Sri Lanka Army

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The Sri Lankan Army (SLA) (Sinhala: ශ්‍රී ලංකා යුද්ධ හමුදාව, romanized: Śrī Laṃkā yuddha hamudāva; Tamil: இலங்கை இராணுவம், romanized: Ilankai iraṇuvam) is the oldest and largest of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces. Established as the Ceylon Army in 1948, it was renamed when Sri Lanka became a republic in 1972. In 2010, the Army had approximately 200,000 regular personnel, between 20,000 and 40,000 reserve (volunteer) personnel and 18,000 National Guardsmen^[3][4] and comprises 13 operational divisions, one air-mobile brigade, one commando brigade, one special forces brigade, one independent armored brigade, three mechanized infantry brigades and over 40 infantry brigades.^[5] From the 1980s to 2009 the army was engaged in the Sri Lankan Civil War.The professional head of the Sri Lanka Army is the Commander of the Army, currently Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva.^[6][7] The Commander-in-Chief of the Sri Lankan Military is the President of Sri Lanka, who heads the National Security Council through the Ministry of Defence, which is the highest level of military command charged with formulating, executing defence policy and procurements for the armed forces.^[8] However operations of the Sri Lanka Army are coordinated by the Joint Operations Command, with other two armed forces.

Contents

• 1History
  • 1.1Ancient and pre-colonial times
  • 1.2Colonial era
    • 1.2.1Portuguese and Dutch rule (1505–1796)
    • 1.2.2British rule (1798–1948)
      • 1.2.2.1Ceylon Light Infantry Volunteers
      • 1.2.2.2Ceylon Defence Force
  • 1.3Post-independence
  • 1.41970–present
    • 1.4.1Major combat operations
    • 1.4.2Peacekeeping
• 2Current deployments
  • 2.1Domestic
  • 2.2Foreign
• 3Organization structure
  • 3.1Administrative
    • 3.1.1Regiments and corps
  • 3.2Operational command
    • 3.2.1Force formations
• 4Training
  • 4.1Training establishments
• 5Personnel
  • 5.1Parama Weera Vibhushanaya recipients
  • 5.2Notable fallen members
  • 5.3Directorate of Rehabilitation
  • 5.4Women in the Sri Lanka Army
  • 5.5Rank of Field Marshal
• 6Equipment
  • 6.1Armour
  • 6.2Artillery
  • 6.3Infantry weapons
• 7Welfare
  • 7.1Sri Lanka Army Seva Vanitha Unit
• 8Gallery
• 9See also
• 10Further reading
• 11References
• 12External links

History[edit]

Ancient and pre-colonial times[edit]

The first military engagements in Sri Lankan history were marked by the advent of King Vijaya, a Bengal prince who landed along with his followers on the beaches of northwestern Sri Lanka around 543 BC. Prince Vijaya and his followers occupied the lands of the native Veddah people. Repeated incursions by South Indians, particularly the Cholas, into Sri Lankan territory occurred throughout the next few centuries and led to the engagement of the rival forces in battle.^[9] In one famous encounter, Sinhalese King Dutugemunu (200 BC) raised an army of eleven thousand in his battle against the Chola invader King Elara, whom he eventually defeated. King Dutugemunu's organisational skills, bravery and chivalry are famous and his battles have gone down in history as outstanding offensive operations.^[10]Other Sri Lankan rulers whose military achievements stand out include King Gajabâhu (113 AD), who sailed to India to bring back his captured soldiers, and King Dhatusena (433) who is credited with repulsing numerous Indian invasions and for organising a naval build-up to deter seaborne attacks. He also had the foresight to cover his defences with artillery. Vijayabâhu I (1001) was another warrior king who dislodged Indian invaders and united the country. Parakramabahu the Great (1153) was an outstanding monarch of the Polonnaruwa period of Sri Lankan history, and his accomplishments as a military leader and a great administrator are noteworthy. His reign included a military expedition to Burma (Myanmar) in retaliation for indignities inflicted on his envoys and Burmese interference in the elephant trade. This marked the first overseas expedition in Sri Lankan military history. It is also reported that Parakramabahu's fame was such that his assistance was sought by South Indian rulers who were involved in internecine struggles. Another strong ruler in the pre-colonial era was Parâkramabâhu VI, who defeated Indian invaders, united the island and ruled it from capital Sri Jayawardhanapura, Kotte.^[10] Although the known epigraphical records do not indicate that the Sri Lankan rulers had a full-time standing army at their disposal, there is evidence supported by legend, designation, name, place and tradition that prove there were 'stand-by' equestrian, elephant, and infantry divisions to ensure royal authority at all times. Militias were raised as the necessity arose, and the soldiers returned to their pursuits, mainly for farming, after their spell of military duty.^[10]

Colonial era[edit]

Parts of Sri Lanka came under the control of three colonial European powers, namely the Portuguese in the 16th century, the Dutch in the 17th century and the British in the 18th century. Yet, until the entire island was ceded to the British in 1815, regional kingdoms maintained most of their independent defense forces and were able to successfully repulse repeated thrusts by the European armies. However the British, unlike their counterparts, were not primarily restricted to maritime power, and thus had the capability to bring the entire island under their control and to integrate locals into the British defense forces.^[10]

Portuguese and Dutch rule (1505–1796)[edit]

At the beginning of the 16th century, modern Europe first came in contact with Sri Lanka, which was then referred to as Ceylon. In 1505 a Portuguese fleet, while operating in the Indian seas against Arab traders, was blown off course and landed at Galle, on the southern coast of the island.^[11] In 1517 the Portuguese re-appeared, and with the consent of the Sinhalese King established a trading post in Colombo. Having initiated contact with Sri Lanka as traders, the Portuguese soon made themselves political masters of the western seaboard. Numerous forts were soon established, and features of European civilisation was introduced.^[10]The Portuguese are credited with the introduction of European-style fortresses to Sri Lanka during this era. Although some locals already possessed military training and fighting experience, there is no evidence that the Portuguese employed local inhabitants into their own forces. Thus the Portuguese were forced to restrict their presence in the island due to their small numbers and their efforts were more focused toward projecting maritime power.^[10]In 1602 Dutch explorers first landed in Sri Lanka, which was then under Portuguese control. By 1658 they had completely ousted the Portuguese from the coastal regions of the island. Much like the Portuguese, they did not employ locals in their military and preferred to live in isolation, pursuing their interests in trade and commerce. Like the Portuguese, they defended their forts with their own forces, but unlike the Portuguese, Dutch forces employed Swiss and Malay mercenaries. The Dutch Forts in Jaffna, Galle, Matara, Batticaloa and Trincomalee were sturdily built and are considered a tribute to their military engineering skills. Also, like the Portuguese, the Dutch focussed on maritime power and although they had the capability to develop and use local forces, they chose to isolate themselves from the local population.^[10]

British rule (1798–1948)[edit]

The British Empire then ousted the Dutch from the coastal areas of the country, and sought to conquer the independent Kandyan Kingdom. In the face of repeated British assaults, the Kandyans were forced into a degree of guerilla warfare and fared well against their superior British adversaries.^[10]Initially the British stationed their forces, which included naval vessels, artillery troops and infantry, to defend the island nation from other foreign powers, using the natural harbor of Trincomalee as their headquarters in Sri Lanka. In 1796, the Swiss and Malay mercenaries who were previously in the service of the Dutch were transferred to the British East India Company. While the Swiss Regiment de Meuron left in 1806 and was eventually disbanded in Canada in 1822, the Malays, who initially formed a Malay Corps, were converted into the 1st Ceylon Regiment in 1802 and placed under a British commanding officer. In the same year, the British became the first foreign power to raise a Sinhalese unit, which was named the 2nd Ceylon Regiment, also known as the Sepoy Corps.^[10]In 1803 the 3rd Ceylon Regiment was created with Moluccans and recruits from Penang. All these regiments fought alongside British troops in the Kandyan Wars which began in 1803. Throughout the following years, more Sinhalese and Malays were recruited to these regiments, and in 1814 the 4th Regiment was raised, which was composed entirely of African troops. It was later renamed as the Ceylon Rifle Regiment. Eventually, the Kandyan Kingdom was ceded to the British in 1815, and with that they gained control over the whole island. Resistance to British occupation cropped up almost instantly. During the first half-century of occupation, the British faced a number of uprisings, and were forced to maintain a sizable army in order to guarantee their control over the island. After the Matale Rebellion led by Puran Appu in 1848, in which a number of Sinhalese recruits defected to the side of the rebels, the recruitment of Sinhalese to the British forces was temporarily halted.^[10]

Ceylon Light Infantry Volunteers[edit]

The second phase in the employment of non-British personnel commenced in 1881 after the enactment of an ordinance designed to authorise the creation of a Volunteer Corps in the island. It was designated the Ceylon Light Infantry Volunteers (CLIV). This move compensated for the disbandment of the Ceylon Rifle Regiment in 1874. The Ceylon Light Infantry Volunteers was originally administered as a single unit. However, over the years various sections of the volunteers grew large enough to become independent from their parent unit. The different units that emerged from the Volunteer Force were the

• Cadet Battalion Ceylon Light Infantry
• Ceylon Artillery Volunteers
• Ceylon Engineers
• Ceylon Mounted Infantry (CMI)
• Ceylon Planters Rifle Corps (CPRC).^[10]
• Ceylon Supply & Transport Corps
• Ceylon Volunteer Medical Corps

Ceylon Defence Force[edit]

Main article: Ceylon Defence ForceFirst Prime Minister of Independent Sri Lanka Hon. D.S.Senanayaka visiting the 1st battalion of the CLI at the Echelon Square and watching volunteers being trained to handle light machine gunsIn 1910 the name of the military was formally changed to the Ceylon Defence Force (CDF). It continued to grow throughout the early period of the 20th century. The CDF saw active service when a contingent of the Ceylon Mounted Infantry (CMI) in 1900, and a contingent of the Ceylon Planters Rifle Corps (CPRC) in 1902, took part in the Second Boer War in South Africa. Their services were recognised by the presentation in 1902 of a colour to the CMI, and a presentation in 1904 of a banner to the CPRC. In 1922, the CDF was honoured by the presentation of the King's and Regimental colours to the Ceylon Light Infantry (CLI).^[10]During the First World War, many volunteers from the Defence Force travelled to Great Britain and joined the British Army, and many of them were killed in action. One of them mentioned by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was Private Jacotine of the CLI, who was the last man left alive in his unit at the Battle of Lys,^[12] and who continued to fight for 20 minutes before he was killed.^[13]In 1939, the CDF was mobilised and an enormous expansion took place which required the raising of new units such as the Ceylon Signals Corps, the Auxiliary Territorial Service (Ceylon) and also the Colombo Town Guard, which had been previously disbanded, but was later re-formed to meet military requirements. During the Second World War, Britain assumed direct control over the Armed Forces of Ceylon.^[14]

Post-independence[edit]

