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* HonorBeforeReason: [[spoiler:Strangely enough, displayed in the final battle. Both Spike and Vicious lose their preferred weapons during their fight, but wind up with each other's weapon--so Spike has Vicious' sword and Vicious has Spike's gun. Rather than use each other's weapons, the two immediately form an unspoken agreement to exchange the weapons. This is rather unusual for Vicious as in every other scenario he is portrayed as an amoral and ruthless pragmatist.]]
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* HonorBeforeReason: [[spoiler:Strangely Strangely enough, displayed he displays this on a few occasions. Since his default mode is an utterly amoral pragmatist, it can be surprising when it happens.
** While Vicious is on Callisto, Lin (who is acting as Vicious's bodyguard at the time), shoots Spike with a tranquilizer dart. Rather than finish off his helpless enemy, Vicious lets Spike sleep it off and has further face offs with Spike later. Being the sort of social darwinist who seems to believe in needing to fight and overcome others, ''perhaps'' Vicious thought it would be beneath him to kill Spike in a state where his arch-rival couldn't fight back and there would be no challenge to it.
** [[spoiler:In the final battle. Both Spike and Vicious lose their preferred weapons during their fight, but wind up with each other's weapon--so Spike has Vicious' sword and Vicious has Spike's gun. Rather than use each other's weapons, the two immediately form an unspoken agreement to exchange the weapons. This is rather unusual for Vicious as in every other scenario he is portrayed as an amoral and ruthless pragmatist.]]
** While Vicious is on Callisto, Lin (who is acting as Vicious's bodyguard at the time), shoots Spike with a tranquilizer dart. Rather than finish off his helpless enemy, Vicious lets Spike sleep it off and has further face offs with Spike later. Being the sort of social darwinist who seems to believe in needing to fight and overcome others, ''perhaps'' Vicious thought it would be beneath him to kill Spike in a state where his arch-rival couldn't fight back and there would be no challenge to it.
** [[spoiler:In the final battle. Both Spike and Vicious lose their preferred weapons during their fight, but wind up with each other's weapon--so Spike has Vicious' sword and Vicious has Spike's gun. Rather than use each other's weapons, the two immediately form an unspoken agreement to exchange the weapons.
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* KickTheSonOfABitch: [[spoiler:His betrayal and eventual murder of the Syndicate Leaders. After they attempted to have Spike and Julia killed like he did once his first attempted coup failed, it's hard to feel too sorry when Vicious and his men murder all three of them]].
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* FreudianExcuse: How would you feel if you found out your lover was cheating on you with your best friend? Flashbacks shows before he discovered their affair strongly indicates that Vicious was quite happy with Spike and Julia, now come the present day leaves him only bloodthirsty hatred on the only people he thought he could trust.
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* FreudianExcuse: How would you feel if you found out [[TwoTimingWithTheBestie your lover was cheating on you with your best friend?]] Flashbacks shows before he discovered their affair strongly indicates that Vicious was quite happy with Spike and Julia, leaving him only bloodthirsty hatred [[EtTuBrute on the only people he thought he could trust.]]
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* FreudianExcuse: How would you feel if you found out your lover was cheating on you with your best friend? Flashbacks shows before he discovered their affair strongly indicates that Vicious was quite happy with Spike and Julia, now come the present day leaves him only bloodthirsty hatred on the only people he thought he could trust.
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* TheDon: His role in his one scene.
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* TheDon: Subverted. His role in his one scene. initially seems to be this, but he's a ''capo'' who answers to the Van.
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!!!'''Voiced by:''' Takashi Taguchi, Hiroshi Naka, Shinpachi Tsuji (JPN), Paul Carr, Creator/MikeReynolds, Doug Stone (ENG)
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!!!'''Voiced by:''' Takashi Taguchi, Hiroshi Naka, Creator/HiroshiNaka, Shinpachi Tsuji (JPN), Paul Carr, Creator/MikeReynolds, Doug Stone (ENG)
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* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Vicious initially believes that Spike survived his departure from the Red Dragons due to his ravenous nature and "blood of a beast", only for Spike retort that he's bled all that blood away. For Vicious, a StrawNihilist who believes that [[TheSocialDarwinist the strong stand above the weak]] and that strength can only come [[BloodKnoght through bloodshed]], the idea that Spike is no longer a cold-blooded assassin yet continues to survive is incomprehensible. This leads to the only time in the series that Vicious loses his composure:
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* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Vicious initially believes that Spike survived his departure from the Red Dragons due to his ravenous nature and "blood of a beast", only for Spike retort that he's bled all that blood away. For Vicious, a StrawNihilist who believes that [[TheSocialDarwinist the strong stand above the weak]] and that strength can only come [[BloodKnoght [[BloodKnight through bloodshed]], the idea that Spike is no longer a cold-blooded assassin yet continues to survive is incomprehensible. This leads to the only time in the series that Vicious loses his composure:
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* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Vicious initially believes that Spike survived his departure from the Red Dragons due to his ravenous nature and "blood of a beast", only for Spike retort that he's bled all that blood away. For Vicious, a StrawNihilist who believes that [[TheSocialDarwinist the strong stand above the weak]] and that strength can only come [[BloodKnoght through bloodshed]], the idea that Spike is no longer a cold-blooded assassin yet continues to survive is incomprehensible. This leads to the only time in the series that Vicious loses his composure:
-->'''Vicious:''' ''[[SuddenlyShouting THEN WHY ARE YOU STILL ALIVE?!]]''
-->'''Vicious:''' ''[[SuddenlyShouting THEN WHY ARE YOU STILL ALIVE?!]]''
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!!!'''Voiced by:''' Gara Takashima (JPN), Creator/MaryElizabethMcGlynn (ENG), Dulce Guerrero (SPN-LA), María Rosa Guillén (SPN-EU)
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!!!'''Voiced by:''' Gara Takashima Creator/GaraTakashima (JPN), Creator/MaryElizabethMcGlynn (ENG), Dulce Guerrero (SPN-LA), María Rosa Guillén (SPN-EU)
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* NotSoStoic: He appears cold and remote at all times... unless he's really letting his inner AxCrazy side out. Then you get a good luck at his crazy, sadistic side complete with SlasherSmile, and it may be the last thing you'll ever see.
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* NotSoStoic: He appears cold and remote at all times... unless he's really letting his inner AxCrazy side out. Then you get a good luck at his crazy, sadistic side complete with SlasherSmile, and it may be the last thing you'll ever see. His EvilCannotComprehendGood moment listed above is also a noteworthy example since it's the *only* time in the series that he ever raises his voice to a shout.
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dewicking Badass Baritone
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* BadassBaritone: Has a noticeably deep voice in both dubs, and is a very efficient fighter.
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* EvilSoundsDeep: Along with his voice being a BadassBaritone, it heightens him as a vicious, cold-hearted murderer.
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* EvilSoundsDeep: Along with his voice being a BadassBaritone, very low, it heightens him as a vicious, cold-hearted murderer.
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* GreaterScopeVillain: They're the head of an organized crime ring with powerful ties to assassination and illegal drugs, but they never lift a finger themselves, with even [[BigBad Vicious]] just being one of their subordinates. This gets [[spoiler:subverted when Vicious shows he's far more dangerous than they could ever be, despite the difference in ranks, by killing them and taking over.]]
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* GreaterScopeVillain: They're the head of an organized crime ring with powerful ties to assassination and illegal drugs, but they never lift a finger themselves, with even [[BigBad Vicious]] just being one of their subordinates. This gets [[spoiler:subverted when Vicious shows he's far more dangerous than they could ever be, despite the difference in ranks, [[TheStarscream by killing them and taking over.over]].]]
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----
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** [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed big time]] since this aspect becomes the main aspect doing them in as they go at each other's throats and Vicious beginning his takeover. By the end of the series, Vicious' actions and the reactions toward that have decimiated the crime syndicate's leadership and pretty much leaves it doomed by series' end.
* TheDreaded: They have made quite a reputation, even without Vicious's influence. Bob of the ISSP tells Jet how they are bad news.
* TheDreaded: They have made quite a reputation, even without Vicious's influence. Bob of the ISSP tells Jet how they are bad news.
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** [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed big time]] since this aspect becomes the main aspect doing them in as they go at each other's throats and Vicious beginning his takeover. By the end of the series, Vicious' actions and the reactions toward that have decimiated decimated the crime syndicate's leadership and pretty much leaves it doomed by series' end.
doomed.
* TheDreaded: They have made quite areputation, even without Vicious's influence.reputation. Bob of the ISSP tells Jet how they are bad news.
* TheDreaded: They have made quite a
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* HonorBeforeReason: [[spoiler:Strangely enough, displayed in the final battle. Both Spike and Vicious lose their preferred weapons during their fight, but wind up with each other's weapon. (So Spike has Vicious's sword and Vicious has Spike's gun.) Rather than use each other's weapons, the two immediately form an unspoken agreement to exchange the weapons. This is rather unusual for Vicious as in every other scenario he is portrayed as an amoral and ruthless pragmatist.]]
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* HonorBeforeReason: [[spoiler:Strangely enough, displayed in the final battle. Both Spike and Vicious lose their preferred weapons during their fight, but wind up with each other's weapon. (So weapon--so Spike has Vicious's Vicious' sword and Vicious has Spike's gun.) gun. Rather than use each other's weapons, the two immediately form an unspoken agreement to exchange the weapons. This is rather unusual for Vicious as in every other scenario he is portrayed as an amoral and ruthless pragmatist.]]
* IaijutsuPractitioner: Vicious uses an iai slash to kill a mook in the penultimate episode. He tries it again with Spike, who manages to parry with his pistol.
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* IaijutsuPractitioner: Vicious uses an iai slash to kill a mook in the penultimate episode. He tries it again with Spike, who manages to parry with his pistol.
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* OhCrap: One of the only times he becomes NotSoStoic that isn't directly being either in TranquilFury, indulging in violence or flipping out at Spike, is when he threw Spike out a church window in Episode 5 -- and realizes the latter just dropped a live grenade at his feet as an indirect TakingYouWithMe attempt. For all of his nihilism, Vicious hardly [[ThisIsGonnaSuck looks accepting]] of a potential death here.
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* OhCrap: OhCrap:
** One of the only times he becomes NotSoStoic that isn't directly being either in TranquilFury, indulging in violence or flipping out at Spike, is when he threw Spike out a church window in Episode 5 -- and realizes the latter just dropped a live grenade at his feet as an indirect TakingYouWithMe attempt. For all of his nihilism, Vicious hardly [[ThisIsGonnaSuck looks accepting]] of a potential death here.
** One of the only times he becomes NotSoStoic that isn't directly being either in TranquilFury, indulging in violence or flipping out at Spike, is when he threw Spike out a church window in Episode 5 -- and realizes the latter just dropped a live grenade at his feet as an indirect TakingYouWithMe attempt. For all of his nihilism, Vicious hardly [[ThisIsGonnaSuck looks accepting]] of a potential death here.
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* BadassLongcoat: Part of an all-black neo-noir ensemble she wears in the present. Complete with a pair of [[CyberPunk cyberpunk]]-appropriate [[CoolShades badass shades]]. Fluttering in the wind as she [[spoiler:races through the streets. Evading hitmen. Dodging bullets.]] The entire outfit is really an embodiment of present-day Julia. Totally symbolic of her role as a woman of danger and mystery while giving her an air of mystique (see ''Significant Wardrobe Shift'' below for more details) as she [[spoiler:spends most of the series fading in and out of the shadows.]]
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* BadassLongcoat: Part of an all-black neo-noir ensemble she wears in the present. Complete with a pair of [[CyberPunk cyberpunk]]-appropriate [[CoolShades badass shades]]. Fluttering in the wind as she [[spoiler:races through the streets. Evading hitmen. Dodging bullets.]] The entire outfit is really an embodiment of present-day Julia. Totally symbolic of her role as a woman of danger and mystery while giving her an air of mystique (see ''Significant Wardrobe Shift'' SignificantWardrobeShift below for more details) as she [[spoiler:spends most of the series fading in and out of the shadows.]]
