| Koko's Squad | |
|---|---|
 The squad from the Season 2 opening. | |
| Type | Bodyguards |
| Origin | Various |
| Leader | Koko Hekmatyar |
| Manga debut | Chapter 1 |
| Anime debut | Episode 1 |
Koko's Squad is an international team of bodyguards who support and protect Koko Hekmatyar in her arms dealings around the world. They usually accompany her at all times and stay together for mutual protection due to the highly dangerous nature of Koko's work. Practically all of them are ex-military and bring together an eclectic blend of talents and skills. Cross-trained in a variety of firearms, the squad has the support of HCLI in order to freely choose whatever they wish or need to equip themselves with.
Although directed by Koko, the squad is capable of operating independently either in pairs or in small teams. They are largely an easygoing group, but are prepared to kill when necessary. When Koko unleashes them, the squad has exhibited a tendency to relish the prospect of being turned loose, taking on a predatory nature.
Equipment[]
The most notable piece of equipment they used a majority of the time was the LBT-1961A chest rig in Coyote Brown (which was white when they were searching for Minami Amada in the mountains). Unlike Kasper Hekmatyar's smaller bodyguard team, Koko's Squad did not use a standard combat uniform except on certain occasions. They used a variety of individual weapons and sidearms and did not begin using a standard primary weapon and sidearm until much later, going with the Magpul Masada and Sig Sauer SP-2022 after Koko decided on the standardization. However the squad members who also use specialized weapons continue to use them. This includes the snipers, Lehm and Lutz, while Valmet and Ugo also use light machine guns.
History[]
A young Koko with her squad in a flashback in Episode 19.
Originally the squad was composed of three members: Lehm, Chiquita, and Wiley. Valmet and Mao were added following Chiquita's departure to work for Kasper and Ugo was recruited afterwards. When Echo joined the squad is not clear. It is implied that he and Wiley were recruited by Koko after they went to see how Lehm was faring with her but this was not shown in the manga. After Echo became the first member to be killed in action, R succeeded him, ironically later became the second member to die in the line of duty. Tojo worked for Kasper before joining the squad and it is implied that Lutz was the junior member before Jonah's arrival.
With the exceptions of Lutz and Ugo and possibly Chiquita, whose background remains a mystery, the rest of the squad members are all former military personnel.
Roster[]
Current members[]
| Member | Origin | Background | Description |
| Koko Hekmatyar | Born at sea, no home country. | Daughter of a global shipping magnate. | Squad leader. Has had bodyguards since she was younger. |
| Jonah | Certain West Asian country | Mountain Division | The youngest and newest member of the squad and only member to leave and later rejoin. |
| Lehm | United States | Delta Force | One of the earliest members of the squad. Second in command and functions as the squad's secondary sniper. |
| Lutz | Germany | SWAT (manga); GSG-9 (anime) | The squad's primary sniper. |
| Mao | Asia | Unnamed Asian army | Former artillery officer. |
| Tojo | Japan | SR Unit | Worked for Kasper before joining Koko. The squad's intelligence specialist. |
| Ugo | Italy | Mafia driver | The squad's top driver. |
| Valmet | Finland | Finnish Rapid Deployment Force | The only other female member and a master of knife fighting and close combat. |
| Wiley | United States | 20th Engineer Brigade | One of the earliest members of the squad. An expert in all types of explosives. |
Former members[]
| Member | Origin | Background | Description |
| Chiquita | Unknown | Unknown | One of the earliest members of the squad. Now the leader of Kasper Hekmatyar's bodyguards. |
| Echo† | United States | Delta Force | One of the earlier members of the squad and the first to be killed in action. |
| R† | Italy | Bersaglieri | Secretly a CIA mole and a part of Operation Undershaft. Succeeded Echo and became the second member of the squad to be killed in action. |
Trivia[]
- In a character poll conducted by Sunday GX which ran from June through September 2012, six members of the squad (seven if Chiquita is included) placed in the top 10.[1]
- Nazal's interaction with the squad suggests that their lingua franca is English, given that the members of Excalibur did not speak Arabic.