List of characters in Battle Royale (novel)

The following is a list of characters that appear in the novel Battle Royale.

=Primary Characters=

huya Nanahara

*Kills: Tatsumichi Oki (accident)
*Weapon: Pot LIdBoy #15 Shuya Nanahara (七原秋也 "Nanahara Shūya") is the primary protagonist. He has witnessed a good deal of troubling events throughout his life. He is willing to trust others, not wanting to take part in the Battle Royale program. He tries to rally fellow students in an attempt to escape, but fails. Consequently, he narrowly escapes death at the hands of his classmates, on several occasions. Shuya is a self-proclaimed "rock star", listening to and playing rock 'n' roll music, even though it is banned. Shuya's favorite artist is Bruce Springsteen, and Shuya's hairstyle is said to mimic that of Springsteen's. After the death of his best friend Yoshitoki, he vows to protect Yoshitoki's crush, Noriko, in his stead. Shuya survives the contest, escapes, and becomes a fugitive.

Noriko Nakagawa

*Kills:
*Weapon: BoomerangGirl #15 Noriko Nakagawa (中川典子 "Nakagawa Noriko") is the story's primary female character and Shuya's first companion. She is a quiet, reserved girl. She is shot in the lower leg, and also gets ill. Although she does not realize it, she manages to keep Shuya sane, and she is the only other person besides Shuya to survive the game.

hogo Kawada

*Kills: Kyoichi Motobuchi, Kinpatsu Sakamochi
*Killed by: Kazuo Kiriyama
*Weapon: ShotgunBoy #5 Shogo Kawada (川田章吾 "Kawada Shōgo"), portrayed as a loner within the class ranks, is a transfer student. He is put in Class B about two months before the program takes place. He is the winner of a previous program, some three years prior. He allies himself with Shuya and Noriko, telling them he knows a way to escape from the island and the entire Battle Royale program. Noriko and Shuya frequently doubt his trustworthiness, but these doubts turn out to be unfounded, as Shogo reveals that he deliberately transferred to the school in hopes of being in the selected class. He is on a mission to avenge the death of his girlfriend, who died in a previous program. He helps overturn the program, helping Shuya and Noriko to escape, but he succumbs to his wounds and dies.

Kazuo Kiriyama

*Kills: Hiroshi Kuronaga, Ryuhei Sasagawa, Izumi Kanai, Mitsuru Numai, Sho Tsukioka, Shinji Mimura, Yutaka Seto, Mizuho Inada, Yukiko Kitano, Yumiko Kusaka, Mitsuko Souma
*Killed by: Noriko Nakagawa
*Weapon: KnifeDue to a freak accident during an operation when he was an infant, Boy #6 Kazuo Kiriyama (桐山和雄 "Kiriyama Kazuo") is a sociopath with the mind of a genius and the inability to feel emotion. He quickly becomes the primary antagonist and succeeds in killing twelve of his fellow classmates, only to ultimately be killed by Noriko Nakagawa.

Mitsuko Souma

*Kills: Megumi Eto, Yoji Kuramoto, Yoshimi Yahagi, Yuichiro Takiguchi, Tadakatsu Hatagami, Kayoko Kotohiki, Takako Chigusa
*Killed by: Kazuo Kiriyama
*Weapon: KamaAfter being raped when she was a child and forced to sell her body for her mother’s gain, Girl #11 Mitsuko Souma (相馬光子 "Sōma Mitsuko") has become a hollow shell. She deceives students with fake tears, a beautiful face, and sexual pleasures, only to kill them shortly afterwards. She manages to kill seven students before Kazuo finally kills her.

Hiroki Sugimura

*Kills: None
*Killed by: Kayoko Kotohiki
*Weapon: Tracking DeviceBoy #11 Hiroki Sugimura (杉村弘树 "Sugimura Hiroki") has a black belt in Kung Fu and spends most of the program time looking for Kayoko Kotohiki, the girl he loves. However, before he can reveal he means her no harm, she shoots and kills him.

hinji Mimura

*Kills: Keita Iijima
*Killed by: Kazuo Kiriyama
*Weapon: HandgunBoy #19 Shinji Mimura (三村信史 "Mimura Shinji") uses his intellect to invent an escape plan. His first plan is to hack into the government's computer and disable their collars, and then bomb the school. He is unsuccessful at hacking into the computer, since he discusses his plan with a fellow student, and the conversation is transmitted through his collar back to Sakamochi, who puts a stop to that plan. Shinji then attempts to bomb the building where the Program's staff is bunkered in, a plan which fails after a slight disruption that results in Shinji killing a fellow classmate. In the ensuing confusion, Kazuo shows up and kills both Shinji and his friend and accomplice, Yutaka Seto.

