Hotel Moscow (Russian: Отель Москва;[1] Japanese: ホテル・モスクワ Hoteru Mosukuwa) is a global crime syndicate and variety of the Russian mafia based in Moscow. Balalaika leads the Thai branch in Roanapur.
Structure[]
Hotel Moscow, as indicated by its name, is based in Moscow, and other branches across the world answer back to the leaders in Moscow, including the unseen Pyotr Slevinin.[2] For example, Balalaika is the Thai branch's leader whereas Monk Burgashvili is the Japanese branch's leader, but they both answer to Slevinin. Each boss within Hotel Moscow holds the special title of thief in law (Russian: вор в законе).[3][2] Furthermore, Hotel Moscow has great global influence, including branches in New York and Chechnya.[4]
History[]
Most members of the syndicate are composed of Russians who were once bureaucrats or nomenklatura in Russia's various government agencies, such as the Soviet KGB, and these people left the agencies to join the mafia after the dissolution of the USSR and the corruption in the Russian Federation.[5] Some members are also ex-military, such as the dedicated VDV paratroopers who served under their captain Balalaika during the Soviet war in Afghanistan.[6] Balalaika's Vysotniki are ex-VDV soldiers who act as the Thai branch's special operations team. For gang identification, some Russian mafia members are known to have criminal tattoos on their bodies, such as knives, star symbols, a double-headed eagle carrying a revolver, and heraldic ribbons with words and phrases like "mafia justice." One man was shown with the aforementioned tattoos while in handcuffs, indicating that besides ex-secret police and ex-military gangsters, some members are either current or former prisoners.[7]
The Thai branch did not exist until 1993. Predating that year, Balalaika and her unit were airborne troops until Balalaika was discharged in 1989 at the end of the Soviet-Afghan War since she violated an international cross-border agreement to save a child.[8] In 1992, she and her men had nowhere else to go, living in impoverished conditions. At the funeral of a comrade who was Balalaika's second-in-command and died due to "dirty money," Balalaika met with her men at the cemetery. In her VDV uniform and telnyashka, she proudly told them that they could fight for her once again, and they all saluted her and gladly joined her side in joining Hotel Moscow.[9] In Moscow, Balalaika crushed many people in her way to rise in the ranks, becoming powerful enough to be a branch leader.[5] In 1993 when Balalaika began to set up shop in Roanapur, she had a feud with the already-present Hong Kong Triad, and in November she got into a gunfight with Mister Chang, with both rival bosses sustaining injury.[10] To her fortune, Dutch saved her and brokered peace between the Hong Kong Triad and Hotel Moscow.[11][6] After their large fight, the Council was formed by Chang to create cooperation not only between the Russian and Chinese mafias but also between fellow large crime syndicates like Cosa Nostra and the Colombian Cartel.[12]
Furthermore, Balalaika and her men are such a formidable opponent that Benny once remarked that she and her men have the power to start and win World War III.[13] Balalaika uses the Bougainvillea Trade Company as a front business for storing her money as well as for foreign travel with ships like the cargo ship Marya Zaleska and the Nefrit, serving as legal covers for their activities. In addition to owning ships and powerful firearms, the Thai branch of Hotel Moscow even possesses a Mi-24 gunship.[10] As a legitimate business name for her company and for diplomatic travel, Balalaika uses the alias V.V. Vladilena.[14][4] In Roanapur and Thailand, Hotel Moscow generally engages in prostitution,[15] drug trafficking,[16] racketeering and protection,[17][14] and has businesses like casinos,[18] having territory on Satanam Street and Yatchalaya Street. While Hotel Moscow in Thailand has more or less stable relations with the Hong Kong Triad and frequently commissions the Lagoon Company for jobs, in contrast they are not on good terms with Cosa Nostra and they would certainly have animosity toward the Rip-Off Church if they knew about the Church's non-authorized drug-trafficking.[19] Moreover, Hotel Moscow is able to use their influence in the Russian Federation government to travel internationally using diplomatic cover,[4] as well as being able to bribe the Vietnamese government.[20] In Japan, Strelkovaya Yacheyka was a front restaurant and base for Hotel Moscow, although the Embassy of the Russian Federation, Japan is also a base that the Russians frequent.[5]
Black Lagoon[]
Balalaika hired the Lagoon Company to steal an Asahi Heavy Industrial Co. disk containing nuclear weapon blueprints so that she could sell it back at a high price to the Japanese company. Soon, Dutch stole the disk from the Melanesia and called Balalaika at her office to confirm that he had it, so she commended him and told him to bring it to Roanapur. Kageyama, a manager at Asahi Industries, participated in a board meeting and told the other businessmen that Bougainvillea Trade Company was the party claiming to have the disk, adding that Bougainvillea was a front for the Russian mafia. When Asahi Industries' response seemed suspicious, Balalaika scoped the city to find anyone involved in hunting down the Lagoon crew.
