The 15 Best Episodes of Cowboy Bebop – MovieWeb

Since its release in 1998, Cowboy Bebop has become one of the most influential and popular anime series of all time. Bringing together the Western and space opera genres, alongside dozens of others, the series has become one of the biggest hits in the medium, helping define and legitimize anime for a wider, international audience. The adventures of Spike Spiegel, Faye Valentine, Jet Black, Edward, and Ein are some of the most memorable in the medium, and with the English dubs 25th anniversary quickly approaching and Shinichiro's new anime on the horizon, now is the perfect time to examine this unmatched epic.

With 26 episodes (or sessions, using the show's terminology), picking the best of the best is a tall task. Cowboy Bebop bridged genres with style, bouncing from space western to neo-noir thriller to horror, cyberpunk, and comedy, sometimes all in the same episode. This subversion and melding of genres allowed for unique and varied storylines, as well as the introduction of dozens of fan-favorite characters. The following fifteen highlight the best the series has to offer, each with excellent world-building, powerful plots, and incredible characters. So prep your engines and get ready to blast off into this gritty, vast galaxy. See you, Space Cowboy.

On the hunt for a new bounty, the dragon-tattooed Decker, and the crew of the Bebop split up to track the target down. At a bar, Spike meets VT, a cargo hauler with a particular disdain toward bounty hunters, but after Faye loses Decker at a children's restaurant, VT agrees to help them catch the man. The problem, of course, is that Decker flees into an asteroid mine, sending the trio on a wild chase through narrow passages. On the way, VT's past and her hatred of bounty hunters become painfully clear.

"Heavy Metal Queen" makes this list not because of its memorable plot. In fact, other than the chase through the asteroid, there isn't anything particularly unique about this plot. It's a by-the-numbers bounty hunting narrative. However, Session 7 showcases what Cowboy Bebop does best. It introduces a new character, and in the course of about 20 minutes, it makes you fall in love with them. We know so very little about VT, but her inclusion makes the episode. Her personality, the mystery surrounding her past, all of it just makes this episode stand out in the best possible way.

Needing to find cash for a grocery run, the crew of the Bebop takes a new bounty for a man named Giraffe. Once they track him down to a hotel, though, they discover a much deeper conspiracy. Giraffe is killed by a sniper bullet, and in his final moments, he gives Spike a cryptic warning: don't be fooled by how he looks. They soon discover that Giraffe didn't work alone, and they begin the hunt for his partner, Zebra. What follows is a bizarre, high-science fiction exploration of the world of Cowboy Bebop, with an ageless child and the consequences of human experimentation.

"Sympathy for the Devil" delves into the world-building of Cowboy Bebop in a way only seen in a handful of episodes. The creators of the show left a lot of details ambiguous. Spike, Jet, and Faye are living parts of this vibrant galaxy, so they aren't stopping every episode to ask the bigger questions about how their world came to be. This episode gets to dive into a part of the series only hinted at before, namely the construction and destruction of one of the astral gates and the subsequent tragedy it caused. It adds a dark, weird science element to the plot, which helps shake the grounded reality of the majority of the series.

Just after her introduction in Session 3, "Honky Tonk Woman," Faye Valentine makes her explosive return, only this time she's on Spike and Jet's side. After capturing the known eco-terrorist and Space Warriors gang leader Twinkle Maria Murdoch, the crew of the Bebop is faced with a dilemma. The Space Warriors have threatened to release a powerful biological weapon against the planet Ganymede if Murdoch isn't released. However, despite complying with their demands, the terrorists fire the missiles anyway, provoking a race against the clock for Spike and Faye.

While Faye made her debut in the prior episode, this is the episode that cemented her as a member of the crew (albeit begrudgingly). Her character added a ton of personality to the ship, as well as plenty of drama and conflict with the other bounty hunters. More than that, though, this episode played some more with the science fiction setting, exploring things like powerful mutagens, space terrorists and the nature of the spacegates. It really helped set the precedent for the weird, wacky, yet still serious adventures on the horizon, as well as the endless possibilities of this universe.

