Cowboy Bebopis a futuristic science fiction animefrom the 90sdescribed as a space western. It follows a group of bounty hunters aboard the spaceship known as the Bebop as they look to hunt down targets to earn a living and pay the bills. It quickly garnered critical reception for its jazz-infused stylish approach to storytelling.
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The anime featured several beloved main characters known asSpike Spiegel, Jet Black, Faye Valentine, Ed, and their adorable genetically-engineered corgi named Ein. It may have only run for 26 episodes, butCowboy Bebopinspired a generation of creatives and introduced them to a colorful sci-fi world full of interesting side characters existing in one of the most fleshed-out and inspired worlds in all of science fiction.
8Punch & Judy
So much ofCowboy Bebopis focused on the idea of transsolar bounty hunting, which makes the introduction of Big Shot so fitting. It’s a television show hosted by characters named Punch and Judy who announce bounty rewards and targets for anyone looking to make some cash. Punch was the charismatic male host, while Judy served as his scantily-clad bubbly co-host.
They were ever only seen in small snippets, but an anime solely focused on them could have been so intriguing. During the course ofCowboy Bebop, the Big Shot show is canceled and keen-eyed viewers can eventually spot Punch in an airport picking up his mom.
7Doohan
A trope audiences love is when a grizzled old curmudgeon of a man is introduced, and over the course of his story arc, it is revealed that he’s much more caring, protective, and empathetic than he originally let on. That’s exactly the mold Doohan follows inCowboy Bebop.
Introduced as a ship mechanic who spends his days managing a shipyard on Earth, he has a storied relationship withSpike Spiegel, as he’s the one who gifted the bounty hunter his ship known as Swordfish II. Doohan loved to give Spike a hard time, but when Spike needed him most Doohan was the only thing that saved him from dying as a result of a malfunctioning ship burning up in the upper atmosphere of Earth.
6Laughing Bull
With Laughing Bull being a character created in the 90s he unfortunately is comprised of many tropes and generalizations attached to Native American characters. What made him interesting is that in a world of space travelers and science experiments, he was a man rooted in his spirituality and connection to the universe.
Spike and Jet rarely listened to anyone other than themselves, so the revelation that Laughing Bull often gave them advice and direction when they felt lost was pretty telling of how much they respected him. His most iconic quote still sticks with fans of the show and was as follows, “Do not fear death. Death is always at our side. When we show fear, it jumps at us faster than light, but if we do not show fear, it casts its eye upon us gently and then guides us into infinity.”
5Fridge Monster
DespiteCowboy Bebopbeing a science fiction anime rooted in space exploration, it rarely focuses on the concept of alien life. It’s mostly centered on human drama in relation to interplanetary space travel and futuristic organized crime syndicates. During “Toys In The Attic,” the eleventh episode of the show, the crew of the Bebop discover that leftovers in the ship’s fridge have mutated into an aggressive alien lifeform.
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It’s never fully explained what it was, and Ed eating it didn’t seem to result in any weird side effects. With Spike tossing the fridge out of the ship it was unclear what happened to it, but it was later revealed in an episode of the animeSpace Dandyto have landed on a planet.Space Dandyis considered a spiritual successor toCowboy Bebopand has been confirmed to take place in the same universe.
4The Old Men
It may sound weird to consider a group of three old grumpy men as interesting, but they’re arguably the most recurring characters in all of the anime outside of the Bebop crew themselves. Their official names are Jobim, Carlos, and Antonio and they love exploring the Solar System and arguing about a game of cards over a pint of beer.
It’s explained that the three are retired veterans who all happened to work on an Astral Gate with one another. Despite having no intention of bounty hunting or getting into the world of organized crime, these three older gentlemen always happen to be around when Spike and his crew are in the thick of action and gunfire.
3Victoria Terpsichore
Any time a show introduces a tough-as-nails woman, especially one that’s older, it’s so unexpected and rare that when done right, can immediately result in an extremely interesting character. Victoria Terpsichore, most widely known as “VT,” is a trucker who transports cargo in space.
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She’s a widow, whose husband named Ural was a capable andrespected bounty hunter. Between her nickname “Heavy Metal Queen” and her adorable pet cat named Zeros, the creators knew what they were doing when she appeared inCowboy Bebop. Fans believe her character design was heavily inspired by the first woman to fly in space, Valentina Tereshkova.
2Wen
Cowboy Bebopdoes a good job of introducing stories and concepts that cover various subgenres under the collective themes of science fiction.Wen presents himself as a young kidbut he’s actually an immortal human who has an interest in playing music at local jazz clubs. One of the most defining in-universe events inCowboy Bebopis the Astral Gate incident in which said Astral Gate orbiting the moon was destroyed.
This event had lasting repercussions for both space and humanity and was the moment in which Wen inherited this curse. Some may see Spike killing the ageless one as cruel, but it could also be considered a mercy killing since Wen was trapped in a body that would never reflect the mature adult trapped on the inside.
1Grencia Mars
Part ofwhat madeCowboy Bebopso specialin a medium of hundreds of anime was indeed its unique style and flair set in a dystopian science fiction future. Another key ingredient was the inclusion of tragic characters who dealt with serious life trauma. That’s where Grencia Mars Elijah Guo Eckner comes in.
As a veteran of the Titan War, Grencia had seen his fair share of combat and in an effort to calm his emotions, he was given an experimental pill. It raised the estrogen levels in his body, causing him to grow breasts. Representation continues to be important to this day and it’s astounding that an anime from the 90s showcased a captivating and interesting non-binary character.
