If Spike Spiegel is the leading man, then Faye Valentine is definitely the leading lady of Cowboy Bebop. She is cool, confident (well, most of the time) , and not afraid to take a risk if it means getting her hands on the bounty first.

Yes, Faye Valentine is a bounty hunter. She is daring and competitive, and has managed to win the prize from Spike on several occasions. She always comes prepared. She has communications devices and tiny gadgets hidden in her jewelry that help her get out of many tight situations. Like Spike Spiegel, much of Faye Valentine's past is cloaked in mystery, but apparently she has an impossibly large debt looming over her that perhaps provides some of her motivation and enthusiasm for her bounty hunter work. She is also a lot older than she looks, thanks to some sort of cryo-chamber. Lets just say that the modern world took quite a bit of getting used to for Faye

Faye is a gal you want to avoid in a shooting match or a card game. Not only is she an experienced gambler, she also pilots her own ship. Similar to Spike's Swordfish II, Faye's Redtail is light and maneuverable. It is responsible for getting Faye away from many unpleasant situations. All she has to do is send out a signal from one of her bracelets, and the Redtail arrives on auto-pilot ready for her to take control.

Faye is Spike's rival, yet she has managed to invite herself to live aboard the Bebop on occasion. Of course her time on the Bebop is usually either spent in handcuffs while Jet and Spike rummage through her belongings, or lounging around tormenting poor Ein the dog (who she does not get along with) and waiting for news of a bounty she can race ahead and try to beat Spike at acquiring.

Faye's voice actress is none other than Megumi Hayashibara, a very talented and prolific artist. She is doing a more adult, mature voice for once, instead of her usual over-genki teenage voices. While I have been getting tired of hearing Megumi's voice in everything these days, I actually like her portrayal of Faye Valentine.