=Supporting Characters=

Male Students

Yoshio Akamatsu

*Kills: Mayumi Tendo
*Killed by: Kazushi Niida
*Weapon: CrossbowBoy #1 Yoshio Akamatsu (赤松義生 "Akamatsu Yoshio") is the first student to leave the school where they are briefed. He runs away, but later comes back and climbs onto the roof of the school, in an attempt to assassinate others (he participates in the program because he's bullied and fears that others are out for him). He is the first student to kill someone - Mayumi Tendo. He shoots her from behind, killing her. He later attempts to kill Shuya Nanahara, but ultimately fails. Nanahara knocks Yoshio unconscious, and he is then finished off by Kazushi Niida.

Keita Iijima

*Kills: None
*Killed by: Shinji Mimura
*Weapon: Kitchen KnifeBoy #2 Keita Iijima (飯島敬太 "Iijima Keita") is a loner who is a former friend of Shinji Mimura. The two have had a falling out, due to Keita's cowardice in facing a street gang harassing Shinji. When Keita wishes to join Yutaka Seto and Shinji, Shinji points a gun at Keita and tells him to leave. Shinji fires the gun in an attempt to scare him off, but accidentally hits and kills him. This begins a chain of events which leads to the ultimate failure of Mimura's plan.

Tatsumichi Oki

*Kills: None
*Killed by: Shuya Nanhara (accident)
*Weapon: AxeBoy #3 Tatsumichi Oki (大木立道 "Ōki Tatsumichi"), a new student in the class and the star handball player, cracks under the pressure of the situation and tries to kill Shuya and Noriko. After a fall with Shuya, his weapon ends up lodged in his face. Yuko Sakaki witnesses the fall, and believes Shuya to be deliberately responsible for the death.

Toshinori Oda

*Kills: Hirono Shimizu
*Killed by: Kazuo Kiriyama
*Weapon: Bulletproof VestLittle more than an ugly rich kid with high views of himself, Boy #4 Toshinori Oda (織田敏憲 "Oda Toshinori") sets out to preserve his talents with the violin. Toshinori hates the students in his class, calling them the 'vulgar masses'. He hates Shuya because he is good looking and plays rock music, which he has a great disdain for (Shuya is an amateur guitar player but has many fans, whereas Toshinori plays the violin expertly but earns little applause). Although he kills Hirono Shimizu, Kazuo Kiriyama (whom Toshinori states he despises, because he is handsome) quickly kills him. In a bit of dark humor, we find out that, several years prior, Kazuo attained a level of skill with the violin that far surpassed that of Toshinori, and when he grew tired of playing the violin, he threw it away.

Yoshitoki Kuninobu

*Kills: None
*Killed by: Kinpatsu Sakamochi
*Weapon: N/ABoy #7 Yoshitoki Kuninobu (国信慶時 "Kuniobu Yoshitoki"), Shuya's best friend, is killed by the Sakamochi before the game begins. After Sakamochi reveals that he has raped Yoshitoki's guardian (the orphanage overseer), Yoshitoki expresses his hatred for Sakamochi. Showing hatred for a government official is illegal, so Sakamochi shoots Yoshitoki in the face. He is in love with Noriko Nakagawa, and, after his death, Shuya Nanahara promises to protect Noriko in his stead.

Yoji Kuramoto

*Kills: None
*Killed by: Mitsuko Souma
*Weapon: DaggerBoy #8 Yoji Kuramoto (倉元洋二 "Kuramoto Yōji") is a rebellious boy in a relationship with Yoshimi Yahagi. They meet up and have a dispute (Yoji claiming he never loved her) and then reconcile, only to both be killed shortly thereafter by Mitsuko.

