I Will Never Get Over That Lady Mariko Twist In Shogun Episode 9

WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Shōgun episode 9.

Summary Lady Mariko's sacrifice in Shōgun episode 9 was the show's most shocking and tragic scene.

Mariko's death was tragic, though expected, given her backstory and desire for death throughout the series.

Mariko's death in episode 9 stayed faithful to the original novel.

Shōgun episode 9 ends with the death of Lady Mariko in a shocking twist that raises the stakes for the upcoming series finale. Even though he is Shōgun’s main character, Lord Toranaga was not in episode 9. Instead, the episode was told almost entirely from Lady Mariko’s perspective and even included a flashback from before she converted to Christianity. Lady Mariko’s backstory, combined with her feelings for the Anjin and her duty to Toranaga, led to the most emotional episode of Shōgun so far. Unfortunately, it concluded with Mariko’s death after she chose to sacrifice herself to complete her mission.

In Shōgun episode 8, Toranaga gave Mariko a secret mission, which she was ready to accept. Mariko’s goal was to confront Ishido in front of other daimyos so that he would have to choose between letting all the hostages go or exposing to the rest of the realm that he was keeping powerful families as prisoners in the Osaka Castle. While Mariko succeeded in forcing Ishido’s hand, he still tried to fight back by having assassins storm the castle and go after Mariko. Although the series has had a couple of shocking deaths, Shōgun episode 9’s ending was too tragic.

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Lady Mariko's Sacrifice In Episode 9 Was Shōgun's Most Shocking Scene Yet

Episode 9 ended with Lady Mariko’s shocking death

Image via Hulu/FX

Lady Mariko sacrificed herself at the end of Shōgun episode 9 in what was by far the most shocking scene on the show so far. Even though Ishido granted Mariko and the other hostages permission to leave the castle in the morning, the leader of the Council of Rengers orchestrated it so that they would never make it through the night. If Mariko left the castle alongside the other daimyos and ladies, Ishido and Ochiba-no-kata would have lost all the leverage they had. If, however, Mariko was kept as a prisoner, Ishido would be exposed for keeping hostages.

This is why Ishido sent assassins to kill Mariko in the middle of the night. Yabushige, who betrayed the Anjin and Mariko in exchange for his life in a deal with Ishido, opened the doors of the castle to the shinobi and killed some of the guards himself. While Mariko and the Anjin managed to fight back, they soon saw themselves trapped in a room with other hostages. With the door about to be blown up, Mariko chose to put herself between the explosion and the others so that they would not get hurt.

Lady Mariko's Death Is More Of A Twist After The Seppuku Fakeout

Mariko almost committed seppuku

Image via Hulu/FX

The fact that Lady Mariko’s death happened shortly after she almost died by seppuku makes everything more tragic. Mariko was ready to die when she went to Osaka if it meant exposing that Ishido was keeping hostages. By committing seppuku for failing her duty of returning to Edo as commanded by Toranaga, Mariko was going to prove to everyone in the realm that those inside the Osaka Castle were hostages. However, just as she was about to conclude the seppuku ritual with Blackthorne as her second, Ishido arrived and allowed her to leave.

(...) Mariko escaped death twice in Shōgun episode 9 before it eventually happened.

This gave the impression that the most tense moments of the episodes were over and that Mariko was going to be okay. Mariko and Blackthorne even had a romantic moment later that night, which also made the former’s fate at the end sadder. Between the fight against Ishido’s guards and the seppuku that didn’t happen, Mariko escaped death twice in Shōgun episode 9 before it eventually happened. Additionally, even though there’s only one episode left, the death of a major character is always shocking, even more so given the circumstances of Mariko’s mission.

Was Lady Mariko Always Meant To Die In Shōgun?

Mariko’s story was sadly building up to this moment

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Lady Mariko’s death may have been tragic, but it was not surprising considering where her story was going. Mariko has been seeking death ever since her father was killed for treason, a “right” that was denied to her by her husband. Instead of committing seppuku alongside her family, Mariko was forced to marry Toda Buntaro. This is why she always hated him and their marriage. In Shōgun episode 1, Father Alvito asked Mariko if she was still having “dark thoughts,” suggesting she never stopped contemplating the idea of death.

Character Actor Real-Life Inspiration Yoshii Toranaga Hiroyuki Sanada Tokugawa Ieyasu John Blackthorne Cosmo Jarvis William Adams Toda Mariko Anna Sawai Hosokawa Gracia Kashigi Yabushige Tadanobu Asano Honda Masanobu Kashigi Omi Hiroto Kanai Honda Masazumi Ishido Kazunari Takehiro Hira Ishida Mitsunari Ochiba-no-kata Fumi Nikaido Yodo-dono

Mariko did not hesitate in accepting Lord Toranaga’s mission, even though it was a very risky one. She fearless walked in front of dozens of guards and even fought them because, regardless of the outcome, Mariko would be happy to die for Toranaga and her father’s mission. When Mariko is ready to commit seppuku, Blackthorne tries to talk her out of it by saying that, between life and death, only one is definitive. However, she argued that “a flower is only a flower” because it eventually falls from the tree.

Shōgun episode 9 opened with a flashback set 14 years before the events of the show featuring a young Lady Mariko. She had just been captured after trying to escape her husband again. Mariko was out in the open in the middle of a harsh winter, indicating she wanted to die. Father Alvido, who grew up in Japan and was around the same age as Mariko, became friends with her and eventually converted her to Christianity. Taking her own life would now be perceived as a sin in her religion, but Mariko never stopped seeking death.

How 2024's Shōgun Changed Lady Mariko's Death

Mariko’s death in Shogun was quite faithful to the novel

Lady Mariko’s death in Shōgun episode 9 is not too different from how it played out in the original novel as well as the 1980 TV adaptation. In the book, Toranaga gives Mariko the mission of going to Osaka and either helps free the hostages or exposes that Ishido was making them prisoners in his castle. The only difference between this and what happened in FX’s Shōgun is that the show did not reveal what Mariko’s mission was right away. Still, the reason why she confronted Ishido in his castle was very much the same as in the novel.

Related Shogun Episode 9's Ending With Shinobi Attack Explained By Director Director Fred Toye breaks down the surprising ending to Shōgun episode 9, including that intense Shinobi sequence and what it means for the finale.

Likewise, the circumstances of Mariko’s death are quite faithful to what happens in the book. Mariko’s seppuku is interrupted by Ishido, who allows her and the other ladies to leave in the morning. Ishido then conspires with Yabushige to let assassins enter the castle that same night. Mariko and Blackthorne see themselves trapped in a room with other hostages, and upon realizing the door is going to be blown up, Mariko chooses to sacrifice herself. Based on the book, Blackthorne and the other ladies should be fine in Shōgun episode 10 thanks to Mariko’s sacrifice.

Shōgun releases new episodes Tuesdays on FX and Hulu.

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