Battle Royal
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Battle royal (; also royale) traditionally refers to a fight involving many combatants that is fought until only one fighter remains standing, usually conducted under either
boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...
or
wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...
rules. In recent times, the term has been used in a more general sense to refer to any fight involving large numbers of people who are not organized into factions. Within
combat sports A combat sport, or fighting sport, is a competitive contact sport that usually involves one-on-one combat. In many combat sports, a contestant wins by scoring more points than the opponent, submitting the opponent with a hold, disabling the oppo ...
and
professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...
, the term has a specific meaning, depending on the sports being discussed. Outside sports, the term battle royale has taken on a new meaning in the 21st century, redefined by
Koushun Takami is a Japanese author and journalist. He is best known for his 1999 novel '' Battle Royale'', which was later adapted into two live-action films, directed by Kinji Fukasaku, and three manga series. Takami was born on 10 January 1969 in Amag ...
's 1999 Japanese
dystopia A dystopia (from Ancient Greek δυσ- "bad, hard" and τόπος "place"; alternatively cacotopiaCacotopia (from κακός ''kakos'' "bad") was the term used by Jeremy Bentham in his 1818 Plan of Parliamentary Reform (Works, vol. 3, p. 493). ...
n novel '' Battle Royale'' and its 2000 film adaptation of the same name. This new meaning of "battle royale" refers to a fictional narrative genre and/or mode of entertainment inspired by the film, also known as death games and killing games, where a select group of people are instructed to kill one another until there is a triumphant survivor.


Sports


Historical uses

The label of "battle royal" has been applied to several events. In the 1700s in the United Kingdom, some
bare-knuckle boxing Bare-knuckle boxing (or simply bare-knuckle) is a combat sport which involves two individuals throwing punches at each other for a predetermined amount of time without any boxing gloves or other form of padding on their hands. It is a regulated ...
conducted according to
Jack Broughton John "Jack" Broughton (c. 1703 – 8 January 1789) was an English bare-knuckle boxer. He was the first person to codify a set of rules to be used in such contests; prior to this the "rules" that existed were very loosely defined and tended to ...
's rules included matches involving eight fighters. Referred to as "Broughton's Battle Royals", these events were spoofed in political cartoons of the era.Wrestling With The Past: The Bizarre Origins of the Battle Royal - Part One
/ref> The practice eventually fell out of favor in the United Kingdom, but it continued in the American colonies. Lower-class whites who lived in the backwoods practiced the "free-for-all" as well as " rough-and-tumble". The practice also spread to
American slaves The legal institution of human chattel slavery, comprising the enslavement primarily of Africans and African Americans, was prevalent in the United States of America from its founding in 1776 until 1865, predominantly in the South. Sla ...
, who held mass fights as a form of entertainment.
Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass (born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, February 1817 or 1818 – February 20, 1895) was an American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. After escaping from slavery in Maryland, he became ...
wrote that such distractions, as well as the consumption of alcohol, were "among the most effective in the hands of the slaveholder in keeping down the spirit of insurrection." While a few masters sanctioned slave boxers (as shown in the 2012 film ''
Django Unchained ''Django Unchained'' () is a 2012 American revisionist Western film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, starring Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, and Samuel L. Jackson, with Walton Goggins, Dennis Ch ...
''), this practice appears to have been rare, as slaveholders generally did not wish to damage their property. The majority of these events were run by the slaves themselves for their own amusement. After the American Civil War, the battle royal entered a popular phase, but such events were increasingly considered shameful and disreputable. Promoters of boxing events arranged for brutal free-for-alls with few rules, generally between black boxers. The audience for these spectacles were almost always white people, unlike the pre-War entertainment within the enslaved community. A battle royal was a frequent "opener" event for boxing and wrestling shows from about 1870 to about 1910. They originated and were most popular in the
American South The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...
, but they eventually spread to the North as well. However, the events fell out of favor, especially in the North. In New York, the State Athletic Commission banned the battle royal in 1911. They continued in the South from the 1910s to the 1950s, but with less popularity. The novel ''
Invisible Man ''Invisible Man'' is a novel by Ralph Ellison, published by Random House in 1952. It addresses many of the social and intellectual issues faced by African Americans in the early twentieth century, including black nationalism, the relationship b ...
'' (1952) by
Ralph Ellison Ralph Waldo Ellison (March 1, 1913 – April 16, 1994) was an American writer, literary critic, and scholar best known for his novel ''Invisible Man'', which won the National Book Award in 1953. He also wrote ''Shadow and Act'' (1964), a collecti ...
contains a depiction of one such brutal event. By the 1960s, battles royal had been banned even in the American South.Wrestling With The Past: The Bizarre Origins of the Battle Royal - Part Two
/ref> The battle royal was a way for a would-be boxer to get noticed, and successful battle royal champions gained enough prestige to be able to work their way up to taking part in more respectable boxing matches. Ken Burn’s documentary about Jack Johnson mentions his background in battles royal, and
Joe Gans Joe Gans (born Joseph Gant; November 25, 1874 – August 10, 1910) was an American professional boxer. Gans was rated the greatest lightweight boxer of all-time by boxing historian and ''Ring Magazine'' founder, Nat Fleischer. Known as the "Old M ...
and Beau Jack are two other examples of successful boxers who started in battles royal.


