The ending of Sandokan (2025) explained: victory, losses, and new choices
Here's what happens in the finale of the Rai series.
The new version of Sandokan, co-produced by Italy and France and broadcast on Rai 1 in December 2025, has divided audiences and critics, but it has also brought one of the most iconic characters in Italian adventure back to the center of the television imagination. The season finale closes an intense narrative arc, marked by a choice that redefines the destiny of the Tiger of Malaysia forever. Here's how Sandokan ends!
The plot of Sandokan 2025
Set in Borneo in 1841, the series tells the evolution of Sandokan from a solitary pirate to a symbol of rebellion against colonial oppression. Alongside him are his brotherly friend Yanez and a crew of outcasts, while his encounter with Marianna, daughter of the British consul of Labuan, challenges all certainties. In the background, an exploited land, enslaved peoples, and an increasingly open conflict between freedom and imposed "progress".
How does Sandokan end?
The last two episodes represent the point of maximum tension in the series. Sandokan is betrayed, captured, and handed over to his enemies, paying the price for his choice to openly side with the Dayak people. His apparent execution marks an emotional turning point: for his allies, it is the end of a symbol; for his enemies, the definitive victory.
Does Sandokan really die?
But Sandokan's death is just an illusion. Thanks to a deception orchestrated by James Brooke, the pirate survives and returns to the shadows, while Borneo explodes in a revolt involving slaves, tribes, and pirates. The liberation of the mines and the assault on the sultan's palace transform personal revenge into a collective rebellion.
The conclusion of the conflict
The conflict concludes with the fall of the sultan, but not with true political liberation: power changes its face, not its nature. Brooke gets what he wanted, while Sandokan understands that military victory does not necessarily coincide with justice.
The ending of Sandokan explained
The concluding episode, The Price of Redemption, is structured as a moral reckoning rather than a simple action finale. Sandokan wins, but loses much: allies, innocents, and above all, the illusion that love and freedom can coexist without compromise.
The death of Sani
The death of Sani, struck during the liberation of the slaves, becomes the most painful symbol of this awareness. It is the human price of a revolution that spares no one. The relationship with Marianna is also redefined: there is no romantic happy ending, but a shared choice of escape and resistance.
A new beginning in Mompracem
The final decision to head towards Mompracem, an island that does not appear on maps, has strong symbolic value. It is not just a refuge, but the promise of a new identity: far from empires, flags, and the chains of colonial power. Sandokan is the guardian of a fragile and necessary utopia.
Will Sandokan have a season 2?
Yes, Sandokan will have a second season. After the positive reception of the first episodes, the production has officially confirmed the creation of a new cycle of episodes, scheduled for 2027.
The first season's finale is clearly conceived as a restarting point: Mompracem opens up new stories, new conflicts, and a redefinition of the myth of the Tiger of Malaysia. The second season could explore the birth of a true rebel community, the clash with the new order imposed by Brooke, and the fate of Marianna, increasingly distant from the world she comes from.
Here you can find our special dedicated to the TV series.