Summary
Shōgunstar Takehiro Hira addresses his return as the villainous Ishido. Hira had a steadily increasing presence in the first installment of the acclaimed FX series, positioned as the opposition to Hiroyuki Sanada’s Toranaga. Although the adaptation of James Clavell’s novel seems to put the two characters on a collision course,Shōgunseason 1 endedwith the implication that Toranaga and Ishido never meet on the battlefield.
In an interview withThe Playlist, which also discusses Hira’s role inCaptain America: Brave New World, the actor touched on Ishido’s fate if more seasons ofShōguncome to fruition. Given that Ishido, like other characters on the show, is based on a real-life figure, Hira was asked whether he would reprise his role. Hecasts doubt on the possibility, noting that it depends on the direction the writers decide to take.Read his response below:
Well, if the drama goes on with the time sequence as they did in season one, my character Ishido Kazunari would be executed after the Battle of Sekigahara.
He’s not dead yet. So, hopefully, I will survive the series, but the history tells me otherwise. So, I can’t do much about that.
Takehiro Hira’s Response Touches On Potential Hurdles Of More Shōgun
The Show Will Have To Continue After Its Distinctive Conclusion.
Shōgunseason 2does have a potential avenue due to how one of its most crucial scenes unfolds. Toranaga tells Yabushige (Tadanobu Asano) how his battle with Ishido will unfold and how Ishido is essentially a dead man walking after losing the support of Ochiba (Fumi Nikaido). Butthe scene could be read as a flash-forward or, more simply, Toranaga’s idealized version of what could happen.If it’s the latter option, that gives the series more room to explore the story between Toranaga and his rival.
Shōgunstands out because it sidesteps the expected climatic battle and finds something equally stirring in its character-based conclusions.
The bigger question remains whetherShōgunshould return for more seasons. It was explicitly set up as a limited series, which led FX to adjust after itshifted plans to produce more seasons following its critical and viewership success. As it stands, creators Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks and their team of writers are working on getting a second and third season of the popular historical saga off the ground.
Our Biggest Worry About Shogun Season 2
At first glance Shogun season 2 sounds like a dream come true but a reduced timeline and lack of source material may impact the series' quality.
Still, there are reasons to be concerned about those efforts. There are a lot of examples, perhaps most notably HBO’sBig Little Lies, of shows that returned after initial success but failed to capture the momentum of the initial story. Though the conflict between Ishido and Toranga is part of that initial story,Shōgunstands out because it sidesteps the expected climatic battle and finds something equally stirring in its character-based conclusions. Revisiting the story could dent that memorable and widely-lauded approach.
Shogun
Cast
Shōgun, released in 2024, is set in Japan during 1600 at the onset of a significant civil war. It follows Lord Yoshii Toranaga as he battles political adversaries on the Council of Regents, while a European ship mysteriously appears in a nearby fishing village, complicating the tides of power.
