‘Shōgun’ Fans Reached a Consensus on the Finale

Josh Rosenberg
·5 min read
2
shogun finale
‘Shōgun’ Fans Reached a Consensus on the FinaleFX

Shōgun ended not with a bang but with a great job, everyone! After moving around his loyal chess pieces like Magnus Carlsen, Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) stares into the distance and envisions his long-held dream of becoming the shōgun. Japanese history says a massive battle will take place, but Toranaga knows that his goal is within reach. He is the titular shōgun. Even though the audience knew that all along, the race to the finish was still dramatic as heck.

Some viewers may still feel a little disappointed that Shōgun chose not to depict the Battle of Sekigahara. The FX series received countless comparisons to Game of Thrones throughout its ten-episode limited series, with many fans anticipating that Toranaga would go to war in the finale. However, thanks to a spectacular act of bravery by Mariko (Anna Sawai) in episode 9, Toranaga essentially wins the battle before it even begins. The same event occurs in the 1975 James Clavell novel, which Shōgun adapts nearly in full. While the book grants readers a brief battle epilogue and Ishido’s death, both stories prove that the journey meant more than the destination.

“It would have been nice to see the battle in all its glory, but I also like what they gave us as a finale,” one Reddit user wrote. “This show was never really about the action and spectacle, but more about the characters, and the finale gave them all a great sendoff.”

Many viewers seem to agree. Battle or no battle, Shōgun’s finale did the series justice. Below, check out some of the best fan reactions to the emotional episode.

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