Shogun Season 2: Returning Star Hints At Character’s Imminent Demise

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The upcoming episodes of Shogun are starting to diverge from the original novel, and one of the actors returning for season 2 thinks this means their character won’t survive much longer. The FX series, which is based on James Clavell’s book, portrays a dramatized version of the late 1500s in Japan, a time of conflict following the death of the ruler, known as the Taikō. This led to a power struggle between the country’s leading officials.

Originally intended as a limited series, Shogun proved incredibly popular on FX and Hulu, even winning an Emmy for Best Drama – a first for a Japanese-language show. Because of its success, the show has been renewed for two more seasons. The first of these new seasons will start filming in Vancouver in January, with Hiroyuki Sanada and Cosmo Jarvis returning as leads. Most of the writers from the first season will also be back.

Takehiro Hira will be back as Ishido Kazunari in season 2 of Shogun. His character is a major rival to Lord Toranaga and wants him eliminated. However, in a recent interview with ScreenRant, Hira hinted that his role in the new season might be smaller than it was in season 1.

Hira admitted he had only watched the first episode of season two during the interview and couldn’t say much about what happens next. However, he hinted that his character wouldn’t be around for much longer, referencing the historical events that inspire the show. While the series doesn’t perfectly match real history, Hira explained that, given what happened to the historical figure Ishido, his character’s survival is unlikely.

As Hira mentioned, the character Ishido Kazunari in Shogun is based on a real historical figure, Ishida Mitsunari, who lived from 1559 to 1600. He died soon after the Battle of Sekigahara, where his army was defeated. The show’s season finale hinted at this battle, with Toranaga – based on Tokugawa Ieyasu – predicting his win to Yabushige before Yabushige’s death.

Although the first season appeared to be building towards the Battle of Sekigahara, it was already known that season 2 would take place ten years later. This means the show will likely skip the battle altogether, and move past the defeat of Mitsunari and Ishido. That makes the return of the character Hira particularly interesting for the new season.

Season one mostly followed events in order, but it did include some scenes jumping forward and backward in time. This technique could be used in season two of Shogun to show how Hira eventually appears. This approach would be a fresh way to depict the Battle of Sekigahara – which lasted roughly two to four hours according to historical accounts – and also allow the show to develop Hira’s character and the stories of others whose destinies are known by the battle’s end.

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2025-11-22 03:58