Shōgun episode 7’s shocking death was one of the show’s most gruesome moments and has set the stage for unpredictable final three episodes.

Nagakado’s death in Shōgun episode 7 was as gruesome as it was surprising, confirming the show’s unpredictability and raising the stakes for the final three episodes of Lord Toranaga’s story. While Shōgun’s latest episode was mainly focused on Toranaga and offered a glimpse at his first battle, it also spent a lot of time with Yoshii Nagakado, Lord Toranaga’s son. Disappointing that his uncle betrayed his father, Nagakado tried to fix things himself to prevent Toranaga from turning himself in.

It is safe to say Nagakado did not inform his father about his plan. With the help of Lady Kiko, who was working as Saeki’s courtesan that night, Nagakado and other samurai ambushed Toranaga’s brother and almost got him. However, not only did Nagakado fail in killing Saeki, but he also died in the process due to a tragic accident. Lord Toranaga’s decision to surrender was surprising, but it was not the biggest moment of the episode.

The Manner Of Nagakado Death In Shōgun Episode 7 Was Shocking

Nagakado slipped and fell to his death

The way Nagakado’s death in Shōgun episode 7 played out was not only shocking but also very brutal, adding to the sense of realism that the show established as early as in episode 1. While Shōgun’s story involves warriors and battles, the show does not glamorize violence and instead shows the true nature of it. Nagakado’s death may be the best example of it given it was an accident that occurred when Toranaga’s son was trying to prove his value by going after those who betrayed his father. The boy slipped on a puddle while attacking Saeki and hit his head on a rock.

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

Even though it all happened very fast, the scene was long enough to feature some gruesome images, including Nagakado’s dying breath. Saeki appeared to be more disappointed at his nephew’s failure than sad by his death, stating that what he did was not worth it. This was not Shōgun’s first visceral death, though, as the show has been quite violent since the beginning. In Shōgun episode 4, for example, the death of Nebara Jozen and his men resulted in arguably the most violent scene in the FX historical epic so far.

How Saeki Foreshadowed Nagakado’s Death

Saeki warned Nagakado about his recklessness

Yoshii Nagakado’s death was surprising, but the show did foreshadow it. Nagakado’s reckless decision to attack Nebara Jozen when Toranaga was in Edo revealed that he was too naïve and could cause trouble, which happened again in episode 7. While all of Nagakado’s actions were to help his father, he never thought his plans through and made things more complicated than they already were. Sadly, by trying to prove his value, Nagakado put himself in a delicate position and ended up losing his own life. The conversation between him and his uncle at the hot spring also hinted at Nagakado’s death.

The fact that Saeki and Nagakado were laughing together during dinner makes the latter’s death while trying to kill the former even sadder. Saeki seemed friendly at first, telling stories about Toranaga’s younghood and joking about how much time had passed since he had last seen Nagakado. However, despite his friendly behavior, Saeki was working with Ishido the whole time and only went to Ajiro to deliver his brother an ultimatum as the new member of the Council of Regents. Saeki also brought Nagakado’s sentence for Jozen’s murder, which required the boy’s seppuku.

Why Nagakado’s Death Was Inevitable In Shōgun

Nagakado was going to die one way or another

It was only a matter of time before Lord Toranaga’s son died in Shōgun. Even if Nagakado’s attack against Saeki had been successful, he would have been forced into death as soon as he left the village because of what happened to Nebara Jozen. Toranaga would never be able to launch the Crimson Sky plan without the help of his brother, meaning that they would be helpless even if Saeki was killed. Additionally, considering how reckless Nagakado could be, he was bound to make a fatal mistake eventually.

How Nagakado’s death will impact Lord Toranaga remains to be seen. The Lord of Kanto spent quite some time pondering his options before deciding to turn himself in, a surprising decision about which his allies were not happy. The death of his son may cause Toranaga to rethink his strategy, although there is not much Yoshii can do now. Regardless, Yoshii Toranaga has been a fascinating character in Shōgun so far, and the death of Nagakado will certainly make him more even complex ahead of the show’s final three episodes.