:Cowboy Bebop

{{See also|List of Cowboy Bebop episodes{{!}}List of Cowboy Bebop episodes}}

In the year 2071, roughly fifty years after an accident with a hyperspace gateway that made Earth almost uninhabitable, humanity has colonized most of the rocky planets and moons of the Solar System. Amid a rising crime rate, the Inter Solar System Police (ISSP) set up a legalized contract system, in which registered bounty hunters (also referred to as "Cowboys") chase criminals and bring them in alive in return for a reward.{{Cite web|title=Cowboy Bebop - Original Sessions - Background|url=http://cowboybebop.org/english/session/world/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030107060711/http://cowboybebop.org/english/session/world/index.html|archive-date=January 7, 2003|access-date=April 25, 2014|publisher=CowboyBebop.Org}} The series' protagonists are bounty hunters working from the spaceship Bebop. The original crew is Spike Spiegel, an exiled former hitman of the criminal Red Dragon Syndicate, and Jet Black, a former ISSP officer. They are later joined by Faye Valentine, an amnesiac con artist; Edward Wong, an eccentric child, skilled in hacking; and Ein, a genetically engineered Pembroke Welsh Corgi with human-like intelligence. Throughout the series, the team gets involved in disastrous mishaps leaving them without money, while often confronting faces and events from their pasts: These include Jet's reasons for leaving the ISSP and Faye's past as a young woman from Earth injured in an accident and cryogenically frozen to save her life.

While much of the show is episodic, the main story arc focuses on Spike and his deadly rivalry with Vicious, an ambitious criminal affiliated with the Red Dragon Syndicate. Spike and Vicious were once partners and friends. Still, when Spike begins an affair with Vicious's girlfriend Julia and resolves to leave the Syndicate with her, Vicious seeks to eliminate Spike by blackmailing Julia into killing him. Julia hides to protect herself and Spike, while Spike fakes his death to escape the Syndicate. In the present, Julia comes out of hiding and reunites with Spike, intending to complete their plan. Vicious, having staged a coup d'état and taken over the Syndicate, sends hitmen after the pair. Julia is killed, leaving Spike alone. Spike leaves the Bebop after finally apologizing to Faye and Jet. Upon infiltrating the syndicate, he finds Vicious on the top floor of the building and confronts him after dispatching the remaining Red Dragon members. The final battle ends with Spike killing Vicious, only to be seriously wounded himself in the ensuing confrontation. Looking up to the sky, Spike sees Julia. The series concludes as Spike descends the main staircase of the building into the rising sun before eventually falling to the ground.

Shinichirō Watanabe created a special tagline for the series to promote it during its original presentation, calling it "a new genre unto itself". The line was inserted before and after commercial breaks during its Japanese and US broadcasts. Later, Watanabe called the phrase an "exaggeration". The show is a hybrid of multiple genres, including westerns and pulp fiction.Clements & McCarthy, 2006 p113 One reviewer described it as "space opera meets noir, meets comedy, meets cyberpunk".{{Cite web|date=October 20, 2016|title=Cowboy Bebop: Space Opera Meets Noir, Comedy, and Cyberpunk|url=http://scifiaddicts.com/cowboy-bebop-genre-blending-sci-fi/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190205044131/http://scifiaddicts.com/cowboy-bebop-genre-blending-sci-fi/|archive-date=February 5, 2019|access-date=February 4, 2019|website=Sci-Fi Addicts|language=en}}{{Cite web|last=Greenberg|first=Raz|author-link=Raz Greenberg|date=February 27, 2015|title=Cowboy Bebop and Leiji Matsumoto|url=http://blog.alltheanime.com/cowboy-bebop-and-leiji-matsumoto/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171024195258/http://blog.alltheanime.com/cowboy-bebop-and-leiji-matsumoto/|archive-date=October 24, 2017|access-date=October 31, 2017|publisher=All the Anime}} It has also been called a "genre-busting space Western".{{Cite web|date=April 16, 2018|title=20 Years Later, 'Cowboy Bebop' Remains the (Undisputed) Greatest, Coolest Anime Series Ever Made|url=https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/20-years-later-cowboy-bebop-remains-the-undisputed-greatest-coolest-anime-series-ever-made|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190204231235/https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/20-years-later-cowboy-bebop-remains-the-undisputed-greatest-coolest-anime-series-ever-made|archive-date=February 4, 2019|access-date=February 4, 2019|website=MEL Magazine|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|date=December 5, 2018|title=Cowboy Bebop to Return in Live-Action|url=https://filmschoolrejects.com/cowboy-bebop-live-action/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190204231318/https://filmschoolrejects.com/cowboy-bebop-live-action/|archive-date=February 4, 2019|access-date=February 4, 2019|website=Film School Rejects|language=en-US}}

The musical style was emphasized in many of the episode titles.Camp & Davis, 2007 pp79–80{{Cite magazine|last=Jeffries, L.B.|date=January 19, 2010|title=The Film Noir Roots of Cowboy Bebop|url=https://www.popmatters.com/pm/feature/115481-the-film-noir-roots-of-cowboy-bebop|url-status=live|magazine=PopMatters|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120131014507/http://www.popmatters.com/pm/feature/115481-the-film-noir-roots-of-cowboy-bebop/|archive-date=January 31, 2012|access-date=January 25, 2012}} Multiple philosophical themes are explored using the characters, including existentialism, existential boredom, loneliness, and the effect of the past on the protagonists.{{Cite web|last=Warren|first=Mary|title=STAFF PICKS: OLD SCHOOL CARTOONS|url=http://www.thevaultmag.com/archives/1173|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130523001417/http://www.thevaultmag.com/archives/1173|archive-date=May 23, 2013|access-date=May 12, 2012|publisher=The Vault Magazine}}{{Cite web|last=Alderman, Nathan|date=June 27, 2002|title=Anime for the Rest of Us|url=http://www.teevee.org/2002/06/anime-for-the-rest-of-us.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714162519/http://www.teevee.org/2002/06/anime-for-the-rest-of-us.html|archive-date=July 14, 2014|access-date=March 1, 2015|publisher=Teevee.org}} Other concepts referenced include environmentalism and capitalism.{{Cite web|last=Crusch|first=Marley|date=2018-04-11|title=How Cowboy Bebop Pulled Off Its Believable Dystopia|url=https://dotandline.net/cowboy-bebop-jamming-with-edward-228f391ef6ff/|access-date=2021-06-26|website=The Dot and Line|language=en-US|archive-date=January 15, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220115030227/https://dotandline.net/cowboy-bebop-jamming-with-edward-228f391ef6ff/|url-status=live}} The series also makes specific references to or pastiches multiple films, including the works of John Woo and Bruce Lee, Midnight Run, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Alien.{{Cite web|last=Baigent|first=Robert|year=2004|title=Cowboy Bebop: Complete Sessions Collection Review|url=http://www.arts.auckland.ac.nz/webdav/site/arts/shared/Departments/asian-studies/gjaps/docs-vol2/Baigent1.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120904035858/http://www.arts.auckland.ac.nz/webdav/site/arts/shared/Departments/asian-studies/gjaps/docs-vol2/Baigent1.pdf|archive-date=September 4, 2012|access-date=May 13, 2012|publisher=Graduate Journal of Asia-Pacific Studies}}{{Cite web|title=Homages and Influences|url=https://www.rfblues.com/Omake/Influences/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123202632/https://www.rfblues.com/Omake/Influences/|archive-date=January 23, 2021|access-date=January 23, 2021|publisher=The Real Folk Blues}} The series also includes extensive references and elements from science fiction, bearing strong similarities to the cyberpunk fiction of William Gibson. Several planets and space stations in the series are made in Earth's image. The streets of celestial objects such as Ganymede resemble a modern port city, while Mars features shopping malls, theme parks, casinos and cities. This setting has been described as "one part Chinese diaspora and two parts wild west".

{{See also|List of Cowboy Bebop characters{{!}}List of Cowboy Bebop characters}}

File:Cowboy-bebop-754433.jpg, Faye Valentine, Edward, and Ein]]

The characters were created by Watanabe and character designed by Toshihiro Kawamoto. Watanabe envisioned each character as an extension of his own personality, or as an opposite person to himself.{{Cite news|last=Charles Solomon|date=March 30, 2003|title=Dirty Harry in outer space?|work=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-mar-30-ca-solomon30-story.html|url-status=live|access-date=March 1, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006182850/http://articles.latimes.com/2003/mar/30/entertainment/ca-solomon30|archive-date=October 6, 2014}} Each character, from the main cast to supporting characters, were designed to be outlaws unable to fit into society.{{Cite web|date=February 14, 2006|title=Cowboy Bebop Panel|url=http://animeondvd.com/press/conventions/axny2002/axnybeboppanel.php|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030605011254/http://animeondvd.com/press/conventions/axny2002/axnybeboppanel.php|archive-date=June 5, 2003|access-date=January 6, 2015|publisher=Anime on DVD.com}} Kawamoto designed the characters so they were easily distinguished from one another. All the main cast are characterized by a deep sense of loneliness or resignation to their fate and past.{{Cite journal|last=Bricken, Robert|date=January 2003|title=Behind the Bebop - Murder, Mars and All That Jazz|journal=Anime Invasion|publisher=Wizard|issue=#5}} From the perspective of Brian Camp and Julie Davis, the main characters resemble the main characters of the anime series Lupin III, if only superficially, given their more troubled pasts and more complex personalities.Camp & Davis, 2007 p81

The show focuses on the character of Spike Spiegel (voiced by Kōichi Yamadera), an iconic space cowboy with green hair and often seen wearing a blue suit, with the overall theme of the series being Spike's past and its karmic effect on him. Spike was portrayed as someone who had lost his expectations for the future, having lost the woman he loved, and so was in a near-constant lethargy. Spike's artificial eye was included as Watanabe wanted his characters to have flaws. He was originally going to be given an eyepatch, but this decision was vetoed by producers.

