After three episodes, fans can't help but speculate how Lord Toranaga's betrayal would go on FX's Shōgun. Considering that double-crossing your ruler is not far-fetched in the political game of the series, Toranaga has quickly made himself a target.
CONTENT SPOILERS: This article contains spoilers for FX's Shogun, so proceed with caution.
Who is Lord Toranaga? The Man Inspired By the Real-Life Shōgun
Among the five members of the Council of Regents, Lord Yoshii Toranaga is considered the most powerful figure thanks to his Minowara bloodline.
In the Shōgun series, Lord Toranaga is not only distrustful even towards his closest colleagues and his own son, under his careful calculation of his next move.
As Lady Mariko stated in the series, "My Lord is famous for his trickery."
It is also worth mentioning that Toranaga is based on the real-life shōgun, Tokugawa Ieyasu, who was one of Japan's three "Great Unifiers."
Ieyasu succeeded the previous great unifiers, Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and established a shōgunate that lasted for 265 years.
Is it possible for Lord Toranaga to succeed in his plan in the series and take the role of Shōgun to unite Japan, as well?
Seeing as the Shōgun series tells the story of gaining political power for themselves, this makes Toranaga one of the most dangerous opponents that must be taken down.
This led viewers to question who could possibly betray Lord Toranaga. Here's what fans think.
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Fans are Keeping An Eye on Potential Lord Toranaga Betrayal
In Shōgun episode 3 titled Tomorrow is Tomorrow, Lord Toranaga makes a grand escape from Osaka.
This is to avoid getting impeached by the Council of Regents, considering that being stripped of his power would only lead to his inevitable death.
Once Toranaga and his people have safely come aboard the Portuguese's Black ship, fans have suspicions about which of his most trusted allies could potentially stab him in the back.
All fingers seem to be pointing out two people: Kashigi Yabushige (Tadanobu Asano) or Usami Fuji (Moeka Hoshi).
While this remains unseen, both parties appear to have their own motives.
Usami lost her husband and child in the first episode after embarrassing the council, which would exact her revenge on the former Regent.
Meanwhile, Yabushige, aka Lord Toranaga's most trusted commander, would likely fit the bill despite the years they have built an alliance together.
Then again, the Shōgun series still has seven episodes left, so it would be worth seeing how the betrayal unfolds in the future. Could fans be right on the money?
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