The Original Hunger Games: Battle Royale

In 2012, the world was enthralled by Gary Ross’ adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games. Viewers watched as protagonist Katniss Everdeen risked it all to volunteer as tribute for her sister, risking her life to enter an annual game centered around the killing of children. Collins’ wrote an entire series following the drama and action of the district’s cruel and unusual tradition, but was she the first to think of this idea?

In 2000, a very similar movie was directed by Kenta Fukasaku and Kinji Kukasaku, this one being considered one of the most controversial movies ever made. Japanese movie Battle Royale (2000) tells the story of forty-two children from the ninth grade who are sent to a deserted island with the mission to kill each other and be the last one standing. As you can see, this plot is very similar to The Hunger Games, but with the added detail that there is an explosive collar around the children’s neck that explodes if there is more than one survivor.

Battle Royale is a gruesome movie that doesn’t hold back, and this level of brutality of children on screen did not sit well with many people. The Japanese Parliament attempted to place a ban on the novel by Koushun Takami that the movie is based on. The government failed to ban the novel but was able to censor it. South Korea and Germany banned the selling and distribution of Battle Royale, however the film is still available in the United States. In 2006 there was talk from the United States about remaking Battle Royale into an American version, but after the Virginia Tech massacre the idea was dropped due to the nature of the film’s similarities with the tragedy.

But is Battle Royale really the original Hunger Games? Since Battle Royale came out, so many movie series of a similar plot have followed such as Divergent and The Maze Runner. So is Battle Royale really where it all began? The idea of sacrificing groups of children can be traced back further, such as in Lord of the Flies by William Golding and Greek mythology. Regardless of these earlier examples, the connection between Battle Royale and The Hunger Games is clear. It’s up to you to decide if you think Suzanne Collins’ ideas in the Hunger Games took direct influence from Battle Royale or if the similarities are a mere coincidence.