Jet (voiced by Unshō Ishizuka) is shown as someone who lost confidence in his former life and has become cynical about the state of society.{{Cite web|last=Antonio, Tripodi|date=March 20, 2006|title=Anime Review: Cowboy Bebop|url=http://www.terrediconfine.net/cowboy-bebop/|url-status=dead|archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20141126042615/http%3A//www.terrediconfine.net/cowboy%2Dbebop/|archive-date=November 26, 2014|access-date=March 3, 2015|publisher=Terre di Confine}} Spike and Jet were designed to be opposites, with Spike being thin and wearing smart attire, while Jet was bulky and wore more casual clothing. The clothing, which was dark in color, also reflected their states of mind. The rebellious hustler Faye Valentine, hacker "Radical" Edward (voiced by Aoi Tada), and "data dog" Ein joined the crew in later episodes. Their designs were intended to contrast against Spike. Faye was described by her voice actress Megumi Hayashibara as initially being an "ugly" woman, with her defining traits being her liveliness, sensuality and humanity. To emphasize her situation when first introduced, she was compared to Poker Alice, a famous Western figure.

Edward and Ein were the only main characters to have real-life models. The former had her behavior based on the antics of Yoko Kanno as observed by Watanabe when he first met her. While generally portrayed as carefree and eccentric, Edward is motivated by a sense of loneliness after being abandoned by her father. Kawamoto initially based Ein's design on a friend's pet corgi, later getting one himself to use as a motion model.{{Cite book|last=Kawamoto|first=Toshihiro|title=Cowboy Bebop Illustrations: The Wind|publisher=Softbank Creative|year=2004|isbn=4797327812|page=8}}{{Cite web|last=McCarter|first=Charles|date=1999|title=Interview with Kawamoto Toshihiro|url=http://www.ex.org/4.5/20-interview_kawamoto2.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120923033421/http://www.ex.org/4.5/20-interview_kawamoto2.html|archive-date=September 23, 2012|access-date=October 16, 2016|website=EX}}

File:Shinichiro Watanabe 20090703 Japan Expo 01.jpg at the 2009 Japan Expo]]

Cowboy Bebop was developed by animation studio Sunrise and created by Hajime Yatate, the well-known pseudonym for the collective contributions of Sunrise's animation staff. The leader of the series' creative team was director Shinichirō Watanabe, most notable at the time for directing Macross Plus and Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory. Other leading members of Sunrise's creative team were screenwriter Keiko Nobumoto, character designer Toshihiro Kawamoto, mechanical art designer Kimitoshi Yamane, composer Yoko Kanno, and producers Masahiko Minami and Yoshiyuki Takei. Most of them had previously worked together, in addition to having credits on other popular anime titles. Nobumoto had scripted Macross Plus, Kawamoto had designed the characters for Gundam, and Kanno had composed the music for Macross Plus and The Vision of Escaflowne. Yamane had not worked with Watanabe yet, but his credits in anime included Bubblegum Crisis and The Vision of Escaflowne. Minami joined the project as he wanted to do something different from his previous work on mecha anime.{{Cite web|last=Patten|first=Fred|date=March 31, 2003|title='Cowboy Bebop: The Movie'... At Last|url=http://www.awn.com/animationworld/cowboy-bebop-movie-last|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151004201534/http://www.awn.com/animationworld/cowboy-bebop-movie-last|archive-date=October 4, 2015|access-date=April 19, 2014|publisher=Animation World Network}}{{Cite AV media|title=Cowboy Bebop Remix Complete|date=October 5, 2009|language=ja|publisher=Beez Entertainment|edition=Standard|chapter=Season #0|medium=DVD}}

Cowboy Bebop was Watanabe's first project as solo director, as he had been co-director in his previous works. His original concept was for a movie, and during production he treated each episode as a miniature movie.{{Cite web|title=Animatrix Director: Kid's Story and A Detective's Story|url=http://www.intothematrix.com/rl_cmp/rl_interview_watanabe.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130102061952/http://www.intothematrix.com/rl_cmp/rl_interview_watanabe.html|archive-date=January 2, 2013|access-date=January 19, 2015|publisher=The Animatrix official website}}"From the Small Screen to the Big Screen". {{Cite AV media|title=Cowboy Bebop: The Movie|date=2003|publisher=Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment|place=Culver City, California|medium=DVD}} His main inspiration for Cowboy Bebop was the first series of the anime Lupin III, a crime drama focusing on the exploits of the series' titular character. When developing the series' story, Watanabe began by creating the characters first. He explained, "the first image that occurred to me was one of Spike, and from there I tried to build a story around him, trying to make him cool."{{Cite news|last=Sevakis|first=Justin|date=August 15, 2013|title=Shinichiro Watanabe focus panel - Otakon 2013|work=Anime News Network|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/convention/2013/otakon/7|url-status=live|access-date=April 19, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426230941/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/convention/2013/otakon/7|archive-date=April 26, 2014}} While the original dialogue of the series was kept clean to avoid any profanities, its level of sophistication was made appropriate to adults in a criminal environment. Watanabe described Cowboy Bebop as "80% serious story and 20% humorous touch".{{Cite web|last=DuBois|first=Todd|date=August 21, 2013|title=Otakon 2013: Press Conference and Public Q&A With Director Shinichiro Watanabe|url=http://www.toonzone.net/2013/08/otakon-2013-with-shinichiro-watanabe/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140421064325/http://www.toonzone.net/2013/08/otakon-2013-with-shinichiro-watanabe/|archive-date=April 21, 2014|access-date=April 19, 2014|publisher=Toon Zone}} The comical episodes were harder for the team to write than the serious ones, and though several events in them seemed random, they were carefully planned in advance. Watanabe conceived the series' ending early on, and each episode involving Spike and Vicious was meant to foreshadow their final confrontation. Some of the staff were unhappy about this approach as a continuation of the series would be difficult. While he considered altering the ending, he eventually settled with his original idea. The reason for creating the ending was that Watanabe did not want the series to become like Star Trek, with him being tied to doing it for years.

The project had initially originated with Bandai's toy division as a sponsor, with the goal of selling spacecraft toys. Watanabe recalled his only instruction was "So long as there's a spaceship in it, you can do whatever you want." But upon viewing early footage, it became clear that Watanabe's vision for the series did not match Bandai's. Believing the series would never sell toy merchandise, Bandai pulled out of the project, leaving it in development hell until sister company Bandai Visual stepped in to sponsor it. Since there was no need to merchandise toys with the property any more, Watanabe had free rein in the development of the series. Watanabe wanted to design not just a space adventure series for adolescent boys but a program that would also appeal to sophisticated adults. During the making of Bebop, Watanabe often attempted to rally the animation staff by telling them that the show would be something memorable up to three decades later. While some of them were doubtful of that at the time, Watanabe many years later expressed his happiness to have been proven right in retrospect. He joked that if Bandai Visual had not intervened then "you might be seeing me working the supermarket checkout counter right now."

The city locations were generally inspired by the cities of New York and Hong Kong.{{Cite web|title=The Director's Voice: Shinichiro Watanabe Interview|url=http://www.cowboybebop.org/english/door/interview/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030307023145/http://www.cowboybebop.org/english/door/interview/index.html|archive-date=March 7, 2003|access-date=January 6, 2015|publisher=Cowboy Bebop: The Movie website (English)}} The atmospheres of the planets and the ethnic groups in Cowboy Bebop mostly originated from Watanabe's ideas, with some collaboration from set designers Isamu Imakake, Shoji Kawamori, and Dai Satō. The animation staff established the particular planet atmospheres early in the production of the series before working on the ethnic groups. It was Watanabe who wanted to have several groups of ethnic diversity appear in the series. Mars was the planet most often used in Cowboy Bebop{{'s}} storylines, with Satoshi Toba, the cultural and setting producer, explaining that the other planets "were unexpectedly difficult to use". He stated that each planet in the series had unique features, and the producers had to take into account the characteristics of each planet in the story. For the final episode, Toba explained that it was not possible for the staff to have the dramatic rooftop scene occur on Venus, so the staff "ended up normally falling back to Mars".{{Cite book|last=Newtype|title=Cowboy Bebop Anime Guide Volume 4|date=May 21, 2002|publisher=Tokyopop|isbn=1-931514-08-9|page=64}} In creating the backstory, Watanabe envisioned a world that was "multinational rather than stateless". In spite of certain American influences in the series, he stipulated that the country had been destroyed decades prior to the story, later saying the notion of the United States as the center of the world repelled him.{{Cite book|title=カウボーイビバップ Extra Session|trans-title=Cowboy Bebop Extra Session|language=ja|date=January 28, 2005|publisher=Bandai Visual|pages=22–23}}

