History Series / Shogun2024

* FaceOfAnAngelMindOfADemon: Ochiba is a beautiful woman admired by many, she is also the one who tells Ishido to take more aggressive measures when the regents' infighting puts his plans at a standstill.

* InsultingFromBehindTheLanguageBarrier: Blackthorne is fond of using creative insults against Japanese he doesn't like, and is able to get away with quite a lot of them by saying them in Portuguese, which most Japanese can't understand, and counting on his personal translator, Mariko, to provide a TactfulTranslation so as to not offend the target.

* {{Ninja}}: The show portray them, albeit in the form of the more historically-documented ''shinobi-no-mono'' (忍びの者), whose main objectives are infiltration, intelligence-gathering and/or night-time assassinations. Mariko notes that such operatives are expected to spend long times integrating in their area of operations [[TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse to become nondescript]]. The ones seen so far are:

* TranslationConvention: The Japanese characters speak Japanese, while English is used for western languages (mostly Portuguese but also Dutch and English itself). Notably played with when Toranaga and Blackthorne first meet in Episode 2, as gradually the conversation begins to focus back and forth on the two men's faces, Father Martin's translations eventually omitted so it looks like a straightforward discussion with each man using their native language.

* DoubleMeaning: "Anjin", meaning "pilot" is the title given to Blackthorne by the locals as they cannot properly translate/pronounce his English name, in reference to [[TheNavigator his role]] aboard the ships, but it is also the title of the first episode, aka the series Pilot.

** When Toranaga acts as Mizoguchi's second, as it's later mentioned that he needed 9 strikes from his katana to decapitate the man, only the first of which is shown before the scene cuts to the opening theme.

* LoopholeAbuse: After his escape from Osaka, Toranaga sends Hiromatsu to deliver his resignation from the regency council on his behalf. When Ishido scoffs and proclaims that they'll vote to impeach him anyway, Hiromatsu points out that the late Taiko required all 5 regents to be present for a vote. As Toranaga's resignation leaves them with only 4, the regency council is paralyzed for the time being. Indeed, the remaining regents meet all day to discuss a replacement and only end up bickering over candidates and vetoing each others' proposals. [[spoiler:Only the return of Lady Ochiba and her exerting her authority as the Heir's mother over the Regents breaks the deadlock.]]

** While Mariko is [[ActionGirl proficient in the naginata]], this isn't ''VideoGame/SamuraiWarriors''. [[spoiler:When she battles a cohort of trained samurai on her lonesome, the men disarm her (absent killing intent, but at least with an effort) and force her to cede.]]

** At one point Blackthorne is reluctant to eat some Japanese food, particularly sushi, that most modern viewers would find delicious. To further reinforce this, he decides to try natto to demonstrate that he isn't incapable of eating Japanese food, and declares it to be not bad. Natto generally tops lists of least-appetizing Japanese food for Westerners today.
** One of the few values Blackthorne and the Japanese do share is the belief that a woman is her husband's property, a point most modern viewers would plainly disagree with. That said, this is brought up to make it clear that the physical abuse Buntaro inflicts on Mariko is a step too far even for him.

* EntitledBastard: Asked about his knowledge of the wider world in "Servant of Two Masters", Blackthorne explains to Toranaga and the other attendants that a treaty (the real-life Treaty of Tordesillas) between Portugal and Spain has allowed the former to claim ownership of Japan. Everyone present is thrown by the idea that their country "belongs" to a European power who just decided it, even the stoic Toranaga making a point to clarify with Mariko (who's translating) that Blackthorne really said "belongs". [[note]] This was based on the real world Treaty of Tordesillas, wherein Pope Alexander VI decreed that the "undiscovered" lands that lay beyond the Atlantic would be divided between Portugal and Spain; the idea being that any authority that wasn't Catholic was by definition illegitimate. Suffice to say, practically no other authority in the world aside from Portugal and Spain, European or otherwise, acknowledged this. [[/note]]

** The writers adjusted Blackthorne's character arc to remove the 'white saviour' elements that inevitably crept in throughout the book, e.g. moving [[spoiler:his attempt at ''sepukku'']] to the end of the show where it feels more earned and refarming it so that it was more Toranaga testing Blackthorne than the latter [[spoiler:winning over his captors by giving up his life for the village, as evidenced by Toranaga punching him to get him to cease his attempt and essentially telling him "now that you've gotten this out of your system, you've got work to do"]].

