Hiroyuki Sanada explains the Shōgun series finale and shares his thoughts regarding whether Lord Toranaga really wants to become the new Shogun.

Shōgun star Hiroyuki Sanada comments on whether his character, Lord Toranaga, wants to be the new Shogun. Following a critically-acclaimed 10-episode run, FX’s hit historical drama came to an end this past week, concluding the stories of Toranaga, John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis), and the rest of the Shōgun cast. The miniseries, which adapts James Clavell’s 1975 book of the same name, ends with Toranaga poised to become the new Shogun, a title which he repeatedly denied he was interested in throughout the show.

In a recent interview with THR, Sanada shares his thoughts on the Shōgun series finale and whether Toranaga really wanted the titular title. According to the actor, the character was speaking the truth initially, but the title was ultimately his only means to achieving his grand ambitions. Check out his comments below:

Well, we were very careful never to say clearly if he always wanted it or not. As soon as around episode four, he says he’s not interested in becoming Shōgun — but he says many things for strategic reasons and his real intention is sometimes mysterious. If you ask me, I think that statement is true in this version of the story. Toranaga didn’t specifically seek that position but finally, he needs the title of Shōgun to make his dream of peace come true.

I felt myself relating to this because it kind of overlapped with my position on this production. You know, on all of the movies and TV shows I worked on before, I never wanted or asked for the title of producer. But on this project, I started to feel the limit of what I can say and do behind the scenes as an actor. You know, sometimes I had a strong view on how we should handle something, but I would have some hesitation to say it and I wouldn’t want to hurt other actors’ or crew members’ pride.

Finally, though, they asked me to be a full producer this time. Right away, I felt a big difference between having this title and not having it. I could share my views right away. Everyone would listen, and the production would move forward. Having this title allowed me to help make a much better show. So maybe it was the same for Toranaga. He didn’t really want it. But at some point, he realized the only way to create a peaceful era was to become Shōgun himself.

Toragana’s Grand Plan To Become Shōgun Explained

What Toranaga’s Crimson Sky Really Was

While the series finale doesn’t actually show Toranaga ascending to the role of Shōgun, it makes clear that this is where things are heading. He will eventually best Ishido (Takehiro Hira) in battle, having eroded the warlord’s base of power. Earlier in the series, it was revealed that Toranaga had a grand plan called Crimson Sky, which would see his forces storm Osaka Castle and quickly seize power, culminating with Toragana as Shōgun.

Crimson Sky wasn’t, however, the violent takeover of Osaka Castle that was teased. Instead, the plan was far more subtle and it really only involved one person. As becomes clear in Shōgun episodes 9 and 10, the Crimson Sky plan needed only Anna Sawai’s Lady Mariko to work. Mariko would go to Osaka Castle and force Ishido’s hand. The goal of the plan was to reveal that Ishido was keeping other regents’ families hostage in the castle, and Mariko’s death ultimately makes this clear, significantly reducing his number of allies.

As is seen in the Shōgun finale’s brief flash forward to Toranaga’s battle with Ishido, he will emerge victorious in this twisting battle for political power. Toranaga has consistently out-planned and out-maneuvered his enemies, hiding his true intentions and using those around him as pawns to achieve his aims. According to Sanada, however, Toranaga wasn’t all misdirection in Shōgun, and there was truth to his claims that the eponymous title was not one he wanted at the beginning.