Spike Spiegel

Spike Spiegel is the protagonist of the anime Cowboy Bebop. One of the people who is not a pilot of any robot, but he pilots the space fighter Swordfish II, and with it his spaceship Bebop.

## Appearance

Spike is tall and thin in appearance; he has dark green hair and brown eyes, one of which is later revealed to be artificial and lighter than the other. His right eye was surgically replaced with a fully functioning cybernetic eye. Spike himself may not remember the procedure, as he claims to have lost his natural eye in an "accident".

Spike is usually dressed in a blue leisure suit, yellow shirt, and boots. He also sometimes wears a long brown trench coat. He is often seen with a cigarette in his mouth, even if it is raining or where he sits, stands or walks, there is clearly a "No Smoking" sign.

## Personality

Spike is a lazy, careless, indifferent and lazy character. He spends most of his time on Bebop, lounging, watching TV or sleeping. On a few rare occasions, he is also seen practicing Jeet Kune Do, a martial art in which he is highly skilled, being, among other things, fascinated by Bruce Lee and his philosophy (for example, he follows Lee's "water" analogy for his fighting style) . He is a heavy smoker and is shown with a cigarette in his mouth in almost every shot (the bad conditions in the cigarettes that are depicted are reminiscent of Daisuke Jigen). Although he rarely admits it, Spike has very little patience. He repeatedly states that he hates dogs, children, and women with such views, and is not happy at all when each of the three join Bebop. On the other hand, over the course of the series, he warms up to Edward, Ein, and Faye, all three of whom fall into the category of three things he especially hates. He also claims that he doesn't like cats. Spike is rarely seen excited about something, and even rarer is he saying that he enjoys something.

He usually acts phlegmatic and walks slouched as if he were a lunatic. He appears to be haunted by the ghosts of his past and often has nightmares about his life at the Red Dragon. He believes that he has already died once, and therefore does not often show fear of the possibility of being killed, often acting as if he is defying death. As the famous clip on his ship Swordfish II says, whatever happens, happens.¨

One of the recurring themes surrounding Spike's character is how he sees himself and his life. After implanting an artificial eye, he says that his left eye, the real one, sees the past, while the artificial right eye sees the present. This makes the past indelible in his mind, preventing him from getting rid of it or forgetting about it. Despite this, he usually encourages others to forget the past as "not important". Spike's star sign is Cancer, which corresponds to his inability to let go of the past.

When not working, Spike is very calm, sarcastic, and lively, much to the dismay of his teammates. He can usually be found either lounging on the couch or reading magazines. Spike's philosophy seems to be based on ancient samurai ideals of immediacy, such as believing oneself to be dead and the notion of death as awakening from sleep. Both of which are bushido elements illustrated in the Hagakure.

Although people often talk about cowboys in an almost heroic sense, his image is far from the idea of such and, on the contrary, has characteristics typical of an antihero. He never acts to protect anyone, but only for the sake of interest, so he often has to be persuaded to devote himself to hunting, which he finds little exciting, he has a rather sharp and cynical sense of humor; when he is pursuing a bounty, he rushes headlong into battle, regardless of the damage he causes to people and buildings. Spike also doesn't have the slightest moral qualm about having to kill someone. In the film, he even tells the elderly woman that he and the Bebop crew do not serve or protect, and that their job is strictly business, although Jet doubts he really means it.

Despite all this, Spike still has a good heart, and whether he admits it or not, he is more caring than he lets on and is more than willing to help others without expecting anything in return. It's pretty ironic considering his line of work. One of Spike's most difficult relationships is with Faye. Most of the time they usually fight like siblings, however, in times of danger, Faye always showed concern for Spike. He has also shown some empathy for Faye's situation, but perhaps due to their stubborn nature, they are unable to directly admit it. Faye also always took care of Spike when he was injured, though she still maintained a bitter attitude. The affection between the two is obvious, and many people have speculated that Faye may be in love with Spike and wants to connect with him. Watanabe broached the subject by saying, "Sometimes people ask me, 'What does Spike think of Faye?' Watanabe also said, "But I think Jet understood and loved Spike more than Faye." This is because Jet finally understood the depth of Spike's love for Julia after Spike confessed to Jet that Julia is his other half.

## Story

Spike himself is from Mars, at that time Mars was still beginning to be colonized by humans and Autobots. Little is known about the 27-year-old's family or childhood other than that his grandmother died before he was born. Some speculate that he was an orphan and his parents died when he was young.

It can be assumed that he grew up in one of the slums of Mars before becoming a bandit, a thief, and then finally a criminal associated with the Red Dragon Crime Syndicate (soon to become the Nightmare Syndicate), where Mao Yenrai, the head of the organization, takes him under your wing. The criminal organization becomes something of a family to Spike, and thanks to his skills, he manages to become one of the best people in a short time, even being, in the opinion of many in Red Dragon, someday the leader. He loses his right eye in an unknown accident that happened while on a mission on behalf of the Red Dragon, after which he was implanted with an artificial eye.

After joining the Red Dragon, Spike meets a woman named Julia while playing pool. It is implied that he falls in love with her at first sight. He also runs into Vicious. The two share a common history and are shown to have fought and worked together in the past, possibly being good friends once. However, both become candidates for a possible successor to Mao as the organization's leader. While Vicious is ambitious, selfish, ruthless, and willing to do anything to get the role of leader, Spike instead finds no interest in the opportunity. The difference of opinion between them leads to great mutual hatred as well as strong rivalry. However, that's not the only reason these two should hate each other, as both desire the same woman. Around this time, Spike gets involved in a shootout, probably not with the police, but with assassins working for Vicious. He survives and is rescued and recovered by Julia. The two become lovers. He has to run away from the organization, while Vicious himself becomes the new leader, declaring him an enemy of the organization.

He soon hides his identity, becoming a kind of wanderer and mercenary. He also meets Captain Harlock, Kane and soon Van, who are also looking for a way to fight against the syndicate's new enemy, Claw. And they warn that they are also looking for him because of his "betrayal". But then he finds out that Vicious is already an ally of the Claw.