![]() We see the “boy with the harmonica”in the 6th episode ( Sympathy for The Devil)– Wen, who because of a freak turn of events involving the Astral Gate incident did not age, but instead turned to a life fraught with violence and loneliness. She simply wanted a better life, despite the illicit means she attempted to do so- the first of many also searching for meaning in said lives not unlike Spike, and so death is present from the start. In the very first episode, or session, Asteroid Blues, he chases down the red- eye dealer, Ansimov, only to watch his associate, Katerina shoot him dead- and be brutally killed in turn by ISSP forces. (Side note- does it seem like a lot of tragic lovers are named “Julia” or “Juliet”? I blame Shakespeare.) In the backdrop of these three groupings, death sits in the foreground like the Grim Reaper it is so often characterized as, not just because of the constant and steady danger Spike and the rest of the crew find themselves in (thanks largely to their profession of choice), but also as this sort of haunting inevitability that hovers through the show- and specifically in Spike-centric bits. In Spike’s case, his character is driven by three groups, or rather, phases of time in particular- his past, represented by the Red Dragon Syndicate and archrival Vicious his present- which starts off as simply Jet Black but grows to include the newest members of the Bebop (namely Faye and Ed, and to a lesser extent, Ein), and his future, where Spike’s hope is held in the dream that one day he might see Julia, his love, again. Through the show, those aims are made clearer by way of clean plot progression, development of character arcs, and the sequence of events that happens. Of course, any discussion of Cowboy Bebop and its characters starts with the idea that our main crew is searching for meaning in their own individual lives and ways. Whatever the descriptor, Spike is his own man, and he’s worth looking into. Just who is Spike Spiegel? There’s a straightforward answer that he’s a runaway member of a powerful crime syndicate a feared bounty hunter and ace pilot a lost lover floating aimlessly among the stars, a lazy bum who only does things when they benefit him, and for a select few, he’s a friend. ![]() So here’s yours truly, ready to explore the man that is Spike! Spike curiously enough is the first main protagonist to be written about in the “What’s in a Character” series, and he’s worthy of the title indeed he’s a far more interesting lead than most leading men in anime between his backstory, dynamism as a character, and general coolness he’s the type of guy who would know that, but if you asked him, he might look indifferent. Once again, another unique character comes to the fore of analysis today: Spike Speigel! After trips to the Fire Nation (Zuko) and the Mystery Shack (Stan Pines), it’s time to venture into our solar system, Cowboy Bebop-style, to meet (or re-acquaint with) one of the galaxy’s most feared bounty hunters (sorry Boba Fett) and an all-around terrific character. ![]()
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