The third episode, "The Night Before the Decisive Battle," of the 2026 NHK Taiga drama "Toyotomi Brothers!" (General TV, Sundays at 8 p.m. and other channels), starring actor Nakano Taiga, was broadcast on January 18, and the words and actions of Ichi, played by Aoi Miyazaki, became 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.
The script is written by Hiroyuki Yatsu, known for his work on "Hanzawa Naoki" (TBS) and the Asadora"Ochoyan." The music is by Hideaki Kimura.
In the third episode, Koichirou (Nakano), Tokichiro (Ikematsu Sosuke), and Nao (Shiraishi Sei) leave their hometown of Nakamura and arrive in Kiyosu, the castle town of Oda Nobunaga (Shun Oguri Shun).
They visit Oda vassal Asano Nagakatsu (played by Miyagawa Ichirota) to pay their respects, and it is decided that Nao will become a maid to Nagakatsu's daughter, Nene (played by Hamabe Minami). The two brothers begin living together, but Tōkichirō reveals a secret plan to Koichiro.
And so the story unfolds as Imagawa Yoshimoto's (played by Otsuru Yoshitan) large army begins its march towards Owari...
The episode also depicted Nobunaga and his sister Ichi exchanging words about how to deal with the Imagawa clan. Ichi told Nobunaga, "I've always wanted to see the beautiful Mount Fuji in Suruga," and suggested, "If that's what you want, I'll gladly become a hostage for the Imagawa clan. I'll lull them into a false sense of security, sneak into their arms, and then I'll stab you to death." However, Nobunaga simply laughed, saying, "You're too good a sister to be worth in exchange for the head of someone like Yoshimoto," and refused to accept the plan.
Ichi has been appearing since the previous episode, and at the time, people were saying things like, "Oichi is so cute this time," and "Oichi is so cute," but when he said this time, "Fighting to the death with Yoshimoto," viewers on social media responded with comments like, "Oichi is so bold...," "Oichi is hot-blooded despite her face," "Fighting to the death with Yoshimoto is scary, Oichi," "This Oichi is so aggressive," "Aggressive Oichi," "This is a Sengoku princess," and "Oichi is so hot-blooded! I love her!" Also, since Miyazaki's husband is Junichi Okada, some commented, "She probably learned silat and jiu-jitsu from her husband."
