The Bebop's ace bounty hunter carries more than just his Jericho 941—Spike Spiegel brings a troubled past, fluid Jeet Kune Do mastery, and an existential weariness that defines Cowboy Bebop's jazz-noir soul.
Full Name: Spike Spiegel
Age: 27
Birthday: June 26th
Role: Bounty Hunter, Bebop Crew
Fighting Style: Jeet Kune Do
Ship: Swordfish II
First Appears: Session 1: Asteroid Blues
Voice: Kōichi Yamadera (Japanese), Steve Blum (English)
Spike is a talented bounty hunter with terrible luck and a bizarre appetite. He is highly skilled in hand-to-hand combat, gunsmanship, and piloting aircraft, making him the ideal space cowboy. He lives with his partner Jet Black aboard the Bebop, drifting from place to place and scraping by on whatever woolongs they can collect. Despite his easygoing demeanor, he harbors a deep aversion to children, animals, and tomboys—a problematic combination when the ship's crew expands to include Ed, Ein, and Faye respectively.
Spike maintains a remarkably laid-back persona, masking deeper existential concerns beneath casual indifference. His past intertwines fatally with Vicious, his former partner in the Red Dragon Syndicate, and Julia, the woman he left everything behind to find. Before joining Jet on the Bebop, Spike worked as a professional assassin for the Syndicate—a history that continues to haunt him throughout the series, culminating in the devastating finale of Session 26: The Real Folk Blues Part 2.
Spike follows Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do philosophy: "Be like water." His combat style flows effortlessly between strikes, embodying the fluidity and adaptability that define his character. Whether facing Syndicate assassins in Session 5: Ballad of Fallen Angels or confronting his past in the series finale, Spike moves with a grace that transforms violence into ballet.
Spike's character embodies the series' jazz-noir aesthetic, with Yoko Kanno's score underscoring his philosophical approach to bounty hunting and his tragic relationship with the past.
"Whatever happens, happens."