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The following is a list of major and minor 'characters' from the anime and manga series '''Cowboy Bebop'''.

Contents

Spike Spiegel

Jet Black

Faye Valentine

Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV

Ein

Vicious

Julia

Grencia Mars Elijah Guo Eckener

Punch and Judy

The Three Old Men

Rocco Bonnaro

Laughing Bull

"Bob"

Annie

References

Spike Spiegel

Main articles: Spike Spiegel

'Seiyū: Koichi Yamadera'
'Voice Actor: Steven Jay Blum'
'Spike Spiegel' is a tall and lean 27-year-old bounty hunter born on Mars. The inspiration for Spike is found in martial artist Bruce Lee who uses the martial arts style of ''Jeet Kune Do'' as depicted in Session 8, "Waltz For Venus". He has fluffy, dark green hair (which is inspired by Yusaku Matsuda's) and reddish brown eyes, one of which is artificial and lighter than the other. He is usually dressed in a blue leisure suit, with a yellow shirt and ''Lupin III'' inspired boots. 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 is that his natural eye may have been lost during the pre-series massacre in which he supposedly "died". The purpose of this cybernetic eye is never explicitly stated, though it apparently gives him exceptional hand-eye coordination - particularly with firearms (Spike's gun of choice is a Jericho 941, as seen throughout the series). In the first episode, when facing a bounty-head using Red Eye, Spike mocks him, 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 even touch Spike. A recurring device throughout the entire show is a closeup on Spike's fully-natural left eye before dissolving to a flashback of his life as part of the syndicate. As said by Spike himself in the last episode, his right eye "only sees the present" and his left eye "only sees the past." Spike often has a bent cigarette between his lips, sometimes despite rain or "No Smoking" signs.

Jet Black

'Seiyū: Unshō Ishizuka'
'Voice Actor: Beau Billingslea'
Jet, known on his home satellite as the "Black Dog" for his tenacity, is a 36-year-old former cop from Ganymede (a Jovian satellite) and acts as Spike's foil during the series. Physically, Jet is very tall with a muscular build. He wears a beard with no mustache, and is completely bald save for the back of his head. Spike acts lazy and uninterested, whereas Jet is hard working and a jack-of-all-trades. Jet was once an investigator in the Inter Solar System Police (ISSP) for many years until he lost his arm in an investigation that went awry when his corrupt partner (and friend at the time) betrayed him. His arm was replaced with a cybernetic limb (later revealed to be by choice, as biological replacements were possible, he wanted the fake arm as a reminder of what happened), yet his loss of limb coupled with the general corruption of the police force prompted Jet to quit the ISSP in disgust and become a freelance bounty hunter. Jet also considers himself something of a renaissance man: he cultivates bonsai trees, cooks, enjoys jazz/blues music (he named his ship the bebop, referring to a type of jazz), especially Charlie Parker, and even has interest in Goethe. As a character, Jet is the quintessential oyaji or "dad" even though he often wishes people would view him as a more brotherly figure (so as not to seem old).
Jet is skilled with handguns, typically carrying a pre-2004 Walther P99, as well as the use of the netgun. He is good with hand to hand combat as well. Unlike Spike, Jet tends to use more raw muscle than technique. He is also a great mechanic and pilot. Aside from the converted interplanetary fishing trawler vessel ''Bebop'', Jet flies a smaller ship called ''Hammerhead''. The ''Hammerhead'' appears to be a modified (Jet added larger engines and fuel tanks) salvage-craft that uses a mechanical arm equipped with a harpoon as its main weapon, which is somewhat analogous to his own mechanical arm. Both the ''Hammerhead'' and the ''Bebop'' are able to land on water, and have a fishing theme, most likely because Ganymede's surface is mostly covered with water (it is later revealed that the Bebop was originally a fishing ship that Jet "customized" with larger engines).
During the series, it is revealed that Jet once lived with a woman named Alisa, who left him because he was too controlling. Later they meet up again when Arisa's new boyfriend Rhint is wanted for murder. Jet then ends up in a situation somewhat similar to that of Vicious, where he must hunt down a woman who broke his heart, and her lover.
In a later episode, another Vicious/Spike parallel is set up when Jet finds out that it was his old partner Fad who betrayed him (though in Jet's case, there was no love affair involved). Fad arranged for Jet's death in a setup, but he survived with only a missing arm and a scar on his face. It is worth noting that Jet managed to face the demons of his past and let them go, in contrast to Spike, who was killed when he confronted his. This is likely due to the contrast in the two approaches to the past. While Spike hid and fled from his past, Jet tracked it down and confronted it.
A possibly related note: Jet Black is also the name of the drummer in long-running English band The Stranglers and his nickname is in reference to the Led Zeppelin song "Black Dog". Jet also bears a remarkable resemblance to Daisuke Jigen from Lupin III.

