The Gunslingers is the twenty-fourth episode of the Black Lagoon anime and the twelfth episode of Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage. It originally aired in Japan on December 19, 2006.
Summary[]
Rock takes desperate measures to force Yukio into giving up on crime. With so much blood already spilled, it might be too late for her to return to a peaceful, normal life.
Plot[]
At night, at the Washimine residence, Ginji Matsuzaki turns off the lights and prepares his sword to head out. Hearing him, Yukio Washimine calls for him, to which he apologizes for waking her up. Recalling Yukio's dream to leave Japan and raise a "flag of justice" in Roanapur, he reminds her that he will have to summon the rest of the Washimine Group at that point. Stating that they know to be wary of the well-experienced Russian soldiers, Ginji confidently asserts that he will cut a path through them and slay Balalaika, who is worthy of his white sheath. Smiling, Yukio affirms that she will stick with him to the end, even to Roanapur. The following afternoon, at the Kōsa Council headquarters, Rock waits outside the meeting room, looking at the koi pond outside the window. As Masami Kōsa speaks with Morozumi, Balalaika finishes speaking with Boris and tells Rock that their job will soon be done without incident thanks to the latter's translation work. Smoking a cigar, she comments that someone from Moscow will take over, joking that it is a shame she will not get to see the aftermath.
Outside the yakuza headquarters, the police form a barricade around the gates, and the police officer Yasuzawa storms to Ishiguro's car to ask him if he got any data on the two Russians and Japanese man who entered the premises. Replying that he has someone checking the ICPO data but has nothing so far, Ishiguro explains that an international specialist named Kouno will arrive soon. Claiming that the "white woman" is definitely involved in the conflict between the Washimine and Kōsa Clans, Yasuzawa professes that she may also be involved in the shooting incident at the bowling center in Adachi, advising his partner to keep an eye out. Standing next to Rock, the intrigued Balalaika encourages him to say what he has to say, sternly warning him that she has already spared his life once. To her surprise, he requests that if everything is to settle down soon, she must completely crush the Washimine Group to the point that they cannot survive, reasoning that it is the only way to free Yukio from the criminal underworld. Taking in his words, Balalaika sees his point and slams her hand against the wall in amusement. Calling Rock a villain, she remarks that his decision is correct and stares into his tense eyes.
At that point, they reconvene in the meeting room, where Rock begins translating her apology for the delay. Brushing it off, Masami responds that the meeting accomplishes one of their goals. He offers his hand to shake to start with a clean slate, but to his confusion, she only looks at him weird while smoking her cigar. Recollecting her thoughts, Balalaika declares that she needs a plan prepared over who will succeed in the future, reasoning that certain contingencies will make it difficult for a proper response. Rock relays to Masami that she wishes to know the state of the Kōsa Council's firearms. Admitting that he has to be discreet about it, the yakuza boss clarifies that he has more guns than the other groups, having even bought a machine gun from guys in Hawaiʻi. Holding out her hand, Balalaika asks her to oblige him and requests to see the bullets of Morozumi's gun as well. Slamming the Ruger pistol onto the table, Morozumi pushes it to her. Examining the gun, she compliments the bodyguard and asks if he has a backup firearm, handing the pistol to Boris. Speaking in Japanese, Masami urges Morozumi to give it to her since they cannot have a shootout with their current progression of talks.
Accepting Morozumi's small Accu-Tek pistol and examining it, Balalaika bluntly insults the weapon as atrocious and orders Rock to keep up with her translation. To Masami and Morozumi's shock, she twirls the Accu-Tek and jokes that even the lowest of criminals would not be caught dead with such a gun. Pointing the gun at Masami, Balalaika grins and proclaims that she cannot work with a group that sports such shoddy guns. Immediately, she shoots Masami dead whereas Boris dispatches the bodyguard and two other Kōsa Council gangsters. Hearing the gunshots, Yasuzawa and the police knock on the gates and demand entry. Balalaika asks Boris how they are for time, to which the sergeant answers that they are fine but wonders how they will explain everything to their boss. Recalling that "Pyotr" ordered her to start a war and burn everything to ashes, she repeats that she has merely followed orders. Offering the Accu-Tek to Rock, Balalaika asks if he wants it as a souvenir. Politely declining, Rock acknowledges that he pulled the trigger despite not being fond of firearms. Throwing the gun away, Balalaika orders Boris to ditch the other gun as well so that they can return to their base.
