For the novel, please go to Yoshitoki Kuninobu (Novel). For the manga, please go to Yoshitoki Kuninobu (Manga).
Yoshitoki Kuninobu (国信 慶時, Kuninobu Yoshitoki) is a minor character in Battle Royale.
Backstory[]
Nothing is known about Yoshitoki's past except that he grew up in an orphanage where he met Shuya Nanahara. His nickname was "Nobu", a shortening of his surname.
Friends and Enemies[]
Yoshitoki's best friend was Shuya. He had a crush on Noriko Nakagawa.
Before the Program[]
Before the events of the film, Yoshitoki had started struggling with school. His teacher Kitano told him not to bother coming to school and called him a lost cause, causing Yoshitoki to stop attending school completely. In an attempt to get even, Yoshitoki went back to school and stabbed Kitano in the buttocks before running away, bumping in to Noriko in the process. This incident caused Kitano to resign; he attended the basketball game against Class A, and celebrated when Class B. Yoshitoki initially didn't want to go on the class trip, but was convinced by Noriko; while on the bus, he enjoyed the cookies Noriko made and told Shuya to try them, which he refused. Yoshitoki posed for Megumi's photo by climbing on top of the seat before telling Noriko he was happy he came on the trip. Megumi handed the developed photo to Yoshitoki, who got indignant she cropped most of his face out, causing her to laugh. Yoshitoki fell asleep after breathing in a sleeping gas pumped into the bus; he was then transported to an island and fitted with an explosive collar.
Yoshitoki was shaken awake by Shuya in a classroom in the island's school. Unnerved by the presence of Shogo Kawada and Kazuo Kiriyama, Yoshitoki rushed over to the window to watch a helicopter land in front of the school. Yoshitoki was shocked to see that Kitano had returned. When Kitano asks the class if they knew the BR Act law, Yoshitoki kept quiet, obviously knowing the law but afraid to say it aloud. Kitano recognized him and mocked him for being "No good" and only coming back to school for the class trip, Yoshitoki sneered at him, prompting Kitano to smack him and use him as an example of why Japan's in the state it is. Yoshitoki was horrified to see the corpse of Masao Hayashida. When Fumiyo Fujiyoshi was killed, Yoshitoki panicked and ran towards the front of the room trying to escape before running towards the back of the room when the soldiers began firing; when Noriko got hit by a bullet, Yoshitoki attempted to attack Kitano; taking revenge for Yoshitoki's past attack on him, Kitano stabs Yoshitoki in the buttocks with the knife used to kill Fumiyo, and Lieutenant Anjo punched Yoshitoki in the face, knocking him back.
Yoshitoki one second after his collar exploded.
Angered further by the cheerful woman in the recorded video telling the class about the BR program, Yoshitoki calls the soldiers assholes before getting into a fight with Kyoichi Motobuchi; Kitano, after deciding that he's beyond help, activates his collar. Yoshitoki flew into a panic as his collar began beeping, rushing toward different students, begging for help. No one lets him get near, pushing him away when he tries to approach. The whole class backs away to the walls of the classroom, leaving Yoshitoki by himself. In the last few seconds, he turns to Shuya and shouts his name, with Shuya responding in kind, before the collar detonates, killing Yoshitoki instantly.
During the Program[]
In Shuya's dream, "Requiem I: 9th Grade Class B Friends", after Shuya remembered the basketball game against Class A, Yoshitoki appears, watching Shuya from a balcony. He caught a basketball that bounced up to him, smiled down at Shuya, and asked him to look after Noriko before waving, at which point Shuya woke up.
Etymology[]
- The name Yoshitoki means "jubilation" (慶) (yoshi), and "time, occasion" (時) (toki)
- Yoshitoki's surname Kuninobu means "country" (国) (kuni), and "faith, trust" (信) (nobu)
Trivia[]
- Yoshitoki is one of four students who died before the game started; the others being Fumiyo Fujiyoshi, Shintaro Makimura, and Kazumi Fukuda.
- It's likely that his weapon could have been an axe as in the video the instructor shows an axe as one of the possible weapons and nobody else got it. The same can be said for Fumiyo Fujiyoshi and Sakura Ogawa, since Fumiyo also died before the program started, and Sakura refused her supply bag.
- Nobu's death was a reason for Shuya to protect Noriko.
- Yoshitoki is one of four characters who were killed by different people in each version of Battle Royale; the others are Fumiyo Fujiyoshi, Kaori Minami, and Kazuo Kiriyama. For Yoshitoki, this is because each version has its own 'teacher'.