Brigadier James Sinclair, Earl of Caithness inspecting a guard of honour wearing khaki drillAt the end of World War II, CDF which had increased in size during the war began demobilisation. In 1948 Sri Lanka gained independence from Britain, becoming a Dominion within the commonwealth and a year earlier Ceylon entered into the bi-lateral Anglo-Ceylonese Defence Agreement of 1947. This was followed by the Army Act No. 17 of 1949 which was passed by Parliament on April 11, 1949 and formalised in Gazette Extraordinary No. 10028 of October 10, 1949 marked the creation of the Ceylon Army, consisting of a regular and a volunteer force, the later being the successor of the disbanded CDF.^[15][16] Therefore, October 10, 1949 is considered the day the Ceylon Army was raised, and as such October 10 is celebrated annually as Army Day. Brigadier James Sinclair, Earl of Caithness was appointed as Commandant of the Ceylon Army. The Defence Agreement of 1947 provided the assurance that British would come to the aid of Ceylon in the event it was attacked by a foreign power and provided British military advisers to build up the country's military. In November, a Ceylon Army Guard takes over duties at Echelon Barracks from the Guard of the British Army.^[17]The Army Headquarters, Ceylon was established in Colombo, with a General Staff Branch, an Adjutant General Branch, a Quartermaster General Branch and a Pay and Records Branch. Soon after the Headquarters, Ceylon Volunteer Force was established. The initial requirement was to raise an artillery regiment, an engineer squadron, an infantry battalion, a medical unit, and a service corps company. For much of the 1950s the army was preoccupied with the task of building itself and training existing and new personal. To this aim the British Army Training Team (BATT) advisory group carried out training for ex-members of the CDF within the Ceylon Army, senior officers were sent to the British Army Staff College, Camberley and some attached to units of the British Army of the Rhine to gain field experience. New officers were sent for training at Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, stating with 10 officer cadets in 1950, which continued until the 1968 and both officers and other ranks were sent to specialist training courses in Britain, India, Pakistan and Malaya. There were no formations and all units were structured to directly function under the Army Headquarters. However temporary field headquarters were to be formed at the time requirement arose.^[16]Due to a lack of any major external threats, the growth of the army was slow, and the primary duties of the army quickly moved towards internal security by the mid-1950s, the same time as the first Ceylonese Army Commander Major General Anton Muttukumaru took command of the army. The first internal security operation of the Ceylon Army began in 1952, code named Operation Monty to counter the influx of illegal South Indian immigrants brought in by smugglers on the north-western coast, in support of Royal Ceylon Navy coastal patrols and police operations. This was expanded and renamed as Task Force Anti Illicit Immigration (TaFII) in 1963 and continued up to 1981 when it was disbanded. The Army was mobilised to help the police to restore peace under provincial emergency regulations during the 1953 hartal, the 1956 Gal Oya Valley riots and in 1958 it was deployed for the first time under emergency regulations throughout the island during the 1958 Riots.^[18]During the 1950s and 1960s the army was called upon to carry to essential services when the workers went on strike which were organised by the left-wing parties and trade unions for various reasons, the most notable was the 1961 Colombo Port strike, during which ships threatened to bypass Colombo port and the country almost starved. To counter these common strikes several units were formed, who were employed in development work when there were no strikes. New regiments were formed, which included the Ceylon Armoured Corps, Ceylon Sinha Regiment and the Ceylon Pioneer Corps.^[18]In 1962 several volunteer officers attempted a military coup, which was stopped hours before it was launched. This attempted coup affected the military to a great extent, since the government mistrusted the military, it reduced the size and growth of the army, especially the volunteer force, with several units being disbanded and the new Gemunu Watch was formed.

1970–present[edit]

Sri Lanka Army flagsMain article: 1971 JVP InsurrectionIn 1971, the found itself facing a full blown insurgency, when the JVP Insurrection broke out in April 1971. Having being caught by surprise, as a result of failure to comprehend the magnitude of the insurgency from intelligence reports. Although completely ill-prepared to deal with an insurgency, lacking weapons, ammunition, equipment and training; the army responded quickly and successfully defeated the insurgency by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna by mid 1971.Main article: Sri Lankan Civil WarIn May 1972, when Ceylon was proclaimed a republic and changed its name from the Dominion of Ceylon to the Republic of Sri Lanka, all Army units were renamed accordingly.^[19]By the late 1970s the army was confronted with a new conflict, this time with Tamil militant groups in the north of the island. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) emerged as the prominent of these Tamil militant groups. The war escalated to the point where India intervened as a peacekeeping force. This was later seen as a tactical error, as the Indian Peace Keeping Force united nationalist elements such as the JVP to politically support the LTTE in their call to evict the IPKF. This led to a second insurgency by the JVP, forcing the army to deploy its forces in the south of the island and to fight on two fronts between 1987 and 1989. The 1980s saw a massive expiation of the army from 15,000 personal to over 30,000 and more. New regiments were raised, while others were expanded with new battalions. New weapons and equipment were introduced as the war shifted from counter-insurgency to conventional warfare tactics, with multi battalion, brigade and division scale operations. New regiments were formed which included the Commando Regiment, Special Forces Regiment, Mechanized Infantry Regiment, Gajaba Regiment, Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment, Military Intelligence Corps, Sri Lanka Army Women's Corps, Sri Lanka Rifle Corps and the Sri Lanka National Guard.Main article: 1987–1989 JVP insurrectionThe war with the LTTE was halted several times for peace negotiations, the last of which following the signing of a ceasefire agreement in 2002 with the help of international mediation. However, renewed violence broke out in December 2005 and following the collapse of peace talks, the Army has been involved in the heavy fighting that has resumed in the north and east of the country.Since 1980 the army has undertaken many operations against the LTTE rebels. The major operations conducted by the army eventually led to the recapture of Jaffna and other rebel strongholds. On 19 May 2009 Sri Lankan army declare the victory of war as they found the dead body of LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran. This marked the end of the war, with the LTTE ceasing to exist in Sri Lanka as a result of prolonged military offensives conducted by Sri Lanka army.^[20] The Sri Lankan Armed Forces, including the army, have been accused of committing war crimes during the war, particularly during the final stages.^[21][22] A panel of experts appointed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to advise him on the issue of accountability with regard to any alleged violations of international human rights and humanitarian law during the final stages of the civil war found "credible allegations" which, if proven, indicated that war crimes and crimes against humanity were committed by the Sri Lankan Armed Forces and the Tamil Tigers.^[23][24][25]

Major combat operations[edit]

Peacekeeping[edit]

The Sri Lanka Army has taken part in two peacekeeping missions with United Nations over the course of its history. First assignment was in the Congo (ONUC) (1960–1963). Most recently, following the signing of a ceasefire agreement was signed between the government and the LTTE in 2002, Sri Lankan forces were invited by the United Nations to be part of the UN peacekeeping force in Haiti. In the process of the peacekeeping operations, two soldiers were killed in a raid in Petit-Goave.^[26] After over 6 months of service, the first contingent of the peacekeeping force returned to Sri Lanka on May 17, 2005.^[27] In December 2007, 7th rotation of the Sri Lankan contingent had been deployed with a force of 991 officers and other ranks, many of those deployed have been awarded the United Nations Medal for their services.^[28] In November 2007, 114 members of the 950 member Sri Lankan Army peacekeeping mission in Haiti was accused of sexual misconduct and abuse^[29][30] which resulted in 108 members, including three officers, being sent back after being implicated in alleged misconduct and sexual abuse where sex was exchanged for money and valuable items, with some acts considered rape as they involved those under 18.^{[31][30][32][33]} In January 2019, a Sri Lankan army officer and trooper on peace keeping duty in Mali were killed and three more wounded when their convoy came under an IED attack.^[34] The incident prompted the army to accelerate its Avalon program.^[35]

Current deployments[edit]

Military gathering on Galle Face Green in ColomboAs of present, the bulk of the Sri Lankan Army is deployed for domestic defensive and combat operations, while a sizable foreign deployment is maintained.

Domestic[edit]

Due to the Sri Lankan Civil War the army has been on a constant mobilized (including reservist) state since the 1980s (except for a brief period from 2002 to 2005). The majority of the army has been deployed in the North and Eastern provinces of the country, which includes 14 Divisions coming under six operational headquarters and 2 independent Divisions and several independent Brigades. The army is also based in other parts of the island for internal security including a Division for the defence of the capital.

Foreign[edit]

The Sri Lanka Army currently participates in several major overseas deployments:

• Haiti – an infantry battalion with support personal totaling around 1000 personal in Haiti as part of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti from 2004 to 2015.^[36]
• Chad – a contingent of engineers joined the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad on May 25, 2010.^[37][38]
• Lebanon – a mechanized infantry company with combat support personal in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon since November 2010.^[39]
• South Sudan – Sri Lanka Army's entry into South Sudan in 2014 as the newest member in the UN peace keeping family, marks a milestone in the Army history. Sri Lanka became the first country to deploy a surge contingent in South Sudan.Army maintains a SRIMED Level 2 Hospital, manned entirely by Sri Lanka's Sri Lanka Army Medical Corps personnel.^[40][41]
• Mali – an infantry battalion with support personal will be deployed as part of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali in 2016^[42]

Organization structure[edit]

The professional head of the army is the Commander of the Army, at present Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva. He is assisted by the Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army and a Deputy Chief of Staff. The Commandant of the Volunteer Force is head of the Army Volunteer Force and is responsible for the administration and recruitment of all reserve units and personal. The Army Headquarters, housed in the Defence Headquarters Complex in Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is the main administrative and the operational headquarters of the Sri Lanka Army.^[43]

Administrative[edit]

The Army Headquarters is divided into a number of branches, namely the General Staff (GS) branch responsible for coordination of operations and training and the Adjutant General's (AGs) branch responsible for personal administration, welfare, medical services, and rehabilitation. The Quarter Master General's (QMGs) branch is responsible for feeding, transport, movement, and construction and maintenance. The Master General of Ordnance's (MGOs) branch is responsible for procurement and maintenance of vehicles and special equipment.^[44] The Military Secretary's Branch is responsible for handling all matters pertaining to officers such as promotions, postings and discipline. Each branch is headed by an officer in the rank of Major General who is directly responsible to the Commander of the Army for the smooth functioning of the Branch. Under each Branch, there are several Directorates, each headed by a Brigadier.^[44]The headquarters of field formations each have its own staff. For instance a divisional headquarters is divided into a GS branch as an AQ branch, each headed by a Colonel and is responsible for operations & training and administration & logistics respectively. Similarly, a Brigade Major and Major AQ is responsible for operations and administration in a brigade.^[44]Like the Indian Army, the Sri Lanka Army has largely retained the British-style regimental system that it inherited upon independence. The individual regiments (such as the Sri Lanka Light Infantry and the Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment) operate independently and recruit their own members. Officers tend to remain in a single battalion throughout their careers. The infantry battalion, the basic unit of organization in field operations, includes five companies of four platoons each. Typical platoon has three squads (sections) of ten personnel each. In addition to the basic infantry forces, a commando regiment was also established in 1986. Support for the infantry is provided by an armoured regiment, five reconnaissance regiments, three mechanized infantry regiments, five field artillery regiments, a rocket artillery regiment, three commando regiments, three special forces regiments, six field engineering regiments, five signals battalions, a medical corps, and a variety of logistics units.^[45]

Regiments and corps[edit]

Main article: List of current Sri Lanka Army regiments and corps^[15]

Operational command[edit]

Organized and controlled by the Army General Staff at Army HQ, various formations are raised from time to time to suit various security requirements and operations in the country and overseas. The Army at present has deployed 12 Divisions, 7 task forces and several independent brigades. Except for the 11 Division based at the Panagoda Cantonment which is responsible for the maintenance of capability for the defense of the capital, all other divisions, task forces and brigades are deployed for operations in the Northern and Eastern provinces of Sri Lanka, coming under six regional commands known as Security Forces Headquarters, which are the Security Forces Headquarters Jaffna (SFHQ-J), Wanni (SFHQ-W), East (SFHQ-E), Kilinochchi (SFHQ-KLN), Mullaittivu (SFHQ-MLT), West (SFHQ-W) and Central (SFHQ-C)Each SFHQ and most divisions are commanded by a General Officer Commanding in the rank of Major General. A SFHQ has several divisions under its command and each division is further divided into brigades. Each brigade is commanded by an officer in the rank of Brigadier and has a number of Infantry battalions, support arms (Artillery, Engineers and Signals) and support services (Service Corps, Engineering Services, Ordnance Corps, Electrical and Mechanical Engineers) under assigned to it. There are also several independent brigade (Air Mobile Brigade, Armored Brigade, etc.)In other parts of the country, there are Area and Sub-Area Headquarters. Armour, Artillery, Engineers and Signals Units are grouped under Brigade Headquarters of their own arm; Armored Brigade, Artillery Brigade and so on.

