Revy

Rebecca Lee (Revy)
Anime Manga
Name	Rebecca Lee (Revy)
Information
Gender	Female
Age	Mid to late 20s
Height	167cm/5'5”
Weight	57kg/125lbs
Affiliates	Rock Dutch Benny
Affiliation	The Lagoon Company
Weapon	Dual Modified Beretta 92Fs Inox
Race/Nationality	Chinese-American
Status	Alive
First Appearance
Manga	Chapter 00: Black Lagoon
Anime	Episode 01: The Black Lagoon
Anime Voice
Japanese Anime Voice	Megumi Toyoguchi
English Anime Voice	Maryke Hendrikse
Image Gallery

Rebecca Lee (レベッカ・リー Rebekka Rī), mainly referred to as Revy (レヴィ Revi) and sometimes Two Hands, is the main female protagonist of the Black Lagoon series.

Appearance

Revy is a Chinese-American slightly tan-skinned woman of approximately moderate height in her mid to late twenties with burgundy hair (brown hair in the manga) that she typically keeps in low loose ponytail with rather large bangs falling onto her forehead on either side, amber-brown eyes, a tribal tattoo that reaches all the way up to her neck on her upper right arm, a medium-sized bust and she keeps up her physique where she sports a slightly muscular build that she doesn't conceal in the least in spite of her slender build.

Main Outfit

Her wardrobe typically consists of a black crop top that leaves her stomach exposed, very short cut-off jeans (turned into Denim Shorts) that she never bothers buttoning up as she uses a US Army webbing belt to keep them up instead, a pair of US military jungle boots without socks and a pair of black fingerless gloves. Revy also sports a pair of brown leather cross-draw shoulder holsters to store her twin Berettas in when she isn't using them.

Winter Outfit

For colder climates, such as winter in Tokyo, Revy resorts to something a little warmer, including a warm hat, a lined brown coat, full gloves, a horizontally striped miniskirt, black leggings and brown boots.

Personality

Revy is a troubled, loud, rude, sarcastic, deadly, very competitive, short-tempered, cynical, confident, and considerably aggressive nihilist (a person who believes that life is meaningless and rejects all religious and moral principles) who exhibits a wild temperament.

Unlike Rock, Revy is undiplomatic, believing in the use of brute force and coercion to get her way. Of all the characters in the series, Revy uses the foulest language and is also a heavy smoker and drinker. Revy is merciless and sadistic, and is more than capable of killing anyone, even unarmed civilians. Despite her merciless nature, she's also capable of showing humor and she can be quite a talker when she isn't angry. Another aspect of her personality is her racial insensitivity.

• Revy refers to Shenhua as
  • "Chink" in the manga
  • "Chinglish" (a combination of Chinese and English)
• Revy also calls Rock a "Jap"
• In the anime, Revy calls a FARC Mercenary a "beaner".

Revy is a merciless and sadistic killer, without a conscience, who will be more than ready to kill anyone at the slightest provocation, even unarmed civilians (as demonstrated in episode 6), and she kills in cold-blood as seen in OVA # 3, when she murders a wounded FARC soldier after promising him to take him to a hospital in exchange for finding Roberta's location. She takes maniacal glee in killing anyone she fights or just for fun. She also has very little remorse for her enemies and many times have often stepped on male enemies' crotches for fun to show them how weak they are. However, she looks at it as doing them a favor as she believes any man would love a "sexy" woman such as her to "abuse" them. Whilst appearing to be driven by general blood-lust, it is shown throughout the series that Revy subconsciously uses violence as a dysfunctional coping mechanism and outlet for her deeply repressed emotional and psychological issues. An example of this is when becoming uneasy at accepting both Rock and Benny into the Lagoon company, Revy vents her trust issues by becoming particularly unpredictable during missions and getting what Dutch nicknames "Whitman Fever", going on indiscriminate shooting rampages and executing hostiles and innocent bystanders alike.

The inhabitants of Roanapur tend to take Revy at face value, as a sadistic, incredibly destructive, volatile, gun-crazed psychopath, and this is how Revy initially thinks of herself, ignoring the psychological trauma and emotional turmoil that fuels her behavior, possibly putting on this act to prevent others from discovering her emotional scars, keeping them hidden even from herself. It is only when Rock arrives and begins to confront her over her actions that she begins to develop some reluctant introspection, and seriously think about who she has become and who she really is.

