Mister Chang

Mr. Chang
Anime Manga
Name	Mr. Chang
Information
Gender	Male
Height	~6'1" (1.86m)
Affiliation	Hong Kong Triad
Weapon	Beretta 76/AMT Hardballer (dual-wield)
Race/Nationality	Chinese
Status	Alive
First Appearance
Manga	Chapter 11: Bloodsport Fairy tale Part 1
Anime	Episode 11: Lock'n Load Revolution
Anime Voice
Japanese Anime Voice	Toshiyuki Morikawa
English Anime Voice	Trevor Devall
Image Gallery

Bai Ji-Shin Chang (張維新, Wai-San Chang in the Japanese version of the manga), also known as "Mr. Chang," is the boss of a Thailand branch of the Sun Yee On Triad. Similar to Revy, he is adept with dual-wielding pistols (Beretta 76 and AMT Hardballer) in a fashion similar to that of 'Gun-fu', and is far more proficient in this dual-wielding gun-fighting style than Revy, who, in episode 11, freely admits that she is "not on his level yet".

Bio

Most of Chang's background is unknown. Before joining the Triad, Chang was a cop in Hong Kong. In the OVA a Triad member refers to Chang as a "dirty cop who killed his partners." Chang himself tells Rock that he was a "fearless guard dog who burned with justice." Given how Chang describes himself, that he claims to hate hypocrisy more than anything, and that he says he has "looked into the hearts of human beings and seen things you can't even imagine," there is speculation that Chang left the Hong Kong police force because of corruption in the ranks.

It is not known if Roanapur was Chang's original post or how long he has been in the city, but Chang's residency in Roanapur predates Hotel Moscow"s arrival at the very least. He fought Balalaika in 1993 when Hotel Moscow came to the city in a battle so intense that it nearly destroyed the city. The Italian mafia and Colombian cartel arrived at some time after that battle.

Like Revy, he is adept with dual-wielding pistols in a fashion similar to that of gun-fu, and favors a pair of Beretta 76 pistols. The grips of these weapons are inscribed with two Chinese symbols (天帝), meaning "Heavenly Emperor."

Personality

Chang seems easily amused, and unusually-easygoing and lighthearted, especially given his position. Nothing seems to surprise or phase him. This might be attributed to the fact that he was once a member of law enforcement, which he reveals to Rock after being called "an inhuman scumbag" (or "a piece of shit," in the anime dub) and laughing out loud in response. He might very well see his current position as an ironic twist of fate.

His past as a police officer may explain his combat expertise. His dual wielding style allows Chang to the best Balalaika in a shootout, as she appears to shoot one of his hands/guns, while Chang shoots her with the other. He was also able to escape from ambush of superior number of Islamic Front jihadists, disarm Fabiola easily, and survive a shootout with the vampire twins while both of his men were killed. His expertise is often overshadowed by his easygoing character, in comparison with the other more serious characters. Despite this, Chang no longer engages in combat unless forced. Before his shootout with Revy he admits it has "been a while since [he's] been in the field," and Balalaika asks if they will finally get to see him with a gun in his hand again, to which Chang replies that he doesn't "dislike getting in the game once in a while," but in his position it's not that simple. This suggests that Chang understands his position and the appearance he needs to maintain.

Chang has said that what he hates most in the world is hypocrisy, saying it is "even worse than what people call 'evil'. It's like a poison that affects both the victim and the user." He also refers to himself as being "a guard dog who burned with justice," when he worked for the Hong Kong police, despite having told Balalaika that "morality and justice have never really suited [him]."

Unlike most criminal bosses in the town, he advocates cooperation and joint ventures in order to keep the status quo in Roanapur. Dutch has said that "keeping the peace," is Chang's job. Chang believes that unless the bosses who run Roanapur from the shadows cooperate to keep its inhabitants in line, the city will end up in the evening news and the minds of politicians, which will ultimately lead to its destruction.