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After collecting the bounty on three ship hijackers, the crew of the Bebop lands on Venus. Here, Spike meets and briefly mentors a young man named Rocco, who is carrying a mysterious, wrapped package. However, a group of gang members chases Rocco down, and Spike discovers that the package contains a stolen plant, one that is incredibly rare and valuable for its medicinal properties. With it, the rare disease known as Venus Sickness can be cured. Rocco stole it from the gang to sell it and fund a surgery to restore his sister's site. Spike decides to find and save the young man.

Rocco's story in "Waltz for Venus" is short, but it fully highlights the show's incredible plotting and characterization. His story is tragic, even if the character is goofy and exaggerated from his first moment on screen, and the viewer becomes immediately invested in his mission. Some of the best episodes of this series explore the impact of crime on this galaxy, and this is a great example of that. Also, the chance to explore another planet is fascinating, even if our time and experience with the place are extremely limited. Venus is a showcase of Cowboy Bebop's incredible design sensibilities.

After stumbling upon a murder in a back alley, Spike ends up with a target on his back. The killer, a bizarre man in a clown getup, is seemingly unkillable and unstoppable in his pursuit of the bounty hunter. After nearly dying at Mad Pierrot's hands, they discover the man is the result of cruel government experiments to create the ultimate assassin, experiments which drove the already unhinged man completely insane. Despite the danger involved, Spike is lured to an abandoned theme park for his final confrontation with the deranged assassin, even if it means his death.

"Pierrot Le Fou" is one of the best examples of how Cowboy Bebop plays with genre. While it still fits into the grander universe of the Space Western, this episode introduces elements of the horror and thriller, with Mad Pierrot taking the place of other unstoppable killers like Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers. With chaotic action and an incredible villain, this episode has become one of the most recognizable in the entire series. While Mad Pierrot never makes another appearance in the series, his role in the episode adds a unique flair of darkness and insanity to the show.

As the Bebop lands on the planet Ganymede, Jet seems out of sorts. Given that it was his last posting with the Inter Solar System Police, the planet holds a lot of memories for the older man. Jet takes the opportunity to visit his ex-girlfriend, Alissa, at her bar, and he discovers that she will be closing the bar and leaving with her new boyfriend, Rhint. After their meeting, Jet discovers that Rhint has a bounty on his head and tells Spike that he will handle it. After all, he was the type of cop to never stop until the case was closed.

Of the members of the Bebop, Jet Black receives the least amount of time on the screen. As the ship's pilot and the oldest member of the crew, he has a lot of memorable moments throughout the series, but overall, we don't often get to explore his character or his past. This means that any episode centered around this crucial character immediately grab a viewer's attention. While "Ganymede Elegy" doesn't do anything particularly unique or interesting with its plot, the emotional context that it gives to Jet helps cement it as one of the all-time best episodes in Cowboy Bebop.

With the Bebop suffering from some technical issues, Jet agrees to hear out an old friend about a possible target. Apparently, a group of convicts has taken over an ISSP prison ship, killing all the guards and flying it through the Ganymede Gate. After learning that the mutiny was led by Udai Taxim, the Red Ragon Syndicate assassin that took Jet's arm back when he was a cop, Jet turns the job down, but with his past hanging over his head, he agrees to help Fad out. However, Fad knows far more than he is letting on, and the secrets behind Jet's past will come crawling out of the shadows.

Following on the heels of the last entry, "Black Dog Serenade" is another great Jet focused episode, but it wins out over the last for its more compelling plot. The action sequences are incredible, especially the dog fight near its end, and the deeper exploration of Jet's time as a cop is incredible. One of the most interesting elements of crime stories are the good cops in a sea of corruption, and Jet represented that in this episode. This episode was another great opportunity for viewers to better understand this retired cop, as well as the world he used to live in.

