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| “ | On the night of the red moon, the snake will slither and strike bearing its venomous fangs... | „ |
| ~ One of The Van members on Vicious's first attempt of usurpation. |
| “ | Van Member 1: One who disturbs the general affairs of our clan must be executed according to the general will of our clan. Van Member 2: You may leave final words. Van Member 3: Or you may bequeath your possessions. |
„ |
| ~ The Van's last words before their failed execution of Vicious. |
Wang, Sou, and Ping Long, collectively known as The Van, are the overarching antagonists of the sci-fi anime series Cowboy Bebop.
They are a trio of elderly brothers and the leaders of the Red Dragon Crime Syndicate, who have ruled for decades and are infamous for their Red Eye drug and weapons trades across the galaxy. They lead the syndicate up until their betrayal at the hands of Vicious, who murders each of them in order to take control of the syndicate himself, wanting to go back to their bloody old ways.
In the Japanese version, they are voiced by Takashi Taguchi, Hiroshi Naka and Shinpachi Tsuji, while in the English dub, they were voiced by Paul Carr, the late Mike Reynolds and Doug Stone.
Biography[]
Not too much is known about the Van's past, but they most likely assured power after rising up in the syndicate decades before the series even began. They would handle Red Eye and weapons deals and participate in other criminal activities, even having a rivalry with another gang known as the White Tiger. It is also known that they at some point recruited Vicious and Spike Spiegel to work as assassins for them, having them mentored by Mao Yenrai.
They would make their first appearance in the series in episode 12, Jupiter Jazz (Part 1), questioning why Vicious was requested to make a Red Eye trade on Callisto. After Vicious explains that their dealer was a Titan veteran who fought by his side and that Callisto was in a financial depression, the Van would scold Vicious, telling him that he didn't have a right to make his own decisions and if he went against their will, he'd face consequences. They would order Lin (who is actually in league with Vicious) to accompany Vicious on his journey and tell Vicious to dress appropriately due to the planet's arctic climates, with Vicious replying that climate was the last thing he was concerned about. Before Vicious left, they would remind him that a snake could not eat a dragon.
Sometime later, the Van would learn from a fortune teller that Vicious intended to stage a coup, intending to have the Van assassinated so he could take over. With this information, they prepared for Vicious's arrival, watching as he shoot at their thrones. The Van would soon reveal themselves to Vicious and order him to be put in their chambers, intending to publicly execute him later, only keeping him alive so they could make him understand shame. The Van would then order their henchmen to search for anybody who may have been involved in Vicious's coup and have them killed. They would also order even the deaths of innocent civilians who just simply knew him.
Eventually, the Van and their henchmen would enter their chambers and prepare Vicious's execution, intending to have him shot dead. Before they could execute him, however, they were distracted by Vicious's bird coming down and exploding. With this, several of the Van's henchmen who were loyal to Vicious would kill the Van's guards and free Vicious, who had planned the entire event from the start to massacre the Van. With the Van dead, Vicious now had finally take control over the syndicate.
However, the prediction of The Van (a snake cannot eat the dragon) would consequentially come to pass, as Vicious would subsequently meet his demise at the hands of his archenemy Spike Spiegel (the accomplice of Mao Yenrai whom Vicious assassinated) not long after his ascension to power. In the end, although the snake with its venom managed to kill the dragon, it could not eat the dragon.
Appearance[]
The Van appear to be three short, elderly men, appearing to have wrinkled skin and sunken eyes. They dress in what appears to be traditional Chinese robes that are most white with some shades of red, and they also wear what appears to be Chinese hanfu on their heads. They are never actually seen standing, but sitting on what appear to be cushions.
Gallery[]
Images[]
.jpg "The Van (CWBFOeDpcv ;cldop).jpg (87 KB)")
Videos[]
Trivia[]
- According to the creators of the series, each of The Van members are around 120 years old, making them likely the oldest characters in the series. This also means they were most likely born around 1950 or 1951, considering the series is set in 2071.
- They only appear in two episodes of the series. Coincidentally, both episodes they appeared in were part of two-parters.
External Links[]
- The Van on the Cowboy Bebop Wiki
- Wang Long on the Cowboy Bebop Wiki
- Sou Long on the Cowboy Bebop Wiki
- Ping Long on the Cowboy Bebop Wiki
- The Van on the Pure Evil Wiki
[]
 Villains
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Red Dragon Crime Syndicate Dragon Head Syndicate Others See also | ||