Late, but with reason!
Character/Fandom: Spike Spiegel [Cowboy Bebop]
Title: The Past: His Present and Future
Author: Radical Lindsay
Spoilers: Spike-person is the main character of this series, so it’s safe to say this is going to go all the way to the very end where it’s spoiler-rific. :P
E-mail: Lindsay_RR@yahoo.com
Notes: This will definitely not be the best of essays; since he is in all 26 episodes and the movie, it’s not going to be a deep and detailed as my Julia essay for she was in 5.
Also, like my Julia essay, no manga will be taken into serious account in this essay as they are fun misadventures the Bebop crew has with bounties.
Focused episodes will be 5 “Ballad of Fallen Angels” and 25 & 26 “The Real Folk Blues I/II” as they focus a lot on Spike and/or his past, as the past is probably the most important aspect of Spike.
I will not, unfortunately, talk too much about Spike and his relationship with each crew member because 1) they are in most of the episodes, so there won’t be too much analysis (with the exception of the last episode) and 2) Vicious and Julia are talked about in greater detail as they appear in only 5 episodes, which are essential in analyzing Spike for they are part of his past and the past may be more significant than his life as a bounty hunter since his past becomes his present and future.
If you want to learn a little more about Spike, I suggest reading my Julia essay since she is perhaps the most important person in his life. I’m very satisfied with that one, plus it’s very detailed.
The 411
Introduction
Well, let’s meet this man, shall we? His name’s Spike Spiegel, a smoker at 27 years of age, born on Mars on the date of June 26th in 2044, his blood type is O, around 185cm tall and he’s a bounty hunter and former mob member.
Physically, he’s slender but as we see in the first episode as he trains himself on Jeet Kune Do topless, he’s also very well built. His dark green hair has quite a good ‘fro going on. His eyes are a deep reddish-brown color, but if you look at them closely, the one on the left looks a tad brighter, a bit of a bolder red; so his left eye is of a darker color than his right. Interesting, no? He has a unique style of clothing that consists of deep blue shirt, slacks and shoes, a yellow undershirt and a spiffy black tie.
As all good bounty hunters need, Spike’s got a lovely ship called Swordfish II. I think it’s the most stylish, a classic fighter-jet-like ship with laser cannon, machine guns, high speed, the works. If he’s ever in serious danger on land, he’s well equipped with his Israeli Jericho 941 gun and a great shot with it, too. Oh, remember that body of his I mentioned? He’s an excellent fighter when using just his fists and legs, as well.
As far as his personality goes, Spike’s a calm, carefree man. More often than not, he’s quite introverted and isn’t too big of a talker. However, he tends to complain about food whether he’s hungry, wants more of a variety, and so on.
And there you have it. We’ve exchanged handshakes and names, so let’s move on.
Just a Humble Bounty Hunter
First Impression
(Don’t you just love my ever-so original and creative title for this section?) Well, unlike what many viewers would have seen, I did not watch Cowboy Bebop from the first episode onward. My family had just gotten cable for the first time some 3 or 4 years ago, and my sister and I just heard about [adult swim]. In fact, she’s the one who first got into Bebop. She was all worried one day telling me how she hopes this one guy isn’t dead or something. It turns out she was referring to the end of “Jupiter Jazz part I.” She also mentioned how there was this gay guy [Julius] who looked like this blonde woman [Julia] this guy [Spike] knew of. It’s funny, looking back, how naïve she sounded and how curious I was.
Somehow, I wind up watching “part I” as my first episode… I think… Hey, this was over 3 years ago, so my “first time” memory’s a bit fuzzy! I remember thinking that my sister had mentioned this gay man with blonde hair I just met and understood why she worried that Spike might have died as the episode ended in a cliffhanger.
My first impression was varied depending on the elements. He definitely had some beef with this man named Vicious the way he reacted and pounded the crap out of this small mob who mistook him as Vicious. And the way he punched the leader’s face to the ground when he said Julia sounds like an easy wench’s name told me he had deep feelings for this woman. Also told me how good of a fighter he was overall! And that’s about all I can say, for now, as far as first impressions go.
If you happen to have been fortunate enough to see the whole series from beginning to end, you may have gotten a slightly different view of Spike at first. We see a man in a coat on a rainy day, smoking and holding a bouquet of roses. Seems like a dramatic, gloomy guy, huh? Then you see, in the present, a well-built fellow training his body who later complains about the food he’s fortunate to have. While he and his partner Jet Black work on capturing the 2.5 million Woolong bounty on Asimov Solensan, Spike appears to be cocky and self-assured. He only stays this way for a while, though. Well, maybe that’s one way you could have seen him at first. He does seem different, happier, than when I met him in “Jupiter Jazz.”
Hangin’ with the Black Dog
Jet Black
For 3 years, Spike has been partners with a man named Jet Black a.k.a. the Black Dog. Jet’s the one who owns the main ship, the Bebop, where the crew lives. Together, these two have been chasing bounties for many years, but are not too successful often.
However, these two aren’t too close of friends; neither knows very much of the other’s past, for one. In the movie, Jet has a solemn little moment where he questions the comradery among the crew, as they leave, come back, and leave again, doing whatever they please.
They are good partners, nonetheless, working hard together to get food in their stomachs. They also have their moments together, as we’ll see later on.
Jet is often looked at as being a father figure of the Bebop crew, so he certainly provides Spike with much needed companionship and has given him a home since Spike started his new life.
A Bounty Hunter’s Best Friend
Ein the Pembroke Welsh Corgi
There are 3 things that particularly gets on Spike’s nerves: rugrats, beasts, and tomboys. So how the heck did a dog come along in the very second episode? He wasn’t expecting to meet the dog in the first place, that’s for sure!
They wind up adding a dog as the newest member of the Bebop crew during their little adventure trying to nab a bounty name Abdul Hakim.
Spike is clearly annoying with the dog from the beginning, but only seems to be that way at the end of this episode alone. They don’t have much of a relationship at all; I suppose you could call them acquaintances, but that’s the best you can with these two. Ein, named by Jet, has a better, deeper relationship with Jet and Edward, whom we’ll meet later. So, if anything, Ein is just another dog that annoyed the heck out of him the first day and gave him a good exercise.