Faye Valentine

'Seiyū: Megumi Hayashibara'
'Voice Actress: Wendee Lee'
(Born August 14, 1994) One of the members of the bounty hunting crew in the anime series Cowboy Bebop. Often seen with a cigarette and in a revealing outfit complete with bright yellow hot pants and a matching, revealing top, black suspenders, white boots, and a long-sleeved red shirt worn normally through the sleeves, not to mention her signature headband, she is unusually attractive, sporting a bob of violet hair, green eyes, fair skin, and a voluptuous body. Although appearing to be no more than her 23 years alive suggests, Faye is actually upwards of 74-years-old, having been put into cryogenic freeze after a space shuttle accident. During the course of the series (set in 2071), Faye manages to cross paths with Spike and Jet twice before she finally makes herself at home aboard their ship the second time, much to the consternation and disapproval of the two men, both of whom have their own reservations about women in general. Faye herself is brash, egotistical, and quite lazy, despite taking plenty of time to pamper and care for her own appearance. Faye has also been placed under arrest several times in the series and spends much time in handcuffs on the ship. She, at times, expects the boys to take care of bounties for her, while she sits by idly to reap the benefits and eat all their food, another source of conflict.
Seemingly little more than a thorn in her partners’ sides, Faye is actually a well-rounded member of the team. She can handle herself exceptionally well for a woman of her slight appearance, displaying at least once in the series (in Cowboy Funk) that she packs quite a mean punch. Adept at flying, Faye has stood her ground just as well as Spike has in an aerial dogfight in her ship Red Tail, at times even against Spike in an aerial dogfight. She also excels with guns, and is first seen in the series completely disabling a ship with a Heckler & Koch MP5, though she is immediately apprehended afterward. In the movie, she’s seen with the same gun, in addition to her normal companion: a Glock 30. Where Faye really shines, however, is with her mouth. She has an almost unstoppable attitude, and even her sometimes innocent smile can be seen as dangerous. Sarcastic and presumptuous, she rarely appears weak or in need of support. She brags and takes care of herself, never trusting others, cheating and lying her way from one day to the next.
She is a woman who is skilled at getting what she wants; however, her indomitable exterior hides a more delicate interior. Upon awakening from her 54-year cryogenic sleep, not only was she saddled with a massive amount of debt that she had no means to pay, but she was also diagnosed with total amnesia, a stranger in a mysterious world that she wasn’t a part of and didn’t understand, surrounded by people who claimed to be helping her but were only there to take advantage of her naiveté. The surname "Valentine" was merely a name given to her by the doctor who woke her; the circumstances of her accident, her previous life, and even her real name all remain a mystery, and are only gradually revealed as the series progresses. It has been hinted that she came from Singapore on Earth, and was the daughter of a very wealthy family, as the city's famous Merlion Statue features prominently in scenes of her childhood, and that memories and a film from her childhood showed her living in a large mansion. In an early episode, she states that she is descended from Roma people, but she may well have been lying. Utterly betrayed by someone she thought she could trust after waking, Faye found herself burdened with even more money to pay, and the situation resulted in the hardening of her personality to an extreme degree. She even says in Session 11: “we deceive or we are deceived,” and that “nothing good ever happened to me when I trusted others.”
Throughout the series, though she retains her sarcastic demeanor and unpleasant nature up until the very end, it is easy to see her grow as a character. She learns to value her comrades, coming back to the Bebop when she realizes that it is the only home that she has left, naming it as the “only place I could return to.” She grows to understand the disadvantages of being a loner, and that even though her ‘family’ is somewhat dysfunctional it is still a place where she will always belong.
Throughout the series, though she grows to care for Jet and even Edward in her own way, it is her relationship with Spike that remains a cause for consideration by most. Many believe and even see evidence of a romantic interest on Faye’s part. Although this is never stated, her attraction may be implied by her interactions with him (Pierrot Le Fou, My Funny Valentine, Speak like a Child, The Real Folk Blues) as well as her fascination with Julia (Jupiter Jazz, The Real Folk Blues) Although he comes to see her as a companion, Spike does not seem to have romantic feelings for Faye, as could be evidenced by his decision to seek and face Vicious in The Real Folk Blues, a decision which upsets Faye to the point where she fires her pistol into the ceiling five times as Spike leaves. However in an interview Watanabe stated: "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." [1]

Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV

'Voice Actress: Melissa Fahn'
The self-invented personal name of an elite net-diver from Earth, hacker "Radical Edward" is a very strange, somewhat androgynous, teenage girl assumed to be around 13 years in age. She has a feral aspect reflected in her mannerisms, bare feet, strange postures and gangling walk. Ed could be considered a "free spirit"; she is fond of silly exclamations and childish rhymes, easily distracted, and the show's primary source of physical humor. It is presumed she has a personality disorder similar to ADHD but this is never specified. Over the course of the show she rarely walks anywhere, preferring to run, crawl, flip, roll, walk on her hands, or even just saunter. Ed is always barefoot. In one episode, she considers putting on socks and shoes, but quickly removes them, as even wearing socks hampers her, and she falls over seconds after putting them on; she also appears to be exceptionally strong and flexible, being able to support her weight on her arms for several minutes at a time, and to scratch her nose with her toe.
In the English version, she almost always refers to herself in the third person. Not much is known about her origins, only that she spent some of her earlier childhood in an orphanage after being left there by her father, a man named Appledelhi Siniz Hesap Lütfen (he calls Ed "Françoise", and may be of Turkish origin as his name means "excuse me, check please" in Turkish). In the manga it is revealed that she was a friend of a timid young boy in the orphanage known simply as "Tomato" (which also happens to be the brand name scrawled in katakana on her PC) who, like Ed, knew a great deal about computers and the net, and it's probably safe to assume that his friendship with Ed helped turn her into the genius-hacker she is today. Ed's primary use to the Bebop crew is as a hacker; she is widely known to be a whiz kid behind a computer. Ed's computer of choice is a carry-along Tomato desktop, an homage to the portable flatpanel-outfitted Apple IIc from the 80s, and when traveling by foot she will balance it on her head. Ed has a strong rapport with Jet, who acts as a surrogate father, and Faye, who acts as something of a big sister (much to Faye's chagrin). Ed also seems to be the only person who can understand Ein. (Though in a few instances Jet could understand Ein also.)
In the last episodes of the series Ed and Ein decide to stay on Earth, presumably because Ed finally meets her father. The episode in which this occurs is "Hard Luck Woman".
Originally, Ed's character was based on a description of the series' music director ("a little weird, catlike, but a genius at creating music") and was originally going to be a dark-skinned boy. It was changed to even the gender ratio on the ''Bebop'', which was, with Ed as a boy, three guys and one girl. This original character design appears in session 5, stealing a clearly adult magazine from Annie's bookstore by smuggling it under his shirt.

Ein

Ein is a Pembroke Welsh Corgi brought aboard the ''Bebop'' by Spike after a failed attempt to capture a bounty. Ein is a "data dog": while the televised series only briefly hints on the fact that this means Ein's brain was somehow enhanced drastically, the manga shows Ed accessing data stored in Ein's brain via a virtual reality-type interface with which she has a conversation with a human proprietor. It is obvious that Ein is abnormally intelligent, as he is able to answer the telephone, drive a car (just the wheel), use the SSW, play shōgi, and generally do a number of other things that an average canine shouldn't be able to do, but he never talks in a human language during the show. He does, however, speak in Session 18 "Speak Like A Child" after the credits Ein tells Spike "Next Episode: Wild Horses". He is able to 'speak' to other species, as demonstrated in Session 17, "Mushroom Samba" (he spoke to a cow with a subtitled bark of "Thanks", to which the cow has a subtitled moo back of "No problem"). It is likely that Ed is the only crew member with any idea of Ein's capabilities, as the other crew members are quick to dismiss Ein, and never seem to acknowledge him as more than a pet. Ein initially takes a shine to Jet, but when Ed joins the crew, he comes around to her as well. Frequently the two trade roles, with Ein expressing very human sentiments via facial expression and Ed regressing to a feral state. He went with Ed after she left the crew, probably because of his attachment to her. His name is a pun on the Japanese word for "dog" (犬 ''inu'') but is also German for "one". 'Ein' may also be short for 'Einstein', after Albert Einstein, because of the extraordinary intelligence he possesses.

