Revy (Black Lagoon)

Appearances

The Lagoon Company operates out of the fictional port city of Roanapur, located in eastern Thailand near the Cambodian border, likely within the Mueang Trat district on the mainland north or northeast of Ko Chang island, or possibly on the island itself. The crew has four members: Dutch, who leads; Revy, their primary gunfighter; Benny, handling mechanics, computers, and research; and Rock, a former salaryman who was hijacked by the team and abandoned by his department chief, later becoming their negotiator and the group's professional face, relying on his old corporate skills. Roanapur is home to the Chinese triad, the Russian Bratva, the Colombian cartel, the Italian mafia, and a broad mix of pickpockets, thugs, mercenaries, thieves, prostitutes, assassins, and gunmen. A large Vietnamese refugee population also resides there, a result of the exodus following the communist takeover of Vietnam in 1975.

Revy is aggressive, foul-mouthed, and emotionally volatile, always choosing violence over talking things out. Despite her tough exterior, she is very ticklish and smokes and drinks heavily. Her relationship with Rock starts badly—she nearly kills him during one argument—but later she becomes fiercely protective, saving his life multiple times. Eda often teases her about romantic tension with Rock, and Revy deflects questions about her feelings rather than denying them outright. As a fighter, Revy's marksmanship and reflexes are nearly superhuman, with few equals like Roberta and Ginji. She admits Mr. Chang is better but aims to reach his level. Her go-to weapons are a pair of modified Beretta 92FS pistols, fitted with extended barrels, suppressor mounts, and engravings that include a Jolly Roger and Thai inscriptions. Because she is ambidextrous, she earns the nickname "Two Hands" in Roanapur, a reference to Douglas E. Winter's novel Run. She is also skilled with rifles and grenade launchers. A traumatic past shaped her into a nihilist who trusts only her own strength and resources.

An illustration collection titled Onslaught: Black Lagoon Illustrations came out from Shogakukan on August 19, 2021. The limited edition included a water gun replica of Revy's modified Beretta 92FS "Sword Cutlass Special," five autographed illustrations, and six bookmarks.

Creation

Manga author Rei Hiroe said he had no particular model in mind for Revy, but after watching Robert Rodriguez's film From Dusk till Dawn, he noticed the imposing tattoo on the shoulder of George Clooney's character and thought it would be nice to do such a tattoo on a female body. For her personality, Hiroe first wanted her dominant character trait to be impulsiveness. To accentuate it, he decided to make her grow up in a criminal environment so that her values were totally different from ordinary mortals. Hiroe commented that she is a strong woman, good at shooting guns and fighting, but that she is not motivated by justice and is just an ordinary criminal, adding that he placed her in the story because it is rare to see such a female and her presence would make it more interesting. Hiroe commented that the reason behind her Chinese American heritage was because he wanted to make her a minority, adding that she does not look Caucasoid but rather Mongoloid, and that it would make it easier for Japanese readers to identify with her than if it was a white woman going ballistic. He added that it is interesting when there is a gap between the way she looks and her way of thinking, commenting that people like that aren't really tied down to a region, like they're rootless wanderers, and that obviously she probably faces discrimination in her life, and that taking all that into account, he thought the character would stand out more. Hiroe said that Revy is the character that requires most work from a graphic point of view, expressing that he had drawn her countless times in very different situations and emotions, and that he must be careful to not go in another direction over time so as to not distort the initial character.

Reception

Critics have generally responded well to Revy, praising her characterization and the relationships she forms. Mark Thomas highlighted the unexpected moral depth of the series and the central bond between Rock and Revy. Tasha Robinson observed that Revy faces no major moral conflicts with the villains, likening her chaotic style to a version of Kill Bill without a clear hero, and described her dynamic with Eda as resembling a South Park-style argument born from their dysfunctional relationship. Christopher Homer commended the disturbing yet compelling twins storyline and the evolving connection between Revy and Rock. Greg McElhatton pointed to Revy's philosophical debates with Rock as a strong point that doesn't disrupt the narrative, calling the series an action comic for those who appreciate a smart script. Bradley Meek noted that while Revy comes across as a cool character, she is overshadowed by Rock's integration into the story. Joseph Luster agreed, appreciating how the series uses Revy's fighting skills but stating she is mostly reduced to the role of the group's hot-headed gun, functioning as Rock's antithesis due to their differences, and believing the anime could have explored her further. Collider described Revy as the engine that powers the show, fitting for a female protagonist written by Quentin Tarantino, but added that instead of displaying the trauma typical of violent fiction, she comes across as notoriously rude. Screen Rant ranked Revy among the most violent characters in anime, citing her excessive use of firepower within the show's violent setting, and noted that her enjoyment of the violence makes her one of the most brutal antiheroes in anime history. John Rose regarded Revy as one of the most appealing gunslingers in anime, supported by her skill with the Beretta 92FS.