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The ending ofCowboy Bebopis infamous for its ambiguity, keeping Spike’s ultimate fate from the audience. Still, there are other aspects of the finale which fans might be unclear about. Here’s some insight into exactly what happened inCowboy Bebop’s epic final episode.
Cowboy Bebopfollows the story of Spike Spiegel, a bounty hunter, and his partner Jet. Along the way, they pick up Faye Valentine, an untrustworthy young woman who has a tendency to get herself into trouble, and Edward, a young hacker who acts as theBebop’s tech expert. While the series is mostly episodic, it does have an ongoing plotline related to Spike’s past with the Red Dragon Syndicate, and in particular a dangerous man named Vicious, who seizes control of the Syndicate over the course of the story and goes after Spike and his one-time love, Julia. The final episode deals heavily with this Vicious storyline, bringing the confrontation between the two to a head.
What Happens in Cowboy Bebop’s Final Episodes
Spike Meets Vicious For A Fight to the Death
Cowboy Bebop’s finale is a two-parter. The first half sees the Syndicate sending out assassins to kill Spike and Julia, and anyone else even associated with Vicious. Spike is saved from an assassination attempt by a friend from the Syndicate, Shin, who warns him what’s going on and advises him how to get in touch with Julia. Jet isn’t so lucky and takes a bullet to the leg, but they manage to escape in spite of that. Julia, on the run herself, happens to encounter Faye, and the two women team up and escape in a car. Julia leaves Faye with a message for Spike, telling him where to meet her.
Jet attempts to get some help from his police contacts, but has no luck, as they’re poorly equipped to deal with Syndicate goons. Faye, meanwhile, delivers her message to Spike just as the ship comes under attack. They manage to repel the attackers, but not before the ship takes some damage. Jet tells Spike to go on and find Julia, so he leaves. Elsewhere,Vicious is taken in front of the Syndicate leaders, ready to be executed, but suddenly many of the Syndicate footsoldiers change their allegiance, killing the elders and rescuing Vicious, placing him in charge of the Syndicate now.
In part 2, Spike and Julia are finally reunited, with Julia hoping the two of them will be able to run away together. They head together to visit an old contact of Spike’s, Annie, only to find that she’s already been shot and is dying when they arrive.A firefight breaks out in Annie’s shop, and in their attempt to escape, Julia is fatally shot.Spike mourns her loss, but is forced to keep moving in order to keep himself alive. Vicious arrives at the scene after Spike has escaped, finding evidence of Julia’s death and realizing that Spike no longer has anything left to lose.
Spike returns to theBebopone last time, having a moment with Jet, and then with Faye. While Jet seems to understand that Spike is doing what he has to, Faye is much less understanding, and even shoots the wall of the ship in anger as Spike leaves for his final confrontation. Spike, armed to the teeth, begins his assault on the Red Dragon Syndicate’s headquarters. He meets up with Shin, who helps him to locate Vicious before being killed in the crossfire. Spike finds Vicious, and the two have their long-fated duel.Spike manages to kill Vicious, but not before Vicious lands a terrible slash across his chest.
Spike begins to see a vision of Julia, and slowly wanders out of the building now that Vicious is dead. Surrounded by Syndicate men who no longer know what to do, Spike holds a hand up and makes a gun shape, saying “Bang” before he collapses on the stairs. The camera zooms out, and finally settles in on a brilliant star in the sky, which gradually fades away.
What Happened to Cowboy Bebop’s Characters?
The Fate of the Bebop Crew Revealed
Whether Spike is still alive at the end of the seriesis a major question which every fan has, but the episode provides no clues as to whether he lived or died.The ending is very deliberately left ambiguous; he may have died, or he may simply have passed out from exhaustion. Even series creator Shinichiro Watanabe has been reluctant to answer whether Spike lived, saying that even he is unsure of the truth. When it comes to Spike’s fate, that’s for each fan to decide for themselves.
As for the other characters, it’s much easier to say where they stand. With Vicious dead, there’s no reason for the Syndicate to harass Jet and Faye any further, so they’re likely safe. Jet no doubt remained aboard theBebop, regardless of Spike’s fate. What happens with Faye is a bit less clear; it’s possible she may still hang around with Jet and continue working together, but she’s just as likely to go off and do her own thing. Many fans wonder abouta potential relationship between Spike and Faye, but with Spike’s fate so ambiguous, it’s impossible to say if such a thing would ever happen.
Edward and Ein, of course, had already left theBebopbefore this incident with the Syndicate began, in episode 24. They’re living safely on Earth with Ed’s biological father, Mr. Appledelhi, and likely have no idea about what happened after they left the ship. Given Edward’s hacking skills, it seems likely that Ed could find out what happened to Spike at any time, provided she was curious enough to look into it.
Cowboy Bebopis a rare example of a series that has a deliberately ambiguous ending, and an even rarer example in that the ambiguity has lasted until the present day, without any word from the creators as to what exactly happened. While it might be frustrating not to know, that ambiguity is a perfect fit for the themes of the series, and arguably has played a big role in whyCowboy Bebopbecame such an anime classic.
Cowboy Bebop
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Cowboy Bebop is a 1998 animated series set in 2071, where humanity has colonized the Solar System following a catastrophic event. As crime surges, bounty hunters known as “Cowboys” are employed by the Inter Solar System Police to capture criminals in exchange for rewards.
