During the investigation of recent hollers in the Complete Monster thread, it's become apparent to the staff that an insular, unfriendly culture has evolved in the Complete Monster and Magnificent Bastard threads that is causing problems.
Specific issues include:
- Overzealous hollers on tropers who come into the threads without being familiar with all the rules and traditions of the tropes. And when they are familiar with said rules and traditions, they get accused (with little evidence) of being ban evaders.
- A few tropers in the thread habitually engage in snotty, impolite mini-modding. There are also regular complaints about excessive, offtopic "socializing" posts.
- Many many thread regulars barely post/edit anywhere else, making the threads look like they are divorced from the rest of TV Tropes.
- Following that, there are often complaints about the threads and their regulars violating wiki rules, such as on indexing, crosswicking, example context and example categorization. Some folks are working on resolving the issues, but...
- Often moderator action against thread regulars leads to a lot of participants suddenly showing up in the moderation threads to protest and speak on their behalf, like a clique.
It is not a super high level problem, but it has been going on for years and we cannot ignore it any longer. There will be a thread in Wiki Talk
to discuss the problem; in the meantime there is a moratorium on further Complete Monster and Magnificent Bastard example discussion until we have gotten this sorted out.
Update: The new threads have been made and can be found here:
for the earliest date a work can be discussed, (usually two weeks from the US release), as well as who's reserved discussion.
- Why do a cleanup?: This trope definitely exists and has a well documented history of use. That being said, it frequently gets misused to a character who meets one of the components, namely that they are smart, charming while not necessarily even being a villain, or create good plans. While these are components, there is also a certain personality required, not to mention that all of the above are required to be present for a character to be a true Magnificent Bastard. As the trope attracts interest, it unfortunately brings in a lot of misuse and I thought the best way to rectify this would be a Perpetual Cleanup Thread, as is being done and has seen success with Complete Monster.
- What makes a Magnificent Bastard: Below is a list of the individual components to make this character. Note that they must all be present, not just some, which has lead to frequent misuse:
- Must be intelligent: Goes without saying, to be a Magnificent Bastard, the character has to be smart in the first place and use their brain to work towards whatever their end goal may be;
- Must be a Bastard: While going overboard in how vile the character is can be detrimental, a key aspect is the Bastard part of the trope, whether the character is an out-and-out antagonist in the work, some manner of Villain Protagonist, or something in between, they at least have some unscrupulous qualities to qualify for this trope;
- Must not be too detestable: Again, there is a ceiling on how bad the character can be before they just become too nefarious, blocking out the Magnificent part of the trope. A genocidal racist or child-raping Sadist aren't going to make the cut;
- Think on their feet: In addition to being a Chessmaster, a Magnificent Bastard, if the character deals with situations in which their initial plan is ruined, has to be able to pull a Xanatos Speed Chess and at least come up with a competent strategy to make up for lost time, otherwise they fail for being unable to think in tough spots;
- Have charm: Even if they don't necessarily make every character they meet fall in love with them and can even be detested by others, the audience has to find an amicable social relation to the character, or they are failing to make the impact required for this trope.
- What to do if a character is listed on a page but has not been approved?: They need to be removed, all candidates need to come through the cleanup thread first. The character could well count but they need to be analyzed properly and voted on first.
- Do we list Playing With this trope?: No; as a YMMV trope, this cannot be Played With, so we only want examples that are Played Straight.
