Frederica Sawyer a.k.a. Sawyer the Cleaner is one of the many notable bounty hunters/mercenaries stationed in the fictional area of Roanapur. On top of that, she is perhaps one of the most interesting and original characters that I have seen in a manga. It is people like Sawyer the Cleaner that make "Black Lagoon" one of the most interesting mangas out in the market. While I am impressed with Sawyer, I still wonder how the concept behind her character was created in the first place.

For those that do not know about Sawyer the Cleaner, the person looks like a girl that looks between the ages of eighteen and twenty-one years old. She looks extremely delicate and petite. In most cases, Sawyer the Cleaner could pass off as a high school student. However, that is very far from the truth. Despite the delicate appearance lies someone who is extremely dangerous for the most part. They call her a cleaner for good reason: she is a cleaner. It is not in the janitorial sense. She is a mercenary, a bounty hunter, and an assassin. Mainly, Sawyer the Cleaner is an assassin whose frequent clients include the Chinese Triads.

She uses her business, which is a meat packing plant, as a front. Sawyer the Cleaner spends most of her time cutting up meat. However, she uses this area to carry out some of the most grotesque executions. With the meat packing plant as a front, Sawyer the Cleaner is actually able to get rid of all the evidence. However, most people know about Sawyer due to her skills. But, they do not know what Sawyer looks like in the first place. She dresses up like a surgeon with full body suit, mask, and goggles when doing her work.

Most people would probably think Sawyer is a male behind that outfit. The actual appearance of Sawyer surprised me for the most part. When out of that outfit, Sawyer is a young female that is dressed like a gothic Lolita. Despite that delicate and petite looking physique, Sawyer the Cleaner is still a force to be reckoned with as she still wields her trusty chainsaw.

However, Sawyer the Cleaner has a major quirk. Due to her throat being split open, Sawyer cannot talk. However, she has to speak through an Ultravoice. In a sense, it kind of makes Sawyer a person that readers would not take seriously at first. As the story progresses, Sawyer reveals to be one of the most dangerous assassins that the main characters they have tangoed with in the story. The chainsaw that Sawyer uses is not for show and she definitely knows how to use it.

The funny part is that while Sawyer the Cleaner looks to be a sadistic and emotionless killer, she is quite emotional. She has one main weakness which adds humor to her character. Should the Ultravoice get knocked away and/or destroyed, Sawyer will drop everything that she is doing and curl up into a fetal position. Overall, Sawyer is perhaps one of the most "colorful" and interesting characters in Black Lagoon.

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