Some light spoilers ahead. This is a very brief overview of some of the more important characters in the story (minus Spike).
FRIENDS AND FOES
->> Jet Black: The Mastermind
The owner of the Bebop (as he likes to pointedly remind everyone every once in a while), Jet Black is the mastermind behind many of their operations. He's perhaps the most reflective of the crew and the most responsible. He takes care of all the details of all their plans (which would work if Spike and Faye weren't so keen on improvising) and he does all the housekeeping. He cooks, he cleans, he buys the weapons, and he fixes the things Spike and Faye wreck. An annoying aspect of Jet, however, is his tendency to nag. He does tend to be a bit controlling and he loves telling people what to do or ends up spouting idealistic moral lectures (though his shipmates just tend to ignore him). Ruthless and not at all hesitant to use his size and strength to intimidate and hurt the "bad guys," Jet is actually probably the biggest softie in the ship, which is evident in the amount of time and love he devotes to his precious bonsai trees. During missions, however, when Jet says to shoot, Spike WILL shoot (usually at anything that moves). When Jet says to leave things to him, Spike leaves things to him, knowing that whatever happens, Jet WILL do what he set out to do.
->> Faye Valentine: The Nuisance
Faye Valentine first encounters the Bebop team in Session #3, Honky Tonk Women, but she doesn't really join them until Session #5, since the first two times she came along, she was totally uninvited and handcuffed to something. After that, she just sort of...gets stuck with them. Faye and the Bebop crew share a mutual distrust and an odd sort of affection (Yes, affection! Why else would Faye stick around and why else would they put up with her, freeloader that she often is?). She smokes, she's flirty, she lies, she gambles, she cheats (Spike knows all her tricks, though), she's a woman of many flaws...but she still rules. Of course, you can't really blame her for being so untrusting and untrustworthy, after all, her entire life as she knows it is based on a lie.
->> Ein: Much Underrated Sidekick
Ein is a mysterious data dog that Spike rescued in Session #2 (Stray Dog Strut). Looking like a common Welsh Corgi, Ein appears to be completely useless. But of course, appearances can be deceiving, for Ein is an extremely intelligent mutt capable of answering the phone and hacking into programs. Ein is more than just a pet - he is a comrade, too! It is even Ein's fall at the hands of the evil/mutant rat/space creature in Toys in the Attic that spurs Spike to mount a full assault.
->> Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV: Uh, Radical
Ed, an incredibly hyper, acrobatic, and strangely poetic thirteen-year-old genius, is probably one of the weirdest characters you will ever come across in the world of anime. She first joins the Bebop crew in Session #9 (Jammin' with Edward) when she offers to help the gang catch a wayward weather satellite that was painstakingly recreating what seems to be the Nazca lines using its lasers. Ed's reasons for joining the Bebop are obscure. Her real name is also unknown for most of the series (she GAVE herself that awfully long name). Along mostly for comic relief, Ed is apt to burst into nonsensical rhyme at ANY GIVEN MOMENT. She will also eat anything. Ed likes to sleep on Ein, squeeze Ein, and annoy pretty much everyone on board. In her spare time, she practices her poetry while doing handstands and backflips.
->> Vicious: Crazy Man
Vicious makes his first appearance as a smirking, cold, psychopathic murderer in Session #5 (Ballad of Fallen Angels). He kidnaps Faye and holds her as bait for Spike. Spike's best friend turned mortal enemy, Vicious has certainly earned the right to be called his nemesis.
->> Julia: Root of All Evil
A very beautiful woman, a demon with the face of an angel, Spike's one true love is extremely mysterious. No one knows much about her and most of what we know we get from flashbacks without dialogues. She eventually appears (properly) in the last two episodes.
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