Barging through the gate, the police order everyone to stay still. Seeing the Russians and Rock, Ishiguro tells them that he is the primary investigator of the case from Department One, requesting that they speak with him about the gunshots they just heard. Ignoring the order, Balalaika orders Rock to send a message to Yukio that Hotel Moscow will cease all attacks on the Washimine Group since they have went underground. To Rock's surprise, she informs him that Monk Burgashvili discovered that Yukio is apparently planning on going to Roanapur to summon her yakuza there. Laughing, Balalaika gestures the police to move out of her way. At that moment, outside the headquarters, a car arrives. Rolling down the window, the driver apologizes to "Miss Vladilena" for the delay and says that the ambassador is waiting for her in Mamiana-chō. Yasuzawa tries to stop them, but Ishiguro holds him back and states that they cannot do anything because the car has a diplomatic plate. As Boris opens the car door for Balalaika, Revy appears on her motorcycle and yells for Rock, who instinctively runs through the barricade and hops on, speeding off from the police.
Shouting at the police not to fret, Balalaika reminds them that they are focused on her, not "small fry" criminals. Before she departs, she smugly tells the officers that they can contact First Secretary of the Embassy of the Russian Federation, V.N. Valizhinov, if they need to speak with her. As the car leaves, the exhausted Kouno runs to the police and laments that he could not stop the Russians in time. The international specialist asks them why they did not arrest the Russians if the police heard gunshots, to which Ishiguro specifies that it was based on assumption because the incident happened inside the premises. To Yasuzawa's surprise, Kouno relays to them that the woman is Balalaika, a high-ranking officer of Hotel Moscow, which has powerful presences in places like New York and Chechnya. Running to his car, Ishiguro radios to his department that all patrol cars need to listen up. Kouno asks if they at least got a picture of the woman, which Yasuzawa denies, so the former recommends getting a sketch done as soon as possible.
On the road, Rock pleads with Revy that they need to inform Yukio that the war is over, but the former reminds him that the whole area will be quarantined by police in thirty minutes. As they head to the Marya Zaleska, a van rushing from their right crashes into them, knocking them off of the motorcycle. Stepping out of the van, Yukio points her pistol at Rock and orders him escort her and Ginji to the Russians' ship. Seeing Revy get up, Ginji warns his boss, who shoots at the motorcycle, setting it on fire. The two yakuza speed off with Rock, prompting Revy to improvise by carjacking a semi-truck. Sitting in the van, Rock sees that Yukio is able to drive and asks her why she is going to Roanapur, acknowledging that he is in the twilight but can see certain things from his position. Seeing that she is not taking him seriously, he frantically tells her that Hotel Moscow has agreed to stop the fighting. Rejecting the idea, Yukio retorts that a promise from Balalaika means nothing, confessing that it is unlikely she will make it to Roanapur but still wants to kill Balalaika. Though Rock asserts that he has no value as a hostage, the ex-student claims she will instead use him as a shield. Meanwhile, Balalaika and Boris return to the Marya Zaleska, with the boss proudly exclaiming that they are heading back to Roanapur.