When a Man Meets a Vixen
Faye Valentine
Now here’s an interesting relationship!
Spike first meets up with Faye in “Honky Tonk Women,” the third episode. From this episode onward, they’ve had a cute, quirky relationship. Often you’ll see these two bickering at each other, flirting, and all that jazz (no pun intended). Faye happens to be one of the 3 things Spike says he hates: tomboys. But again, it seems this doesn’t bother him at all; well, not too much, anyway.
Spike and Faye have developed a nice relationship. By the end of the series, it’s quite easy to say that Faye has had at least a crush on Spike for a least a while, perhaps she even loves him, but I don’t think her feelings for him are amazingly strong. From Spike’s point of view, that’s harder to say because of his personality. He’s quite introverted and has never really given us a clear idea on how he feels for her, verbally and non-verbally. My guess is that of course he finds her attractive, she is beautiful. And he certainly doesn’t mind a playful bicker or flirt every once and awhile, but it’s clear she’s not number one in his heart, as we’ll find out later. She is a member of the crew and a comrade of his, nonetheless.
Jamming with a Rugrat
Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV
What can we say about Ed, hm? For starters, she the last person to join the crew as she debuts in the ninth episode, “Jamming with Edward.” We quickly learn she’s a cute genius (but eccentric) computer hacker who’s name up her name and claims to be 13. She joins to crew out forcefully out of sheer will as she is actually a “fan” of the Bebop and has been tracking their adventures.
Now we have all 3 things Spike hates packed into one nice little bundle on the ship! But again, it’s not like she’s another living hell for him. He cares for her, too, but they do not share a close bond. I like how Spike tolerates her little quirks such as teetering her computer on her head while he’s trying to read it, he simply sways with her or when she hugged and rode his leg when Spike came back to the ship after his encounter with Vincent in the movie (the teetering computer scene was also in the movie).
Spoiler concerning Ed from Session 24 “Hard Luck Woman” ahead!
What really touched me was a little scene at the end of “Hard Luck Woman.” Ed unexpectedly met with her long lost father because he had a bounty on his head (which turned out to be disappointingly small). One of the last scenes played out with Ed leaving the Bebop to go live with her father. Back on the ship, Jet calls out announcing dinner is ready, but Spike doesn’t answer. Jet tries again until he actually goes right up to Spike who’s looking at something outside of the window. Ed drew her trademark smiley on the ship with a “Bye-Bye” written above it. I just love how Spike simply looked down on it, staring, and even avoided heeding to the call of food. Not to mention the cute look upon his face when she gave him a pinwheel as a little parting gift, and that we see it stuck onto the Bebop at the end. I wonder if Spike put it there as a little tribute?
End spoiler.
Well, unlike Jet and Faye, I can’t talk too much about Spike and Ed’s relationship, but that last part did strike my interest; I don’t know if I’m the only one who’s looked at it that way or not, but I thought it might be a testament to something.
Watching a Dream
Evolution, Julia, and Vicious
Here’s where we get into the nitty-gritty, folks. To really get to know Spike, we got to delve deep into his past, the people involved, and how they lead to his destiny.
Setting the Stage
There exists a crime syndicate called the Red Dragons. Among their members are Spike Spiegel and Vicious. They are comrades and good friends, always there for each other. Vicious has a lover by the name of Julia, and Spike has only just met her as Vicious brought her along as they meet for a game at the pool hall. Judging by the Spike’s facial expression when he firsts sees her, it was love at first sight. However all three shared a bond together for a while, until Julia’s heart shifted from Vicious to Spike. Over time, Spike and Julia’s love grew deeper until it reached a breaking point; Spike plans to leave the life as a mobster by faking his death and wishes for his beloved to come with him. She, however, senses the possible dangers of leaving a syndicate and fears for Spike’s life and says she can’t go with him, hoping Spike would stay if she does. Spike still arranges a meet-up, only for Julia to disappear altogether. This was 3 years ago.
At present, Spike occasionally runs into Vicious and tried to find Julia whenever any information came about. Finally, after over 3 long years, Spike and Julia finally meet and decide their fate.
Vicious
As we see from flashbacks, Spike and Vicious use to be good comrades, smiling on each other’s backs while on the job. However, as episode 5 “Ballad of Fallen Angels” shows us, they are no longer on friendly terms, to say the least; in fact, they try to kill each other. It is thought that Vicious feels Spike betrayed him because he left the syndicate and/or for getting involved with Julia. However the latter doesn’t seem to be as big of a deal as the first; Vicious says in “Ballad” they Spike was once a beast like himself, but has lost his fangs. So, Vicious is nowadays chasing down and killing those without fangs and Spike is up next [the previous victim was Mao Yenrai]. Naturally, Spike is going to defend himself and path he choose, so he, too, intends to kill Vicious, although he doesn’t spend his time looking for the opportunity to do so; Vicious either comes to him, or they run into each other (although after certain circumstances, Spike’s the one who comes to him, normally he wouldn’t).
Julia
It’s somewhat easy to say that from the moment they met, Spike and Julia had a good, steady relationship going until both began falling in love with each other. However, they did manage to somehow loose each other for many years.
After all this time, though, Spike still has strong feelings for and he seems to spring to life. For example, remember how I said Spike’s feelings for Faye are not clear because of his personality? Well, in “Jupiter Jazz part I” Spike flips out when Ed mentions the name Julia while hacking; her face flashes before his eyes, runs over to Ed and demands more information in a rather frantic manner. As soon as she tells him a location, he immediately leaves for her despite the fact Faye is also missing and his leaves in the middle of an argument with Jet. Verbally, Spike passionately talks about Julia to Jet in episode 25 “The Real Folk Blues part I.” Spike has never talked to Jet about his past in all of these years they’ve been partners, and to top it off, Spike talks about her in such a way he’s never has before. He describes her as the first woman he’s met who was truly alive, his other half, the missing piece of his life he’s longed for, all with a content little smile on his face.
But what about Julia? How could she have left him alone and stayed that way all this time? We don’t learn until “part I” that Vicious had a little mission for Julia as he held a gun to her head. Vicious also felt some betrayal from Julia, but he still had feelings for her too, as we’ll see in the ultimatum. Julia is told to kill Spike herself, or both die. Right after that, she is seen tearing up the note Spike gave her. If Spike dies either way, she’d rather die with him and kill him herself. No wonder she chose to stay and good thing Spike went through with his option and managed to fake his death and live on into a new life.
