The 2026 NHK Taiga drama "Toyotomi Brothers!" (General TV, Sundays at 8:00 PM and other times), starring actor Nakano Taiga, will begin airing on January 4th. In the first episode, "Two Monkeys,"Shun Oguri, who plays Oda Nobunaga, has already become a hot topic among viewers.
"Toyotomi Brothers!" is the 65th taiga drama. It is a success story of hope and dreams, depicting the miracle of the Toyotomi brothers, Hidenaga (Koichiro) and his older brother Hideyoshi (Tokichiro), who achieve the great feat of unifying the country with their strong bond.
In the first episode, Koichiro (Nakano), born into a poor farming family in Nakamura, Owari, spends his days contentedly cultivating the fields and living with the soil. One day, a group of bandits attacks the village, and his childhood friend, Nao (Shiraishi Sei), is about to be kidnapped. His brother, Tokichiro (Ikematsu Sosuke), returns to the village for the first time in eight years and saves him from the predicament.
The story unfolds as Tokichiro, who dreams of becoming a great success in the service of the young Sengoku warlord Oda Nobunaga (played by Oguri), asks Koichiro to become his retainer.
Nobunaga, played by Oguri, is a "lonely charismatic man who aims to unify the country"
He was a charismatic military commander who expanded his territory with bold, innovative strategies and exceptional leadership, and aimed to unify the country under the slogan "Tenka Fubu" (unifying the country through military might). He was the absolute lord of the brothers Koichiro (later Hidenaga) and Tōkichirō (later Hideyoshi), who were striving to rise in their careers. He had a bitter past, having murdered his younger brother with his own hand during a battle for the throne.
In the first episode, he participated in the road construction while hiding his identity. When Koichiro called Nobunaga "just as foolish as rumored," he suddenly punched him. Later, when Koichiro saw Nobunaga heading to Kyoto, he was surprised to learn that the "young man" who punched him was Nobunaga. Nobunaga then praised Koichiro, whose quick thinking allowed him to successfully complete the road, saying, "You did a great job managing it last night. Without you, the road would never have been completed. Thank you."
Towards the end of the story, Nobunaga escapes the schemes of his rival, the Sengoku daimyo of Mino, Saito Yoshitatsu (played by DAIGO), and returns to Kiyosu. As a warning to others, he orders his retainers to "kill all of Yoshitatsu's spies, including women and children."
Fans of the Taiga drama also paid attention to the tilt of Oguri's head. On social media, comments such as "Hojo Yoshitoki started to lean after he fell into darkness, but Nobunaga in this drama is already leaning...", "His head is tilted... (scary)", "Shun Oguri in the Taiga drama is really scary when he's tilted", "Shun Oguri's tilted head is too ominous", "I can't take my eyes off Oguri Shun who is already tilting his head", and "There was a post some time ago saying Shun Oguri looks dangerous with his head tilted, and I laughed so hard my stomach hurt, so now I can't stop thinking about the tilt of his head" were posted one after another.