Force formations[edit]

Main article: List of current Sri Lanka Army formations^[46]

Overall Operational Command - Colombo

Security Forces Headquarters - Jaffna (SFHQ-J)

• 51 Division, based in Jaffna
• 52 Division, based in the Jaffna Peninsula
• 55 Division, based in Elephant Pass Military Base, Jaffna Peninsula^[46]

Security Forces Headquarters - Wanni (SFHQ-W)^[46]

• Area Headquarters Mannar, Mannar
• 56 Division, operating in the Vavuniya District
• 61 Division, operating in the Vavuniya District
• 21 Division
• 54 Division
• 62 Division

Security Forces Headquarters - East (SFHQ-E)

• 22 Division, based in Trincomalee^[47]
• 23 Division, based in Poonani, Batticaloa District^[48]
• 24 Division

Security Forces Headquarters - Kilinochchi (SFHQ-KLN)^[46][49]

• 57 Division, operating in the Kilinochchi District
• 66 Division, operating in the Kilinochchi District
• 68 Division, operating in the Kilinochchi District
• Affiliated Units
• FMA Units

Security Forces Headquarters – Mullaitivu (SFHQ-MLT)^[46]

• 59 Division, operating in the Mullaittivu District
• 64 Division, operating in the Mullaittivu District
• 68 Division, Kombavil, Mullaittivu District
• Task Force 2, operating in the Mullaittivu District

Security Forces Headquarters – West (SFHQ-W)^[50]

• 14 Division, based in Colombo, Western Province
  • 141 Brigade, based in Gampaha
  • 142 Brigade, based in Colombo and Kalutara
  • 143 Brigade, based in Puttalam and Kurunegala
• 58 Division
  • 581 Brigade, based in Galle
  • 583 Brigade, based in Kaluthara
  • 583 Brigade, based in Ratnapura

Security Forces Headquarters – Central (SFHQ-C)

• 11 Division
  • 111 "Kandy" Brigade
• 14 Division

Independent Divisions

• 53 Division, based at Mankulam^[46]

Independent Brigades

• Air Mobile Brigade
• Armored Brigade
• Artillery Brigade
• Commando Brigade
• Engineer Brigade
• Mechanized Infantry Brigade
• Signals Brigade
• Special Forces Brigade

Training[edit]

Main articles: Military academies in Sri Lanka and List of military academies in Sri LankaThe Army Training Command (ARTRAC) with its headquarters at Diyatalawa formulates all training doctrine of the army and all its training centers. ARTRAC directs all army training establishments, regimental training establishments and battalion training schools.^[51]General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) formed in 1981 and situated in Ratmalana, fourteen kilometers south of Colombo, is Sri Lanka's only university specializing in defence studies. Each year, approximately fifty cadets from all three services are admitted to the university (aged 18–22) to participate in a three-year programme of academic work and basic training.^[44][45]Junior field officers of the army and their counterparts in the Navy and Air Force follow the Command and Staff Course at the Defence Services Command and Staff College (DSCSC) at Batalanda, Makola which was established in 1997 as the Army Command and Staff College and the Junior Staff Course at the Officer Career Development Centre. While the Logistics Staff Course is conducted at the Army School of Logistics which was established in 2011. In addition KDU conducts Masters Of Science (Defence Studies) degree for the officers of army. The army continuous to send its senior officers for overseas training, specially for defense college.Basic officer training is carried out at the Sri Lanka Military Academy (SLMA) (formally the Army Training Centre) situated in Diyatalawa, in the Badulla District. The officer cadets graduating from the academy are commissioned as officers in the regular and volunteer forces. The course for officer cadets runs for ninety weeks and includes training in tactics and administration which helps prepare the cadets to take up the positions of platoon commanders. The course consisted of military and academic subjects and also trained the cadets physically. The course helps to promote leadership qualities and the understanding of each one's role as an officer and a servant of the state. Due to the lack of officers within the lower levels, the training process was sped up in the 1980s by developing a short commission course. The cadets were given a training of fifty-six weeks and devoted themselves to continue their careers in the military with the ten years of service for regular army officers and five years of service for volunteer officers.Training for the new recruits are carried out by the Army Training School in Maduru Oya and at several locations by training battalions, followed by additional specialized training (both officers and other ranks) at the Infantry Training Centre in Minneriya, the Combat Training School in Ampara, while non-commissioned officers receive training at the Non-commissioned Officers Training School at Kala Oya. All these establishments come under the control of the Directorate of Training, Army Headquarters. Specialist and additional training is given by specialist training schools, regimental training centres and individual field units.^[44][45]At its formation the armed forces of Sri Lanka had limited indigenous training facilities, especially in technical and advanced roles, they have depended greatly on military training provided by foreign countries. The United Kingdom played a major role in the early years following independence and have continued to be an important source of military expertise to the Sri Lankan military. Other sources include India, Pakistan, the United States, Australia and Malaysia. Additionally, in an agreement reached in 1984, Israeli security personnel (reportedly from Shin Bet, the Israeli counterespionage and internal security organisation) trained army officers in counterinsurgency techniques. With the rapid expansion of the army, in recent years it has expanded its training facilities locally.^[45]The Sri Lankan Army has also provided special training to the United States Army on their request as well as many other countries in military education regarding civilian rescue, jungle combat, and guerilla warfare etc.^[52]

Training establishments[edit]

Personnel[edit]

The Sri Lanka Army presently stands at 200,000 strong^[54] including 2,960 women plus and 58,000 reservists.^[55]In late 1987, the army had a total estimated strength of up to 40,000 troops, about evenly divided between regular army personnel and reservists on active duty. The approximately 20,000 regular army troops represented a significant increase over the 1983 strength of only 12,000. Aggressive recruitment campaigns following the 1983 riots raised this number to 16,000 by early 1985.^[45] By 1990 the army had expanded to over 90,000 personnel and by 2007, it had expanded to over 120,000.^[3]Since the Sri Lankan armed forces are all volunteer services, all personal in the Sri Lanka Army have volunteered as regular personnel or reservists. This should not be confused with the traditional term volunteers used for reservists or reservist units. Recruitment of the personal are carried island wide with a restrictions in the northern and eastern provinces during the civil war in those areas. The Rifle Corps is the only territorial unit that carries out recruitment from a specific area. In June 2009, Sri Lanka announced plans to create a "Tamil regiment" to promote integration in the army.^[56]

Parama Weera Vibhushanaya recipients[edit]

The Parama Weera Vibhushanaya is the highest award for valour awarded in the Sri Lankan armed forces. Army recipients include;

• Colonel A.F. Lafir  †
• Lieutenant-Colonel Lalith Jayasinghe  †
• Major G. S. Jayanath  †
• Major K. A. Gamage  †
• Captain Saliya Upul Aladeniya †
• Captain H. G. M. H. I. Megawarna  †
• Lieutenant U. G. A. S. Samaranayake  †
• Second Lieutenant K.W.T. Nissanka  †
• Warrant Officer 2nd Class Pasan Gunasekera †
• Staff Sergeant H. G. S. Bandara  †
• Sergeant D. M. S. Chandrasiri Bandara  †
• Sergeant P.N. Suranga  †
• Corporal Gamini Kularatne †
• Corporal K. Chandana  †
• Corporal P. M. Nilantha Pushpa Kumara  †
• Corporal A. M. N. P. Abesinghe  †
• Lance Corporal W. I. M. Seneviratne  †
• Lance-Corporal T. G. D. R. Dayananda  †
• Lance-Corporal R. M. D. M. Rathnayake  †
• Lance-Corporal A. M. B. H. G. Abeyrathnebanda  †

Notable fallen members[edit]

Over 23,790 Sri Lankan armed forces personnel were killed since begin of the civil war in 1981 to its end in 2009, this includes 12 general officers killed in active duty or assassinated.^[57] 659 service personnel were killed due to the second JVP insurrection from 1987 to 1990. 53 service personnel were killed and 323 were wounded in the first JVP insurrection from 1971 to 1972.^[58] Notable fallen members includes;

• Lt. General Denzil Kobbekaduwa † – One of the greatest generals in modern Sri Lanka and Overall Operations Commander, Northern Sector.^[59]
• Lt. General Parami Kulatunga † – Former Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army.^[59]
• Lt. General Nalin Angammana † – Former GOC 3 Division.^[60]
• Maj. General Vijaya Wimalaratne † – Jaffna Brigade Commander & One of the greatest generals in modern Sri Lanka.^[59]
• Maj. General Lakshman 'Lucky' Wijayaratne  † – Former brigade commander, 22 Brigade.^[60]
• Maj. General Percy Fernando † – Former deputy GOC 54 Division.^[60]
• Maj. General Larry Wijeratne † – Former brigade commander, 51-4 Brigade.^[60]
• Maj. General Susantha Mendis † – Former brigade commander, 51-2 Brigade.^[60]
• Maj. General Janaka Perera – Former Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army, Overall Operations Commander Northern Sector, General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 53 Division.
• Maj. General Ananda Hamangoda † – Former brigade commander, 51-2 Brigade.^[61]
• Brigadier Ariyasinghe Ariyapperuma  † – Former Commander, Northern Command
• Brigadier Bhathiya Jayatilleka  † – former Brigade commander, 54-1 brigade
• Brigadier Rohitha Neil Akmeemana  † – former Brigade commander, Elephant Pass.^[60]
• Colonel Tuan Nizam Muthaliff  † – Former commanding officer 1st Battalion Military Intelligence Corps.^[62]
• Major Noel Weerakoon  † – first army officer killed in action (during the 1971 Insurrection)

Directorate of Rehabilitation[edit]

The Directorate of Rehabilitation was established with the intention and focus towards the rehabilitation of Officers and Other Ranks Wounded in Action. However, with the increase of a number of casualties due to the operations, the Sri Lanka Army proceeded to utilize the services of battle casualties with the view of obtaining a productive service from these individuals. As a result, under mentioned institutes had been established.^[63]

• Ranaviru Sevana.
• Ranaviru Apparels.
• Abimansala Wellness Resort 1 (Anuradahapuru).
• Abimansala Wellness Resort 2 (Kamburupitiya).
• Abimansala Wellness Resort 3 (Pangolla)
• Ranaviru Resources Centre.
• Mihindu Seth Medura.