Hiroshi Kuronaga

*Kills: None
*Killed by: Kazuo Kiriyama
*Weapon: UnrevealedBoy #9 Hiroshi Kuronaga (黒長 博 "Kuronaga Hiroshi"), one of the shortest boys in the class, is a member of Kiriyama's street gang. After being told told by Kiriyama to meet with the other gang members at a certain point on the island, he, along with the other gang members, is killed by Kiriyama.

Ryuhei Sasagawa

*Kills: None
*Killed by: Kazuo Kiriyama
*Weapon: Machine GunBoy #10 Ryuhei Sasagawa (笹川竜平 "Sasagawa Ryūhei"), a boy known for bullying students in the class (especially Yoshio), is a member of Kiriyama's street gang. After being told told by Kiriyama to meet with the other gang members at a certain point on the island, he, along with the other gang members, is killed by Kiriyama.

Yutaka Seto

*Kills: None
*Killed by: Kazuo Kiriyama
*Weapon: ForkBoy #12 Yutaka Seto (濑户丰 "Seto Yutaka"), the class clown, teams up with Shinji Mimura and helps him gather the materials for the bomb plan. He has a crush on Izumi Kanai and wants to avenge her. He is killed by Kazuo Kiryama.

Yuichiro Takiguchi

*Kills: None
*Killed by: Mitsuko Souma
*Weapon: Baseball BatBoy #13 Yuichiro Takiguchi (滝口優一郎 "Takiguchi Yūichirō"), an otaku, hides with his friend Tadakatsu. When Mitsuko attempts to kill Tadakatsu, they capture her. Yuichiro sympathizes with Mitsuko, and intervenes when Tadakatsu tries to kill her. Tadakatsu shoots Yuichiro, and then Mitsuko kills Tadakatsu. While Yuichiro is dying, he and Mitsuko share an understanding. Mitsuko kisses him, then puts him out of his misery. Yuichiro is the only person Mitsuko shows compassion for, and the only person whose death upsets her.

ho Tsukioka

*Kills: None
*Killed by: Kazuo Kiriyama
*Weapon: UnrevealedBoy #14 Sho Tsukioka (月岡彰 "Tsukioka Shō") is the sole homosexual in the class and a member of Kiriyama's street gang. His father owns a gay bar and he often entertains in it. He views himself as if he is a woman inside, and is incredibly narcissistic. After he witnesses Kiriyama killing off the other members of the street gang, Sho, being skilled at stealth, devises a plan to follow Kiriyama around until Kiriyama kills everyone off, then killing Kiriyama, thus becoming the winner. However, Kiriyama realizes that Sho is stalking him, and tricks Sho into lingering in a Forbidden Zone. His collar explodes, killing him instantly.

Kazushi Niida

*Kills: Yoshio Akamatsu
*Killed by: Takako Chigusa
*Weapon: Shamisen BanjoBoy #16 (新井田和 "Niida Kazushi") is a star soccer player with above-average grades (however, he's sleazy, awkward, and always makes excuses). He kills Yoshio after finding him unconscious, and then comes upon Takako Chigusa. Aside from desiring to rape Takako Chigusa, he attempts to shoot her when she runs from him. A vicious fight ensues, and ends with Kazushi being impaled with Takako's ice pick.

Mitsuru Numai

*Kills: None
*Killed by: Kazuo Kiriyama
*Weapon: UnrevealedBoy #17 Mitsuru Numai (沼井 充 "Numai Mitsuru") is Kiriyama's loyal second-in-command in the street gang after Kiriyama saved him from being injured by two thugs. After Kiriyama tells the gang to meet at a certain point on the island, Mitsuru happens upon the dead bodies of his fellow gang members (along with Izumi, an innocent bystander). He is killed shortly thereafter.

Tadakatsu Hatagami

*Kills: None
*Killed by: Mitsuko Souma
*Weapon: HandgunBoy #18 Tadakatsu Hatagami (旗上忠勝 "Hatagami Tadakatsu") is an athletic boy who is friends with Yuichiro (he used to be friends with Shuuya, but Shuuya quit the baseball team and started playing rock music). The two hide together, and soon capture Mitsuko after she attacks them. After Yuichiro releases Mitsuko, she attempts to seduce Tadakatsu in an attempt to kill him. After she attacks him, Tadakatsu chases her with his gun, and accidentally shoots Yuichiro when he jumps in front of her. While Tadakatsu is distracted by this, Mitsuko throws her kama into his shoulder, then beats him to death with the baseball bat.