A new cult has sprung up in the solar system known as SCRATCH. Their goal is to digitize the soul, copying the consciousness and transforming it into pure electrons. Their leader, Dr. Londes, has drawn the attention of ISSP, and with a massive bounty on his head, Faye has gone undercover in his organization. However, Londes has seen through the bounty hunter's act, trapping her on the planet. The rest of the Bebop crew must track her and Londes down, splitting up to tackle different leads. However, what Jet and Edward discover about the cult leader goes beyond anything they'd ever expected.

"Brain Scratch" is one of the few episodes of the series that fully delves into the cyberpunk genre, exploring the border between humanity and technology. It feels like a truly natural progression for this futuristic society, with the cult representing a unique twist on transhumanist philosophy. While it feels a little out of place in the grand scheme of the Cowboy Bebop universe, the philosophical debate at the core of this episode is fascinating, and the overall investigation into SCRATCH and Londes takes some truly unexpected turns.

The Red Dragon crime syndicate has a new leader. Vicious has taken over the gang after brutally killing its former leadership. After learning about the massacre, Spike becomes embroiled in the search for Vicious. Unbeknownst to his fellow crew members, Spike was a member of the Red Dragons and has a complicated history with their new leader. However, the stakes are raised when Faye is captured by the Red Dragons after attempting to collect the bounty on one of their former leaders. With a debt to pay, Spike and Vicious meet at an old cathedral for one of the most iconic fights in all of anime.

"Ballad of Fallen Angels" introduces the main throughline for the entire Cowboy Bebop series, and for that reason, it is an incredibly important episode. Vicious' appearance in the series is brutal, befitting his name in every way, and the enmity between him and Spike is one of the most interesting dynamics in the entire show. While many of the reasons behind this dynamic remain a mystery when the final credits roll, the impact of this episode can't be matched. The fight scene at the end is incredibly iconic, and the brief glimpses into Spike's past leave the viewer hooked.

After receiving a cryptic message from an old associate, Jet arrives on Mars only to find that his friend, Pao Pu-Zi has seemingly died. While standing at his tombstone, Jet meets Pao's daughter Meifa just before a pair of Blue Snake syndicate assassins try to kill them both. Meifa believes that her father is still alive after the hyperspace anomaly that caused his disappearance. Using the message Jet received as well as Meifa's knowledge of Feng Shui, the pair undertake a dangerous mission to track down the missing man.

Surprise, surprise, it's another Jet Black-focused episode. Really, though, the few glimpses into Jet's past that we get are such stark changes of pace for the series. Outside of the three episodes featured on this list, Jet is largely a mystery in the grand scheme of the series, which is a shame because he is such an intriguing character. This episode combines a lot of the best elements of this series. There is a criminal underworld throughline mixed with the weird science of previous episodes, all brought together by the emotional threads of Jet's past and his relationship with Meifa and Pao.

While Jet is off trying to afford food for the crew by collecting the bounty of a womanizing con man, Faye tells her origin story to Ein. Centuries before, Faye was cryogenically frozen after a traumatic accident in hopes that when she awoke, they would be able to heal her. Awakening in the 27th century, she discovers that she has a $300,000,000 Wulong debt to the hospital, but a lawyer named Whitney Haggis Matsumoto has agreed to help her. However, nothing is as it seems in the world of Cowboy Bebop, and Faye's story may just connect to Jet's present target.

Faye Valentine is a cornerstone of much of Cowboy Bebop's humor and drama. For the entire season, viewers had wondered at the source of her massive debt, and "My Funny Valentine" explains it all in heartbreaking detail. It's a surprisingly grounded and emotional story, relying on the drastic contrasts between past and present Faye to help us understand the depth of her trauma. While we spend a great deal more time with Faye's character than Jet's, these emotional glimpses into their motivations and histories are some of the greatest moments in the series.

