Black Lagoon
- ブラックラグーン
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About this title
Synopsis
Rokuro Okajima is just an average Japanese salaryman, living an average life. But when he's taken hostage by the crew of the Black Lagoon, Rokuro finds himself thrown headfirst into a deadly world of outlawed heroes, brutal villains, and blazing gunfights. Where he ends up is anyone's guess, but one thing is for certain—he's in for a wild ride! (Source: VIZ Media)
Publication notes
Black Lagoon has been published in English by VIZ Media under the VIZ Signature imprint since August 12, 2008. The series has also been simulpub through VIZ Manga. It has been published in Italian by Panini Comics under the Planet Manga imprint since December 27, 2007, and in Polish by Waneko since April 2009.
Published
Apr 19, 2002 to ?
Authors
External links
- MAL rank
- #345
- Members (MAL)
- 62,253
- Favorites (MAL)
- 2,342
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Main characters
Revy23058 fan favoritesExternal profileRevy (レヴィ), sometimes referred by her full name Rebecca (レヴェッカ), is the female protagonist of the series. She does most of the fighting for the Lagoon Company. Very little is revealed about her past, although portions can be pieced together through the series. Revy is a Chinese-American born and raised in Chinatown, Manhattan, near Mott Street, spending most of her youth as a thief and murderer. Flashbacks throughout the series reveal that Revy may have honed her skills with firearms by shooting at cans, and that her first murder may have involved shooting an unknown man while using a pillow. It is unknown whether the pillow was used to suppress the noise or to help avoid looking at her first victim. Revy is very competitive, easily bored, and extremely ill-tempered. Unlike Rock, she is undiplomatic, believing in the use of brute force and coercion to get her way. In contrast to this, she's revealed to be highly ticklish. Revy is a merciless and sadistic killer, without a conscience, who will kill anyone at the slightest provocation, even unarmed civilians (as seen in episode 6). Dutch once made reference to University of Texas shooter Charles Whitman in describing Revy after she slaughtered the crew of the Neo-Nazis' boat after a previous conversation with Rock brought up some unpleasant memories, resulting in an internal fit of rage - she even threatened Rock with death if he ever questions or tampers with her way of life. Of all the characters in the series, Revy uses the most foul language. She takes maniacal glee in killing anyone and everyone. She is also a heavy smoker and drinker. She has a changing but volatile attitude towards Rock; though she respects him later in the series, she is mostly hostile towards him. She shot Rock at point blank range, but he moved her gun at the last second, during a confrontation in episode 7, and in episode 1 emptied most of a magazine in his direction while arguing with Dutch about their hostage. However, she does have a tendency to save Rock from critical situations, and later on she admits to considering Rock as family to Balalaika. It is possible that she has an attraction to Rock, based on her reactions to Eda's teasing, which appear to be jealousy. According to CIA agents on Basilan Island, towards the end of episode 12, Revy is still notorious in the NYPD, particularly at the 27th Precinct. Since the 27th Precinct does not exist in real-life New York City, this throwaway reference may - or may not - indicate an odd connection to Dick Wolf's Law and Order franchise. This is further suggested in a later episode, when Revy specifically mentions the series. Revy is one of the deadliest fighters in the series, whose skill with firearms and ability to dodge bullets is almost superhuman and unparallelel. There are only a few other characters, such as Roberta and Ginji, that can hold their ground against her in combat. Her weapons of choice are a pair of modified Beretta 92FS's; which are made out of stainless steel and had their barrels extended from 4.9" to 5.9" each (the 5.9" is the combat MOD barrel) and also adapted for silencers. They are engraved with "9mm Sword Cutlass" on both sides, as well as the Jolly Roger of the infamous pirate Calico Jack (which is also inlaid into the ivory grips), and a manufacture inscription in Thai. Due to her ambidextrous marksmanship skills, she is nicknamed "Two Hand" by the denizens of Roanapur. However, Revy has been seen using a variety of other firearms. Constantly living on the edge of life, Revy has developed a rather bleak, almost nihilistic outlook on life, relying only on her own power, skills, and money. She does not believe in God or emotions. However, she seems to respect and trust her companions. (Source: Wikipedia)