* PuppetKing: In his first meeting with Toranaga, Blackthorne tells Toranaga the Portuguese claim the right to do this to any non-Catholic country in the half of the world that "belongs" to them.
** [[spoiler:Blackthorne telling Toranaga that "I fed you shit" in the finale suggests he knew their plans probably weren't quite so grandiose.]]
%%* RegentForLife: The titular office of ''shogun" is essentially this for pre-modern Japan.

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Episode 7 begins with a flashback to Toranaga's first battle at age 12, wherein the enemy commander Mizoguchi requests he be his second (the one to actually decapitate him upon his disembowelling) during his seppuku, with the scene flashing back to the present as the young Toranaga brings his sword down. During a drinking round with Saeki later on, he regales his nephew Nagakado with the tale, saying that according to rumours, Toranaga struck Mizoguchi's head off with a single blow. Toranaga, ruminating on the incident later in the episode, ruefully reveals the truth was far from it: he was an inexperienced child who was proficient at commanding and clever, but his sword skills were far from the MasterSwordsman he's become by the present. It actually took him ''nine'' sword strokes to decapitate Mizoguchi, and the messy death still affects him even by the present.

* TranslationConvention: The Japanese characters speak Japanese, while Portuguese is represented by English [[note]]with the exception of Blackthorne's initial scenes where the English dialogue represents him and the crew speaking Dutch instead [[/note]]. Notably played with when Toranaga and Blackthorne first meet in Episode 2, as gradually the conversation begins to focus back and forth on the two men's faces, Father Martin's translations eventually omitted so it looks like a straightforward discussion with each man using their native language.

* TheBadGuyWins: While we do not see her on-screen reaction, given Ochiba's view of Toranaga, she likely concludes this when he finally takes power.

** In the novel Toranaga tasks Blackthorne with teaching his forces to use Western muskets; when developing the show, one of the historical advisors pointed out that matchlock muskets had already been introduced to Japan by the Portuguese several decades before, so Toranaga's forces would be very familiar with them by this stage (Mariko does point out that they already know how to use and care for the muskets, and the Japanese actually want more knowledge of European battle tactics instead). Instead, the show has Blackthorne teaching the Japanese soldiers how to use the ''Erasmus' '' '''cannons,''' which would be far more of a game-changer in warfare. This in turn leads to a different fate for [[spoiler:Jozen and his troops; while in the book Jozen was gutted and his followers committed ''seppuku,'' here they're ''shredded'' by cannon fire]]. Interestingly the show's changes ended up lining up more with the actual historical events that inspired the novel. In real life, Tokugawa forces did indeed use cannons taken from the Dutch ship Liefde at the Battle of Sekigahara, with Blackthorne's historical counterpart William Adams assisting in training the gun crews. This was the first recorded use of heavy artillery in Japanese warfare, as previous Japanese military leaders had considered large caliber guns to be too impractical for battlefield use.
** The novel's subtexts gives the impression that part of Ochiba's hostility to Toranaga is mostly because she believes [[spoiler:Toranaga knows the Taiko is not the actual father of her son, as she was impregnated by a non-entity so the Taiko can claim her child as his. Likely as a function of hewing closer to the historical personality Ochiba is based from (Lady Yodo), this allegation is excised completely, turning Ochiba's relationship with the Taiko into a straightforward case of MalMariee (with the Taiko depicted sleeping with her). Her hostility to Toranaga is far more personal to her in nature, tied to her belief that Toranaga instigated the death of her father, the dictator Kuroda, via Akechi Jinsai's revolt. These things, coincidentally, are plot points of other Japanese historical fiction / UsefulNotes/SengokuPeriod-related conspiracy theories]].
** Blackthorne attempts to commit suicide relatively early in the book's plot, to protest against a village being slaughtered if he fails to learn Japanese in six months. [[spoiler:The show moves this to the very final episode and as a protest against the villagers being persecuted because one of them is suspected of burning the ''Erasmus''; this fits far better into Blackthorne's character arc of learning to let go of his desire to return to England, and accepting Mariko's advice that he can only control whether he lives or dies and nothing else.]]

