Boy #15 Shuuya Nanahara is the primary protagonist. He has witnessed a good deal of troubling events throughout his life. His father was killed by the government for struggling against the regime, and his mother died when he was in third grade. When the rest of his family rejected him, Shuuya was put in an orphanage. He is willing to trust others, not wanting to take part in the Battle Royale program. He tries several times to rally fellow students in an attempt to escape, but fails. Consequently, he narrowly escapes death at the hands of his classmates, on several occasions. Shuuya is a self-proclaimed "rock star," listening to and playing rock 'n' roll music, even though it is banned. Shuuya's favorite artist is Bruce Springsteen. After the death of his best friend Yoshitoki, he vows to protect Yoshitoki's crush, Noriko, in his stead.