Later when Dutch returned to Roanapur to give Balalaika the disk, he called her again. In Balalaika's office at the Bougainvillea Trade Co. building, she had her men interrogate a Chinese man, who was forced to inform Dutch over the phone about his boss Wan in the Sun Yee On Triad hiring a mercenary company on behalf of Asahi Industries to hunt down the Lagoon crew in the city.[21] Accordingly, Balalaika told Dutch that she changed the drop-off location to Palawan Island due to Extra Order's presence in the city. After the Chinese man stated the information, Boris and fellow Hotel Moscow members shot the man dead in the office as Balalaika calmly covered her ears from the gunfire.[22] Eventually, the Lagoon Company arrived at the port with the disk, so Balalaika told Kageyama that Bougainvillea Trade Co. would discuss the payment with him. While leaving with Boris, Balalaika commended Rock for helping Dutch, saying that he was too tough to be a "Японский" (Japanese man).[23]
Chase for ring-ding ships[]
When Chen blabbed about his plan to assassinate the Lagoon crew to lots of people in Roanapur, Balalaika got word of his plans, so she, Boris and other Hotel Moscow members went to Chen's place and confronted him before he could flee the city. After torturing and tying up Chen to a chair, Balalaika stood outside Chen's residence as Balalaika called Dutch to imply that she would deal with Chen, detonating a bomb inside Chen's residence and killing him. She then told Dutch that she would have work for him later, politely hanging up.[24] Sometime later in the anime, it was shown that Balalaika and her main crew of Hotel Moscow members also captured and executed Donnie Yen for abetting Chen's failed plan.[25]
Rasta Blasta[]
Balalaika with Boris and Sakharov
During Garcia Lovelace's initial imprisonment by Lagoon Company (who was shipping the boy on the Black Lagoon), Dutch asked Balalaika for intel on their client, the Manisarera Cartel. She found his request interesting not only because a favor from Dutch was unusual, but her most recent job also involved the same cartel, so she promised to retrieve the information for him. Soon, Balalaika gathered the info in her office regarding the Lovelace Family, and Boris listened to her mention the family history. When Balalaika asked Boris to look at Roberta's eyes in a photo she took with the Lovelace family, Boris saw that she had the eyes of a soldier.[26] The same night, Roberta began a rampage at the Yellow Flag in her attempt to rescue Garcia, gaining the attention of Hotel Moscow. Accordingly, Balalaika remarked that she owed a favor to Dutch, so she had Boris get the Vysotniki to save the Lagoon Company from being killed by Roberta. When one soldier asked her what they should do regarding the bar fire, she told him to tell Bao not to worry about the insurance.[27]
As Revy and Roberta started a firefight with each other at the Roanapur harbor, several Vysotniki armed with sniper rifles surrounded the two women. Balalaika told Roberta that she had no reason to fight anymore since Garcia was safe and the Manisarera Cartel's base was being destroyed in Venezuela as they spoke, but the two women refused to back down, so the snipers forcibly disarmed them. Although Boris even showed the captured leader of the Manisarera Cartel to appease Roberta, she was still angry. Balalaika, impressed by Roberta's tenacity and skills, deliberately annoyed Roberta by telling Garcia about Roberta's past as a FARC guerrilla and terrorist, even being wanted by Interpol for her role in the bombing of the U.S. embassy in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. When Roberta and Garcia reunited, Revy still wanted to fight, so Balalaika approved their dispute to be settled by a fist fight. Hours later after Revy and Roberta settled their fight ending in a draw, the weary Balalaika ordered Boris to drive Roberta back to the airport so she and Garcia could return to their home in Venezuela, and Balalaika withdrew her Vysotniki back to their base.[28]
Das Wieder Erstehen Des Adlers[]
After going on a trip outside Thailand, Balalaika returned to Roanapur with an APS underwater rifle, gifting it to Dutch who in turn lent it to Revy to use for a diving mission.[29]
Calm down, two men[]
Bougainvillea Trade Company office, one of Hotel Moscow's front businesses in Roanapur
On several errands, Rock and Revy visited the Bougainvillea Trade Company building to speak to Balalaika about a late shipment. In a different room from her office, Balalaika was watching pornographic videos to identify someone, gloomily stating that she had a meeting to attend later concerning unauthorized drug smuggling in the city. She asked the two Lagoon employees why they came to her in-person instead of calling her, but Rock and Revy answered that Dutch told them to give her the news themselves. Before the two left, Balalaika told them to call her for any new information regarding the late shipment. Rock and Revy left as Balalaika continued fast forwarding through the pornographic videos, remarking that she wanted to die. As deduced by Rock but unknown to Balalaika and Hotel Moscow, the Rip-Off Church was the culprit of that recent influx of drugs.[19]
Bloodsport Fairy tale[]
When two murderers began to kill Hotel Moscow members in Roanapur, the amount of dead Russian gangsters added up to six people. In response, Boris called the Lagoon Company office to cancel a meeting that Balalaika had with the Lagoon Company. Due to those murders as well as those of non-Russian mobsters, Mister Chang summoned a discreet Council meeting between Roanapur's main crime lords, including Balalaika of Hotel Moscow, Abrego of the Colombian Cartel, and Verrocchio of Cosa Nostra. At the meeting, Chang clarified that he liked the current power balance between the syndicates and wanted to maintain that balance, with Balalaika being unconcerned about that and more concerned about her dead men. Verrocchio and Balalaika exchanged harsh insults with each other, causing Chang to sternly warn them to get along. When Balalaika asked Chang if he had any involvement in the murders, he denied it and added that a high-ranking man of the 14K in Roanapur got killed as well as one of his own lieutenants. Verrocchio as well stated that one of his men got killed, saying that the murders had to be the work of an outsider. Balalaika left the meeting and elaborated that she would get revenge on whoever killed her comrades, including killing the family and pets of the people responsible.