- What do I do if I want a character to be listed as a Magnificent Bastard?: The greatest success Complete Monster saw for its cleanup effort was from the invention of the effort post format, so, borrowing from that, a troper wishing to propose a Magnificent Bastard will create such a post in the following format:
- Begin by describing The work, this will help establish the setting the character is in and for the reader to understand what kind of a scenario they are in;
- Summarize The character's actions, this will provide a listing for readers to understand what they do and how it applies to this trope because charm and lack of smugness are so crucial, this is a good time to be incorporating exactly the flavor of how they operate to explain this;
- List circumstances in which the character must Think on their feet, these are times where a wrench might be thrown in their initial plan and they have to adapt on the spot or even come up with a new scheme all together, this is also a good time to explain how the villain reacts to defeat when they have to face it, a true Magnificent Bastard won't break down into tears at the thought of death, they should have known such a possibility could occur and be able to handle it with more dignity;
- The competition, similar to the Heinous Standard dealt with for a Complete Monster, this section is to deal with how successful the character is in carrying out their plans compared to other characters. While, as a villain, they probably are going to lose in the end, it is good to explain how other characters handle the same situation. There is no exceptionalism case to be made for this trope but explaining the variety helps the reader have a better understanding of the proposal.
- How do you know when the character's arc is done so they can be proposed? When their tenure as a villain or antagonist finishes. This could happen in a single Story Arc in an entire work, a single work of a franchise, or the whole series in general. We'll show lenience to Long-Runners with constantly recurring candidates or series with outstanding continuities (ex. comic books), and it's entirely possible to count in a work or two but not in general for a reason like Depending on the Writer.
- What about candidates evil because of external sources? Those Made of Evil can qualify if they show enough individuality and tactical acumen — in other words, they have the personality to fulfill the magnificence requirement. Conversely, those brainwashed, especially if they're a better person without it, may fail the individuality aspect and cannot count.
- What if they are under orders from a higher-up? Depends. If the boss created the plans down to the letter and the candidate is just following them, sounds like we should discuss the boss instead. However, if the candidate takes creative liberties with the orders, adds their own charm and flair to them, fills in holes in the orders, and/or actively deals with obstacles their boss did not talk about, the candidate shows enough individual thinking to qualify.
- What about Character Development? An MB is something a character can develop into... a nice person who plots well might become more morally gray as the work goes on and hits the "Bastard" criteria, thus making them viable. Likewise, a Smug Snake might shed their ego, become more understanding of the threat others pose and gain the personality or "Magnificent" criteria, likewise making them viable. Conversely, a character who looks like this trope might suffer from a Sanity Slippage or just get outed as not being as smart as they thought they were and become incompatible with MB.
- Can an MB be a good guy? Not in the conventional sense... it is required they have at least some dubious traits lest they fail the "Bastard" criteria. That being said, a character who pulls a Heel–Face Turn or eventually stops taking villainous actions is still fair game: as there was a point in time where they were both "Magnificent" and a "Bastard" at the same time and they've merely adapted as time goes on. Now... if such a character begins showing other issues (i.e.: becomes prone to freak outs or starts getting outwitted) then they're compromising their Magnificence and will probably be deemed a cut. What's important is stylishly operating while at least for some time being willing to take at best underhanded methods to see a job done. A Heel–Face Turn in itself isn't a disqualifier but they do have to have been "Magnificent" and a "Bastard" at the same time and afterwards can't start slipping on the former front.
- What about characters whose stories can take different routes?: When proposing a character in a form of media that has them in multiple story routes. Said character must be consistent with their characteristics in all routes. (ex.: Can't have an example who shows promise on one route yet fails in another.) The only exception is if a later installment of the series confirms the character's actions which made them worth proposing are the canon route.
- Is there a timeframe rule like with Complete Monster?: Yes, please wait two weeks until after the work has concluded before proposing a character (again, usually using the North American air date). As is the case with CM, we want to give a reasonable time frame so that everyone interested in seeing the work has done so and can participate in the discussion without having anything spoiled.
- What about groups like with Complete Monster?: This is a point of divergence between the two tropes. While CM does not allow for a single entry encompassing more than three characters lest their heinousness for crimes becomes too watered down, with MB as long as they are treated as one "unit" it is acceptable to lump all characters provided they share acts of charm and intelligence.
- Can I propose my own work's character as a Magnificent Bastard?: No, this is a YMMV subject and the creator of a content is way too biased to be able to evaluate the criteria we're looking for without a second opinion taking over. That being said, you are more than welcome to encourage someone to consume your creation and if they feel a character counts, are more than welcome to suggest them.