One of the ways Revy's subconscious pain and emotional scars manifest themselves is her aversion to the empathy of others or others trying to relate to her. People presuming to understand what she has been through or how it has affected her is a huge berserk button for Revy, causing her to react in a violent rage, suggesting the depth of the bitterness and grief her early life has bred in her.

She has a changing but volatile attitude towards Rock, the newest and most outspokenly humane crew member of the Lagoon Company. Although she respects him later in the series, she is mostly hostile towards Rock, as she tried to intentionally kill him on at least two occasions and threatened him on countless others. However, she does have a tendency to save Rock from critical situations, and later on, she admits to considering him as family.

Due to an impoverished upbringing which involved verbal, physical and sexual abuse from those who had power over her (such as her father and the police), Revy has developed an obsession towards power, over both herself and others, which causes her to appear fiercely independent and violently assertive, often using verbal or physical violence as a response to anyone who crosses her or to assert her dominance. However, while Revy initially appears to be tough, savage and strong-minded, her exterior actually covers up a profound lack of inner-strength and fear of the powerlessness she felt as a child. Her independence is actually more of a reactive attachment disorder, alienating others as much as possible to prevent the exposure of her own weakness and vulnerability. Revy believes the chief source of power in life is money, the "one thing everyone respects and agrees on", and consequentially has developed an obsession with maximizing the profits from each job as much as possible, such as ransoming others and looting corpses, when she feels that the Lagoon is not paid enough given the risks involved and/or the work put in.

Later on in the series, it is suggested that, despite her insistence otherwise, deep down Revy actually hates Roanapur, her lifestyle and the person she has become, and that she wants to change but does not know how. In Tokyo, Revy opens up to Rock, saying that she has lived "on dirty air" her whole life and, though she temporarily forgot it, she would be incapable of living in "a good place" like the one Rock came from. In "Roberta's Blood Trail", after Revy states that Fabiola Iglesias sees the world as a garden of roses, Fabiola retorts that Revy is actually the one who sees the world as a garden of roses, one that she herself was expelled from. This feeling that she was unreasonably denied a happy life causes Revy to adamantly view the world as bleak and desolate, to the exclusion of all contradictory evidence.

One of her funnier aspects being quite forgetful, implying that her brash attitude caters to her stupidity; one moment being unable to recall remembering Lotton the Wizard, let alone shooting him, during the Greenback Jane incident, much to Shenhua and Sawyer's amusement and falling for Roberta's trick that her shoe was untied. It is also implied by Eda that Revy has no formal education, most likely due to her upbringing and her dropping out of school in junior high.

In Vol. 10 (chapter 81) Revy instigates possible bisexuality, by telling Jane that: "I've won over some sex-starved dykes by playing the man's role. And after that, their fingers just weren't enough for them ever again." This is somewhat ironic in Omake 4, as she is actually changed into her opposite sex, as it was for the other characters. Outside of these incidents, the former only being said as a means of sexually intimidating and undermining Jane, who provoked Revy by arrogantly threatening to get Rock involved in an orgy, Revy does not seem to have a sex life or any visible interest in sex, probably due to the trauma of the policeman raping her. However, in the manga, it is revealed that she was involved in Rowan's S&M show, which may have been more to satisfy her sadism as well as her subconscious self-loathing. Rowan states in episode seven of the anime TV series, he wanted Revy to return to his employment as she was an S/M dancer previously. She retorts, "Forget it, Rowan. I'm not coming back. Even if there is whipping."

Background

Revy was born in New York City, NY. Few details are known about Revy's past as what is gathered is from brief flashbacks from both the manga and the anime. Revy was born as Rebecca Lee, a Chinese-American, in the poverty-stricken Chinatown district of New York City and raised by an abusive, alcoholic father. One day, after fleeing from one of her father's rampages, she was arrested, beaten, and raped by a corrupt police officer. Upon being returned home following this ordeal, Revy shot and killed her father after he callously asked her for another drink, using a pillow as a make-shift silencer.

In Vol. 10 (chapter 72), Revy says she dropped out of school during junior high.

There were apparently similar incidents between Revy and the police, particularly at the 27th Precinct. Eventually, the assaults resulted in Revy losing her faith in God, leading her to believe that the police abused her because to them she was "just another little ghetto rat with no power and no God." Revy has alluded to doing time in prison (in Buffalo Hill where it’s mentioned the warden knew her) and it is hinted she is an escaped felon, but it is unknown how she ended up in Roanapur.

