Name: Mitsuko Souma Number: GIRLS # 11 Weapon: Sickle Friends: None Enemies: Anyone who knew her Kills: (6) Megumi Etou Hirono Shimizu Takako Chigusa Yuuichirou Takaguchi Tadakatsu Hatagami Kayoko Kotohiki

Perhaps of all the characters in "Battle Royale", Mitsuko Souma can be seen as the most tragic. However, the tragedy that follows Mitsuko may not be evident upon first viewing. In her first scene, it is immediately established through her chat with Megumi and her slow suspicious tone of voice that Mitsuko cannot be trusted. In fact, from the moment she points that flashlight in her face and gives that evil, conniving smile the audience should be clued in on her forthcoming plans.

"Evil" is what she's immediately dubbed as. Mitsuko has 6 kills in the movie: she slits Megumi's throat; shoots her supposed friend Hirono in the back; shoots a fleeing Chigusa many times; slaughters Hatagami and Takaguchi; and lastly kills Kotohiki in without batting an eyelid. She's basically the female version of Kiriyama, right? Wrong.

I know a lot of people who have been confused by Mitsuko's dying words: "I just didn't want to be a loser anymore". In fact, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little confused by it during my first time. Those of you who've seen the Special Version, or read the Novel or Manga have much more of an insight into this quote.

 

Mitsuko comes from a dysfunctional family. Her mother is a gambling alcoholic who pimped Mitsuko to men from an early age. In fact, up until the "Battle Royale" Mitsuko herself was still a prostitute. She had also began pimping other girls from her class. Because of this, she had no respect whatsoever from her classmates. She had been the outsider for her whole life. Never involved with the others from her class, always an outcast.... always a loser.

She had seen the "BR" as a way of proving that she could be more than what the others thought of her. The "game" provided her with an excuse to be the one in charge. It gave her the power she had yearned for years. She wanted to prove that she wasn't a loser.

 

Where as Kiriyama is a cold-blooded, robotic, Terminator-esque killing machine, Mitsuko has a conscience. She has had a scarred and deeply disturbing past and one which, through extreme circumstances like a "Battle Royale" gave her the chance to finally prove herself.