The film, especially with its DVD releases, drew a large global cult following and became a cultural phenomenon.[101] Quentin Tarantino considers Battle Royale to be one of the most influential films in recent decades.[102] The film has been highly influential in global popular culture, inspiring numerous works of battle royale genre fiction in a number of different media across the world.[103]
Film and television
Since its release, the film has had an influence on filmmakers such as Quentin Tarantino,[104] most notably his Kill Bill films;[71] the character Gogo Yubari, played by Chiaki Kuriyama, resembles the character she plays in Battle Royale, Takako Chigusa.[105] Battle Royale has also been referenced in the 2004 zombie comedy film Shaun of the Dead, where Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg made sure a big Battle Royale poster is prominently displayed in Shaun's living room.[106] Despite not being officially released in the United States for a long time, Battle Royale has often been referenced in American pop culture, ranging from Tarantino's films to the rock band The Flaming Lips' use of footage from the film as a backdrop for its Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots tour,[107] along with references in Hollywood films such as Jason Reitman's Thank You for Smoking (2005) and Juno (2007) and American television shows such as Lost and Community.[106] In Wrong Turn 2: Dead End, one of the characters (Matthew Currie Holmes as Michael "M" Epstein) wears a Battle Royale shirt.
Maggie Lee of Reuters describes Battle Royale as the "film that pioneered the concept of the teen death game", citing its influence on films such as Kaiji (2009) and Hideo Nakata's The Incite Mill (2010), both of which starred Tatsuya Fujiwara (who played Battle Royale's protagonist Shuya Nanahara) in the leading roles.[108] V.A. Musetto of the New York Post compared it to The Condemned (2007), which the critic called "a bad rip-off" of Battle Royale as well as The Most Dangerous Game.[109]
Critics have also noted the influence of Battle Royale on other films, such as the 2008 film Kill Theory,[110] the 2009 film The Tournament,[111] and The Hunger Games trilogy.[98][99] Battle Royale has also drawn comparisons to films such as Gamer (2009),[112] Kick-Ass (2010),[113] and The Belko Experiment (2016).[114] Other examples of "battle royale" films include The Purge series (2013), Assassination Nation (2018), Ready or Not (2019), and The Hunt (2020).[103] The South Korean Netflix original series Squid Game (2021) was also influenced by Battle Royale.[115]
Comics, manga and anime
In Japan, the film established the battle royale genre of manga and anime, revolving around a similar narrative premise. Along with the Battle Royale manga (2000 debut), other examples of the genre include Basilisk (2003 debut), Bokurano (2003 debut), the Fate/stay night franchise (2004 debut), Future Diary (2006 debut), Deadman Wonderland (2007 debut), the Danganronpa franchise (2010 debut), Magical Girl Raising Project (2012 debut), and the Death Parade series (2013 debut).[116] Battle Royale has also drawn comparisons to the Gantz franchise of manga (2000), anime (2004) and films (2011).[117] Btooom (2009 debut) features a variation of the battle royale theme.[118]
The film has influenced the creation of the Marvel Comics series Avengers Arena.[119] The series' logo also mirrors that of the logo used in the Battle Royale movie.
Video games and visual novels
The genre of battle royale video games, in which players compete to be the last one standing in a shrinking battlefield, was inspired by and took its name from the film.[120][121] The genre became popular in the late 2010s, and includes games such as PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, Fortnite Battle Royale, ARMA 3, H1Z1: King of the Kill, Knives Out, Rules of Survival, Garena Free Fire, Apex Legends, Realm Royale, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4's "Blackout" game mode, and Call of Duty: Warzone.
The film's title also refers to the battle royale genre of visual novels, revolving around a similar narrative premise.[122][123] Examples include the Fate/stay night series (2004 debut), Dies irae (2007), and the Zero Escape series (2009 debut).[123] The Danganronpa series (2010 debut) is also notably influenced by the film,[124] with its scenario writer Kazutaka Kodaka citing the film as an influence.[125] Battle Royale has also drawn comparisons to Square Enix's The World Ends with You (2007).[126]