- My example/edit has been approved, but the example subpage is locked! How do I get it added?: The moderators do not add examples to locked example subpages in the MagnificentBastard/ namespace directly. Rather, you need to do the edit to a sandbox page that follows the format Sandbox.MagnificentBastard<Name of the example subpage> (e.g for MagnificentBastard.Fullmetal Alchemist it's Sandbox.Magnificent Bastard Fullmetal Alchemist) and on a Friday, ask in the locked pages edit requests thread for the content to be swapped in.
Thread rules
When voting a troper must specify the effort post they're voting on and cannot merely vote on "Everything I missed" as in the past it has indicated the poster didn't read the effort post and is guessing instead of analyzing.
Resolved items
In general, a character listed on this trope is considered "settled". This means they should not be challenged unless information used to list them was incorrect or information was missed in the initial discussion.
However, when re-litigating a candidate, the same rules apply for when they were originally proposed. If they do not have five or more upvotes than downvotes for approval upon a re-litigation, including votes from the initial discussion if they do not change, then they are a cut.
This especially applies to the characters listed below, who have been discussed excessively and repeated attempts to get them listed/cut may result in punitive action for bogging down the thread.
Definitely an MB
- Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers: Any sadism Darkrai displays is limited in effect thanks to the game's nature and any cowardice which can be inferred about him is Alternative Character Interpretation about his tactical retreats.
- Avatar: The Last Airbender: Azula's Villainous Breakdown is undone in the sequel comic Smoke & Shadow where she regains her composure and ends up stable and in control enough to count.
Definitely not an MB
- South Park: The show's frequent use of vulgar comedy and mean-spirited humor leaves any potential candidates devoid of the dignity or charm to qualify.
Edited by GastonRabbit on Aug 31st 2023 at 4:15:22 AM
Me in a nutshell (Coping with Depression)
Yes to Balalaika
Oh! And just a bit of a note...Like I said in CM cleanup thread...I finished an anime called Saredo Tsumibito wa Ryou to Odoru. And I have something to say about it. PM me to know who counts as an MB or not.
"Making screw-ups and mistakes was I ever really good at. Because everything I touch went to hell."
One of the easiest upvotes so far
An easy, easy ![[tup]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Thumbs_up_emoticon_3268.png "[thumb up]"){kind=small}
to Balalaika. She is so goddamn cool.
Shin Megami Tensei IV
Balalaika. I expected this, wondering when someone will brought her. I haven't see the series at all but she had quite a reputation.
You make it sound like if the scars made her look ugly. She certainly isn't.
edited 21st Jun '18 9:16:53 PM by KazuyaProta
Watch me destroying my country
They sure make her look intimidating.
Shin Megami Tensei IV
For the pics? Yeah, but being intimidating not necessarily kill the charm, in several cases here, it just enhances it.
Just a nitpick mind you. She is still a keeper.
...heh, I saw a Rei Hiroe anime and...eh, no qualifiers from there.
Watch me destroying my country
Definite to Balalaika!
edited 21st Jun '18 9:51:37 PM by G-Editor
Goku Black
to Balalaika
Oh well I think Ghandolf posed an interesting question. Can a MB count if there magnificence is shown mostly posthumously ?
edited 22nd Jun '18 8:38:43 AM by miraculous
"That's right mortal. By channeling my divine rage into power, I have forged a new instrument in which to destroy you."
Yes, it’s case by case but if someone dies yet their machinations persist that’s a great point of magnificence.
Goku Black
Found this on Fu Manchu
- Magnificent Bastard: Fu is a charismatic and brilliant chessmaster who almost always gets away with some benefit even if the heroes stopped his scheme of the week.
Yes, absolutely yes. A quintessential example that might actually be enhanced by the writer's blatant racism as Fu is intelligent, charismatic, and possesses numerous qualities, making him a more admirable character than Rohmer actually probably intended.
RIP Toriyama
A handy Yes to Balalaika.
