The phenomenon began with Koushun Takami's 1999 novel, later adapted into the legendary film directed by Kinji Fukasaku. Set in a fictional, totalitarian version of Japan, the story follows a class of ninth-grade students forced by the government to participate in a "Program".
Improving translation quality (for volunteers or fan translators): battle royale vietsub
Because Vietsub fans often discuss and meme these characters, their names are well-known in Vietnamese anime/film communities: The phenomenon began with Koushun Takami's 1999 novel,