Is ‘Shōgun’ all subtitles?

Audiences have been clamoring for a deeply immersive series of quality, and Shōgun is the answer. The miniseries for FX dives into the historically accurate world of feudal Japan.

The series is a reprieve from the fatigue of overproduced studio films, instead opting for the real world of politics in the turn of the 17th century Japan. The story and characters are taken from the book of historical fiction by James Clavell. The author heavily researched the era, and took inspiration from real-life figures. The result became one of the most celebrated tomes that contributed to the popularity of Japanese culture in the West.

The production of the 2024 series takes the same responsibility of portraying the events and characters accurately. Every detail from the costumes down to the gestures was planned with the utmost care. Characters speak in period-accurate Japanese, which differs from modern colloquialisms.

Fans may recall that this is not the first adaptation of the source material. An ABC miniseries premiered in 1980 from the perspective of the European character, John Blackthorne. When characters spoke in Japanese, it was not subtitled, limiting the viewership experience to only see through Blackthorne’s eyes. But with a new adaptation, this production takes a different tactic.

How much of Shōgun is subtitled?

Considering the television series takes place in Japan, there is undoubtedly a lot of Japanese spoken. Shōgun is ultimately a show about a stranger in a strange land. After English navigator John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) gets shipwrecked on the coast of Japan, he encounters a significant language barrier. None of the Japanese characters speak his language, so he is assigned an interpreter, Mariko (Anna Sawai), who is instrumental in encouraging communication.

While most of the characters speak Japanese, there is a predominant amount of the series that is not subtitled. Mariko and Blackthorne speak the same language, as well as the Jesuit priests who are integral to the plot. Funnily enough, however, none of the characters are actually speaking English in-show. Technically, Blackthorne and the non-Japanese characters are speaking Portuguese. This is because Jesuit priests are Catholics from Portugal, who at the time the story is set, have spread their religion and language across Japan.

The reason the characters speak English was a creative decision for the series. Co-showrunner Justin Marks told The Hollywood Reporter it would be difficult to find high-quality actors who had the talent of speaking period-accurate Japanese and also happened to speak Portuguese. They instead prioritized actors who spoke Japanese convincingly, and used English as a way to communicate the Portuguese language. Though a mark against authenticity, it is a clever way to clear the language barrier. Subtitles are prevalent in the series, but the scenes between Blackthorne and Mariko have a substantial percentage of episodes as well. Fans can see for themselves by catching Shōgun on FX On Hulu.