A01=Koushun Takami
A12=Yukai Asada
alternate history
artificial intelligence
Author_Koushun Takami
Author_Yukai Asada
Battle Experiment No. 68
battle royal
Battle Royale
bomb collars
Category=FDB
Category=XAB
Category=XAM
Category=XQL
Class F
controversial
Daitoa Republic
death match
dystopia
eq_bestseller
eq_fiction
eq_graphic-novels-manga
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_nobargain
fascist Japan
forthcoming
high school students
horror manga
Kunimitsu
Program 68
Republic of Greater East Asia
Rion
Sister
survival game
ultra-violence
Product details
- ISBN 9781974763276
- Weight: 215g
- Dimensions: 146 x 210mm
- Publication Date: 18 Jun 2026
- Publisher: Viz Media, Subs. of Shogakukan Inc
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Paperback
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High school students battle each other to the death in the original survival game!
Decades ago, the fascist government of the Republic of Greater East Asia seized control of Japan. In order to terrorize its citizens and crush any possibility of rebellion, the government established Program 68—a savage military program where teenage students were sent to a remote island and forced to kill each other—also known as the Battle Royale.
As day breaks over Academy Island, the squads are out scouting for information. Sakamoto’s search for Kunimitsu leads him into a confrontation with Squad 1, who want his help figuring out the chips everyone has been implanted with. Meanwhile, the dark secrets of the students in the other squads begin to come to light, starting with Sudo and Hamada. Hosoya, the psychotic leader of Squad 2, learns that he’s not the only one on the island who’s been trained as an assassin…
Decades ago, the fascist government of the Republic of Greater East Asia seized control of Japan. In order to terrorize its citizens and crush any possibility of rebellion, the government established Program 68—a savage military program where teenage students were sent to a remote island and forced to kill each other—also known as the Battle Royale.
As day breaks over Academy Island, the squads are out scouting for information. Sakamoto’s search for Kunimitsu leads him into a confrontation with Squad 1, who want his help figuring out the chips everyone has been implanted with. Meanwhile, the dark secrets of the students in the other squads begin to come to light, starting with Sudo and Hamada. Hosoya, the psychotic leader of Squad 2, learns that he’s not the only one on the island who’s been trained as an assassin…
Koushun Takami was born in 1969 in Amagasaki near Osaka and grew up in Kagawa Prefecture of Shikoku (the fourth-largest island in Japan), where he currently resides. After graduating from Osaka University with a degree in literature, he worked for a newspaper company, Shikoku Shinbun, for five years, reporting on politics, police reports, and economics.
Battle Royale, completed after Takami left the newspaper company, was his debut work and is his only novel published so far. With its publication in Japan in 1999, it received widespread support and became a bestseller. Battle Royale was serialized as a comic, made into a feature film in 2000, and has been translated into more than ten languages. Since its initial release, Battle Royale continues to be a cult favorite in Japan and internationally.
In 2012, Battle Royale: Angels' Border, a spin-off manga scripted by Koushun Takami, was released.
Yukai Asada is from Shunan City, Yamaguchi Prefecture. He moved to Tokyo and formed a punk band while also working as a manga assistant. In 2006, he teamed up with Mai Tsurugina for his first serialized work, M.C.☆LAW. Among his other noteworthy works are the band-themed manga Woodstock and Koori no Buta (Ice Pig), as well as Sengoku Basara, based on the popular video game. His most recent works include Butsumetsu Kekkon (Unlucky Wedding Day) and Battle Royale: Enforcers.
Battle Royale, completed after Takami left the newspaper company, was his debut work and is his only novel published so far. With its publication in Japan in 1999, it received widespread support and became a bestseller. Battle Royale was serialized as a comic, made into a feature film in 2000, and has been translated into more than ten languages. Since its initial release, Battle Royale continues to be a cult favorite in Japan and internationally.
In 2012, Battle Royale: Angels' Border, a spin-off manga scripted by Koushun Takami, was released.
Yukai Asada is from Shunan City, Yamaguchi Prefecture. He moved to Tokyo and formed a punk band while also working as a manga assistant. In 2006, he teamed up with Mai Tsurugina for his first serialized work, M.C.☆LAW. Among his other noteworthy works are the band-themed manga Woodstock and Koori no Buta (Ice Pig), as well as Sengoku Basara, based on the popular video game. His most recent works include Butsumetsu Kekkon (Unlucky Wedding Day) and Battle Royale: Enforcers.