Now, I know everyone's expecting my Thrawn post ASAP, soooooo....I wanted to ask a question that will assist in his coming proposal:
Would anyone mind terribly if I MAINLY focused on his character in the original Thrawn trilogy? He appears in a few other works, namely Outbound Flight and other one-shots, and I've read them all but honestly....the Thrawn trilogy is where he REALLY stands out, as we all know, and nothing in his other appearances disqualify him or anything. They only slightly enhance the character he already was in the Thrawn trilogy.
I've got no problems doing his ENTIRE character, but honestly, the proposal will both come WAY quicker if I stick to the Thrawn trilogy, and will be far more condensed. It's all up to you folks, cause I'm fine with either, just would prefer only having to stick with the Thrawn trilogy.
(And as an aside, with thanks to Lighty for pointing me in the direction fully again, I'll likely be doing a couple Jojo's Bizarre Adventure proposals in the near future, so stay tuuuuuuned)
edited 22nd Jun '18 10:59:04 AM by Ravok
Tonight I dine on monkey soup.
i have no objection. I know Thrawn very well and can confirm that nothing happens to remove his status in any subsequent work. BUT...
should we do two separate Thrawns? One from Legends, one from Canon?
Welcome back on this side too Ravok! Thrawn’s EP is pretty well a formality and only happening because it sounded like you were having fun with it so I’ll let you focus on whatever you see fit.
RIP Toriyama
Yeah, I'll be doing separate proposals for Canon and Legends Thrawn. Only reason I haven't done Canon Thrawn yet is because his latest book is coming out in under a month, and I wanted to wait on that before proposing Canon Thrawn.
UNLESS someone else would like to handle Canon Thrawn. Just keep in mind that he appears in novels AND Rebels.
edited 22nd Jun '18 11:06:21 AM by Ravok
Tonight I dine on monkey soup.
Goku Black
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
I think two ep's might be a good idea. One from the thawn trioogy (legends) and another for Star Wars Rebels (Canon). I feel they have distiinct enough actions to warrant separate entries.
Edit; ![[nja]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/user_ninja_2074.png "[nja]"){kind=small}
by Ravok
edited 22nd Jun '18 11:04:51 AM by miraculous
"That's right mortal. By channeling my divine rage into power, I have forged a new instrument in which to destroy you."
Shin Megami Tensei IV
Dont forget the books in the Canon EU.
Also, Abstain on Fu Manchu, but I am leaning Keep.
edited 22nd Jun '18 2:00:08 PM by KazuyaProta
Watch me destroying my country
RIP Toriyama
Alrighty, you folks asked for it, you wanted it, you....I dunno, "demanded" it, maybe?
So here it is....the proposal that didn't even really need a proposal!
Who is he?
Mitth'raw'nuruodo, better know to all and sunder as Thrawn.
A member of the blue-skinned, red-eyed race known as the Chiss, Thrawn was once a high-ranking officer of the Chiss Ascendancy military group, however, by the time of the Thrawn Trilogy, composed of Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command, he has been recruited by the Empire.
Thrawn clawed his way to the esteemed position of Grand Admiral over the years, and was sent into the uncharted 'Unknown Regions' by Palpatine himself to discover any looking threats to his Empire or any new potential for power.
By the time Thrawn prepared to return....Palpatine and Vader were dead, the Empire dismantled, and the Republic now reformed. Most imperial officers surrendered, fled, or died in insane suicide attacks.
Most does not include Grand Admiral Thrawn.
What makes Thrawn an MB candidate?
Thrawn is introduced recobbling the Imperial remnants back to something of a combined front. Setting up new training regimes to ensure that even the most junior officers receive the best of the training, Thrawn heads the flagship Chimeara alongside his second-in-command, Captain Pallaeon.