The guns on the show were chosen by Watanabe, and in discussion with set designer Isamu Imakake and mechanical designer Kimitoshi Yamane. Setting producer Satoshi Toba said, "They talked about how they didn't want common guns, because that wouldn't be very interesting, and so they decided on these guns."{{Cite book |url=http://archive.org/details/CowboyBebopAnimeGuide2 |title=Cowboy Bebop Anime Guide 2 |pages=79 |language=English}}

{{Main|Music of Cowboy Bebop{{!}}Music of Cowboy Bebop}}

File:Yoko Kanno.jpg in 1999]]

The music for Cowboy Bebop was composed by Yoko Kanno and comprises genres including jazz, western and jazz.{{Cite news|date=May 16, 2013|title=Composer Yoko Kanno to Perform Concert at Otakon|work=Anime News Network|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2013-05-15/composer-yoko-kanno-to-perform-concert-at-otakon|url-status=live|access-date=April 24, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426234335/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2013-05-15/composer-yoko-kanno-to-perform-concert-at-otakon|archive-date=April 26, 2014}} Kanno formed the blues and jazz band Seatbelts to perform the music.{{Cite news|date=December 16, 2002|title=Seatbelts Reunite|work=Anime News Network|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2002-12-16/seatbelts-reunite|url-status=live|access-date=April 24, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426234412/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2002-12-16/seatbelts-reunite|archive-date=April 26, 2014}} According to Kanno, the music was one of the first aspects to begin production, before most of the characters, story, or animation had been finalized.

Watanabe said Kanno operated independently: "She gets inspired on her own, follows up on her own imagery, and comes to me saying 'this is the song we need for Cowboy Bebop{{'}}, and composes something completely on her own." She was sometimes surprised at how her music, sometimes wishing it had been used elsewhere, but felt that none of their uses were "inappropriate". She was pleased with the working environment, finding the team more relaxed than other teams she had worked with.

Watanabe said Kanno's music inspired him to create new scenes, which in turn inspired Kanno to create more music, including music she had not been commissioned for. According to Watanabe, while this normally would be "unforgivable and unacceptable", it was a "big hit" with Cowboy Bebop. Watanabe described their collaboration "a game of catch between the two of us in developing the music and creating the TV series".{{Cite book|last=Bridges|first=Rose|url=https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/yoko-kannos-cowboy-bebop-soundtrack-9781501325854/|title=Yoko Kanno's Cowboy Bebop Soundtrack|date=2017|publisher=Bloomsbury|isbn=9781501325854|location=New York|access-date=November 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170702111840/http://www.bloomsbury.com/us/yoko-kannos-cowboy-bebop-soundtrack-9781501325854|archive-date=July 2, 2017|url-status=live}} The Cowboy Bebop music has been released across seven soundtrack albums, two singles and EPs, and two compilations through label Victor Entertainment.{{Cite web|last=Green, Scott|date=November 13, 2012|title=Out of Print 'Cowboy Bebop' Soundtracks Reissued|url=http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2012/11/13/out-of-print-cowboy-bebop-soundtracks-reissued|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121116051742/http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2012/11/13/out-of-print-cowboy-bebop-soundtracks-reissued|archive-date=November 16, 2012|access-date=January 8, 2015|publisher=Crunchyroll}}

{{See also|List of Cowboy Bebop episodes{{!}}List of Cowboy Bebop episodes}}

Cowboy Bebop debuted on TV Tokyo, one of the main broadcasters of anime in Japan, airing from April 3 until June 26, 1998.[http://www.sunrise-anime.jp/sunrise-inc/works/detail.php?cid=240 Sunrise Broadcast 1] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110917054805/http://www.sunrise-anime.jp/sunrise-inc/works/detail.php?cid=240|date=September 17, 2011}} – Sunrise Due to its 6:00 p.m. timeslot{{Cite web|last=Rhee|first=Keith|date=1998|title=Cowboy Bebop|url=http://www.ex.org/3.4/23-anime_bebop.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120918005603/http://www.ex.org/3.4/23-anime_bebop.html|archive-date=September 18, 2012|access-date=February 1, 2017|website=Ex.org}} and depictions of graphic violence,{{Cite journal|last=Fox|first=Kit|date=January 2000|title=Cowboy Bebop The New Cool|journal=Animerica|issue=801|page=14}} the show's first run only included episodes 2, 3, 7 to 15, 18 and a special. Later that year, the series was shown in its entirety from October 23 until April 24, 1999, on satellite network Wowow.[http://www.sunrise-anime.jp/sunrise-inc/works/detail.php?cid=41 Sunrise Broadcast 2] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120619231231/http://www.sunrise-anime.jp/sunrise-inc/works/detail.php?cid=41|date=June 19, 2012}} – Sunrise The full series has also been broadcast across Japan by anime television network Animax, which has also aired the series via its respective networks across Southeast Asia, South Asia and East Asia.

The first non-Asian country to air Cowboy Bebop was Italy. There, it was first aired on October 21, 1999, on MTV, where it inaugurated the 9:00–10:30 p.m. Anime Night programming block.

In the United States, Cowboy Bebop was one of the programs shown when Cartoon Network's late night block Adult Swim debuted on September 2, 2001, being the first anime shown on the block that night at midnight ET.{{Cite web|title=Cowboy Bebop - TV Guide|url=https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/cowboy-bebop/200706|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418065823/https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/cowboy-bebop/200706/|archive-date=April 18, 2020|access-date=April 16, 2020|website=TVGuide.com}} During its original run on Adult Swim, episodes 6, 8, and 22 were skipped due to their violent themes in wake of the September 11 attacks. By the third run of the series, all these episodes had premiered for the first time. Cowboy Bebop was successful enough to be broadcast repeatedly for four years. It has been run at least once every year since 2007, and HD remasters of the show began broadcasting in 2015. In the United Kingdom, it was first broadcast in 2002 on the adult-oriented channel CNX. From November 6, 2007, it was repeated on AnimeCentral until the channel's closure in August 2008. In Australia, Cowboy Bebop was first broadcast on pay television in 2002 on Adult Swim, and on free-to-air-TV on ABC2 (the national digital public television channel) on January 2, 2007.{{Cite web|title=ABC TV Guide|url=http://www.abc.net.au/tv/guide/abc2/200701/programs/ZY8644A001D2012007T223000.htm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110302130644/http://www.abc.net.au/tv/guide/abc2/200701/programs/ZY8644A001D2012007T223000.htm|archive-date=March 2, 2011|access-date=July 26, 2009|website=www.abc.net.au}} It has been repeated several times, most recently starting in 2008.{{Cite web|title=Cowboy Bebop – Asteroid Blues|url=http://www.abc.net.au/tv/guide/abc2/200812/programs/ZY8644A001D29122008T232000.htm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081229152342/http://www.abc.net.au/tv/guide/abc2/200812/programs/ZY8644A001D29122008T232000.htm|archive-date=December 29, 2008|access-date=July 26, 2009|website=www.abc.net.au}}{{Cite web|title=Cowboy Bebop – The Real Folk Blues Part 2|url=http://www.abc.net.au/tv/guide/abc2/200906/programs/ZY8644A026D22062009T233000.htm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120114222019/http://www.abc.net.au/tv/guide/abc2/200906/programs/ZY8644A026D22062009T233000.htm|archive-date=January 14, 2012|access-date=July 26, 2009|website=www.abc.net.au}} Cowboy Bebop: The Movie also aired on February 23, 2009, on SBS (a hybrid-funded Australian public broadcasting television network). In Canada, Cowboy Bebop was first broadcast on December 24, 2006, on Razer.

In Latin America, the series was first broadcast on pay-TV in 2001 on Locomotion. It aired again on January 9, 2016, on I.Sat.{{Cite web|title=[Adult Swim]: El humor incorrecto en el canal correcto|url=http://blog.isat.tv/enero-2016/adult-swim-8/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151206031453/http://blog.isat.tv/enero-2016/adult-swim-8/|archive-date=December 6, 2015|access-date=December 6, 2015|publisher=I.Sat Blog}} I.Sat Blog| Adult Swim January 2016{{Cite web|title=Cowboy Bebop llega en enero a I.Sat - Anime, Manga y TV|url=http://www.anmtvla.com/2015/12/cowboy-bebop-llega-en-enero-isat.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160107020448/http://www.anmtvla.com/2015/12/cowboy-bebop-llega-en-enero-isat.html|archive-date=January 7, 2016|access-date=December 29, 2015|website=www.anmtvla.com}}

Cowboy Bebop has been released in four separate editions in North America.

