Spike Spiegel

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Spike Spiegel, a fictional bounty hunter, is the main protagonist and tragic hero of the anime and manga series Cowboy Bebop. His fighting style was largely inspired by the martial artist Bruce Lee.

He is a 27-year-old bounty hunter who was born on Mars. In appearance, Spike is tall and thin, but with muscular shoulders. He is attractive, with fluffy dark green hair and reddish-brown eyes, one of which is artificial and lighter than the other. A flashback in Session 6 revealed it was his fully functioning right eye which was surgically replaced by the 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"). One theory suggests that his natural eye may have been lost during the massacre in which he supposedly died. The purpose of this cybernetic eye is never explicitly stated. It is hinted that the prosthetic gives him exceptional hand-eye coordination - particularly with firearms - as well as a time-stalling effect similar to those of the fictitious narcotic Red Eye seen in Session 1^[1]. He is usually dressed in a blue leisure suit, with a yellow shirt and Lupin III inspired boots. Spike often has a cigarette between his lips that's rarely in good condition, 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.

Spike has many talents and abilities, making him an excellent bounty hunter. He has very sharp eyesight and abnormally acute perception, and is extraordinarily lucky. Spike makes use of sleight-of-hand techniques to win card games, pick pockets, and even to slip things onto other people unnoticed. Where Spike really excels, however, is in combat. 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, which Lee's disciples mostly eschew. Spike is also an excellent 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.

When he's not 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 enjoys 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: considering oneself as dead and the idea of death being an awakening from a dream are both elements of bushido illustrated in the Hagakure.

Watanabe has admitted that Spike has a habit of being very indirect with his emotions, for example behaving antagonistically towards someone he actually likes. He says that this could apply to Spike's relationship with Faye.^[2]

Another possible hint at Spike's preference of Faye are the similarities between the Julia and Faye, many of which are recounted here ^[3]. One of which is a scene from the end credits of the show (Spike's flashback), which shows Julia wearing an outfit remarkably similar to Faye's.

Spike is also heard saying that the three things he hates most are women with attitude, kids, and animals. He has asked Jet why all three are on board.

Contents 1 History 2 Name 3 Voice actors 4 See also 5 Notes and references

[edit] History

Some years prior to Session 1, Spike had been a rising member of the Red Dragon crime syndicate where he was partnered as a sweeper and enforcer along with his then best friend, Vicious. Badly injured after a shoot-out in the slums on Mars, Spike stumbled to the home of Julia, Vicious' then girlfriend. The pair fell in love while she nursed him back to health. Spike decided to leave the syndicate and elope with Julia. Realizing that his best friend had essentially gone soft and fallen for his girlfriend, Vicious gave Julia a painful ultimatum: to either murder Spike or Spike and Julia would both face death for her betrayal. Although the specifics of the incident are unclear, 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 showed.

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". His 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 Episode 1, when Catalina tells Spike that she's not sure if he's joking or not, to which he responds that he "get[s] that comment a lot."

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

Spike is generally thought to have died of wounds sustained in his final duel with Vicious, and the fading star in the ending theme of the finale is thought to prove it. However, in an interview, Watanabe stated "I've never officially said that he's died. At this point, I can tell you that I'm not sure if he's alive or dead." ^[4] He also stated that he believes fans would be upset if there was a continuation. The later Cowboy Bebop movie Knockin' on Heaven's Door was set before the end of the series.

[edit] Name

Though Spike's surname Spiegel is a Jewish surname of German origin (it means "mirror"), and his gun, the Jericho 941 is Israeli made, he is never identified or labeled as being Jewish in the series. The producers of Cowboy Bebop have been quoted as saying they chose the name Spike Spiegel because "it sounded cool." It was also speculated that it was formed by combining director/producer Spike Jonze's on-screen first name with his real last name, Spiegel, but Watanabe has dismissed this as merely a coincidence. Spike's appearance was modelled after the late Japanese actor, Yusaku Matsuda particularly for his famous role in "Tantei Monogatari."

[edit] Voice actors

• Seiyū: Kōichi Yamadera
• Voice Actor: Steven Blum

[edit] See also

• List of Cowboy Bebop characters

[edit] Notes and references

1. ^ In the first episode, when facing a bounty using the Red Eye drug, Spike mocks him by calling his moves "too slow". At first, this seems like posturing on Spike's part, but even with his senses and reflexes accelerated to superhuman levels by the drug, the bounty cannot lay a finger on Spike.
2. ^ Watanabe: "Spike and Mugen aren't very straightforward in expressing themselves. For example, even if there's a girl they like standing right in front of them, they don't pursue her directly - in fact, they do the opposite, they ignore her almost. I think that part is kind of like me. If I was to sum it up, it's kind of like being a little contradictory or rebellious."
   [Interviewer]: "Are you talking about Spike's relationship with Faye?"
   Watanabe: "Of course. Sometimes I'm asked the question, 'What does Spike think of Faye?' I think that actually he likes her quite a bit. But he's not a very straightforward person so he makes sure he doesn't show it." pg 4 of "Cowboy Bebop' director Watanabe talks anime", 2006
3. ^ [1]
4. ^ "I've never officially said that he's died. At this point, I can tell you that I'm not sure if he's alive or dead. I think probably rather than being yelled at for killing Spike, I think ... people are more upset that I might make a continuation of the story, but look out for bebop in 2009!." from "Cowboy Bebop' director Watanabe talks anime", by Jonathan McNamara; 2/14/06, The Daily Texan