Shogun's Anna Sawai Will Be Your Latest Crush

Anna Sawai in Shogun is one of the most beautiful (and we mean goddess-like) we’ve seen in a series. Man, I’ll admit… I watched that, at first, because of my favorite actor Hiroyuki Sanada. But when I got a glimpse of Anna. Whoa! I became an instant fan of hers.

She is insanely sexy even if it’s only her face she is showing. And not a lot is like that. Some need to be in a skimpy outfit to have this level of hotness.

Who is Anna Sawai

Anna is a Japanese actress, dancer, and singer notable for her roles in the 2021 film F9 and the FX series Shogun. She was part of the J-Pop girl group FAKY. In 2024, she portrayed Mariko in the critically acclaimed television series Shogun.

In 2004, she played the title role in a theater performance of the musical Annie.

Her Early Life

Anna Sawai was born on June 11, 1992, in Wellington, New Zealand, to parents of Japanese origin. Her mother worked as a piano teacher, and her father worked for an electronics company. Her father, a Beatles and Carpenters aficionado, impacted her as a child. Anna’s mother began teaching her to play the piano and sing when she was three years old. Her family moved frequently while she grew up due to her father’s business, living in Hong Kong and the Philippines until settling in Yokohama, Japan, at the age of ten.

Career Journey

Anna’s first acting job was at the age of 11 when she played the titular character in the 2004 Nippon TV production of Annie. She later appeared as Kiriko in James McTeigue’s 2009 martial arts film Ninja Assassin.

Anna continued to take singing and dance courses throughout high school before enrolling at Sophia University. While attending university, she was signed by the Avex Trax record label, and in March 2012, she sang the United States national anthem at the Tokyo Dome to kick off the 2012 Major League Baseball season. Anna was confirmed as a member of the girl group ARA, which stands for Avex Rising Angels, a month later, and in November, they released the music video for their first and only single, “Make My Dreams Come True”. The group disbanded in early 2013 after less than a year of promotion, however in July of that year, Avex announced that Anna would be re-debuting as one of the lead vocalists for the girl group Faky under the Rhythm Zone record label. They made their debut with the track “Better Without You” on July 29, 2013.

Anna then rose to prominence in Japan as one of the lead vocalists for the girl group Faky from 2013 until 2018. On November 16, 2018, Faky announced Sawai’s departure from the group FAKY, citing her desire to focus on her acting career. She performed with the group for the last time on December 20 as part of their Four headline tour.

She returned to acting, playing supporting roles in the Japanese mystery series Colors (2018) and the British murder thriller series Giri/Haji (2019). Her international breakthrough came with the parts of Elle in F9 (2021), the ninth installment of the Fast & Furious franchise, and Naomi in the Apple TV+ drama series Pachinko (2022-present). She garnered fame for playing Cate Randa in the MonsterVerse series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (2023) and received critical acclaim for portraying Mariko in the FX historical drama series Shōgun (2024–present).