The first release was sold in VHS format either as a box set or as seven individual tapes. The tapes were sold through Anime Village, a division of Bandai.{{Cite web|title=Cowboy Bebop - Collector's Box 1 (Dub.VHS 1-7) - Anime News Network|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/releases.php?id=23122|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190703045833/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/releases.php?id=23122|archive-date=July 3, 2019|access-date=August 8, 2019|website=www.animenewsnetwork.com}}

In the late 1990s, Manga Entertainment purchased the rights to Cowboy Bebop with plans to release the English-dubbed PAL version on VHS; however, this was never realized.{{citation needed|date= September 2023}}

The second release was sold in 2000 individually, and featured uncut versions of the original 26 episodes. In 2001, these DVDs were collected in the special edition Perfect Sessions which included the first 6 DVDs, the first Cowboy Bebop soundtrack, and a collector's box. At the time of release, the art box from the Perfect Sessions was made available for purchase on The Right Stuff International as a solo item for collectors who already owned the series.{{Cite news|date=November 7, 2001|title=Cowboy Bebop box set "box" available separately|work=Anime News Network|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2001-11-07/cowboy-bebop-box-set-box-available-seperately|url-status=live|access-date=April 28, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111004043958/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2001-11-07/cowboy-bebop-box-set-box-available-seperately|archive-date=October 4, 2011}}

The third release, The Best Sessions, was sold in 2002 and featured what Bandai considered to be the best 6 episodes of the series remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS surround sound.{{Cite news|date=July 29, 2002|title=Otakon 2002: Bandai Panel|work=Anime News Network|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2002-07-29/otakon-2002-bandai-panel|url-status=live|access-date=April 28, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090309091449/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2002-07-29/otakon-2002-bandai-panel|archive-date=March 9, 2009}}

The fourth release, Cowboy Bebop Remix, was also distributed on 6 discs and included the original 26 uncut episodes, with sound remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1 and video remastered under the supervision of Shinichirō Watanabe. This release also included various extras that were not present in the original release.{{Cite news|date=February 16, 2005|title=New Cowboy Bebop Special Edition|work=Anime News Network|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2005-02-16/new-cowboy-bebop-special-edition|url-status=live|access-date=April 28, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090409225512/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2005-02-16/new-cowboy-bebop-special-edition|archive-date=April 9, 2009}} Cowboy Bebop Remix was itself collected as the Cowboy Bebop Remix: The Complete Collection in 2008.

In December 2012, newly founded distributor Anime Limited announced via Facebook and Twitter that they had acquired the home video license for the United Kingdom. Part 1 of the Blu-ray collection was released on July 29, 2013, while Part 2 was released on October 14. The standard DVD Complete Collection was originally meant to be released on September 23, 2013, with Part 2 of the Blu-ray release but due to mastering and manufacturing errors, the Complete Collection was delayed until November 27.{{citation needed|date=December 2013}} Following the closure of Bandai Entertainment in 2012, Funimation and Sunrise had announced that they rescued Cowboy Bebop, along with a handful of other former Bandai Entertainment properties, for home video and digital release.{{Cite news|title=Funimation Adds Cowboy Bebop, Escaflowne, Outlaw Star and More|work=Anime News Network|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2013-08-10/funimation-adds-cowboy-bebop-escaflowne-outlaw-star-more|url-status=live|access-date=August 10, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130813121034/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2013-08-10/funimation-adds-cowboy-bebop-escaflowne-outlaw-star-more|archive-date=August 13, 2013}} Funimation released the series on Blu-ray and DVD on December 16, 2014.{{Cite web|title=Release Date for Cowboy Bebop|date=August 9, 2014|url=http://www.funimation.com/blog/2014/08/09/release-date-for-cowboy-bebop/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140816071329/http://www.funimation.com/blog/2014/08/09/release-date-for-cowboy-bebop|archive-date=August 16, 2014|access-date=August 31, 2014|publisher=Funimation}}{{Cite news|date=December 16, 2014|title=North American Anime, Manga Releases, December 14–20|work=Anime News Network|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-12-16/north-american-anime-manga-releases-december-14-20/.82255|url-status=live|access-date=December 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160107234507/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-12-16/north-american-anime-manga-releases-december-14-20/.82255|archive-date=January 7, 2016}} The series was released in four separate editions: standard DVD, standard Blu-ray, an Amazon.com exclusive Blu-ray/DVD combo, and a Funimation.com exclusive Blu-ray/DVD combo.{{Cite news|title=Cowboy Bebop Blu-ray Slated for N. America in December|work=Anime News Network|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-08-09/cowboy-bebop-blu-ray-slated-for-n-america-in-december/.77378|url-status=live|access-date=August 10, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140811044557/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-08-09/cowboy-bebop-blu-ray-slated-for-n-america-in-december/.77378|archive-date=August 11, 2014}} Crunchyroll released a limited edition Blu-ray box set on April 4, 2023, for its 25th anniversary.{{cite web|last=Luster|first=Joseph|title=Cowboy Bebop 25th Anniversary Set Headlines Crunchyroll's April 2023 Home Video Slate|url=https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2023/01/17/cowboy-bebop-25th-anniversary-set-headlines-crunchyrolls-april-2023-home-video-slate|website=Crunchyroll|access-date=January 29, 2023|date=January 17, 2023|archive-date=January 29, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230129060526/https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2023/01/17/cowboy-bebop-25th-anniversary-set-headlines-crunchyrolls-april-2023-home-video-slate|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Milligan|first=Mercedes|title=Crunchyroll Offers Bounteous 'Cowboy Bebop' 25th Anniversary Set|url=https://www.animationmagazine.net/2023/01/crunchyroll-offers-bounteous-cowboy-bebop-25th-anniversary-set/|website=Animation Magazine|access-date=January 29, 2023|date=January 18, 2023|archive-date=January 29, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230129062039/https://www.animationmagazine.net/2023/01/crunchyroll-offers-bounteous-cowboy-bebop-25th-anniversary-set/|url-status=live}}

Netflix acquired the streaming rights to the original anime, with all 26 episodes available worldwide as of October 21, 2021.{{cite web|title='Cowboy Bebop': Netflix Acquires Rights To Stream All 26 Episodes Of Anime Series|url=https://deadline.com/2021/10/neflix-acquires-rights-26-episodes-of-cowboy-bebop-anime-1234855060/|work=Deadline Hollywood|date=October 12, 2021|access-date=March 20, 2024|archive-date=October 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211024011527/https://deadline.com/2021/10/neflix-acquires-rights-26-episodes-of-cowboy-bebop-anime-1234855060/|url-status=live}} Though, as of October 21, 2023, the show is unavailable in the United States and Canada.{{cite web|title= Cowboy Bebop Leaving Netflix in October 2023|url=https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/leaving-soon/cowboy-bebop-leaving-netflix-in-october-2023/|work=Whats On Netflix|date=September 21, 2023|access-date=April 16, 2025}}

The series is available on Hulu and Funimation in the United States.{{Cite web|title=Cowboy Bebop {{!}} Watch on Funimation|url=https://www.funimation.com/shows/cowboy-bebop/|url-status=live|access-date=2022-01-04|website=www.funimation.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224221958/http://www.funimation.com:80/shows/cowboy-bebop|archive-date=December 24, 2013}} On March 1, 2022, the anime became available on Crunchyroll to consolidate both Funimation and Wakanim into the service.{{Cite web|last=Official|first=Crunchyroll|title=Funimation Content Moving to Crunchyroll for World's Largest Anime Library|url=https://www.crunchyroll.com/en-gb/anime-news/2022/03/01/funimation-content-moving-to-crunchyroll-for-worlds-largest-anime-library|access-date=2022-03-04|website=Crunchyroll|language=en-gb|archive-date=March 4, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220304235519/https://www.crunchyroll.com/en-gb/anime-news/2022/03/01/funimation-content-moving-to-crunchyroll-for-worlds-largest-anime-library|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|title=UPDATE: Funimation Titles Now Available on Crunchyroll (3/23)|url=https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2022/03/01/funimation-titles-now-available-on-crunchyroll|website=Crunchyroll|date=March 1, 2022|access-date=March 24, 2022|archive-date=March 22, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220322050729/https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2022/03/01/funimation-titles-now-available-on-crunchyroll|url-status=live}}

