Does Mariko die in ‘Shogun?’

Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Shogun episode 9, “Crimson Sky”

Today’s penultimate episode of Shogun was packed to the rafters with intense character moments and surprise plot twists, so we’re giving you a breakdown of everything that happened to John Blackthorne and Lady Mariko.

With Toranaga-sama’s party reaching Castle Osaka, we finally learned the truth about Mariko’s secret mission. The interpreter challenged Lord Ishido’s incarceration of nobility by announcing that she’s leaving Castle Osaka tomorrow on Toranaga’s orders. Ishido says she can’t do so without a formal review, but Mariko insists she must obey as her liege lord commands.

The next day, Mariko and her guard face down Ishido’s men and kill a band of bushi before reinforcements arrive. While Ishido’s men don’t hurt Mariko, she announces her will to perform seppuku (ritualistic suicide) at sunset tomorrow. As this will disgrace Castle Osaka and all the samurai in it, it leaves Ishido with no choice but to give the party permission to leave.

Ishido doesn’t give up on trying to stop Toranaga’s subterfuge and the final moments of “Crimson Sky” end on a grim note, leaving the fate of Mariko somewhat ambiguous.

Did Mariko die on Shogun?

While Ishido stopped Mariko from performing seppuku at the last moment, that did not hold him from scheming further. At nightfall, Ishido tasks Yabushige with killing the samurai guarding Toranaga’s compound, telling him it’s the only way of getting back in his good graces. Yabushige then opens the way for a band of shinobi (ninja assassins) and allows them to infiltrate the castle.

Mariko and Blackthorne are woken up from a night of intimate passion when three of the shinobi attack their quarters. Mariko kills one, while Blackthorne dispatches the other two with his pistol. The two then regroup with the survivors and try to make their way out of the castle. Despite fighting their way through several more shinobi, Mariko and John are trapped in a storehouse, whereupon they hear their assailants trying to light a fuse.

Understanding that the shinobi are trying to blow up the door, Blackthorne tries to barricade it with a cupboard, but Lady Mariko decides to sacrifice herself in an act of defiance. In her final moments, Mariko steps up to the door and shields the rest of the group with her body. As John begs her to get away, the door explodes inward and the episode comes to a close.

It’s safe to presume that Lady Mariko is dead. And the next time we see John Blackthorne in the Shogun finale, he too will be out for Ishido’s blood.