Behind Yukio's van, Revy speeds up in the semi-truck and forces her onto another road. Seeing that Yukio is stubbornly heading for the port's edge, Rock turns the wheel to force her to swerve away from the water. Exiting the vehicle, Revy yells to Rock that the ex-student is already the walking dead like themselves. Stating that she heard the Kōsa Council has dissolved due to an internal dispute, Yukio nonetheless asserts that she must get revenge on the person who betrayed and slaughtered Tsugio Bandō. Hearing her talk about honor, Rock retorts that there is no duty she has to bound herself to. Staring ahead, Yukio permits Ginji to duel with Revy. The two begin to fight, and Ginji manages to cut one of Revy's bullets and dodge the others, though she manages to graze his right cheek. Smirking, Ginji jokes that he should not have brought his boss to the fight, grinning and stating that they are all the same. With a gloomy expression, Rock admits he thought Yukio would have chosen the option to leave the criminal underworld, analyzing that she struggled against being absorbed into the night. Nonchalantly, Yukio replies that opening up a shop with Ginji is a mere fever dream, causing Rock to ask where the real her is.
Nearby, Ginji cuts one of Revy's pistols apart and kicks her to the ground. As he charges and prepares to make a downward swing, Yukio recalls that she often wondered about what her normal life would be like if she did not already cast her dice. Hearing her, Ginji is suddenly reminded of her comment about how she wished their life in Takamachi would last forever, making him hesitate briefly. As he stabs his sword into Revy's right leg, the gunslinger fatally shoots him once, shocking him. Smirking, Revy retorts that Ginji was too late, and he falls down dead as he mutters that he truly messed up. Completely shocked, Yukio remains silent and drops her gun, and Rock runs to aid Revy. As he tends to her wound, the gunslinger comments that the real bullet which defeated Ginji was the words that Rock made Yukio say. Advising her to be ready, Rock pulls out the sword from her leg and decides to rewrap the makeshift bandage. Grabbing Ginji's sword, the saddened Yukio looks at the swordsman's dead body and wonders why it ended like so. Rock only tells her that she was too smart to fool herself. Hearing her claim that eleven people were killed under her orders since she became the Washimine Group head, Rock consoles her by stating that Roanapur is full of people who live like that.
Believing that the land is too far away after she finally woke up, Yukio puts the sword to her own throat and apologizes for all of the trouble she has supposedly caused. Worried, Revy angrily warns Rock to look away since it will scar him, but he watches in disgust as Yukio stab her own throat, killing herself. Later, in Roanapur at the Lagoon Company office, Dutch receives a call from Rock and jokes that it feels like thousands of years since he saw him. He asks how he enjoyed the fake Chinese-Canadian passport, but Rock only asks him if he is familiar with the person who said the quote about humans being like dice. Recognizing the source as Jean-Paul Sartre, Dutch mentions that he prefers another quote about shooting the person who tries to put five eggs into three baskets. He informs the ex-salaryman that there is work waiting for him when he comes back, clarifying that it involves shipping guns to Tsanwi by the day after tomorrow. Ending the call, Rock then hears Revy tell him that their flight is ready.
In a post-credits scene, at night in the bay, Rock sits on Black Lagoon's deck. Benny comes by and gives him a letter from Balalaika containing a photograph of the deceased Yukio with a red X over her picture. Also looking at the city, Benny remarks that Roanapur is not too bad of a place. Standing up, Rock agrees and affirms that he plans to watch everything that occurs in the city from the twilight. Inside the Rip-Off Church chapel, Eda asks Revy how Japan was and tells her to confess if she had sexual intercourse with Rock. When the frustrated Revy refuses to answer, the nun heartily laughs and jokes that she should just die, causing Revy to pull out her Sword Cutlass and proclaim that villains like herself do not die so easily.