At the Caribbean Bar around 4 a.m., two more members of Hotel Moscow, Corporal Menshov and Private First Class Sakharov, went to the bar to collect a stipend from the bartender, but the two murderers, Hänsel and Gretel, showed up, with Hänsel asking them if they wanted to "play" with him. As soon as the child grinned, Menshov warned Sakharov that they were the murderers, but the boy quickly cut off Sakharov's hand with his axe before he could use his pistol. Terrified as Hänsel killed his comrade while Gretel began shooting everyone in the bar, Menshov tried to flee, but Gretel shot him in the knees as he ran out, immobilizing him. At that point, Hänsel carried Menshov into the black sedan as Gretel shot at the bar until she thought the remaining bar patrons were slain, though she accidentally left one waiter alive. Later that afternoon, Chief Watsap of the Roanapur City Police allowed Boris and Balalaika to investigate the crime scene at the bar where the two Russian men were murdered.
Recalling the sole survivor's testimony, Watsap added that the murderers were two Caucasian children but not from an English-speaking country, also saying that the murderers had a Bougainvillea Trade Co. business card which they used to enter the bar. Afterward, the two Russians left the scene. Boris sat in the back seat of a car with Balalaika, who told Boris that she despised Watsap's character and that she felt she did not account for the particular situation. Boris responded that even Menshov and Sakharov were blindsided by the assassins being children. Balalaika stated that the murderers would pay with blood, telling Boris to set up an investigative team outside of their organization. At the same time over the course of a day, Hänsel and Gretel tied Menshov to a chair in their hiding place and brutally tortured him to death by sticking many nails into parts of his body, even mutilating him after death to see his corpse twitch.[14]
Later that night, Balalaika called Rock to see if he recognized the phrases "Soră mea" and "Buona sera" that the twins used. Rock soon realized that the former was Romanian and relayed that fact to Balalaika, who told Boris. The sergeant remarked that he remembered picking up some Romanian words during his service in the Soviet-Afghan War but was disappointed that he did not recognize the terms at first. Balalaika replied that his forgetfulness was just part of growing old. In deep thought, Balalaika asked if Rowan distributed black market videos, which Boris confirmed, so she coerced the shop owner to hand over all of the tapes that he had. Spending a night and half a day, she finally spotted the twins in a child sexual exploitation film, finding out their stage names in the show as well as their appearance.[30]
Upon identifying the murderers as two Romanian children named Hänsel and Gretel, Balalaika discreetly met Chang at the harbor shipping yard, giving him an envelope containing pictures of the children's faces. She mentioned the twins' history as child sexual abuse survivors who were exploited in snuff films made for pedophiles, with Chang discomforted by the story but nonetheless adding that he had no sympathy for the twins and their bloodlust. Chang then replied that he would take full responsibility, asking Balalaika what she wanted from him. In turn, Balalaika said that she wanted to start a just war instead of a gang war, so Chang agreed to have the Triad temporarily ally with her, remarking that he did not need to consult his boss in Hong Kong on the matter. Accordingly with the meeting finished, Balalaika called Boris to tell him about her temporary alliance with the Triad to take down the twins, telling Boris to gather all their men for a combat mission like their former military days.
That night, Boris called all their troops into one room, ordering them to listen to Balalaika. She gave a quick speech about the brotherhood they shared with Menshov and Sakharov, confidently saying that the souls of their fallen comrades would transform their guns into a goddess of revenge. At the same time, Balalaika got a call from Cho about the twins' assault on the Verrocchio Family's headquarters, so she advised him to tell Chang to clear his men out of the area. As the Vysotniki spread throughout Roanapur on rooftops on particular streets, Boris stayed in-person with Balalaika at a fountain and had all unit commanders report back to him. As the twins began to run away and were successfully diverted onto a specific path, he reported the troops' sightings to her, but they soon heard a gunshot in an area that the troops had not covered yet.[31]
In a minute, Jodorowsky reported back to Balalaika, who took control of communications from Boris, concerning the twins' location. Learning that Revy and Eda held guns to the twins to kill them, Balalaika told her soldiers not to be concerned with the women's presence and kill them if they continued to interfere. Troops like Lazar and Daniil fired at the two women and the twins, forcing the former to back off while forcing the twins to split up. At the point of Gretel disappearing and Hänsel following Jodorowsky's group, Boris bid good luck to Balalaika and left so that she could wait for Hänsel to be lured to her for his death. The next morning as the operation continued, Boris waited with one of the commanders on a rooftop as they watched Balalaika sit and confront Hänsel. Balalaika told the boy that it was the end of the line for him, but he only pulled out an axe and smiled. Balalaika demanded him to kneel, causing the snipers to shoot Hänsel's knee and then his hand when he tried to throw his axe. Balalaika, deciding that a short murder was too good for him, watched the boy cry in agony as he bled to death from his wounds. To her amusement, the boy asserted that he would not die since his lifespan was extended by killing so many people, but Balalaika nonchalantly rebuffed that no one lived forever, sternly telling the boy to quit crying. After Hänsel finished crying and died, Balalaika radioed Boris to say she was done and told him to tell the Triad that the pursuit was over, and Boris replied that the ordeal was bone-chilling.[32]