{{Main|List of Cowboy Bebop chapters{{!}}List of Cowboy Bebop chapters}}

Two Cowboy Bebop manga series adaptations have been released, both published by Kadokawa Shoten and serialized in Asuka Fantasy DX.{{Cite web|title=ふぁんデラ 1997年10月号・中古・角川書店・通販ショップの駿河屋|url=http://www.suruga-ya.jp/database/ZNAWO9211.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922192046/https://www.suruga-ya.jp/product/detail/ZNAWO9211|archive-date=September 22, 2020|access-date=May 16, 2014|publisher=Surugaya Japan}}{{Cite web|title=ふぁんデラ 1998年11月号・中古・角川書店・通販ショップの駿河屋|url=http://www.suruga-ya.jp/database/ZNAWO9221.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922192047/https://www.suruga-ya.jp/product/detail/ZNAWO9221|archive-date=September 22, 2020|access-date=May 16, 2014|publisher=Surugaya Japan}} The first manga series, titled Cowboy Bebop: Shooting Star and illustrated by Cain Kuga, was serialized from October issue 1997, before the anime series' release, to July issue 1998.{{Cite web|date=April 30, 2002|title=[Q&A] カウボーイビバップ|url=http://okwave.jp/qa/q261857.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517132506/http://okwave.jp/qa/q261857.html|archive-date=May 17, 2014|access-date=May 16, 2014|publisher=OKWave Japan}} It was collected into two volumes in 1998, the first one in May and the second one in September.{{Cite web|title=シューティングスタービバップ－カウボーイビバップ－ 1 : 中古 | 久雅カイン|trans-title=Shooting Star Bebop – Cowboy Bebop – 1|url=http://www.netoff.co.jp/detail/0000025292|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517132318/http://www.netoff.co.jp/detail/0000025292|archive-date=May 17, 2014|access-date=May 16, 2014|publisher=Net Off Japan|language=ja}}{{Cite web|title=シューティングスタービバップ－カウボーイビバップ－ 2 : 中古 | 久雅カイン|url=http://www.netoff.co.jp/detail/0000557001|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517115254/http://www.netoff.co.jp/detail/0000557001|archive-date=May 17, 2014|access-date=May 16, 2014|publisher=Net Off Japan}} The second manga series, simply titled Cowboy Bebop and illustrated by {{ill|Yutaka Nanten|ja|南天佑}}, was serialized from November issue 1998 to March issue 2000. It was collected into three volumes, the first two in April and October 1999 and the third one in April 2000.{{Cite web|title=カウボーイビバップ 第1巻:コミック＆アニメ:南天佑|url=http://www.kadokawa.co.jp/comic/bk_detail.php?pcd=199999853078|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426214739/http://www.kadokawa.co.jp/comic/bk_detail.php?pcd=199999853078|archive-date=April 26, 2014|access-date=April 25, 2014|publisher=Kadokawa Shoten}}{{Cite web|title=カウボーイビバップ 第2巻:コミック＆アニメ:南天佑|url=http://www.kadokawa.co.jp/comic/bk_detail.php?pcd=199999853136|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304053732/http://www.kadokawa.co.jp/comic/bk_detail.php?pcd=199999853136|archive-date=March 4, 2016|access-date=April 25, 2014|publisher=Kadokawa Shoten}}{{Cite web|title=カウボーイビバップ 第3巻:コミック＆アニメ:南天佑|url=http://www.kadokawa.co.jp/comic/bk_detail.php?pcd=199999853185|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426215219/http://www.kadokawa.co.jp/comic/bk_detail.php?pcd=199999853185|archive-date=April 26, 2014|access-date=April 25, 2014|publisher=Kadokawa Shoten}} Both manga series were licensed by Tokyopop for release in North America.{{Cite news|date=December 5, 2001|title=February Manga Releases - News|work=Anime News Network|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2001-12-05/february-manga-releases|url-status=live|access-date=April 25, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426234428/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2001-12-05/february-manga-releases|archive-date=April 26, 2014}}{{Cite news|date=January 8, 2003|title=New Manga from TokyoPop - News|work=Anime News Network|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2003-01-08/new-manga-from-tokyopop|url-status=live|access-date=April 25, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426234500/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2003-01-08/new-manga-from-tokyopop|archive-date=April 26, 2014}}

{{Main|Cowboy Bebop (PlayStation game){{!}}Cowboy Bebop (PlayStation game)|Cowboy Bebop: Tsuioku no Serenade{{!}}Cowboy Bebop: Tsuioku no Serenade}}

A Cowboy Bebop video game, developed and published by Bandai,{{Cite web|title=Cowboy Bebop - PlayStation|url=https://ign.com/games/cowboy-bebop/ps-492285|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426234117/http://www.ign.com/games/cowboy-bebop/ps-492285|archive-date=April 26, 2014|access-date=April 25, 2014|website=IGN}} was released in Japan for the PlayStation on May 14, 1998.{{Cite web|title=Cowboy Bebop International Releases|url=http://www.giantbomb.com/cowboy-bebop/3030-4824/releases/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140312215027/http://www.giantbomb.com/cowboy-bebop/3030-4824/releases/|archive-date=March 12, 2014|access-date=April 25, 2014|publisher=Giant Bomb}} A PlayStation 2 video game, Cowboy Bebop: Tsuioku no Serenade, was released in Japan on August 25, 2005,{{Cite web|last=IGN Staff|date=August 30, 2005|title=Now Playing in Japan|url=https://ign.com/articles/2005/08/31/now-playing-in-japan-43|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131204151003/http://www.ign.com/articles/2005/08/31/now-playing-in-japan-43|archive-date=December 4, 2013|access-date=April 25, 2014|website=IGN}} and an English version had been set for release in North America. However, in January 2007, IGN reported that the release had likely been cancelled, speculating that it did not survive Bandai's merger with Namco to Bandai Namco Games.{{Cite web|last=Hatfield|first=Daemon|date=January 31, 2007|title=Missing in Action: The Lost Games of PS2|url=https://ign.com/articles/2007/02/01/missing-in-action-the-lost-games-of-ps2|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426234122/http://www.ign.com/articles/2007/02/01/missing-in-action-the-lost-games-of-ps2|archive-date=April 26, 2014|access-date=April 25, 2014|website=IGN}}

{{Main|Super Robot Wars T{{!}}Super Robot Wars T}}

In 2022, Cowboy Bebop made its debut in the Bandai Namco crossover game Super Robot Wars T, which is traditionally focused on turn-based mecha combat.{{cite web|url=https://gematsu.com/2018/11/super-robot-wars-t-announced-for-ps4-switch|title=Super Robot Wars T announced for PS4, Switch|date=19 November 2018|website=Gematsu.com|accessdate=1 April 2019|archive-date=December 19, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221219163328/https://www.gematsu.com/2018/11/super-robot-wars-t-announced-for-ps4-switch|url-status=live}} In 2024, skins based on Cowboy Bebop characters were added to Blizzard Entertainment's first-person shooter Overwatch 2.{{Cite web|title=All Overwatch 2 Cowboy Bebop Skins|url=https://www.gamespot.com/gallery/all-overwatch-2-cowboy-bebop-skins/2900-5154/|access-date=2024-05-03|website=GameSpot|language=en-US|archive-date=October 7, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007153806/https://www.gamespot.com/gallery/all-overwatch-2-cowboy-bebop-skins/2900-5154/|url-status=live}} In 2025, skins based on Cowboy Bebop characters Spike Spiegel and Faye Valentine were added to Epic Games' Fortnite Battle Royale.

{{Main|Cowboy Bebop: The Movie{{!}}Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' on Heaven's Door}}

An anime film titled {{Nihongo|Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' on Heaven's Door|カウボーイビバップ 天国の扉|Kaubōi Bibappu: Tengoku no Tobira|}}, known in English as Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, was released in Japan in September 2001 and in the United States in August 2002.

On July 22, 2008, If published an article on its website regarding a rumor of a live-action Cowboy Bebop movie in development by 20th Century Fox. Producer Erwin Stoff said that the film's development was in the early stages, and that they had "just signed it".[http://www.ifmagazine.com/new.asp?article=6571 IF Magazine: Live-Action 'Cowboy Bebop' Movie Is In The Works] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080723215231/http://www.ifmagazine.com/new.asp?article=6571|date=July 23, 2008}}, IF Magazine.[http://www.firstshowing.net/2008/07/22/fox-developing-cowboy-bebop-live-action-feature-film/ FirstShowing.Net] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725104548/http://www.firstshowing.net/2008/07/22/fox-developing-cowboy-bebop-live-action-feature-film/|date=July 25, 2008}}, Cowboy Bebop Movie Keanu Reeves was to play the role of Spike Spiegel.{{Cite news|date=December 17, 2008|title=Keanu Reeves Hopes to Star in Live-Action Cowboy Bebop|work=Anime News Network|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-12-17/keanu-reeves-hopes-to-star-in-live-action-cowboy-bebop|url-status=dead|access-date=January 7, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081221042556/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-12-17/keanu-reeves-hopes-to-star-in-live-action-cowboy-bebop|archive-date=December 21, 2008}}{{Cite web|first=Elisabeth|last=Rappe|date=January 16, 2009|title=Keanu Reeves To Play Spike Spiegel In Live-Action 'Cowboy Bebop' Movie|url=http://splashpage.mtv.com/2009/01/16/keanu-reeves-to-play-spike-spiegel-in-live-action-cowboy-bebop-movie/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150915100454/http://splashpage.mtv.com/2009/01/16/keanu-reeves-to-play-spike-spiegel-in-live-action-cowboy-bebop-movie/|archive-date=September 15, 2015|access-date=December 6, 2015|publisher=MTV}} Variety confirmed on January 15, 2009, that production company Sunrise Animation would be "closely involved with the development of the English-language project". The site also confirmed Kenji Uchida, Shinichirō Watanabe and series writer Keiko Nobumoto as associate producers, series producer Masahiko Minami as a production consultant, and Peter Craig as screenwriter. This was lauded by various sources as a promising move for the potential quality of the film.{{Cite magazine|last=Siegel|first=Tatiana|date=January 15, 2009|title=Keanu Reeves set for 'Bebop' Actor to star in live-action adaptation of anime|url=https://variety.com/2009/digital/markets-festivals/keanu-reeves-set-for-bebop-1117998641/|url-status=live|magazine=Variety|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090203181800/http://variety.com/article/VR1117998641.html?categoryid=13&cs=1&query=Cowboy+Bebop|archive-date=February 3, 2009|access-date=January 21, 2009}} At the time it was slated to release in 2011, but problems with the budget delayed its production. The submitted script was sent back for rewrite to reduce the cost and little has been heard about it since an interview with producer Joshua Long on October 15, 2010;{{Cite news |author=Zac Bertschy & Gia Manry|date=15 October 2010|title=Longview - ANNCast 54|work=Anime News Network|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/anncast/2010-10-15|url-status=live|access-date=September 28, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004133213/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/anncast/2010-10-15|archive-date=October 4, 2013}} the project currently languishes in development hell. On October 25, 2014, series director Watanabe was asked about the live-action film at the MCM London Comic Con. He stated: "I'm afraid I don't know what they're thinking in Hollywood. Apparently the project hasn't come to a stop but I don't know how it's going to progress from here on. I hear that there are a lot of 'Hollywood' problems."{{Cite news|date=2014-11-03|first=Lynzee|last=Loveridge|title=Cowboy Bebop Director Discusses Proposed Live-Action Film, Hypothetical Anime Sequel|work=Anime News Network|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-11-03/cowboy-bebop-director-discusses-proposed-live-action-film-hypothetical-anime-sequel/.80626|url-status=live|access-date=December 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150917183410/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-11-03/cowboy-bebop-director-discusses-proposed-live-action-film-hypothetical-anime-sequel/.80626|archive-date=September 17, 2015}}

