Spike Spiegel

Spike Spiegel (スパイク・スピーゲル) is the protagonist of the anime and manga series Cowboy Bebop. He won first place in the male character category of the Anime Grand Prix in 1998 and 1999.

Character outline and personality
Spike is a fictional bounty hunter who was born on Mars in the year 2044. He is 27 years old and is tall and thin in appearance. He has fluffy, dark 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 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-like boots. Spike often has a cigarette between his lips, sometimes despite rain or "No Smoking" signs. His blood type is O, his height is 6'1" (185 cm), and his weight is 155 lbs (70 kg).

Spike makes use of sleight of hand techniques to win card games, pickpocket, and slip things onto other people unnoticed. He is also shown to sneak up on enemies through disguise or quiet movement. He is proficient with weaponry (such as his personal Jericho 941 as well as other guns and explosives) and hand-to-hand combat skills. He is a skilled martial artist and a practitioner of Jeet Kune Do. Spike is also a pilot and flies a converted Asteroid racer called Swordfish II, which is armed with four machine guns, missile pylons, and a plasma cannon. It is suggested he acquired it from his friend, the mechanic Doohan, in the year 2061.

When he is not shown working or practicing martial arts, Spike is very laid back, sarcastic, and lackadaisical, to the consternation of his crew mates. He is typically found either resting on the couch or reading a magazine. 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 bushidō illustrated in the Hagakure. Series director Shinichirō Watanabe has said that Spike has a habit of being very indirect with his emotions; for example, he may behave antagonistically towards someone he actually likes. He says that this could apply to Spike's relationship with Faye.

History
Some years prior to Session 1, Spike had been a rising member of the Red Dragon Crime Syndicate, where he worked with his then partner, Vicious. Both were tutored by Mao Yenrai. Badly injured after a shoot-out in the slums on Mars, Spike stumbled to Julia's home, who at that time was Vicious' girlfriend. The pair fell in love while she nursed him back to health. Spike decided to leave the syndicate with Julia. Vicious gave Julia an ultimatum: either she was to kill Spike, or Spike and Julia would both face death for her betrayal. Spike apparently managed to fake his own death by engaging in a gunfight alone in a church against a rival syndicate; this allowed him to drop off of the Red Dragons' radar. He waited for Julia so they could escape and be free, but she never arrived.

Some time after his faked death, Spike met the former ISSP cop turned bounty hunter Jet Black, and the two became partners. Spike moved onto Jet's ship, the Bebop, and the two men worked together for about three years before being joined by the other crew members.

One of the recurring themes surrounding Spike's character is how he views himself and his life. He claims that his prosthetic right eye can only see the present, and his natural left eye can only see the past. This is emphasized by showing a close-up of 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 has "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 past and present are now the same.)

Throughout the series hints and flashbacks of Spike's past are revealed. He comes face to face with Vicious once more in the fifth episode, when Vicious lures Spike out of hiding by assassinating Mao Yenrai and kidnapping Faye. They duel each other, but survive the encounter. They meet a second time on Callisto during a botched drug transaction, but Vicious manages to escape.

In the final episode, Spike and Julia pick up where they left off in their plans to escape the Red Dragons. They fight their way out, but Julia is shot and killed. Spike returns to the Bebop for a meal with Jet, and the two share a moment of understanding as Spike relates his life's situation to his partner. As he leaves to settle the score with Vicious, he is confronted by Faye. He tells Faye the story behind his cybernetic eye and the effect it had on his outlook on life. Faye sobbingly asks why Spike is leaving to fight/throw away his life. Spike answers that he isn't leaving to die, but rather to see if he really is alive. Spike then departs to confront the past he abandoned three years before. He storms the Red Dragon headquarters, killing many of the members, and then he and Vicious confront each other.

After a brief clash, Spike and Vicious exchange blows simultaneously, and Vicious dies. Spike recalls Julia's final words to him before descending the staircase, where he is confronted by the remainder of the Red Dragons. Mimicking a gun with his fingers, Spike utters the final word "Bang", smiles, and collapses. Nearing the end of the credits a bright star fades out, which per the Indian mystic Bull symbolises the end of a great warrior's journey.

Spike's fate at the end of the series is left open-ended. It is implied that Spike may have died from wounds sustained in his final duel with Vicious and the Red Dragons (the collapse, the fading star, the angelic choir). However, in an interview, Watanabe stated, "I've never officially said that he died. At this point, I can tell you that I'm not sure if he's alive or dead." He also stated that he believes fans would be upset if there was a continuation.

Conception
Mecha designer Kimitoshi Yamane liked the English biplane torpedo-bomber Fairey Swordfish; Yamane's preferences lead to the naming of Spike Spiegel's ship, the Swordfish II. The II does not imply that Spike's craft is a second generation model.

Reception
Spike and Faye are often cited as the two most popular characters of the series, and they figure centrally in most merchandise based on the franchise.

In its review of the series, Anime News Network praised Spike's character, saying, "Spike...in particular runs the gamut from goofy to blasé to teeth-gnashing tough; he is one of [the] most three-dimensional anime leads in recent memory." AnimeOnDVD commented that in the movie, Spike was "much more appealing this time around than through parts of the TV series", and comparing him to Lupin III by saying that "Spike’s way of dealing with things and reacting to situations, from his movements to his facial expressions, are very reminiscent of Lupin’s that [sic] each instance brings a smile to my face." He was 4th in IGN's Top 25 Anime Characters of All Time with writer Chris Mackenzie saying "Spike's a flashy, funny, violent tough guy, and that's part of what makes him fun to watch".