You Win Or You Die: The Pop Culture Punch of ‘Battle Royale’

21 teenaged boys and 21 teenaged girls are dropped on an island and forced to murder each other until there’s a single, living winner for a national television audience. Does it sound messed up? Does it sound exciting? Does it sound exactly like The Hunger Games? Welcome to the world of Battle Royale, a pop culture phenomenon that swept Japan in the year 2000 and rippled into Western culture in now irrevocable ways.

This week, the cult hit is ending its three-year run on Netflix. If you’ve somehow managed to avoid Battle Royale this long, we’ve got 5 reasons why it’s a pop culture milestone worth your while. Let’s just say you’re officially out of excuses.

1) The Hunger Games Is Kind Of A Lame Battle Royale Rip Off

When The Hunger Games first debuted as both a novel and a film, pop culture critics cried foul. Not because the idea of a dystopian future where kids fought to the death on television was so grisly, but because it had already been done. Not only that, but fans of Battle Royale thought The Hunger Games was a tepid and tame remake of their beloved dystopian horror flick.

So, why is The Hunger Games considered a lamer, tamer Battle Royale? Well, it’s less violent, features the charming Jennifer Lawrence in the lead, and there’s a twist. You see, in Battle Royale, the kids aren’t random strangers; they are teens who have grown up together in the same class for their whole lives. Katniss barely knows Peeta before the Games and she doesn’t even know most of the other tributes’ names. Could you imagine how much more messed up it would be if she had close ties with each and every one of the other contestants? That would be messed up. Oh, right, that would be Battle Royale.

The Hunger Games is currently streaming on Netflix  and Amazon Prime. 

2) Quentin Tarantino Is Majorly In Love With Battle Royale

Quentin Tarantino is not only one of the biggest auteurs of the last 25 years, but he’s also one of the biggest cinephiles. So, it means something when we say that Battle Royale is one of his favorite films.

How much does he like Battle Royale? Tarantino created the character, Gogo Yubari, after he saw Chiaki Kuriyama’s performance in Battle Royale. Originally, Gogo was to have a twin sister played by another Battle Royale actress, but she was tied up with Japanese contracts. Nevertheless, Gogo Yubari’s bloody showdown with the Bride is one of the most iconic moments in Kill Bill, Vol. 1, and it’s a direct homage to the brutal action on display in Battle Royale.

Kill Bill, Vol. 1 is currently streaming on Netflix and Amazon Prime.

3) Battle Royale Has Another Big Pop Culture Fanboy: Edgar Wright

Edgar Wright’s films are filled with pop culture Easter eggs that reference famous films and draw attention to cult hits. A Battle Royale art print is featured prominently in one of Shaun of the Dead‘s first big action scenes.

Shaun of the Dead is available for digital rental on Amazon Prime & Google Play and for digital purchase on iTunes. 

4) It’s Part Of A Literary Tradition That Stephen King Helped Create—And That He Still Supports

Even though the 2000 film was making rounds on festival circuits and was being traded in bootleg form, the original Koushun Takami novel went largely unnoticed by the mainstream American public. That changed in 2005, when Stephen King ranked the original novel as one of seven books on his Entertainment Weekly summer reading list. In his review, King acknowledged that the book bore similarities to his novel, The Long Walk. However, it’s also similar to another King title, The Running Man, which follows a man wrongfully accused of murder who is sentenced to run for his life on a game show. The Long Walk has been optioned by Frank Darabont, but never adapted for film. Arnold Schwarzenegger starred in the 1987 movie version of The Running Man.

The Running Man is currently streaming on Netflix  and Amazon Prime.

5) Netflix Used To Be Battle Royale‘s Only Stateside Home. 

Sure, movies come and go from Netflix, but Battle Royale has a special relationship with the streaming service. For a while, the only way you could see Battle Royale in the United States was on bootleg or “region-free” copies. That was until Netflix acquired the streaming rights in 2011. Since then, the film has been readily available for American audiences. Not only that, but because of its popularity, a deal was finally struck in 2012 to make a DVD version legally available for American consumers.

Netflix’s ability to make foreign films readily available to American audiences can’t be understated. The flexibility of streaming platforms means that people who might not have access to film festivals and bootlegs can have access to cult hits they might not see otherwise, on their own terms and in their own homes. A new generation of film lovers can catch the Japanese hit and perhaps find new ways to be influenced by it. Battle Royale was one of the first big foreign titles on streaming, but it won’t be the last.

Catch Battle Royale on Netflix before it’s taken down on June 20. The film is also currently available for digital rental on Amazon.com.