With the arrival of Shogun at StarPlus, we will see several characters strolling across the screen, who, at first, sound confused because it’s a war and no one is completely transparent. Everyone wants something, so it’s worth keeping track of who’s who.

The descriptions below take the book into account, let’s confirm if they will be the same!

SHOGUN’S MEN

Anjin/John Blackthorne
The character immortalized by Richard Chamberlain gets a new look as Cosmo Jarvis. John Blackthorne, inspired by a real person, is the English navigator who dreams of exploring unknown waters and ends up arriving in Japan at a delicate moment of internal political transition. Eventually, he realizes that his destiny is always different and he is in the right place at the right time too.

Blackthorne will play Anjin-san (Pilot in Japanese, since they can’t say his name) and will act as a foreign trade and navigation advisor to Toranaga Yoshi (Hiroyuki Sanada), but his transformation will not be easy as he will have to choose between maintaining himself as a European or transform as a samurai.

Toranaga Yoshi
The protagonist of the story, the future Shogun, is Toranaga Toshi (Hiroyuki Sanada) and he is a mix of Jon Snow, Ragnar Lothbrok, and Ned Stark: he doesn’t want to be leader, but it’s inevitable.

Toranaga was Taiko’s favorite (when he was alive) and is the Lord of Kwanto – the richest province in Japan, as well as being “the greatest falconer in the kingdom”. He never lost a battle because, as we see and will see, he is a master of human character. His strategies are silent and he knows how to place the pieces (people) on the board while waiting for the best moment to act.

Surrounded by dubious people, Toranaga trusts a few people: Mariko Akechi (Anna Sawai) and, later, Anjin (Cosmo Jarvis). By guiding the British pilot’s transformation into Japanese culture, he becomes the Shogun.

Not all of Toranaga’s actions will be seen as fair, and often his life will be in danger or he will put others at risk as well. But he is, without a doubt, legendary. In the 1980 version, the great star Toshiro Mifune played the role, now it has Hiroyuki Sanada in a great performance.

Ishido Kazunari
Takehiro Hira‘s character is the main antagonist of the series because of his open rivalry with Toranaga.

Of simple origin, he is a peasant who became a powerful lord, he takes care of the emperor and the castle of Osaka and has already declared his intention to get his opponent out of the way. He has been isolating Toranaga, but he knows he is smart, so he tries to act quickly. There is something more to the hatred he feels for his rival: he is in love with Ochina No Kata (Fumi Nukaido), but she just loves Toranaga. He ‘needs’ to kill the man who beats him at everything.

Spoiler: Ishido’s downfall comes due to his insistence on following the rules and not realizing the influence of the Jesuits on the shogunate’s final decision.

Kashigi Yabushige
There’s our Littlefinger in Shogun, but a less cunning one. Yabu (Tadanobu Asano) is the lord of Izu and vassal of Toranaga, but a man who prefers to be close to whoever he is winning, therefore untrustworthy. Although in very low positions, he dreams of being a Shogun. His ambitions make him a dangerous man and it is never clear who he will truly have allegiance to.

Hiromatsu
Hiromatsu is Toranaga’s first general, his most trusted vassal, and the reason why Toranaga always wins on the battlefield. He is the perfect samurai, Mariko’s father-in-law, and an important man. He resents Toranaga when he is not included in his true plan.

Buntaro
Son of Hiromatsu and husband of Mariko, in a marriage without love or affection, on her side. In fact, Mariko was forced to marry Buntaro after her father caused shame to the Akechi family and the samurai never lets her forget it and is an abusive man. He is also an agile samurai, important for battles. Cruel, but loyal to Toranaga.

Father Martinho Alvito
The meeting between Father Martinho Alvito (Tommy Bastow) and John Blackthorne was tense, after all, they represent opposing faiths and kingdoms. He is known as Tsukku and has spent most of his life in Japan, so he understands the locals and has mastered the language. He was the one who converted Mariko, but his obsession with Catholicism will put him in complex positions.