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* KillTheCutie: [[spoiler:When she dies, so dies the last real hope Spike had for his life.]]
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* KillTheCutie: [[spoiler:When she dies, so dies does the last real hope Spike had for his life.]]
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* SignificantWardrobeShift: Her present day all-black ensemble - complete with a genre-appropriate longcoat (see ''Badass Longcoat'' above) - compared to her flashback appearances. Like [[spoiler:Vicious and Spike]], she never used to wear one. Also, [[spoiler:we only see each member of the trio (see ''Freudian Trio'' above) put one on on-screen when things were/are about to get dangerous. For Vicious, this includes every present-day scene we see him featured in. For Spike, this is whenever he knows he is/was about to go to war with the Syndicate. For Julia, this is only when she's finally reunited with Spike in the present.]]
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* SignificantWardrobeShift: Her present day all-black ensemble - complete with a genre-appropriate longcoat (see ''Badass Longcoat'' BadassLongcoat above) - compared to her flashback appearances. Like [[spoiler:Vicious and Spike]], she never used to wear one. Also, [[spoiler:we only see each member of the trio (see ''Freudian Trio'' FreudianTrio above) put one on on-screen when things were/are about to get dangerous. For Vicious, this includes every present-day scene we see him featured in. For Spike, this is whenever he knows he is/was about to go to war with the Syndicate. For Julia, this is only when she's finally reunited with Spike in the present.]]
* BondVillainStupidity: An EvilVersusEvil example. They capture Vicious alive after his coup attempt, then decide that he needs to be taught a lesson and have him hung on a wall in a locked room for several days rather than just killing him outright. Unsurprisingly, this bites them in the ass.
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* BondVillainStupidity: A villain-vs-villain example. They capture Vicious alive after his coup attempt, then decide that he needs to be taught a lesson and have him hung on a wall in a locked room for several days rather than just killing him outright. Unsurprisingly, this bites them in the ass.
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-->"If Spike were here, you would never have done this."
* MinorMajorCharacter: It's clear that Mao was a figure of considerable power in the Red Dragon, and as the onetime mentor and superior to both Spike and Vicious, he played a considerable role in the lives of both men. His only scene before he is killed off is TheTeaser of episode 5.
* MinorMajorCharacter: It's clear that Mao was a figure of considerable power in the Red Dragon, and as the onetime mentor and superior to both Spike and Vicious, he played a considerable role in the lives of both men. His only scene before he is killed off is TheTeaser of episode 5.
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* MinorMajorCharacter: It's clear that Mao was a figure of considerable power in the Red Dragon, and as the onetime mentor and superior to both Spike and Vicious, he played a considerable role in the lives of both men. His only scene before he is killed off is TheTeaser of
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[[/folder]]
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----
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* LastEpisodeNewCharacter: While Julia was seen briefly in flashbacks, we're not properly introduced to her until the two-part GrandFinale.
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* StarCrossedLovers: With Spike.
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** The one time he plays it straight comes in the form of solid advice, warning Shin NOT to follow in his brother's footsteps.
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* HammerHilt: Early in the final battle, Vicious hits Spike with his sword's hilt before drawing it.
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* KatanasAreJustBetter: [[GoodOldWays Even in the future]] and while Vicious himself isn't very hands on unless he's luring out Spike, he fight superbly with it, dodging his opponents bullets and fighting him to close combat each time.
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* IaijutsuPractitioner: Vicious uses an iai slash to kill a mook in the penultimate episode. He tries it again with Spike, who manages to parry with his pistol.
* KatanasAreJustBetter: [[GoodOldWays Even in thefuture]] future]], and while Vicious himself isn't very hands on hands-on unless he's luring out Spike, he fight fights superbly with it, dodging his opponents opponent's bullets and fighting him to in close combat each time.
* KatanasAreJustBetter: [[GoodOldWays Even in the
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Back to [[Characters/CowboyBebop main character page]].
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[[Characters/CowboyBebopBebopCrew The]] ''[[Characters/CowboyBebopBebopCrew Bebop]]'' [[Characters/CowboyBebopBebopCrew Crew]] | '''The Red Dragon Crime Syndicate''' | [[Characters/CowboyBebopOtherCharacters Others]] ]]]]-]
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The Mars-based crime syndicate to which Spike was once a part of. Spike faked his death to escape the group, knowing that if they ever discovered that he was still alive, he'd be a target for them to hunt down. And for Vicious, the most dangerous man in the Syndicate, it would be much, much, more personal.
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The Mars-based [[TheSyndicate crime syndicate syndicate]] to which Spike was once a part of. Spike faked his death to escape the group, knowing that if they ever discovered that he was still alive, he'd be a target for them to hunt down. And for Vicious, the most dangerous man in the Syndicate, it would be much, much, more personal.
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* TheTriadsAndTheTongs: ...InSpace. Implied to have semi-legitimized themselves on Mars in the manner of Al Capone in 1930s Chicago. Spike and Vicious were both raised as loyal killers for this organization.
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* TheTriadsAndTheTongs: ...InSpace. TheTriadsAndTheTongs: Implied to have semi-legitimized themselves on Mars in the manner of Al Capone in 1930s Chicago. Spike and Vicious were both raised as loyal killers for this organization.
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* MinorMajorCharacter: It's clear that Mao was a figure of considerable power in the Red Dragon, and as the onetime mentor and superior to both Spike and Vicious, he played a considerable role in the lives of both men. His only scene before he is killed off is the ColdOpen of episode 5.
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* MinorMajorCharacter: It's clear that Mao was a figure of considerable power in the Red Dragon, and as the onetime mentor and superior to both Spike and Vicious, he played a considerable role in the lives of both men. His only scene before he is killed off is the ColdOpen TheTeaser of episode 5.
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A captain within the Red Dragon, shown as AFatherToHisMen. Seems to see Spike as a [[ProdigalHero Prodigal Son]] and implied to have once viewed him as a potential heir. Slain [[IncrediblyLamePun viciously]] in an attempt by Vicious to both prevent Mao from making peace with another crime syndicate and to lure Spike out of hiding and back to Mars.
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A captain within the Red Dragon, shown as AFatherToHisMen. Seems to see Spike as a [[ProdigalHero Prodigal Son]] and implied to have once viewed him as a potential heir. Slain [[IncrediblyLamePun [[{{Pun}} viciously]] in an attempt by Vicious to both prevent Mao from making peace with another crime syndicate and to lure Spike out of hiding and back to Mars.
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* ManipulativeBastard: His speciality! Vicious happily uses Mao to rise in the Red Dragon until he decides he's lost his edge and needs to be eliminated. Likewise he charms Gren into trusting him as his comrade while setting him up to take the fall for Vicious' own crimes.
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* ManipulativeBastard: His speciality! Vicious happily uses Mao to rise in the Red Dragon until he decides he's that Mao has lost his edge and needs to be eliminated. Likewise he charms Gren into trusting him as his comrade while setting him up to take the fall for Vicious' own crimes.
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* ManipulativeBastard: His speciality! Vicious happily uses Mao to rise in the Red Dragon until he deccides he's lost his edge and needs to be eliminated. Likewise he charms Gren into trusting him as his comrade while setting him up to take the fall for Vicious' own crimes.
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* ManipulativeBastard: His speciality! Vicious happily uses Mao to rise in the Red Dragon until he deccides decides he's lost his edge and needs to be eliminated. Likewise he charms Gren into trusting him as his comrade while setting him up to take the fall for Vicious' own crimes.
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* FantasticDrug: Possibly. In one flashback scene a Red Eye injector seems is on Vicious' nightstand, and him using the drug would explain how he can survive taking on gunmen while using a sword as his primary weapon.
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* FantasticDrug: Possibly. In one flashback scene a Red Eye injector seems is on Vicious' nightstand, and him using the drug would explain how he can survive taking on gunmen while using a sword as his primary weapon.
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* FantasticDrug: Possibly. In one flashback scene a Red Eye injector seems to be on Vicious' nightstand, and {{Fanon}} believes that Vicious may be a regular user. It's one explanation for how he can survive taking on gunmen while using a sword as his primary weapon.
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* FantasticDrug: Possibly. In one flashback scene a Red Eye injector seems to be is on Vicious' nightstand, and {{Fanon}} believes that Vicious may be a regular user. It's one explanation for him using the drug would explain how he can survive taking on gunmen while using a sword as his primary weapon.
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Back to [[Characters/CowboyBebop main character page]].
[[foldercontrol]]
!The Red Dragon Syndicate
[[folder:In General]]
!!The Red Dragon Syndicate
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/headquarters.jpg]]
The Mars-based crime syndicate to which Spike was once a part of. Spike faked his death to escape the group, knowing that if they ever discovered that he was still alive, he'd be a target for them to hunt down. And for Vicious, the most dangerous man in the Syndicate, it would be much, much, more personal.
* AxCrazy: Even without taking [[BigBad Vicious]] into account, the Red Dragon wipes out anyone that dares threaten them or stand in their way in the blink of an eye, and have both full military weaponry and entire squadrons of fighter ships just to pursue those who cross them in Mars space. They even tried to kill every single person Vicious has ever associated with when he attempted to overthrow them, both out of tradition and spite. Even people like Mao and Shin firmly believe that the faction have been JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope, and firmly place all the blame on Vicious causing this to spread.
** [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed big time]] since this aspect becomes the main aspect doing them in as they go at each other's throats and Vicious beginning his takeover. By the end of the series, Vicious' actions and the reactions toward that have decimiated the crime syndicate's leadership and pretty much leaves it doomed by series' end.
* TheDreaded: They have made quite a reputation, even without Vicious's influence. Bob of the ISSP tells Jet how they are bad news.
-->'''Bob:''' Just run, Jet, the police can't stop these guys; leave Mars and do it fast.
* FantasticDrug: The Red Eye drug they deal is a stimulant taken through the user's eyes, and can temporarily speed up one's reaction time to the point that users can dodge bullets.
* SpacePirates: Although they try to model themselves on comparatively ancient Earth-based groups like the Triads and Yakuza, the rank-and-file travel through space to keep the criminal enterprises going. Their trafficking in Red Eye effectively makes them the sci-fi equivalent of rum runners.
* TigerVersusDragon: One rival of the Red Dragon is the White Tiger syndicate. Mao tries to broker peace between the groups, only for Vicious to butt in, kill him, and blow up a ship with a high-ranking member of the White Tiger on board.
* TheTriadsAndTheTongs: ...InSpace. Implied to have semi-legitimized themselves on Mars in the manner of Al Capone in 1930s Chicago. Spike and Vicious were both raised as loyal killers for this organization.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Vicious]]
!!Vicious
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bebop_vicious_3612.jpg]]
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/NorioWakamoto (JPN), Creator/SkipStellrecht (ENG), Marcos Patiño (SPN-LA), Tasio Alonso (SPN-EU)
->''"I told you before, Spike, that [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou I'm the only one who can kill you.]]"''
A skilled and remorseless assassin working for the Red Dragon Syndicate who dresses entirely in black, seems to have little emotion and to care about nothing, and who will not hesitate to kill ''anyone'' who gets in his way. In short, Vicious is seriously bad news for anyone who happens to be within a mile of him.