Rokurou Okajima1672 fan favoritesExternal profileRokurou Okajima, also known as "Rock," is the male protagonist of the series. He was a Japanese salaryman for Asahi Industries in Tokyo until he was taken hostage by the crew of the Black Lagoon. He joined the Lagoon Company after his department chief, Kageyama, abandoned him in an attempt to cover up the smuggling operation in which Rock had been an unwitting participant. Rock is a humble and mild-mannered person despite being on the business end of guns from friend and foe alike, and often seems surprised at the barbarity of the Southeast Asian crime world. He still wears his tie, short-sleeved dress shirt, and dress pants because although now a pirate, he still retains his business persona. He prefers to use words over weapons when interacting with others. Rock, after joining the Lagoon company, has wondered if he is experiencing Stockholm syndrome. Within the Lagoon Company, Rock is usually responsible for account management, diplomacy, negotiation, interpretation, and the occasional errand. Having once worked in the resource investigation department of Asahi Industries, Rock is also skilled in geology. He is also a skilled linguist, being effectively bilingual in Japanese (his native language) and English as well as being familiar with other languages, including Spanish, Romanian and Russian. He also has a surprisingly high tolerance for alcohol, owing to the heavy-drinking lifestyle of a ladder-climbing salaryman. Rock's earnest personality has earned him the interest of several figures in Roanapur, including Balalaika, Mr. Chang, Rowan "Jackpot" Pigeon, Yolanda, Eda (who develops a crush on him), and young Garcia Lovelace, whom he trusts to the greatest degree. In many ways, Rock is the heart of the Lagoon Company, serving as a balance for his more jaded teammates and as a bright spot in the world of darkness that is Roanapur. Dutch has stated that he believes Lagoon Company is complete with Rock not holding a gun, saying his bullets are the kind to ricochet back at them. Rock is one of the "luckiest" characters in the series as he managed to survive every single thing he experienced from being taken hostage to being shot at. Thus far, he has survived the wrath of Revy, Balalaika, Roberta, and Sawyer. He is personally appointed by Mr. Chang to help Garcia Lovelace, much to Lagoon Company's disapproval. Rock eventually begins to enjoy his life as a pirate and becomes even more comfortable with corruption. Later, in a conversation with Fabiola, he demonstrates a darker, sadistically ruthless side of his personality clearly influenced by Revy and the Roanapur environment. Benny even points out that there are things about him that scare almost everyone in Roanapur. While Rock has a family in Tokyo, he does not seem to have much connection to them due to their somewhat apathetic attitude towards him. It was later revealed that he did not pass his college entrance exams on his first try, leading his family to lower their expectations of him. It is known that he has a father, a mother, and an older brother who was academically capable and thus attained a job in the Japanese government. He was born in the 49th year of the Showa period, according to the manga version, which corresponds to 1975-1976.
Dutch494 fan favoritesExternal profileThe leader of Lagoon Company and captain of the ex-American Navy PT boat Black Lagoon. He is a former American soldier who fought in the Vietnam War. He tends to stay away from the fighting associated with Lagoon Company's activities. Instead, he gives orders and negotiates contracts with clients - usually Balalaika of Hotel Moscow. Dutch is a calm, easygoing character, and quite friendly. He is a Christian, denomination unknown. His body is heavily muscled, and he is always seen wearing a pair of sunglasses. He appears to be in his 30s, but is likely in his 50s, based on his military service in Vietnam.
Benny144 fan favoritesExternal profileBenny is a college dropout from a Florida university where he studied until getting into trouble with the FBI and the mafia. He works as the Lagoon Company's mechanic, computer specialist, and researcher. He is of Jewish descent as he puts it himself and is often called "Benny-Boy" by Dutch.