{{Main|Cowboy Bebop (2021 TV series){{!}}Cowboy Bebop (2021 TV series)}}

In 2017, it was announced that an American live-action adaptation of the series was being developed by Tomorrow Studios, a partnership between Marty Adelstein and ITV Studios, with executive production by Sunrise Inc.{{Cite magazine|last=Erin Nyren|date=June 6, 2017|title='Cowboy Bebop' Live-Action TV Series in the Works|url=https://variety.com/2017/tv/news/cowboy-bebop-live-action-tv-series-1202454831/|url-status=live|magazine=Variety|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170606151827/http://variety.com/2017/tv/news/cowboy-bebop-live-action-tv-series-1202454831/|archive-date=June 6, 2017|access-date=June 6, 2017}} Christopher Yost was to write the series,{{Cite magazine|last=Andreeva|first=Nellie|date=June 6, 2017|title='Cowboy Bebop' Cult Anime TV Series Gets U.S. Live-Action Remake By Tomorrow Studios, Midnight Radio & 'Thor' Writer|url=https://deadline.com/2017/06/cowboy-bebop-anime-tv-series-live-action-remake-tomorrow-studios-midnight-radio-chris-yost-1202107884/|url-status=live|magazine=Deadline|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200403163055/https://deadline.com/2017/06/cowboy-bebop-anime-tv-series-live-action-remake-tomorrow-studios-midnight-radio-chris-yost-1202107884/|archive-date=April 3, 2020|access-date=April 16, 2020}} and Netflix announced that it would distribute it.{{Cite web|title='Cowboy Bebop' Live-Action Series Coming to Netflix|url=https://comicbook.com/anime/news/cowboy-bebop-live-action-series-netflix/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200526210557/https://comicbook.com/anime/news/cowboy-bebop-live-action-series-netflix/|archive-date=May 26, 2020|access-date=May 20, 2020|website=Anime|date=November 30, 2018 }}{{Cite web|title='Cowboy Bebop' Live-Action Series a Go at Netflix|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/cowboy-bebop-live-action-series-a-go-at-netflix-1164398|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181129100141/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/cowboy-bebop-live-action-series-a-go-at-netflix-1164398|archive-date=November 29, 2018|access-date=November 29, 2018|website=The Hollywood Reporter|date=November 27, 2018}} On April 4, 2019, Variety reported that John Cho, Mustafa Shakir, Daniella Pineda and Alex Hassell had been cast.{{Cite web|last=Otterson|first=Jon|date=April 4, 2019|title=Cowboy Bebop: John Cho, Mustafa Shakir Among Four Cast in Netflix Live-Action Series|url=https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/cowboy-bebop-netflix-live-action-series-cast-1203180399/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190404162000/https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/cowboy-bebop-netflix-live-action-series-cast-1203180399/|archive-date=April 4, 2019|access-date=April 4, 2019|website=Variety}} Production was shut down in October 2019 due to a knee injury sustained by Cho, setting production back by more than six months.{{Cite web|last=Andreeva|first=Nellie|date=October 18, 2019|title='Cowboy Bebop': Netflix Series Shuts Down Production For 7-9 Months Following Star John Cho On-Set Injury|url=https://deadline.com/2019/10/cowboy-bebop-netflix-series-shuts-down-production-7-9-months-hiatus-star-john-cho-on-set-injury-1202764024/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191018224036/https://deadline.com/2019/10/cowboy-bebop-netflix-series-shuts-down-production-7-9-months-hiatus-star-john-cho-on-set-injury-1202764024/|archive-date=October 18, 2019|access-date=October 18, 2019|website=Deadline Hollywood}} On April 17, 2020, it was revealed that the episodes would be an hour long.{{Cite web|title=Netflix's Live-Action Cowboy Bebop Show Plans Season 2, Teases Yoko Kanno's Music|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2020-04-19/netflix-live-action-cowboy-bebop-show-plans-season-2-teases-yoko-kanno-music/.158742|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200419111404/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2020-04-19/netflix-live-action-cowboy-bebop-show-plans-season-2-teases-yoko-kanno-music/.158742|archive-date=April 19, 2020|access-date=April 19, 2020|website=Anime News Network|language=en}} On May 19, 2020, Adelstein revealed that there were three finished episodes and that they had shot at least six episodes before Cho's knee injury. In the same interview it was revealed that the director of the anime series, Shinichirō Watanabe, had been hired as a creative consultant.{{Cite web|last=Jackson|first=Matthew|date=May 19, 2020|title=Exclusive: Snowpiercer's Marty Adelstein updates us on his 'Cowboy Bebop' and 'One Piece' series|url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/exclusive-marty-adelstein-updates-cowboy-bebop-one-piece-series|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200520160027/https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/exclusive-marty-adelstein-updates-cowboy-bebop-one-piece-series|archive-date=May 20, 2020|access-date=May 19, 2020|website=SYFY WIRE|language=en}} Production in New Zealand resumed on September 30, 2020, following a COVID-19 lockdown in the country.{{Cite web|last=Andreeva|first=Nellie|date=September 28, 2020|title=Amazon's 'The Lord Of The Rings' Resumes Production In New Zealand, Netflix's 'Cowboy Bebop' Next|url=https://deadline.com/2020/09/the-lord-of-the-rings-resumes-production-amazon-new-zealand-cowboy-bebop-netflix-dtart-of-production-1234584918/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201004014307/https://deadline.com/2020/09/the-lord-of-the-rings-resumes-production-amazon-new-zealand-cowboy-bebop-netflix-dtart-of-production-1234584918/|archive-date=October 4, 2020|access-date=November 12, 2020|website=Deadline Hollywood|publisher=Penske Media Corporation}} The series was released on November 19, 2021, to mixed reviews.{{Cite web|last=Mason|first=Charlie|date=2021-08-23|title=Cowboy Bebop Premiere Date Set at Netflix — Plus, Your First Look at the Space Western's Edgy Bounty Hunters|url=https://tvline.com/2021/08/23/cowboy-bebop-premiere-date-netflix-first-photos/|access-date=2021-08-27|website=TVLine|language=en-US|archive-date=August 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210824025358/https://tvline.com/2021/08/23/cowboy-bebop-premiere-date-netflix-first-photos/|url-status=live}} On December 9, 2021, it was announced that it would not be renewed for a second season, with Netflix cancelling it entirely.{{cite web|last1=Hibberd|first1=DeniseJames|last2=Kit|first2=Borys|date=December 9, 2021|title='Cowboy Bebop' Canceled By Netflix After One Season|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/cowboy-bebop-canceled-netflix-1235060256/|url-status=live|access-date=December 12, 2021|website=Hollywood Reporter|archive-date=December 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211209233910/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/cowboy-bebop-canceled-netflix-1235060256/}}

An official side story titled Cowboy Bebop: UT tells the story of Ural and Victoria Terpsichore (V.T. from the session "Heavy Metal Queen") when they were bounty-hunters. The story was available in its own official site, however the website was closed and is currently available at the site mirror.{{Cite web|last=Dai Sato|date=April 16, 2001|title=Cowboy Bebop: UT|url=http://www.cowboybebop.org/english/ut/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070705142837/http://www.cowboybebop.org/english/ut/index.html|archive-date=July 5, 2007|access-date=August 12, 2012|website=Bandai}}

A deck-building board game, Cowboy Bebop: Space Serenade, was released in 2019.