Relationships

Balalaika

He has a deep respect for Balalaika (more so than any other boss in Roanapur), who annoys him by referring to him as "Baby"; Chang refers to her as "Fry Face" in return, a comparatively unaffectionate nickname. Their relationship is almost playful in a business sort of way, which began after they survived a shootout with each other in 1993. The deal between the Hotel Moscow and the Triad that was brokered by Dutch following the shoot-out appears to the basis for Roanapur's continued prosperity, as Chang has trouble keeping the city's various violent factors in check while Balalaika and her forces are in Japan during the Fujiyama Gangsta Paradise story arc. There also appears to be a deeper relationship built on what Balalaika refers to as "profit and trust," since the two characters meet in private on several occasions to exchange information, keeping each other in the loop and inviting others in only when necessary. In the OVA Balalaika forgoes fighting against the American soldiers (something she admits to wanting very much) and instead supports Chang's plan to help them take out Roberta away from the city, in order to preserve it. This suggests a deep trust and partnership between the two.

Rock

Chang and Rock have an antagonistic relationship, especially after the events of the OVA. Chang seems to view Rock as a hypocrite, the one thing he really hates, presumably because Rock lives "in the twilight," between "good," and "bad." Rock, on the other hand, seems to have Chang wrong; he considers him a "gangster," who only cares about his drug trade, and believes that Balalaika is acting to "screw Chang," in the OVA, when in fact she is going against her own desires to work with him and keep Roanapur standing. Chang is often amused at Rock's "unique" way of handling things, once commenting that Rock's actions will determine the fate of not only Garcia and Roberta, but of Roanapur itself.

Eda

He may have a slightly adversarial relationship with Eda (although he doesn't know it), as seen by his conversation with her concerning "Grey Fox," the unit responsible for the death of the head of the Lovelace Family, and gets irritated when she taunts him while suggesting that he not do anything "foolish," as it will mean the destruction of Roanapur at the hands of the United States. He refers to Eda as "Mr CIA," on the phone, and calls her a "bureaucrat," suggesting he doesn't know that he's speaking to a woman, or that she is in Roanapur.

Revy

Both Chang and Revy use a unique double-handed gun-slinging style, leading to speculation that Chang served as Revy's coach or mentor at some point in the past, or at least inspired her to dual wield. This theory is supported by Revy's respect for Chang, whom she refers to as "Boss" or "Sir". Chang and Revy are seen fighting side-by-side while in the roles of mentor and student during Lock'n Load Revolution. Chang offers pointers and advice while Revy, in turn, admits that she is "not yet on [his] level", which is her goal. In the manga, Revy also says to Rock that "he," (Chang) used to call her and tell her to get over to the office, which indicates she worked for him at some point.

Trivia

• Mr. Chang is based on characters commonly played by Chow Yun Fat in John Woo movies, such as John Lee in The Replacement Killers, Ah Jong in The Killer, and Mark Gor in A Better Tomorrow, as both Chang and Gor are members of the Hong Kong Triad, wield two pistols in shootouts, although Mark Gor is using Beretta 92f, John Woo favourite handgun, and don similar attire.
• A minor character in John Woo's '"the Killer"' is named Chang.
• Mr. Chang has a bit of a dark side, as seen when he was willing to use Garcia to make Roberta leave Roanapur. He also subtly threatened Rock into manipulating Garcia and Fabiola.
• Mr. Chang seems to love Roanapur, as he puts its safety above other peoples' lives.
• It was revealed in the manga and in the OVA that Mr. Chang was once a cop and killed his partners (though the Triad member who alleges that he turned on his partners appears not to know Chang very well, so this could be taken as speculation on what really happened).
• In the first light novel, Chang carries a Classic Dupont butane lighter.
• In the first popularity poll, Chang ranked 3rd place with 433 votes
  • In a popularity contest during the 10th collection manga release, Chang ranked 4th, with 1293 votes
• He holds the office of Bai Ji Shin, literally white paper fan, a supposedly non-combat administrative role.