Characters and cast[]
- Rokurō "Rock" Okajima — Daisuke Namikawa (Japanese), Brad Swaile (English)
- Revy — Megumi Toyoguchi (Japanese), Maryke Hendrikse (English)
- Dutch — Tsutomu Isobe (Japanese), Dean Redman (English)
- Benny — Hiroaki Hirata (Japanese), Brian Drummond (English)
- Balalaika — Mami Koyama (Japanese), Patricia Drake (English)
- Boris — Taiten Kusunoki (Japanese), Mark Acheson (English)
- Ginji Matsuzaki — Kiyoyuki Yanada (Japanese), Michael Adamthwaite (English)
- Yukio Washimine — Houko Kuwashima (Japanese), Lalainia Lindbjerg (English)
- Masami Kōsa — Masahiko Tanaka (Japanese), Andrew Kavadas (English)
- Morozumi — Masayuki Nakata (Japanese), Paul Dobson (English)
- Yasuzawa — Yōsuke Akimoto (Japanese), Mark Oliver (English)
- Ishiguro — Fumihiko Tachiki (Japanese), Ted Cole (English)
- Kouno — Kōsuke Meguro (Japanese), Eli Gabay (English)
- V.N. Valizhinov — Yūichi Nakamura (Japanese), Paul Dobson (English)
- Eda — Jun Karasawa (Japanese), Lisa Ann Beley (English)
- Polanski — Non-speaking role
- Jodorowsky — Non-speaking role
- Lazar — Non-speaking role
- Rabochek — Non-speaking role
- Daniil — Non-speaking role
- Eugene — Non-speaking role
Songs used[]
- Ginji in Yukio's house at night — Tear Drops to Earth
- Balalaika asks Masami Kōsa for his bodyguard's gun — The Way to Last Night
- Ginji and Revy begin fighting — Unreleased #1 (slow bassline)
- Ginji and Revy continue fighting — Don't Stop! (guitar version)
- Yukio grabs Ginji's sword, kills herself — Don't Look Behind (requiem version)
- Ending Theme — Peach Headz Addiction (by Breath Frequency)
Differences from the manga[]
- The scene between Yukio and Ginji at their house talking differs by medium. In the anime, Ginji was about to leave to confront more Russians when he notices that the pajama-clad Yukio is awake, and she promises to go with him even to Roanapur. Yukio's desire to start their gang anew in Roanapur is also anime-exclusive. In the manga, Yukio is in her school clothes and the conversation involves Ginji saying that he will follow Yukio's next decision despite the Washimine Group's low number of members. Furthermore, the second conversation at the house in Chapter 36 where Yukio is dressed in a kimono and Ginji expresses his reluctance to follow her order to confront Rock is only in the manga.
- In the manga when the police officers begin to demand answers from the two Russians, Balalaika and Boris converse in Russian as they go past the blockade and when they talk to the police. In the anime, Balalaika and Boris converse in Japanese.
- The brief part where Ishiguro calls for a police dispatcher and Kouno advises that they make a sketch of Balalaika and find her Japanese contacts is anime-only.
- The duel between Revy and Ginji has several differences. In the manga, Revy and Rock wait at a shrine to meet with Yukio and Ginji, who both show up dressed in a kimono after Rock called Yukio on the phone to tell her that Hotel Moscow has stopped the fighting. In the anime, Yukio and Ginji use their van to crash Revy's motorcycle and kidnap Rock, causing Revy to chase after them using a stolen semi-truck, eventually confronting them at the harbor. In the anime, Revy and Ginji's duel takes place at the seaport, whereas in the manga the duel occurs at the shrine.
- The scene of Balalaika and Boris returning to the Marya Zaleska is exclusive to the anime adaptation.
- In the manga, Rock walks past a "welcome to Japan" film screening at the airport at the arc's end and says he wants to "return home" (to Roanapur), but this scene was not included in the anime.
- Balalaika sending a photo of Yukio Washimine to Rock, as well as Benny talking to him at the end of the episode, is only in the anime.
- Revy pointing her gun at Eda when the nun teases Revy about whether or not she and Rock had sexual intercourse is anime-exclusive.
Trivia[]
- Unlike the rest of the series, this episode opens with a cold open rather than the opening theme "Red Fraction."
- As with the previous episode, the Cyrillic script on Balalaika's ship is a typo, as the ship's name "Мария Залеска" is misspelled as "Мария Зейрска."