Sadly, all great things must come to an end, and the FX miniseries Shōgun is no exception. The epic series, based on the book of the same name by James Clavell, premiered on February 27, 2024, and established itself as the first Game of Thrones-level television event of the year, raking in 9 million streaming views in its first week. It follows the fictional story of Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada), a 17th-century Japanese lord who is pulled into a battle of wits as his enemies conspire to take away his power and have him killed. If he dies, all his allies will likely be executed with him, including British sailor John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) and translator Toda Mariko (Anna Sawai).
Although the April 23 season finale brought the stories of Toranaga, Mariko, and Blackthorne to an end, fans are hoping for any chance that the series' gorgeous, brutal, intricate depiction of 1600s Japan could return. As it turns out, FX also may not be ready to let go of its new mega-hit series. Below, here's what we know so far about the future of Shōgun.
What happens at the end of 'Shōgun?'
Shōgun followed the looming war between Toranaga and his vassal lords and Ishido Kazunari (Takehiro Hira) and Ochiba-no-kata (Fumi Nikaido), mother of the country's Heir—and by the end of the finale, all of the season's big questions were answered.
Following Mariko's sacrifice at Osaka Castle in the penultimate episode, the other members of the Council of Regents turn against Ishido. He also loses Ochiba, who was childhood friends with Mariko, and becomes enraged that he had her killed. Because of that, Ochiba sends a secret note to Toranaga promising that her son's military will not join Ishido's at war. Without the backing of the Heir, the rest of the Council is expected to turn against Ishido, and Toranaga will easily win the battle and become the de facto leader of Japan.
Meanwhile, Blackthorne is utterly devastated by Mariko's death. He's allowed to return to Toranaga in Edo, but he learns that Mariko made a deal with the Portuguese Catholics. Instead of killing Blackthorne, they torch his ship — leaving him with close to nothing, as now both Mariko and his ship are gone, as well as his consort Fuji (Moeka Hoshi), who announces that she's going to become a nun.
However, when Blackthorne goes to Toranaga to ask for permission to kill himself, the bushō has other plans: He tells him to rebuild his ship and resume his role as captain of Toranaga's war fleet.
Then, in the final scene when Toranaga lays out his plan to the soon-to-be-executed Yabushige (Tadanobu Asano), the warlord reveals that he was the one to burn Blackthorne's ship, at Mariko's request. Toranaga also admits that he kept the anjin around just because he amused him.
As the 1980 adaptation of Shōgun centered Blackthorne's character so much so that the Japanese dialogue wasn't translated, it's a nice note to end on, illustrating how much the Englishman was a relative non-factor.
Could there be a 'Shōgun' season 2?
Despite originally being billed as a miniseries, Shōgun's immense success seems to have FX reconsidering the show's fate. On May 10, Deadline reported that Hiroyuki Sanada has "closed a deal" to return as Lord Yoshii Toronaga for a future season.
According to the outlet, "Other elements are still being worked out and deals are being finalized as part of an effort by FX to take Shogun to a second season in light of the big commercial and critical success of the limited series."
While season 2 has yet to be officially ordered, Deadline reports that FX is in talks to decide whether the series will be submitted for consideration at the 2024 Emmys as a limited series or a drama. The entry window closes at the end of the month, which means more news on the show's future is likely coming soon.
What could happen in 'Shōgun' season 2?
It's hard to guess where Shōgun season 2 could go. Season 1 is essentially a full adaption of Clavell's novel, as the show's central plot goes up to the novel's end. However, countless original stories could be explored in a sequel season, from later years in Toranaga and Blackthorne's lives to an entirely new period of Japanese history or even a prequel.
Some clues could be found in the real-life history that inspired the series. Shōgun technically ends before we see Toranaga and Ishido on the battlefield, though the finale does show the moment before the fight when Ishido learns that Ochiba has betrayed him. As for the true history, the Battle of Sekigahara took place on October 21, 1600, and was won by Toranaga's real-life counterpart, Tokugawa Ieyasu. The fighting lasted six hours, with Tokugawa winning after some other powerful lords switched to his side.
Per the USC Pacific Asia Museum, Tokugawa's victory marked the end of over 200 years of civil war and gave way to the start of the peaceful Edo period. The Tokugawa shogunate ruled over Japan for the next 250 years from the relocated capital of Edo, or modern-day Tokyo. Assuming both the Shōgun novel and miniseries follow this path, Toranaga succeeded in bringing forth "a nation without wars" and "an era of great peace."
What has the cast and crew said about 'Shōgun' season 2?
Before recent news that FX is considering a season 2, creators Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo said in interviews that they had never planned for an additional season.
Although speaking to The Hollywood Reporter in a March 2024 interview, the duo did say it was a "bummer" to end the series after such hard work.
"We took the story to the end of the book and put a period at the end of that sentence," Marks told the outlet. "We love how the book ends; it was one of the reasons why we both knew we wanted to do it — and we ended in exactly that place. And I’ve been party to this in the past with shows like this, where you build a whole factory, and it only pumps out 10 cars and closes up shop. It’s a bummer."
During an interview with Marie Claire, Anna Sawai admitted that she'd be open to returning to the character of Mariko, if the right circumstances arise.
"I love Mariko so much that if there was more that I could explore, I would do it in a heartbeat," she said. "But I think that her story is now complete, and I don't know if anyone should be trying to like touch that. It's kind of perfect the way it ended."
Still, she expressed interest in seeing more of her character's arc in some form. She added, "If there is a prequel then, yeah, it would be when she's younger, and I don't know if I can play her younger."
When will 'Shōgun' season 2 be released?
Without an official confirmation of season 2, it's hard to say when the show will be back. Although, it'll likely be a while, considering the showrunners also suspected Shōgun would always be a miniseries, based on how long of a production it was.
While speaking with THR back in March before rumors of a follow-up season began circulating, Marks noted how long of a post-production period the debut season had. "We also made this show so long ago, because of the long tail of post-production on it," he said. "It’s not like a normal TV series, where if we were in a situation like this promoting it, we wouldn’t just be in the writers room already, we’d be on set shooting season two by now."
Considering how early the series is in the process of its potential renewal, we'd guess new episodes won't start airing for another two years or so.