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A crew has pulled off a massive heist by hacking into the tollbooths of an Astral Gate, stealing money from the passing vehicles. Despite capturing the bandits, the crew of the Bebop cannot collect the bounty without their leader. With only a series of chess pieces as clues, Edward begins a game of chess with a mysterious man named Chessmaster Hex, whom the crew discovers is actually the mastermind behind the plot. Using Ed's game, they track the 98-year-old genius to a spaceship graveyard in empty space, but what they find there will surprise them all.

Second only to Jet in terms of screentime, Edward is one of the most interesting characters on the Bebop. While "Bohemian Rhapsody" isn't solely her episode, a great deal of it focuses on her and her drive to defeating the Chessmaster Hex. The story is an intricately plotted mystery with plenty of thrilling twists and turns, with one of the most unexpected endings in the entire series. While we still leave the episode with more questions than answers about Ed, the chance to explore her character was a hilarious glimpse into the young, eccentric genius.

Bounty hunters Spike Spiegel and Jet Black are in pursuit of a bounty on the Tijuana asteroid colony. Their target is Asimov Solensan, a crime syndicate member on the run after the murders of several of his allies. Nicknamed the "Red-Eyed Coyote," Asimov is in the possession of a potent combat enhancement drug called Bloody-Eye. Along with his girlfriend, Katerina, Asimov has landed in Tijuana in hopes of pawning the drug and making some quick cash. With the syndicate and the police on Asimov's tail, Spike and Jet have their work cut out for them if they hope to bring the criminal in alive.

The episode that started it all, "Asteroid Blues" had to be on this list. It brilliantly introduced every aspect of the show, from its Space Western genre to the blend of serious and comedic storytelling. While the series only improved from here, this episode needs to be mentioned for inviting viewers into one of the most complex and interesting series in anime. The exciting plot and gangland storytelling are some of the best in the medium. Most anime have a "three-episode rule," but if you aren't hooked on Cowboy Bebop from this first episode, then the series just isn't for you.

Faye disappears from the Bebop, fleeing with the crew's accrued income. However, while Jet is intent on tracking her down, Spike is more concerned with news from his past. Julia, his former girlfriend, has seemingly reappeared on Callisto. Parting ways, Spike learns that Vicious has arrived on the planet in hopes of carrying out a deal for the Bloody-Eye drug, while Jet tracks down leads about Faye's whereabouts. Meanwhile, Faye has her hands full with a mysterious saxophonist that she meets in a bar, one with a vendetta of their own.

These final two entries are a bit of a cheat, given that they both contain two episodes each. However, given the episodic, bounty-of-the-week structure of the series, continued storylines between episodes are a rare occurrence. "Jupiter Jazz" is an incredible example of Cowboy Bebop's raw, emotional storytelling, delving deep into the intensity and seriousness of this world. While it doesn't quite reach the top spot, the episode manages to explore the brutality of this world while also digging more deeply into the enmity between Spike and Vicious.

A power struggle has erupted within the Red Dragon syndicate. After his failed coup, Vicious' former allies are all being killed by Red Dragon assassins. Given his connection to Vicious, Spike is hunted down by the Red Dragons, only to be saved by Shin, a former associate. After receiving a message from Julia, Spike renews his search for his past love. However, fate is cruel, and after Vicious escapes his execution and wrests control of the syndicate away from its leaders, Spike is forced to do battle with his former friend and ally in the climactic episodes of the series.

Of course, the final two episodes of Cowboy Bebop had to be on this list. The cornerstone of these episodes is Vicious and Spike's rivalry, their galaxy-spanning hatred for each other. Full of intense gun fights, deeply emotional storytelling, and an intimate look at Spike's past, "The Real Folk Blues" episodes are two of the best, not only in the series, but in anime as a whole. Everything in the series led up to this moment, and nearly every storyline reached a compelling conclusion. While there are some unexplored aspects of the narrative, Spike's story reaches its fitting end in truly explosive fashion.

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The 15 Best Episodes of Cowboy Bebop - MovieWeb