The pilot episode of protagonist Spike Spiegel, Vicious pursued and tormented his former cohort throughout the series, and one detail ties him to Cowboy Bebop’s pilot episode.
Cowboy Bebop’s pilot episode, “Asteroid Blues,” introduces Spike Spiegel and Jet Black as they pursue Asimov Solensan, a crime syndicate member and drug smuggler who becomes a dangerous enemy, thanks to the performance-enhancing drug, “Red Eye.” Under the effects of Red Eye, Asimov becomes extremely strong and fast, and his reflexes and sensory perception are greatly enhanced. Red Eye has significant drawbacks, however, as it caused its s to become manic and delusional, and frequent use of the substance had detrimental long-term effects on one’s body and mind.
Spike’s nemesis, Vicious, is an extremely deadly fighter, as shown throughout the anime Cowboy Bebop. As an enforcer in the powerful Red Dragon Crime Syndicate, Vicious is shown to have comparable fighting skills to Spike. But, while Spike prefers to fight with his pistol or impeccable hand-to-hand combat skills, Vicious typically uses knives and katanas, a risky choice in a series where most characters use firearms. Cowboy Bebop episode 13, “Jupiter Jazz Part 2,” shows a flashback of a nightstand with a rose and a used Red Eye injector kit, implying that Vicious may owe his legendary fighting skills, in part, to the hazardous drug.
Aside from Ed’s father, Appledelhi, Vicious is regularly shown to be Spike’s most challenging opponent in the popular (if sometimes controversial) Cowboy Bebop. Vicious’ strength, speed, and reflexes all seem consistent with the performance-enhancing effects of Red Eye, and the kit that’s shown in Spike’s flashback most likely belonged to his former friend. Moreover, Vicious’ had a worn and haggard appearance, including bags under his eyes, which further s the hypothesis that he was a frequent of the drug. Vicious also had a bloodthirsty, nihilistic personality, which may have once been far tamer, before over-use of Red Eye worsened these traits.
Another possibility is that the kit belonged to Spike. While he’s shown to be a formidable fist fighter and marksman throughout Cowboy Bebop, Spike Spiegel’s sordid past may have involved the use of Red Eye for missions, and it might have taken its toll already. episode, Cowboy Bebop cleverly hid a major detail for its major villain from the start.