Having taken control of a secret monitoring system called Delta Source in the New Republic's Capital, Thrawn listens in on his new opponents' meetings and subtly begins using the info to start turning the New Republic against itself, setting up events so that the brilliant Admiral Ackbar is framed for treason and is hindered from assisting in the war effort against the regrowing Empire
In just one instance of Thrawn's brilliance, he was ambushed by a New Republic squadron that outgunned him at nearly every turn....however, as Thrawn realized the commander of the fleet assaulting him was a member of the race the Elomin, he instantly turned the tide in his favor and decimated the fleet within an hour. How? Simple, he knew that Eloms have a psychological obstacle of trying to constantly find patterns and order in things, so Thrawn utilized an insane blitz attack, uncoordinated and speedy. How did Thrawn know THIS? He studied Elomin art.
Yes indeed, Grand Admiral Thrawn can understand entire psychology of species just from their artwork. He spends hours in his chambers, pouring over every detail, every little intricacy of a race's art and culture, and is able to pick up on their psychology, strategies, and ways of life from these.
Next, Thrawn travels to the Emperor's former storehouse of treasures in Mount Tantiss, where he comes across one insane Jedi Master clone, a Joruus C'Baoth. And though C'Baoth tries to murder them, Thrawb reveals he came prepared, as he has harvested several dozen members of the strange, slug-like species the Ysalamir, and begun carrying them around on his shoulders. And the thing about Ysalamir is that....they repel the Force.
And so, using the Ysalamir, Thrawn enables himself to have a conversation with C'Baoth....who he convinces to assist him in exchange for bringing Luke and Leia Skywalker to him, knowing that Leia is pregnant with unborn twins, so that C'Baoth mat have "new students" for his insane ideas for creating a new Jedi Order.
Using the technology found in Mount Tantiss, Thrawn begins mass-cloning the best of his Imperial forces into a giant army, and though the cloning process, utilizing the Force, normally drives the clones insane, Thrawn uses the Ysalamir to repel the Force from the clones, thereby making them high-functioning as he wished.
During an attempt at capturing Luke, one of Thrawn's soldiers fails to complete the capture Luke with a tractor beam, and, when Thrawn confronts him on it, the man makes excuses and blames his commanding officer. Thrawn promptly has the soldier executed, not solely for FAILURE, but for not admitting his mistake.
"Do you know the difference between an error and a mistake? Anyone can make an error. But that error doesn't become a mistake until you refuse to correct it."
Later orchestrating an attack on Sluis Van shipyard, Thrawn masterfully draws New Republic forces away from the shipyard so as to enable him to loot and steal several ships before being driven off by the New Republic....and though his plans for more ships are foiled, Thrawn surprises Pallaeon by commenting that he has no plans to fly into a rage and lead some suicide strike due to losing. It's a mere battle in the greater war, one that the Empire can stand to lose for now.
Attempting to keep C'baoth under his sway so that the cloned Jedi could use his "Battle Meditation" ability to continue assisting the Empire, Thrawn continuously tries to have Leia kidnapped to sate C'baoth, using the race known as the Noghri to assist in this regard. Thrawn keeps the Noghri—one of which is his body guard Rukh—under his control by claiming he is assisting them in cleaning up their homeworld or poisonous pollution....when in actuality, he's ensuring the pollution continues to keep them servile.
Later discovering the location of an entire armada of 200 Dreadnaught ships, Thrawn manipulates numerous people into gaining their location, and quickly begins retrieving them all, obtaining nearly the entire fleet before the New Republic can even think to strike out and stop him.
Using his new fleet to begin turning the tide in the Empire's favor, Thrawn also starts hunting down Talon Karrde, a smuggler who he once had a shaky alliance with, for betraying him. Thrawn expertly plants a mole in Karrde's operations, and attempts to completely dismantle it from the inside, actually succeeding in capturing Karrde before the incompetence of his own soldiers coupled with the unexpected arrival of Luke enables the man's escape.
Finally, Thrawn begins his plan to attack the New Republic's core worlds....starting by taking the capital world of Coruscant out of commission.