Meanwhile, Dutch was shipping Gretel out of Roanapur, irking Balalaika since she still wanted revenge on the child. Accordingly, Boris waited near the front door of Balalaika's office room while she called Dutch to confirm that Gretel would not escape alive. After Dutch saw that Bougainvillea Trade Co. had paid off the Vietnamese Navy to force his boat to drop the girl off elsewhere, Balalaika finished the call and ordered Boris to get a hold of Elroy in Pangkalpinang, Indonesia so that she could pay him to kill Gretel as insurance. Elroy succeeded in killing the girl, receiving a hefty pay from Balalaika.[33]
Fujiyama Gangsta Paradise[]
Sometime later, Tsugio Bandō of the Washimine Group sought out the help of Hotel Moscow to weaken the Kōsa Council in exchange for increasing the Russian mafia's dwindling influence in Japan,[3] so Vasili Laptev summoned Balalaika to Tokyo and briefed her on the situation. Accordingly, she and her soldiers of Hotel Moscow's Thai branch arrived in the country and mobilized her soldiers to prepare attacks on Kōsa Council bases. To demonstrate her strength and confirm the alliance, Balalaika had a meeting with Bandō using Rock as a Japanese-to-English translator. She clarified that Hotel Moscow had a different way of doing things, demonstrating her power by having Polanski and others set off a bomb in one of the Kōsa Council's clubs near them, scaring the Washimine affiliates. Nonetheless, Bandō appreciated her gesture and approved her alliance, pleasing Balalaika.[34]
After the meeting, Balalaika and Boris went to a restaurant to talk with Laptev. Boris asked her if she wanted him to get her some Russian tea, but Balalaika replied that she did not want to make a fuss, asking Boris in turn if he wanted some toast, but he turned it down. As Balalaika and Laptev ate their food, Boris summarized the Vysotniki's recent attacks on the Kōsa Council, reporting many successful kills without any casualties or fatalities for the Vysotniki. Boris added that the Washimine Group transcribed the Kōsa Council's wireless communications, so Balalaika told Boris to have Rock provide her with the translation as soon as possible. When Laptev commended Balalaika for her leadership, Balalaika instead insulted him, saying that he could not get the Japanese branch's strength together. Laptev replied that he was a high-ranking boss back in Moscow, but Balalaika sneered at him, saying that he only had a rank from money rather than merit. Angered, Laptev insulted her back as an ex-military dog, so Balalaika slammed his head onto the table, stating that she had no time to deal with ex-KGB officers like him.[3]
At their second meeting, Balalaika advocated kidnapping members of Masami Kōsa's family, surprising Bandō, who immediately rejected her new plan since it could have easily grabbed the attention of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. Hearing the translation from Rock, the annoyed Balalaika rhetorically asked Boris if he heard Bandō's sentiment, laughing about the reply. Firmly disagreeing with Bandō, Balalaika grinned and asserted her position that Hotel Moscow was the one in charge of the violence and thus was in charge of the entire operation and deal. Stating her ultimate position, she also declared that Hotel Moscow's purpose was to maximize their profits and decimate anyone who got in their way, be they allies or enemies. Accidentally interrupting the tense atmosphere, Chaka's cellphone rang and he answered it, so Bandō apologized for Chaka's behavior and asked Balalaika to discuss his agreement with her later. She agreed to his request so long as he did not interfere in their operations. Exiting the private room into the hallway, they saw Chaka beating up Rock, so Yoshida intervened while Bandō apologized to Rock, assuring the interpreter that Chaka would be severely reprimanded. Commenting on the situation, Balalaika and Boris agreed that the yakuza were incompetent and lacked their discipline.[35]
Meanwhile, Rock on behalf of Revy requested Benny to smuggle Revy's Cutlass pistols to Japan using Hotel Moscow's front company Bougainvillea Trade Co.[36] At the same restaurant where they talked to Laptev, Balalaika and Boris met up with Revy and Rock while Boris again informed Balalaika about the Kōsa Council, who had surveillance increased by the police. He added that the local police wanted to interrogate Washimine members, making Balalaika remark that the yakuza could blow their cover and they might have to move their main team to the Marya Zaleska. Rock politely interrupted to ask Balalaika a hypothetical question, but she responded that he should not be concerned with her actions since he was not a Hotel Moscow member and only a translator. Revy defended Rock's curiosity since they all needed to trust each other, so Balalaika answered him by saying that she would crush the Washimine Group if they decided to change plans and backstab her. Boris on another topic wondered if they needed to talk to Laptev, but Balalaika remarked that she had permission from Slevinin to cause chaos for the Japanese, joking that they needed Laptev to die a useful death.[2]