Kyoichi Motobuchi

*Kills: None
*Killed by: Shogo Kawada
*Weapon: HandgunBoy #20 Kyoichi Motobuchi (元渕 恭一 "Motobuchi Kyōichi") is an intelligent but stuck-up student. He's the class representative and the son of a government official. He attacks Shuya, but is soon shot by Kawada at close range. His dead body is described as looking like "the contents of a sausage factory trash bin."

Kazuhiko Yamamoto

*Kills: None
*Killed by: Self (suicide)
*Weapon: HandgunBoy #21 Kazuhiko Yamamoto (山本和彦 "Yamamoto Kazuhiko") is Sakura's long-term boyfriend. The two decide to kill themselves by jumping off a cliff. The two actually jump when they hear a person approaching; the person approaching is revealed to be Yukie, who only wants to help them, and is upset at seeing them die.

Female Students

Mizuho Inada

*Kills: None
*Killed by: Kazuo Kiriyama
*Weapon: Double-bladed KnifeGirl #1 Mizuho Inada (稲田瑞穂 "Inada Mizuho") spends most of her time living in a fantasy world, thinking of herself as a beautiful warrior. On the island, her mind breaks down and she begins to actually believe in the fantasy. Upset by the deaths of her friends Megumi and Kaori, she attacks Kiriyama, who shoots and kills her without even turning around to look at her.

Yukie Utsumi

*Kills: None
*Killed by: Satomi Noda
*Weapon: HandgunGirl #2 Yukie Utsumi (内海幸枝, "Utsumi Yukie?") is an intelligent, caring girl who is bold enough to say what she is thinking. She is best friends with Haruka (both are players on the volleyball team). During the game, she gathers Haruka and several other girls and hides in an abandoned lighthouse. One of the girls finds Shuya and brings him in. Yukie admits that she is in love with him. Another girl, Yuko Sakaki, is suspicious of Shuya (she witnessed Oki's accidental death and assumed Shuya meant to kill him). Yuko decides to poison his food, but the food meant for him is instead eaten by Yuka Nakagawa, who quickly dies. The girls quickly turn on each other, and Yukie is gunned down by Satomi.

Megumi Eto

*Kills: None
*Killed by: Mitsuko Souma
*Weapon: Diver's KnifeGirl #3 Megumi Eto (江藤 惠, "Etō Megumi?") is a mousy girl who is often bullied. During the game, she hides in an abandoned house. She tries to use her cellular phone to call her parents, but Sakamochi answers instead. He later calls her again, giving her presence away to Mitsuko. Mitsuko tells Megumi that she is scared, as well, and wants to team up with her. Megumi believes her, but Mitsuko instead slits her throat, revealing that she had been lying the whole time.

akura Ogawa

*Kills: None
*Killed by: Self (suicide)
*Weapon: UnrevealedGirl #4 Sakura Ogawa (小川さくら "Ogawa Sakura") is one of the most attractive girls in the class, and Kazuhiko's long-term girlfriend. She and Kazuhiko meet on the island and decide to kill themselves by jumping off a cliff. Yukie witnesses their deaths, and is very upset.

Izumi Kanai

*Kills: None
*Killed by: Kazuo Kiriyama
*Weapon: NunchakuGirl #5 Izumi Kanai (金井泉, "Kanai Izumi?") is a wealthy but down-to-earth girl. She is in the wrong place at the wrong time, and is killed by Kazuo Kiriyama while he kills his gang members. Yutaka Seto has a crush on her, and is very upset upon hearing about her death.

Yukiko Kitano

*Kills: None
*Killed by: Kazuo Kiriyama
*Weapon: DartsGirl #6 (北野雪子, "Kitano Yukiko?") is a feminine, domesticated girl who likes to bake cakes for her best friend Yumiko. She has a crush on Shuya. On the island, she and Yumiko decide to use Yumiko's megaphone to call the other students and discuss things as a group. However, this attracts the attention of Kazuo Kiriyama, who quickly dispatches both of them.

