Japan: the true King of Death Games

The title already makes it clear: Japan is the true King of Death Games. Now, don’t get me wrong, this isn’t to say that Japan’s the only country that sees death games as an important part of its media landscape – nor is it the real origin of it – but when you think death games, Japan’s definitely King.

It’s been pretty hard to avoid these past years, as the world has latched onto a new hype which appeared in the form of a South-Korean Netflix series called Squid Game. Mainstream media ate it up and has talked about all sides of the series’ violence while it’s essentially people playing children’s games – just with a slightly more harrowing result. The show inspired a more reality/variety version with its own related drama, and it’s also even gotten that far that the US, as always, wants to make its own version. But there’s much more out there, and you don’t have to be the most seasoned movie/drama watcher to know that it’s not just a new thing put to people’s attention because the streaming platform happened to serve not one but two on a platter in the same year – and of course people couldn’t stop comparing them as if they’re the only two in existence.

It’s a void

Savanna Game, Darwin’s Game, Doubt, Btooom!, Judge, Tenkuu Shinpan (High Rise Invasion), Ousama Game, Real Account – and I could probably go on for another few hours if I’d truly dive into the never-ending pit of novels and manga Japan has to offer about and around the death game concept.

Obviously, Japan also wouldn’t be Japan if it hadn’t brought any of these stories to life yet by now. And by brought to life I am not just talking animation. Japan has it all: survival games – aka Sabage – where friends team up paintball-wise to battle another team till no one remains – without the deaths, of course; variety game shows where celebrities try to convince each other they aren’t the killer/werewolf of the group; but, without a doubt, it’s the live action versions that get the most attention.

It’s always time to kill or be killed, obviously

Where else to start but with fan favorite and cult film Battle Royale. Based on a controversial novel by Takami Koushun – which came into existence after a combination of a half-awake dream, a reimagined pro-wrestling battle royal, and a bit of Stephen King’s The Long Walk – Battle Royale was adapted to the big screen way back in 2000. It is currently still known as one of the best – if not the best – in the genre, and a must on movie fans’ watching lists.

Set in a fictional fascist version of Japan – known as the Republic of Greater East Asia – everything is controlled by the government, including a military program called The Battle Experiment. The program consists out of 50 randomly selected third year middle school classes getting dropped in 50 different remote locations with only one task: kill or be killed. The whole purpose of the game is to instill distrust and fear, letting citizens know no one is to trust and anyone – especially one considered family or friends – would be able to kill you at any given time. Rebellion is out of the question.

The main story follows the experiences of one specific class, and while the novel gave every single student its own focus depending on the chapter – including one seeing the whole experience as a console game before they meet their untimely death – the movie stuck with a few specific characters. Each one of them portrayed by actors and actresses who are still big in the industry now. Think Fujiwara Tatsuya, Ando Masanobu, Shibasaki Kou, or Kuriyama Chiaki – or even politician Yamamoto Taro. But at the time the movie came out, they were merely (late) teens themselves, and let that inexperience be the perfect canvas for absolute chaos in the face of death. There is no polished glamour, no 4K camera quality. It is raw and rough. But perhaps that’s what still makes it feel so real. Battle Royale never dies!

Twenty-something years later, we know the novel and movie set a trend, and what was kicked off as a dystopian kill-’em-all scenario still remains a consistent part of the entertainment industry now. This even to the degree that every single type of twist on the general basic death game you’d be able to come up with, likely already exists in some form of media. That doesn’t mean, however, that Battle Royale itself doesn’t still show up every so often.

Quentin Tarantino, for instance, is known to have pulled quite a bit of inspiration from the movie. He went as far as to hire actress Kuriyama Chiaki to play a role (Yubari Gogo) similar to her Battle Royale one for the director’s Kill Bill projects. Many other Western and Asian works as well – yes, Squid Game is one of them – have clearly shown influence or have been told to have gotten influenced by the cult novel/movie. Many of your favorite TV-shows, games, and novels even! – though not everyone is as eager to come clean about it. Guess perhaps they might be ‘hungry’ for attention of their own.

Battle Royale itself also went on to spawn a movie sequel in 2003 – but let’s not get into that one, it’s better left forgotten.

Times are changing – or not quite

Whether it’s 2000 or 2024, it doesn’t really make much difference. The death game and Battle Royale influenced media just keeps coming, and with its recent popularity in the rest of the world, it doesn’t look like it’s going to quickly die out either.

With the hype over the sea creature addition to the genre a while back – and a second season coming up – I can only wonder how Japan will react. Will they do anything special, or will they just continue as usual since for them it’s nothing new. Perhaps that American GANTZ remake will finally start production? I have no idea. All we know is that Alice in Borderland‘s third season is on the way, and that – regardless of worldwide popularity – Japan is still the death game king.