In his desperate attempt to assassinate Balalaika and protect the Washimine Group, Bandō confronted Balalaika in a building parking garage and attempted to stab her. She easily dodged his lunge and stabbed him using his own weapon, commenting that she had not engaged in hand-to-hand combat in a long time. Fiercely staring at Rock, she ordered Rock to translate some words into Japanese while she held his neck and broke it, killing him. Consequently, Hotel Moscow members stuffed a Russian-language note reading "Yellow is the color of cowards" into Bandō's mouth, put his bloody corpse inside a suitcase, and dropped off the suitcase at the Washimine Group office to intimidate and demoralize them. After Bandō's death, the Washimine Group struggled to pick a successor since Yukio Washimine, the only daughter of the deceased Ryūzō, was just a schoolgirl, but the student decided that she would volunteer to succeed her father.[37]
Elsewhere, Vasili Laptev panicked about Balalaika's campaign since the Tokyo Metropolitan Police were gaining interest on her. At Strelkovaya Yacheyka, his men tried to get a hold of Balalaika at her hotel, but their phone calls did not work. When Makarushka suggested that they should have consulted Moscow, Vasili used his steak knife to stab his left hand, angrily responding that his authority should have been good enough. He reprimanded the men for not working hard enough, mentioning that Balalaika hated anyone who was formerly affiliated with Soviet and Russian intelligence agencies as well as all the nomenklatura. As he wondered why Slevinin would betray them, Laptev noticed cars with several Washimine gunmen outside the window, reflexively ducking onto the ground. To their surprise, Ginji Matsuzaki entered, assassinating all the armed men only with his katana. Laptev tried to crawl away but Ginji put his katana to the Russian's neck.[5]
Pleading with Ginji not to kill him, Laptev responded in Russian that he was framed and that he did not know anything, but Ginji did not understand his language and found him useless, deciding to behead him. Upon learning about Laptev's murder, Balalaika was glad to hear of it since she wanted him dead so that someone more competent, Monk Burgashvili in particular, would replace his position as the boss of Hotel Moscow's Japanese branch. Complimenting Burgashvili's cunning and ability to scheme, Balalaika nonetheless explained that her men would still carry out the violence for the time being.[38] While Rock and Revy were away to save Yukio Washimine from Chaka at night, Boris mobilized the Vysotniki again. The next day on the Marya Zaleska, when Boris wondered what Rock could be spending his time on, Balalaika replied that it did not matter and she began her campaign to destroy the Washimine Group, with Boris following her commands as usual.[39]
That morning, the Vysotniki left the ship in vans and attacked the remaining Washimine Group offices, crippling the group greatly. Once the assassinations of various enforcers like Kudō, Takeshi Ogami, and Shigeru Itō were carried out by Daniil, Lazar and other soldiers, Boris reported the killings to Balalaika while both remained in the war room. Much later, Rock found Balalaika and Boris in an underground parking lot, and he demanded that Balalaika wage war with the Kōsa Council instead of the Washimine Group, surprising Revy. Coldly rebuffing him, Balalaika warned Rock that she would not listen to him since he was not her comrade. When Rock tried to reason that the Washimine Group was already weak enough, Balalaika grabbed him and slammed him onto a car hood, pointing her pistol at his head. In response, Revy drew a gun on her and on Boris, who drew a gun on Revy in turn. In the standoff as he told her about justice, Rock stated that it was his hobby to save people, making Balalaika laugh and withdraw her gun, which prompted Boris to withdraw too.
Later, in the anime only, when Yukio Washimine and Ginji Matsuzaki committed a bank robbery, they framed Hotel Moscow by using a van designed to mimic one of the Russian vans. Minutes after the robbery, Japanese police cars chased the van that Jodorowsky was driving, confusing him. He reported the situation to Boris, who told him to lose the cops. Accordingly, Jodorowsky tossed a smoke grenade out the driver's window, evading the police who were blinded by the smoke. Afterward, Boris told Balalaika that they would get rid of their van due to Yukio's countermeasure, and Balalaika in turned claimed that they needed to make a point in crushing the girl.[40]
Eventually, Balalaika and Boris, with Rock as their translator, arrived at the Kōsa Council headquarters to discuss allying with Masami Kōsa against the Washimine Group. Outside the meeting room, Balalaika ordered Boris to prepare transportation for their leave. While waiting for Masami to prepare, Rock looked outside the window to see the koi pond. Talking to Rock, Balalaika stated that she had to see how the Kōsa-Kai's leader was going to persuade the Kanto Peace Council, adding that her replacement from Moscow would handle the rest. Seeing Rock's face while smoking her cigar, the curious Balalaika sternly asked him if he had anything else to say since she had already spared his life once. Opening his mouth, Rock replied that he had one request: completely crush the Washimine Group if her meeting resulted in an alliance against the Washimines since he wanted Yukio to be forced out of the criminal world into a normal life. Surprised at his answer, Balalaika saw his reasoning and put her arm against the wall and leaned her head to his face, telling Rock that he had made a good decision and was also a good villain.
