| Spike Spigel | |
| |
| Race | Human-alien |
| Birthday | June 28, 2044 |
| Age | 27 |
| Gender | Male |
| Height | 6' 1" (185 cm) |
| Professional Status | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Bounty Hunter Space Cowboy |
| Partner | Jet Black |
| Personal Status | |
Spike Spiegel (スパイク・スピーゲル Supaiku Supīgeru) is the main protagonist of the anime and manga series Cowboy Bebop. He is a bounty hunter on the spaceship named Bebop and travels space with Jet, Faye, Ed & Ein.
Physical Appearance[]
Spike is a bounty hunter who was born on Mars. He is 27 years-old and tall and thin in appearance. He has fluffy green hair and reddish-brown eyes, one of which is artificial and lighter than the other. A flashback in Session 6 revealed that his fully functioning right eye was surgically replaced by a cybernetic one (although Spike himself may not have conscious recollection of the procedure since he claims to have lost his natural eye in an "accident"). He is usually dressed in a blue leisure suit, with a yellow shirt and Lupin III inspired boots.[1] Spike often has a cigarette between his lips, sometimes despite rain or "No Smoking" signs. This is also done in homage of Lupin III, as Lupin's partner, Jigen, smokes cigarettes that are in poor condition. Another quite distinctive homage is to Bob Dylan, due to the rebellious demeanor and hair.
Personality[]
One of the recurring themes surrounding Spike's character is how he views himself and his life. He claims that one eye - his right one, the prosthetic - can only see the present, and the other - the left, his real eye - can only see the past. This is revisited by a close-up on Spike's left eye every time he has a flashback of his life before coming aboard the Bebop. He seems to regard his false death as real in some way, saying that after that day, he had "merely been living a dream". (During Session 25 when Spike has a flashback of the last time he saw Julia, the close-up shows both Spike's eyes, perhaps implying that his future and past are now the same.)
Spike's attitude of living in a "dream-like" existence is displayed by his careless behavior and his nonchalant attitude towards dangerous or outright fatal situations. One quote that exemplifies this is in Session 1, when Katerina Solensan tells Spike that she is not sure if he is joking or not, to which he responds that he "gets that a lot".
When he is not shown working or practicing martial arts, Spike is very laid back and lackadaisical, often a source of consternation for his crew mates. Some members of the Bebop crew occasionally refer to him as a "lunkhead" due to his attitude, and generally Spike just takes life as it comes. He also is shown to enjoy sleeping, and that may tie into his mantra of 'living a dream.'
Spike's philosophy seems to be based on the ancient samurai ideals of immediacy, such as considering oneself as dead and the idea of death being an awakening from a dream, which are both elements of bushido illustrated in the Hagakure.
Spike is also heard saying that the three things he hates most are "kids, animals, and women with attitudes." He asks his friend Jet why all three are aboard the Bebop.
Abilities[]
Spike has many talents and abilities, including very sharp eyesight, abnormally acute perception, and extraordinary luck. Spike makes use of sleight-of-hand techniques to win card games, pick pockets, and even to slip things onto other people unnoticed. He is well versed in weaponry (such as his personal Jericho 941 as well as other guns and explosives) and hand-to-hand combat skills. He follows Jeet Kune Do, the mindset developed by Bruce Lee, though he has a penchant for high kicks of French boxing. Spike is also a pilot, and flies a converted Asteroid racer called Swordfish II which is armed with four machine guns, multiple missile launchers, and a single plasma cannon.
Weapons[]
- Jericho 941