Jet Black

Jet Black (ジェット・ブラック) is an officer of the ISSP, and later on a bounty hunter. He

partnered with Fad until losing his arm in the mid-2060s. He then captained the Bebop and led a bounty-hunting crew including Spike Spiegel, Faye Valentine, and Edward.

Background

Jet was born on the day of December 3, 2035 on Ganymede. He developed a love of blues through his mother and would often get advice from his grandmother as well as life lessons from his father.

Growing up with strong morals, Jet enlisted in the Inter-Solar System Police (ISSP) and soon became an investigator. Due to his stubbornness, while chasing criminals, he earned the nickname "Black Dog", the dog that bites its prey and never lets go. He met Bob and Donnelly.

Jet also came to know a Blue Snake member, Pao Pu-Zi. Pao visited Jet in his home in 2061 for help in leaving the syndicate, and leaked information to him. Jet tried his best, but since Pao knew so much about the syndicate's inner workings, he believed escape was impossible.

Despite the harshness of his work, Jet carried on a relationship with a woman named Alisa, whose proximity gave him the strength to keep going. One evening, however, he did not find Alisa, only a note from her that says "farewell" and a pocket watch. Jet, torn by grief, questioned at length the reason for the abandonment and promised that if the clock stopped before Alisa returned he would leave Ganymede forever.

Marked by the bad experience, Jet threw himself into work and started to investigate a powerful mafia organization who had corrupted much of the police force. One evening, together with his colleague and friend Fad, Jet chased Udai Taxim, a gunman affiliated with the European syndicate. Unbeknownst to Jet, Fad and Udai were working together and set a trap. The two policemen separated, and Jet, reaching the murderer, fell into a trap: dazzled by the light of a close by spotlight, Fad shot him with a bullet so powerful it destroyed his left arm. Fortunately, Jet survived, and Udai was arrested. Although a cell regeneration was possible due to the scientific advancement of the period, Jet opted for a mechanical replacement as a reminder of what happened to him.

It was unclear whether the scar on the right eye went back to the same incident or a later event, but by 2064 the clock passed to him by Alisa stopped, and Jet, then disgusted with the corruption of the police force, decided to leave both Ganymede and the ISSP. He purchased a former fishing ship, which he named the Bebop, and then began to roam space as a bounty hunter.

Personality

Jet, as the senior member of the Bebop, is presented as mature, wise, and austere. He often gives wise advice to his companions and always shows great patience for their over the top attitudes. In particular, he is very patient with Spike, although the excessive exuberance of Spike while chasing after bounties often prevent them from collecting the total reward due to refunds caused by damage. Although everyone on the Bebop considers him kind of a father figure, a situation proved by his occasional scolding for some of his companions' attitudes and him being the ship's cook, Jet proves to be considerably offended by this association as it makes him look older than he actually is.

Although he may look gruff and sometimes has rude attitudes, Jet is basically a good-hearted, caring, and thoughtful man who, while hiding his feelings, has a great affection for his own companions and thinks of them the same way of a family. Undoubtedly the most reliable member of the crew, Jet proves to be very apprehensive, proud, and capable of great fidelity. For some of his attitudes, he could be considered a control freak, but it is not intentional, and all the other characters recognize his choices as the most right.

Jet has a great passion for bonsai - likely a testament to his nurturing side - and cooking (although his dishes are harshly criticized by his companions), adores jazz and blues music (Bebop, the given name of his starship, is a type of jazz) particularly the songs of Charlie Parker, and also highly appreciates the works of Goethe. As captain of the Bebop, he is very fond of his ship and greatly worries about the damage it could receive in firefights.

Jet shares a particularly paternal relationship with Ed and for most of the series is the only member of the crew to take care of Ein. He dislikes Faye, who he treats more like a burden than as a partner, but the relationship between them changes in the course of the series, coming to be a reluctant friendship.

Differently from Spike, who behaves lazily and indifferently, Jet is always shown as busy and maintaining the Bebop and finding work. Despite the many differences in character and ideology, Jet and Spike share a genuine brotherly affection and it is safe to say that they consider each other their own best friend. Occasionally they are seen talking together like two old friends. Jet often fights with Spike over his excessive stubbornness, occasionally ending with Spike being banned from the Bebop, but never for that long. Jet is in every way the only person who, sometimes, Spike confides openly about his past.

Trivia

• His name in Japanese means ???.

According to the Databook:

• His birthday is ??? and his blood type is ???.
• His star sign is ???.

Voice Actors

• Japanese : the late Unsho Ishizuka, Taiten Kusunoki (Live Action Series)
• English : Beau Billingslea

Played by in (Live Action) : Mustafa Shakir

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