Warning!: I will now discuss the fate of Spike in the last two episodes; BIG spoilers about Spike, Vicious, and Julia are to be expected and will spoil the ending of the series as well.
There is also expected to be a final analysis in the relationships between Spike and Faye and Jet.
”The Real Folk Blues parts I & II”
Our man Spike has been a prey of Vicious for quite some time now; however he’s about to been hunted down relentlessly by more than just Vicious.
Almost from the get-go in this episode, Vicious and his alias attempted to take over the Red Dragons but fails. The Van, the trio of elders in charge of the syndicate, decides to have anyone connected with Vicious killed; this definitely includes Spike. It isn’t soon before Spike, along with Jet, are caught up in a shootout at the bar. The past is once again on his tail.
Meanwhile, Julia herself happens to meet with Faye and tells her to relay a message to Spike; that she’ll be waiting. This told me Julia has indeed been looking for Spike since she knew about Faye. However she is being hunted as well, and it wouldn’t surprise me if she always had been since she chose to stay and not kill Spike. Or, if not to escape death, to escape Vicious; knowing him, he’d want any information she’d have on Spike to continue his quest to kill fangless beasts and of course she’d never tell him.
Spike and Jet are on the Bebop when Faye returns to give him the message.
The first session ends with Spike and Julia meeting face to face for the first time in years; and Julia pulls out a gun, aiming it at him.
In the beginning of “part II,” Spike and Julia have a small discussion. As she lowers her gun and embraces him, she now begs to escape from it all with him.
Soon after, they travel to the shop of an old friend of theirs, Annie, who is about to die as she was also connected with Vicious. Spike then prepares himself some weapons and ammunition. Julia tells him that he doesn’t need those to simply run away, but Spike continues. She concludes he will go [quite possibly to confront Vicious] and tells him she’ll go with him and stay until the very end. Now that they are together again, there’s no way she’s going to let him go and will stick by his side no matter how dangerous it will be. And she certainly does prove her point.
As they attempt to escape another surprise attack, they head for the rooftop and successfully fend themselves off. As one random thug appears behind them, Julia’s told to get down as Spike kills him. She remains as Spike shoots down a man from the streets below. When the coast is clear, Julia stands and continues onward only to have a surprise attack from another thug from behind. Spike manages to kills him only a split second after he fired-and having the bullet hit Julia. Then enters the most beautiful sight/scene/etc. of any show/series/whatever I’ve seen in my entire life; she falls slowly as Spike strains his face in complete shock and utter fear. She hits the ground and he rushes over to her, only to hear her lasts words before she dies in his arms.
This proves to be the final turning point in Spike’s life, as Vicious tells us. Vicious and his men arrive at Annie’s shop. After an investigation, Vicious says that a beast has lost a place to go has nowhere to return to, hence, he will come to him. Vicious’ words helped tell me just how well he knows Spike, how close they once were. Since Julia is dead, Vicious figures out that she is the only real reason he’s alive and that when that is gone, he really has no place to return to. He is now the last phantom of his past, and both have yet to settle the score. And yet, Vicious has no more need to lure in Spike; he says Spike is the one who will come, and he is correct. Spike and Vicious know each other so well, it’s amazing.
However, there are few things Spike needs to do before he meets his fate: food, weapons/ammo, and last encounters with Jet and Faye.
Spike unexpectedly arrives on the Bebop and asks Jet for some food. Jet simply watches Spike enjoy his last meal. Well, not “enjoy,” he says the cooking is horrible, as usual. Jet seems to sense something as he simply smiles at then comment. In the previous episode, Jet tells Spike a story that parallels himself, and now it’s Spike’s turn:
“Do you know a story that goes like this? There once was a tiger-striped cat. This cat died a million deaths and was reborn a million times and was owned by various people who he didn't care for. The cat wasn't afraid to die... One day, the cat was a free cat, a stray cat. He met a white female cat, and the two cats spent their days happily together. Years passed, and the white cat died of old age. The tiger-striped cat cried a million times, and then died. It never came back to life...”
Jet comments that he likes that story; Spike replies he hates it because he hates cats. Jet agrees and the two share a hearty laugh together. I thought this was rather touching. We’ve never heard either character laugh so much throughout the entire series and the fact that they share one tell me they really had a good, strong comradery and did have good times together that we never saw. Also because of how good a laugh they had, it seems to say in words that they had a good time together, farewell.
As Spike makes his way out of the room, Faye stops him with a gun to his head. Thus begins a very important conversation:
“Where are you going? Why are you going? You told me once... that the past didn't matter... You're the one who's tied to their past!”
“Look at these eyes. One of them is a fake, because I lost it in an accident. Since then, I have been seeing the past in one eye, and the present in the other. I had believed that what I saw was not all of reality...”
“Don't tell me things like that... You never told me anything about yourself! Don't tell me stuff like that now!
“I thought I was watching a dream that I would never awaken from. Before I knew it, the dream was all over.”
“My... memory came back. But... nothing good came out of it. There was no place for me to return to... This was the only place I could go back to! But now... Where are you going?! Why do you have to go?! Are you telling me you're going to just throw your life away?!”
“I'm not going there to die. I'm going there to see if I really am alive.”
This heart-felt conversation and scene says so much.
First off, we learn a little more about Spike’s outlook on life. He lost his left eye [once Spike and Julia had a conversation; Spike tells her his left eye sees the past, therefore that’s the fake] in an unknown accident. I want to say he lost it while leaving the syndicate, but I now doubt it. Spike has told Julia about his eyes before, so perhaps he simply lost it in more minor accident beforehand, which would still have been in the past. Having a body part that ties into the past so directly has got to be at least a constant, daily reminder. And that being an eye, that symbolism has helped Spike discover an outlook he shares with only 2 other people: Julia and Vicious. The concept of life being a dream he shares with Faye in those next lines.
Faye then starts an argument that her memory came back, just as Spike past caught up with him, but nothing good came out of it. The Bebop and the crew was what she could come back to, so why not Spike? From what we know now, Faye could have already lost that argument.