Professional wrestling

In
professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...
, the battle royal is a match involving anywhere between four and 60 wrestlers that takes place entirely inside the ring — a wrestler is eliminated when a wrestler scores a pinfall or knocks out his or her opponent(s) (but rarely submissions). Some promotions allow over the top rope eliminations or enforce them exclusively, notably normal battles royal in the
WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
and also in their annual
Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and WWE Network events, event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named afte ...
. Battles royal are often used to determine the top contender for a championship or filling vacant championships.
World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nation ...
was known for having the largest battle royal in wrestling, held annually at their
WCW World War 3 World War 3 was an annual professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW). The pay-per-view's title also was the name of its signature match, a three-ring, sixty-man battle royal. The event took place eve ...
pay-per-view events. The three-ring, sixty-wrestler events consisted of all sixty wrestlers parading out to the ring (usually without formal introductions to save time) and beginning to fight at the bell. Once the number of wrestlers in each ring had dwindled down to a number suitable for a single ring, the wrestlers would all move to the designated "Ring #1" out of the three and would fight to a winner. The winners of the four World War 3 battles royal were
Randy Savage Randall Mario Poffo (November 15, 1952 – May 20, 2011), better known by his ring name "Macho Man" Randy Savage, was an American professional wrestler best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Championship Wrestl ...
, The Giant, Scott Hall, and
Kevin Nash Kevin Scott Nash (born July 9, 1959) is an American actor and retired professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE under a legends contract. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) where he performed under his ...
.
World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nation ...
also held an event called Battlebowl in which 20 men started in one ring and would have to throw others into a second ring. From that ring you would be thrown to the floor for elimination. The last man in ring one would rest until one man was left in ring two. Those two men would then battle until one man was left and would be declared the winner. In 1991 Sting won the match after it coming down to him and
Lex Luger Lawrence Wendell Pfohl (born June 2, 1958), better known by the ring name Lex Luger, is an American retired professional wrestler, bodybuilder, and football player. In 2011 he began working with WWE on its wellness policy. He is best known for ...
. Every year thereafter Battle Bowl took place with only one ring and a normal battle royal. The entrants would be decided through tag-team matches consisting of randomly selected partners where the winning team would advance to the BattleBowl, called a "Lethal Lottery" by WCW due to the potentiality of rivals being forced to work as a team. Numerous variations of the battle royal also exist, including: * World Wrestling Entertainment's
Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and WWE Network events, event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named afte ...
: an over-the-top rope elimination match which starts with two competitors and adds a new competitor every two minutes, usually up to a total of thirty entrants, with the final remaining competitor being the winner *
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment. Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promot ...
's
Gauntlet for the Gold A Gauntlet for the Gold match is a professional wrestling match used in Impact Wrestling. Match format Different from the other gauntlet matches, in which one competitor faces several others in turn, the Gauntlet for the Gold match is very sim ...
: an over-the-top rope elimination match in which the final two competitors face off in a one-fall singles match * Tag Team Battle Royal: a standard battle royal in which teams of two, three, or four combatants compete for group victory. Variations have been used in both WCW and TNA. *
All Elite Wrestling All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. It is considered the second largest wrestling promotion in the United States behind WWE. AEW is owned by Shahid Khan and his son Tony, w ...
's
Royal Rampage In professional wrestling, a battle royal (sometimes battle royale; plural battles royal or battle royals) is a multi-competitor Professional wrestling match types, match type in which wrestlers are eliminated until one is left and declared the wi ...
: an over-the-top rope elimination match which involves two rings and, as of 2022, 20 competitors. Loosely based on WCW's World War 3 matches.