** The novel's subtexts gives the impression that part of Ochiba's hostility to Toranaga is mostly because she believes [[spoiler:Toranaga knows the Taiko is not the actual father of her son, as she was impregnated by a non-entity so the Taiko can claim her child as his. Likely as a function of hewing closer to the historical personality Ochiba is based from (Lady Yodo), this allegation is excised completely, turning Ochiba's relationship with the Taiko into a straightforward case of MalMariee (with the Taiko depicted sleeping with her). Her hostility to Toranaga is far more personal to her in nature, tied to her belief that Toranaga instigated the death of her father, the dictator Kuroda, via Akechi Jinsai's revolt). These things, coincidentally, are plot points of other Japanese historical fiction / UsefulNotes/SengokuPeriod-related conspiracy theories]].

** The novel's subtexts gives the impression that part of Ochiba's hostility to Toranaga is mostly because she believes [[spoiler:Toranaga knows the Taiko is not the actual father of her son, as she was impregnated by a non-entity so the Taiko can claim her child as hers. Likely as a function of hewing closer to the historical personality Ochiba is based from (Lady Yodo), this allegation is excised completely, turning Ochiba's relationship with the Taiko into a straightforward case of MalMariee (with the Taiko depicted sleeping with her). Her hostility to Toranaga is far more personal to her in nature, tied to her belief that Toranaga instigated the death of her father, the dictator Kuroda, via Akechi Jinsai's revolt). These things, coincidentally, are plot points of other Japanese historical fiction / UsefulNotes/SengokuPeriod-related conspiracy theories]].

** The novel's subtexts gives the impression that part of Ochiba's hostility to Toranaga is mostly because she believes [[spoiler:Toranaga knows the Taiko is not the actual father of her son, as she was impregnated by a non-entity so the Taiko can claim her child as hers. Likely as a function of hewing closer to the historical personality Ochiba is based from (Lady Yodo), this allegation is excised completely, turning Ochiba's relationship with the Taiko into a straightforward case of MalMariee (with the Taiko depicted sleeping with her), and her hostility to Toranaga more tied to her belief that Toranaga instigated the death of her father, the dictator Kuroda, via Akechi Jinsai's revolt). These things, coincidentally, are plot points of other Japanese historical fiction / UsefulNotes/SengokuPeriod-related conspiracy theories]].

* DeliberateValuesDissonance: At one point Blackthorne is reluctant to eat some Japanese food, particularly sushi, that most modern viewers would find delicious. To further reinforce this, he decides to try natto to demonstrate that he isn't incapable of eating Japanese food, and declares it to be not bad. Natto generally tops lists of least-appetizing Japanese food for Westerners today.

->''"The man who stands at the greatest height is the loneliest man in the realm."''

[[caption-width-right:350:''"What sort of man wields power in a place like this?"'']]

* DramaticIrony: Not understanding the Japanese language, Blackthorne angrily decries his initial captors as savages (from a Western imperialist view) more than once, unaware that they are calling him the same (as an uncultured barbarian from their perspective).

** The writers adjusted Blackthorne's character arc to remove the 'white saviour' elements that inevitably crept in throughout the book e.g. they moved [[spoiler:his attempt at ''sepukku'']] to the end of the show where it feels more earned, and they reframed it so that it was more Toranaga testing Blackthorne than the latter [[spoiler:winning over his captors by giving up his life for the village, as evidenced by Toranaga punching him to get him to cease his attempt and essentially telling him 'now that you've gotten this out of your system, you've got work to do']].