Women in the Sri Lanka Army[edit]

Main article: Sri Lanka Army Women's CorpsMaking a corps for women was dreamed by former Commander of the Army General Denis Perera who became commander in October 1977. Gen. Perera sought help from the WRAC of British Army and in 1978 three females were sent to Britain for officer training. They returned to Sri Lanka in August 1979 after completion of eight months of training. The corps was officially formed on September 14, 1979 with one battalion (the 1st regular battalion).The first three female cadets to enroll the army were K.C. Jayaweera, M.P Wijegunawardena and V.P. Senevitathna (trained in Britain) and the first batch of female cadets to be trained in Sri Lanka was commissioned from the Sri Lanka Military Academy on 18 August 1984.^[64] On 16 October 1980, ten women were recruited for N.C.O. training and were given the basic Army training at the Army Training Centre, Diyatalawa. These N.C.O.s passed out in November 1980. The three officers and ten N.C.O.s participated at the Independence Day celebrations held at the Galle Face Green for the first time in 1981 and Women's Corps has been a part of the country's Independence celebrations ever since.^[64] Lieutenant Colonel (later Brigadier) A.W. Thambiraja (male) was the first Commanding Officer of the 1st regular battalion (1 SLAWC) and Major K.C. Weerasekara was promoted to Lt. Col. in 1993; she was the first woman to be promoted to this rank from this corps and was also the first woman to be appointed as the commanding officer of the 1 SLAWC in 1989 in the rank of Major.The regimental centre of the corps was established on 17 November 1997 at Borella. Male Major General W.A.A. de Silva RSP USP was the first Colonel Commandant of the Regiment and female Lieutenant Colonel M.H.P.S. Perera, USP was the first Centre Commandant. Major General H.I.G. Wijerathna, USP was the first female colonel commandant of this regiment who served from 2008 to 2010 and Brigadier D.T.N. Munasinghe was the second female to be appointed as the colonel commandant in 2016.^[65][66][67]The primary aim of raising Women's Corps was to provide telephone operators, computer operators, nurses and clerks, to release the male counterparts to the battle field. However, women soldiers were also employed on field duties later.^[68][69] Six more battalions were created in the 1990s and 2000s and till now the corps has seven battalions in total.

Rank of Field Marshal[edit]

Main article: Field marshal (Sri Lanka)In the year 2015, Sri Lanka Army got is 1st Rank of Field Marshal, when President Maithripala Sirisena promoted General Sarath Fonseka to the post. Field Marshal Fonseka is well known for leading the 30-year-old war to an end.^[70][71]

Equipment[edit]

In the 1980s, the army expanded its range of weapons from the original stock of World War II-era British Lee–Enfield rifles, Sten Submachine guns, Vickers machine guns, Bren machine guns, 6-inch coastal guns, Daimler Armoured Cars, Bren Gun Carriers,^[72] 40 mm anti-aircraft guns, 3.7-inch heavy anti-aircraft guns and 4.2-inch heavy mortars as well as post war Alvis Saladins, Alvis Saracen, Ferrets and Shorland S55s. New sources of weaponry in the mid-to-late 1970s included the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, and China – countries with which the leftist Bandaranaike government had close ties. China continued to be an important source of arms well into the 1990s.^[45]To meet the threat posed by predominantly the LTTE, Army purchased modern military hardware including 50-caliber heavy machine guns, rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launchers, Night Vision Devices, 106 mm recoilless rifles, 60 mm and 81 mm mortars, 40 mm grenade launchers and some sniper rifles. Refurbished armored personnel carriers were added to the 'A' vehicle fleet of the 1st Reconnaissance Regiment, Sri Lanka Armoured Corps. These APCs enabled the Armoured Corps to have their own assault troops to provide close contact protection to their Alvis Saladin and Ferret Scout Cars which were vulnerable to anti-tank weapons. The capability of the Sri Lanka Artillery was enhanced with the introduction of Ordnance QF 25 pounders.^[45][73] Chinese-made 122 mm, 130 mm and 152 mm howitzers were introduced to the Sri Lankan Army in 1995 and 1998 whilst 122 mm Multi Barrel Rocket Launchers (MBRL), were first used in 2000 by the Sri Lanka Army.^[74]Though the weapons were obsolete at the time of purchase, security forces found them to be successful in combat. Land mines proved to be the most lethal threat to personnel, as a number of mines were deployed against unprotected trucks and buses by the LTTE in the northern and eastern Provinces. These land mines weighed approximately 50 – 100 kg, against which no armoured vehicle that the SLA possessed was able to withstand the blast effect. Consequently, Armscor Buffels – South African armoured personnel carriers constructed on a Unimog chassis – were imported in quantity. By 1987 Sri Lanka's indigenous Unicorn APC had been engineered from the Buffel, followed by the improved Unibuffel class.^[75] Both the Unicorn and the Unibuffel are assembled by the Sri Lanka Electrical & Mechanical Engineers.^[45][73]In recent years, Sri Lanka has become increasingly reliant on China for weapons.^[76] This is due to most European nations and the United States Governments passing regulations about the selling of weaponry to nations which are suffering from internal conflict.^[77] However, in light of recent attacks by the LTTE, the United States has expressed its intent to maintain military training assistance and possibly increase it should the violence continue.Sri Lanka also continues to receive a variety of weapons from Britain, India, Japan, Pakistan, Israel and other former suppliers.^[76][78]

Armour[edit]

Sri Lanka Army WZ551 APCUnibuffel MK II Armored Personnel Carrier – Sri Lanka ArmyType 89 (YW534) Armored Fighting VehiclesSri Lanka Army BTR80ASri Lanka Army MT-55A Armored Vehicle-launched Bridge pulled by Tatra T815 Truck

Artillery[edit]

RM-70 Multi Barrel Rocket Launcher – Sri Lanka Army

Infantry weapons[edit]

Welfare[edit]

Sri Lanka Army Seva Vanitha Unit[edit]

Main article: Sri Lanka Army Seva Vanitha UnitSri Lanka Army Seva Vanitha Unit President with the presidents of Regimental BranchesInaugurated on 12 July 1984,^[91] Sri Lanka Army Seva Vanitha Unit^[92] functions with the main objective of providing welfare facilities to the next of kin of war heroes who have sacrificed their lives, gone missing in action or injured whilst defending the sovereignty and territorial integrity of their motherland while also empowering the families of the serving Army personnel. Traditionally the organization functions under the leadership of the wife of the serving Commander of the Army, and the members are the spouses of Army Officers as well as Lady Officers. The organization extends to 22 Regimental branches^[93][91] functioning under the patronage of the wives of the respective Regimental Commanders.Sri Lanka Army Seva Vanitha Unit conducts various welfare projects such as Viru Kekulu pre-schools, day care centres, welfare shops, bakeries and salons,^[94] with the committed contribution of the dedicated membership. Construction of houses, giving away of educational scholarships and assisting in times of natural disasters, are done at both organizational and Regimental levels. The volunteer service extended by the spouses of the Army Officers whilst multitasking at their roles as wives, mothers and professionals, is an immense strength to Sri Lanka Army.^[94]

Gallery[edit]

• Sri lanka Army
• SLA HJ-8.
•  
• BMP-2 infantry fighting behicle
•  
• T-55AM2.
•  
• SLA Unibuffel.
•  
• SLA MIR weapons
•  
• SLA Bomb Disposal Units on Victory Day Parade.
•  
• WZ551 (Type 92) armoured personnel carriers.
•  
• Combat Rider Teams, Special Forces Regiment
•  
• Artillery units
•  
• Artillery units

Battle Royale (film)

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Battle Royale (バトル・ロワイアル, Batoru Rowaiaru) is a 2000 Japanese action-thriller film^[4][5] directed by Kinji Fukasaku, with a screenplay written by Kenta Fukasaku, based on the 1999 novel by Koushun Takami. Starring Tatsuya Fujiwara, Aki Maeda, Tarō Yamamoto, and Takeshi Kitano, the film follows a group of junior high-school students that are forced to fight to the death by the Japanese totalitarian government. The film drew controversy, and was banned or excluded from distribution in several countries.^[6][7] Toei even refused to sell the film to any United States distributor for a long time due to concerns about potential controversy and lawsuits (until Anchor Bay Entertainment eventually acquired the film in 2010 for direct-to-video release).^[8]The film was first screened in Tokyo on more than 200 screens on December 16, 2000, with an R15+ rating, which is rarely used in Japan.^[9][10][11] It was the highest-grossing Japanese-language film for six weeks after its initial release, and it was later released in 22 countries worldwide,^[6][12] grossing over $30 million in ten countries. The film earned critical acclaim and, especially with its DVD releases, drew a large global cult following. It is often regarded as one of Fukasaku's best films, and one of the best films of the 2000s. In 2009, filmmaker Quentin Tarantino praised Battle Royale as the best film he had seen in the past two decades and even deems it as his favorite film.^[13][14]Battle Royale was the last film to be directed by Fukasaku. He also started working on the sequel titled Battle Royale II: Requiem, but died of prostate cancer on January 12, 2003, after shooting only one scene with Kitano. His son Kenta Fukasaku, who wrote the screenplay for both films, completed the film in 2003.Battle Royale became a cultural phenomenon, and is considered one of the most influential films in recent decades, having been highly influential in global popular culture. Since the film's release, the term "battle royale" has been redefined 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 each other off until there is a triumphant survivor. It has inspired numerous media, including films, animation, comics, visual novels, and video games; the battle royale game genre, for example, is based on the film.