::
As with everything else from Spike's past, not much is ultimately known about Vicious. He and Spike were partners, and top hitmen for the Red Dragon Syndicate, and at this time Vicious was already involved with Julia. Spike and Julia met, and eventually fell in love. A few scenes seen in the closing credits of the episodes hint that Spike and Julia carried out an affair in secret for some time before Vicious found out. Where a normal man might have been upset, Vicious calmly set Spike up to be killed in an ambush, and, as a backup, instructed Julia to kill Spike if he survived to try to run away with her, or be killed herself. Julia never went to the meeting however, and Spike faked his own death, leaving Vicious to stew and continue to plot both vengeance and a ruthless climb to the top of the Red Dragons.
----
* AmbitionIsEvil: Vicious seeks power above all else. He is willing to commit atrocities for the Red Dragon syndicate, including killing the man who mentored him, just so he can get close enough to [[spoiler:kill the leaders and take over]].
* AnimalMotifs:
** Vicious' pet bird is a cormorant, a bird that is known to have a short temper and leave acidic droppings. Is it really surprising that [[AxCrazy someone like Vicious]] would want to keep something like that as a pet?
** The Elders openly compare Vicious to a [[SnakesAreSinister snake]], often done to remind him of his place in the organization. He seems to take the comparison to heart, and twists it back around.
--->'''Vicious:''' Don't forget. A serpent's venom poisons slowly after the bite.
* ArchEnemy: To Spike.
* AxCrazy: Don't let his subdued demeanor fool you. He's every bit as bloodthirsty and megalomaniacal as someone who'd kill his way to the top of an organised crime outfit would have to be.
* BadassBaritone: Has a noticeably deep voice in both dubs, and is a very efficient fighter.
* BadassInANiceSuit: He wears a dark one. Along with the brutal assassinations he carries out, it lends him the aura of an ominous mob enforcer. Shows the badass trait by being one of the few characters in the show able to go toe-to-toe with Spike, and he does so with a katana while the latter is armed with guns, no less.
* BadassLongcoat: Used to conceal his katana and emphasizes his prowess while he cuts down foes. Accordingly, he is the most dangerous opponent Spike faces and [[spoiler:taking him down may have even cost Spike his life]].
* BadBoss: He has little regard for the lives of his fellow members and will do anything to get power, much to the detriment of the syndicate itself.
* BatmanGambit: Lures out Faye knowing her personality to in turn force Spike to face him, knowing his enemy won't be able to leave her to die.
* BigBad: Although he only appears in a total of five episodes, he's heavily involved in Spike's past, which affects the main character greatly and [[spoiler:facing him is the subject of the final arc.]]
* BloodKnight: While he wasn't always AxCrazy, he was always a killer.
* BrokenPedestal: Everyone who was ever close to Vicious eventually winds up learning painfully what a bastard he really is. Of particular note is Gren, who considered Vicious his comrade in war. Vicious betrayed him and had him branded as a spy just because he could.
* TheChessmaster: Effortlessly takes control [[spoiler:of the Red Dragon Syndicate by tricking the elders into attending his execution, where he breaks free and kills them all.]]
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: There's almost no comrade that Vicious hasn't backstabbed. There's almost no comrade who hasn't tried to get back at him for it. The number of those comrades who survive their attempts at revenge is tragically small.
* CloseRangeCombatant: Fights up close with a katana.
* ColdHam: Vicious rarely raises his voice, but it doesn't stop him from chewing the scenery.
* CombatPragmatist: When they do directly clash, Vicious ''never'' takes Spike on in a straight-up fight. Instead, he packs the area full of his mooks, or sends someone in his place he knows Spike would not kill. The one time Vicious fights Spike truly one-on-one is only after Spike has already been wounded. Given that he's Spike's former best friend and knows how dangerous he is, it's a case of being a NoNonsenseNemesis.
* CrazyPrepared: Vicious does not scamp on laying the groundwork for his plans. In his first episode he kills and frames Mao, knowing through extensive research that Spike travels with Faye, who will be unable to resist the large bounty, letting Vicious capture the latter and use her as bait to force out Spike.
* CreepyMonotone: Vicious almost seems drained of emotion. His icy tone gives a haunting quality to all his lines promising to kill Spike.
* DarkIsEvil: Dresses in black and definitely lives up to his name.
* DodgeTheBullet: Has this ability.
* DragonInChief: Vicious is the forefront of the Red Dragon Syndicate, being their most ruthlessly efficient enforcer and keeping them at the top of the criminal food chain, despite not technically ruling them. Of course, in addition to being competent, Vicious is very ambitious and [[spoiler:hatches a successful plan to kill them and take control himself.]]
* TheDreaded:
** Probably best personified when he's brought before the Syndicate leaders. When Vicious is being restrained and makes the "get your hands off me" motion, all the armed guards look like they're about to crap their pants.
** In ''Ballad of Fallen Angels'', Faye demands to know who he is when brought before him, only to go wide eyed and get very scared when Vicious reveals his identity. The fear of Vicious sticks with her so much that in ''Jupiter Jazz'' she freaks out just from ''hearing his voice on a phone.''
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: It's left ambiguous much like many details surrounding him, but there is a reasonable possibility that he ''used'' to care about Spike and Julia, as he's shown genuinely and happily smiling with them in one piece of official art (something he never did in the anime proper), and it's vaguely suggested that their affair behind his back hurt him on some level. However, by the time we first see him in the anime, that possible care is long gone, and the only positive feeling he has left for Spike [[WorthyOpponent is some respect.]]
* EvilCounterpart:
** A more subtly done counterpart to Spike than Vincent. He and Spike had the same background and loved the same woman, and he has Spike's general indifference and cynicism respectively twisted into outright sociopathy and nihilism.
** He's also one to Jet. Both are Spike's partners in crime[[note]] crime-''fighting'' in Jet's case [[/note]] who are [[GoodOldWays far more traditional and nostalgic than he is]], but where Jet [[GoodIsOldFashioned enjoys old-school morality]] and calls Spike out on his fatalism and other attitudes he sees as problematic, Vicious [[JustAGangster wants to go back to the old days when the Syndicate was ruthless and killed everyone instead of making peace with rival gangs]] and is disappointed Spike is no longer as bloodthirsty as he used to be.
* EvilFormerFriend: He and Spike were once close in the Syndicate, seen smiling on missions together and are implied to have been raised side by side.
* EvilPlan: Settle his score with Spike and take over the Red Dragon Syndicate.
* EvilSoundsDeep: Along with his voice being a BadassBaritone, it heightens him as a vicious, cold-hearted murderer.
* FallenAngel: Invokes the imagery of fallen angels when he encounters Spike for the first time since Spike faked his death and fled the Syndicate.
-->'''Vicious''': When angels are forced out of heaven, they become devils. You agree, wouldn't you, Spike?
* FantasticDrug: Possibly. In one flashback scene a Red Eye injector seems to be on Vicious' nightstand, and {{Fanon}} believes that Vicious may be a regular user. It's one explanation for how he can survive taking on gunmen while using a sword as his primary weapon.
* FauxAffablyEvil: Whenever he talks with Spike he'll launch into more dialogue than is typical of him, waxing his nihilistic philosophy and mockingly drawing out the time with his ArchEnemy.
* HeroesPreferSwords: Inverted. His preference for swords [[GunsVsSwords sets up a contrast]] between him and the gunslinging [[TheHero Spike]].
* HonorBeforeReason: [[spoiler:Strangely enough, displayed in the final battle. Both Spike and Vicious lose their preferred weapons during their fight, but wind up with each other's weapon. (So Spike has Vicious's sword and Vicious has Spike's gun.) Rather than use each other's weapons, the two immediately form an unspoken agreement to exchange the weapons. This is rather unusual for Vicious as in every other scenario he is portrayed as an amoral and ruthless pragmatist.]]
* {{Hypocrite}}: He wants to take down the Van for no longer being able to fight themselves, but he himself doesn't do as much hands-on fighting as he used to and often lets his men do the dirty work. He also hates Spike in part for betraying him over Julia, but Vicious backstabs people left and right, even advising Lin to ditch the HonorBeforeReason routine and take up that sort of behavior.
* JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: Think he cares about his pet bird deep down? Afraid not. He willingly sacrifices the poor thing to further his own goals.
* JustAGangster: Vicious has no use for the efforts of Mao to make peace with other Syndicates or the attempts of the elders at PragmaticVillainy. He just wants to cut loose in a frenzy of killing and fighting their gangland rivals.
* KatanasAreJustBetter: [[GoodOldWays Even in the future]] and while Vicious himself isn't very hands on unless he's luring out Spike, he fight superbly with it, dodging his opponents bullets and fighting him to close combat each time.
* KickTheDog: Comes along with his ChronicBackstabbingDisorder, such as how he doesn't even care when his loyal men give their lives to save him. He also willingly sacrificed his pet bird.
* KickTheSonOfABitch: [[spoiler:His betrayal and eventual murder of the Syndicate Leaders. After they attempted to have Spike and Julia killed like he did once his first attempted coup failed, it's hard to feel too sorry when Vicious and his men murder all three of them]].
* KnightOfCerebus: Whenever Vicious makes an appearance, he brings the foremost conflict of the series in with him and his episodes are often the most personal and character-driven for the protagonists. [[PluckyComicRelief Edward]] [[ShooOutTheClowns seems to be largely absent from his episodes]].
* LackOfEmpathy: He cares of nothing but himself. When Lin sacrifices his life to save him, Vicious just criticizes the guy ''post-mortem''.
* LeanAndMean: 6'2, thin and arguably the most sadistic and ruthless character in the entire series.
* {{Lust}}: The lust for power variant, which subsumes him and controls all the horrible attacks he plans and carries out.
* ManipulativeBastard: His speciality! Vicious happily uses Mao to rise in the Red Dragon until he deccides he's lost his edge and needs to be eliminated. Likewise he charms Gren into trusting him as his comrade while setting him up to take the fall for Vicious' own crimes.
* ManOfWealthAndTaste: Vicious is an evil man and ruthless killer but always dresses in a suave suit.
* MeaningfulName: Vicious is... ''vicious'' on the battlefield.
* MutualKill: [[spoiler:Depending on whether you believed [[TheHeroDies Spike died]] or not. Spike was already somewhat injured, but their final attacks traded off at the same time, killing Vicious by one final gunshot and cutting open Spike's torso directly enough that he collapsed shortly thereafter.]]
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: It gives an insight on to the inner workings of his mind.
* NotSoDifferentRemark: In this exchange with Spike:
-->'''Vicious:''' You should see yourself. Do you have any idea what you look like right at this moment, Spike?\\
'''Spike:''' What?\\
'''Vicious:''' A ravenous beast. The same blood runs through both of us. The blood of a beast who wanders, hunting for the blood of others.\\
'''Spike:''' [[ShutUpHannibal I've bled all that kind of blood away.]]\\
'''Vicious:''' Then [[SuddenlyShouting WHY ARE YOU]] [[EvilCannotComprehendGood STILL ALIVE?!]]
* NotSoStoic: He appears cold and remote at all times... unless he's really letting his inner AxCrazy side out. Then you get a good luck at his crazy, sadistic side complete with SlasherSmile, and it may be the last thing you'll ever see.
* ObviouslyEvil: The dude's name is ''Vicious''. He's a blank-eyed monotone mob-enforcer psycho named ''VICIOUS''.
* OhCrap: One of the only times he becomes NotSoStoic that isn't directly being either in TranquilFury, indulging in violence or flipping out at Spike, is when he threw Spike out a church window in Episode 5 -- and realizes the latter just dropped a live grenade at his feet as an indirect TakingYouWithMe attempt. For all of his nihilism, Vicious hardly [[ThisIsGonnaSuck looks accepting]] of a potential death here.
** He also briefly loses his composure when he realizes that the music box he had given to [[spoiler:Gren]] was placed back on his ship, as a bomb that goes off once the song finishes. Vicious repeatedly jostles his failing controls from the damage in frustration but is picked up by his forces before he can crash or get attacked further.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: His past is mysterious and lacking personal information, so Vicious is all we know him by.
* TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: He believes killing Spike is an honor reserved for himself alone.
* PerpetualFrowner: While he used to genuinely smile before Julia betrayed him, he hasn't smiled like that in ages. Which only makes it spookier when he turns around and does a SlasherSmile.
* PetTheDog:
** Subverted when Vicious does use a (literal) StabTheScorpion situation to gain a character's trust only to later betray him. Only the other hand, even though [[spoiler:it just turns out to be his spy transmitter]], when Vicious is playing that sad song on the music box and says that the name of the song is Julia, one has to wonder just how much she meant to him.
** Another noteworthy subversion; notice how he always has that weird-looking bird on his shoulder? It's his pet, so he must have some level of affection for it, right? ''WRONG!'' In the penultimate episode, he ''blows the poor thing up'' just for a distraction.
* PirateParrot: The bird on his shoulder (a cormorant rather than a parrot), which fits with his {{Space Pirate|s}} image. As the story goes on, the little FeatheredFiend seems to be [[MoralityPet the only thing Vicious still actually cares about]] right up until he ''[[SubvertedTrope blows the poor creature to smithereens]]''.
* PsychoKnifeNut: Preference for katanas aside, Vicious throws a knife into Spike's shoulder in their final match. He also uses a combat knife to literally StabTheScorpion and thus gain Gren's trust. While he's perfectly capable of handling guns, his use of blades in his later years reflects his more openly AxCrazy behavior.
* PuttingOnTheReich: His suit and coat are decidedly military in look, possibly a carryover from his time as a soldier in the war on Titan.
%%* RedOniBlueOni: The blue to Spike's red. (One of two)
* RivalTurnedEvil: A bit of an ambiguous case since he probably always toed the line, but it's hinted that discovering that Spike and Julia carried an affair behind his back pushed him off the edge. In flashbacks before this event, he actually looked ''[[TrueCompanions happy]]''.
* {{Sadist}}: He's refined enough to hide it quite well but Vicious' underlying blood thirst can clearly be seen at times, particularly when he [[spoiler:informs Julia she'll be the one to kill Spike on his orders while wearing a wicked grin]].
* SlasherSmile: Rarely smiles at all, but there's a thin, grim smile on his face in the moments when he comes the closest to killing Spike.
* TheSocialDarwinist: His justification as to why he should lead the syndicate is that he is the best at killing. Because the Elders are too old to fight their battles personally, they are therefore unfit to lead.
* TheSociopath: Vicious is a cold, ruthless, bloodthirsty, and ambitious man who prefers solitude. He's ChronicBackstabbingDisorder incarnate, ungrateful to everyone, even if that person ''gave their life to save his ass''. He's also willing to sacrifice anyone to further his own goals, whether it be his men, mentor, or even his loyal pet. The only thing he seems to know really care about is power, revenge, and himself.
* TheStarscream: Vicious makes no secret of the fact that he looks down upon the Elders, calling them weak and [[spoiler:ruthlessly slaughters them when he decides it's his turn to take over the Red Dragon.]]
* TheStoic: Vicious is a man of few words and little emotion, the only time it really slips is when he's close to achieving a goal, which, more often than not, involves killing people.
* StrawNihilist: Sees the world as fundamentally meaningless, violent, and selfish -- behaviors he epitomizes. Trying to convince him of anything else seems like a surefire way to put yourself in his crosshairs.
-->'''Vicious:''' There is nothing to believe in... There is no ''need'' to believe.
* SuperReflexes: Implied to be a result of the [[FantasticDrug Bloody Eye]] use.
* TerseTalker: Speaks very little, and is more likely to act, violently, than to say anything at all. Even his longest speeches tend to be made up of more meaningful silence than words.
* TrueCompanions: He had assumed Spike and Julia were his. When he found out he was wrong, [[RivalTurnedEvil something inside him broke]].
%%* WaistcoatOfStyle
* TheUnfettered: All Vicious wants is to control the Red Dragons and kill Spike. Everything else can burn and he happily ignores the sacrifices of loyal minions and even [[spoiler:blows up his own pet]], to see his ambitions through.
* UngratefulBastard: He's simply indifferent to any good thing a person does for him. In fairness, Spike and Julia betrayed him first, and Vicious [[EvilMentor was surprisingly upfront]] with Lin that Lin would have to betray him.
* TheUsurper: Seizes control of Red Dragon after eliminating its leaders to become its ruler in time for Spike to seek him out for their final face off after [[spoiler:Julia is killed]].
* VillainousUnderdog: Of his own short side story involving his [[EvilVsEvil struggle against the Van]]. Compared to his smug bosses, Vicious is a skilled warrior constantly put down by the triumvirate until [[spoiler:he tricks them into a staged execution by which he can attack and kill them]].
* WhiteHairBlackHeart: Has the white hair and is a cold and ruthless killer.
* WickedCultured: Vicious is shown to be pretty philosophical in Session 5, where he gives Spike a lecture on how when angels fall from grace they become devils. Obviously a reference to Spike's decision to leave the syndicate.
* WorthyOpponent: How he views Spike [[WeUsedToBeFriends in the present.]]
* XanatosGambit: [[spoiler:His takeover of the Syndicate. If his first assassination attempt succeeds, awesome. If not, he has turned some of the men that the Elders think are loyal and will assign to execute him, and they can try again.]]
* {{Yakuza}}: Very much the archetypal Nihilist Yakuza to Spike's Noble Yakuza, serving to undercut, quite literally, any attempt Spike makes to climb out of his old life.
* YoungerThanTheyLook: Even if he is a psychopath with little regard for human life, the absolutely ''massive'' amount of warfare and violence he has experienced first-hand has nonetheless taken its toll on him, most likely due to its sheer quantity than anything else. Julia's affair with his blood brother Spike probably didn't help his stress levels either.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Julia]]
!!Julia
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bebop_julia_4646.jpg]]
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Gara Takashima (JPN), Creator/MaryElizabethMcGlynn (ENG), Dulce Guerrero (SPN-LA), María Rosa Guillén (SPN-EU)
->''"I was supposed to kill you. It was all set up. If I had, I would have been free."''
Spike's lost love. Relatively little is known about Julia, and since she has very little screen time (aside from flashbacks, she only appears in sections of two episodes), the exact details on her history, personality and life are sketchy. From the scenes she's in we can see that she knows how to drive a car during a [[ChaseScene car chase]], she can shoot (though not as readily as the main cast) and she's smart: she knows how Vicious planted the transmitter on Gren immediately, for example. She's also loyal to Spike; when presented with the SadisticChoice, she chose to TakeAThirdOption and be hunted by Vicious rather than kill Spike.
----
* ActOfTrueLove: [[spoiler:When she's reunited with Spike, she wants nothing more than to leave everything behind and disappear with him forever. When Annie is murdered, she realizes Spike can't truly move on until he's seen her death avenged. She stands right by his side and says she'll be with him until the end. No matter where it takes them.]]
* BadassLongcoat: Part of an all-black neo-noir ensemble she wears in the present. Complete with a pair of [[CyberPunk cyberpunk]]-appropriate [[CoolShades badass shades]]. Fluttering in the wind as she [[spoiler:races through the streets. Evading hitmen. Dodging bullets.]] The entire outfit is really an embodiment of present-day Julia. Totally symbolic of her role as a woman of danger and mystery while giving her an air of mystique (see ''Significant Wardrobe Shift'' below for more details) as she [[spoiler:spends most of the series fading in and out of the shadows.]]
* CoolCar: An old-fashioned red Cadillac convertible.
* DamselOutOfDistress: She's very low-profile compared to the various major characters, but she's hardly ever portrayed as being helpless. While nothing whatsoever suggests she could hold her own against the likes of Vicious or Spike, [[spoiler:she's been on the run from the entire Syndicate for the past 3 years ''completely alone''.]] When she was confronted by [[spoiler:Vicious at gunpoint after he discovered her plans to run away with Spike during a flashback]], she is completely unafraid (at least for her ''own'' well-being). The [[spoiler:lawless zone on Callisto is described as a place no woman can survive alone. Faye is threatened with rape and murder almost moments after arriving. We soon find out that Julia spent ''an entire month'' hiding out there - and she was able to slip in and out with almost no one even noticing.]] When we finally see her on-screen in the present, [[spoiler:she's racing through the streets with hitmen shooting at her without breaking a sweat.]] She's also very comfortable and adept when handling a gun - effortlessly [[spoiler:covering Spike and gunning down a Syndicate hitman as the two make their escape.]] The series never actually goes into Julia's background, but it's not outside the realm of possibility that she might have also led a [[RetiredMonster troubled life]] in the past same as [[spoiler:Spike.]]
* DevotedToYou: The one object of love and devotion to Spike. Seeing her again is the only hope he has to live on.
* DiedInYourArmsTonight: [[spoiler:She dies in Spike's arms.]]
* DisturbedDoves: [[spoiler:When she dies.]]
* FlorenceNightingaleEffect: She nursed an injured Spike back to health, they fell in love, and then bad stuff happened.
* FreudianTrio: It's been speculated that back in the day Spike, Julia and Vicious formed a power trio as the Id, Ego, and Super Ego respectively. Shots in the closing sequence support this.
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: She shows a kind and nurturing side in doing things like nursing Spike back to health when she found him, and while there are a few minor characters who are blonde, she's probably the only one with truly golden hair, both elaborately colored and detailed to draw attention to it.
* HellBentForLeather: Several scenes show her wearing leather pants and outfits.
* IJustWantToBeNormal: Rather than confronting Vicious, she tried to urge Spike to leave everything behind and find somewhere to live a normal life where Vicious and the Red Dragons couldn't get to them.
* ILetGwenStacyDie: [[spoiler:On the other end of the trope. She's the one person Spike is truly connected with and treasures, and when she dies in front of him, it leaves him nothing.]]
* KillTheCutie: [[spoiler:When she dies, so dies the last real hope Spike had for his life.]]
%%* TheKirk
* KnightOfCerebus: A non-villainous example, but the mere utterance of her name tends to invoke Red Dragon Syndicate episodes and the real KnightOfCerebus, Vicious, where the story's tone drastically dives into darker territory, while her genuine reappearance kicks off the final plot arc. [[spoiler:And her death foreshadows its conclusion.]]
* LivingEmotionalCrutch: The possibility he might see her again is the one thing that keeps Spike going. [[spoiler:Once he loses her forever, Spike has nothing left to live for but revenge.]]
* TheLostLenore: [[spoiler:To Spike after she dies in the finale. Her death prompts Spike to go settle things with Vicious once and for all.]]
* PresentAbsence: She only appears in person in two episodes, not counting flashbacks, but her presence is felt throughout the series in relation to Spike and Vicious' story.
* RuleOfSymbolism: Julia seems to be more of an ideal than a person, and is almost never described in concrete terms. Mostly only ever referred to as "a real woman", "one hell of a woman", etc.
* SignificantWardrobeShift: Her present day all-black ensemble - complete with a genre-appropriate longcoat (see ''Badass Longcoat'' above) - compared to her flashback appearances. Like [[spoiler:Vicious and Spike]], she never used to wear one. Also, [[spoiler:we only see each member of the trio (see ''Freudian Trio'' above) put one on on-screen when things were/are about to get dangerous. For Vicious, this includes every present-day scene we see him featured in. For Spike, this is whenever he knows he is/was about to go to war with the Syndicate. For Julia, this is only when she's finally reunited with Spike in the present.]]
* SlowMotionFall: [[spoiler:After being shot.]]
* StarCrossedLovers: With Spike.
%%* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth
* WalkingSpoiler: Notice how many of her entries have spoiler tags?