Politely interrupting them, Boris informed Balalaika that Masami Kōsa was ready to talk, so she and Rock headed inside the meeting room. As Rock interpreted for her, Balalaika apologized for her delay, and Masami smilingly stated that their previous fighting was just water under the bridge. Although he extended out his hand, Balalaika smoked her cigar and did not reciprocate, confusing him. Although Masami had agreed to her terms, Balalaika was still hesitant of his gang's firepower capabilities. Consequently, Balalaika asked his bodyguard to show her his weapon, which she gave to Boris. In curiousity, she asked Morozumi for his backup weapon, a small pistol, and she insulted the small size of the pistol, then immediately killing Masami and Morozumi. Immediately, Boris aided her and helped kill the remaining Kōsa guards on the premises. As the police heard the gunshots, they tried to barge into the residence. Telling Boris that she had clearly followed Pyotr's orders, Balalaika then handed the Accu-Tek pistol to Rock and said that it could be a souvenir. With a solemn and serious expression, Rock politely rejected the gun, claiming that he did not like guns but nonetheless acknowledged that he pulled the trigger. After throwing the pistol into the pond, Balalaika exited the headquarters with Boris and Rock, ordering the Japanese police officers to clear their path.[41]
Waiting for her transportation, Balalaika told Rock to relay her message to Yukio Washimine that Hotel Moscow would cease all attacks on the Washimine Group if Yukio and Ginji left Tokyo by sundown. In the anime only, she also learned from Monk Burgashvili that Yukio intended on rebuilding her yakuza syndicate in Roanapur, amusing the ex-soldier. Swiftly stopping her motorcycle near the police, Revy yelled at Rock to hurry. Silently observing, Balalaika saw Rock instinctively barge through the police officers and hopped on, speeding away. When the cops eyes turned to the two fleeing pirates, Balalaika sternly ordered the cops to quiet down because they were there only for her. At that point, a Russian Federation embassy car with a diplomatic plate arrived, preventing Yasuzawa and Ishiguro from questioning Balalaika and Boris due to their supposed diplomatic affiliation. Sitting in the front, Balalaika mockingly advised the police to call First Secretary V.N. Valizhinov of the Embassy of the Russian Federation, Japan if they had any questions for her. Once they drove to the docks, Balalaika and her men boarded their ship and returned to Roanapur, also evading Kouno, who wanted to arrest Balalaika for her illegal presence in Japan. In the end, Yukio and Ginji did not heed Balalaika's ultimatum but died during their confrontation with Rock and Revy.[42]
El Baile de la muerte / Roberta's Blood Trail[]
At first, rumor spread throughout Roanapur that Roberta was in the city, with Kowalski swearing that he saw the killer maid at Sankan Palace Hotel. In reality, the person whom Kowalski spotted was actually Fabiola Iglesias.[43] Soon, when it was confirmed that Roberta had returned to the city, Mister Chang called for a Council meeting between Roanapur's crime lords, including Balalaika, at The Golden Swingin Night Club. At the Bougainvillea Trade office, Boris informed Balalaika of the meeting, adding that Chang was likely going to tell them important information about the maid. Balalaika wondered who Roberta's enemy was, and Boris guessed that the people responsible for killing Diego Lovelace could not have been local forces or a political party since the latter would not need refuge in Roanapur, adding that it was likely a well-trained third party. Balalaika was impressed by Boris' deduction skills, and she and Boris left her office to attend the meeting that night.[44]
There, the meeting between the four bosses (Chang, Balalaika, Abrego, and Ronnie the Jaws) began with Balalaika exchanging harsh words with Ronnie and Tommaso, but Chang passive-aggressively interrupted them to tell them that they needed to focus on their topic. Ronnie suggested that they throw a party for the Grey Fox soldiers, which was immediately rejected and laughed off by Balalaika. Abrego wanted to kill Roberta so he could stabilize the Colombian Cartel's relations with FARC, with which Balalaika had no problem. Clarifying her stance, Balalaika said that their real enemy was the U.S. Army since they would crush the drug trade, with Chang understanding their sentiments but warned Abrego not to make a move. Soon, Chang ended the meeting by proclaiming that they should not interfere with the Americans' presence until they could confirm if part of Grey Fox's mission was to meddle in Roanapur, but Balalaika was still adamant in confronting the U.S. soldiers. Nonetheless, Chang concluded the summit by advising that the mafia leaders should not backstab each other since Roanapur would be a bloodbath if that occurred.[45]
Later the next day at the Roanapur harbor, Chang met Balalaika, who wanted to know why Chang was telling her details about Grey Fox. He told her that Roberta would attack at dawn, elaborating that getting Roberta out of the city as well as the Americans would prevent the possibility of Roanapur's destruction. The Russian ex-soldier then coldly told Chang that she would continue her mission to fight the U.S. soldiers. Surprised, Chang asked her if she really wanted to die as a soldier, and Balalaika responded that a gangster like him would never understand, gloomily articulating that ex-soldiers like her who were cast aside by the USSR and betrayed by the Russian Federation only had memories of battle to cling to.
