Who were the ninja assassins who tried to kill Lady Mariko in Shogun episode 9? The series is seemingly ending with the demise of the hatamoto's translator, but is she really dead? Here's what happened.
CONTENT SPOILERS: This article contains spoilers for Shōgun, so proceed with caution.
Who Are the Ninja Assassins Who Killed Lady Mariko?
Shōgun episode 9 titled Crimson Sky puts Lady Mariko's (played by Anna Sawai) life at risk as she officially executes Lord Toranaga's plans as he had asked of her in the previous episode.
As per the eighth episode, we get to see Lady Mariko climb aboard John Blackthorne's ship to accompany them on their trip to Osaka.
Lady Mariko has only ever revealed her true intentions to come to Osaka when she talks one-on-one with Lady Ochiba, whom she has complicated ties with in her past.
Lady Mariko plans on escorting Lord Toranaga's wife, Kiri, and his consort, Shizu, along with her baby back to Edo.
Unfortunately, as predicted, Ishido doesn't agree with this arrangement, especially considering that Toranaga's day of surrender would require his presence in Osaka.
As much as Lady Mariko knows she must claim victory in her duty by dying trying, her strength couldn't match the guards prohibiting her from accomplishing her mission.
Before she could commit seppuku for failing, Ishido interrupts their ceremony by granting her departure. However, Yabushige's betrayal is what sent ninja assassins to Lady Mariko's doorstep.
It was late at night when masked assassins who appeared to be working for Ishido raided their castle to kill their samurais in their sleep. Now, the question is, does this mean Mariko dies in Shōgun?
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Is Lady Mariko Really Dead in FX's Shōgun?
Witnessing Lady Mariko stabbed would have led to higher hopes for fans had she died that way in episode 9. Instead, the episode showed how she knew that the assassins were setting off bombs at every door inside the castle.
As a last resort, she barricaded the door where everyone was hidden and sacrificed herself via the bombings.
It is worth mentioning that she suffered the same fate in the original adaptation as well as in James Clavell's novel of the same name.
Lady Mariko intentionally did this to buy Blackthorne some time to save what's left of her mission.
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Meanwhile, Shōgun episode 10 titled A Dream of a Dream premieres on Hulu on April 23.
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