Character Bios

Spike is a bounty hunter from Mars. He was born on 26th June and is 27 years old. His blood type is O. His favorite ship is his speedster, the Swordfish II. His preferred gun is a Jericho 941. He is devotee of Bruce Lee, and a master of Jeet Kune Do. In his youth, he was heavily involved with the Red Dragon crime syndicate, until three years ago, when he met with a serious “accident” under suspicious circumstances. Now he lives aboard the Bebop with Jet, and the two are permanently low on funds. He rarely talks about his past, but seems to have plenty of experience at martial arts and gunfights. He has the ability to see risks ahead, but this doesn’t stop him putting himself in danger: he often faces unnecessary hazards. It would seem that his recklessness comes not from overconfidence in his abilities, but from a lapsed sense of self-preservation. He lacks fear because he has nothing left to lose.

Jet Black is a bounty hunter from the Jovian satellite Ganymede. He was born on 3rd December and is 36 years old. His blood type is A. His favorite space ship is the converted tug Hammer Head. His preferred gun is Walther P99. He worked as a police officer at ISSP (Inter Solar System Police) on Ganymede, where he gained the nickname “Black Dog.” He left the force in the aftermath of an almost-fatal accident. His injuries were so severe that he required cybernetic enhancement, including an artificial arm (a strange choice for 2071, since medical techniques could easily grow him an organic replacement). Now he works as a bounty hunter, drawing on the network of contacts he first established in the ISSP. His hobbies include bonsai, space horse-races, reading and cookery: his specialty is Fried Beef and Green Peppers… just without the beef. He created the Bebop by redecorating a second-hand trawler. If he marries, he would make a great househusband, but he never seems to have much luck with women.

A former fugitive from bounty-hunters, Faye has now switched sides. Her apparent age is 23, though she is actually in her seventies. Her birthday is 14th August, and her blood type is B. Her favorite space craft is the Redtail. Her preferred gun is a Glock 30. She is in heavy debt, thanks to compulsive gambling and the prohibitive medical bills from Cold Sleep. Perhaps because of this, her obsession with money is greater than either Spike’s or Jet’s. When she first encountered Spike and Jet, she claimed to be a Romany, though this was patently untrue. In fact, she lost her memory in Cold Sleep, and remembers nothing of her life before she was frozen. Her missing past troubles her almost as much as its expensive consequences – her amnesia only aggravates a temper that is already short. Her quest to discover who she really is one of the central themes of the series.

She is a genius hacker who once went by the name Radical Edward. She was born on Earth, on 1st January, and claims to be 13 years old. Her blood type is AB, and she is often mistaken for a boy. She uses a custom computer that she built herself, which she calls Tomato. She heard about Spike and company on the Internet, and invited herself to join the crew of the Bebop. She has a feral quality that shows in her gangling walk and flapping arms – perhaps this is why she gets on so well with Ein. Ein looks like a normal male Welsh corgi, and joined the Bebop crew before Faye and Ed. He is really a data-dog, developed by a research organisation. To the right buyer, a dog of Ein’s abilities would command an astronomical price. Between them – a dog with human intelligence and a girl with animal instinct – they make a perfect team.

Vicious is a “made-man,” a leading figure in the Red Dragon crime syndicate. He is 27 years old, but of unknown origin. One of the secrets of his success is his trademark katana – the Japanese sword he refuses to give up, not even when he was posted to the Titan front in the military. He loves edged weapons, and has used them to slice his way to the top. He and Spike fell out over a woman called Julia, and he is still out for revenge – he is believed to have had some involvement in the “accident” that befell Spike three years ago. He is a hard-line criminal, sickened by the syndicate’s moderate approach and the recent move into legal, commercial areas – Mao Yenrai, leader of the moderates, already fell prey to Vicious in episode five. Ultimately, it is obvious that Vicious will make a bid for power, fighting the leaders of his own syndicate. Cruel and cold-hearted, he trusts nobody and uses everyone – is the black bird on his shoulder his only friend?

Her estimated age is 27. We only know two things about her: that she helped Spike after his accident three years ago, and that a year later, she was seen on Callisto. Believed to be an old flame of Spike’s, she appears to be on the run from other members of the syndicate; she was seen hiding from Vicious, and getting information from Spike’s Red Dragon associate Shin (Lin’s brother, see episodes 12 and 13). However, it becomes clear she cannot escape her destiny, and she finally makes her move in the penultimate episode. What happened between Julia, Spike and Vicious all those years ago…?