Chang merely replied that her mindset was pointless, as valuing one thing adamantly meant not putting value on anything else. Annoyed, Balalaika decided to walk away, but Chang stopped her, adding that if he had to have value for one thing, it would be his own life after surviving their firefight back in November 1993 and living another day.[10] With Roberta's imminent attack in mind, Chang asked Balalaika if she valued her life, and as she left the harbor, she told him that she did not have much time to think about her plan carefully.[46] Having a change of heart, Balalaika decided that it would be better to escort Grey Fox out of Roanapur, mobilizing her Vysotniki to protect the U.S. soldiers from the vengeful Roberta in return for Grey Fox leaving the city alone.[47]
That night when Roberta attacked, the Vysotniki deployed onto the rooftops to surveil Grey Fox and Roberta so that they could provide cover for the former. Balalaika sent Corporal Zamyatin, with fellow snipers, to scout adjacent rooftops. Soon, when Roberta prepared to ambush Shane Caxton and his men, Zamyatin radioed the sighting to Balalaika, who in turn warned Caxton of the ambush to come seconds later. As Roberta jumped from her position, Zamyatin's snipers began shooting at her, and soon the U.S. soldiers also began shooting at her so that they could retreat. Balalaika then gave command to Zamyatin to get his snipers into position so that they could hold down Roberta while the Grey Fox soldiers left the city.[6]
As Revy and Shenhua prepared to ambush Horner and Sanchez to save Garcia Lovelace, Corporal Zamyatin shot them in the limbs as a warning shot. He then tossed a radiophone to Revy, who listened to Balalaika sternly warning her that the fight was between Soviet and U.S. soldiers, threatening to kill her if she interfered again. Not wanting to die, Shenhua and her own team backed out while Revy was angry that she could no longer get paid (although Fabiola assured her that she would). As Balalaika radioed Caxton when he and his men prepared to leave, he commended her for her group's discipline and strength, having questions about her Soviet affiliation. She conveyed to him that they were of the same soldier's cloth and informed him about her discharge due to violating an international cross-border agreement by saving a child, almost crying that her country cast her aside while the U.S. saw Grey Fox as heroes. Her men then performed a gun salute while she bid good luck to Caxton.[8]
L'homme sombre[]
When the Frenchwomen of Les Cinq Doigts arrived in Roanapur and began killing Black men in the city, Chang hosted another Council meeting at his nightclub with Balalaika and Ronnie in attendance, but Gustavo (who then replaced Abrego as the head of the Colombian Cartel's Thai branch) did not come since he was busy rivaling with the Nuevo Laredo Cartel in Latin America as well as fighting the U.S.'s anti-drug campaign. Ronnie accused Chang of complicity in the recent murders since both he and the women wore black suits, and Chang and Balalaika refuted his accusations since the women also killed a Black bouncer at a Triad-owned go-go bar. Ending the meeting, Chang suggested that they should spread rumor of the killings around Roanapur to lure the women out, but they needed to avoid any overt action to prevent scaring tourists out of the profitable red-light districts in Thailand.[15]
Elsewhere, a drug dealer contracted under Hotel Moscow, Jinx, was suddenly attacked and shot in the knees by the five women, who asked him if he knew certain names and stuck importance to the date September 18, 1989. When Jinx could not answer since he was not their target, the women were about to kill him when Hotel Moscow reinforcements arrived, forcing the women to flee and keeping Jinx alive. In the hospital, Jinx relayed his encounter to Revy and Rock, who promised to avenge the loss of his legs.[48] Once Rock, Revy and Shenhua managed to capture Le Majeur, one of the five Frenchwomen, Rock formulated a plan to have Le Majeur betray her comrades.
Subsequently, Rock visited Balalaika at her office. Inside, he told her about his plan to use Dutch, a Black man who fit the assassins' target's description, as bait to lure the Frenchwomen into the open. Balalaika was skeptical at first, but Rock assured her that Le Majeur would fulfill her end of the plan to convince the women to spring the trap. Boris stood by as Balalaika listened to his plan, and she agreed to mobilize the Vysotniki three nights later.[49] On the night of the plan, Dutch walked into a nightclub where the four women confronted him, but half of the nightclub's patrons were actually Vysotniki, with Balalaika telling the hostiles that they would end up as pig food.[50]
Completely surrounding them and pulling out their weapons, Boris and the Vysotniki managed to flank them on all sides and block the exits, cornering each agent. L'annulaire tried to lunge toward and shoot Dutch, but he got a hit on her first, felling her to the ground. Albeit her resentful face, the Russians surrounded the wounded woman and killed her. Because of her death, L'index surrendered, but Balalaika did not accept her surrender and shot her right in the head, telling the other Vysotniki to sweep the area for the remaining two agents.[51] In the end, Revy and Le Majeur respectively killed L'auriculaire and Le Pouce.[52]
The next night, the surviving traitor Majeur was brought to Chang's nightclub's meeting room to answer for her collaboration in the murders. Chang told the attendees the information that Rock relayed to him regarding Majeur's betrayal. Rock himself said to Ronnie during the meeting that Majeur could be a valuable asset, but Balalaika interrupted him to sternly assert that she was speaking. Though Chang agreed with Rock's reasoning, he stated that Balalaika would be given the final say on the Frenchwoman's fate since most of the Black men killed were contracted under Hotel Moscow. She angrily informed Majeur that her French friends killed two Vysotniki and wounded six others. She then told Majeur that she would allow her to live on the condition that she became property of Hotel Moscow, threatening death if she refused to be a shield for her men. Unfazed, the latter accepted it.
In contrast, Ronnie was skeptical of Majeur's loyalty when the latter accepted the offer, but to his dismay, Balalaika allowed Le Majeur to live and stay with the Lagoon Company, making Chang smile when Balalaika remarked that she had gone soft. With the meeting adjourned, Chang reiterated to everyone that Majeur would be under Balalaika's control. In conclusion, Balalaika told Majeur that she had to get her own food and was not an official member of Hotel Moscow. Revy politely interrupted to volunteer taking in the Frenchwoman, surprising Balalaika. The Russian leader accepted her terms, finishing by stating that Majeur would have to come to them without question when called.[53]
Where the Chips Fall[]
Wanting to build a new casino on Yatchalaya Street in Roanapur to further maximize Hotel Moscow's profits, Balalaika arranged for people from the United Kingdom to design her casino. Soon, they finished building and designing the elaborate casino. Afterward, she decided to host an opening night where the city's prominent residents, including Chief Watsap and the members of a few mafias like the Triad and Cosa Nostra, would attend. Although she invited Ronnie the Jaws, the Sicilian politely turned down the invitation while his captains and lieutenants went to the casino. Having Majeur under her control, Balalaika ordered the ex-assassin to follow the opening night's dress code and serve as a bouncer for the place, so Majeur dressed up in a Playboy Bunny outfit. On the opening night, Balalaika ordered her employees to disallow the carrying of weapons inside, and she herself donned an elaborate dark-colored dress with various jewelry around her neck.
