For the novel, please go to Noriko Nakagawa (Novel). For the manga, please go to Noriko Nakagawa (Manga).
Noriko Nakagawa (中川 典子, Nakagawa Noriko) is a major character in Battle Royale and a minor character in Battle Royale II: Requiem.
Backstory[]
Not much is known about Noriko's backstory other than that she considered herself completely normal. She may have had trust issues from bullying, since she shot down Shuya's plan to team up with their classmates and said she didn't trust any of them. Noriko was the only student who was nice to Kitano.
Friends and Enemies[]
Noriko is best friends with Megumi Eto. She also had a crush on Shuya Nanahara. She disliked Fumiyo Fujiyoshi, Mayumi Tendo, and Yoshimi Yahagi for locking her in the bathroom stall. She was mutual friends with Shinji Mimura, Hiroki Sugimura, Keita Iijima, Yutaka Seto, and Takako Chigusa.
Before the Program[]
Before Kitano resigned, Noriko came in late only to find Kitano sitting by himself with a message on the chalkboard saying that the class had taken the day off; she bumped into Yoshitoki Kuninobu after he stabbed Kitano and picked up the knife he used; she attended the basketball game against Class A, and celebrated when Class B won. Noriko decided to go on the class trip and convinced Yoshitoki to go too; while on the bus, Noriko gave Shuya and Yoshitoki a bag of cookies she made the night before and got flustered when Megumi told Shuya how long she's been waiting to give him the cookies. Noriko fell asleep after breathing in a sleeping gas pumped into the bus; she was then transported to an island and fitted with an explosive collar.
Noriko was shaken awake by Shuya in a classroom in the island’s school. Unnerved by the presence of Shogo Kawada and Kazuo Kiriyama, Noriko rushed over to the window to watch a helicopter land in front of the school. Noriko was shocked to see that Kitano had returned. When Kitano asked the class if they knew the BR Act law, Noriko kept quiet, obviously knowing the law, but afraid to say it aloud. Noriko was horrified upon seeing Masao Hayashida's corpse. When Fumiyo Fujiyoshi was killed, Noriko panicked and ran for the door trying to escape before running towards the back of the classroom when the soldiers began firing; she got hit by a bullet in the arm. When Yoshitoki's collar got activated, Noriko ran around the room trying to evade him and mourned him with Shuya when his collar detonated.
When Noriko's name was called, she grabbed her school bag and ran towards the front of the room; she caught her supply bag and ran out of the school.
During the Program[]
Shuya and Noriko running.
As Noriko left the school, she met Shuya and ran away from Yoshio Akamatsu with him. Noriko witnesses Tatsumichi Oki attack Shuya and after the two fall down the hill, she runs after them and finds Shogo Kawada has saved Shuya from Kyoichi Motobuchi after which Kawada teams up with them. Noriko's injury gives her a fever, so Shuya and Shogo take her to an infirmary on the island to rest. When Shuya is injured in his battle with Kazuo Kiriyama and ends up in the Lighthouse, Noriko stays behind with Shogo and eventually moves to a house in the woods; while at the house, Noriko took a nap and dreamed about a memory from before Kitano resigned; in the memory, the two are eating popsicles in a viaduct and talking; Noriko reveals to Kitano that she has Yoshitoki's knife and keeps it in her desk as a lucky charm; Kitano asks her what an adult should say to a kid in this situation, but Noriko wakes up before she can answer. After waking up, Noriko tells Shogo that she always thought she would have gotten married and grow old like her mother; but being in the program forced her to realize she's been sheltered her whole life and doesn't have a clue how the real world works. Eventually, Noriko's nerves get the better of her and she runs off into the forest to find Shuya; Shogo runs after her since they're near a danger zone, but loses track of her. Noriko comes across Mitsuko Souma who tries to kill her but runs off after seeing Kitano. At the end of the game, Shuya, Shogo, and Noriko are the final survivors and escape on a trawler; Shogo dies from his injuries, and the two continue. Noriko and Shuya manage to get back to the mainland where they return home to gather their personal belongings; Noriko says goodbye to her parents while they're sleeping and takes the knife Yoshitoki used to stab Kitano before the two flee Japan.
Battle Royale II: Requiem[]
Noriko escaped to Afghanistan with Shuya. When Shuya decided to return to Japan and fight, Noriko stayed behind. Noriko met with the children and surviving students and waited for Shuya and Takuma Aoi for three months. When Shuya returned, she welcomed him home and the two left with the children to rebuild Wild Seven.
Etymology[]
- The name Noriko means "rule, ceremony" (典) (nori) and "child" (子) (ko).
- Noriko's surname Nakagawa means "middle" (中) (naka) and "river, stream" (川) (kawa/gawa).
Trivia[]
- This is the only version of Noriko to not have a boomerang as her weapon.