Tamal Kundu
Spike Spiegel (John Cho) has all the characteristics of a perfect series protagonist. He is handsome, charming, and yet somehow broken in many ways. At the start of the show, he is a Cowboy or bounty hunter with a mysterious past. Jet Black is his partner. They travel across the solar system on Jet’s spaceship Bebop to catch criminals and earn rewards.
Meanwhile, the Syndicate is arguably the worst criminal organization in the system, and Spike and Jet’s path inevitably crosses with theirs. It is revealed that Spike was once known as Fearless, a Syndicate assassin who fell in love with Julia, the girlfriend of his best friend Vicious, and faked his death after she supposedly rejected him. If you are wondering whether Spike or Fearless survives the first season of ‘Cowboy Bebop,’ we got you covered.
Does Spike Die in Cowboy Bebop?
No, Spike doesn’t die in the inaugural season of ‘Cowboy Bebop.’ Spike, Jet, and Faye save Jet’s daughter Kimmie from Vicious and his people in the season finale, but Spike goes right back into the proverbial snake pit, hoping to have one final confrontation with his friend turned bitter enemy. He kills two of Vicious’ most trusted lieutenants, Shin and Lin, before facing off against Vicious himself. Their fight takes place inside a cathedral, with Spike being armed with his gun and Vicious with his katana. Eventually, Vicious manages to take the gun and is about to shoot Spike when Julia arrives and shoots him instead.
This is the first time they see each other in years. However, if Spike hoped for an emotional reunion with the woman he loves, it is soon proven to be a mistake. Julia demands to know why he never came for her and let her rot in her hellish life with Vicious. When she learns that he didn’t because he thought she chose Vicious over him, she incredulously asks how he could believe such a thing.
It slowly dawns on Spike that Julia’s life with Vicious has changed her. She is not the woman he left behind. This new Julia is ruthless, pragmatic, and a survivalist. She will do anything, never to be as afraid as she was during her life with Vicious. She asks Spike to join her and claim the Syndicate throne for themselves, but he refuses. Julia then calls their time together a dream before shooting him.
But Spike, just like Julia, is a survivor. Neither the bullet nor the several-hundred-meter fall afterward kills him. he goes back to the Bebop, but nothing seems to be left for him there. Faye has already left to search for her mother, and Jet tells him that the only reason he is alive is that he helped save Kimmie. Spike’s partner for the last couple of years warns him that the next time he sees him, he will kill him.
Although Spike is still alive at the end of the first season, he has virtually lost everything. But in the closing scenes, a ray of hope arrives in the shape of Radical Ed, who tells Spike that she has a job for him.
Read More: Cowboy Bebop Season 1 Ending, Explained
