin Marks comes up with a good idea for how to keep the story going:

Hiroyuki Sanada: We’ve finished the novel, so we don’t have any more James Clavell novels, but we have real history. The Japanese know what happened after that, so yeah, who knows? Yeah, well, it depends on the idea, I think. Ah, I have no idea [what I want from Toranaga]. We have a model, so I know everything he’s done until he dies. [Chuckles] But it’s an original, fictional entertainment, right? Like season 1, we follow the novel, we don’t follow historical books only. So, it’s a fiction.

Scorpion Could Have A Bigger Role In Mortal Kombat 2 (Provided The Edit Stays True)

In the time between wrapping filming on Shogun and its premiere, Sanada returned to the world of NetherRealm to reprise his role of Scorpion in Mortal Kombat 2. With his role in the first movie serving as more of a “bookend“, Sanada teases that he could be a bigger factor in the sequel, on one key condition:

Hiroyuki Sanada: Yeah, exactly, he was a bookend. 10 minutes and 10 minutes. [Laughs] It all depends on the editing, but yeah, I was there. It was a great reunion on set, most of the cast from the first movie, maybe four or five big new characters in it. The same director, and the same costume designer, it was fun. In the Australia Gold Coast, right after the strike, we started shooting, and we’re all done now.