* SuicideIsShameful: In "Crimson Sky", Mariko, unable to leave Ishido's castle per Toranaga's order, decides to commit seppuku to atone for her shame. However, since she is Catholic and knows suicide is a mortal sin, she asked Kiyama to be her second. The Council are well aware about the church's opinion on suicide and believe Mariko won't commit seppuku for fear of her soul. Though, Ochiba believes Mariko will go through with it regardless. [[spoiler: Sure enough, when Kiyama doesn't show up, Mariko is still determined to continue the ritual but is now shaken with fear and removes her rosary.]]

* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Blackthorne gets one when he drops by the slums where his crewmates have been living. A clearly distraught Salamon mentions that only six of the survivors are still alive, queries whether they really had no choice but to head through the Straits of Magellan rather than home, then angrily accuses Blackthorne of putting glory-seeking ahead of the crew's welfare. Blackthorne's [[BerserkButton enraged beating of Salamon]] would indicate that the sailor touched a nerve.
* ThisIsUnforgivable: Jozen's enraged response to [[spoiler:being blown up by cannon fire, along with all of his men. It's not just a matter of the assault going against SacredHospitality. It violates everything the samurai believe about fighting honorably.]][[note]]This is most likely a question of them being prevented from fighting back, and not exactly about the cannons alone: after all, samurai armies have been using guns for a while now (even if they were seen as dishonorable beforehand).[[/note]]

* FlashForward: To the famous [[spoiler:Battle of Sekigahara, set to take place a month from the GrandFinale, in which Toranaga's master plan, set into motion by Mariko's death, delivers Ishido a decisive defeat.]]

** While Mariko is an ActionGirl proficient in the naginata, this isn't ''VideoGame/SamuraiWarriors''. [[spoiler:When she battles a cohort of trained samurai on her lonesome, the men disarm her (absent killing intent, but at least with an effort) and force her to cede.]]

** While Mariko is an ActionGirl proficient in the naginata, this isn't ''VideoGame/Samurai Warriors''. [[spoiler:When she battles a cohort of trained samurai on her lonesome, the men disarm her (absent killing intent, but at least with an effort) and force her to cede.]]

* BurialAtSea: As thanks for Fuji's service to him, Blackthorne takes her out in a rowboat so they can scatter the ashes of her late husband and son out on the water. [[spoiler:Blackthorne also symbolically buries Mariko and his hopes of returning home when he drops Mariko's rosary in the water. This act revealed that the opening vision of him dying as an old man in England while clutching the rosary was a dream of a possible future that will never come to pass, foreshadowing that he will spend the rest of his life in Japan.]]

* PragmaticAdaptation: The novel's final chapter had Toranaga explain his actions - [[spoiler:burning Blackthorne's ship, Mariko's role, how he puppeteered everything]] - via a lengthy internal monologue. The show, having previously eschewed such methods, alters this to Toranaga doing this in a final conversation with [[spoiler:the condemned Yabushige, converting the doomed traitor into a temporary AudienceSurrogate so he and they can have Toranaga's actions explained at the same time]].

** In the novel Toranaga tasks Blackthorne with teaching his forces to use Western muskets; when developing the show, one of the historical advisors pointed out that matchlock muskets had already been introduced to Japan by the Portuguese several decades before, so Toranaga's forces would be very familiar with them by this stage (Mariko does point out that they already know how to use and care for the muskets, and the Japanese actually want more knowledge of European battle tactics instead). Instead, the show has Blackthorne teaching the Japanese soldiers how to use the ''Erasmus' '' '''cannons,''' which would be far more of a game-changer in warfare. This in turn leads to a different fate for [[spoiler:Jozen and his troops; while in the book Jozen was gutted and his followers committed ''seppuku,'' here they're ''shredded'' by cannon fire]].