Battle royale genre

In the 21st century, the 2000
Japanese film The has a history that spans more than 100 years. Japan has one of the oldest and largest film industries in the world; as of 2021, it was the fourth largest by number of feature films produced. In 2011 Japan produced 411 feature films that ea ...
'' Battle Royale'', itself based on the 1999 novel of the same name, redefined the term "battle royale" in
popular culture Popular culture (also called mass culture or pop culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as, popular art or mass art) and objects that are dominant or prevalent in a ...
. The term "battle royale" has since been used to refer to a fictional narrative genre and/or mode of entertainment inspired by the film, where a select group of people are instructed to kill one another until there is a triumphant survivor. The "battle royale" phenomenon has become especially popular in the 2010s. ''Battle Royale'' set out the basic rules of the genre, including players being forced to kill each other until there is a single survivor and the need to scavenge for weapons and items. The "battle royale" concept had first gained mainstream popularity in Japan, where ''Battle Royale'' had inspired a wave of
manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
,
anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
and
visual novel A , often abbreviated as VN, is a form of digital semi-interactive fiction. Visual novels are often associated with and used in the medium of video games, but are not always labeled as such themselves. They combine a textual narrative with sta ...
works during the 2000s, before the concept gained global mainstream popularity in the 2010s. There are a number of popular battle royale video games, films, manga, anime, and visual novels. Along with the ''Battle Royale'' franchise itself, other examples of battle royale films include ''
The Hunger Games ''The Hunger Games'' is a series of young adult dystopian novels written by American author Suzanne Collins. The first three novels are part of a trilogy following teenage protagonist Katniss Everdeen, and the fourth book is a prequel set ...
'' franchise (2012 debut), ''
The Purge ''The Purge'' is an American anthology media franchise centered on a series of dystopian action horror films distributed by Universal Pictures and produced by Blumhouse Productions and Platinum Dunes, which are written and in some cases also ...
'' (2013), ''
Assassination Nation ''Assassination Nation'' is a 2018 American satirical black comedy thriller film written and directed by Sam Levinson. It stars an ensemble cast led by Odessa Young, Suki Waterhouse, Hari Nef, and Abra. The film takes place in the fictional t ...
'' (2018), '' Ready or Not'' (2019), and '' The Hunt'' (2020). A popular ''Battle Royale'' inspired television series include the Japanese TV series ''
Alice in Borderland is a Japanese suspense manga series written and illustrated by Haro Aso. It was first serialized in Shogakukan's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Shōnen Sunday S'' from November 2010 to March 2015, and later moved to ''Weekly Shōnen Sund ...
'' (2020), as well as the South Korean show ''
Squid Game ''Squid Game'' () is a South Korean survival drama television series created by Hwang Dong-hyuk for Netflix. Its cast includes Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, Wi Ha-joon, HoYeon Jung, O Yeong-su, Heo Sung-tae, Anupam Tripathi, and Kim Joo-ryou ...
'' (2021). Popular examples of
battle royale game A battle royale game is an online multiplayer video game genre that blends last-man-standing gameplay with the survival, exploration and scavenging elements of a survival game. Battle royale games involve dozens to hundreds of players, who st ...
s include ''
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds ''PUBG: Battlegrounds'' (previously known as ''PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds'') is a battle royale game developed by PUBG Studios and published by Krafton. The game, which was inspired by the Japanese film '' Battle Royale'' (2000), is based ...
'' (2017), ''
Fortnite Battle Royale ''Fortnite Battle Royale'' is a free-to-play battle royale video game developed and published by Epic Games. It is a companion game to '' Fortnite: Save the World'', a cooperative survival game with construction elements. It was initially re ...
'' (2017), ''
Rules of Survival ''Rules of Survival'' (''RoS'') is an inactive free-to-play, multiplayer online battle royale game developed and published by NetEase Games, first released via beta access in November 2017. By October 2018, the game had reached 230million p ...
'' (2017), ''
Garena Free Fire ''Garena Free Fire'', also known as ''Free Fire (FF)'', is a Battle Royale game developed and published by Garena for Android and iOS. It became the most downloaded mobile game globally in 2019. , ''Free Fire'' had surpassed 150 million daily ...
'' (2017), '' Call of Duty: Black Ops 4'' (2018), ''
Apex Legends ''Apex Legends'' is a free-to-play Battle royale game, battle royale-hero shooter game developed by Respawn Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts. It was released for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One in February 2019, for Nintendo ...
'' (2019), '' Call of Duty: Warzone'' (2020), and '' Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout'' (2020). Along with the ''Battle Royale'' manga (2000 debut), other examples of battle royale
manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
,
anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
, and
tokusatsu is a Japanese term for live action film or television drama that makes heavy use of practical special effects. ''Tokusatsu'' entertainment mainly refers to science fiction, War film, war, fantasy, or Horror film, horror media featuring such te ...
