"I'm gonna tell you the truth tonight. What I seek is destruction and domination. I don't care about anything else. I'm only interested in how much I can dance in the pit of hell when it's all over...see ya there..."
Theres some people that you don't mess with. One of them is definitely the leader of the Russian mob in the most dangerous city on Earth. Theres plenty of badass characters in the world of
Black Lagoon but the coolest of them all is easily the cold and calculating leader of Hotel Moscow, none other than Balalaika.
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| Serving during the war |
Balalaika served as a captain in the Soviet War in Afghanistan, earning her name due to her excellent skills as a sniper. (Balalaika was a slang term for the Dragonuv sniper rifle in the Soviet Army) Of course, history tells us that the war did not go well for the Soviets or for Balalaika as evidenced by the the burn marks on her face and other portions of her body. After the war, Balalaika mobilized the soldiers who once followed her into the Russian mob known as Hotel Moscow, one of several powerful criminal organizations taking up rent in Roanapur. This "army" that she has organized is ruthlessly efficient and powerful with the training and skills required to "singlehandedly start and win World War III". All of this with Balalaika as an incredibly imposing and brilliant leader. Her army is defined by their inredible devotion to her, still referring to her by her military title of Captain. Like many of the characters in
Black Lagoon, one must remember that Balalaika is a "bad guy" despite aligning herself with the protagonists at times. Committing evil deeds is just a part of the trade and she plays a big part in opening up the criminal underworld to the main character Rokuro.
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| Balalaika is damn scary when she gets her hands dirty |
Not only is Balalaika an incredibly smart and effective leader she remains as devoted to her men as they are to her. In fact an entire arc in
Black Lagoon is centered around a pair of twins who killed one of her men. This leads to her dispatching her incredibly effective and efficient troops in an all out manhunt to avenge the life of her comrade. Like I said before, don't mess with Hotel Moscow. If you harm her men, Balalaika's soldiers will hunt you down and provide you with a
"reasons why you suck speech" as you die. That being said, it's not as if she's not deadly effective as well when she needs to get her hands dirty. In fact, she's darn scary in the moments where she pulls out a gun or knife to prove a point. Of any character in anime, she is one of the most ruthless and intimidating characters I've seen. Yet despite this, the level of compassion that she shows for her men is incredible. Bonds forged through war that remain even after. It's shown that the war changed Balalaika greatly. She was supposed to compete in the 1984 Summer Olympics but instead was deployed to Afghanistan. The Balalaika in the past is show to be nothing like the jaded and ruthless mob boss of the present. Instead she's bright, innocent, and optimistic. Balalaika is an example of the mental and physical scars that war can have on a person. A certainly tragic figure at times, if not for the fact
that she loves her current work.
Theres something to be said for a character that can play the behind the scenes mastermind and be awesome when it comes to joining the fray. Balalaika is certainly a solid character, the only thing that keeps her from being ranked higher is that she doesn't receive much character development other than simply being badass. Of course, this only goes to add to one of
Black Lagoon's main points, that Roanapur is the unchanging center of the criminal underworld. Even so, Balalaika makes for an excellent character. One who loves to walk on the dark side and is at her best when she does.
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