I didn't expect Mugen's death. In a typical game he would have survived thanks to some cliché. But he messed it up and atoned for it with his life like samurais of old used to do. That added a ton of credibility to the overall plot & characters
The parallel between Mugen taking his own life and the player being given the choice to deny Noboru the same fate at the end of the game was nice. It still didn't make much sense to me for Mugen to betray the shogun just to save his friends, considering how devoted he was to his master.
Fantastic game. My only gripes were a few camera issues and the most predictable twist in the world, but overall it was a joy to play and one of my favorite games of the year. I was hoping it would be too easy but the difficulty really picks up starting with Okkoto's castle.