A 9th grade class is forced to fight each other to the death on a reality telvision program, demonstrating the lengths to which the government will go to prevent school violence.

This classic yet controversial Japanese novel is available for the first time in English--a high-octane thriller about senseless youth violence that is a potent allegory of what it means to be young and survive in today's dog-eat-dog world.

"Parental advisory explicit content" -- p. [1] of cover.

A 9th grade class is forced to fight each other to the death on a reality telvision program, demonstrating the lengths to which the government will go to prevent school violence.

The cult Japanese bestselling phenomenon! Koushun Takami's notorious high-octane thriller is based on an irresistible premise: a class of 42 junior high school students are taken to a deserted island where, as part of a ruthless authoritarian program, they are electronically collared, provided with weapons of varying potency, and sent out onto the island. If they are in the wrong part of the island at the wrong time, their collars will explode. If they band together to save themselves a collar will explode at random. If they try to escape from the island, they will be blown up. Their only chance for survival lies in killing their classmates. 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 Flies for the 21st century, and a potent story of politics and survival 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, and is now available for the first time to the UK mainstream.

In this final volume of the series, Noriko, Shuuya, and Kawada must kill Yonemi in order to escape the Battle Royale. Rated for mature readers.

“A wonderful fusion of the text-heavy visual novel genre with Phoenix Wright–like murder investigations and trials.”—IGN Having lived through the first round of judgment in the trap that is Hope’s Peak Academy, bonds are beginning to form among the surviving students. But the evil paws of Monokuma, the villainous bear that holds them captive, are stretched around them . . . one light, one dark, signifying that at this school there’s only room for two kinds of students: those found innocent—and those found guilty! * Based on the anime TV show, released in 2015 through Funimation. * Inspired by the video game series from NIS America and now on Steam.