Contents

• 1Plot
• 2Cast
  • 2.1Main
  • 2.2Supporting
• 3Production
  • 3.1Casting
  • 3.2Creative process
  • 3.3Music
• 4Theatrical release
  • 4.1Controversies
  • 4.2Releases
  • 4.3Special edition
  • 4.43D theatrical re-release
• 5Home media
  • 5.1Sasebo slashing controversy
  • 5.2Limited edition release
  • 5.3United States release
• 6Reception
  • 6.1Box office
  • 6.2Critical reception
  • 6.3Social and political interpretations
  • 6.4Accolades
• 7Legacy
  • 7.1Sequel
  • 7.2Remake plans
  • 7.3American TV series
• 8Popular culture
  • 8.1Film and television
  • 8.2Comics, manga and anime
  • 8.3Video games and visual novels
• 9See also
• 10References
• 11External links

Plot[edit]

In the near-future, following a major recession, the Japanese government has passed the "BR ACT” to curb the nation's juvenile delinquency. Middle school student Shuya Nanahara copes with life after his father committed suicide. Noriko Nakagawa is the only student regularly attending class 3-B. Their teacher, Kitano, resigns after being wounded by Yoshitoki Kuninobu, Shuya's best friend.One year later, class 3-B takes a field trip, but they are gassed and taken to a remote island. Kitano reappears surrounded by JSDF soldiers, explaining to the class that they are chosen to participate in the annual Battle Royale as a result of the Act: they have three days to fight to the death until a victor emerges, while explosive collars will kill uncooperative students or those within daily "danger zones". Each student is provided rations, water, a map of the island, compass, flashlight, and a random weapon. Kitano personally kills two of the students for disobedience, one of them being Kuninobu, who dies from collar detonation.The first six hours see twelve deaths, four by suicide, and eight caused by the desperate, psychotic Mitsuko Souma and psychopathic volunteer Kazuo Kiriyama. Transfer student Shogo Kawada lets Shuya go after killing one student, while Shuya accidentally kills another student, Oki, which is witnessed by Yuko Sakaki, while basketball player Shinji Mimura plots to hack into the JSDF's computer system to disrupt the program.Amid shifting loyalties and violent confrontations, Shuya promises to keep Noriko safe as Yoshitoki secretly loved her. He carries her to a clinic, where Kawada reveals that he won a previous Battle Royale at the cost of his girlfriend, whose death he seeks to avenge. When Kiriyama attacks, Shuya entrusts Kawada to protect Noriko and runs as a distraction. Shuya is wounded by Kiriyama's Uzi. However, he is saved by Hiroki Sugimura, a martial artist who has recently had his friend Takako Chigusa die in his arms, and is on a personal mission to find his unrequited love, Kayoko Kotohiki.Shuya awakens in the island's lighthouse, bandaged by female class representative Yukie Utsumi, who has a crush on him. Five other girls are also hiding in the building, including Yuko, who attempts to poison Shuya out of fear of him possibly killing them like he did Oki. However, Yuka accidentally eats the food, leading to a shootout between the girls. Yuko is the only survivor; horrified and realizing her mistake, she apologizes to Shuya and commits suicide. Shuya finds Noriko and Kawada, and they set out to find Mimura.Now only ten players left, Hiroki is killed by Kotohiki, who is then killed by Mitsuko. Kiriyama kills Mitsuko with her own weapon, making Noriko the last surviving girl. Mimura and two others, Yutaka Seto and Keita Iijima, infiltrate the JSDF's computer system, but Kiriyama kills them, but not before Mimura uses his homemade bomb to explode the base to hide all evidence. When Kawada, Noriko and Shuya arrive at the hackers' burning base, Kawada confronts and kills Kiriyama, who had his eyes burned out by the explosion, by detonating the collar with his shotgun, but in turn is seriously injured by Kiriyama's Uzi.On the final day, Kawada, aware of the collars' internal microphones, seemingly kills Shuya and Noriko by shooting them. Suspicious, Kitano ends the game and dismisses the troops, intent on personally killing the supposed victor. Kitano realizes that Kawada hacked the system months beforehand, and has disabled Shuya and Noriko's tracking devices. The three survivors confront Kitano in the game's control room, and he unveils a homemade painting of the massacred class depicting Noriko as the sole survivor. He reveals that he was unable to bear the hatred between him and his students, having been rejected by his daughter, and confesses that he always thought of Noriko as a daughter. He asks her to kill him, but Shuya shoots him after he threatens her with a gun. As he falls, Kitano shoots, revealing the gun to be a water pistol. Kitano's daughter calls him; after an argument, he shoots the phone with an actual gun before dying of his wounds.Shuya, Noriko and Kawada leave the island on a boat, but Kawada dies from the injuries, happy that he found friendship. Shuya and Noriko are declared fugitives, and are last seen on the run in the direction of Shibuya Station. Noriko gives Shuya the Seto Dragon Claw butterfly knife Kuninobu used to injure Kitano at the beginning of the film. They then run off together.

Cast[edit]

See also: List of Battle Royale characters

Main[edit]

• Tatsuya Fujiwara as Shuya Nanahara
• Aki Maeda as Noriko Nakagawa
• Tarō Yamamoto as Shogo Kawada
• Takeshi Kitano as Kitano
• Masanobu Andō as Kazuo Kiriyama
• Kou Shibasaki as Mitsuko Souma
• Chiaki Kuriyama as Takako Chigusa
• Takashi Tsukamoto as Shinji Mimura
• Sousuke Takaoka as Hiroki Sugimura
• Eri Ishikawa as Yukie Utsumi
• Hitomi Hyuga as Yuko Sakaki

Supporting[edit]

• Yukihiro Kotani as Yoshitoki Kuninobu
• Sayaka Ikeda as Megumi Eto
• Takayo Mimura as Kayoko Kotohiki
• Minami as Keiko Onuki
• Yūko Miyamura as Training Video Girl

Production[edit]

Casting[edit]

Roughly 6,000 actors auditioned for the film, which was narrowed down to 800 potential cast members. These finalists were subjected to a 6-month period of physical fitness training under supervision of the director, Kinji Fukasaku, who eventually cast 42 out of the 800.^[15]Despite the characters being middle school students, Aki Maeda, Yukihiro Kotani, Takayo Mimura, Yukari Kanasawa were the only four who were aged 15 to 16 years old. The other members of the cast had all graduated from secondary education, and Tarō Yamamoto and Masanobu Andō were the oldest among the actors, aged 25.^[16]The actor–director–comedian Takeshi Kitano (also known as Beat Takeshi) was cast in the role of the teacher. His casting served several purposes. As one of the most successful Japanese celebrities of the last few decades, both domestically and internationally, he helped draw a large audience to the film. And more vividly, he was a real game show presenter, known for hosting popular Japanese game shows such as Takeshi's Castle (1986–1990), adding a sense of potential realism to the film's extreme game show concept.^[17]

Creative process[edit]

Kinji Fukasaku stated that he decided to direct the film because the novel it was adapted from reminded him of his time as a 15-year-old munitions factory worker during World War II. At that time, his class was made to work in a munitions factory. In July 1945, the factory came under artillery fire. The children could not escape so they dived under each other for cover. The surviving members of the class had to dispose of the corpses. At that point, Fukasaku realised that the Japanese government was lying about World War II, and he developed a burning hatred of adults in general that he maintained for a long time afterwards.^[18]Beat Takeshi told a documentary crew during filming that he believes "an actor's job is to satisfy the director... I move the way I'm told to. I try to look the way I'm told to. I don't know much about the emotional side", before adding, "Mr. Fukasaku told me to play myself. I did not really understand, but he told me to play myself, as I ordinarily would be! I'm just trying to do what he tells me."^[19]When asked in an interview with The Midnight Eye if the film is "a warning or advice to the young", Kinji Fukasaku responded by describing the words "warning" and "advice" as "sounding very strong to me" as if they were actions which one tries to accomplish; therefore the film would not be "particularly a warning or advice." Fukasaku explained that the film, which he describes as "a fable", includes themes, such as crime by young people, which in Japan "are very much real modern issues." Fukasaku said that he did not have a lack of concern or a lack of interest; he used the themes as part of his fable. When the interviewer told Fukasaku that he asked the question specifically because of the word "run" in the concluding text, which the interviewer described as "very positive", Fukasaku explained that he developed the concept throughout the film. Fukasaku interpreted the interviewer's question as having "a stronger meaning" than "a simple message." He further explained that the film simply contains his "words to the next generation", so the viewer should decide whether to take the words as advice or as a warning.^[18][20]

Music[edit]

The film score of Battle Royale was composed, arranged and conducted by Masamichi Amano, performed by the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra and features several pieces of Western classical music along with Amano's original compositions. The choral movement used in the film's overture and original trailer is the "Dies Irae" from Giuseppe Verdi’s Requiem.The song used during the end credits, "Shizuka na Hibi no Kaidan o" by the rap rock band Dragon Ash, is not included in either the Japanese or French edition of the soundtrack.^[21]

Track listing

Theatrical release[edit]

Controversies[edit]

Fukasaku originally opposed the R15+ rating given by the Eiga Rinri Kanri Iinkai (Eirin) because of Fukasaku's experiences as a teenager, the novel's use of 15-year-olds, and the fact that many of the actors were around fifteen years of age. After he submitted an appeal and before Eiga Rinri Kanri Iinkai could rule on the appeal, members of the National Diet said that the film harmed teenagers; the Diet members also criticised the film industry ratings, which were a part of self-regulation by the Japanese film industry. Fukasaku dropped the appeal to appease the Japanese Diet in hopes they would not pursue increasing film regulation further.^[18][20] Fukasaku criticized the ruling since the film was already blocked from people under 16 years of age.^[22]The film was labeled "crude and tasteless" by members of National Diet and other government officials after the film was screened for them before its general release.^[23] Fukasaku stated that the Diet members had preconceived biases, making them unable to understand the points of the film.^[22] The film created a debate over government action on media violence. At one point, director Kinji Fukasaku gave a press statement directed at the age group of the film's characters, saying "you can sneak in, and I encourage you to do so."^[24] Many conservative politicians used the film to blame popular culture for a youth crime wave. Ilya Garger of TIME magazine said that Battle Royale received "free publicity" and received "box-office success usually reserved for cartoons and TV-drama spin-offs."^[6] The Japanese reaction to the film in the early 2000s has been compared to the British outrage over A Clockwork Orange in the early 1970s.^[2] Fukasaku stated that he felt discomfort with it even though publicity increased due to the controversy.^[22]Critics note the relation of Battle Royale to the increasingly extreme trend in Asian cinema and its similarity to reality television.^[25]For eleven years, the film was never officially released in the United States or Canada, except for screenings at various film festivals.^{[citation needed]} The film was screened to a test audience in the U.S. during the early 2000s, not long after the Columbine High School massacre, resulting in a negative reaction to the film's content.^[26] According to the book Japanese Horror Cinema, "Conscious of the Columbine syndrome, which also influenced the reception of The Matrix (1999), much of the test audience for Battle Royale condemned the film for its 'mindless' and gratuitous violence in terms very reminiscent of the British attitude towards Sam Peckinpah's Straw Dogs (1971) on its initial release."^[27]No North American distribution agreement for the film had ever been reached due to myriad corporate and legal concerns on the parts of both the Japanese Toei Company and prospective North American studios, despite mutual interest.^[28] It was said in 2005 by a representative of a prospective U.S. distributor that Japanese executives from the Toei Company were advised by American lawyers who attended test screenings in the early 2000s that "they'd go to jail" had the film been mass-released in the United States at the time.^[26][29] In the company's best interests, Toei attached prohibitive rules, costs, and legal criteria to any possible North American distribution deal. Toei representative Hideyuki Baba stated that the reason for "withholding distribution" in North America was "due to the picture's contents and theme." A representative for a prospective US distributor criticised Toei for expecting a wide release rather than a limited art house run, noting that "in the US it will never get past the MPAA ratings board, and the major theater chains will never play it un-rated. If you cut it enough to get an R rating there'd be nothing left."^[30]In April 2013, the film was banned in Germany,^[31] but subsequently the ban was lifted following an objection by the German distributor Capelight Pictures.^[32]

