Spike Spiegel
Spike Spiegel is the main character from the manga and anime Cowboy Bebop.
| Cowboy Bebop character | |
| First appearance | "Stray Dog Strut" (April 1998; TV Tokyo) "Asteroid Blues" (October 1998; in order) |
|---|---|
| Created by | Hajime Yatate Shinichirō Watanabe |
| Designed by | Toshihiro Kawamoto |
| Portrayed by | John Cho |
| Voiced by | Kōichi Yamadera (Japanese) Steve Blum (English) |
Spiegel is a bounty hunter and he pilots the spaceship Bebop. He is smokes cigarettes and was born on Mars. His main rival is Vicious, a former partner of Spiegel's in the Red Dragon Syndicate.
In his former life, Spiegel was a member of the triad Red Dragon Syndicate. During his time with them, he fell in love with Julia, Vicious's girlfriend and they tried to leave together. Spiegel ended up faking his own death to escape with her but she went into hiding instead. During the finale, Spike reunites with Julia but she is killed by the Red Dragon Syndicate. Spike faces them and Vicious at their headquarters. Spike fights his way to the top and shoots Vicious before collapsing from gunshot wounds.[1] When asked, Cowboy Bebop director Shinichirō Watanabe said that he can't say if Spike actually died or not.[2]
Spike was voiced by Kōichi Yamadera in Japanese and by Steve Blum in English. John Cho played Spike in the Netflix live-action version.[3]
Spike has been well liked by critics with IGN putting him on their Top 25 Greatest Anime List, ranking him #4 in 2009 and #2 in 2014.[4][5] Animage named him Best Male Character at their Anime Grand Prix in both 1998 and 1999.[6][7]
Spike Spiegel Media
Shinichirō Watanabe at Japan Expo 2009 (Paris, France).
A fan cosplaying as Spike.
Steve Blum at the Code Gaess Premiere2
.jpg)
References
- ↑ "How the Cowboy Bebop Manga is Different from the Anime". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
- ↑ "'Cowboy Bebop' director Watanabe talks anime". The Daily Texan. Archived from the original on July 15, 2009. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
- ↑ "'Cowboy Bebop': John Cho, Mustafa Shakir Among Four Cast in Netflix Live-Action Series". Variety. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
- ↑ "Top 25 Greatest Anime Characters (2009)". IGN. Archived from the original on May 17, 2015. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ↑ "Top 25 Greatest Anime Characters (2014)". IGN. Archived from the original on July 6, 2015. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ↑ "第21回 1999年6月号 - 月刊アニメージュ【公式サイト】". Animage. Archived from the original on November 12, 2010. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ↑ "第22回 2000年6月号 - 月刊アニメージュ【公式サイト】". Animage. Archived from the original on December 13, 2010. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