* WeHardlyKnewYe: [[spoiler:Appears in person for one full episode and is then killed off almost immediately after in the next episode.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Van]]
!!The Van (Wang Long, Sou Long, and Ping Long)
[[quoteright:310:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hqdefault_718.jpg]]
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Takashi Taguchi, Hiroshi Naka, Shinpachi Tsuji (JPN), Paul Carr, Creator/MikeReynolds, Doug Stone (ENG)
A trio of elders who rule the syndicate as the highest authority within the Red Dragon. They dress in the manner of Imperial China, complete with a soothsayer and other such touches of the Imperial Court. They find Vicious useful, but are also wary of him and his ambitions.
----
* AssholeVictim: Out of all the people Vicious betrayed, they're the least sympathetic. [[spoiler:And their violent deaths are well-deserved too, considering the {{Disproportionate Retribution}} listed below]].
* BigBadWannabe: Get reduced to this by the end of "[[Recap/CowboyBebopSession25TheRealFolkBluesPart1 The Real Folk Blues Part I]]" when they forego their chance to kill Vicious in an attempt to draw out his suffering. While hunting down the people he knew while he's imprisoned, Vicious is able to act out his real scheme, ending the episode by overthrowing and killing the trio.
* BoomHeadshot: [[spoiler:One of the Elders is killed in this manner when Vicious overthrows them.]]
* BondVillainStupidity: A villain-vs-villain example. They capture Vicious alive after his coup attempt, then decide that he needs to be taught a lesson and have him hung on a wall in a locked room for several days rather than just killing him outright. Unsurprisingly, this bites them in the ass.
* BreakTheHaughty: When they foil Vicious' assassination attempt against them, they declare that his spirit must be broken before he is killed, and go to hunt down everyone known to be an associate of Vicious. Apparently nobody told them [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder what]] [[TheSociopath Vicious]] [[ItsAllAboutMe is]] [[StrawNihilist like]], or how completely meaningless such a gesture is to him.
* DisproportionateRetribution: Kill the person who tried to mount a coup against you? Sure. Wipe out his entire faction? Pretty extreme, but not entirely unreasonable if you want to be certain that any threat of further insurrection is neutralized. Kill everyone who has ever been associated with them, including ex-friends who have been enemies with the would be coup leader for ''years?'' Okay, now we're right in crazy-pants territory.
* EvilIsPetty: When Vicious needs to come to them for permission to make a deal for some Red Eye with Gren, two of them take distinct pleasure in rubbing his face in the fact that he couldn't act without their approval.
* EvilOldFolks: Being old and putting on airs of grandeur doesn't diminish their nastiness at all.
* EyeScream: [[spoiler:The last Elder remaining at the end of the takeover gets his eyes slashed out by Vicious]].
* GoodOldWays: They like to dress and carry on as if they were in Imperial China, not the 21st century.
* GreaterScopeVillain: They're the head of an organized crime ring with powerful ties to assassination and illegal drugs, but they never lift a finger themselves, with even [[BigBad Vicious]] just being one of their subordinates. This gets [[spoiler:subverted when Vicious shows he's far more dangerous than they could ever be, despite the difference in ranks, by killing them and taking over.]]
* LackOfEmpathy: While lording their power over Vicious they muse when he claims he'd never betray his superiors that Mao's end was merely bad luck... then get back to reminding him how much more powerful they are than he without a hint of care for their deceased ''capo''.
* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: They claim that their soothsayer gave them the warning to dodge Vicious' assassination attempt. If so, apparently the soothsayer didn't foresee Vicious' ''real'' plan.
* OlderThanTheyLook: Debatably--the creators estimated the triplets' age as around 120.
* ProperlyParanoid: They're aware of how untrustworthy Vicious is, and are ready to dodge attempts by him to usurp them. Unfortunately for them, Vicious' influence went much further than they thought and included at least some of the men they thought loyal to them.
* ResignationsNotAccepted: The Van hold the policy of executing any deserters, adding some FridgeBrilliance to why a softer man like Mao would want to reform the Red Dragon from within rather than leave their criminal organization.
* SmugSnake: Ironically considering they like to remind Vicious he's a snake who can never overcome them, they absolutely adore lording their power over him and even ignore ''his'' advice to just kill them, quickly resulting in their deaths.
* WhyDontYouJustShootHim: ''Vicious himself'' asks them after his coup attempt fails and they decide to "break" him rather than just executing him on the spot.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Mao Yenrai]]
!!Mao Yenrai
[[quoteright:120:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mao2.jpg]]
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Kazuaki Ito (JPN), Dana Craig (ENG)
A captain within the Red Dragon, shown as AFatherToHisMen. Seems to see Spike as a [[ProdigalHero Prodigal Son]] and implied to have once viewed him as a potential heir. Slain [[IncrediblyLamePun viciously]] in an attempt by Vicious to both prevent Mao from making peace with another crime syndicate and to lure Spike out of hiding and back to Mars.
----
* DeadGuyOnDisplay: Vicious mockingly brings Mao's body to an opera performance and sits the body in Mao's booth, which not only advertises that Vicious killed Mao, (and that this will be the fate of anyone who opposes Vicious' faction within the Red Dragon) but serves as a lure to try to bring Spike out of hiding.
* TheDon: His role in his one scene.
* AFatherToHisMen: Implied to be something of this, in line with the "[[NobleDemon noble Yakuza]]" archetype or romanticized old school gangsters like [[Film/TheGodfather Vito Corleone]].
* HonorAmongThieves: Reminds Vicious that he's violating the rules of the game by killing his former mentor and boss.
-->"If Spike were here, you would never have done this."
* MinorMajorCharacter: It's clear that Mao was a figure of considerable power in the Red Dragon, and as the onetime mentor and superior to both Spike and Vicious, he played a considerable role in the lives of both men. His only scene before he is killed off is the ColdOpen of episode 5.
* ParentalSubstitute: A rather dubious one given his profession, but implied to be this to both Spike and Vicious.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Annie]]
!!Anastasia "Annie"
[[quoteright:310:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/5_annie.png]]
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Miyuki Ichijou (JPN), Carol Stanzione (ENG)
An old friend of both Mao and Spike. She and her late husband were members of the syndicate at one time.
----
* BackForTheDead: [[spoiler: After her appearance in episode five, she's next seen in the finale where it turns out Vicious' goons got to her. She dies while talking to Spike.]]
* DoNotCallMePaul: She snaps at Spike when he calls her Anastasia.
* FasterThanTheyLook: She's a heavyset woman who looks to be at least in her mid 40s, more likely her 50s, and thus doesn't look like someone who would be able to move quickly. It turns out that she's fast enough to chase down and catch adolescent delinquents who try to steal from her store.
* StoutStrength: Annie is large woman who can easily wrestle with and hold onto a pair of adolescent thieves who frantically try to escape her grasp.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Lin]]
!!Lin
[[quoteright:310:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lin_9.jpg]]
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/HikaruMidorikawa (JPN), Creator/DerekStephenPrince (ENG)
An enforcer for the Red Dragons who is assigned by the Elders to protect Vicious during the deal with Gren in "Jupiter Jazz". Due to his BlindObedience, he takes that assignment very seriously.
----
* BarredFromTheAfterlife: Spike claims this will be his fate due to dying in the service of Vicious.
* BlindObedience: To the elders of the Red Dragon. Whatever they tell him to do, he will do, without question.
* TheDragon: For Vicious in the "Jupiter Jazz" two-parter. The Van assign him to accompany Vicious for the deal with Gren.
* EvilCounterpart: To his brother Shin. Although not actually evil, his unquestioning loyalty protects and enables Vicious, a deeply evil man. His brother has the same upbringing and experience, but chooses to make his own moral choices and when to disobey orders.
* HeroicSacrifice: Subverted into a SenselessSacrifice. His dutiful sacrifice protects ''the bad guy'', who is completely unmoved by his selfless act, and will later kill the same elders that Lin was loyal to and laid down his life for.
* HonorAmongThieves: He and his brother are the most honorable members of Red Dragon who appear in the show.
* HonorBeforeReason: Unfortunately, Lin is honorable to a fault. His honor causes his own death and allows Vicious to survive and carry out further atrocities.
* SiblingYinYang: Lin is all about BlindObedience toward the Syndicate Elders and HonorBeforeReason. Shin, by contrast, decides to do the right thing instead of simply following orders, first by warning Julia of the coming [[ThePurge purge]] by the Syndicate Elders, and later he chooses to help Spike fight against Vicious. Lin and Shin also die in reflection of each other, each TakingTheBullet for one of two ArchEnemies.
* TakingTheBullet: Throws himself in the path of a bullet meant for Vicious and dies as a result.
* WeUsedToBeFriends: It's implied he was once friends, and probably a subordinate or apprentice to Spike. Spike is absolutely dismayed to see him working for Vicious.
* YouWouldntShootMe: He puts himself in between Spike and Vicious. Spike hesitates and can't bring himself to kill Lin, while Lin calmly shoots Spike with a tranquilizer gun.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Shin]]
!!Shin
[[quoteright:310:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shin2.jpg]]
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/NobuyukiHiyama (JPN), Bo Williams (ENG), Emmanuel Rivas (SPN-LA)
Lin's brother. A former colleague of Spike and Vicious, and a member of Red Dragon as of the story's end. Teams up with Spike against Vicious after Vicious succeeds in overthrowing the Elders.
----
* BackToBackBadasses: His iconic scene fighting alongside Spike right before Spike's final battle.
* BadassLongcoat: Dons one in the final shootout.
* HeroicSacrifice: In a reverse of his brother, he dies to save Spike of his own free will, rather than to follow someone else's orders. Furthermore, while Lin's sacrifice did no good besides allowing Vicious to kill more people, Shin's sacrifice allows Spike to end Vicious' reign of terror.
* HonorAmongThieves: He and his brother are the most honorable members of the Red Dragon that appear in the show.
* LastStand: He and Spike team up to make a last stand against [[TheUsurper Vicious]].
* SiblingYinYang: While Lin acts on BlindObedience to the Syndicate's Elders, Shin makes his own moral choices and sacrifices himself in entirely inverted circumstances to those surrounding his brother.
* TokenGoodTeammate: After the assassination of Mao, (and with it the murder of most men loyal to Mao) ThePurge by the Syndicate Elders in response to Vicious' coup, and then [[TheUsurper Vicious succeeding in overthrowing the Elders]] after all, Shin is one of the few decent members of the Red Dragon left.
[[/folder]]
[[foldercontrol]]
!The Red Dragon Syndicate
[[folder:In General]]
!!The Red Dragon Syndicate
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/headquarters.jpg]]
The Mars-based crime syndicate to which Spike was once a part of. Spike faked his death to escape the group, knowing that if they ever discovered that he was still alive, he'd be a target for them to hunt down. And for Vicious, the most dangerous man in the Syndicate, it would be much, much, more personal.
* AxCrazy: Even without taking [[BigBad Vicious]] into account, the Red Dragon wipes out anyone that dares threaten them or stand in their way in the blink of an eye, and have both full military weaponry and entire squadrons of fighter ships just to pursue those who cross them in Mars space. They even tried to kill every single person Vicious has ever associated with when he attempted to overthrow them, both out of tradition and spite. Even people like Mao and Shin firmly believe that the faction have been JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope, and firmly place all the blame on Vicious causing this to spread.
** [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed big time]] since this aspect becomes the main aspect doing them in as they go at each other's throats and Vicious beginning his takeover. By the end of the series, Vicious' actions and the reactions toward that have decimiated the crime syndicate's leadership and pretty much leaves it doomed by series' end.
* TheDreaded: They have made quite a reputation, even without Vicious's influence. Bob of the ISSP tells Jet how they are bad news.
-->'''Bob:''' Just run, Jet, the police can't stop these guys; leave Mars and do it fast.
* FantasticDrug: The Red Eye drug they deal is a stimulant taken through the user's eyes, and can temporarily speed up one's reaction time to the point that users can dodge bullets.
