The Manga That Inspired Squid Game—And How It Became Unique

When Squid Game took the world by storm, many fans immediately noticed its similarities to classic Japanese survival game manga and anime.

The themes of desperation, high-stakes games, and life-or-death consequences reminded viewers of works like Battle Royale and Liar Game, making many wonder just how much the Netflix hit borrowed from these sources.

Battle Royale & Liar Game: The Foundations of Squid Game

It’s impossible to ignore the influence of Battle Royale, the novel-turned-manga that helped define the survival genre.

The story follows high school students forced to fight to the death on an isolated island, with only one survivor in the end.

Squid Game echoes many of its themes, but with one major difference—its contestants are adults who voluntarily participate due to financial desperation.

This shift makes Squid Game more of a critique on economic disparity and capitalism rather than just a brutal survival challenge.

Meanwhile, Liar Game focuses less on physical violence and more on psychological manipulation and strategy, forcing debt-ridden players into high-risk deception-based competitions.

Like Squid Game, the participants are drawn in by financial struggles, facing betrayals, alliances, and moral dilemmas as they try to outwit one another.

The similarities are clear, proving that Squid Game took inspiration from both physical and psychological survival stories.

How Squid Game Became Its Own Story

Despite its clear influences, Squid Game stands apart by grounding its horror in childhood nostalgia.

Instead of elaborate death matches or mind games, it twists innocent playground activities into lethal trials, making the show uniquely unsettling.

This simplicity also makes the series more accessible and emotionally impactful, as viewers can relate to the games in a way they might not with traditional battle royales or mind games.

Another key difference lies in how the participants are framed. In Battle Royale, players are forced to fight, while in Liar Game, they are tricked into participating.

But in Squid Game, contestants willingly sign up—some even returning after learning the deadly truth.

This transforms Squid Game into a brutal commentary on poverty and human desperation, showing how people trapped in financial ruin will risk their lives for even the slimmest hope of escape.

While Squid Game owes much to its manga predecessors, it has carved out its own identity as a chilling and thought-provoking masterpiece, proving that inspiration can lead to something entirely new.