Spike, Julia, and Vicious. These three people are very different compared to other character in the series and perhaps are unique through anime in general. Not only are all three so much alike among themselves, they all share a belief that their lives are not entirely real. Spike’s past is more real and more important than his life as a bounty hunter ever will be. He had a good friend and comrade, he had a truly alive woman who completed him. Now I’m sure he loves the crew from the bottom of his heart. But Spike said he use to believe life was a dream. Since Julia died, perhaps he finally woke up. This is where Spike answer comes in. With all that has happened in his life, Vicious’ hunt for him, Julia’s disappearance and death, he needs to know if he really is alive or not, now that he’s awake.
I don’t believe any understands Spike, Vicious, and Julia’s ideology, but both Jet and Faye seem to know Spike does have some sort of destiny to face. Faye realizes this as she stops arguing and fires her gun into the air.
In their final scene together, Spike opens up to Faye and shares his past and thoughts with her. Faye, given the circumstances, opens up herself and does so with much emotion and heart. She tries to convince him he belongs with the crew even though she knows he must leave. And her tears as he leaves say plenty more. She really does love Spike. However, I still can’t say if she loves him in a deep, romantic way. After all, you don’t have to love someone in that way to cry for him or her. And I have always wondered, even from the very beginning when I first saw this episode, why she didn’t try harder to stop him. Or that neither one exchanged any real hint of romance, words, embraces, kisses. Then again, perhaps she’s cares and respects him so much, she allows him to do what he must do, since she does seem to understand that. We can say she loves him, but in a broad sense. She did try to stop him and cry, however neither acted upon romantic feelings if they had even though both knew they’d never see each other again and let him go see if he really was alive.
With memories flashing before his eyes, Spike leaves the Bebop forever and meets up with Vicious. As he descends down the stairway, Vicious comments that Spike has finally woken up and reminds him he’s the only on who can kill him. Spike returns those comments back to him. This reminds me how tied in Spike and Vicious are. Since he shares the same beliefs as Spike, he’s correctly stated Spike has awakened. They are also so close and unique, they know that they really are the only ones who can kill each other. Vicious states that they were destined to end up here and the battle begins. In the middle of the fight, they knock their weapons out of each other’s reach and to their opponent. Spike finally words to Vicious are simple: Julia’s dead, let’s end it now. Spike seems to be telling Vicious that because she is dead, they can finally settle the score and end each other’s lives. Vicious knows this, and grants his wish. They give each other back their weapons; Spike shoots Vicious in the chest while he slashes Spike’s guy with his katana; both fatal injuries. After Vicious falls, Spike looks up to the sky and recalls his last conversation with Julia:
“This is… a dream…”
“Yeah… Just a bad dream.”
Spike slowly descends down the stairway, smiles, pointing his finger.
“Bang.”
Finally, the nightmare is over.
Strengths and Weaknesses
As far as strengths go, Spike is a great, strong fighter for one. And despite his mellow personality, he does form strong relationships with those he meets. As a lover, he is very devoted and loyal and will always love you, no matter what has happened or will happen.
Of course, he has his share of weaknesses, too. He did get overly attached to his past, so much so it inevitably killed him. He could have easily stayed and lived, but he acted upon his beliefs and tie to the past. He also had quite an introverted personality, and that could not have helped him much when it came to planning is escape with Julia back then. It didn’t help that she, too, is introverted. Both never clearly stated what was going on and what they planned to do and it cost them 3 years of separation.
Interest
What keeps me interested in Spike Spiegel is how deep of a character he is. He is one of 3 key characters with a deep, dark past that we can never truly understand. He is also among the 3 who share such interesting beliefs, outlooks, and the like. His words can really make you think and it’s always fun to see things in new and different perspectives. Spike Spiegel is simply a mysterious, profound, and unique man; I can’t help but to be drawn into him and love him.
END.
Fun Stuff
I feel that the ending song “Blue” is an excellent sum-up of the series, but more so for Spike. Read the lyrics and you’ll see what I mean:
“Blue”
Never seen a bluer sky
Yeah I can feel it reaching out
and moving closer
There's something 'bout blue
Asked myself what it's all for
You know the funny thing about it
I couldn't answer
No, I couldn't answer
Things have turned a deeper shade of blue
and images that might be real
maybe illusion
Keep flashing off and on
Free. . .
Wanna be free. . . Gonna be free. . .
and move among the stars
You know they really aren't so far
Feels so free. . .
Gotta know free. . . Please. . .
Don't wake me from the dream
It's really everything it seemed
I'm so free. . .
No black and white in the blue
Everything is clearer now
Life is just a dream, you know
that's never ending
I'm ascending
Links:
Bang! -- A nice little shrine to Spike that I’ve found.
AMVs:
I’m sure there are plenty of Spike-centered AMVs out there, so I’m just going to list off the some of the ones I have and enjoy.
"Flash Before Your Eyes" -- A lovely video that litterally plays backwards as Spike's life flashes before his eyes
"Life is But a Dream" -- Centers on Spike and the past; my 2nd favorite video I've even seen
"Shadows" -- my absolute FAVORITE music video of all time; it again centers and Spike and his past
"Bed of Lies" -- Another lovely AMV focusing on Spike and the past
"Tainted Donuts" -- the ever famous Cowboy Bebop/Trigun crossover; Spike and Jet go after the bounty on Vash in this amazingly executed video
LiveJournal Communities:
cuspacecowboy -- Spike
fayeandspike -- Spike x Faye
spikeandjulia -- Spike x Julia
Fanlistings:
"Space Cowboy" -- Spike
SPEED -- Swordfish II (Spike's ship)
Spike x Julia (broken)
Spike x Faye
Bang -- Spike vs Vicious rivalry
And finally...
Random pimpage:
tough_to_beat
The first (and only) communinity I've ever created is dedicated to my beloved Sanosuke Sagara of Rurouni Kenshin! Join now or he'll sucker-punch ya! ;P
Apology:
Forgive me that this is a bit late; our Interet connection has been cutting on and off recently. And also how sucky this essay is. :P If ya want something that I think is good, check out my nice, detailed Julia essay. ^-^ ...And how bad both essays look, lol!
