Spike Spiegel

Overview

Spike Spiegel, referred to as "Lunkhead" by his partner Jet Black, is the main character of Cowboy Bebop. Formerly with a major crime syndicate, Spike broke away from the gang and now works as a freelance bounty hunter. An expert in sleight-of-hand, Spike typically resorts to cunning before combat when trailing bounties, although he is capable in martial arts, alongside being skilled with a pistol. Although he doesn't pilot the Bebop, he is shown to be a skilled pilot when in his own ship, the Swordfish II.

Personality

Spike is typically a laid-back sort of guy, never worrying about anything and frequently making sarcastic quips. He also constantly smokes wherever he goes, always having a pack of cigarettes with him. Despite this, Spike occasionally shows hints of troubles weighing on him beneath his cool facade, such as claiming that he died on the day that Julia and him left, claiming his current life is a dream only death can wake him from. As well, Spike has a cybernetic right eye, which he states can only see the present, while his organic left eye can "only see the past".

History

Born in 2044 on Mars, Spike soon became a member of the Red Dragon crime syndicate alongside his friend, Vicious. After running into Vicious' girlfriend, Julia, after getting injured in a shootout, Spike became close with Julia and the two began a secret relationship. Before long, Spike would ask Julia to run away with him, leaving the syndicate and their life behind to begin a new one.

Upon finding out, Vicious confronted Julia, telling her that she must kill Spike or else both of them will be hunted by the syndicate. Instead, Julia planned for Spike to fake his own death in a shootout. Upon retreating to their meeting point in the graveyard, Julia was nowhere to be seen.

Years later, Spike has a new life working as a cowboy (an in-universe term for bounty hunters) aboard the Bebop, a spaceship owned by his new partner, Jet. He is also (rather reluctantly, at first) accompanied by Faye Valentine, a con-woman, Edward, a 13-year-old-girl super-hacker, and Ein, a corgi with data in its DNA.

After years of living as a cowboy, Spike is pulled back into the syndicate when Vicious puts a sizeable bounty on his teacher, Mao Yenrai. Spike sees the bounty as an attempt to pull him out of hiding, but Faye tries to find Mao and is kidnapped, leading Spike to reveal himself to save her. Spike confronts Vicious in a shootout with the Red Dragons, saving Faye in the process but failing to kill Vicious. The two meet again on Callisto after Spike gets a lead that Julia was on the planet, only for it to be an unrelated drug deal set up by Vicious. Vicious attempts to kill his buyer after the drug deal, only for him and Spike to chase after him in an air battle. Vicious shoots down his buyer's ship, forcing Spike to go save him and allow Vicious to retreat, having their duel end in a draw once again.

At the end of the series, Spike is attacked by the Red Dragon, who have ordered Spike, Julia, and Vicious to be sentenced to death due to their betrayals. Vicious' execution is thwarted when his men betray the rest of the Red Dragon and free him, allowing him to kill the elders and usurp the syndicate. Meanwhile, Julia is found by Faye, who tells her to that she'll be waiting for Spike in the graveyard. Spike reunites with Julia, both of whom intend to continue their original plan, only for members of the Red Dragon to ambush the pair, killing Julia. Spike returns to the Bebop afterwards and has a final meal with Jet, explaining that he has to face the Red Dragon directly. Faye attempts to convince him to stop trying to correct his past, only for Spike to insist that confronting Vicious is the only way choice he has.

Arriving at the Red Dragon headquarters, Spike storms the building, killing many members of the syndicate on his way up. An acquaintance, Shin, leads Spike to an elevator which will bring him directly to Vicious. While opening the door, Shin is gunned down by a Red Dragon member. At the top of the building, Spike finally confronts Vicious in a duel. The two knock each other's weapons from their hands, at which point Spike informs Vicious of Julia's death before the two slide each other's weapons back, resuming the fight.

The fight ends with Vicious shot in the chest, dying instantly, but not before slashing Spike in the stomach. Spike looks into the sky and reflects on Julia's last words to him before heading downstairs, where a group of Red Dragon are waiting, ready to recognize him as their new leader. Spike stops in front of them and looks up to them, forming a gun with his right hand and saying "Bang", before collapsing on the stairs.

Spike's fate after this scene is unknown. There are many theories that he died after the battle or that he could still be alive. The creator of the series, Shinichiro Watanabe, has said that he never claimed Spike dead or alive, but his fate will remain undecided and he lets it up to the viewer to decide what happens next.

Inspirations

Spike is rumored to be modeled after the late Japanese actor Yusaku Matsuda from his role in the film Tantei Monogatari. It is also clear that his character design was based on Lupin III, as they share the same style of clothing and a love for chain-smoking. Western-drawn influence is also evident in Spike's character design, most notably his long leaning posture and body language which mirrors that of Clint Eastwood's "Dirty Harry" character. In the first episode of the anime series Spike is seen in wide-brimmed hat and a poncho, a clear nod to Eastwood's protagonist in "Man With No Name".

Weapons

Spike's weapon of choice is a Jericho 941 double action/single action, semi-automatic pistol. The Baby Eagle/Jericho 941 is a double action/single Action, semi-automatic pistol developed by Israel Weapon Industries and introduced to the market in 1990 as the Jericho 941. He is also seen using a shotgun in the final episode of the series and is pretty good with handling nunchucks.

Quotes

"Whatever happens, happens."

"Hunger is the best spice, they say."

"I'm a man that died once already."

"I love a woman who can kick my ass."