The beloved anime series Cowboy Bebop has amassed a huge community of fans. Some believe Faye was in love with Spike, but here's why that's false.

The beloved anime series Cowboy Bebop has amassed a huge community of fans worldwide, an ever-growing fandom that persists even twenty-two years later. However, a long-running fan theory has plagued the discourse surrounding the well-loved series.

Somehow, some people got it in their heads that Faye was in love with Spike. Such a revelation might have given fans that warm and fuzzy feeling of satisfaction, but, in truth, this flight of fancy is wishful thinking at best and reductive of the show’s deftly crafted narrative at worst. Netflix's maligned live-action adaptation of the Cowboy Bebop earned such ire from fans that it was canceled after just a few episodes, so that could hardly be used as further incite into Faye's feelings.

Updated on June 13, 2022 by Tanner Fox: Netflix's recent attempt to reimagine the Cowboy Bebop series as a live-action event may have crashed and burned, but the original single-season anime still remains one of the most celebrated of all time. Holding a perfect one-hundred percent on Rotten Tomatoes, it transcends the genre, becoming a cultural phenomenon that everyone should experience.

Cowboy Bebop is a tale of triumph, failure, and perseverance in the face of hopelessness, but it's not exactly a tale of love. In fact, in Cowboy Bebop, romance often leads to disaster, and, while some fans believe that Spike Spiegel and Faye Valentine shared a sort of unexpressed love, there's enough evidence to suggest that this wasn't actually the case.

11 Spike and Faye Fight Like Siblings

Just about every interaction Faye and Spike have is steeped in petty bickering. Whether it be over food, intel, or who gets the biggest cut for rescuing the population of Ganymede from mass de-evolution, their dynamic is pure rivalry.

The tension between the two is often cited as the key evidence of their attraction, but it’s plain to see that the substance of their bond is all friction and no chemistry. They are like two children forced to play with one another; they may hate it, but it beats the alternative, and they are definitely going to complain about it.

10 Faye Antagonizes Everyone Equally

It’s a wonder how Faye gets along with anyone; she puts on a tough veneer that spares no one, fibbing and pilfering her way through the world. Of course, Spike Speigel and his devil-may-care attitude aren't much better.

Faye makes enemies everywhere she goes and clashes with everyone she meets. Edward may be the only member of the crew who tolerates Faye’s antagonism. If “tension” is somehow the proof of attraction, what’s to say Faye isn’t in love with Jet? Or perhaps Ein?

9 Faye's Past Reveals Her View Of Love

When Faye’s old fling, Whitney Haggis, appears out of the blue, her past is revealed. However, Whitney is just a con-man, garnering the favor of vulnerable women and leaving them saddled with debt.

Two things are made apparent in this encounter. Firstly, since Faye woke from her cryogenic sleep without any memory of her past, her deepest affections and strongest yearnings were rooted in the need to find a place she could belong. At the outset, Whitney seemed to provide that, even if it was an elaborate lie. Secondly, when Faye finally gets the whole truth out of Whitney, it liberates her.

8 The Bebop Family Dynamic Suits Faye

The family dynamic of The Bebop crew is one of the many elements that make Cowboy Bebop such a special series; friends and lovers are chosen, but family, whether by blood or circumstance, are hoisted upon the unsuspecting bonds forged in fire. Spike and Faye are like unruly teens, old enough to exercise their independence, but still bound to their home. They often rebel against their “father” stand-in, Jet. His authority as captain and proprietor of The Bebop often places Jet at the center of Spike and Faye’s squabbling.

As a result, Faye can come and go as she pleases, and, when things get a bit too tough out on her own, she knows she has a bed to return to. This dynamic, though often contentious, works just fine for the crew. The circus of constant fighting and teasing creates a sort of harmony on the ship. The family structure provides each member a bit of something they’ve been missing; Jet has a duty, Spike has a future, and Faye has a home.