Title: The Past: His Present and Future
Author: Radical Lindsay
Spoilers: Spike-person is the main character of this series, so it’s safe to say this is going to go all the way to the very end where it’s spoiler-rific. :P
E-mail: Lindsay_RR@yahoo.com
Notes: This will definitely not be the best of essays; since he is in all 26 episodes and the movie, it’s not going to be a deep and detailed as my Julia essay for she was in 5.
Also, like my Julia essay, no manga will be taken into serious account in this essay as they are fun misadventures the Bebop crew has with bounties.
Focused episodes will be 5 “Ballad of Fallen Angels” and 25 & 26 “The Real Folk Blues I/II” as they focus a lot on Spike and/or his past, as the past is probably the most important aspect of Spike.
I will not, unfortunately, talk too much about Spike and his relationship with each crew member because 1) they are in most of the episodes, so there won’t be too much analysis (with the exception of the last episode) and 2) Vicious and Julia are talked about in greater detail as they appear in only 5 episodes, which are essential in analyzing Spike for they are part of his past and the past may be more significant than his life as a bounty hunter since his past becomes his present and future.
If you want to learn a little more about Spike, I suggest reading my Julia essay since she is perhaps the most important person in his life. I’m very satisfied with that one, plus it’s very detailed.
The 411
Introduction
Well, let’s meet this man, shall we? His name’s Spike Spiegel, a smoker at 27 years of age, born on Mars on the date of June 26th in 2044, his blood type is O, around 185cm tall and he’s a bounty hunter and former mob member.
Physically, he’s slender but as we see in the first episode as he trains himself on Jeet Kune Do topless, he’s also very well built. His dark green hair has quite a good ‘fro going on. His eyes are a deep reddish-brown color, but if you look at them closely, the one on the left looks a tad brighter, a bit of a bolder red; so his left eye is of a darker color than his right. Interesting, no? He has a unique style of clothing that consists of deep blue shirt, slacks and shoes, a yellow undershirt and a spiffy black tie.
As all good bounty hunters need, Spike’s got a lovely ship called Swordfish II. I think it’s the most stylish, a classic fighter-jet-like ship with laser cannon, machine guns, high speed, the works. If he’s ever in serious danger on land, he’s well equipped with his Israeli Jericho 941 gun and a great shot with it, too. Oh, remember that body of his I mentioned? He’s an excellent fighter when using just his fists and legs, as well.
As far as his personality goes, Spike’s a calm, carefree man. More often than not, he’s quite introverted and isn’t too big of a talker. However, he tends to complain about food whether he’s hungry, wants more of a variety, and so on.
And there you have it. We’ve exchanged handshakes and names, so let’s move on.
Just a Humble Bounty Hunter
First Impression
(Don’t you just love my ever-so original and creative title for this section?) Well, unlike what many viewers would have seen, I did not watch Cowboy Bebop from the first episode onward. My family had just gotten cable for the first time some 3 or 4 years ago, and my sister and I just heard about [adult swim]. In fact, she’s the one who first got into Bebop. She was all worried one day telling me how she hopes this one guy isn’t dead or something. It turns out she was referring to the end of “Jupiter Jazz part I.” She also mentioned how there was this gay guy [Julius] who looked like this blonde woman [Julia] this guy [Spike] knew of. It’s funny, looking back, how naïve she sounded and how curious I was.
Somehow, I wind up watching “part I” as my first episode… I think… Hey, this was over 3 years ago, so my “first time” memory’s a bit fuzzy! I remember thinking that my sister had mentioned this gay man with blonde hair I just met and understood why she worried that Spike might have died as the episode ended in a cliffhanger.
My first impression was varied depending on the elements. He definitely had some beef with this man named Vicious the way he reacted and pounded the crap out of this small mob who mistook him as Vicious. And the way he punched the leader’s face to the ground when he said Julia sounds like an easy wench’s name told me he had deep feelings for this woman. Also told me how good of a fighter he was overall! And that’s about all I can say, for now, as far as first impressions go.
If you happen to have been fortunate enough to see the whole series from beginning to end, you may have gotten a slightly different view of Spike at first. We see a man in a coat on a rainy day, smoking and holding a bouquet of roses. Seems like a dramatic, gloomy guy, huh? Then you see, in the present, a well-built fellow training his body who later complains about the food he’s fortunate to have. While he and his partner Jet Black work on capturing the 2.5 million Woolong bounty on Asimov Solensan, Spike appears to be cocky and self-assured. He only stays this way for a while, though. Well, maybe that’s one way you could have seen him at first. He does seem different, happier, than when I met him in “Jupiter Jazz.”
Hangin’ with the Black Dog
Jet Black
For 3 years, Spike has been partners with a man named Jet Black a.k.a. the Black Dog. Jet’s the one who owns the main ship, the Bebop, where the crew lives. Together, these two have been chasing bounties for many years, but are not too successful often.
However, these two aren’t too close of friends; neither knows very much of the other’s past, for one. In the movie, Jet has a solemn little moment where he questions the comradery among the crew, as they leave, come back, and leave again, doing whatever they please.
They are good partners, nonetheless, working hard together to get food in their stomachs. They also have their moments together, as we’ll see later on.
Jet is often looked at as being a father figure of the Bebop crew, so he certainly provides Spike with much needed companionship and has given him a home since Spike started his new life.
A Bounty Hunter’s Best Friend
Ein the Pembroke Welsh Corgi
There are 3 things that particularly gets on Spike’s nerves: rugrats, beasts, and tomboys. So how the heck did a dog come along in the very second episode? He wasn’t expecting to meet the dog in the first place, that’s for sure!
They wind up adding a dog as the newest member of the Bebop crew during their little adventure trying to nab a bounty name Abdul Hakim.
Spike is clearly annoying with the dog from the beginning, but only seems to be that way at the end of this episode alone. They don’t have much of a relationship at all; I suppose you could call them acquaintances, but that’s the best you can with these two. Ein, named by Jet, has a better, deeper relationship with Jet and Edward, whom we’ll meet later. So, if anything, Ein is just another dog that annoyed the heck out of him the first day and gave him a good exercise.
