The controversial manga adaptation of Battle Royale is set for a new deluxe edition release. Volume 1, a 604-page hardcover omnibus, launches on January 27 from publisher Yen Press. Preorders are available at a discounted price of $44.
Battle Royale began as a novel before becoming a cult-classic film, spawning a manga adaptation that ran from 2000 to 2005. This series, known for its intense survival themes, faced criticism in its English version due to significant changes by writer Keith Griffen, which introduced plot holes in later volumes. The Japanese edition, however, stayed faithful to the original novel's storyline.
Yen Press is now releasing Battle Royale: Deluxe Edition Volume 1 as a leather-bound hardcover collecting the first three volumes of the manga. Priced at $55 originally, it is currently available for preorder at Amazon for $44, a 20% discount. The edition spans 604 pages and marks the easiest way to access the out-of-print TokyoPop English releases, which have been unavailable for years.
It remains unclear whether this deluxe version includes a revised translation to address past issues. Future volumes are expected to become available for preorder soon. The franchise has seen several sequel manga, many limited in print, including the recent Battle Royale: Enforcers, serialized starting in 2022. Set decades after the original events, Enforcers follows students from Daitoa Academy's Class F forced into deadly battles after a government AI reactivates Program 68. Four English-translated volumes of this series are currently available, priced between $10.60 and $12.
For fans interested in the source material, the 2000 film's Director's Cut Blu-ray costs $25, while a 4K 25th anniversary edition is $84.