Ability

Occupation

Revy is the driving force behind Lagoon's military might, being the fighter of the team who can single-handedly defeat an entire platoon by herself. Her role in Lagoon is at the vanguard. She's the protector when her team faces danger and the striker when the team needs to eliminate an enemy. She also plays special roles like infiltrator, rescuer, and courier. Ultimately, she's the reason why Lagoon is so deadly. She alone makes Lagoon a force to be reckoned with.

Combat

Revy is one of the deadliest fighters in the series and the main gunfighter in the The Lagoon Company, whose skill with firearms and ability to dodge bullets is almost superhuman and unparalleled. She is capable of high movement like jumping and maneuvering herself around crowds. Roberta and Ginji Matsuzaki are a few characters who can hold their ground, or at least be a match against her, in combat. In moments when she has "Whitman fever", she pretty much kills anything in sight.

Revy also appears to have some hand-to-hand combat skills, being able to hold her own in a fistfight against the formidable Roberta (although this was more of a comedic fight rather than a serious one). She has also taken down other hostiles with flying kicks in addition to her twin pistols.

Weapons

Revy's modified Beretta 92F

Revy's weapons of choice are a pair of modified Beretta 92F’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 are threaded to be able to accept muzzle breaks, suppressors, compensators, etc.. 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. Her 92F’s were also used for melee combat at some point in her fight against Ginji. Due to her ambidextrous marksmanship skills, she is nicknamed "Two Hands" by the denizens of Roanapur.

She is also skillful with a wide variety of weapons, ranging from being able to single-handedly fire an M79 grenade launcher while standing on the deck of a moving boat, casually yet effectively firing a PM-63 submachine gun, to wielding a Gepard Anti Materiel Rifle against a helicopter gunship. Revy also appears to be very knowledgeable when it comes to weaponry as she was seen in a rare state of excitement when Dutch handed her the APS underwater rifle.

Intellect

Revy is by far the least intelligent member of the Lagoon Company. She tends to let her judgment be run by her emotions and base her actions upon her feelings, a flaw that has gotten her into trouble numerous times. Even so, she's still intellectual to some degree, being able to tell a losing battle from a winning battle and being able to gather and piece information together to formulate battle strategies.

In a lot of ways, it would be better to see Revy as uneducated as opposed to unintelligent. She has the ability to make connections based on evidence and information, as well as develop both combat and social strategies, but given her poor upbringing likely never finished her education (formally or otherwise), and has put extra development on her violent streak.

Relationships

Rock

Revy first meets Rock when she kidnaps him from a ship she and Dutch are robbing, hoping to ransom him for some extra money. During this initial meeting she repeatedly threatens him to keep him in line and at one point tries to execute him upon realizing they might not get a good ransom for him. After his resourcefulness manages to save the Lagoon company from being killed by soldiers and destroying a gunship, Revy is impressed and, once he turns his back on his former employer and life, invites him to join the crew of the Black Lagoon. She even buys him a Hawaiian shirt from the market, though this uncharacteristically friendly gesture is undermined by the shirt being hideous. Their professional relationship begins fairly well (about as well as relationships with Revy go), although Revy remains somewhat introverted and distant.

Their friendship sours when Rock begins to address her on a much more personal level, criticizing some of her more immoral actions (such as voicing his disapproval of her corpse robbing), causing her to properly think about herself and her lifestyle for the first time. This new-found introspection reawakens a lot of repressed pain, rage and self-loathing for Revy, which causes her to become furious with Rock. Thinking his continued partnership with her will awaken more of her old demons, she initially attempts to push him out of her life and becomes more hostile towards him, culminating in an explosive confrontation at a dinner. Rock refuses to apologize to Revy for questioning her way of life, as she is beginning to act like the people in Rock's previous job who always expected him to be submissive and apologetic in spite of their mistreating and abusing him. She tries to execute him on the spot, but he moves her gun away at the last second and disarms her.

Rock berates Revy's arrogance and shameless preoccupation with money and profit (traits Rock saw in his superiors) and exposes Revy's masochistic inner cycle of self-pity over her turbulent childhood and self-destructive urges (viewing herself as a lost cause) that cause her murderous impulses. Revy, who becomes increasingly violent and emotional in the face of the exposure she had feared and done much to avoid, reveals that killing has become the only way she knows of dealing with the problems and people in her life. After the fight with Rock, however, she realizes he understands what it is like to be powerless and abused by those with power (due to Rock's previous employers' bullying him and eventually abandoning and trying to kill him to protect their fortunes) and the two reconcile.