Using nothing but a handful of asteroids, Thrawn tricks the planet into believing he has an entire bombardment incoming, and thereby forces them to raise their planetary shields, planning to basically trick them into blockading themselves in their own planet until they surrender so as to avoid the bombardment.....which is actually just a bunch of asteroids.
As Thrawn begins moving with his fleet to dominate the New Republic's systems, he easily and swiftly takes over each world he comes across, all while suppressing C'baoth's growing aggression and insanity.
Securing nearly half the galaxy in the Empire's name once again, Thrawn shows zero signs of his conquest being thwarted, having for all intents and purposes won.... unfortunately, at that exact time, Leia finally convinced the Noghri race that they've been deceived by the Empire, and, in the literal SECOND that Thrawn realizes this, his Noghri bodyguard Rukh fatally stabs the man in the chest for what he did to the Noghri. And even as Thrawn sits in his seat, a calm smile on his face, he replies to Rukh's proclamations of having gained his revenge with a simple "But...it was so artistically done..." before slumping over and dying in his command chair.
With Thrawn gone, the Empire rather quickly begins falling apart, and Captain Pallaeon is forced to surrender and offer a truce with the New Republic.
Even in death, Thrawn almost gained the upper hand once more, of course, as he left behind a clone of himself that would have restarted the entire ordeal again had it not been thwarted before fully constituting itself.
Is Thrawn a Chessmaster? Manipulative bastard? Capable of Xanatos Speed Chess?
Hell. To. The. Yes. Absolutely, no questions asked, Thrawn is all of these and much, much, MUCH more.
Thrawn is capable of keeping C'baoth, an insane lunatic with a god complex, under control until the man's insanity literally breaks his brain, thus not something Thrawn could have changed. He inspires his troops, makes deals with people who hate him just because he's THAT good at making people see the pragmatism in joining him, and he learns entire species' ways of life and strategies by looking at their ART.
Thrawn was considered a genius by Palpatine himself, and the late Emperor even took advice and assistance from Thrawn in various matters, something....Palpatine just DOESN'T DO. Thrawn is, without hesitation, the most brilliant mind in the Empire, possibly only won out by Palpatine himself, and yet still being an overall more adaptable, charming leader than Palpatine in his prime.
The fact that, even in Palpatine's xenophobic Empire, Thrawn not only got a position, but became a Grand Admiral is evidence in itself that he is brilliant, even by Star Wars standards.
And final thing to note? Thrawn literally only lost because of circumstances out of his control. C'baoth going insane and being unable to help him couldn't have been stopped, and Leia turning the Noghri against him was a highly, HIGHLY unlikely event that only happened due to a hell of a bunch of coincidences.
How much of a Bastard is he? Is he charming both in-universe and out? Does he have any positive features about him worthy of respect?
Despite what some fans might try to paint him as? Thrawn is a bad, evil man. He kills subordinates, he commits mass murder, his entire scheme is to reassert dominance of the Empire over the galaxy, and what he does to the Noghri is particularly notable in its cruelty.
However....even with that in mind? Thrawn is downright tame compared to many Imperial figures, with the likes of Tarkin, Palpatine, and even Vader himself eclipsing Thrawn in villainy, and even amongst his evil, Thrawn is an EXTREMELY respectable man. He's smart, he's charming, he has a dry wit about him, he dies accepting that he's been outdone with a smile on his face, and he's a Benevolent Boss compared to most Imperials. His goal to take over the Galaxy also has some well-intentioned leanings, as he wants to be able to stand against the coming invasion of the Yuuzhan Vong.
Put it this way: If you had to tell your child to look up to one Imperial leader, Thrawn should be your choice every single time! ![[lol]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lol2v12_4863.png "[lol]"){kind=small}
Final Verdict?
It's a formality, it's unnecessary, it's totally predictable.....but I'm still gonna say that Thrawn is the easiest Keep the Star Wars franchise could give us IMO. Easy, easy Keep, and honestly one of the quintessential examples.
Siiiigh.....we could have had this movie trilogy.....could have.... should have....would have. T_T
Tonight I dine on monkey soup.