Cowboy Bebop received unanimous acclaim, beginning at the time of its initial broadcast. Beginning in 1998, Japanese critic Keith Rhee highlighted the series as a standout in an otherwise "run-of-the-mill" season, praising its overall production values, and singling out Kanno's soundtrack as "a much-welcome change from all the sugary J-pop tunes of most anime features". Rhee also highlighted the show's Japanese "all-star cast", which his colleague Mark L. Johnson described as being filled with "veteran voice talent", turning in even greater performances than those of their "above average" US counterparts.{{Cite web|last=Johnson|first=Mark|date=2000|title=Cowboy Bebop 1st Session DVD Review|url=http://www.ex.org/5.3/31-anime_bebopdvd.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091015075114/http://www.ex.org/5.3/31-anime_bebopdvd.html|archive-date=October 15, 2009|access-date=March 10, 2019|website=Ex.org}} In 1999, Australian magazine Hyper reviewed the anime and rated it 9.5 out of 10.{{cite magazine|title=Anime|magazine=Hyper|date=1 December 1999|issue=75 (January 2000)|page=14|url=https://archive.org/details/hyper-075/page/14}}

Anime News Network{{'}}s Mike Crandol gave the series an 'A+' rating for the dubbed version, and an 'A' rating for the subbed version. He characterized the series as "one of the most popular and respected anime titles in history", before adding that it was "a unique television show which skillfully transcends all kinds of genres". Crandol praised its characters as "some of the most endearing characters to ever grace an anime", and commended the voice acting, especially the "flawless English cast". He also complimented the series' "movie-quality" animation, "sophisticated" writing, and its "incredible" musical score. Crandol hailed Cowboy Bebop as a "landmark" anime "that will be remembered long after many others have been forgotten", and went on to call it "one of the greatest anime titles ever".{{Cite news|last=Crandol|first=Mike|date=February 21, 2002|title=Cowboy Bebop: The Perfect Sessions DVD Box Set - Review|work=Anime News Network|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/cowboy-bebop-box-set-dvd|url-status=live|access-date=September 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130831235143/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/cowboy-bebop-box-set-dvd|archive-date=August 31, 2013}} Additionally, Michael Toole of Anime News Network named Cowboy Bebop as one of the most important anime of the 1990s.{{Cite web|last=Toole|first=Mike|date=June 5, 2011|title=Evangel-a-like - The Mike Toole Show|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/the-mike-toole-show/2011-06-05|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151010114552/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/the-mike-toole-show/2011-06-05|archive-date=October 10, 2015|access-date=November 20, 2015|website=Anime News Network}}

T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews gave the entire series a perfect score of 5 out of 5 stars, with reviewer Christina Carpenter believing Cowboy Bebop as "one of the best [anime]" and touting it as a masterpiece that "puts most anime...and Hollywood, to shame". She described it as a "very stylish, beautifully crafted series that deserves much more attention than it gets". Carpenter praised the animation as "a rarity and a marvel to behold" and that it was "beyond superb", and the plot and characterization as having "a sophistication and subtlety that is practically one-of-a-kind". She also praised the soundtrack, and hailed the opening theme as one of the best intro pieces she had ever heard. Carpenter went to say that Bebop was a "must-have for any serious collector of Japanese animation".{{Cite web|last=Carpenter|first=Christina|title=Cowboy Bebop Review|url=http://www.themanime.org/viewreview.php?id=413|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906054704/http://www.themanime.org/viewreview.php?id=413|archive-date=September 6, 2015|access-date=September 8, 2013|publisher=T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews}}

In his article "Asteroid Blues: The Lasting Legacy of Cowboy Bebop", The Atlantic writer Alex Suskind states, "On paper, Cowboy Bebop, the legendary cult anime series from Shinichirō Watanabe, reads like something John Wayne, Elmore Leonard, and Philip K. Dick came up with during a wild, all-night whiskey bender." He goes on to write, "The response from critics and fans may have sounded hyperbolic—the word 'masterpiece' was thrown around a great deal—but the praise was justified. First-time solo director Watanabe had created a gorgeous tale of morality, romance, and violence–a dark look at the lives of outlaws that's shot like an independent film."{{Cite web|last=Suskind, Alex|date=December 17, 2014|title=Asteroid Blues: The Lasting Legacy of Cowboy Bebop|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/12/asteroid-blues-the-lasting-legacy-of-cowboy-bebop/383817/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150110171552/http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/12/asteroid-blues-the-lasting-legacy-of-cowboy-bebop/383817/|archive-date=January 10, 2015|access-date=April 21, 2015|website=The Atlantic|publisher=Atlantic Media}}

In January 2015, television writer Kyle Mills of DVD Talk awarded the series five stars upon review. He stated, "Regardless of the medium, be it live action television, film, or animation, Cowboy Bebop is simply one of the finest examples of storytelling ever created." In his review, he describes the finale as "one of the best in television history", referring to it as a "widely revered" ending that "still sparks fan conversation, resonating with viewers 15 years on". He closes by writing, "Cowboy Bebop ends with a bang."{{Cite web|title=Cowboy Bebop: The Complete Series (Blu-ray)|url=https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/65491/cowboy-bebop-the-complete-series-premium-edition-amazon-exclusive/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200729001014/https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/65491/cowboy-bebop-the-complete-series-premium-edition-amazon-exclusive/|archive-date=July 29, 2020|access-date=April 16, 2020|website=DVD Talk}}

In his 2018 review of the series, Paste critic John Maher wrote, "It feels like a magnum opus produced at the pinnacle of a long career despite being, almost unbelievably, Watanabe's first series as a director. It is a masterwork that should justly rank among the best works of television of all time." It was also placed at #1 on the publication's list of the "50 Best Anime Series of All Time".{{Cite web|date=October 3, 2018|title=The 50 Best Anime Series of All Time|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/anime/the-50-best-anime-series-of-all-time/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418163240/https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/anime/the-50-best-anime-series-of-all-time/|archive-date=April 18, 2020|access-date=May 20, 2020|website=pastemagazine.com}}

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the series has an approval rating of 100% based on 23 reviews, with an average rating of 8/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Blending a head-spinning array of genres and references, Cowboy Bebop is an anime television classic that must be experienced."{{Cite web|title=Cowboy Bebop: Series 1 - Rotten Tomatoes|website=Rotten Tomatoes|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/cowboy_bebop/s01|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190523161759/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/cowboy_bebop/s01/|archive-date=May 23, 2019|access-date=August 21, 2018}}

In an April 2019 interview with Diego Molano, creator of Victor & Valentino, he said that Cowboy Bebop was the first anime he "obsessed over", as he spent time tracking down VHS tapes of the show in high school.{{Cite interview|last=Molano|first=Diego|interviewer=Animation Magazine staff|title=Animated People: Diego Molano, Creator of Cartoon Network's 'Victor and Valentino'|url=https://www.animationmagazine.net/animated-people/animated-people-diego-molano-creator-of-cartoon-networks-victor-and-valentino/|access-date=September 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190426051956/https://www.animationmagazine.net/animated-people/animated-people-diego-molano-creator-of-cartoon-networks-victor-and-valentino/|archive-date=April 26, 2019|publisher=Animation Magazine|place=Calabasas, California|date=April 25, 2019}} He also argued that this series showed him "how cinematic and emotional animation can be".

In the 1999 Anime Grand Prix awards for the anime of 1998, Cowboy Bebop won two first place awards: Spike Spiegel was awarded the best male character; and Megumi Hayashibara was awarded the best voice actor for her role as Faye Valentine. Cowboy Bebop also received rankings in other categories: the series itself was awarded the second best anime series; Faye Valentine and Ed were ranked the fifth and ninth best female characters respectively; "Tank!" and "The Real Folk Blues" were ranked the third and fifteenth best songs respectively; and "Ballad of Fallen Angels", "Speak Like a Child", "Jamming with Edward" and "Mish-Mash Blues" were ranked the second, eighth, eighteenth and 20th best episodes respectively.{{Cite magazine|date=June 1999|title=21st Anime Grand Prix|url=http://animage.jp/old/gp/gp_1999.html|url-status=dead|magazine=Animage|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101112183628/http://animage.jp/old/gp/gp_1999.html|archive-date=November 12, 2010|access-date=September 8, 2013}}

In the 2000 Anime Grand Prix awards for the anime of 1999, Cowboy Bebop won the same two first place awards again: best male character for Spike Spiegel; and best voice actor for Megumi Hayashibara. Other rankings the series received are: second best anime series; sixth best female character for Faye Valentine; seventh and twelfth best song for "Tank!" and "Blue" respectively; and third and seventeenth best episode for "The Real Folk Blues (Part 2)" and "Hard Luck Woman" respectively.{{Cite magazine|date=June 2000|title=22nd Anime Grand Prix|url=http://animage.jp/old/gp/gp_2000.html|url-status=dead|magazine=Animage|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150410004053/http://animage.jp/old/gp/gp_2000.html|archive-date=April 10, 2015|access-date=September 10, 2013}} In the 2000 Seiun Awards, Cowboy Bebop was awarded for Best Media of the Year.{{Cite web|date=April 24, 2011|title=List of Seiun Award Winners|url=http://www.sf-fan.gr.jp/awards/list.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101013043459/http://www.sf-fan.gr.jp/awards/list.html|archive-date=October 13, 2010|access-date=September 8, 2013|publisher=Federation of the Science Fiction Fan Groups of Japan}}