It is increasingly implied throughout the series that Revy, in her own emotionally crippled way, has romantic feelings for Rock, but her severe attachment disorder, nihilism, past traumas and violent temper prevent her from acting on her feelings. Instead, she manifests them by being jealously possessive and protective of Rock, always being by his side and reacting with violent hostility to anyone she perceives as a threat to Rock's safety or as a potential rival for his attention, always using an excuse that Rock is too "reckless" to be in Lagoon. For instance, during the Fujiyama Gangsta Paradise arc, Revy admitted to being Rock's "gun", and she is there to protect him from harm, to the point of going against her rationale just to follow Rock's sense of "justice". It is shown throughout the series Rock is close to Revy, to the point in Roberta's Blood Trail he tells her that if she is his gun then he is the "bullet", but as a bullet he is nothing but a chunk of lead that would have remained so if he never came to Roanapur, and, to ignite the gunpowder, he would need her - the gun. He does not appear aware of Revy's feelings for him. She also does not openly admit to him that she does care about him, but she instead displays it when she hands him a silver bullet.

Rock is also the only person capable of keeping Revy in balance, other than Dutch who can only influence her by virtue of being her employer and the guy who "signs [her] checks". Rock's presence appears to keep Revy's more volatile tendencies in check, as she often remarks how much worse any situation might have gotten had anyone other than Rock been there.

Eda particularly seems to be aware of Revy's feelings for Rock, and often questions her about them, to which Revy either sidesteps or fails to give a clear answer. Eda also aggressively flirts with Rock in order to provoke Revy, which always elicits a violent threat from Revy and causes her to react in an almost territorial manner. In general, Revy seems to become much more self-conscious and easily embarrassed around Rock; after Revy deflects Eda's mock-flirting with Rock, Eda makes fun of her volatile temperament in front of him, causing Revy to blow up and challenge her to a fight; on another occasion, when Rock walks in on Revy's playing Wild West with a group of kids she met in the park, Revy, who had clearly been enjoying herself, first turns red with embarrassment then acts out in defensive anger, breaking one of the kids' cork guns and promising violent retribution should Rock breathe a word about it to Dutch or Benny. There are many other indications as well, such as her fierce reaction towards Jane's interest in involving Rock with an orgy in a later chapter, which other characters have noticed and even touched upon, and with Bao's noting that it was unusual to see Revy not by Rock's side now. Benny, in particular, seems more aware of Revy's real feelings towards Rock then he lets on, but only implies it (and only towards Rock), most likely out of concern for his physical well being.

In the "Fujiyama Gangsta Paradise" and "Roberta's Blood Trail" story arcs, it becomes much more apparent how much Rock means to Revy, and how much the thought of losing him distresses her. Revy by this point is considerably warmer and more empathetic towards Rock, becoming more concerned with the effects that Tokyo and Roanapur have on him, and encouraging Rock to see his family. When Rock jokes that hanging around with the Lagoon company is proof that he is not normal, Revy gives him an uncharacteristically affectionate smile. Another silent display of attachment comes when Rock admits, later on, he is beginning to feel alienated from Roanapur, and though Revy just barely manages to cover it up, she is visibly hurt and upset that Rock might become detached from Roanapur, and therefore her. When Rock ends up talking to Yukio, Revy is pointedly shown sulking, whilst emitting disgusted groans and remarks frequently enough to suggest that she is actually jealous. She also chases after Yukio Washimine and Ginji Matsuzaki when they kidnap Rock, the second time she has rescued him to no apparent self-benefit, even though she frequently promised to leave him behind if he ever got kidnapped.

Whilst not wanting to lose Rock, Revy seems equally determined to prevent the noxious world they inhabit from corrupting him, as seen when Yukio is about to commit suicide in front of them. She yells for Rock to look away and look at her. Also, during Roberta's blood trail, Revy seems very angry at Rock's new attitude, thinking he is becoming corrupt due to being in Roanapur too long, and she demands that he leave Roanapur for good once the job was over. Her anger over Rock's transformation is made clear to her when he fully explains his plan to her, that he had to step into the darkness to make it work, and he says he feels the same as she does. Infuriated that Rock thinks he knows what it is like to be her, Revy violently kicks him across the deck of the ship.

Fabiola also theorizes that Revy's nihilistic view of the world contributes to her attachment to Rock, and her denial of the darker side of his personality that has been emerging throughout the story. Revy has subconsciously cast Rock as her knight-in-shining-armor, capable of doing what she is incapable of; saving her from herself and Roanapur. She is afraid that he would lose his humane side and leave her stranded in the darkness, but is unable to express her true feelings to him to stop his descent into corruption.