Goku Black
Thawn
Though I'm more familiar with his awesome Canon self rather his just as cool sounding legends counterpart.
edited 22nd Jun '18 3:06:30 PM by miraculous
"That's right mortal. By channeling my divine rage into power, I have forged a new instrument in which to destroy you."
A handy to Thrawn. That's two characters I really love upvoted in a row. I'm having a nice week.
for Thrawn. Textbook example.
Fuck yeah to Thrawn! I know he’s one of the quintessential examples but thank you for the EP simply because it was fun to read 
Me in a nutshell (Coping with Depression)
Yes to Thrawn
Oh and since you're back Ravok...Wanna ask about something. Do you think that Father Gines from Yesterday:Origins counts or not? Seeing the gameplay, I have a bit of a feeling that Gines counts but I'm not sure
edited 22nd Jun '18 4:58:49 PM by ElfenLiedFan90
"Making screw-ups and mistakes was I ever really good at. Because everything I touch went to hell."
Yes yes yes 100% to Thrawn no doubt about it whatsoever! The absolute quisential magnificent bastard that defines a magnificent bastard!
Okay, new EP
What's the work?
Black Lagoon is a manga by Rei Hiroe, adapted into an anime. It's known for its amazing action, its superlative dub, its excellent animation and a very unique cast. Rokuro Okajima is a Japanese salaryman who is sent to the South China sea where he is abducted by the Lagoon Company. A trio of mercenaries, including the ruthless, Ax-Crazy Revy...He becomes 'Rock', navigating the war underworld of the city Roanpur...a den of crime, vice and villainy. The place is owned by four crime factions: the Italian mafia, the Colombian cartel, the Chinese Triads....and the Russian mob, Hotel Moscow. Led by the one, the only....Balalaika. Who is Balalaika?
Sofiya Irininskaya Pavlovna was a girl of a disgraced well-to-do Soviet family who became an Olympic tier marksman who hoped to compete in the Olympics to help regain her father's honor.....the Soviets boycotted the Olympics that year. Sofiya joined the army, becoming a Kapitan to a unit of elite troops in Afghanistan. She earned the name Balalaika after the slang for her rifle. She was also captured and tortured horribly by the Aghan forces, leaving her with horrific burn scars all over her body. But after this, she managed to go home...only to receive no thanks from the Soviet Union. She and her men were abandoned and discarded. Sofiya Pavlovna was gone and only Balalaika remained. Shunned by the nation she gave everything for, she turned to a life of crime, forming Hotel Moscow with her former soldiers as her elites.
Now, in season 1, Balalaika gives the Lagoon Company a lot of jobs...but at the end of the day, she dominates Roanpur with an iron fist. The only one who might be able to oppose her for sheer skill is Chang, leader of the Sun Yi On Triads, who once managed to duel Balalaika to a standstill. But Balalaika largely remains in a mission control role except a few times when she steps down to simply destroy those who thought they could get the better of her. One guy, Chen? She leaves him tied to plastic explosives as she just enjoys the fireworks with a distance.
Now, Verrocchio, the head of the Italian mob? He opts to destroy Hotel Moscow, bringing in a pair of creepy Romanian killers. The twins, Hansel and Gretel...a pair of children abused in snuff films until they existed only to kill others. Two of Balalaika's beloved soldiers are killed by them, prompting her to go all out. She finds out everything about them, and uses herself as bait to lure Hansel out with a sniper handy. Hansel is shot through the arm and leg, left to bleed out as Balalaika watches, delivering a cold, breaking speech.
In the next arc, Balalaika is assisting the rest of the Russian mob with negotiations with the Yakuza in Japan...however, Balalaika decides to assist the weakening Washimine clan with dealing with their rivals, the Kosa clan....however, Balalaika sees this as a chance to gain the war she badly craves, She proceeds to treat it like a battlefield, bombing the Kosa clan's cars, enacting public executions in a way to provoke a much worse war. One of the Washinime underbosses tries to assassinate Balalaika, who overpowers him effortlessly and calmly explains that her only desires are destruction and domination. "I'm only interested in seeing how I can dance in the pits of hell when it's all over. See ya there one day" before executing him with a neck snap, never even raising her voice.