* SpacePirates: Although they try to model themselves on comparatively ancient Earth-based groups like the Triads and Yakuza, the rank-and-file travel through space to keep the criminal enterprises going. Their trafficking in Red Eye effectively makes them the sci-fi equivalent of rum runners.
* TigerVersusDragon: One rival of the Red Dragon is the White Tiger syndicate. Mao tries to broker peace between the groups, only for Vicious to butt in, kill him, and blow up a ship with a high-ranking member of the White Tiger on board.
* TheTriadsAndTheTongs: ...InSpace. Implied to have semi-legitimized themselves on Mars in the manner of Al Capone in 1930s Chicago. Spike and Vicious were both raised as loyal killers for this organization.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Vicious]]
!!Vicious
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bebop_vicious_3612.jpg]]
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/NorioWakamoto (JPN), Creator/SkipStellrecht (ENG), Marcos Patiño (SPN-LA), Tasio Alonso (SPN-EU)
->''"I told you before, Spike, that [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou I'm the only one who can kill you.]]"''
A skilled and remorseless assassin working for the Red Dragon Syndicate who dresses entirely in black, seems to have little emotion and to care about nothing, and who will not hesitate to kill ''anyone'' who gets in his way. In short, Vicious is seriously bad news for anyone who happens to be within a mile of him.
::
As with everything else from Spike's past, not much is ultimately known about Vicious. He and Spike were partners, and top hitmen for the Red Dragon Syndicate, and at this time Vicious was already involved with Julia. Spike and Julia met, and eventually fell in love. A few scenes seen in the closing credits of the episodes hint that Spike and Julia carried out an affair in secret for some time before Vicious found out. Where a normal man might have been upset, Vicious calmly set Spike up to be killed in an ambush, and, as a backup, instructed Julia to kill Spike if he survived to try to run away with her, or be killed herself. Julia never went to the meeting however, and Spike faked his own death, leaving Vicious to stew and continue to plot both vengeance and a ruthless climb to the top of the Red Dragons.
----
* AmbitionIsEvil: Vicious seeks power above all else. He is willing to commit atrocities for the Red Dragon syndicate, including killing the man who mentored him, just so he can get close enough to [[spoiler:kill the leaders and take over]].
* AnimalMotifs:
** Vicious' pet bird is a cormorant, a bird that is known to have a short temper and leave acidic droppings. Is it really surprising that [[AxCrazy someone like Vicious]] would want to keep something like that as a pet?
** The Elders openly compare Vicious to a [[SnakesAreSinister snake]], often done to remind him of his place in the organization. He seems to take the comparison to heart, and twists it back around.
--->'''Vicious:''' Don't forget. A serpent's venom poisons slowly after the bite.
* ArchEnemy: To Spike.
* AxCrazy: Don't let his subdued demeanor fool you. He's every bit as bloodthirsty and megalomaniacal as someone who'd kill his way to the top of an organised crime outfit would have to be.
* BadassBaritone: Has a noticeably deep voice in both dubs, and is a very efficient fighter.
* BadassInANiceSuit: He wears a dark one. Along with the brutal assassinations he carries out, it lends him the aura of an ominous mob enforcer. Shows the badass trait by being one of the few characters in the show able to go toe-to-toe with Spike, and he does so with a katana while the latter is armed with guns, no less.
* BadassLongcoat: Used to conceal his katana and emphasizes his prowess while he cuts down foes. Accordingly, he is the most dangerous opponent Spike faces and [[spoiler:taking him down may have even cost Spike his life]].
* BadBoss: He has little regard for the lives of his fellow members and will do anything to get power, much to the detriment of the syndicate itself.
* BatmanGambit: Lures out Faye knowing her personality to in turn force Spike to face him, knowing his enemy won't be able to leave her to die.
* BigBad: Although he only appears in a total of five episodes, he's heavily involved in Spike's past, which affects the main character greatly and [[spoiler:facing him is the subject of the final arc.]]
* BloodKnight: While he wasn't always AxCrazy, he was always a killer.
* BrokenPedestal: Everyone who was ever close to Vicious eventually winds up learning painfully what a bastard he really is. Of particular note is Gren, who considered Vicious his comrade in war. Vicious betrayed him and had him branded as a spy just because he could.
* TheChessmaster: Effortlessly takes control [[spoiler:of the Red Dragon Syndicate by tricking the elders into attending his execution, where he breaks free and kills them all.]]
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: There's almost no comrade that Vicious hasn't backstabbed. There's almost no comrade who hasn't tried to get back at him for it. The number of those comrades who survive their attempts at revenge is tragically small.
* CloseRangeCombatant: Fights up close with a katana.
* ColdHam: Vicious rarely raises his voice, but it doesn't stop him from chewing the scenery.
* CombatPragmatist: When they do directly clash, Vicious ''never'' takes Spike on in a straight-up fight. Instead, he packs the area full of his mooks, or sends someone in his place he knows Spike would not kill. The one time Vicious fights Spike truly one-on-one is only after Spike has already been wounded. Given that he's Spike's former best friend and knows how dangerous he is, it's a case of being a NoNonsenseNemesis.
* CrazyPrepared: Vicious does not scamp on laying the groundwork for his plans. In his first episode he kills and frames Mao, knowing through extensive research that Spike travels with Faye, who will be unable to resist the large bounty, letting Vicious capture the latter and use her as bait to force out Spike.
* CreepyMonotone: Vicious almost seems drained of emotion. His icy tone gives a haunting quality to all his lines promising to kill Spike.
* DarkIsEvil: Dresses in black and definitely lives up to his name.
* DodgeTheBullet: Has this ability.
* DragonInChief: Vicious is the forefront of the Red Dragon Syndicate, being their most ruthlessly efficient enforcer and keeping them at the top of the criminal food chain, despite not technically ruling them. Of course, in addition to being competent, Vicious is very ambitious and [[spoiler:hatches a successful plan to kill them and take control himself.]]
* TheDreaded:
** Probably best personified when he's brought before the Syndicate leaders. When Vicious is being restrained and makes the "get your hands off me" motion, all the armed guards look like they're about to crap their pants.
** In ''Ballad of Fallen Angels'', Faye demands to know who he is when brought before him, only to go wide eyed and get very scared when Vicious reveals his identity. The fear of Vicious sticks with her so much that in ''Jupiter Jazz'' she freaks out just from ''hearing his voice on a phone.''
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: It's left ambiguous much like many details surrounding him, but there is a reasonable possibility that he ''used'' to care about Spike and Julia, as he's shown genuinely and happily smiling with them in one piece of official art (something he never did in the anime proper), and it's vaguely suggested that their affair behind his back hurt him on some level. However, by the time we first see him in the anime, that possible care is long gone, and the only positive feeling he has left for Spike [[WorthyOpponent is some respect.]]
* EvilCounterpart:
** A more subtly done counterpart to Spike than Vincent. He and Spike had the same background and loved the same woman, and he has Spike's general indifference and cynicism respectively twisted into outright sociopathy and nihilism.
** He's also one to Jet. Both are Spike's partners in crime[[note]] crime-''fighting'' in Jet's case [[/note]] who are [[GoodOldWays far more traditional and nostalgic than he is]], but where Jet [[GoodIsOldFashioned enjoys old-school morality]] and calls Spike out on his fatalism and other attitudes he sees as problematic, Vicious [[JustAGangster wants to go back to the old days when the Syndicate was ruthless and killed everyone instead of making peace with rival gangs]] and is disappointed Spike is no longer as bloodthirsty as he used to be.
* EvilFormerFriend: He and Spike were once close in the Syndicate, seen smiling on missions together and are implied to have been raised side by side.
* EvilPlan: Settle his score with Spike and take over the Red Dragon Syndicate.
* EvilSoundsDeep: Along with his voice being a BadassBaritone, it heightens him as a vicious, cold-hearted murderer.
* FallenAngel: Invokes the imagery of fallen angels when he encounters Spike for the first time since Spike faked his death and fled the Syndicate.
-->'''Vicious''': When angels are forced out of heaven, they become devils. You agree, wouldn't you, Spike?
* FantasticDrug: Possibly. In one flashback scene a Red Eye injector seems to be on Vicious' nightstand, and {{Fanon}} believes that Vicious may be a regular user. It's one explanation for how he can survive taking on gunmen while using a sword as his primary weapon.
* FauxAffablyEvil: Whenever he talks with Spike he'll launch into more dialogue than is typical of him, waxing his nihilistic philosophy and mockingly drawing out the time with his ArchEnemy.
* HeroesPreferSwords: Inverted. His preference for swords [[GunsVsSwords sets up a contrast]] between him and the gunslinging [[TheHero Spike]].
* HonorBeforeReason: [[spoiler:Strangely enough, displayed in the final battle. Both Spike and Vicious lose their preferred weapons during their fight, but wind up with each other's weapon. (So Spike has Vicious's sword and Vicious has Spike's gun.) Rather than use each other's weapons, the two immediately form an unspoken agreement to exchange the weapons. This is rather unusual for Vicious as in every other scenario he is portrayed as an amoral and ruthless pragmatist.]]
* {{Hypocrite}}: He wants to take down the Van for no longer being able to fight themselves, but he himself doesn't do as much hands-on fighting as he used to and often lets his men do the dirty work. He also hates Spike in part for betraying him over Julia, but Vicious backstabs people left and right, even advising Lin to ditch the HonorBeforeReason routine and take up that sort of behavior.
* JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: Think he cares about his pet bird deep down? Afraid not. He willingly sacrifices the poor thing to further his own goals.
* JustAGangster: Vicious has no use for the efforts of Mao to make peace with other Syndicates or the attempts of the elders at PragmaticVillainy. He just wants to cut loose in a frenzy of killing and fighting their gangland rivals.
* KatanasAreJustBetter: [[GoodOldWays Even in the future]] and while Vicious himself isn't very hands on unless he's luring out Spike, he fight superbly with it, dodging his opponents bullets and fighting him to close combat each time.
* KickTheDog: Comes along with his ChronicBackstabbingDisorder, such as how he doesn't even care when his loyal men give their lives to save him. He also willingly sacrificed his pet bird.
* KickTheSonOfABitch: [[spoiler:His betrayal and eventual murder of the Syndicate Leaders. After they attempted to have Spike and Julia killed like he did once his first attempted coup failed, it's hard to feel too sorry when Vicious and his men murder all three of them]].
* KnightOfCerebus: Whenever Vicious makes an appearance, he brings the foremost conflict of the series in with him and his episodes are often the most personal and character-driven for the protagonists. [[PluckyComicRelief Edward]] [[ShooOutTheClowns seems to be largely absent from his episodes]].
* LackOfEmpathy: He cares of nothing but himself. When Lin sacrifices his life to save him, Vicious just criticizes the guy ''post-mortem''.
* LeanAndMean: 6'2, thin and arguably the most sadistic and ruthless character in the entire series.
* {{Lust}}: The lust for power variant, which subsumes him and controls all the horrible attacks he plans and carries out.
* ManipulativeBastard: His speciality! Vicious happily uses Mao to rise in the Red Dragon until he deccides he's lost his edge and needs to be eliminated. Likewise he charms Gren into trusting him as his comrade while setting him up to take the fall for Vicious' own crimes.
* ManOfWealthAndTaste: Vicious is an evil man and ruthless killer but always dresses in a suave suit.
* MeaningfulName: Vicious is... ''vicious'' on the battlefield.
* MutualKill: [[spoiler:Depending on whether you believed [[TheHeroDies Spike died]] or not. Spike was already somewhat injured, but their final attacks traded off at the same time, killing Vicious by one final gunshot and cutting open Spike's torso directly enough that he collapsed shortly thereafter.]]
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: It gives an insight on to the inner workings of his mind.
