Cowboy Bebop is maybe one of the greatest anime of all time, and anyone who's even remotely familiar with the format has probably either seen it or has been meaning to see it since they first started thinking about anime.
The show is a space-western with cyberpunk elements, beautiful jazz and blues soundtrack, and one of the coolest protagonists in anime history. However, this protagonist would be nothing without his crew made up of Ein, Ed, Jet, and Faye. Here are 10 things fans may not have known about the femme fatale of the anime, Faye Valentine.
10 She's Actually 77
While it would be easy to assume that Faye is in her early twenties due to her appearance, that's not true. She actually got involved in an accident back in 2014, which resulted in her being cryogenically frozen until about 4 years before she met the Bebop crew. After waking up from the freezing and being cured, she had a considerable debt slapped on, which she's been working to pay off (or avoid) ever since.
9 She's Not Without Her Vices
As with many people who have been through great amounts of trauma the way she has, she tends to self-medicate with a variety of substances, the most notable of them being cigarettes and alcohol. Other than that, her big motivation is money, which frequently gets in the way of the loyalty she has for her friends (if any) at certain points in the show. She also constantly uses humor and sarcasm to disguise her inner-self, which is secretly pretty sensitive despite the tough exterior.
8 There's An Obvious Romance Going On Between Her And Spike
While the director of the show Shinichiro Watanabe has made comments on it before, fans have always been wondering whether or not Faye and Spike care for each other as more than just business partners and reluctant friends. Shinichiro's statement basically says that yes, Spike does have feelings for Faye, but he's not exactly the type of person to air those feelings.
Faye is pretty much the same way in that she'd never admit to having any feelings. While their relationship is generally antagonistic, there are definitely moments of actual concern, like when Faye cries at Spike's final departure.
7 She Has Trust Issues
While most people might be a little bit confused at the fact Faye can't really develop any legitimate connection to any of her friends on the Bebop, she's been crossed too many times to care. After being released from her cryogenic sleep, she quickly realizes that the people who were overseeing her and cured her were less compassionate than they seemed. They also scammed her after that in addition to saddling her with the debt incurred by telling her she was receiving an inheritance, which was more debt,
6 She Succeeds Where Spike Fails
People would frequently assume that Spike is a pretty flawless character, being the main protagonist and all, but in reality, he's much more of a tragic hero than anything else. He frequently gives out advice that he himself refuses to take, while Faye eventually starts to find herself as a person only by rejecting the life that she used to lead. Spike tells her to get rid of her past and live in the present, which she then relays to him as he goes off to what is most likely his death at the hands of Vicious.
5 Her Ship Is Extremely Powerful
Faye's ship is called the Red Tail, which could refer to a few different types of wild animals. The ship most resembles a bird, meaning that the title would imply a Red-Tailed Falcon, although the rest of the ships are named after large and aggressive fish.
Either way, she's an absolute ace of a pilot, and even if she wasn't, the ship she pilots are so decked out that it really wouldn't matter how good she is. She's won numerous dogfights throughout the show, maybe even being one of the most accomplished pilots there is.
4 The Bebop Crew Is The Only Family She Has
While she frequently greets Spike and Jet with sarcasm and whining, she knows by the time Spike leaves for his final ride that she really does care very much for the crew of the Bebop. She's always had a pretty decent relationship with Ed and Ein, but other than that, she doesn't allow herself to get close to anyone. Once she realizes that she used to have everything before the accident that led to her cryostasis and amnesia, she realizes that she'll never have that back. She quickly realizes to appreciate what's around her.
3 She Grows More As A Character Than Anyone Else
The Bebop crew seems at first glance like they've accepted their lots in life and aren't really looking for anything else. Unfortunately for the characters, it's gradually revealed that this couldn't be further from the truth. Spike still longs to have come out on top after his betrayal by Vicious, Ed was secretly looking for her father, and Jet was doing his best to escape his past.
That being said, only Ed and Faye meaningfully accomplish their goals, change for the better, and Faye adopts her old, caring personality.
2 Her Amnesia Majorly Affects Her
One of Faye's biggest goals in life was to recover her memory in one way or another, and that way ends up being the discovery of a hidden Betamax tape. Why Betamax is the ultimate form of audiovisual media, we can't quite tell, but that's not super relevant to the plot at this point. Ed decides to help out Faye with her plight, and the two of them eventually uncover the Betamax tape. Faye doesn't really even learn a whole lot about herself, but at the same time, she didn't need to because she finally decided to appreciate her lot for what it was.
1 She's Pretty Powerful As A Result Of Her Lifestyle
Faye is an extremely agile person and a pretty capable brawler with a hard punch. While she's so small might at first imply that she shouldn't be that physically powerful, there are a few instances in the show where we see how tough she actually is. Aside from the fighting prowess, she also manages to handle guns extremely proficiently, in addition to being a really great pilot. She's probably second to Spike in her all-around combat abilities, which only makes sense considering she was pretty much constantly fighting for her life before ending up on the Bebop.