Sho Tsukioka

Sho Tsukioka (月岡彰 "Tsukioka Shō") is a character in the novel "Battle Royale", and the film and manga of the same name. In the film he was played by Shigeki Hirokawa. The character's nickname is "Zuki."

Tsukioka has A-type blood

Pre-Program

Sho Tsukioka is one of the class of third-year students at the fictional Shiroiwa Junior High School. He was the only openly gay character in the story. His father ran a gay bar. Sho was very concerned with his appearance, and took great strains to ensure his hair, clothes, and face looked perfect, no matter what the occasion, and he often painted his nails. He was a member of the gang headed by Kazuo Kiriyama, and managed to get away with calling Kazuo "Kazuo-kun" when the rest of the gang called him "Boss". He often got his own way by making mock sexual advances on his friends, particularly Mitsuru Numai, who were less than comfortable with his lifestyle.

Although not actually morally opposed to killing his classmates (he was even quite moved to see that someone had attempted to save Yumiko and Yukiko - but not moved enough to endanger himself), Sho was hesitant to be responsible for the deaths of innocent children, which he considered "so very vulgar". By his logic, he would be guilt free as the victor of the game, as he would have only killed Kazuo, and then only out of self-defense.

One of Sho's biggest talents was stealth - he was an expert stalker, and would often follow boys he was interested for extended periods of time, without ever being noticed. He could move very gracefully, despite his height (177 centimeters).

He also was an expert at blackmailing, as shown in a manga flashback. When Ryuji, a customer at the bar, pours a drink for Lena, who cannot drink, Sho's father, while in drag, asks Sho to help resolve the situation. Sho appears, pours his own drink, and touches Ryuji's crotch. Sho then reveals a photograph of Ryuji with the wife of his yakuza boss. After showing Ryuji a second photograph revealing Ryuji and his boss' wife in a sexual act, Sho convinces Ryuji to stop hitting on Lena.

Sho is a heavy smoker, preferring Virginia Slims Menthol cigarettes, and he also drank alcohol - usually Screwdriver cocktails.It is implied that Sho had a crush on Shinji Mimura and in the manga he also had a crush on Shogo Kawada and Kazuo Kiriyama.

A sidenote found in the manga version states in Sho's player profile that he is in no way allowed to leave the island alive. A reference is made to an anti-homosexual act passed by the country that would be violated by Sho's victory.

During The Program

In the novel and manga, Kazuo invites Sho and the other gang members to the Southern tip; Sho decides see what would happen before joining the gang members. He witnesses Kiriyama's slaughter of the rest of the group, so he obviously decides against meeting Kazuo. Sho concocts a plan to use his stealth skills to stalk Kazuo throughout the game, letting Kazuo kill all of their other classmates, and then kill Kazuo himself when the two of them are the only survivors. In both the novel and manga, this is also because he was given a Derringer as his starting weapon, which, while capable of killing someone in close range,was totally unfit for an actual gunfight. This plan works for a considerable portion of the game, but Kazuo realises Sho is there eventually, and tricks him. Although it's never specifically stated how Kazuo was able to detect Sho's presence, it is implied that he was able to deduce his position based on previous knowledge of Sho's stealth, and the faint traces of his cigarettes on the wind.

Kiriyama goes into an outside toilet which is borders a zone which is due to become forbidden in the next few minutes. Sho knows he is near a danger zone, but knows that Kiriyama would never allow himself to be caught in a danger zone, so he stays put. After a while, Sho becomes suspicious that Kiriyama hasn't left the toilet, so he goes to investigate. He realises that Kiriyama has left through another exit, and simply hung a leaking water bottle above the toilet to create a trickling noise. Sho realises this too late however, and the area becomes a danger zone. Sho's collar detonates as soon as the danger zone becomes active, killing him. Sho is the only student in the novel to be killed by the collars. In the manga, the wind blows the door open. Sho sees Kiriyama walking off right before the collar explodes.

Like most of the minor "Battle Royale" characters, Sho is not as well developed in the film. In the film, Sho is a part of a pack of students headed by Mitsuru Numai (instead of Kiriyama). The pack, which includes Numai, Sho, Hiroshi Kuronaga, Ryuhei Sasagawa, and Izumi Kanai, confronts Kiriyama and accuses Kiriyama of being a spy for Kitano. Sho, along with the other pack members, is killed during Kiriyama's slaughter of the gang. In the film, Yoshitoki Kuninobu is the only student that dies from triggered collars, while Kazuo himself dies after receiving a gunshot in his collar. The DVD extras of the French dub mention Sho's homosexuality and the fact that his father runs a gay bar.