* NotSoDifferentRemark: In this exchange with Spike:
-->'''Vicious:''' You should see yourself. Do you have any idea what you look like right at this moment, Spike?\\
'''Spike:''' What?\\
'''Vicious:''' A ravenous beast. The same blood runs through both of us. The blood of a beast who wanders, hunting for the blood of others.\\
'''Spike:''' [[ShutUpHannibal I've bled all that kind of blood away.]]\\
'''Vicious:''' Then [[SuddenlyShouting WHY ARE YOU]] [[EvilCannotComprehendGood STILL ALIVE?!]]
* NotSoStoic: He appears cold and remote at all times... unless he's really letting his inner AxCrazy side out. Then you get a good luck at his crazy, sadistic side complete with SlasherSmile, and it may be the last thing you'll ever see.
* ObviouslyEvil: The dude's name is ''Vicious''. He's a blank-eyed monotone mob-enforcer psycho named ''VICIOUS''.
* OhCrap: One of the only times he becomes NotSoStoic that isn't directly being either in TranquilFury, indulging in violence or flipping out at Spike, is when he threw Spike out a church window in Episode 5 -- and realizes the latter just dropped a live grenade at his feet as an indirect TakingYouWithMe attempt. For all of his nihilism, Vicious hardly [[ThisIsGonnaSuck looks accepting]] of a potential death here.
** He also briefly loses his composure when he realizes that the music box he had given to [[spoiler:Gren]] was placed back on his ship, as a bomb that goes off once the song finishes. Vicious repeatedly jostles his failing controls from the damage in frustration but is picked up by his forces before he can crash or get attacked further.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: His past is mysterious and lacking personal information, so Vicious is all we know him by.
* TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: He believes killing Spike is an honor reserved for himself alone.
* PerpetualFrowner: While he used to genuinely smile before Julia betrayed him, he hasn't smiled like that in ages. Which only makes it spookier when he turns around and does a SlasherSmile.
* PetTheDog:
** Subverted when Vicious does use a (literal) StabTheScorpion situation to gain a character's trust only to later betray him. Only the other hand, even though [[spoiler:it just turns out to be his spy transmitter]], when Vicious is playing that sad song on the music box and says that the name of the song is Julia, one has to wonder just how much she meant to him.
** Another noteworthy subversion; notice how he always has that weird-looking bird on his shoulder? It's his pet, so he must have some level of affection for it, right? ''WRONG!'' In the penultimate episode, he ''blows the poor thing up'' just for a distraction.
* PirateParrot: The bird on his shoulder (a cormorant rather than a parrot), which fits with his {{Space Pirate|s}} image. As the story goes on, the little FeatheredFiend seems to be [[MoralityPet the only thing Vicious still actually cares about]] right up until he ''[[SubvertedTrope blows the poor creature to smithereens]]''.
* PsychoKnifeNut: Preference for katanas aside, Vicious throws a knife into Spike's shoulder in their final match. He also uses a combat knife to literally StabTheScorpion and thus gain Gren's trust. While he's perfectly capable of handling guns, his use of blades in his later years reflects his more openly AxCrazy behavior.
* PuttingOnTheReich: His suit and coat are decidedly military in look, possibly a carryover from his time as a soldier in the war on Titan.
%%* RedOniBlueOni: The blue to Spike's red. (One of two)
* RivalTurnedEvil: A bit of an ambiguous case since he probably always toed the line, but it's hinted that discovering that Spike and Julia carried an affair behind his back pushed him off the edge. In flashbacks before this event, he actually looked ''[[TrueCompanions happy]]''.
* {{Sadist}}: He's refined enough to hide it quite well but Vicious' underlying blood thirst can clearly be seen at times, particularly when he [[spoiler:informs Julia she'll be the one to kill Spike on his orders while wearing a wicked grin]].
* SlasherSmile: Rarely smiles at all, but there's a thin, grim smile on his face in the moments when he comes the closest to killing Spike.
* TheSocialDarwinist: His justification as to why he should lead the syndicate is that he is the best at killing. Because the Elders are too old to fight their battles personally, they are therefore unfit to lead.
* TheSociopath: Vicious is a cold, ruthless, bloodthirsty, and ambitious man who prefers solitude. He's ChronicBackstabbingDisorder incarnate, ungrateful to everyone, even if that person ''gave their life to save his ass''. He's also willing to sacrifice anyone to further his own goals, whether it be his men, mentor, or even his loyal pet. The only thing he seems to know really care about is power, revenge, and himself.
* TheStarscream: Vicious makes no secret of the fact that he looks down upon the Elders, calling them weak and [[spoiler:ruthlessly slaughters them when he decides it's his turn to take over the Red Dragon.]]
* TheStoic: Vicious is a man of few words and little emotion, the only time it really slips is when he's close to achieving a goal, which, more often than not, involves killing people.
* StrawNihilist: Sees the world as fundamentally meaningless, violent, and selfish -- behaviors he epitomizes. Trying to convince him of anything else seems like a surefire way to put yourself in his crosshairs.
-->'''Vicious:''' There is nothing to believe in... There is no ''need'' to believe.
* SuperReflexes: Implied to be a result of the [[FantasticDrug Bloody Eye]] use.
* TerseTalker: Speaks very little, and is more likely to act, violently, than to say anything at all. Even his longest speeches tend to be made up of more meaningful silence than words.
* TrueCompanions: He had assumed Spike and Julia were his. When he found out he was wrong, [[RivalTurnedEvil something inside him broke]].
%%* WaistcoatOfStyle
* TheUnfettered: All Vicious wants is to control the Red Dragons and kill Spike. Everything else can burn and he happily ignores the sacrifices of loyal minions and even [[spoiler:blows up his own pet]], to see his ambitions through.
* UngratefulBastard: He's simply indifferent to any good thing a person does for him. In fairness, Spike and Julia betrayed him first, and Vicious [[EvilMentor was surprisingly upfront]] with Lin that Lin would have to betray him.
* TheUsurper: Seizes control of Red Dragon after eliminating its leaders to become its ruler in time for Spike to seek him out for their final face off after [[spoiler:Julia is killed]].
* VillainousUnderdog: Of his own short side story involving his [[EvilVsEvil struggle against the Van]]. Compared to his smug bosses, Vicious is a skilled warrior constantly put down by the triumvirate until [[spoiler:he tricks them into a staged execution by which he can attack and kill them]].
* WhiteHairBlackHeart: Has the white hair and is a cold and ruthless killer.
* WickedCultured: Vicious is shown to be pretty philosophical in Session 5, where he gives Spike a lecture on how when angels fall from grace they become devils. Obviously a reference to Spike's decision to leave the syndicate.
* WorthyOpponent: How he views Spike [[WeUsedToBeFriends in the present.]]
* XanatosGambit: [[spoiler:His takeover of the Syndicate. If his first assassination attempt succeeds, awesome. If not, he has turned some of the men that the Elders think are loyal and will assign to execute him, and they can try again.]]
* {{Yakuza}}: Very much the archetypal Nihilist Yakuza to Spike's Noble Yakuza, serving to undercut, quite literally, any attempt Spike makes to climb out of his old life.
* YoungerThanTheyLook: Even if he is a psychopath with little regard for human life, the absolutely ''massive'' amount of warfare and violence he has experienced first-hand has nonetheless taken its toll on him, most likely due to its sheer quantity than anything else. Julia's affair with his blood brother Spike probably didn't help his stress levels either.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Julia]]
!!Julia
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bebop_julia_4646.jpg]]
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Gara Takashima (JPN), Creator/MaryElizabethMcGlynn (ENG), Dulce Guerrero (SPN-LA), María Rosa Guillén (SPN-EU)
->''"I was supposed to kill you. It was all set up. If I had, I would have been free."''
Spike's lost love. Relatively little is known about Julia, and since she has very little screen time (aside from flashbacks, she only appears in sections of two episodes), the exact details on her history, personality and life are sketchy. From the scenes she's in we can see that she knows how to drive a car during a [[ChaseScene car chase]], she can shoot (though not as readily as the main cast) and she's smart: she knows how Vicious planted the transmitter on Gren immediately, for example. She's also loyal to Spike; when presented with the SadisticChoice, she chose to TakeAThirdOption and be hunted by Vicious rather than kill Spike.
----
* ActOfTrueLove: [[spoiler:When she's reunited with Spike, she wants nothing more than to leave everything behind and disappear with him forever. When Annie is murdered, she realizes Spike can't truly move on until he's seen her death avenged. She stands right by his side and says she'll be with him until the end. No matter where it takes them.]]
* BadassLongcoat: Part of an all-black neo-noir ensemble she wears in the present. Complete with a pair of [[CyberPunk cyberpunk]]-appropriate [[CoolShades badass shades]]. Fluttering in the wind as she [[spoiler:races through the streets. Evading hitmen. Dodging bullets.]] The entire outfit is really an embodiment of present-day Julia. Totally symbolic of her role as a woman of danger and mystery while giving her an air of mystique (see ''Significant Wardrobe Shift'' below for more details) as she [[spoiler:spends most of the series fading in and out of the shadows.]]
* CoolCar: An old-fashioned red Cadillac convertible.
* DamselOutOfDistress: She's very low-profile compared to the various major characters, but she's hardly ever portrayed as being helpless. While nothing whatsoever suggests she could hold her own against the likes of Vicious or Spike, [[spoiler:she's been on the run from the entire Syndicate for the past 3 years ''completely alone''.]] When she was confronted by [[spoiler:Vicious at gunpoint after he discovered her plans to run away with Spike during a flashback]], she is completely unafraid (at least for her ''own'' well-being). The [[spoiler:lawless zone on Callisto is described as a place no woman can survive alone. Faye is threatened with rape and murder almost moments after arriving. We soon find out that Julia spent ''an entire month'' hiding out there - and she was able to slip in and out with almost no one even noticing.]] When we finally see her on-screen in the present, [[spoiler:she's racing through the streets with hitmen shooting at her without breaking a sweat.]] She's also very comfortable and adept when handling a gun - effortlessly [[spoiler:covering Spike and gunning down a Syndicate hitman as the two make their escape.]] The series never actually goes into Julia's background, but it's not outside the realm of possibility that she might have also led a [[RetiredMonster troubled life]] in the past same as [[spoiler:Spike.]]
* DevotedToYou: The one object of love and devotion to Spike. Seeing her again is the only hope he has to live on.
* DiedInYourArmsTonight: [[spoiler:She dies in Spike's arms.]]
* DisturbedDoves: [[spoiler:When she dies.]]
* FlorenceNightingaleEffect: She nursed an injured Spike back to health, they fell in love, and then bad stuff happened.
* FreudianTrio: It's been speculated that back in the day Spike, Julia and Vicious formed a power trio as the Id, Ego, and Super Ego respectively. Shots in the closing sequence support this.
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: She shows a kind and nurturing side in doing things like nursing Spike back to health when she found him, and while there are a few minor characters who are blonde, she's probably the only one with truly golden hair, both elaborately colored and detailed to draw attention to it.
* HellBentForLeather: Several scenes show her wearing leather pants and outfits.
* IJustWantToBeNormal: Rather than confronting Vicious, she tried to urge Spike to leave everything behind and find somewhere to live a normal life where Vicious and the Red Dragons couldn't get to them.
* ILetGwenStacyDie: [[spoiler:On the other end of the trope. She's the one person Spike is truly connected with and treasures, and when she dies in front of him, it leaves him nothing.]]
* KillTheCutie: [[spoiler:When she dies, so dies the last real hope Spike had for his life.]]
%%* TheKirk
* KnightOfCerebus: A non-villainous example, but the mere utterance of her name tends to invoke Red Dragon Syndicate episodes and the real KnightOfCerebus, Vicious, where the story's tone drastically dives into darker territory, while her genuine reappearance kicks off the final plot arc. [[spoiler:And her death foreshadows its conclusion.]]