, include ''
Gantz ''Gantz'' (stylized as ''GANTZ'') is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiroya Oku. It was serialized in Shueisha's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Young Jump'' from June 2000 to June 2013, with its chapters collected i ...
'' (2000 debut),, ''
Kamen Rider Ryuki is a Japanese tokusatsu television series. The twelfth installment in the Kamen Rider Series, it was a joint collaboration between Ishimori Productions and Toei, and it was shown on TV Asahi from February 3, 2002 to January 19, 2003. The series ...
'' (2002 debut), ''
Basilisk In European bestiaries and legends, a basilisk ( or ) is a legendary reptile reputed to be a serpent king, who causes death to those who look into its eyes. According to the ''Naturalis Historia'' of Pliny the Elder, the basilisk of Cyrene i ...
'' (2003 debut), '' Bokurano'' (2003 debut), the ''
Fate/stay night ''Fate/stay night'' is a Japanese visual novel developed by Type-Moon and originally released as an adult game for Windows on January 30, 2004. A version of ''Fate/stay night'' rated for ages 15 and up titled ''Fate/stay night Réalta ...
'' franchise (2005 manga and 2006 anime debut), ''
Future Diary is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Sakae Esuno. It was serialized in Kadokawa Shoten's '' Shōnen Ace'' between January 2006 and December 2010, and has been collected into 12 ''tankōbon'' volumes. The plot depicts the Dia ...
'' (2006 debut), ''
Deadman Wonderland is a Japanese manga series written by Jinsei Kataoka and illustrated by Kazuma Kondou, who also wrote and illustrated the '' Eureka Seven'' manga, and published in '' Shōnen Ace'' since 2008. Tokyopop acquired the licensing rights to distrib ...
'' (2007 debut), ''
Btooom! ''Btooom!'' (stylized as ''BTOOOM!'') is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Junya Inoue. It was serialized in Shinchosha's ''seinen'' manga magazine '' Comic Bunch'', where it ran from 2009 until 2018, with its chapters colle ...
'' (2009 debut), the ''
Danganronpa is a Japanese video game franchise created by Kazutaka Kodaka and developed and owned by Spike Chunsoft (formerly Spike). The series primarily surrounds various groups of apparent high school students who are forced into murdering each other ...
'' franchise (2010 debut), ''
Magical Girl Raising Project is a Japanese light novel series written by Asari Endō and illustrated by Maruino. Takarajimasha has published thirteen volumes since 2012 under their Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi! Bunko imprint. The series is licensed in English by Yen Press. ...
'' (2012 debut), ''
Darwin's Game is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by FLIPFLOPs. An anime television series adaptation by Nexus aired from January 3 to March 20, 2020. Premise 17-year-old high school sophomore Kaname Sudō accepts an online invitation by a f ...
'' (2012 debut), and ''
Kamen Rider Geats is a Japanese tokusatsu drama series, the 33rd entry of Toei Company's ''Kamen Rider'' metaseries and the fourth series to debut during the Reiwa period. The series premiered on September 4, 2022, joining ''Avataro Sentai Donbrothers'' and late ...
'' (2022 debut). Examples of battle royale
visual novel A , often abbreviated as VN, is a form of digital semi-interactive fiction. Visual novels are often associated with and used in the medium of video games, but are not always labeled as such themselves. They combine a textual narrative with sta ...
games include the ''
Fate/stay night ''Fate/stay night'' is a Japanese visual novel developed by Type-Moon and originally released as an adult game for Windows on January 30, 2004. A version of ''Fate/stay night'' rated for ages 15 and up titled ''Fate/stay night Réalta ...
'' series (2004 debut), '' Dies irae'' (2007), the ''
Zero Escape ''Zero Escape'', formerly released in Japan as , is a series of adventure games directed and written by Kotaro Uchikoshi. The first two entries in the series, '' Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors'' (2009) and '' Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Re ...
'' series (2009 debut), and the ''
Danganronpa is a Japanese video game franchise created by Kazutaka Kodaka and developed and owned by Spike Chunsoft (formerly Spike). The series primarily surrounds various groups of apparent high school students who are forced into murdering each other ...
'' series (2010 debut). Fictional battle royale video games were depicted in ''Btooom!'', and in the Phantom Bullet (Gun Gale Online) arc of the
light novel A light novel (, Hepburn: ''raito noberu'') is a style of young adult novel primarily targeting high school and middle school students. The term "light novel" is a ''wasei-eigo'', or a Japanese term formed from words in the English languag ...
series ''
Sword Art Online is a Japanese light novel series written by Reki Kawahara and illustrated by abec. The series takes place in the then-near future and focuses on protagonists Kirito (Sword Art Online), Kazuto "Kirito" Kirigaya and Asuna (Sword Art On ...
'' (2010 in print) as the "Bullet of Bullets" tournament.


See also

*
Battle royale game A battle royale game is an online multiplayer video game genre that blends last-man-standing gameplay with the survival, exploration and scavenging elements of a survival game. Battle royale games involve dozens to hundreds of players, who st ...
*
Gladiators A gladiator ( la, gladiator, "swordsman", from , "sword") was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gla ...
* King of the Hill (game) *
Melee A melee ( or , French: mêlée ) or pell-mell is disorganized hand-to-hand combat in battles fought at abnormally close range with little central control once it starts. In military aviation, a melee has been defined as " air battle in which ...


References

{{Reflist Tournament systems