According to Tarantino, the plot of Collins' books is too reminiscent of the novel "Battle Royale" by Japanese writer Koushun Takami, on which Kinji Fukasaku based a film in 2000. The director expressed admiration for this film but was surprised why the author of "The Hunger Games" had not become the subject of a lawsuit.
I don't understand why the Japanese author hasn't sued Suzanne Collins for each of her books. She just copied everything from "Battle Royale." Uninformed book critics won't go watch the Japanese film called "Battle Royale," so they weren't disturbed by the similarities. They called her work the most original thing they had ever read. As soon as film critics saw "The Hunger Games," they said, "This is just 'Battle Royale' for kids."In "Battle Royale," brutal games are described in which schoolchildren participate. According to the rules, 42 students must kill each other over the course of three days, using makeshift weapons found on the island. In the end, only one can survive.
Suzanne Collins, in a 2011 interview with NY Times, rejected any allegations of borrowing, stating, "I had never heard of this book or this author until my book was sent to the publisher."
The situation surrounding the plagiarism disputes has once again become relevant ahead of the release of the sequel "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes," which is set to premiere in November 2026, with filming already completed.