7 When Spike And Faye Are Alone Together, Nothing Changes

Their sibling dynamic carries over even when no one is looking. Faye may tease with the occasional joke about Spike being in love with her, but this is more indicative of her cocky tough-guy exterior than any hidden affection. The only thing she’s hiding is the fact that she’s terrified and trying to survive in a tough world.

As a sort of surrogate sibling, Faye has everything she could ever want from Spike: trust, familiarity, and camaraderie. If there was truly romantic tension between the two, then certainly something would have bubbled to the surface when the two were alone.

6 Spike And Faye Don't Speak The Same Love Langauge

When Whitney met Faye, he won her over with tender words and reassurance. Sure, there were gifts and time spent together, but the most vulnerable and open Faye has been during the course of the series was when Whitney poured sweet words into her ear. This makes perfect sense, as all Faye wants at that point is to know who she is. Additionally, when Faye sees the video message that her child self has left for her future self, the expression was again encouraging words. Child Faye demonstrates self-love by literally leaving words of affirmation for adult Faye to find.

Then there is Spike and Julia. Their romance is largely shrouded in mystery, but one thing is certain—the two are all about action. Their love language is devoted service to one another, for better or for worse.

5 Spike Is Too Focused On Other Things

Spike has a mysterious past, but he himself is anything but mysterious. He has two modes those being, work and respite. When he works, he’s icy cool, super sharp, tenacious, and cunning.

The rest of the time, he’s stubborn, cranky, uncooperative, and impatient. As a fellow bounty hunter, he brings quite a lot to the table, and, as a member of the Bebop “family," he contributes familiarity, certainty, and stability. However, as a romantic partner, Spike leaves a lot to be desired, and he doesn't seem to be open to love during the events of the Cowboy Bebop anime.

4 Their Bond Is Through Jet And The Bebop, Not Each Other

Since Jet is the figure of authority on The Bebop, he becomes everyone’s defacto link. How Spike and Jet met is unknown, but it’s clear the two have known one another the longest. When Faye joins the time, it’s only by the good graces of Jet, since Spike expresses early in the series a general distrust of women. When Faye runs off toward the end of the series, Spike calls Faye and implores her to return to The Bebop to care for Jet, who has been injured. Faye refuses, insisting Edward and Ein can take care of him.

Spike and Faye rely on Jet to be their bond, and it shows in what they take for granted. One of the most heartbreaking elements of Cowboy Bebop is also one of its best crafted, that being the ephemerality of their bond. Their harmony together is as short-lived as it is perfect.

3 Faye Only Returns After She Realizing She Had Nowhere Else To Go

The infamous confrontation scene is the most cited bit of evidence that Faye is in love with Spike. While her desperate plea to keep Spike alive and on the ship is certainly a heartbreaking foyer into the show’s climactic finale, it’s not likely a confession of romantic love. Faye only returns to The Bebop after discovering that her home on Earth is long gone, and, even then, she only makes her way back to the ship after meeting Julia—again, she originally told Spike she didn’t plan on returning.

When Faye finally returns to The Bebop, it becomes clear to her that The Bebop is the only home she has left. She isn't confessing her love, but rather pleading with her brother-in-arms, begging him to see the future he’s leaving behind.

2 The Show Is Not About Love

Romantic subplots are a huge part of most anime series, and even the most action-packed shounen outings or the most thought-provoking dramas often include some sort of romance. The characters featured in Cowboy Bebop march to the beat of a different drum, however, and conventional romance just isn't part of their marching orders.

Cowboy Bebop can be interpreted in many different ways, but the series is primarily about coming to grips with life in an uncaring, unglamorous world. Faye and Spike both rally against it in separate ways, but, ultimately, their fates were sealed, and their pasts could not be escaped. You're gonna carry that weight.

1

NEXT: 5 Superman Villains Who Were The Best In Live-Action (& 5 Villains Who Were Better Animated)

Next 10 Most Popular Anime TV Openings Of The 2010s, According To YouTube Views