Who do you trust when you are suddenly told that you must battle your classmates to the death? According to the students in Battle Royale, not the wanton one. The depiction of Mitsuko Souma, the most promiscuous female character in Battle Royale by Takami Koushun, as being feared and othered by her classmates reflects Japanese society's view of promiscuous and sexually powerful women. During the kill-or-be-killed game that they are thrust into, several students in Mitsuko’s class explicitly state that they do not trust her. Although they do not state their basis of distrust, Takami implies that their abjection of Mitsuko stems from her reputation as a promiscuous girl. When Mitsuko uses her sexuality to lure and kill male classmates, readers are reminded of the Japanese idea of the femme fatale- the “poison woman” (dokufu). Her ruthlessness in seducing and murdering her classmates demonstrates Japan’s negative views on the femme fatale. Finally, the othering of Mitsuko becomes clear when she is compared to Takako Chigusa, a female classmate who resembles Mitsuko. Despite their similarities, because Takako is a “good girl” and a virgin Takami gives her a relatively pleasant life and death, while Mitsuko receives a painful life and a violent death. Battle Royale is set in an alternate, totalitarian version of Japan (called the Greater East Asian Republic) in the 1990s. To quell rebellion in the population, the government randomly chooses 50 middle school classes every year and televises them fighting their classmates to the death; this is called “the Program”. Readers follow the Program of Shiroiwa Junior High School, Class B. Mitsuko Souma, a student in this class, is one of the “villains” of the novel. She is one of the last students to die in Battle Royale, placing sixth after being killed by Kazuo Kiriyama (another “villain” student). She also has the second highest body count after Kazuo, killing three male classmates and four female classmates. However, it is not her body count that scares her classmates, as most of them fear her even before she begins killing. Several characters mention that Mitsuko has a “bad reputation”, as she is sexually active and prostitutes herself and her friends to middle-aged men (Takami 94, 190, 317). It is this reputation as a promiscuous girl that creates fear and causes her classmates to abject her, as promiscuous girls in Japan are seen as the “other” and therefore cannot be trusted or respected. Most of Mitsuko’s classmates, male and female, claim that they do not trust her once the Program begins but do not say why. For example, classmate Shinji Mimura does not reach out to Hirono, one of Mitsuko’s friends, when he sees her. When someone asks him why, he replies “I don’t know. I guess I’m prejudiced against her. I just don’t trust Mitsuko’s friends” acknowledging that he has no actual reason not to trust her (Takami 185). Another male student, Tadakatsu Hatagami, exclaims about Mitsuko “There’s no way I can be with this bitch. Don’t you know who we’re dealing with?” (Takami 405). Furthermore, female student
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Similar to this incident, Mitsuko uses her sexuality and feminine innocence against males to survive and violently kill others in the game. Her cruelty reflects Japanese society's negative views on the femme fatale. Dangerous femme fatale characters like Mitsuko are common in Japanese history, even featuring in old myths (Adams 33). One particular kind of Japanese femme fatale is the “poison woman” (dokufu): this term emerged in media and literature of the Meiji period. Like Mitsuko, “poison women” were sexually aggressive and free, murderous, and dangerous. Men felt threatened by the “poison woman” because of her ability to sexually seduce men to their deaths (Adams 38-39). The idea of the “poison woman” grew in the twentieth century, when “modern women” (atarashii onna) of Japan emerged as another threat to men. These women were both dangerous and arousing, like the “poison woman”. Also, Japanese society could not allow women to use their own bodies at their disposal; this was scandalous and dangerous to them (Ueno 319). Mitsuko, who uses her body to achieve her goals in the game, rejects this standard and is therefore labeled as
Similar to this incident, Mitsuko uses her sexuality and feminine innocence against males to survive and violently kill others in the game. Her cruelty reflects Japanese society's negative views on the femme fatale. Dangerous femme fatale characters like Mitsuko are common in Japanese history, even featuring in old myths (Adams 33). One particular kind of Japanese femme fatale is the “poison woman” (dokufu): this term emerged in media and literature of the Meiji period. Like Mitsuko, “poison women” were sexually aggressive and free, murderous, and dangerous. Men felt threatened by the “poison woman” because of her ability to sexually seduce men to their deaths (Adams 38-39). The idea of the “poison woman” grew in the twentieth century, when “modern women” (atarashii onna) of Japan emerged as another threat to men. These women were both dangerous and arousing, like the “poison woman”. Also, Japanese society could not allow women to use their own bodies at their disposal; this was scandalous and dangerous to them (Ueno 319). Mitsuko, who uses her body to achieve her goals in the game, rejects this standard and is therefore labeled as