"Now, why don't we drink to me, and my reflection in your lovely eyes."
Featured in: Cowboy Bebop
Portrayed by: Daran Norris
*SPOILERS for Cowboy Bebop and Knockin On Heaven's Door*
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Ah, Cowboy Andy. So out of place in a show like Cowboy Bebop, and yet fits in delightfully among its cast of weirdos and space miscreants, Andy was the absolutely perfect foil to Spike and it's a shame he didn't appear in more episodes, I would've LOVED to see more of him in the Cowboy Bebop movie. However, in the episode he did appear in, Andy stole the show. He was the show's equivalent of Batman, a rich prettyboy who ends up fighting crime... of course, while Batman was totally serious and fought crime for personally painful reasons, Andy pretty much did it for fun. His character was pure fun, I found his romancing of Faye to be rather sweet (hell, I ship Andy/Faye for the lulz) and his rooftop duel with Spike was one of my favorite moments in the series. Though not the most competant fighter by any means, Andy's dumb luck is the stuff of hilarious legends, and it would've been great to see him puttering around catching bounty hunters in hilarious ways (maybe while rescuing Faye from all kinds of convoluted distress). If there was a Cowboy Bebop character who deserved a spinoff, Andy was it. And who better to voice him than Daran Norris (who also, amazingly, voiced the terrifying Vincent in the movie)? Norris' performance stands head and shoulders over the original Japanese actor, whose bombast in performing the role was over the top, and not in a good way. Norris strikes the perfect balance of hilarity and emotion and made Andy one of my favorites on the show right from the very start. I even wrote a comedy fanfic sequel to Bebop, starring Andy of course... in retrospect the fic was hilariously bad and overloaded with pop culture references, but I stand by my characterization of Andy, who was just so damned funny that you could stick him in any situation and he'd make it hilarious. Imagine him busting in on Vincent after he'd taken Faye hostage in his apartment and spouting off some overly hilarious one liner while somehow surviving both the virus and Vincent's vicious attacks. You just know he would. So that's Cowboy Andy, the man, the myth, the legend, and my number 43.
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I chose poorly. Black Turtle chose wisely.