In an alternative future Japan, junior high students are forced to fight to the death! L to R (Western Style). Koushun Takami's notorious high-octane thriller is based on an irresistible premise: a class of junior high school students is taken to a deserted island where, as part of a ruthless authoritarian program, they are provided arms and forced to kill one another until only one survivor is left standing. Criticized as violent exploitation when first published in Japan--where it then proceeded to become a runaway bestseller--Battle Royale is a Lord of the Fliesfor the 21st century, a potent allegory of what it means to be young and (barely) alive in a dog-eat-dog world. Made into a controversial hit movie of the same name, Battle Royale is already a contemporary Japanese pulp classic, now available for the first time in the English language. A group of high school students are taken to small isolated island and forced to fight each other until only one remains alive! If they break the rules a special collar blows their heads off. Koushun Takami's brutal, high-octane thriller is told in breathless. blow-by-blow fashion. Battle Royale is a contemporary Japanese pulp classic now available for the first time in English.

Battle Royale: The Novel

Literature & Fiction

Takami, Koushun

Genre Fiction

Haika Soru

The Program is a brutal military experiment that pits junior high students against each other every year in a brutal battle to the death. Most of the students from Shiroiwa Junior High scatter as soon as they reach the remote island where they must participate in the latest round of the Program. But Yukie Utsumi and five of her friends lock themselves in the lighthouse, clinging to a desperate hope of survival. They all trust each other, but they also know that only one can survive the Battle Royale… A graphic novel side story of the bestselling novel Battle Royale

Battle Royale: Angels' Border

Comics & Graphic Novels

Manga

VIZ Media, LLC

Battle Royale

In the near future, a random class of 9th graders has been chosen to compete on The Program, a popular game show that requires its contestants to battle to the death on a top-secret island. Included in this class are Shuuya Nanahara, Noriko Nakagawa, Shogo Kawada, Kazuo Kiriyama, and Mitsuko Souma. Five students that couldn't be more different, yet now find themselves sharing a common plight. Abandoned, and with no hope of escape, they must kill each other and the rest of their class, until only one of them is left living. Unwilling to slaughter his fellow classmates for the amusement of others, Shuuya forms an alliance to fight back and deliver a counter-punch to the government that ruined their lives. However, he must be careful, for there are some students who are determined to "win" this cruel game.

Battle Royale, Book 1

Taguchi, Masayuki

Tokyopop

"Griffen is an excellent choice to make the material live for the English-speaking audience, handling the teen dialects well and making the most of the dark humor. "
-- Chris Allen, Movie Poop Shoot "Based on the cult novel and live-action Japanese film of the same name, Royale hits all the manga bases (martial arts, creepy old men, panty shots) without being Sailor Moon silly... A- "
-- Marc Bernardin, Entertainment Weekly "Battle Royale, for all its violence, is a dramatic and addictive story."
-- Alan David Doane - Comic Book Galaxy "Battle Royale is a very controversial series that is not for the squeamish or easily offended. It is a great series for those who appreciate the absurdity of it all and not take it too seriously. However be forewarned that this is a really disturbing series that gets worse and worse as it goes on. Quoting Keith Giffen, who did the English adaptations to Battle Royale, 'I had to call my lawyer to find out if it was even legal for me to look at this.' -- A"
-- Naota Nanadaba, The Ticker "Taguchi's straight-ahead storytelling and Giffen's superior adaptation make the gore easy to follow. The book's scenes of torture, implied rape and killing combine the horror and extreme violence of A Clockwork Orange with Lord of the Flies' exploration of human nature and depravity and aren't for the faint of heart."
-- Publishers Weekly "Battle Royale is full of sick thrills but is so plausibly plotted and well-written that it is impossible to dismiss it as just another stereotyped imitation of a bloody video game. It is frighteningly believable. 'Kill or be killed, Little Warriors!'"
-- Newtype Magazine "Feel like crossing the line, perhaps taking in something of such magnitude that the pages actually jump into your head? Look no further. Run, don't walk, to your nearest book dealer and feast your senses on Battle Royale..."
-- Play

Battle Royale, Vol. 3

Taguchi, Masayunki

In a country ruled by a ruthless totalitarian government, a group of ninth-grade students are confined to a small isolated island where they must fight each other for three days until only one survivor remains, as part of the ultimate in reality televisio

Battle Royale, Vol. 4

Battle Royale, Vol. 9

Yuko has trouble coping with the deaths of her friends, while Shuyya must come to terms with his failure to save the girls that rescued him.

Battle Royale Vol. 10

Giffen, Keith

High school students battle each other&nbsp;to the death&nbsp;in the original survival game! Twenty years ago, the fascist government of the Republic of Greater East Asia seized control of Japan. In order to terrorize the citizens and crush any possibility of rebellion, the government set up Program 68, a savage military program where Japanese high school students were sent to a remote island and forced to kill each other--the Battle Royale. After being banned for two decades, Program 68 is back,&nbsp;now&nbsp;under the direction of a sinister government artificial intelligence. The troubled and misbehaving kids of Daitoa Academy's Class F have been chosen, armed, and divided into squads, and now&nbsp;must fight each other to the death. Friendships and loyalties will be tested, and only the strongest will survive.

Battle Royale: Enforcers, Vol. 1 (1)

High school students battle each other&nbsp;to the death&nbsp;in the original survival game! Twenty years ago, the fascist government of the Republic of Greater East Asia seized control of Japan. In order to terrorize the citizens and crush any possibility of rebellion, the government set up Program 68, a savage military program where Japanese high school students were sent to a remote island and forced to kill each other--the Battle Royale. As night falls, the fight for survival has already&nbsp;begun. Shocked by their extreme situation, the students of Daitoa Academy resign themselves to what they'll have to do to get off the island. Some students want to cooperate, but others fall back on their own merciless killer instincts. The squad leaders begin to show their leadership in different ways, looking for a way to survive. But the twisted leader of squad 2 may be the biggest threat to his own squad!

Battle Royale: Enforcers, Vol. 2 (2)

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