Because he understands the local culture and respects the Church, he gives precise advice to his superiors, but he is not always listened to. Unfortunately, he sees the Japanese as inferior people who can never be ordained priests, but he writes a dictionary that helps Blackthorne and Toranaga understand each other and even manages to build a cathedral in Yedo, but he is eventually in favor of the Portuguese force in trade and ends his days exiled from his beloved Japan.

Vasco Rodrigues
The Spanish Portuguese in the series is played by Nestor Carbonell (from The Morning Show) who is charismatic and has a heart. He gave BlackThorne his first prime essential survival tips, always being transparent about two actions. In the book, he initially tries to drown the Englishman in the storm, only to be saved by him so he helps him.

In the book, Rodrigues has a Japanese wife whom he loves sincerely, but, like Father Alvito, he does not see the Japanese as equal to the Europeans.

Friar Domingo
Frei Domingo (Joaquim de Almeida) meets Blackthorne in prison and, despite being Catholic, he gets along with the Protestant navigator, giving him more important survival tips. In the book, Toranaga keeps him alive until he understands how he can use him and discovers that the Friar is his best source on the activities of the Jesuits and other matters of Japanese politics.

Naga and Sudara
Sons of Toranaga. Naga is not as intelligent as Sudara, but he is a good son, faithful to his father and obedient. Sudara loves his wife, Genjiko, but is as calculating and strategic as his father.

Omi
Omi is patient in his plan to get his dangerous uncle Yabu out of the way. He is the first to realize the value of keeping Blackthorne alive (some of Yabu takes away credit). Mainly it is his intelligence that places him as the leader of the regiment with Naga. His problem is in his heart because he falls in love with the courtesan Kiku, who is given as a gift to Blackthorne by Toranaga. A challenge sir.

SHOGUN’S WOMEN

Mariko Akechi
Mariko Akechi (Anna Sawai) is the main female character in the saga and even more so in history. Today she is part of the faction that supports Toranaga, and she is one of his most trusted people, married to the son of his main general.

Mariko’s family’s past adds a tragic dimension to the character. Her father, General Akechi Jinsai assassinated the dictator Goroda and, as punishment, her entire family was killed or sentenced to commit seppuku (harakiri). Mariko was the only one spared, but, in Japanese culture, excluded from the privilege. As punishment, she was exiled for eight years to the north, where she studied Latin, and Portuguese and converted to Catholicism. However, Mariko is first and foremost a samurai and one of the most admired women in all of Japan.

Her loyalty to Toranaga will be tested, as will her convictions when she and Blackthorne fall in love. Her participation is vital for the shogunate, and, unfortunately, prepares for one of the most tragic and heroic trajectories in the entire saga.

Fujiko
The widow of Uragi, who was killed for insulting Ishido, was not allowed to commit seppuku and, to make matters worse (for her), is given in marriage to Blackthorne. She will only be able to take her own life in six months, which she accepts as a compromise.

To their mutual surprise, the two live well together and she proves brave in battle. When they start to like each other, that’s when the deadline runs out and Fujiko’s initial wish is honored.

Kiku
The courtesan is desired by all men, and purchased by Toranaga to put an end to what she sees as the distraction of her son, Omi. Eventually, Toranaga hands her over to Blackthorne.

Ochiba
The mother of the heir, Yaemon, and Taiko’s former consort, she has always been in love with Toranaga. Therefore, when Yodoko, Taiko’s widow, dies, she is given in marriage to him. Ochiba will do everything in her power to see her husband victorious, including sacrificing her son, Yaemon.

Goyoko
She is “Varys in a skirt” (yes, another Game of Thrones reference) and is Kiku’s “owner” and, therefore, with access to many secrets. Many of them she negotiates with Toranaga in exchange for support in expanding her geisha network.

Sazuko
Toranaga’s most recent consort, she is not brilliant like Mariko, but she is extremely faithful to her husband and so when Osaka is occupied and she is one of the hostages, he does not attack the city, to risk her death.

Kiritsubo Toshiko
Toranaga’s number one consort is Lady KM and mother of his heirs and is a conduit of information for her husband.

Yuriko
Yabu’s wife, Yuriko tries to help him as much as she can. She is the first to understand Toranaga’s true strategy, which makes her use her intelligence to help her husband.

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