Releases[edit]

Battle Royale was released on December 16, 2000, in Japan.^[10][11] Over the next two years, Battle Royale was distributed to cinemas in 22 countries,^[6] across Asia, Australia, Europe, and South America (in addition to Mexico), gaining early cult film followings in France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, and the Philippines.^{[citation needed]} The first showing in the US was at the Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley, California, in 2002.^[33]The original 113-minute version of the film began its first North American theatrical run at the Cinefamily Theater in Los Angeles on December 24, 2011 – 11 years after its original Japanese release.^[34] The planned 9-day run was extended another 6 days due to popular demand.^[35] Beginning in early 2012, the film has been publicly exhibited at screenings in many American universities, including those in Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Texas and Massachusetts, with a New York City run at the IFC Center that began on May 25, 2012. As of June 2012, it has been regularly showing at the Projection Booth Theatre, site of the former Gerrard Cinema in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.^[36][37][38] The Cleveland Cinematheque also held a screening of the film on April 3, 2012.^[39]

Special edition[edit]

A special edition of the film was released after the original which has eight extra minutes of running time. Unusually, the extra material includes scenes newly filmed after the release of the original. Inserted scenes include (but are not limited to):

• Flashbacks to a basketball game which is used as a framework for the entire story.
• A flashback that expands on a likely contributor to Mitsuko Souma's mental illness or sociopathy. She comes home from school to find her mother drunk with a strange man, who tries to molest her. She then pushes him down the staircase to his death.
• Three epilogues (referred to as "requiems"). The first is an extension of the basketball scene, showing the students of Class 3-B winning their game. It also spotlights Mitsuko's apparent social anxiety and alienation from the classmates in 3-B. The second is a vision of Nobu telling Shuya to take care of Noriko (a replay of a hallucination seen earlier in the special version of the film). The third is a scene between Kitano and Noriko, who talk casually by a riverbank; parts of this scene (a dream sequence) also appear in the original version of the film, but with the dialogue muted whereas in the requiem it is audible and reveals a friendship or other relationship that may or may not have existed between Noriko and Kitano.
• Added shots of the lighthouse after the shoot-out.
• Added reaction shots in the classroom, and extensions to existing shots.
• Extra CGI throughout the film.

3D theatrical re-release[edit]

The film was released to theaters in 3D in Japan on November 20, 2010. Fukasaku's son and the film's screenwriter, Kenta Fukasaku, oversaw the conversion.^[40] The 3D version was also screened at the Glasgow Film Festival on 24 February 2011.^[41] Anchor Bay Entertainment planned to release the 3D version in the United States sometime in 2011,^[42] but the release was cancelled.^[34]

Home media[edit]

Sasebo slashing controversy[edit]

The creators of the sequel postponed the release of the DVD (originally scheduled for June 9, 2004) to later that year because of the Sasebo slashing, in which the killer had read Battle Royale.^[43]

Limited edition release[edit]

Arrow Video released the film on Blu-ray and DVD in a limited edition version in the United Kingdom on December 13, 2010, as a three-disc collector's edition set, featuring both cuts of the film. The DVD version was limited to 5,000 copies. The Blu-ray version was initially being released as limited to 5,000 copies but due to the large volume of pre-orders was increased to 10,000 copies. The limited edition Blu-ray is region-free, meaning it can play on Blu-ray players worldwide.^[44] The DVD is also region-free.^[45]

United States release[edit]

For a long time, Toei refused to sell the film to a United States distributor, because Toei worried that the film would get involved in legal troubles in the United States.^[8] Eventually, Toei agreed to sell the film's United States rights to Anchor Bay Entertainment in 2010.^[8]An official DVD and Blu-ray edition of the film (and its sequel) was released in North America on March 20, 2012, by Anchor Bay Entertainment.^[46] The film is available in a standard edition featuring the two films and a 4-disc Complete Collection that features both the Special Edition (labelled the Director's Cut) and the theatrical version of the first film, the sequel, and a disc of behind-the-scenes material. Afterwards, Battle Royale and its sequel are available on Netflix, a major home-entertainment distributor in the United States, and it has been aired uncut on Showtime.

Reception[edit]

Box office[edit]

During the first weekend, it grossed ¥212 million ($1.8 million).^[9] It went on to domestically gross ¥3.11 billion^[47][48] ($28.9 million),^[49] making it the third highest-grossing Japanese film of 2001, after the anime films Spirited Away and Pokémon 4Ever.^[50]In the United Kingdom, the film sold 56,758 tickets (including 56,182 tickets in 2001 and 576 tickets from later limited re-releases by 2017),^[51] equivalent to a box office gross revenue of approximately £236,910^[52] ($303,245).In seven other European countries, the film sold 156,676 tickets (including 113,220 tickets in France,^[53] and 43,456 tickets in six other European countries) between 2001 and 2017,^[51] equivalent to a box office gross revenue of approximately €877,386^[54] ($991,446).The film also grossed $339,954 in South Korea, Chile, and Argentina,^[55] in addition to $26,099 in Taiwan.^[56] This brings the film's estimated worldwide gross revenue to approximately $30,560,744 in these thirteen countries (equivalent to $52 million adjusted for inflation in 2018^[57]).

Critical reception[edit]

Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 87% based on reviews from 47 critics, and an average rating of 7.54/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Battle Royale is a controversial and violent parable of adolescence, heightening teenage melodrama with life-or-death stakes."^[58] Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 81 out of 100 based on seven critics, indicating "universal acclaim."^[59] Robert Koehler of Variety commented, "Given the most basic characters to work with, the mostly teen cast attacks the material with frightening gusto, and Fujiwara dutifully invokes the voice of inner moral conflict. Production is exceedingly handsome and vigorous, offering no sign that Fukasaku is slowing down." He stated that, "returning to his roots as Japan's maestro of mayhem, Kinji Fukasaku has delivered" one of "his most outrageous and timely films", comparing it to "the outrage over youth violence" that Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange "generated in early-'70s Britain" and featuring some of "the most startling scenes of mayhem since the movies of the wild and bloody '70s."^[2] Jason Korsner of BBC News gave Battle Royale four out of five stars, stating that it is "a heart-stopping action film, teaching us the worthy lessons of discipline, teamwork, and determination, but wrapping them up in a deliberately provocative, shockingly violent package." BBC users gave the film five out of five stars.^[60] Almar Haflidason of BBC also gave the film five out of five stars.^[61] In a review for Empire, critic Kim Newman gave the film four stars out of five. He compared it to Lord of the Flies in how it makes audiences "wonder what they would do in the same situation", but wrote that Battle Royale gives "even harder choices for its school-uniformed characters." He concluded that, "Some will be uncomfortable or appalled, and the mix of humour and horror is uneasy, but this isn't a film you'll forget easily. And, seriously, what would you do?"^[62]The Guardian critic Peter Bradshaw gave the film four stars in September 2001, choosing it as the best film of the week. He praised Takeshi Kitano's performance as the teacher and some of the scenes as "a stunningly proficient piece of action film-making, plunging us into a world of delirium and fear." He notes that, among "the hail of bullets and the queasy gouts of blood, troubling narratives of yearning and sadness are played out. It is as if the violence of Battle Royale is not a satire of society at all, but simply a metaphor for the anguish of adolescent existence." He concluded that, while some "will find the explicit violence of this movie repulsive", it "is a film put together with remarkable confidence and flair. Its steely candour, and weird, passionate urgency make it compelling."^[63] Bryant Frazer of Deep Focus gave it a B+ rating and called it "a vicious take-off on reality TV that turns a high-school milieu dominated by cliques and childish relationships into a war zone."^[64] British critic Jonathan Ross stated that "if you want to catch a wildly original and super-cool slice of entertainment before it gets remade and ruined by the Americans, then I suggest you try hard not to miss it" and concluded that "it's a wildly imaginative example of just what can be achieved in a teen movie."^[65] In 2009, filmmaker Quentin Tarantino praised Battle Royale as the best film he had seen in the past two decades, stating that, "If there’s any movie that’s been made since I’ve been making movies that I wish I had made, it’s that one."^[13]There has been renewed interest in the film following its 2012 Blu-ray release in the United States. Chris Nashawaty of Entertainment Weekly rates the film as "A" grade, positing that examination of the students' different motives for survival or subversion of the Program is a "sick blast".^[66] A.O. Scott of The New York Times gave the film a positive review, stating "[the] expertly choreographed scenes of mayhem are at once comical and appalling, and [Fukasaku's] young cast embraces the melodramatic extremity of the story with impressive conviction", adding that Battle Royale "is in many ways a better movie [than The Hunger Games] and in any case a fascinating companion, drawn from a parallel cultural universe. It is a lot uglier and also, perversely, a lot more fun."^[67] Entertainment critic for the Cary Darling describes Battle Royale as "tense, tragic and timely... a modern-day horror story imbued with an electric sense of drama and dread."^[68] Alexandra Cavallo of the Boston Phoenix writes, "Battle Royale is The Hunger Games not diluted for young audiences" while giving the film three stars out of four.^[69] Jeffrey M. Anderson of Combustible Celluloid gave the film 4 out of 4 stars, calling it a "gloriously sick and twisted story" and claiming that it is "endlessly entertaining, by turns gory and hilarious, disturbing and exciting."^[70] In the Chicago Sun-Times, Roger Ebert's Australia correspondent Michael Mirasol praised Battle Royale for its "thoughtful characterisation" that is "lavished upon all the students" and concluded that it is an "intensely violent fable aimed at a young audience, but with true feeling, intelligence, and respect."^[71] Jake Mulligan of The Suffolk Voice gave it five out of five stars, stating that "the influence of "Royale" on works as disparate as "Kill Bill" and "The Hunger Games" cannot be measured" and describing Battle Royale as "Provocative, funny, violent, and aided by a script that somehow gives equal attention to most of the students while also displaying the well-thought out minutia behind the narrative."^{[72][unreliable source?]}R.L. Shaffer of IGN gave the film a score of 8 out of 10, taking "a moment to thank The Hunger Games for reminding us how awesome Battle Royale really is" and concluding that Battle Royale is "a masterpiece of mayhem, violence and unfettered teen melodrama."^[73] J. Hurtado of Twitch Film noted that many "reviews of Battle Royale focus on the violence, which is extreme to be sure, and not so much on the humanity of the film." He stated that "cranking up that already elevated hormonal level of emotional hysteria by throwing these students into a real life-or-death situation is incredibly effective" and that "the story of Battle Royale is the story of those teenage years and just how wrong we all were about the extent of our emotional turmoil."^[74] DVD Talk gave the original theatrical cut of the film 4.5 out of 5 stars and 4 out of 5 for the Director's Cut, concluding that it gives "a glimpse into what might very well happen should the rules of society, such as they are, ever do crumble to the point where it's everyone for themselves. There's enough black humor here and enough tense action that the film never quite feels bleak or depressing (though it does come close) – but most importantly it makes you think."^[75] Devon Ashby of CraveOnline gave the film a score of 8.5 out of 10, referring to it as "Japanese legend Kinji Fukasaku’s adolescent shooting spree opus" and "a compassionate and technically accomplished masterpiece."^[76] Brent McKnight of PopMatters gave the film a score of 9 out of 10, describing it as "savage, sharp, satirical, and brutally funny" and "a bleak commentary on humanity and society."^[77]Film critics Robert Davis and Riccardo de los Rios praise the film's narrative structure. They comment that in adapting a story such as Battle Royale which requires a suspension of disbelief to go along with its “far-fetched” story Fukasaku instead turns conventional rules of screenwriting on its head. Instead of focusing on the detail of the premise of a near future where school kids kill one another “the filmmakers dispense with premise in a short series of title cards”.^[78] As the last film to be fully directed by Fukasaku, the Directory of World Cinema refers to Battle Royale as "perhaps the finest cinematic swansong ever conceived."^[79]

