Yabushige actor Tadanobu Asano explains why his character remains loyal to Lord Toranaga during Blackthorne’s visit in Shōgun episode 8.

Shōgun star Tadanobu Asano explains why his character, Yabushige, chooses to remain loyal to Lord Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) in episode 8. Premiering on Hulu in February, the critically-acclaimed FX series adapts James Clavell’s Shōgun novel from 1975, chronicling a struggle for power in feudal Japan and how a shipwrecked English sailor becomes entwined with the key figures involved. Episode 8 sees Toranaga continue to feign defeat, which proves frustrating to his underlings, but when John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) approaches Yabushige with his own plan, Yabushige remains committed his lord.

In a recent interview with Screen Rant breaking down moments of Shōgun episode 8, Asano offers insight into why Yabushige makes the decision to side with Toranaga. Even though Yabushige has not before shown himself above going behind Toranaga’s back, the actor explains that his loyalty in this case is all about achieving an “interesting” death. Read his full comment below:

“I think Yabushige is the type of character, he’s always thinking, what would be an interesting death to me? What would be most interesting? I think towards episode eight, he’s decided that actually, dying through my allegiance to Toranaga, that would probably be the most interesting. For him, it’s like, with whom do I die? How do I die? He wonders about these things.”

What Yabushige’s Decision Means For The Remaining Episodes Of Shōgun

Why Tadanobu Asano’s Character Is Likely To Die

 

From early on in Shōgun, it’s been established that Yabushige is obsessed with death. In episode 1, he boils a man alive in order to hear sounds that could give him some insight into what it is like to pass on. Yabushige also very nearly drowns in the show’s opening episodes, and he very quickly takes out his sword, ready to end his own life. He’s ultimately saved, however, when Blackthorne leaps into action.

While Yabushige has remained alive thus far, his interest in death is certainly setting up the character’s fate in the remaining two episodes. It seems very likely that Yabushige will finally end up experiencing death for himself, though the exact manner in which this will occur remains a mystery. With Toranaga having fully committed himself to the Crimson Sky plan and the overthrow of Osaka, Shōgun‘s final two episodes are poised to be particularly violent.

Asano’s character may have committed himself to Toranaga for the time being, but Yabushige’s loyalty has always been in question. It’s certainly possible, for example, that Yabushige’s allegiances will change as he comes to possess new information. It remains to be seen what fate awaits Yabushige in the remaining episodes of Shōgun, but the character does seem likely to die, in one way or another.