Dutch

Dutch is Revy's employer to the Lagoon Company. As the boss and initial manager of the company he usually dishes out orders and stabilizes some situations outside or within the group, especially with Revy, who he would occasionally have to knock some sense into. In episode 4 he says that if shooting was her only skill he wouldn't have hired her. As cool headed as Dutch is (contrasting greatly to Revy's behavior), he seems to get along or at least work smoothly with Revy. There is a respectful relationship between them. They seemed to work well in sync when performing their usual tasks and other adventures; like raiding ships (a reason why Rock was there), storming the neo-Nazi ship, fighting off Luak and his goons, and helping Jane escape. In Moonlit Hunting Grounds, as Revy seemed troubled after the events in the sub with Rock, he pointed out that a similar situation happened when Benny first joined. He also mentions the times when she had "Whitman Fever".

Benny

At times, it seems that Benny serves as little more than a source of annoyance and teasing for Revy. In the past, however, Revy saved him when he simultaneously caught the unwanted and dangerous attention of the FBI and the Mafia. In some ways, their relationship could be seen as similar to her relationship with Rock, only in the later stages. Nonetheless, they are on friendly terms.

Eda

Revy and Eda can be considered "friends", in terms of the teasing, the head-butting, and explosive behavior in combat or to each other, sometimes revolving around Rock; they are very much alike, with Eda being obviously much more levelheaded and stable. They would sometimes hang out at the Yellow flag Bar or drink at the Rip-Off Church together. They would also frequently take on bounty hunter jobs together. Eda has been known to playfully tease Revy as to her relationship with Rock, believing it to have romantic undertones; Revy typically responds in an embarrassed manner and tries changing the subject.

Balalaika

Balalaika seems tolerant of Revy's behavior. Revy normally calls her "sis". While their relationship is typically amiable, Balalaika views Revy as little more than the occasional help provided by the Lagoon Company, but it does not mean she's not grateful or appreciative. Balalaika and Revy nearly came to blows in Tokyo when she threatened to kill Rock, with Revy trying to talk her down; had it not been for Rock's clever words, a fight would've ensued between the two. She's one of the few people who have earned Revy's respect. To a certain extent, anyway.

Mister Chang

Mister 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. 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.

Trivia

• Revy has a total kill count of approximately 128 kills earned throughout of the series.
• In a flashback, a young Revy is seen using a Smith & Wesson Model 439 to shoot cans and it is the same gun that is used to murder her father.
• In a volume 4 omake, where everyone including has changed their sex, which Rock is the only one who notices the sudden mad change, Revy appears to be the only one who supposedly still looks exactly the same (only that her chest is completely flat). It is only then "she" reveals that she is a he, and even pulls down his pants to reveal his penis and testicles (much to sex-switched Rock's horror).
• Out of all the members of Black Lagoon Company, Revy has been shown smoking cigarettes the most.
• Revy appears to be adept at riding motorcycles, as she rescued Rock with precise, albeit risky, driving on a red sportsbike after a meeting gone awry in Japan.
• In "Greenback Jane", it is stated that Revy watches Oprah, but this could be just sarcasm.
• In the manga, people sometimes call Revy "Levy" and it is uncertain if it's a typo or intentional.
  • In the German version of the manga, her name is written as "Levi" (due to the common R-L-problem and I or Y in translations), but ever since the release of volume 4, it's changed to "Revy".
• A great deal of Revy's life is shown in a single flashback in the final episode of Roberta's Blood Trail. Her father's abuse, the police's abuse, the rape, and the killing of the father were all there.
• The feathers that can be seen throughout the series mainly through the opening theme most likely represent the feathers of the pillow that Revy used to suppress the shot she used to kill her alcoholic father.
• In the First Popularity Poll, Revy ranked 1st place with 823 votes.
• Lara Croft resembles Revy in Crystal Dynamics' first reboot of the Tomb Raider franchise. Namely for the ponytail, dual pistols, and a similar style in revealing clothing.
• There are various references to Revy's music tastes throughout the manga and the light novel (but not in the anime, probably due to copyright reasons). Revy is a big fan of rock and metal and has a personal shootout playlist named the "Jitterbug of Death" collection. Some of the songs named on the playlist are "Electric Head Part 1" by White Zombie, "Shooter" by Rednex and "Sleep Now in the Fire" by Rage Against the Machine. Revy is also shown to be a fan of the band Guitar Wolf.