For the novel, please go to Kazuhiko Yamamoto (Novel). For the film, please go to Kazuhiko Yamamoto (Film).
Kazuhiko Yamamoto (山本 和彦, Yamamoto Kazuhiko) is a minor character Battle Royale.
Backstory[]
Nothing is known about Kazuhiko's personal life, but it can be assumed his home life is fairly stable, given his personality. Kazuhiko has been dating Sakura Ogawa for an undefined amount of time. During the couples second date, which was coincidentally on Sakura's birthday, Sakura spent the entire day hinting for Kazuhiko to buy a gift for her, but he never caught on, making her think he was bored and the date was a failure. When Sakura tried to apologize, Kazuhiko revealed that it took him all morning to pick a shirt, and the reason he didn't buy anything was because he wanted it to be special. The two run back to a store where Kazuhiko buys Sakura a purse she had been eyeing, which she's treasured ever since.
In the Program[]
After meeting up with Sakura, Kazuhiko lays his gun down and sits down next to her. The two talk about how peaceful it is there and Sakura tells him it makes things less scary. The two talk about how serious the game is they discuss the deceased students they know of and Sakura starts to cry as she doesn't want to play the game but Kazuhiko needs to so he can live. Sensing how serious she is, Kazuhiko takes his gun and throws it over the cliff, not wanting to leave her. He tells her that they will be together no matter what.
The two then look at a nearby town, wondering what they are doing as they know their lives are over and they can never return to their homes. Sakura starts to get upset, so Kazuhiko grabs and holds her to calm her down, although he squeezes her too hard so she grabs his nose and then brings out her purse that he got for her birthday. She tells him that day is when she decided that she knew how much he really cared for her and how special he is to her. The two hug again but this time, they hear someone coming, they stand frozen and Sakura reminds Kazuhiko how every moment together was special. Knowing that she wants to die together, Kazuhiko holds Sakura as they jump off the cliff. The couple die together holding hands.
Etymology[]
- The name Kazuhiko means "harmony, peace" (和) (kazu) and "boy, prince" (彦) (hiko)
- Kazuhiko's surname Yamamoto means "mountain" (山) (yama) and "base, root, origin" (本) (moto)
Notes & Trivia[]
- Masayuki Taguchi, creator of the manga version, felt that he fully grasped how to portray the suicide of Kazuhiko and Sakura.
- Kazuhiko has one of the least brutal deaths in the manga.