If you’ve been keeping up with the FX original series Shōgun, you’ve likely got a few unanswered questions and big theories floating around after catching the thrilling conclusion to the show’s first season. The series, which recently took home well over a dozen Emmy Awards in both the creative and prime-time categories, has been turning heads since it first premiered in February 2024. Some fans hail it as the best new show on television. While the tenth and final episode of season 1 masterfully wrapped up the story arcs of each main character, many viewers are still wondering what’s next for Yoshii Toranaga and company.
Luckily, we’ve got you covered. Here’s a comprehensive look at Shōgun‘s first season, a recap of key moments from the finale, and a look ahead at the future of the Shōgun franchise. As you can likely anticipate, there will be heavy spoilers for the entirety of Shōgun season 1 ahead, as well as some educated speculation regarding the next steps the show may take. So, if you’re concerned about spoilers, bookmark this page and return after streaming it in its entirety via Disney+ or Hulu. With no further preamble, let’s dive right in, and explain the tumultuous ending of Shōgun season 1.
How Does Shōgun Season 1 End?
As stated, Shōgun does an excellent job at wrapping up the story arcs for its main characters. The season finale opens on the Council of the five Regents as they unanimously agree to declare open warfare on Toranaga. As we learn in a private discussion between Toranaga and Yabushige, the former has set in motion a plot to overthrow the Regents and lead Japan as the nation’s Shōgun and sole ruler. This is for the first time since the passing of the Taikō in the series premiere. While the audience isn’t treated to a visual spectacle in the battle of Yoshii Toranaga vs. the five armies, it seems clear that the complex protagonist is destined to win. Given his exceptional political leverage and powerful army of loyal soldiers, it’s a clear possibility.
Furthermore, we learn in the finale that Toranaga was responsible for ordering the destruction of the Erasmus as a means to prevent Blackthorne from leaving Japan and returning to his home country of England. Blackthorne desperately tries to salvage what remains of his vessel during the final moments of the Shōgun season finale, as Toranaga watches from afar, pleased with his own handiwork. As the credits roll on the exceptional season of television, it seems as though Toranaga is closer than ever before to becoming the Shōgun. Toranaga is ushering in an era of peace, despite all the gruesome bloodshed that it took to get this far.
What Happens To John Blackthorne?
Though it isn’t explicitly stated within the narrative of Shōgun, Blackthorne’s return to England is unlikely. This is not only due to the destruction of his ship, but also hinted at during the opening sequence of the season finale. In this sequence, which seems to be a flash forward at first, we see an elderly Blackthorne recounting his tales of fighting alongside so-called foreign savages during the events of the series. The scene implies Blackthorne’s escape from the island nation. However, he later lets go of the cross in the sea. This suggests that his vision for the future was simply a dream.
In actuality, Blackthorne ultimately becomes a pawn in Toranaga’s scheme. The latter uses John’s life as political leverage to keep Portuguese Catholics out of Japan. The English Protestant may never learn the true nature of what happened to the Erasmus. Though if the series continues adapting the events of real life history, Blackthorne may be heading for a greater purpose within Japan’s borders than he ever could have imagined.
Is Shōgun Based On A True Story?
The FX original Shōgun series is based on a 1975 novel of the same name, written by famed Australian-American author James Clavell. While the novel is not a genuine historical account, it does take great inspiration from the narratives and lives of real life figures such as William Adams and Tokugawa Ieyasu. These two figures serve as the basis for characters like John Blackthorne and Yoshii Toranaga respectively. Like Blackthorne, William Adams was a thrill-seeking explorer who travelled from England and sailed the world, eventually serving as a samurai for Ieyasu’s Tokugawa Shogunate. While Shōgun could certainly take some creative liberties with the narrative, and push the story into any number of bold new directions, the first season remains fairly loyal to its written source material. Super-fans can use their knowledge of true history to make predictions about the future of the show.
Will Shōgun Return For Future Seasons?
When Shōgun was initially pitched to FX by husband and wife producer duo Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks, the show was designed to be a miniseries, airing a single concise season with a planned conclusion in episode 10. However, the series performed so well with critics and audiences alike upon its premiere that network executives immediately began reevaluating their plan for the show’s future. Since concluding its first season run in April, Shōgun has officially been renewed for a second and third season. The show’s plot will extend far beyond the scope of Clavell’s original book.
In fact, Chairman of FX Networks John Landgraf has weighed in on the production of season two during a recent discussion with Deadline, explaining “We’re moving forward. Scripts are coming in, outlines are coming in. We are trying to figure out where we’re going to shoot it, whether we’re going to shoot in the exact same manner and place we did before or whether we’re going to make some changes. I’ve always wanted to shoot in Japan. We tried really hard to figure out how to shoot this show in Japan. It is complicated because of the scale of the stage base and the scale of the production capacity there is just a little different.” The recent flurry of Emmy Awards for the show has definitely made production on season 2 a high priority at FX, so fans can expect to hear more about the preproduction process very soon.