Speaking with Balalaika that night, Mister Chang complimented the retro theme that she chose for opening night. Enjoying herself, the Hotel Moscow leader elaborated that she brought in people from the United Kingdom to design the building, also talking about the no-weapons policy. Having been at the joint for a bit, Chang wondered where Ronnie the Jaws had been. Balalaika answered that Ronnie was not attending despite her invitation but his captains and lieutenants were present. Smirking, Chang claimed that Ronnie was not the social type, with Balalaika replying that she was glad that he at least accepted her invitation. The Triad boss in turn reciprocated her sentiment and reminded themselves that they had had a long history. At that moment, Revy, Rock and Le Majeur greeted Chang and Balalaika, congratulating the latter for her new business. While she thanked her, Chang asked Rock if he still had a penchant for gambling on various things, to which Balalaika advised Chang to be nice. Apologizing for his comment, the Triad boss then waited as Revy commended the beauty of the casino. Wanting to lighten the mood, Balalaika encouraged the three to play whatever games they wanted, be it craps, slots, or roulette. Accordingly, Majeur guided Revy to the slot machines while Chang bid goodbye to Balalaika to gamble on roulette with Rock.[18]
Trivia[]
- Black Lagoon creator Rei Hiroe has spoken about his conception and writing of the Russian mafia: "Depicting the ghost of the Soviet Union was a big thing for me. The Russian mafia was most active in the nineties too, so I wanted to incorporate that. People became outlaws as the Soviet Union collapsed. That was fascinating to me. Like in Battles Without Honor and Humanity. As I watched the Afghan invasion and the collapse of the Soviet Union in real time, I figured there had to be people like that."[54]
References[]
- ↑ «Отель Москва» is the official name as indicated by the katakana and shown in Russian Cyrillic in Chapter 32. In contrast, «Гостиница Москва» is the name used on various official Black Lagoon merchandise like cigarette lighters and deck cases.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Chapter 26: Fujiyama Gangsta Paradise Part 5
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Chapter 23: Fujiyama Gangsta Paradise Part 2
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Chapter 36: Fujiyama Gangsta Paradise Part 15
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Chapter 28: Fujiyama Gangsta Paradise Part 7
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Episode 28: Oversaturation Kill Box
- ↑ Chapter 32: Fujiyama Gangsta Paradise Part 11
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Chapter 68: El Baile de la muerte Part 25
- ↑ Episode 21: Two Father's Little Soldier Girls
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Chapter 56: El Baile de la muerte Part 13
- ↑ Black Lagoon: Shaitane Badi (Chapter 2)
- ↑ Chapter 11: Bloodsport Fairy tale Part 1
- ↑ Episode 10: The Unstoppable Chambermaid
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Episode 13: The Vampire Twins Comen
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Chapter 103: L'homme sombre Part 2
- ↑ Chapter 09: Calm down, two men Part 1
- ↑ Chapter 01: Chase for ring-ding ships
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Chapter 116: Where the Chips Fall Part 1
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Episode 07: Calm Down, Two Men
- ↑ Chapter 15: Bloodsport Fairy tale Part 5
- ↑ Episode 01: The Black Lagoon
- ↑ Chapter 00: Black Lagoon
- ↑ Episode 02: Mangrove Heaven
- ↑ Episode 03: Ring-Ding Ship Chase
- ↑ Episode 17: The Roanapur Freakshow Circus
- ↑ Episode 08: Rasta Blasta
- ↑ Episode 09: Maid to Kill
- ↑ Chapter 04: Rasta Blasta Part 3
- ↑ Chapter 05: Das Wieder Erstehen Des Adlers Part 1
- ↑ Chapter 12: Bloodsport Fairy tale Part 2
- ↑ Episode 14: Bloodsport Fairytale
- ↑ Chapter 14: Bloodsport Fairy tale Part 4
- ↑ Episode 15: Swan Song at Dawn
- ↑ Chapter 22: Fujiyama Gangsta Paradise Part 1
- ↑ Episode 20: The Succession
- ↑ Chapter 25: Fujiyama Gangsta Paradise Part 4
- ↑ Chapter 27: Fujiyama Gangsta Paradise Part 6
- ↑ Chapter 29: Fujiyama Gangsta Paradise Part 8
- ↑ Episode 22: The Dark Tower
- ↑ Episode 23: Snow White's Payback
- ↑ Chapter 35: Fujiyama Gangsta Paradise Part 14
- ↑ Episode 24: The Gunslingers
- ↑ Chapter 45: El Baile de la muerte Part 2
- ↑ Chapter 52: El Baile de la muerte Part 9
- ↑ Episode 26: An Office Man's Tactics
- ↑ Chapter 57: El Baile de la muerte Part 14
- ↑ Chapter 64: El Baile de la muerte Part 21
- ↑ Chapter 106: L'homme sombre Part 5
- ↑ Chapter 109: L'homme sombre Part 8
- ↑ Chapter 110: L'homme sombre Part 9
- ↑ Chapter 111: L'homme sombre Part 10
- ↑ Chapter 112: L'homme sombre Part 11
- ↑ Chapter 113: L'homme sombre Part 12
- ↑ Loser's Horizon column in the April 2021 issue of Monthly Sunday Gene-X.