Social and political interpretations[edit]

An interpretation of the film is that it represents Japanese generational attitudes that are creating social, political and economic divides between the young and old.^[80] Fukasaku himself has stated: "The children who have grown up and witnessed what happened to the adults, their anxiety became heightened as well. So I set Battle Royale within this context of children versus adults."^[20]

Accolades[edit]

At the 2001 Japanese Academy Awards, Battle Royale was nominated for nine awards, including Picture of the Year and won three of them.^[81] The film was nominated for two awards from international film festivals but failed to win.^[82][83]

Legacy[edit]

In 2009, Quentin Tarantino listed Battle Royale as his favorite film released since he began directing in 1992.^[84] That same year, Moviefone included it in the top three of its "50 Best Movies of the Decade" list.^[85] Jon Condit of Dread Central called it "one of the best movies [he's] ever seen."^[86] Bloody Disgusting ranked the film fifteenth in its list of the "Top-20 Horror Film of the Decade", with the article calling the film "a go-for-broke extravaganza: fun, provocative, ultra-violent, and bound to arouse controversy (which it did)...the film [is] more than just an empty provocation – it builds character through action, a method all good filmmakers should seek to emulate."^[87] In 2010, Empire ranked Battle Royale #235 and #82 on their lists of "The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time" and "The 100 Best Films of World Cinema" respectively.^[88][89] Time magazine included the film in its list of Top 10 Ridiculously Violent Movies.^[90] In 2012, The Independent included it in its "10 best sports movies ever made" list.^[91] Complex magazine ranked it #47 in its list of The 50 Best Action Movies of All Time.^[4]

Sequel[edit]

Main article: Battle Royale II: RequiemKinji Fukasaku, who directed the first film, began work on a sequel, entitled Requiem, but died of prostate cancer on January 12, 2003, after shooting only one scene with Takeshi Kitano. His son Kenta Fukasaku directed the rest of the film, which was released on May 18, 2003.Unlike the first film, the sequel is not adapted from a novel, but was based on an original screenplay written by Kenta Fukasaku. The plot revolves around the survivor Shuya Nanahara leading a terrorist rebellion, but was controversial for its provocative anti-American sentiments and criticised for being inferior to the original.^[92]

Remake plans[edit]

In June 2006, Variety reported that New Line Cinema, with producers Neil Moritz and Roy Lee, intended to produce a new adaptation of Battle Royale.^[93] Several Web sites echoed the news, including Ain't It Cool News, which claimed the remake would be "an extremely Hard R – serious-minded Americanisation of BATTLE ROYALE."^[94] New Line tentatively set a release date of 2008.The next month, The New York Times reported on an Internet backlash against the remake. Through the article, Lee assured fans of his respect for the original work, claiming, "This is the one I'm going to be the most careful with." He stated that, despite earlier concerns, the film would not be toned down to PG or PG-13, the characters would remain young teenagers, and that it would draw elements equally from the novel, the original film, and the manga. The reporter noted "the hubbub...was at least slightly premature [as] New Line hasn't yet purchased the remake rights."^[95]Following the Virginia Tech massacre in April 2007, Lee claimed that prospects for the remake had been "seriously shaken". While he remained willing to proceed, he stated, "we might be a little more sensitive to some of the issues." The reporting article noted that New Line still had not secured remake rights – its spokeswoman claimed "no news" when asked about progress on any deal.^[96]Maclean's pointed out that the 2008 novel The Hunger Games, and its subsequent 2012 film adaptation, have similar themes.^[97] Although Hunger Games author Suzanne Collins maintains that she "had never heard of that book until [her] book was turned in", The New York Times reports that "the parallels are striking enough that Collins's work has been savaged on the blogosphere as a baldfaced ripoff" and that "there are enough possible sources for the plot line that the two authors might well have hit on the same basic setup independently."^[98] The 2012 film adaptation has also faced similar criticisms for similarities to Battle Royale.^[99][100]In March 2012, Roy Lee reported that a remake of Battle Royale would no longer be possible due to the release of The Hunger Games, stating, "Audiences would see it as just a copy of Games – most of them wouldn't know that ‘Battle Royale’ came first. It's unfair, but that's reality." However, he stated that he might return to the film in ten years to "develop a ‘Battle Royale movie for the next generation."^[100]

American TV series[edit]

During the summer of 2012, The CW had been in discussion with the Hollywood representatives about the possibility of turning Battle Royale into an American television show. According to a spokesperson, the talks were only preliminary, but if a deal could be reached, the network would acquire rights to Koushun Takami's underlying novel, then unpack and expand on it for an hour-long dramatic series. Joyce Jun, a Hollywood attorney representing U.S. rights to the title, stated that "there is no deal in place". A CW spokesman confirmed only there had been some discussion, but declined to comment further.^[101]

Popular culture[edit]

See also: Battle royalThe film, especially with its DVD releases, drew a large global cult following and became a cultural phenomenon.^[102] Quentin Tarantino considers Battle Royale to be one of the most influential films in recent decades.^[103] The film has been highly influential in global popular culture, inspiring numerous works of fiction in a number of different media across the world. Since the film's release, the term "battle royale" has been redefined 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 each off until there is a triumphant survivor. The "battle royale" phenomenon has become especially popular in the 2010s.^[104]

Film and television[edit]

Since its release, the film has had an influence on filmmakers such as Quentin Tarantino,^[105] most notably his Kill Bill films;^[72] the character Gogo Yubari, played by Chiaki Kuriyama, resembles the character she plays in Battle Royale, Takako Chigusa.^[106] 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.^[107] 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,^[108] 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.^[107] 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.^[109] 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.^[110]Critics have also noted the influence of Battle Royale on other films, such as the 2008 film Kill Theory,^[111] the 2009 film The Tournament,^[112] and The Hunger Games trilogy.^[99][100] Battle Royale has also drawn comparisons to films such as Gamer (2009),^[113] Kick-Ass (2010),^[114] and The Belko Experiment (2016).^[115] Other examples of "battle royale" films include The Purge series (2013), Assassination Nation (2018), Ready or Not (2019), and The Hunt (2020).^[104]

Comics, manga and anime[edit]

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[edit]

Further information: Battle royale gameThe 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 ARMA 3, H1Z1: King of the Kill, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, Fortnite Battle Royale, 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]

Blackpink

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJump to navigationJump to searchThis article is about the group. For their eponymous EP, see Blackpink (EP).

Blackpink (Korean: 블랙핑크; commonly stylized as BLACKPINK or BLΛƆKPIИK) is a South Korean girl group formed by YG Entertainment, consisting of members Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa. The group debuted in August 2016 with their single album Square One, which featured "Whistle" and "Boombayah", their first number-one entries on South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart and the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart, respectively.Blackpink is the highest-charting female Korean act on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 13 with "Ice Cream" (2020), and on the Billboard 200, peaking at number two with The Album (2020).^[1][2] They were the first Korean girl group to enter and top Billboard's Emerging Artists chart and to top the Billboard's World Digital Song Sales chart three times.^[3] Blackpink was also the first female Korean act to receive a certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) with their hit single "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" (2018), whose music video is currently the most-viewed by a Korean group on YouTube.^[4][5] They have the most top 40 hits in the United Kingdom among all Korean artists,^[6] and their 2018 song "Kiss and Make Up" was the first-ever song by a Korean group to receive a certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI)^[7][8][9] and be certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).^[10]Blackpink has broken numerous online records throughout their career. Their music videos for "Kill This Love" (2019) and "How You Like That" (2020) each set records for the most-viewed music video within the first 24 hours of release, with the latter breaking three and setting two Guinness World Records.^[11] They are also the first music group and Korean act to have three music videos with at least one billion views on YouTube.^[12][13][14]Blackpink's other accolades include the New Artist of the Year Awards at the 31st Golden Disc Awards and the 26th Seoul Music Awards as well as recognition as the most powerful celebrities in South Korea in 2019 and the third most powerful celebrities in 2020 by Forbes Korea,^[15] and as the first female Korean group on Forbes' 30 Under 30 Asia.^[16] They were also the first K-pop girl group to win an MTV Music Video Award.Blackpink is currently the most-followed girl group on Spotify and the most-subscribed music group, female act, and Asian act on YouTube.^[17][18]

Contents

• 1Career
  • 1.12010–2016: Formation and pre-debut activities
  • 1.22016–2017: Debut, rising popularity, and commercial success
  • 1.32018–2019: International breakthrough and first world tour
  • 1.42020: The Album and documentary film
• 2Public image and reception
• 3Other ventures
  • 3.1Endorsements
  • 3.2Philanthropy
• 4Awards and achievements
• 5Members
• 6Discography
• 7Concerts and tours
  • 7.1Headlining tours
  • 7.2Headlining concerts
• 8Filmography
• 9Notes
• 10See also
• 11References
• 12External links

