Black Lagoon chronicles the exploits of Rokuro “Rock” Okajima, a Japanese salaryman turned reluctant pirate after joining the Lagoon Company in the seedy underworld of Roanapur. The series grapples with themes of unrelenting violence, moral ambiguity, human resilience, and the erosion of innocence in a criminal paradise.
This curated collection of 25 quotes illuminates these elements through pivotal moments, showcasing character evolution across intense battles and rare lulls.
If you cling to life, you live in fear of death
(Episode 5: Eagle Hunting and Hunting Eagles)
Rebecca Lee
Revy imparts her battle-hardened wisdom to Rock, underscoring fear’s paralyzing effect and her own emotional numbness for survival.
Rock, if you think about it, other than this, what do we really value in life? God? Love? Don’t make me laugh
(Episode 9: Lessons in Grave Robbing)
Rebecca Lee
Revy recounts her traumatic past to Rock, rejecting ideals for guns and money, highlighting her cynical worldview and growth through pain.
Justice. I can’t think of another word more loved by the people. It does have a nice ring to it
(Episode 10: Fujiyama Gangsta Paradise)
Sofiya Irene “Balalaika” Pavlov
Balalaika mocks hypocritical justice during a tense standoff, revealing her pragmatic ruthlessness and disdain for self-righteous foes.
People are like dice, a certain Frenchman said that. You throw yourself in the direction of your own choosing
(Episode 24: Snow White’s Payback)
Rokuro Okajima
Rock reflects on free will amid chaos, marking his shift from passive salaryman to active participant in Roanapur’s moral dilemmas.
You’ve got to enjoy life, or else you’ll end up wasting it
(Episode 2: Mangrove Heaven)
Rebecca Lee
In a rare reflective moment post-escape, Revy urges embracing the thrill, contrasting her violent life with fleeting peaceful insights.
Whether we live or die isn’t a big issue. If you focus on being alive, you develop fear
(Episode 5: Eagle Hunting and Hunting Eagles)
Rebecca Lee
Revy explains her fearless combat ethos underwater, emphasizing detachment as key to enduring Roanapur’s brutality.
God’s not at home. He’s on vacation at Vegas
(Episode 11: The Unleashing)
Eda
Eda quips during a heist gone wrong, satirizing faith in a godless world and her opportunistic nun persona.
It’s been 35 years… since this rotten harbor town became a den of vice
(Episode 20: The Vicious Cycle)
Bai Ji-Shin Chang
Chang warns rival gangs of mutual destruction, connecting self-interest to Roanapur’s fragile peace and his strategic leadership.
I’m no saint. A sense of duty, a sense of righteousness – they’re just nuisances in life
(Episode 1: The Black Lagoon)
Rokuro Okajima
Rock admits his moral burdens early on, foreshadowing his internal conflict and adaptation to mercenary ethics.
All they saw in me was another little ghetto rat with no power and no God
(Episode 9: Lessons in Grave Robbing)
Rebecca Lee
Revy vents her street origins to Rock, tying personal trauma to themes of powerlessness and violent redemption.
God is emotional bullsh*t
(Episode 11: The Unleashing)
Rebecca Lee
Revy dismisses divine intervention mid-firefight, reinforcing her atheism born from betrayal and survival instincts.
There’s a noose that hangs at the entrance to the city. It’s a message to be read by all who encounter it
(Episode 1: The Black Lagoon)
Rokuro Okajima
Rock narrates Roanapur’s ominous allure, capturing the series’ atmosphere of inevitable corruption and his wary entry.
What a terrible story. But appropriate for our world. Sometimes I feel like I’m walking over a giant pile of sh*t
(Episode 19: Goat, Jihad, Rock ‘n’ Roll)
Rebecca Lee
Revy comments on a horrific tale, linking morality’s futility to her hardened resolve in a hypocritical society.
My head is still whole, my sunglasses are not broken… Amen, hallelujah, peanut butter
(Episode 2: Mangrove Heaven)
Dutch
Dutch humorously assesses survival after a crash, blending calm leadership with levity in a high-stakes escape.
Don’t try to act the hero, Clerk! What do you know about me?
(Episode 23: Maid Man)
Rebecca Lee
Revy lashes out at Rock during a confrontation, exposing vulnerabilities and their evolving tense partnership.
I am afraid I will have to be discourteous
(Roberta’s Blood Trail OVA Episode 1: Roberta’s Blood Trail)
Rosarita Cisneros
Roberta declares war politely before unleashing fury, highlighting her lethal grace and devotion-driven rage.
Shut up and walk
(Episode 1: The Black Lagoon)
Rebecca Lee
Revy forces Rock into piracy, symbolizing his forced immersion into violence and loss of normalcy.
With no power and no God, what’s left for a poor little Chinese bitch to rely on? It’s money, of course, and guns
(Episode 5: Eagle Hunting and Hunting Eagles)
Rebecca Lee
Revy’s manifesto in the sub reveals her core beliefs, driving her character arc from victim to predator.
You just stepped… on a non-negotiable, big-ass f***ing landmine
(Episode 9: Lessons in Grave Robbing)
Rebecca Lee
Revy threatens Rock over defiance, intensifying their dynamic and themes of control in relationships.
Morality and justice don’t really suit me. Words like that and what comes out of asses are surprisingly similar
(Episode 20: The Vicious Cycle)
Bai Ji-Shin Chang
Chang scoffs at ideals during negotiations, embodying Roanapur’s pragmatic code and his anti-heroic poise.
How about, ‘there’s no excuse for a fool with a gun’?
(Episode 23: Maid Man)
Rokuro Okajima
Rock retorts to Revy’s threat, asserting growth and challenging her gun-centric worldview peacefully.
I thought it was over to kiss the ass of my superiors!… And now I’m at the end of the world’s kissing the ass of a woman?
(Episode 23: Maid Man)
Rokuro Okajima
Rock explodes in frustration, marking his rebellion and adaptation to Roanapur’s power struggles.
Pray. That’s all you can do while you’re still alive
(Episode 3: Ring-Ding Ship Chase)
Sofiya Irene “Balalaika” Pavlov
Balalaika dooms a traitor coldly, exemplifying her iron-fisted rule and the finality of betrayal.
We’ve killed many, many, many, many people. It means we get to live for that much longer
(Episode 15: The Vampire Twins of Warsaw – Part 1)
Hansel
Hansel rationalizes endless killing, delving into the twins’ psychopathic innocence amid horror.
You can’t solve everything with a gun
(Episode 23: Maid Man)
Rokuro Okajima
Rock diverts Revy’s shot, advocating dialogue over violence and his redemptive influence on the crew.