* LivingEmotionalCrutch: The possibility he might see her again is the one thing that keeps Spike going. [[spoiler:Once he loses her forever, Spike has nothing left to live for but revenge.]]
* TheLostLenore: [[spoiler:To Spike after she dies in the finale. Her death prompts Spike to go settle things with Vicious once and for all.]]
* PresentAbsence: She only appears in person in two episodes, not counting flashbacks, but her presence is felt throughout the series in relation to Spike and Vicious' story.
* RuleOfSymbolism: Julia seems to be more of an ideal than a person, and is almost never described in concrete terms. Mostly only ever referred to as "a real woman", "one hell of a woman", etc.
* SignificantWardrobeShift: Her present day all-black ensemble - complete with a genre-appropriate longcoat (see ''Badass Longcoat'' above) - compared to her flashback appearances. Like [[spoiler:Vicious and Spike]], she never used to wear one. Also, [[spoiler:we only see each member of the trio (see ''Freudian Trio'' above) put one on on-screen when things were/are about to get dangerous. For Vicious, this includes every present-day scene we see him featured in. For Spike, this is whenever he knows he is/was about to go to war with the Syndicate. For Julia, this is only when she's finally reunited with Spike in the present.]]
* SlowMotionFall: [[spoiler:After being shot.]]
* StarCrossedLovers: With Spike.
%%* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth
* WalkingSpoiler: Notice how many of her entries have spoiler tags?
* WeHardlyKnewYe: [[spoiler:Appears in person for one full episode and is then killed off almost immediately after in the next episode.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Van]]
!!The Van (Wang Long, Sou Long, and Ping Long)
[[quoteright:310:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hqdefault_718.jpg]]
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Takashi Taguchi, Hiroshi Naka, Shinpachi Tsuji (JPN), Paul Carr, Creator/MikeReynolds, Doug Stone (ENG)
A trio of elders who rule the syndicate as the highest authority within the Red Dragon. They dress in the manner of Imperial China, complete with a soothsayer and other such touches of the Imperial Court. They find Vicious useful, but are also wary of him and his ambitions.
----
* AssholeVictim: Out of all the people Vicious betrayed, they're the least sympathetic. [[spoiler:And their violent deaths are well-deserved too, considering the {{Disproportionate Retribution}} listed below]].
* BigBadWannabe: Get reduced to this by the end of "[[Recap/CowboyBebopSession25TheRealFolkBluesPart1 The Real Folk Blues Part I]]" when they forego their chance to kill Vicious in an attempt to draw out his suffering. While hunting down the people he knew while he's imprisoned, Vicious is able to act out his real scheme, ending the episode by overthrowing and killing the trio.
* BoomHeadshot: [[spoiler:One of the Elders is killed in this manner when Vicious overthrows them.]]
* BondVillainStupidity: A villain-vs-villain example. They capture Vicious alive after his coup attempt, then decide that he needs to be taught a lesson and have him hung on a wall in a locked room for several days rather than just killing him outright. Unsurprisingly, this bites them in the ass.
* BreakTheHaughty: When they foil Vicious' assassination attempt against them, they declare that his spirit must be broken before he is killed, and go to hunt down everyone known to be an associate of Vicious. Apparently nobody told them [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder what]] [[TheSociopath Vicious]] [[ItsAllAboutMe is]] [[StrawNihilist like]], or how completely meaningless such a gesture is to him.
* DisproportionateRetribution: Kill the person who tried to mount a coup against you? Sure. Wipe out his entire faction? Pretty extreme, but not entirely unreasonable if you want to be certain that any threat of further insurrection is neutralized. Kill everyone who has ever been associated with them, including ex-friends who have been enemies with the would be coup leader for ''years?'' Okay, now we're right in crazy-pants territory.
* EvilIsPetty: When Vicious needs to come to them for permission to make a deal for some Red Eye with Gren, two of them take distinct pleasure in rubbing his face in the fact that he couldn't act without their approval.
* EvilOldFolks: Being old and putting on airs of grandeur doesn't diminish their nastiness at all.
* EyeScream: [[spoiler:The last Elder remaining at the end of the takeover gets his eyes slashed out by Vicious]].
* GoodOldWays: They like to dress and carry on as if they were in Imperial China, not the 21st century.
* GreaterScopeVillain: They're the head of an organized crime ring with powerful ties to assassination and illegal drugs, but they never lift a finger themselves, with even [[BigBad Vicious]] just being one of their subordinates. This gets [[spoiler:subverted when Vicious shows he's far more dangerous than they could ever be, despite the difference in ranks, by killing them and taking over.]]
* LackOfEmpathy: While lording their power over Vicious they muse when he claims he'd never betray his superiors that Mao's end was merely bad luck... then get back to reminding him how much more powerful they are than he without a hint of care for their deceased ''capo''.
* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: They claim that their soothsayer gave them the warning to dodge Vicious' assassination attempt. If so, apparently the soothsayer didn't foresee Vicious' ''real'' plan.
* OlderThanTheyLook: Debatably--the creators estimated the triplets' age as around 120.
* ProperlyParanoid: They're aware of how untrustworthy Vicious is, and are ready to dodge attempts by him to usurp them. Unfortunately for them, Vicious' influence went much further than they thought and included at least some of the men they thought loyal to them.
* ResignationsNotAccepted: The Van hold the policy of executing any deserters, adding some FridgeBrilliance to why a softer man like Mao would want to reform the Red Dragon from within rather than leave their criminal organization.
* SmugSnake: Ironically considering they like to remind Vicious he's a snake who can never overcome them, they absolutely adore lording their power over him and even ignore ''his'' advice to just kill them, quickly resulting in their deaths.
* WhyDontYouJustShootHim: ''Vicious himself'' asks them after his coup attempt fails and they decide to "break" him rather than just executing him on the spot.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Mao Yenrai]]
!!Mao Yenrai
[[quoteright:120:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mao2.jpg]]
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Kazuaki Ito (JPN), Dana Craig (ENG)
A captain within the Red Dragon, shown as AFatherToHisMen. Seems to see Spike as a [[ProdigalHero Prodigal Son]] and implied to have once viewed him as a potential heir. Slain [[IncrediblyLamePun viciously]] in an attempt by Vicious to both prevent Mao from making peace with another crime syndicate and to lure Spike out of hiding and back to Mars.
----
* DeadGuyOnDisplay: Vicious mockingly brings Mao's body to an opera performance and sits the body in Mao's booth, which not only advertises that Vicious killed Mao, (and that this will be the fate of anyone who opposes Vicious' faction within the Red Dragon) but serves as a lure to try to bring Spike out of hiding.
* TheDon: His role in his one scene.
* AFatherToHisMen: Implied to be something of this, in line with the "[[NobleDemon noble Yakuza]]" archetype or romanticized old school gangsters like [[Film/TheGodfather Vito Corleone]].
* HonorAmongThieves: Reminds Vicious that he's violating the rules of the game by killing his former mentor and boss.
-->"If Spike were here, you would never have done this."
* MinorMajorCharacter: It's clear that Mao was a figure of considerable power in the Red Dragon, and as the onetime mentor and superior to both Spike and Vicious, he played a considerable role in the lives of both men. His only scene before he is killed off is the ColdOpen of episode 5.
* ParentalSubstitute: A rather dubious one given his profession, but implied to be this to both Spike and Vicious.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Annie]]
!!Anastasia "Annie"
[[quoteright:310:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/5_annie.png]]
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Miyuki Ichijou (JPN), Carol Stanzione (ENG)
An old friend of both Mao and Spike. She and her late husband were members of the syndicate at one time.
----
* BackForTheDead: [[spoiler: After her appearance in episode five, she's next seen in the finale where it turns out Vicious' goons got to her. She dies while talking to Spike.]]
* DoNotCallMePaul: She snaps at Spike when he calls her Anastasia.
* FasterThanTheyLook: She's a heavyset woman who looks to be at least in her mid 40s, more likely her 50s, and thus doesn't look like someone who would be able to move quickly. It turns out that she's fast enough to chase down and catch adolescent delinquents who try to steal from her store.
* StoutStrength: Annie is large woman who can easily wrestle with and hold onto a pair of adolescent thieves who frantically try to escape her grasp.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Lin]]
!!Lin
[[quoteright:310:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lin_9.jpg]]
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/HikaruMidorikawa (JPN), Creator/DerekStephenPrince (ENG)
An enforcer for the Red Dragons who is assigned by the Elders to protect Vicious during the deal with Gren in "Jupiter Jazz". Due to his BlindObedience, he takes that assignment very seriously.
----
* BarredFromTheAfterlife: Spike claims this will be his fate due to dying in the service of Vicious.
* BlindObedience: To the elders of the Red Dragon. Whatever they tell him to do, he will do, without question.
* TheDragon: For Vicious in the "Jupiter Jazz" two-parter. The Van assign him to accompany Vicious for the deal with Gren.
* EvilCounterpart: To his brother Shin. Although not actually evil, his unquestioning loyalty protects and enables Vicious, a deeply evil man. His brother has the same upbringing and experience, but chooses to make his own moral choices and when to disobey orders.
* HeroicSacrifice: Subverted into a SenselessSacrifice. His dutiful sacrifice protects ''the bad guy'', who is completely unmoved by his selfless act, and will later kill the same elders that Lin was loyal to and laid down his life for.
* HonorAmongThieves: He and his brother are the most honorable members of Red Dragon who appear in the show.
* HonorBeforeReason: Unfortunately, Lin is honorable to a fault. His honor causes his own death and allows Vicious to survive and carry out further atrocities.
* SiblingYinYang: Lin is all about BlindObedience toward the Syndicate Elders and HonorBeforeReason. Shin, by contrast, decides to do the right thing instead of simply following orders, first by warning Julia of the coming [[ThePurge purge]] by the Syndicate Elders, and later he chooses to help Spike fight against Vicious. Lin and Shin also die in reflection of each other, each TakingTheBullet for one of two ArchEnemies.
* TakingTheBullet: Throws himself in the path of a bullet meant for Vicious and dies as a result.
* WeUsedToBeFriends: It's implied he was once friends, and probably a subordinate or apprentice to Spike. Spike is absolutely dismayed to see him working for Vicious.
* YouWouldntShootMe: He puts himself in between Spike and Vicious. Spike hesitates and can't bring himself to kill Lin, while Lin calmly shoots Spike with a tranquilizer gun.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Shin]]
!!Shin
[[quoteright:310:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shin2.jpg]]
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/NobuyukiHiyama (JPN), Bo Williams (ENG), Emmanuel Rivas (SPN-LA)
Lin's brother. A former colleague of Spike and Vicious, and a member of Red Dragon as of the story's end. Teams up with Spike against Vicious after Vicious succeeds in overthrowing the Elders.
----
* BackToBackBadasses: His iconic scene fighting alongside Spike right before Spike's final battle.
* BadassLongcoat: Dons one in the final shootout.
* HeroicSacrifice: In a reverse of his brother, he dies to save Spike of his own free will, rather than to follow someone else's orders. Furthermore, while Lin's sacrifice did no good besides allowing Vicious to kill more people, Shin's sacrifice allows Spike to end Vicious' reign of terror.
* HonorAmongThieves: He and his brother are the most honorable members of the Red Dragon that appear in the show.
* LastStand: He and Spike team up to make a last stand against [[TheUsurper Vicious]].
* SiblingYinYang: While Lin acts on BlindObedience to the Syndicate's Elders, Shin makes his own moral choices and sacrifices himself in entirely inverted circumstances to those surrounding his brother.
* TokenGoodTeammate: After the assassination of Mao, (and with it the murder of most men loyal to Mao) ThePurge by the Syndicate Elders in response to Vicious' coup, and then [[TheUsurper Vicious succeeding in overthrowing the Elders]] after all, Shin is one of the few decent members of the Red Dragon left.
[[/folder]]