Yumiko Kusaka

*Kills: None
*Killed by: Kazuo Kiriyama
*Weapon: MegaphoneGirl #7 (日下友美子 "Kusaka Yumiko") is an athletic tomboy and Yukiko's best friend. She has a crush on Shuya, but does not want to admit it to Yukiko, since Yukiko likes him, too. On the island, she and Yuhiko decide to use her megaphone to call the other students and discuss things as a group. However, this attracts the attention of Kazuo Kiriyama, who quickly dispatches both of them.

Kayoko Kotohiki

*Kills: Hiroki Sugimura
*Killed by: Mitsuko Souma
*Weapon: HandgunGirl #8 Kayoko Kotohiki (琴彈 加代子 "Kotohiki Kayoko") is a playful, energetic girl who is a member of the tea ceremony group at her school. She is unaware that Hiroki has a crush on her. She hides during most of the game, avoiding confrontation, until Hiroki finds her. Before he can reveal that he means her no harm, she kills him. She is then quickly killed by Mitsuko.

Yuko Sakaki

*Kills: Yuka Nakagawa
*Killed by: Self (suicide)
*Weapon: PoisonGirl #9 Yuko Sakaki (榊 祐子 "Sakaki Yūko") is a troubled girl who was abused as a child. She witnesses Oki's accidental death and blames Shuya for it. Later, she joins up with several other girls and hides in an abandoned lighthouse. When the girls find Shuya and bring him in, she poisons his food. The food, however, is instead eaten by Yuka Nakagawa, who quickly dies. The girls soon turn on each other and kill each other in a violent gun fight. Yuko survives this confrontation, and runs from Shuya. When she gets to the top of the lighthouse, her foot slips, and she falls. Shuya catches her and tries to pull her up, despite his severe injuries. Yuko realizes that Shuya is responsible for saving her life, even though he suffers agonizing pain, and this leads her to realise that he is good after all; her friends died in vain. Yuko pries her hand free of Shuya's, and falls to her death.

Hirono Shimizu

*Kills: Kaori Minami
*Killed by: Toshinori Oda
*Weapon: HandgunGirl #10 Hirono Shimizu (清水比呂乃, "Shimizu Hirono?") is a rebellious girl with spiked hair. She has been involved with prostitution and drugs (she is part of Mitsuko Soma's gang, along with Yoshimi Yahagi). On the island, she is attacked by Kaori Minami, whom she kills. She is wounded, however, and uses her entire water supply to treat her wounds. However, she suffers from septicaemia, and becomes severely dehydrated. When she tries to get water from a well, she is attacked by Toshinori Oda. She shoots him and leaves him for dead. However, it is soon revealed that he is wearing a bulletproof vest, and gets up to attack her again, strangling her with his belt.

Haruka Tanizawa

*Kills: Satomi Noda
*Killed by: Satomi Noda
*Weapon: HandgunGirl #12 Haruka Tanizawa (谷沢 はるか Tanizawa Haruka) is a tall, athletic girl (a player on the volleyball team) and Yukie's best friend. She hides with Yukie and several other girls in an abandoned lighthouse. However, soon they turn against each other, and kill each other in a violent gun fight.

Takako Chigusa

*Kills: Kazuhsi Niida
*Killed by: Mitsuko Souma
*Weapon: IcepickGirl #13 Takako Chigusa (千草贵子 "Chigusa Takako") is an athletic girl (the fastest sprinter on the track team) and one of the prettiest girls in the class (despite this, she has few friends). She is very close with Hiroki Sugimura. On the island, she is approached by Kazushi Niida, a boy she despises. When she refuses to team up with him, he threatens to rape her and attacks her. She gouges out his eyes with her fingernails, then stabs him to death with her icepick. Takako then notices Mitsuko standing nearby, who shoots her and leaves her for dead. Mortally wounded, she is found by Hiroki a half hour later. She tells him that, even though he doesn't feel the same way, she loves him. She dies in his arms.

Mayumi Tendo

*Kills: None
*Killed by: Yoshio Akamatsu
*Weapon: UnrevealedGirl #14 Mayumi Tendo (天堂真弓 "Tendō Mayumi") is a girl who appears to be prim and proper but actually partakes in telephone dating. She is quickly killed by Yoshio as she exits the school. Perched on the roof, he shoots her with an arrow. Her corpse is the first thing Shuya sees upon leaving the school.