When a Man Meets a Vixen
Faye Valentine
Now here’s an interesting relationship!
Spike first meets up with Faye in “Honky Tonk Women,” the third episode. From this episode onward, they’ve had a cute, quirky relationship. Often you’ll see these two bickering at each other, flirting, and all that jazz (no pun intended). Faye happens to be one of the 3 things Spike says he hates: tomboys. But again, it seems this doesn’t bother him at all; well, not too much, anyway.
Spike and Faye have developed a nice relationship. By the end of the series, it’s quite easy to say that Faye has had at least a crush on Spike for a least a while, perhaps she even loves him, but I don’t think her feelings for him are amazingly strong. From Spike’s point of view, that’s harder to say because of his personality. He’s quite introverted and has never really given us a clear idea on how he feels for her, verbally and non-verbally. My guess is that of course he finds her attractive, she is beautiful. And he certainly doesn’t mind a playful bicker or flirt every once and awhile, but it’s clear she’s not number one in his heart, as we’ll find out later. She is a member of the crew and a comrade of his, nonetheless.
Jamming with a Rugrat
Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV
What can we say about Ed, hm? For starters, she the last person to join the crew as she debuts in the ninth episode, “Jamming with Edward.” We quickly learn she’s a cute genius (but eccentric) computer hacker who’s name up her name and claims to be 13. She joins to crew out forcefully out of sheer will as she is actually a “fan” of the Bebop and has been tracking their adventures.
Now we have all 3 things Spike hates packed into one nice little bundle on the ship! But again, it’s not like she’s another living hell for him. He cares for her, too, but they do not share a close bond. I like how Spike tolerates her little quirks such as teetering her computer on her head while he’s trying to read it, he simply sways with her or when she hugged and rode his leg when Spike came back to the ship after his encounter with Vincent in the movie (the teetering computer scene was also in the movie).
Spoiler concerning Ed from Session 24 “Hard Luck Woman” ahead!
What really touched me was a little scene at the end of “Hard Luck Woman.” Ed unexpectedly met with her long lost father because he had a bounty on his head (which turned out to be disappointingly small). One of the last scenes played out with Ed leaving the Bebop to go live with her father. Back on the ship, Jet calls out announcing dinner is ready, but Spike doesn’t answer. Jet tries again until he actually goes right up to Spike who’s looking at something outside of the window. Ed drew her trademark smiley on the ship with a “Bye-Bye” written above it. I just love how Spike simply looked down on it, staring, and even avoided heeding to the call of food. Not to mention the cute look upon his face when she gave him a pinwheel as a little parting gift, and that we see it stuck onto the Bebop at the end. I wonder if Spike put it there as a little tribute?
End spoiler.
Well, unlike Jet and Faye, I can’t talk too much about Spike and Ed’s relationship, but that last part did strike my interest; I don’t know if I’m the only one who’s looked at it that way or not, but I thought it might be a testament to something.
Watching a Dream
Evolution, Julia, and Vicious
Here’s where we get into the nitty-gritty, folks. To really get to know Spike, we got to delve deep into his past, the people involved, and how they lead to his destiny.
Setting the Stage
There exists a crime syndicate called the Red Dragons. Among their members are Spike Spiegel and Vicious. They are comrades and good friends, always there for each other. Vicious has a lover by the name of Julia, and Spike has only just met her as Vicious brought her along as they meet for a game at the pool hall. Judging by the Spike’s facial expression when he firsts sees her, it was love at first sight. However all three shared a bond together for a while, until Julia’s heart shifted from Vicious to Spike. Over time, Spike and Julia’s love grew deeper until it reached a breaking point; Spike plans to leave the life as a mobster by faking his death and wishes for his beloved to come with him. She, however, senses the possible dangers of leaving a syndicate and fears for Spike’s life and says she can’t go with him, hoping Spike would stay if she does. Spike still arranges a meet-up, only for Julia to disappear altogether. This was 3 years ago.
At present, Spike occasionally runs into Vicious and tried to find Julia whenever any information came about. Finally, after over 3 long years, Spike and Julia finally meet and decide their fate.
Vicious
As we see from flashbacks, Spike and Vicious use to be good comrades, smiling on each other’s backs while on the job. However, as episode 5 “Ballad of Fallen Angels” shows us, they are no longer on friendly terms, to say the least; in fact, they try to kill each other. It is thought that Vicious feels Spike betrayed him because he left the syndicate and/or for getting involved with Julia. However the latter doesn’t seem to be as big of a deal as the first; Vicious says in “Ballad” they Spike was once a beast like himself, but has lost his fangs. So, Vicious is nowadays chasing down and killing those without fangs and Spike is up next [the previous victim was Mao Yenrai]. Naturally, Spike is going to defend himself and path he choose, so he, too, intends to kill Vicious, although he doesn’t spend his time looking for the opportunity to do so; Vicious either comes to him, or they run into each other (although after certain circumstances, Spike’s the one who comes to him, normally he wouldn’t).
Julia
It’s somewhat easy to say that from the moment they met, Spike and Julia had a good, steady relationship going until both began falling in love with each other. However, they did manage to somehow loose each other for many years.
After all this time, though, Spike still has strong feelings for and he seems to spring to life. For example, remember how I said Spike’s feelings for Faye are not clear because of his personality? Well, in “Jupiter Jazz part I” Spike flips out when Ed mentions the name Julia while hacking; her face flashes before his eyes, runs over to Ed and demands more information in a rather frantic manner. As soon as she tells him a location, he immediately leaves for her despite the fact Faye is also missing and his leaves in the middle of an argument with Jet. Verbally, Spike passionately talks about Julia to Jet in episode 25 “The Real Folk Blues part I.” Spike has never talked to Jet about his past in all of these years they’ve been partners, and to top it off, Spike talks about her in such a way he’s never has before. He describes her as the first woman he’s met who was truly alive, his other half, the missing piece of his life he’s longed for, all with a content little smile on his face.
But what about Julia? How could she have left him alone and stayed that way all this time? We don’t learn until “part I” that Vicious had a little mission for Julia as he held a gun to her head. Vicious also felt some betrayal from Julia, but he still had feelings for her too, as we’ll see in the ultimatum. Julia is told to kill Spike herself, or both die. Right after that, she is seen tearing up the note Spike gave her. If Spike dies either way, she’d rather die with him and kill him herself. No wonder she chose to stay and good thing Spike went through with his option and managed to fake his death and live on into a new life.
