Takako Chigusa
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Takako Chigusa (千草貴子 Chigusa Takako) is a character in the novel Battle Royale, and the film and manga of the same name. In the English-language manga she is nicknamed Taka.
In the film Chiaki Kuriyama starred as Chigusa.
[edit] Pre-Program
Takako is one of the class of third-year students at the fictional Shiroiwa Junior High School in the fictional town of Shiroiwa (the novel and manga set the town in Kagawa Prefecture, while the film sets the town in Kanagawa Prefecture). Chigusa was the best sprinter on the girls' athletics team; her record time on the 200 meters sprint was second best in the school's history. She was very pretty, described by many students as the second prettiest girl in the class, with Mitsuko Souma being the first. In the novel, she has orange streaks in her hair (the manga also mentions Chigusa having streaked hair but does not elaborate on the colours), earrings (with two in her left ear and one in her right ear), designer rings in her middle and ring fingers of her left hand, five bracelets on her wrist, and a pendant made from a foreign coin. Takako maintained long fingernails, much to the chagrin of Mr. Tada, Chigusa's coach.
Chigusa managed to get away with her unusual hairstyles and excessive jewellery at school because of her sporting abilities and good grades. She resented having to dress unattractively for school, and was quite vain. Chigusa's blood type was B. She had a sister, Ayako, who was two years younger than her, and a pet dog, Hanako.
Chigusa's best friend was Kahoru Kitazawa, a girl from another class who had been her friend for seven years. Her best friend in her class was Hiroki Sugimura, the only classmate she trusted, and whom she had been friends with since primary school. Hiroki had been her classmate for two years, starting in the 8th grade (the second year of junior high school). She was in love with Hiroki, but she did not realize that fact immediately. She also had a crush on an unnamed older person. When rumors started in the class that she was dating Niida Kazushi, Chigusa was unimpressed, and was angry that Niida did nothing to stop the rumors. When she was angered, Chigusa would always break into a grin.
In the manga, Niida also reveals to her that, before the Program, because of her cold and machine-like attitude, accompanied with her loner attitude, which was later described as borderline arrogance, that around the class people referred to her as "robo-bitch." During the Program, Niida constantly refers to her as such.
[edit] During The Program
Bottom: Chigusa's final moment before she dies
In the film, Chigusa asks Kitano for permission to use the toilet. Kitano refuses Chigusa's request; Chigusa sports an annoyed look on her face as a response. No such event occurs in the novel or manga.
When the program begins, in the novel and manga Niida approaches Chigusa. Niida tries to force her to team up with him. He threatens to kill her if she does not. When she laughed at him, Niida threatens to rape her. The two have an extended fight, during which Chigusa is injured in the leg after Niida shoots her with an arrow from his bowgun. In the manga, she is also punched several times in the face, kneecapped in the stomach, and stabbed in the shoulder.
In the novel Chigusa gouges out his eyes with her long fingernails on her middle finger and thumb and steps on his testicles. She eventually kills him by stabbing her ice pick into his mouth.
In the manga Chigusa sticks her finger into his eye and, while he lies on the ground, she crushes one of his testicles by stomping on them. She then tells him, "You're down to one eye and one nut. How much more do you want to gamble?", to which he responds that it's long past the time he could walk away and then turns around to attack her. She trips him and impales him through the mouth with an arrow.
In the novel, as she retrieves the ice pick, Chigusa notices Mitsuko Souma standing nearby. In the novel and manga, after talking briefly, Chigusa tries to run away; Mitsuko shoots her three times in the back. Mitsuko, believing Chigusa to be dead, leaves.
In the manga, she kicks away Niida, then sinks to her knees and thinks about Hiroki. Mitsuko comes up from behind and shoots her in the back. She manages to catch a glimpse of Mitsuko walking casually away.
Chigusa survives for a further half hour before Hiroki finds her. She manages to warn him to beware of Mitsuko and tells him she loved him before she dies. Hiroki tells her that he is in love with someone else. After Chigusa bids goodbye to her family and Hiroki in her heart, she dies a couple of minutes later in Hiroki's arms.
In the film, after the program begins, the same events happen in the beginining, except Chigusa chases Niida after one of his arrows from his bowgun swipes her cheek. Angered, she chased him and stabs him once in the back and twice in the crotch with her switchblade before finally stabbing him in the chest. Like both the manga and the novel, Mitsuko is behind Chigusa, and Chigusa breaks into a run as she notices her. Mitsuko shoots her in the back, and leaves after believing she was dead. Hiroki finds Chigusa and Chigusa confesses her feelings. Chigusa asks Hiroki if he is in love with her; he responds by telling her that he is in love with someone else.
In the novel, her final thought is "Dear God, may I have one more word?" She then says "You've become quite a stud," to Hiroki. Hiroki responds, "And... you're the most stylin' girl in the world." Chigusa loses her voice before she can say "Thank you." After thanking Hiroki in her heart, Chigusa dies.
In the film, Takako's final thought is phrased as "God, can I just tell him one more thing?" She responds, "You are really cool, Hiroki." He responds, "You are the coolest girl in the world." Chigusa replies with "Thank you" the moment before she dies.
