Favorite Characters: Spike Spiegel (Cowboy Bebop)

*Spike-related spoilers.*

Again, I’m talking specifically about the live-action version. I’ve heard some complaints from fans along the lines of #NotMySpike, and I have no place to tell them they’re wrong, but as someone who hasn’t seen the anime yet, I thoroughly enjoyed Spike in the Netflix adaptation, along with John Cho’s portrayal of him.

We’re introduced to Spike as an irreverent bounty hunter who plays by his own rules. That latter trait tends to attach itself to status-quo-flouting mavericks who are experts at what they do, but with Spike that’s… not quite the case. No doubt he’s excellent at chasing bounties. He’s dynamite in the action sequences, agile and unpredictable, taking wild risks that frequently pay off. However, he has a little trouble remembering that he only gets paid when he brings the bounty in alive, and even when he does, he has a habit of causing so much property damage in catching said bounty that the fees eat up most of his profits. This is no master bounty hunter at the top of his game. This is a talented but impulsive cowboy who just as likely as not loses the bounty while he’s arguing with Jet over something pointless, who’s known to (metaphorically) shoot himself in the foot, and who frequently moves through the system with no more than a few woos in his pockets.

In short, he’s kind of a mess, and I love it. In his relationship with Jet, Spike plays the part of the young upstart to Jet’s cranky papa bear, alternately snarky and sulky. He chafes at Jet’s attempts to lecture him or look out for him, even as he continually makes their lives trickier with his antics. Spike puts on a decent show of indifference, but he cares a lot more than he lets on, and when the chips are down, he usually comes through. This can occur in momentous ways, like when he takes Jet’s place after his friend steps on the pressure plate of a bomb, as well as everyday ones, like when he holds off a mob of goons long enough for Jet to be a virtual guest at his daughter’s recital. Spike is less sure to start with about Faye, but the more she proves herself, the more he slowly lets her in. He begrudgingly respects a sacrifice play she makes to save him and Jet, and when Jet is ready to throw her over for lying to them, Spike argues in her favor.

Of course, part of that is personal on Spike’s part, because he’s lying too. We learn in the first episode that Spike used to be a member of the Syndicate, and until recently, his former gang members have believed him to be dead. Throughout the season, he worries about heat coming down on him from a former friend/rival, and he keeps his eyes open for incoming danger, but he won’t give Jet a heads up about it. Spike knows that Jet, an ex-cop, hates the Syndicate, and he’s afraid that telling Jet the truth will break their partnership.

This is why it works for me that Spike’s laidback, wise-cracking persona sometimes feels like a put-on. Yes, he is laidback and wise-cracking; he flouts the rules and frequently forgets to think about the consequences, and he’s not much for respecting authority. But he’s also a guy with some serious darkness in his past and a potentially-vengeful old friend who just found out he’s still alive. He’s hung up on his old girlfriend, who just happens to the lover of the very man who’s coming after him, and he doesn’t feel like he can tell Jet or Faye about it. So when anyone gets too close to sensitive subjects, when they pick up on his dark moods, what does he do? He makes a joke. He shrugs away any appearance of pain or worry and distracts them with his humor. It’s who he is, but when he feels like he needs to, he leans into it specifically as a defense mechanism.

Put all of it together, and you have a character who’s both entertaining to watch and interesting to follow. I have a lot of love for Spike, from his drawling quips to his wild action moves, and it’s a shame we couldn’t have gotten more of this version of the character. If a number of fans deem him an inferior version, I’m excited to see how great he is in the anime!