While FX’s Shogun positions its shadiest character as its own version of a Game of Thrones villain, the Japanese warrior has more endearing traits.

Throughout FX’s Shogun, fans have been privy to a vast array of intriguing characters. At the core of the story is honor, which is why viewers would take to John Blackthorne and Toda Mariko. There is also the theme of politics, which Lord Toranaga leans into.

For those captivated by loyalty, the Lord of Izu, Yabushige, stands out, not because he embodies it, but because he keeps switching allegiances. Interestingly, while many have deemed Yabushige as a spin on Game of Thrones’ Littlefinger, he is actually a much better character that appeals to the most basic human instincts without becoming too cliché.

Yabushige Is More Relatable than Littlefinger

While Littlefinger was very entertaining, he also kept manipulating kingdoms against each other. Littlefinger wanted the throne of Westeros for himself, so he pulled strings, hoping enemies would eliminate each other. With House Stark, the Lannisters and the Baratheons broken, he was keen on marrying Sansa and ruling. However, Littlefinger wasn’t that relatable. Throughout Game of Thrones, Littlefinger needed many dominoes to fall, and thanks to plot convenience and sheer luck, they did. Furthermore, it was a bit far-fetched that various regents kept him around, knowing how backstabbing he was and that his services were always for sale.

The chaos wrought was enjoyable, but Littlefinger felt like too much of a deus ex machina character at times, popping up all over just for the sake of drama. Shogun is a lot more confined, and streamlines its story, with Toranaga’s army present in Ajiro (Yabushige’s territory) or in the Osaka palace. This leaves Yabushige with just two offers on tap. Though he always ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time, it’s also the reason he has to keep switching sides. When he’s in Osaka, he pledges fealty to Lord Ishido, but when he is away from the palace, he bends his knee to Toranaga.

It’s a simple story that finds both Lords keen on pressuring Yabushige. Thus, he is a lot more relatable than Littlefinger, who goes all over Westeros to cause trouble. Yabushige isn’t like this because he doesn’t want ultimate power; he just wants to survive, and hopefully, become wealthier. Seeing Yabushige wanting to be left alone, hating duty, tradition and heritage, is most refreshing as it breaks away from the robotic code of that era.

He ends up with the most human choice in the show, which is why he picks Ishido in the end. In the belly of the beast, this is the only way he can avoid seppuku and killing himself. His ambition is dialed down, versus a Littlefinger who felt exhausting and unrealistic at times. This way, Yabushige doesn’t feel like a composite of tropes and stereotypes as he negotiates an archaic world he feels trapped in.

Yabushige is More Comedic than Littlefinger

What also works in Yabushige’s favor is his comedic dynamic. Littlefinger had some humorous moments, but most of his time was spent worming away at ears with a forked tongue. With others like Varys doing the same, it felt tedious. Yabushige, however, keeps things lighthearted, even when Toranaga and Ishido accuse him of being a spy they can’t trust. He keeps downplaying his services, re-writing his will, and crying to his inner-circle how politics will be the death of him.

Yabushige comes off like the antithesis of Littlefinger, wanting a better world, but not wanting to work for it. It’s evident in how he tries to pass off Blackthorne as his slave, to how he fakes being a victim when assassins come to kill Mariko. He always seeks a shortcut, lacing his scenes with quaint jokes to the point where everyone around him feels uncomfortable. This is Yabushige’s way of deflecting and distracting his mind from the coup, hoping the winner will pick him as a general. That doesn’t mean his decisions aren’t crucial.

Yabushige not trying to help Blackthorne reinforce a door during the shinobi attack is what seemingly leads to Mariko’s death. As such, his arcs of dark comedy do fall into a bubble of gravity and murder, the likes of which followed Littlefinger as he orchestrated deaths on his end. Such an approach keeps Yabushige in the same pocket as Littlefinger, or even Otto Hightower from House of the Dragon. But well-differentiated in that he doesn’t let his reach exceed his grasp.

Yabushige Wants Peace, While Littlefinger Wants Power

In the end, Yabushige wants order and peace. He knows all leaders are flawed, as he fought against Korea with both Lords. He hates how they are egotistical, judgmental and stick to their old ways too much. Thus, people aren’t as free as they should be. This lack of progression and evolution is why Yabushige admires Blackthorne: the English sailor is a break from the norm. This is the kind of society Yabushige wants. Something that isn’t too cosmopolitan or decadent, or forces marriages, or forces people to kill themselves for the throne. He’s just tired of how they have all been manipulated and conditioned to be mindless drones.

Yabushige thinks this will never create a path to peace, internally or externally. Toranaga and Mariko’s father, Akechi, launched a coup in the past. Now, they’re back to square one, with yet another civil war at hand. All Yabushige is left to do is hedge bets on who can calm all this unrest down. With the bigger army, he thinks Ishido is the man to stop history repeating itself. It’s in stark contrast to a Littlefinger who didn’t mind more bloodshed, death and destruction, as long as he got to rule. He never cared about the land or the people; he just wanted absolute power, as seen when he pushed Sansa into an abusive temporary marriage with Ramsay Bolton.

It helps that Yabushige has more charisma, a childlike innocence, and is honest about this journey having no heroes. It inverts the idea of Toranaga’s loyalists doing everything he wishes, with Yabushige being more objective, neutral, independent and a critical thinker. Sure, he is scared of all these ‘bosses,’ but he didn’t dictate circumstances. He inherited this situation and now, has to make the best of it. While Yabushige is still a villain, he’s also a sympathetic one born out of tragedy. Ishido is more insidious than Toranaga, but Yabushige believes his political views, while caustic, will save Japan in the future.

This perspective keeps things balanced and on an even keel, making Yabushige polarizing yet very relevant when it comes to exploring the concept of the lesser of two evils. While Littlefinger injected himself as one of these evils, Yabushige is comforting himself through his funny side and essentially voting. That’s someone who can connect with audiences globally, versus someone like Littlefinger who had military and financial links to back his vision. Ultimately, Littlefinger is a demagogue and a cult of personality, while Yabushige is a man on the ground who just wants what’s best for his people, with the least blood spilled.