Dutch (Black Lagoon)

"You just hit a dead end. Seems you were the one destined to dance the cha-cha with some hot lead."

- Dutch to Luak

Dutch is one of the main protagonists of the anime/manga series Black Lagoon, and the leader of the Lagoon Company. He is an ex-U.S. Navy PT boat captain who went AWOL after the Vietnam War and became a mercenary-for-hire. He then recruited Revy, Benny and Rock in that order. He is frequently employed by Balalaika.

He is voiced by Tsutomu Isobe in the Japanese version of the anime and Dean Redman in the English version.

Background
He is said to be a former United States Marine who fought in the Vietnam War. Shortly before the war ended (presumably in 1973), Dutch went AWOL, escaping to Thailand to work as a mercenary and started the Lagoon Company. In the "El Baile de la Muerte" saga in the manga, however, it is suggested by Caxton that Dutch lied about his Vietnam service, which would mean he simply has no past or has a mysterious one, though it is implied that a man as serious as Dutch wouldn't lie without a good reason.

Appearance
He is a heavily muscled African-American, completely bald, wears a flak-jacket, military fatigues, combat boots, and is always seen wearing a pair of sunglasses as his eyes are never shown. He appears to be in his 30s, but is most likely in his 40s, given his apparent military service in Vietnam.

Personality
He tends to stay away from the fighting associated with Lagoon Company's activities. Instead, he gives orders and negotiates contracts with clients, usually Balalaika of Hotel Moscow. However, Dutch is very capable in combat if need be. He is a calm, easygoing character, and most of the time, is quite friendly. He is also displayed as a mentor figure towards Rock. He is a Christian, denomination unknown.

Dutch functions as the leader and primary negotiator of The Lagoon Company. Dutch is incredibly level-headed and is always committed to completing missions, even when those missions may come in contrast with his morals. For instance, in Rasta Blasta, Dutch told Rock to try to maintain as detached from Garcia Lovelace as possible, as to not make himself feel guilty about transporting a child as cargo knowing they were partaking in human trafficking. Dutch represents the most level-head in the group, where Revy overreacts and becomes violent and where Rock and Benny freak out, Dutch remains calm, cool, and collected even in the most dangerous situations. Dutch has the respect of the entire Lagoon company, even being able to keep Revy in check when the situation calls for it, as seen in "Calm Down, Two Men". Dutch also has the respect and admiration of Balalaika for his past services, and for once saving her life years before the start of the series when Balalaika was shot in a duel with Chang, as mentioned in the OVA. Overall, Dutch represents a calm, cool, and collected mercenary who is committed to his missions and commands respect.