Balalaika treats it as war with the Washimine, and even acknowledges their young, untried leader, a young woman named Yukio as an opponent...this leads to her steadily destroying them, outplaying them at every turn, much to Rock's horror. When he begs her to reconsider, Balalaika calmly slams him onto a car, draws a gun and icily deconstructs his and Revy's worldviews, with Revy close to panicking. Balalaika then grows amused by Rock and lets them go...and proceeds to outplay and wipe out the Kosa Clan's leadership. Yukio ends up dying anyways after her beloved and second in command is killed in a duel with Revy, prompting her suicide, but Balalaika? She goes back to Roanpur, having also gotten the annoying Russian mobsters outside her own crew killed, and had a wonderful time with a little mob war. Balalaika returns to Roanpur unchallenged and supreme, where she's remained since.
I she charming? Charismatic? A good thinker?
Yes, yes, and yes. For a woman with disfiguring burn scars all over her, Balalaika just exudes charm and pleasantness. She switches between cold and austere and friendly and charming based on the circumstance, with an undeniable air of menace to everything she does. Balalaika is incredibly charismatic, too, which she demonstrates with an amazing speech to her soldiers after Hansel and Gretel murder two of their number. In essence, she says Sacharov and Menschov were irreplaceable comrades and their killers will fucking pay...Balalaika is able to deliver breaking speeches like nobody's business.She coldly deconstructs Hansel's insane worldview, she throws Rock's ideals back at him, and her speech to Banjo, the Washimine would-be assassin is nothing but awesomely chilling.
As a planner? Balalaika is a former military mind and it shows. She plays underworld politics like a pro, her opponents in a mob war have zero chance at all, and she changes plans depending on what'll be more fun than anything else. But she hits every point. She's unbelievably bold and audacious, seeing through almost every scheme against her without even trying.
Is she a bastard? Too much?
Oh, HELL yes. Balalaika is a warmonger, plain and simple. People are terrified of crossing her or they're idiots. The only people who have been shown to fight her on even terms? Chang and maybe, MAYBE Roberta, the battle maid. Balalaika shows what an absolute monster she can be in the Gangster Paradise arc, treating a teenage girl no different than she would a soldier when Yukio steps up against her. She's also, you know, a criminal mob boss and doesn't shy away from the nastiness at times.
That said...her backstory makes her very complex. She's shown to have a conscience. In one flashback, we see her line up a shot of a woman with a child on the warzone...only to switch to take a more difficult shot at an armed man at a further distance. She was genuinely betrayed, thrown away and her ultimate goal now, as she says? She sees herself as 'dead' already, hoping badly to meet one final opponent in a destined battle who can match her, and die remembering who she once was. When she speaks with a former US special forces officer, she has a moment of raw humanity, asking how they "turned out so different" from one another.
She's also very friendly with the Lagoon company, treating Dutch with total respect, and has a friendship with Revy, who refers to her as 'Sis'....that said, revy knows this will NOT save her if they come to blows. When Balalaika holds Rock at gunpoint, Revy is terrified and while she has a gun on Balalaika, Revy notes that the only reason either survive is Balalaika's mercy at the time...that said? Balalaika does like Rock, is highly amused by him and finds him absolutely fascinating after he informs her that doing good deeds is basically his hobby rather than out of any true sense of justice.
Oh, and I can't really escape mentioning that when she kills Hansel? She's ice cold, but it's clear she is emotionally disturbed by it. She shows zero glee at killing what is basically a victim tortured into being a monster, says she just feels exhausted after it, and her most notable trait is her love for her men. They revere her and she treasures them. You hurt them, you pay. Period. When she calls them irreplaceable comrades in arms, she is 100 percent serious.
Conclusion?
Oh, fuck the hell yes she counts.