Does Shōgun Have an English Dub?

Shōgun is now streaming on FX on Hulu, and there’s a lot of hype surrounding the show after the first glowing reviews called it the next Game of Thrones. With many viewers coming to Shogun expecting the next big mainstream TV series hit, they may be surprised to find out that much of the series features Japanese dialogue conveyed through English subtitles.  

So is there an option to watch Shogun with an English Dub instead of subtitles?

In short answer: Yes. yes there is. 

How to Watch Shōgun English Language Dub

If you want to watch Shōgun with English Dub voices instead of the Japanese dialogue and subtitles, you just have to select that option from the menu on Hulu. The homepage for Shogun actually offers the main “Episodes” column for the standard Japanese subtitled version of the show, and then an “English Dub” column that offers the dubbed version of the series. There is also an additional column for the official podcast attached to Shogun – although, you can also get that here on our ComicBook Nation podcast! 

Obviously, cinephiles and “purists” will want to advocate for the Japanese dialogue version – but it is a smart move on the part of FX and Hulu to make the English Dub available, as well. Since 2020 and the Squid Game phenomenon, television productions from the Eastern region (Japan, China, Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, India) have garnered exponentially more fame. Netflix, Hulu, and other streaming platforms have offered English Dub options to a lot of those TV shows and movie imports; a show like Shogun, with this much hype behind it, definitely wants to appeal to the widest audience possible –  and language shouldn’t be a barrier. 

The two lead actors of Shogun – Cosmo Jarvis and Hiroyuki Sanada – told ComicBook.com that actors overcoming their language barriers during production only helped to enhance their performances in the show: 

“In the beginning, despite the language barrier that was prevalent in the beginning, it was a good thing to use to the advantage of the scenes… because that’s what they demanded,” Cosmo Jarvis explained. “So there was a lot of just communicating without using language, which was very useful.”

Shōgun: How to Stream + Cast & Crew Info

Shōgun will be a 10-episode limited series and is now streaming on Hulu.

 Shogun stars Hiroyuki Sanada, Cosmo Jarvis, Anna Sawai, Tadanobu Asano, Hiroto Kanai, Takehiro Hira, Moeka Hoshi, Tokuma Nishioka, Shinnosuke Abe, Yuki Kura and Fumi Nikaido. It was created for television by Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks – with Marks serving as showrunner and executive producer. Michaela Clavell, Edward L. McDonnell, Michael De Lu and Kondo all executive produce, and Hiroyuki Sanada also serves as a producer. 

Shōgun will premiere on FX on February 27th.