Yuka Nakagawa

*Kills: None
*Killed by: Yuko Sakaki
*Weapon: UnrevealedGirl #16 Yuka Nakagawa (中川有香 "Nakagawa Yūka") is a cheerful girl who hides in an abandoned lighthouse with several other girls. She mistakenly eats poisoned food meant for someone else and dies.

atomi Noda

*Kills: Chisato Matsui, Yukie Utsumi, Haruka Tanizawa
*Killed by: Haruka Tanizawa
*Weapon: HandgunGirl #17 Satomi Noda (野田聪美 "Noda Satomi") is a model student often referred to as "frigid." She hides in a lighthouse with several other girls. After Yuko Sakaki tries to poison Shuya Nanhara, but accidentally kills Yuka Nakagawa, the girls turn on each other. Satomi is the first to become panicked and starts the gunfight. She succeeds in killing the other girls, but a dying Haruka kills her.

Fumiyo Fujiyoshi

*Kills: None
*Killed by: Kinpatsu Sakamochi
*Weapon: N/AGirl #18 Fumiyo Fujiyoshi (藤吉文世 "Fujiyoshi Fumiyo") is the quiet, caring nurse's aid. She is caught whispering during the presentation, and Sakamochi throws a knife into her forehead. She is the first female student to be killed (the first student overall being Yoshitoki Kuninobu).

Chisato Matsui

*Kills: None
*Killed by: Satomi Noda
*Weapon: UnrevealedGirl #19 Chisato Matsui (松井知里 "Matsui Chisato") is a quiet, petite girl with a crush on Shuya. She hides with several other girls in an abandoned lighthouse. After Yuka Nakagawa is mistakenly poisoned, the other girls turn on each other. Chisato is killed by a panicked Satomi.

Kaori Minami

*Kills: None
*Killed by: Hirono Shimizu
*Weapon: HandgunGirl #20 Kaori Minami (南佳織, "Minami Kaori?") is a girl with pimples who likes pop idols. She is friends with Megumi and Mizuho, although Mizuho's fantasy games annoy her. On the island, Kaori gets into a gun fight with Hirono. Aftr this, Shuya attempts to reason with her, but she goes insane, and attempts to shoot him. She is then dispatched by Shogo.

Yoshimi Yahagi

*Kills: None
*Killed by: Mitsuko Souma
*Weapon: UnrevealedGirl #21 Yoshimi Yahagi (矢作好美, "Yahagi Yoshimi?") is a rebellious girl in a relationship with Yoji Kuramoto. She is thought to be a delinquent because she's part of Mitsuko Soma's gang. They meet up and have a dispute (Yoji claiming he never loved her) and then reconcile, only to both be killed shortly thereafter by Mitsuko.

Other Characters

Kinpatsu Sakamochi

*Kills: Fumiyo Fujiyoshi, Yoshitoki Kuninobu
*Killed by: Shogo KawadaA government employee who is the administrator of the current Battle Royale program. He briefs the students on the rules of Battle Royale. He is a vile and sadistic man, as he kills two students because they annoy him. He also claims to have killed parents who objected to their children's placement in the program, as well as having raped Yoshitoki's guardian. When Shogo is declared the winner, he stabs Sakamochi in the neck with a pencil, killing him.

Keiko Onuki

Keiko Onuki (大貫慶子 "Ōnuki Keiko") is Shogo Kawada's girlfriend from his previous school in Kobe; Keiko was in Shogo's class when the two were in a Battle Royale. Shogo only sees her twice in their program, the first she runs from him, and the second time she has already been killed.

Ryoko Anno

Ryoko Anno (安野良子 "An'no Ryōko") is the superintendent of the Charity House, a Roman Catholic orphanage. She acts as guardian to Yoshitoki and Shuya. Sakomochi claims that he raped her when she objected to her charges being selected for the program.

Masao Hayashida

Masao Hayashida (林田昌朗 "Hayashida Masao") is the teacher of Class 3-B at Shiroiwa Junior High School. He is executed when he pleads for the lives of the 3-B students. He is nicknamed "Dragonfly" because of his glasses.