Vicious

'Seiyū: Norio Wakamoto'
'Voice Actor: Skip Stellrecht'
It's all in the name with Vicious: he is ruthless, bloodthirsty, cunning and ambitious, willing to do anything in order to secure a position of power. He is a member of the Red Dragon Crime Syndicate in Tharsis, and is often referred to or depicted as a venomous snake. His weapon of choice is not a firearm, but a katana which he wields skillfully, even against gun-wielders. He was an infantry rifleman during the Titan War and is shown firing an automatic pistol in a Session 5 flashback, as well as in the Session 26 flashback of him and Spike fighting back-to-back. Early on, Vicious is sometimes seen with a black bird on his shoulder. This bird is eventually used as a distraction and weapon, either a cybernetic or robotic construct with built-in explosives.
Vicious was Spike's partner in the Red Dragon crime syndicate until they fell into conflict over Julia. After Spike's supposed death, Vicious also leaves the Red Dragons briefly to fight in the Titan War of 2068 although his precise motivations for enlisting are debated. The blood feud between Spike and Vicious is an ongoing storyline throughout ''Cowboy Bebop''. Vicious believes that he is the only one who can kill, or "awaken" Spike, as Spike is the only one who can do the same for Vicious (all of these facts are surprisingly similar to Creed Diskenth from Black Cat). Vicious' real age is revealed in the official guidebook ''The After'': at 27, he's the same age as Spike, although he appears to be much older. The age 27 is a significant age in the series because of the connotations it has to some legendary musicians passing away at that age, who are called the 27 Club. He may seem older due to the heavy, ever-present bags under his eyes. Because of this and his affinity towards Red Eye deals, it is possible that he is a user of the mind and vision altering drug. Evidence of this is briefly seen during a flashback at Julia's apartment which shows a capsule of Red Eye on the window sill during Session 13: Jupiter Jazz, Part 2.

Julia

'Seiyū: Gara Takashima'
'Voice Actress: Mary Elizabeth McGlynn'
Julia is a beautiful and mysterious woman from both Spike and Vicious' pasts. A love triangle among the three caused Spike to leave the syndicate rather than challenge Vicious. Spike had wanted to take her with him when he left the syndicate, but she was blackmailed by Vicious into almost shooting Spike. Vicious found out they were planning to run away together and confronted Julia, telling her that she would have to kill Spike, or both of them would be killed. To protect not only herself but also the man she loved, she ran away, never meeting Spike at the cemetery as both of them had planned; Spike himself was never aware of her reasons for not meeting him until the very end of the series.
Julia only appears in flashbacks until the final two episodes of the series. She acts as a stark contrast to the world around her — her blonde hair, bright red umbrella and automobile stand out in the otherwise drab environments that she inhabits.
After meeting Faye Valentine by coincidence, Julia and Spike are reunited. However, soon they're ambushed by Vicious' henchmen, and one of them fatally injures Julia. Her last words to Spike are ''It's... just... a dream...''.
Julia's name comes from the Beatles song "Julia" on ''The White Album''.

Grencia Mars Elijah Guo Eckener

'Seiyū: Kenyū Horiuchi'

'Voice Actor: Michael Gregory (voice actor)'
Gren was once a soldier for the war on Titan, and appears in the two-part episodes of 'Jupiter Jazz'. On Titan he fought beside Vicious, who he admired and found encouragement in, during the war. After the war, Gren came back hoping to be a jazz musician, but that plan was cut short when he was arrested on the pretense of being a spy. In prison, Gren heard that Vicious testified against him; this and the isolation drove him mad. The prison used prisoners for drug experiments, and he was forced to become a test subject. In some translations, he suffered from insomnia while in prison and started using drugs to try and deal with it. In either case, the drugs severely imbalanced his hormones, and caused him to develop a feminine figure, including breasts.
Finally, after his body had been transformed and his sanity shattered, he managed to escape from prison. After his escape from jail, Gren worked as a saxophone player at Rester House, a bar in a sector called 'The Blue Crow', which is located on one of Jupiter's moons, Callisto. He met Julia there and found out from her how Vicious betrayed him. Two years later, Faye met Gren. In an act of kindness, Gren 'rescued' Faye from a fight she caused and allowed her to come to his apartment. While Faye was there, Vicious called, alarming her and raising suspicions about the musician. Intruding on him while showering, Faye discovered Gren's secret. Gren explained how he became what he was, and told her that he was going to see if Vicious really framed him. When Faye said he'd be killed in the process, he replied that death didn't frighten him, and that he would not live longer anyway.
Disguising himself as a woman, Gren met the Syndicate member, along with Lin, who went to protect Vicious. Exchanging Red Eye for Titan Opal, Gren suspected a trap. He shot it open, setting off the explosive, and then revealed who he was, finally confronting Vicious about what happened when he returned from Titan. In the ensuing battle, Lin died to protect Vicious. Meanwhile, Spike arrived and began to attack Vicious as he fled. Gren had planted the music box in the bag of Red Eye, rigged with an explosive, which damaged Vicious' ship. However, his own ship was severely damaged in the process. Spike, wanting to find out more about Julia, lands next to Gren's crashed ship, and finds Gren lying in the snow. Spike rushes to Gren's side, and as he dies, Gren mentions something that Julia said about Spike. As Gren's last request, Spike helped him back into his ship and launched him toward Titan.