Warning!: I will now discuss the fate of Spike in the last two episodes; BIG spoilers about Spike, Vicious, and Julia are to be expected and will spoil the ending of the series as well.
There is also expected to be a final analysis in the relationships between Spike and Faye and Jet.
”The Real Folk Blues parts I & II”
Our man Spike has been a prey of Vicious for quite some time now; however he’s about to been hunted down relentlessly by more than just Vicious.
Almost from the get-go in this episode, Vicious and his alias attempted to take over the Red Dragons but fails. The Van, the trio of elders in charge of the syndicate, decides to have anyone connected with Vicious killed; this definitely includes Spike. It isn’t soon before Spike, along with Jet, are caught up in a shootout at the bar. The past is once again on his tail.
Meanwhile, Julia herself happens to meet with Faye and tells her to relay a message to Spike; that she’ll be waiting. This told me Julia has indeed been looking for Spike since she knew about Faye. However she is being hunted as well, and it wouldn’t surprise me if she always had been since she chose to stay and not kill Spike. Or, if not to escape death, to escape Vicious; knowing him, he’d want any information she’d have on Spike to continue his quest to kill fangless beasts and of course she’d never tell him.
Spike and Jet are on the Bebop when Faye returns to give him the message.
The first session ends with Spike and Julia meeting face to face for the first time in years; and Julia pulls out a gun, aiming it at him.
In the beginning of “part II,” Spike and Julia have a small discussion. As she lowers her gun and embraces him, she now begs to escape from it all with him.
Soon after, they travel to the shop of an old friend of theirs, Annie, who is about to die as she was also connected with Vicious. Spike then prepares himself some weapons and ammunition. Julia tells him that he doesn’t need those to simply run away, but Spike continues. She concludes he will go [quite possibly to confront Vicious] and tells him she’ll go with him and stay until the very end. Now that they are together again, there’s no way she’s going to let him go and will stick by his side no matter how dangerous it will be. And she certainly does prove her point.
As they attempt to escape another surprise attack, they head for the rooftop and successfully fend themselves off. As one random thug appears behind them, Julia’s told to get down as Spike kills him. She remains as Spike shoots down a man from the streets below. When the coast is clear, Julia stands and continues onward only to have a surprise attack from another thug from behind. Spike manages to kills him only a split second after he fired-and having the bullet hit Julia. Then enters the most beautiful sight/scene/etc. of any show/series/whatever I’ve seen in my entire life; she falls slowly as Spike strains his face in complete shock and utter fear. She hits the ground and he rushes over to her, only to hear her lasts words before she dies in his arms.
This proves to be the final turning point in Spike’s life, as Vicious tells us. Vicious and his men arrive at Annie’s shop. After an investigation, Vicious says that a beast has lost a place to go has nowhere to return to, hence, he will come to him. Vicious’ words helped tell me just how well he knows Spike, how close they once were. Since Julia is dead, Vicious figures out that she is the only real reason he’s alive and that when that is gone, he really has no place to return to. He is now the last phantom of his past, and both have yet to settle the score. And yet, Vicious has no more need to lure in Spike; he says Spike is the one who will come, and he is correct. Spike and Vicious know each other so well, it’s amazing.
However, there are few things Spike needs to do before he meets his fate: food, weapons/ammo, and last encounters with Jet and Faye.
Spike unexpectedly arrives on the Bebop and asks Jet for some food. Jet simply watches Spike enjoy his last meal. Well, not “enjoy,” he says the cooking is horrible, as usual. Jet seems to sense something as he simply smiles at then comment. In the previous episode, Jet tells Spike a story that parallels himself, and now it’s Spike’s turn:
“Do you know a story that goes like this? There once was a tiger-striped cat. This cat died a million deaths and was reborn a million times and was owned by various people who he didn't care for. The cat wasn't afraid to die... One day, the cat was a free cat, a stray cat. He met a white female cat, and the two cats spent their days happily together. Years passed, and the white cat died of old age. The tiger-striped cat cried a million times, and then died. It never came back to life...”
Jet comments that he likes that story; Spike replies he hates it because he hates cats. Jet agrees and the two share a hearty laugh together. I thought this was rather touching. We’ve never heard either character laugh so much throughout the entire series and the fact that they share one tell me they really had a good, strong comradery and did have good times together that we never saw. Also because of how good a laugh they had, it seems to say in words that they had a good time together, farewell.
As Spike makes his way out of the room, Faye stops him with a gun to his head. Thus begins a very important conversation:
“Where are you going? Why are you going? You told me once... that the past didn't matter... You're the one who's tied to their past!”
“Look at these eyes. One of them is a fake, because I lost it in an accident. Since then, I have been seeing the past in one eye, and the present in the other. I had believed that what I saw was not all of reality...”
“Don't tell me things like that... You never told me anything about yourself! Don't tell me stuff like that now!
“I thought I was watching a dream that I would never awaken from. Before I knew it, the dream was all over.”
“My... memory came back. But... nothing good came out of it. There was no place for me to return to... This was the only place I could go back to! But now... Where are you going?! Why do you have to go?! Are you telling me you're going to just throw your life away?!”
“I'm not going there to die. I'm going there to see if I really am alive.”
This heart-felt conversation and scene says so much.
First off, we learn a little more about Spike’s outlook on life. He lost his left eye [once Spike and Julia had a conversation; Spike tells her his left eye sees the past, therefore that’s the fake] in an unknown accident. I want to say he lost it while leaving the syndicate, but I now doubt it. Spike has told Julia about his eyes before, so perhaps he simply lost it in more minor accident beforehand, which would still have been in the past. Having a body part that ties into the past so directly has got to be at least a constant, daily reminder. And that being an eye, that symbolism has helped Spike discover an outlook he shares with only 2 other people: Julia and Vicious. The concept of life being a dream he shares with Faye in those next lines.
Faye then starts an argument that her memory came back, just as Spike past caught up with him, but nothing good came out of it. The Bebop and the crew was what she could come back to, so why not Spike? From what we know now, Faye could have already lost that argument.
