Before Squid Game, there was Battle Royale

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Genre lineage and influences

  • Many comments situate Squid Game and Battle Royale within a long “deadly game” lineage: Kaiji, Liar Game, Alice in Borderland, Danganronpa, Zero Escape, Saw, Cube, Running Man, The Long Walk, The Prize of Peril, The Most Dangerous Game, Death Race 2000, Lord of the Flies, and even Roman gladiators.
  • Separate “branches” are identified:
    • Government/propaganda deathsports (Battle Royale, Hunger Games).
    • Secret or corporate games exploiting debtors (Kaiji, Squid Game, Liar Game).

Comparing Squid Game, Battle Royale, Hunger Games, Kaiji

  • Several argue Squid Game is much closer to Kaiji than to Battle Royale: indebted adults voluntarily playing rigged games for cash, watched by wealthy voyeurs, often with explicit copies of specific game types.
  • Battle Royale is seen as structurally closer to Hunger Games: state-run spectacle, mass participation, public terror/propaganda, youth as expendable.
  • Others highlight aesthetic and tonal kinship between Squid Game and Battle Royale: surreal visuals, dark humor, ecstatic reactions to death, far bleaker than Hunger Games.

Themes: capitalism, authority, and debt

  • Battle Royale is framed as anti-authoritarian/anti-government (punishing juvenile delinquency, fascist continuity); Squid Game as anti-capitalist (debt, exploitation by the rich).
  • Debate over debt portrayal:
    • Some criticize Squid Game and similar works for focusing on gambling and “irresponsible” debt instead of structural debts (student loans, medical bills, usurious credit).
    • Others counter that the show already includes medical and business-debt motives, and that making it about U.S.-style student/medical debt would be culturally inaccurate for Korea.
  • Discussion about whether such media provoke real critique of capitalism or are quickly monetized and “defanged” by the same system (e.g., real-life game shows, merchandising).

Cultural and historical context

  • Japan: Battle Royale linked to anxiety over youth violence, school pressure, and post-bubble economic malaise in the 1990s.
  • Korea: high consumer and business debt, weaker bankruptcy protections, and single-payer healthcare shape why debts in Squid Game look different from U.S. problems.

Impact on games and media

  • Battle Royale is credited as a major inspiration for the “battle royale” video game genre (Arma mods → PUBG → Fortnite), plus numerous later films and shows.

Reception of Battle Royale and adaptations

  • Many call Battle Royale a masterpiece and “required viewing”; others see it as high-end exploitation cinema.
  • Multiple commenters find the novel deeper and more nuanced than the film, especially in character backstories and political worldbuilding.