Faye Valentine

Faye Valentine is a wanted bounty head and a member of the bounty hunting crew aboard the Bebop. Although appearing to be no more than 23 years old, Faye is actually around 77 years old. This is because she was put into a cryogenic freeze after a space shuttle accident, wherein she spent fifty-four years in suspended animation. During her adventures on the Bebop, Faye crosses paths with Spike and Jet twice and makes herself at home aboard their ship the second time around, much to the consternation and disapproval of the two men, both of whom have their own reservations about women in general. Faye is a young woman of Singaporean descent with chin-length dark purple hair and green eyes. Her frame is tall and slender, and her skin is pale. Her standard outfit consists of yellow shorts, a matching buttoned shirt, white ankle boots, flesh-colored stockings, and a loose red jacket. The Beta tape found in Speak Like A Child, suggests that Faye has changed a lot from the innocent girl she used to be. As someone who constantly lives in an environment where she must seize every opportunity to find money, dressing revealingly makes people pay more attention to her and also distracts them long enough for her to take advantage of them. She is seen doing this in many instances throughout Cowboy Bebop, with the first being her first appearance in Honky Tonk Women. Faye is an arrogant and lazy character. She's often seen lying around while the others work on a bounty and spends a majority of her time taking care of her appearance. She presents a long series of bad habits such as pathological gambling, alcoholism, excessive consumption of cigarettes and cigars, unwarranted violence, and forcing work on others. Because of her abrasive personality, she often clashes with her companions. She's good at flirting with and seducing men to further her goals, but hates feeling desired and is rarely seen romantically interested in someone. Faye avoids trusting anyone and is used to never staying too long in the same place because of her creditors. Although Faye tries to remain strong, in reality, she hides a deep emotional vulnerability and often is seen to nourish a great deal of sympathy and empathy for her traveling companions in spite of herself. Although for the entire duration of the series the distinctive characteristics of Faye are her sarcasm and presumption, her character noticeably develops. In fact, she begins to trust her companions, understands the value of friendship, and even learns to love Jet Black and Edward in her own way. On different occasions, she runs away from the Bebop frightened by her affection for her companions (having become used to the idea of "leaving before being abandoned"). However, she always duly returns, the Bebop being the only place she can consider her "home." This attitude, as noted by Jet, seems to stem from a need for attention and is an attempt to prove her companions' affection for her. Her relationship with Spike Spiegel is the most complex of the series. Most of the time they do nothing but bicker, but, in moments of danger, Faye has always shown concern for Spike, and Spike has shown some empathy for Faye's situation. Faye has also always taken care of Spike when he was injured, but she still kept a bitter attitude. The affection between them is quite obvious, and many have speculated the possibility that Faye could be in love with Spike. Shinichiro Watanabe has said on the subject, "Sometimes I'm asked the question, 'What does Spike think of Faye?' I think that he likes her quite a bit. But he's not a straightforward person and makes sure not to show it."