Cowboy Bebop (1998)
Anime series · 26 episodes · Sunrise · directed by Shinichirou Watanabe
ActionAdventureDramaSci-Fi
From Sunrise and director Shinichirou Watanabe, Cowboy Bebop is a sci-fi action-adventure following a ragtag crew of bounty hunters across the solar system. The series explores themes of crime and philosophy as Spike, Jet, Faye, Ed, and Ein navigate their pasts and search for meaning in a future-noir world. It features an ensemble cast and primarily adult characters.
Cowboy Bebop screencaps & stills
Reference frames from Cowboy Bebop.
Cowboy Bebop in motion
Short loops for study, each cut to a single shot.
The story
In the year 2071, humanity has expanded across the solar system, creating a new frontier where lawlessness often prevails. Amidst this backdrop, the crew of the spaceship Bebop—Spike Spiegel, a former syndicate hitman, and Jet Black, an ex-cop—operate as bounty hunters, pursuing criminals for meager rewards to sustain their lives. Their journey is a constant struggle for survival, marked by the pursuit of various targets across diverse planets and space stations.
As they traverse the cosmos, their ranks gradually expand to include other memorable figures. Faye Valentine, a mysterious and perpetually indebted gambler, joins them, driven by her own hidden past and financial woes. Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV, a brilliant and eccentric hacker, and Ein, a genetically engineered Welsh Corgi with enhanced intelligence, also become integral members of the crew. Together, this unlikely family confronts the dangers of their profession and the ghosts of their pasts, their individual quests for meaning and redemption intertwined with the pursuit of their next bounty.
Credits & cast
- Studio
- Sunrise
- Director
- Shinichirou Watanabe
- Story
- Hajime Yatate
- Music
- Youko Kanno
- Voice
- Kouichi Yamadera as Spike Spiegel
- Voice
- Megumi Hayashibara as Faye Valentine
- Voice
- Unshou Ishizuka as Jet Black
- Voice
- Aoi Tada as Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV
Where to watch Cowboy Bebop
Streaming services that list it. Availability changes by country.
Cowboy Bebop colour palette
The main colours across the whole series, by share of the picture.
Colour script
The dominant colour of each sampled frame, from the first minute to the last.
Where Cowboy Bebop happens
futuristicindustrialnightcityvehiclespaceshipbuildingstreet
Cowboy Bebop background art
Frames with no characters in them: the places, as painted.
More from Sunrise
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Gintama 2006
My Status as an Assassin Obviously Exceeds the Hero’s 2025
Planetes 2003
Outlaw Star 1998
Scarlet Nexus 2021
More by Shinichirou Watanabe
Anime like Cowboy Bebop
Recommended by fans who watched Cowboy Bebop, most votes first.
- 1
122 fan votes · Shared: Action
- 2
94 fan votes · Shared: Action · Sci-Fi
- 3
55 fan votes · Shared: Action
- 4
47 fan votes · Shared: Action · Sci-Fi · Space
- 5
40 fan votes · Shared: Sci-Fi · Space
- 6
29 fan votes · Shared: Action
- 7
19 fan votes · Shared: Action
- 8
17 fan votes · Shared: Action
Looks like it
Matched frame to frame, on style and colour.
Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team - Miller's Report 1998
Outlaw Star 1998
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Similar stories
Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt: December Sky 2016
Questions about Cowboy Bebop
Who made Cowboy Bebop?
Cowboy Bebop (1998) was animated by Sunrise and directed by Shinichirou Watanabe.
Where can I watch Cowboy Bebop?
Hulu, Crunchyroll, Amazon Prime Video, Tubi TV, Adult Swim, Netflix list Cowboy Bebop. Availability changes by country.
What anime are like Cowboy Bebop?
Fans most often recommend Samurai Champloo, Trigun, Black Lagoon, Outlaw Star. In look: Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team - Miller's Report, Outlaw Star, Gundam Reconguista in G IV: Love That Cries Out in Battle.
See more of Cowboy Bebop
Every reference frame and clip, searchable by what is in the shot — a character, a place, a light.
Frames and loops from Cowboy Bebop (1998) © Sunrise, shown at reduced size as reference for study and commentary. Rights questions: copyright@framethrower.ai.