Career

2010–2016: Formation and pre-debut activities

Blackpink began forming when YG Entertainment held tryouts worldwide for preteen or teenage recruits to create a new girl group after launching its first major girl group, 2NE1, in 2009. According to the members, joining the label as trainees was similar to enrolling in a full-time pop-star academy, with Jennie calling it "more strict than school" and Rosé comparing it to The X Factor with dorm rooms. For members who had left behind life outside of South Korea, the pace of training alongside the culture shock was tough.^[19] Preparations for Blackpink's debut began as early as 2011 when YG Entertainment revealed on November 14, 2011 that the label's new girl group would debut in the early half of 2012 featuring at least seven members.^[20] From then, there were numerous news and rumors surrounding the new girl group about their debut being delayed but there was no official information.^[21][22] It was only until May 18, 2016 that YG Entertainment confirmed the new girl group, stating that the members were selected through years of stiff competition and confirming that the debut would be in July.^[23] The label later confirmed that Jang Hanna and Moon Sua, who were introduced to the public as potential members of the new girl group, were not included in the debut lineup.^[24][25]Jennie was the first member revealed to be in the group on June 1.^[26] Jennie joined YG Entertainment as a trainee in 2010 after moving back to South Korea from New Zealand.^[27] In 2012, she was introduced to the public for the first time through a photo titled "Who's that girl?" via the official blog of YG Entertainment on April 10.^[28] Jennie continued to be promoted as a member of the new girl group with multiple collaborations, such as starring in G-Dragon's 2012 music video "That XX" from One of a Kind EP and featuring in G-Dragon's "Black" from 2013 album Coup d'etat, and Lee Hi's "Special" from 2013 album First Love.^[29][30][31] Lisa was revealed to be the second member on June 8, 2016.^[32] Lisa was the only individual among 4,000 applicants to pass the 2010 YG Entertainment audition in her native Thailand, becoming the first foreign trainee to join the label in 2011.^[27] She was first introduced in 2012 with a video that was posted on YG Entertainment's official YouTube channel titled "Who's That Girl???".^[32] Lisa also appeared in the music video for Taeyang's "Ringa Linga" in 2013. She then took on her first modelling job in 2015 for street-wear brand Nona9on, following by modelling for cosmetics brand Moonshot in 2016.^[33]On June 15, Jisoo was revealed to be the third member. Jisoo joined YG Entertainment as a trainee in July 2011. She appeared in several advertisements and music videos in her pre-debut years, including "Spoiler + Happy Ending" (2014) from Epik High's studio album Shoebox and Hi Suhyun's music video "I'm Different" (2014). She also made a cameo appearance in 2015 drama The Producers.^[34] Rosé was revealed to be a member on June 22, 2016. She ranked first among 700 applicants in the 2012 YG Entertainment audition in Australia, which then resulted in a trainee contract with the label and a move to Seoul to begin her training.^[27] She was featured in G-Dragon's track "Without You" from One of a Kind EP in 2012, then credited as "? from YG New Girl Group". However, her featuring vocals and identity was kept secret for almost four years until her first official public introduction when it was revealed that she participated in the song.^[35]The official logo of BlackpinkOn June 29, YG Entertainment confirmed that the new girl group would include four members instead of the originally planned nine members, and revealed Blackpink as the group's official name.^[36] According to a representative, Blackpink meant "pretty isn't everything" and symbolized that "they are a team that encompasses not only beauty, but also great talent."^[37] Jisoo later disclosed in a press conference that they almost debuted as 'Pink Punk', 'Baby Monster' or 'Magnum'.^[38] Blackpink released their first dance practice video on July 6 to great attention from viewers.^[39] On July 29, YG Entertainment confirmed that Blackpink's debut would be on August 8, 2016.^[40]

2016–2017: Debut, rising popularity, and commercial success

Main articles: Square One (single album), Square Two, and Blackpink (EP)Promotions for their debut began in the first week of August 2016 with the release of teaser images, videos, and advertisements.^[41][42] The first girl group to debut under YG Entertainment in seven years,^[43] Blackpink released their debut single album, Square One, on August 8, 2016, consisting of tracks "Boombayah" and "Whistle".^[43] They charted at number one and two on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart, which made Blackpink the fastest act to achieve such feat and the third Korean artist to hold the top two positions simultaneously, after label mates Psy and Big Bang.^[44] "Whistle" quickly topped the digital, download, streaming, and mobile charts on Gaon.^[45][46] The group also reached number one on the weekly, popularity, music video, and K-pop music video charts of China's biggest music-streaming service, QQ Music.^[47] Blackpink's first music show performance was aired on August 14, 2016, on SBS's Inkigayo.^[48] They won first place on Inkigayo 13 days after their debut, breaking the record for the shortest time for a girl group to win on a music program after debut. They wrapped up their promotions for Square One on September 11, 2016, with another win on Inkigayo.Blackpink performing "Playing with Fire" at the 8th Melon Music Awards on November 29, 2016Blackpink released their second single album, Square Two, consisting of tracks "Playing with Fire" and "Stay", on November 1, 2016. The group began their promotions on Inkigayo on November 6 and on Mnet's M Countdown on November 10.^[49] "Playing with Fire" was Blackpink's second single to reach number one on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart and the first K-pop girl group song to chart on the Canadian Hot 100.^[50][51] In South Korea, "Playing with Fire" peaked at number three while "Stay" placed in the top ten.^[52] Blackpink's commercial success in their first five months earned them several rookie awards at major Korean year-end music award shows, including the Asia Artist Awards,^[53] Melon Music Awards,^[54] Golden Disc Awards,^[55] Seoul Music Awards,^[56] and Gaon Chart Music Awards.^[57] Additionally, Billboard named them one of the best new K-pop groups of 2016.^[58]Blackpink performing "As If It's Your Last" at the Korea Music Festival held in Gocheok Sky Dome, Seoul on October 1, 2017On January 17, 2017, Blackpink revealed the name of their fan club—"Blink", a portmanteau of "black" and "pink."^[59] On June 22, the group released their first standalone digital single, "As If It's Your Last". It was described as a "mixed genre of music" and a change of sound from their previous releases.^[60] The song debuted at number one on Billboard's World Digital Song Sales chart one day after release, making it their third number-one hit on the chart.^[61] The music video for the song later went on to break the record for the most-liked music video by a Korean girl group on YouTube as well as the most-viewed K-pop group music video in the first 24 hours of release.^[62][63] On July 20, 2017, Blackpink held a showcase at Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, which was attended by more than 14,000 people, with as many as 200,000 people attempting to purchase tickets.^[64][65] The group made their Japanese debut on August 30, 2017, with the release of a self-titled Japanese extended play that included Japanese versions of their previous singles.^[66][67] The EP debuted and peaked at the top of the Oricon Albums Chart.^[68] Blackpink ranked among YouTube's Global Top 25 Songs of the Summer for 2017 with "As If It's Your Last".^[69]

2018–2019: International breakthrough and first world tour

Main articles: Square Up, Blackpink in Your Area, and Kill This LoveOn January 6, 2018, Blackpink released the first episode of their first reality show Blackpink House, which were comprised of 12 episodes releasing throughout 2018 following the four members spending 100 days of vacation as they moved into their new dorm, via their official V Live and Youtube channels.^[70] On March 28, Blackpink re-released their debut Japanese EP under the name Re:Blackpink. The digital version included the same songs as the original release, while the physical version included a DVD containing all music videos and six songs in the Korean language.^[71]Blackpink at Seoul Music Awards in 2018On June 15, 2018, the group released their first Korean-language EP, titled Square Up.^[72] The lead single, "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du", debuted at number 17 on the Official Trending Chart in the United Kingdom, making them the first female K-pop group to enter the chart since its launch in 2016.^[73] The single also debuted at number 55 on the Billboard Hot 100, with 12.4 million U.S. streams and 7,000 downloads in the tracking week ending June 21, 2018, making Blackpink the highest-charting Korean girl group on the chart.^[74] The single also debuted at number 39 on the U.S. Streaming Songs chart, making Blackpink became the first K-pop girl group to enter the chart.^[74] Square Up also brought the group their first entry and the highest-charting album by an all-female K-pop group at the time of its release on the Billboard 200, debuting at number 40 with 14,000 equivalent units.^[75] The EP also topped the Billboard World Albums chart.^[74] In South Korea, Square Up debuted at number one on Gaon Albums Chart.^[76] "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" peaked at number one on the digital, download, streaming, and mobile charts on Gaon in its second week, while "Forever Young" peaked at number two.^{[77][78][79][80]} YouTube's official tally saw the music video for "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" garner a total of 36.2 million views within 24 hours after its release, making it the most-viewed online video in the first 24 hours by a Korean act and the second most-watched music video of all time in first 24 hours of release at that time.^[81]Blackpink attending a fansign event for Square Up held at the AK Plaza in Bundang, June 24, 2018Blackpink embarked on their sold-out first Japan tour, Blackpink Arena Tour 2018, in Osaka from July 24 to 25 to promote their Japanese EP. The tour was initially composed of 6 shows throughout Osaka, Fukuoka and Chiba, but an additional show in Chiba was added due to overwhelming demand.^[82] The final stop of the tour was later added for December 24 at Kyocera Dome Osaka as a Christmas gift for fans, which they later performed to a sold-out crowd of 50,000.^[83] On September 12, it was announced that the group would hold their first concert in Seoul titled "Blackpink 2018 Tour [In Your Area] Seoul x BC Card" at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena.^[84] The concert led to the In Your Area World Tour, which continued throughout 2019 and early 2020 in North America, Europe, Oceania and Asia. The tour ultimately became the highest-grossing tour by a Korean girl group by the end of its run.^[85]On October 19, English singer Dua Lipa released "Kiss and Make Up" with Blackpink, a new track for the re-released edition of her self-titled debut album.^[86] "Kiss and Make Up" debuted at number 93 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking Blackpink's second entry in the chart and making them the only Korean girl group to score at least two entries on the chart.^[87] The song also became their second entry in the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 36, and their first top 40 entry. They were the first female Korean group and third Korean act overall to reach the top 40.^[88]In October 2018, the group signed with Interscope Records in a global partnership with YG Entertainment; they were to be represented by Interscope and Universal Music Group outside of Asia.^[89] In November 2018, Blackpink announced additional tour dates for their "In Your Area World Tour", which covered thirteen dates across Asia from January to March 2019.^[90] Jennie debuted with her single, "Solo", at Blackpink's Seoul concert on November 11; both the song and its official music video were released the following day.^[91] Their first Japanese studio album, Blackpink in Your Area, was made available digitally on November 23 and physically on December 5.^[92] The album included Japanese versions of all of their previous releases and debuted at number 9 on the Oricon Albums Chart, selling an estimated 13,000 copies in its first week.^[93]Blackpink performing at the Amsterdam stop of their In Your Area World Tour on May 18, 2019Blackpink made their American debut at the Universal Music Group's 2019 Grammy Artist Showcase, an invite-only event at the ROW in Downtown Los Angeles on February 9, 2019.^[94] The group appeared on several American television shows following their debut performance, including The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and Good Morning America.^[95][96][97] In March of the same year, they became the first-ever K-pop girl group to cover Billboard magazine.^[98]Blackpink's third extended play, Kill This Love, led by a single of the same name, was released on April 5, 2019.^[99] Kill This Love debuted at number 24 on the Billboard 200, while the lead single reached number 41 on the Hot 100, becoming the highest-charting releases by a female Korean act on the two major Billboard charts.^[100] "Kill This Love" ranked at number 66 on Billboard's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2019.^[101] The song "Forever Young", released as a B-side from the EP Square Up (2018), surpassed 2.5 million downloads in December 2019, making it the group's fifth song overall and their second to achieve a platinum certification for downloads from the Korea Music Content Association, after "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du".^[102] Blackpink performed at the 2019 Coachella Festival on April 12 and 19, 2019, making them the first female K-pop group to do so.^[103] The group's Coachella set was well received by both critics and fans alike, with Gab Ginsberg of Billboard calling the show "electrifying" and "unforgettable".^[104][105]On October 16, 2019, a Japanese version of Kill This Love was released to the Japanese market, peaking at number 17 on the Oricon Albums Chart.^[106] The group embarked to Japan for a variety of promotional activities, including appearances on Japanese music television programs TV Asahi's Music Station and Fuji TV's Love Music.^[107]