Punch and Judy

'Seiyū: Tsutomu Taruki and Miki Nagasawa'

'Voice Actors: Paul St. Peter and Lia Sargent'
Punch and Judy are the characters of the TV show ''Big Shot''. The show provides information on various bounty heads, but is often unreliable. The ''Bebop'' crew often has the show playing in the background, but seldom pays close attention (they usually get their information from close contacts). Punch and Judy play the "cowboy" persona in a characteristic, "over the top" fashion. Punch adopts a mid-western drawl mixed with a Mexican accent (both faked), and uses random old-West sayings. Judy plays the stereotypical dumb blonde, and always appears in an open bolero jacket with nothing underneath, frequently wiggling her hips with excitement. ''Big Shot'' gets cancelled towards the end of the series, and Punch (lacking accent and costume) makes a brief cameo revealing his and Judy's fates: he moves to Mars to take care of his mother and Judy is engaged to marry her agent. In the last episode of ''Big Shot'', it appears that Judy was not informed of the show's cancellation and shoved Punch out of the way as she said into the camera that '[the station] will hear from [her] agent about this!'
The character names and the loose concept of ''Big Shot'' are most likely a tongue-in-cheek reference to the British style of puppet-show also known as ''Punch and Judy''.

The Three Old Men

'Seiyū: Hitoshi Hirao (Antonio), Toshihiko Nakajima (Carlos), and Hiroshi Naka (Jobim)'

'Voice Actors: Steve Kramer (Antonio), Richard Cansino (Carlos), and Paul St. Peter (Jobim)'
Throughout the series and the movie, three rude, foul-mouthed, crotchety old men make frequent appearances, as speaking characters, or in the background during scenes. They make various claims about what they did before becoming old-timers, including bounty hunting, building the stargates, farming, piloting planes in a war, digging ditches, and crop-dusting, all of which is almost always followed with the rest claiming they were part of that project as well.. They seem on speaking terms with many supporting characters, and though they run into the main characters often there is not much attention paid to them (or even mention that the main characters have seen them before). They also did the voice-overs for the preview of the episode "Mushroom Samba". According to the movie credits, they are called Antonio, Carlos, and Jobim (a reference to the Brazilian musician Antonio Carlos Jobim). This is a common concept in some anime, also occurring in ''Love Hina''.

Rocco Bonnaro

'Seiyū: Ryūsei Nakao (using the name of Takamasa Nakao)'
Rocco Bonnaro is a member of Piccaro Calvino's gang. He is involved in organized crime in order to support his blind younger sister, Stella, and does everything he can to help her regain her sight. Rocco sees Spike effortlessly take out several hijackers on a spaceliner and begs Spike to teach him how to fight. He befriends Spike although he doesn't tell him about the bounty on his head. Everything goes awry when Rocco gives Spike a package to hold onto, which contains a plant called "Grey Ash" that he stole from Calvino. This plant, worth millions upon millions of woolongs, is capable of curing "Venus Sickness", the disease which has blinded Stella. Rocco has a rendezvous with Spike and they fight against Calvino's gang. Rocco manages to pull off one of Spike's Jeet Kune Do maneuvers and topples one of the gangsters, but, in the chaos, Rocco is gunned down. He asks Spike if they would have been friends if they had met sooner, and dies. Later, Spike pays his respects and visits Stella, although she can feel that Rocco has died.

Laughing Bull

A kind old Shaman, apparently of Native American descent. Laughing Bull lives on Mars, and figures prominently in a number of Cowboy Bebop sessions. Spike goes to Laughing Bull for advice in Session 1 while looking for bounty head Asimov; in "The Real Folk Blues, Part 2," Jet goes to him for information on Spike's whereabouts. Laughing Bull also succors Spike after his fight with Vincent in ''.
Laughing Bull refers to Spike as "Swimming Bird," and calls Jet "Running Rock."

"Bob"

"Bob" is an ISSP policeman based on Ganymede to whom Jet frequently goes to for inside information when looking for bounty heads. Throughout the series, and especially in the film, Bob provides (sometimes reluctantly) crucial information.

Annie

The owner of a convenience store on Mars, and an old friend of Spike, Julia, and Mao Yenrai (a former major member of the Red Dragon crime syndicate). Her name is short for "Anastasia", although she allows only two certain people to address her as such. Annie is fatally wounded just prior to Spike and Julia's seeking her out in the two-part conclusion, "The Real Folk Blues." She dies soon after their arrival.

References