Spike, Julia, and Vicious. These three people are very different compared to other character in the series and perhaps are unique through anime in general. Not only are all three so much alike among themselves, they all share a belief that their lives are not entirely real. Spike’s past is more real and more important than his life as a bounty hunter ever will be. He had a good friend and comrade, he had a truly alive woman who completed him. Now I’m sure he loves the crew from the bottom of his heart. But Spike said he use to believe life was a dream. Since Julia died, perhaps he finally woke up. This is where Spike answer comes in. With all that has happened in his life, Vicious’ hunt for him, Julia’s disappearance and death, he needs to know if he really is alive or not, now that he’s awake.
I don’t believe any understands Spike, Vicious, and Julia’s ideology, but both Jet and Faye seem to know Spike does have some sort of destiny to face. Faye realizes this as she stops arguing and fires her gun into the air.
In their final scene together, Spike opens up to Faye and shares his past and thoughts with her. Faye, given the circumstances, opens up herself and does so with much emotion and heart. She tries to convince him he belongs with the crew even though she knows he must leave. And her tears as he leaves say plenty more. She really does love Spike. However, I still can’t say if she loves him in a deep, romantic way. After all, you don’t have to love someone in that way to cry for him or her. And I have always wondered, even from the very beginning when I first saw this episode, why she didn’t try harder to stop him. Or that neither one exchanged any real hint of romance, words, embraces, kisses. Then again, perhaps she’s cares and respects him so much, she allows him to do what he must do, since she does seem to understand that. We can say she loves him, but in a broad sense. She did try to stop him and cry, however neither acted upon romantic feelings if they had even though both knew they’d never see each other again and let him go see if he really was alive.
With memories flashing before his eyes, Spike leaves the Bebop forever and meets up with Vicious. As he descends down the stairway, Vicious comments that Spike has finally woken up and reminds him he’s the only on who can kill him. Spike returns those comments back to him. This reminds me how tied in Spike and Vicious are. Since he shares the same beliefs as Spike, he’s correctly stated Spike has awakened. They are also so close and unique, they know that they really are the only ones who can kill each other. Vicious states that they were destined to end up here and the battle begins. In the middle of the fight, they knock their weapons out of each other’s reach and to their opponent. Spike finally words to Vicious are simple: Julia’s dead, let’s end it now. Spike seems to be telling Vicious that because she is dead, they can finally settle the score and end each other’s lives. Vicious knows this, and grants his wish. They give each other back their weapons; Spike shoots Vicious in the chest while he slashes Spike’s guy with his katana; both fatal injuries. After Vicious falls, Spike looks up to the sky and recalls his last conversation with Julia:
“This is… a dream…”
“Yeah… Just a bad dream.”
Spike slowly descends down the stairway, smiles, pointing his finger.
“Bang.”
Finally, the nightmare is over.
Strengths and Weaknesses
As far as strengths go, Spike is a great, strong fighter for one. And despite his mellow personality, he does form strong relationships with those he meets. As a lover, he is very devoted and loyal and will always love you, no matter what has happened or will happen.
Of course, he has his share of weaknesses, too. He did get overly attached to his past, so much so it inevitably killed him. He could have easily stayed and lived, but he acted upon his beliefs and tie to the past. He also had quite an introverted personality, and that could not have helped him much when it came to planning is escape with Julia back then. It didn’t help that she, too, is introverted. Both never clearly stated what was going on and what they planned to do and it cost them 3 years of separation.
Interest
What keeps me interested in Spike Spiegel is how deep of a character he is. He is one of 3 key characters with a deep, dark past that we can never truly understand. He is also among the 3 who share such interesting beliefs, outlooks, and the like. His words can really make you think and it’s always fun to see things in new and different perspectives. Spike Spiegel is simply a mysterious, profound, and unique man; I can’t help but to be drawn into him and love him.
END.
Fun Stuff
I feel that the ending song “Blue” is an excellent sum-up of the series, but more so for Spike. Read the lyrics and you’ll see what I mean:
“Blue”
Never seen a bluer sky
Yeah I can feel it reaching out
and moving closer
There's something 'bout blue
Asked myself what it's all for
You know the funny thing about it
I couldn't answer
No, I couldn't answer
Things have turned a deeper shade of blue
and images that might be real
maybe illusion
Keep flashing off and on
Free. . .
Wanna be free. . . Gonna be free. . .
and move among the stars
You know they really aren't so far
Feels so free. . .
Gotta know free. . . Please. . .
Don't wake me from the dream
It's really everything it seemed
I'm so free. . .
No black and white in the blue
Everything is clearer now
Life is just a dream, you know
that's never ending
I'm ascending
Links:
Bang! -- A nice little shrine to Spike that I’ve found.
AMVs:
I’m sure there are plenty of Spike-centered AMVs out there, so I’m just going to list off the some of the ones I have and enjoy.
"Flash Before Your Eyes" -- A lovely video that litterally plays backwards as Spike's life flashes before his eyes
"Life is But a Dream" -- Centers on Spike and the past; my 2nd favorite video I've even seen
"Shadows" -- my absolute FAVORITE music video of all time; it again centers and Spike and his past
"Bed of Lies" -- Another lovely AMV focusing on Spike and the past
"Tainted Donuts" -- the ever famous Cowboy Bebop/Trigun crossover; Spike and Jet go after the bounty on Vash in this amazingly executed video
LiveJournal Communities:
cuspacecowboy -- Spike
fayeandspike -- Spike x Faye
spikeandjulia -- Spike x Julia
Fanlistings:
"Space Cowboy" -- Spike
SPEED -- Swordfish II (Spike's ship)
Spike x Julia (broken)
Spike x Faye
Bang -- Spike vs Vicious rivalry
And finally...
Random pimpage:
tough_to_beat
The first (and only) communinity I've ever created is dedicated to my beloved Sanosuke Sagara of Rurouni Kenshin! Join now or he'll sucker-punch ya! ;P
Apology:
Forgive me that this is a bit late; our Interet connection has been cutting on and off recently. And also how sucky this essay is. :P If ya want something that I think is good, check out my nice, detailed Julia essay. ^-^ ...And how bad both essays look, lol!