A 2004 poll in Newtype USA, the US edition of the Japanese magazine Newtype, asked its readers to vote the "Top 25 Anime Titles of All Time"; Cowboy Bebop ranked second on the list (after Neon Genesis Evangelion), placing it as one of the most socially relevant and influential anime series ever created.{{Cite news|date=October 13, 2006|title=Newtype USA Announces the Top 25 Anime of All Time|work=Anime News Network|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/pressrelease.php?id=632|url-status=live|access-date=September 10, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041207230738/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/pressrelease.php?id=632|archive-date=December 7, 2004}} During that same year, Cinefantastique listed the anime as one of the "10 Essential Animations", citing the series' "gleeful mix of noir-style, culture-hopping inclusiveness and music".{{Cite journal|last=Persons|first=Dan|date=February–March 2004|title=The Americanization of Anime: 10 Essential Animations|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ly0nAQAAIAAJ&q=editions:0AFLRE736LO1AnqYXhN92VLUi3o6sFT1GgYU-Fw2cLmjwIZk1c7q9_ZE|url-status=live|journal=Cinefantastique|volume=36|issue=1|page=48|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170428143017/https://books.google.com/books?id=ly0nAQAAIAAJ&dq=editions:0AFLRE736LO1AnqYXhN92VLUi3o6sFT1GgYU-Fw2cLmjwIZk1c7q9_ZE|archive-date=April 28, 2017|access-date=April 28, 2017}} In 2007, the American Anime magazine Anime Insider listed the "50 Best Anime Ever" by compiling lists of industry regulars and magazine staff, and ranked Cowboy Bebop as the #1 anime of all time.{{Cite journal|date=November 2007|title=Best Anime Ever|journal=Anime Insider|publisher=Wizard Entertainment|issue=50–52}} In 2012, Madman Entertainment compiled the votes of fans online for "The Top 20 Madman Anime Titles" and ranked Cowboy Bebop at seventh.{{Cite web|year=2012|title=The Top 20 Madman Anime Titles - 2012.|url=http://www.madman.com.au/top20/countdown/7|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130915030628/http://www.madman.com.au/top20/countdown/7|archive-date=September 15, 2013|access-date=September 8, 2013|publisher=Madman Entertainment}}

Cowboy Bebop has been featured in several lists published by IGN. In the 2009 "Top 100 Animated TV Series" list, Cowboy Bebop, labelled as "a very original – and arguably one of the best – anime", was placed fourteenth, making it the second highest ranking anime on the list (after Evangelion) and one of the most influential series of the 1990s.{{Cite web|date=January 14, 2009|title=Top 100 Animated TV Series - 14. Cowboy Bebop|url=http://tv.ign.com/top-100-animated-tv-series/14.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121001012745/http://tv.ign.com/top-100-animated-tv-series/14.html|archive-date=October 1, 2012|access-date=December 27, 2012|website=IGN}} In 2011, Bebop was ranked 29th in the "Top 50 Sci-Fi TV Shows" list, once again being the second highest ranking anime on the list (after Evangelion).{{Cite web|last1=Pirello|first1=Phil|last2=Collura|first2=Scott|last3=Vejvoda|first3=Jim|last4=Schedeen|first4=Jesse|last5=Goldman|first5=Eric|last6=Fowler|first6=Matt|date=February 21, 2011|title=Top 50 Sci-Fi TV Shows|url=https://ign.com/articles/2011/02/21/top-50-sci-fi-tv-shows?page=3|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002134311/http://www.ign.com/articles/2011/02/21/top-50-sci-fi-tv-shows?page=3|archive-date=October 2, 2013|access-date=September 8, 2013|website=IGN}} In 2006, Cowboy Bebop{{'}}s soundtrack was ranked first in "Top Ten Anime Themes and Soundtracks of All-Time" list, with the series being commented as "one of the best anime ever and certainly is tops when it comes to music."{{Cite web|last=Pool|first=Josh|date=May 16, 2006|title=Ten Anime Themes and Soundtracks of All-Time|url=http://music.ign.com/articles/708/708910p2.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307054225/http://music.ign.com/articles/708/708910p2.html|archive-date=March 7, 2012|access-date=September 8, 2013|website=IGN}} Spike Spiegel was ranked fourth place in the "Top 25 Anime Characters of All Time" article.{{Cite web|last=Mackenzie|first=Chris|date=October 20, 2009|title=Top 25 Anime Characters of All Time|url=https://ign.com/articles/2009/10/21/top-25-anime-characters-of-all-time?page=5|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002134331/http://www.ign.com/articles/2009/10/21/top-25-anime-characters-of-all-time?page=5|archive-date=October 2, 2013|access-date=September 8, 2013|website=IGN}} IGN Movies also placed Cowboy Bebop in their list of "10 Cartoon Adaptations We'd Like to See".{{Cite web|last=IGN Movies|date=August 7, 2009|title=10 Cartoon Adaptations We'd Like to See|url=https://ign.com/articles/2009/08/07/10-cartoon-adaptations-wed-like-to-see?page=2|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002134328/http://www.ign.com/articles/2009/08/07/10-cartoon-adaptations-wed-like-to-see?page=2|archive-date=October 2, 2013|access-date=September 8, 2013|website=IGN}}

The series has been subject to study and analysis since its debut, with the main focus being on its style and mixture of genres. Miguel Douglas, describing the series style in a review, said that "the series distinctly establishes itself outside the realm of conventional Japanese animation and instead chooses to forge its own path. With a setting within the realm of science fiction, the series wisely offers a world that seems entirely realistic considering our present time. Free from many of the elements that accompany science fiction in general—whether that be space aliens, giant robots, or laser guns—the series delegates itself towards presenting a world that is quite similar to our own albeit showcasing some technological advances."{{Cite web|last=Douglas|first=Miguel|date=September 1, 2010|title=Anime Review: Cowboy Bebop - カウボーイビバップ - Kaubōi Bibappu|url=http://www.isugoi.com/cowboy-bebop-review/|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111113081241/http://www.isugoi.com/cowboy-bebop-review/|archive-date=November 13, 2011|access-date=May 15, 2012|publisher=iSugoi}} Daryl Surat of Otaku USA, commenting on the series' appeal, said that it was "that rare breed of science-fiction: 'accessible'. Unlike many anime titles, viewers weren't expected to have knowledge of Japanese culture—character names, signs, and the like were primarily in English to begin with—or have seen any other anime series prior."{{Cite web|last=Surat|first=Daryl|date=December 16, 2010|title=Cowboy Bebop: Reflections on a Modern-Day Anime Relic|url=http://www.otakuusamagazine.com/SearchAudience/News1/Cowboy_Bebop_3984.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130130221500/http://www.otakuusamagazine.com/SearchAudience/News1/Cowboy_Bebop_3984.aspx|archive-date=January 30, 2013|access-date=May 13, 2012|publisher=Otaku USA}} Michelle Onley Pirkle, in her book Science Fiction Film, Television, and Adaptation: Across the Screens, said that "Cowboy Bebop is taking a new take on genre, not by creating unique images and sounds, but by playing 'freely' with, 'remixing', or adapting the images and sounds of other familiar genres in a dynamic way."{{Cite book|last=Pirkle, Michelle Onley|title=Science Fiction Film, Television, and Adaptation: Across the Screens|date=2011|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-136-65009-3|editor-last=Jay Telotte|chapter=Déjà Vu All Over Again?: Cowboy Bebop's Transformation to the Big Screen|editor2-last=Gerald Duchovnay}}{{Rp|164}} Robert Baigent, writing for the Graduate Journal of Asia-Pacific Studies, said that the series' appeal likely stemmed from the trend in anime to emulate Western fiction.

In March 2009, the print and web editions of The Onion's The A.V. Club called Cowboy Bebop "rightly a huge hit", and listed it as a gateway series to understanding the medium of anime as a whole. Suskind said: "It was unlike anything the genre had seen before. It even approached its music differently. The show kicked off with a wormhole of a theme song, and the soundtrack moves so seamlessly through genres, from rock to country to pop to jazz to funk, it's shocking to learn that one set of musicians is behind it all". In an interview, producer Sean Akins also states that the series "created a whole new world". "It's hard for me to quantify the impact that I think it has had. It changed anime. I think people began to think about what shows would be cool. I think it redefined cool within animation, not only in Japan but in the States". One of the series' main animators, Tensai Okamura, went on to create his own anime in 2007: Darker than Black. Okamura used his experience from Cowboy Bebop to write the screenplay of Darker than Black, leading to narratives composed of two episodes similar to Japanese dramas.{{cite book|script-title=ja:DARKER THAN BLACK-流星の双子- OFFICIAL FANBOOK 三鷹文書分析報告|publisher=Square Enix|year=2010|isbn=9784757529854|language=ja}}

American film director, screenwriter, and producer Rian Johnson has cited Cowboy Bebop as a visual influence on his films, most notably Brick.{{Cite web|last=Johnson|first=Rian|date=April 19, 2006|title=The Visuals of Brick|url=http://www.rcjohnso.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2350&sid=587c10758d5009ad4225fcaa91ef524b#p2350|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141103183209/http://www.rcjohnso.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2350&sid=587c10758d5009ad4225fcaa91ef524b#p2350|archive-date=November 3, 2014|access-date=March 9, 2007|website=Rian's Forum|publisher=rcjohnso.com}} Ender's Game writer Orson Scott Card also praised the series. He states that the series is "better than most sci-fi films out there". He goes on to say that he "found this series brilliant, but what held me was a combination of strong relationship-based storytelling, a moody visual style that never got old and really smart dialogue".

After the creation of the series, an interviewer asked Watanabe if he had any plans to create more Cowboy Bebop material. Watanabe responded by saying that he does not believe that he "should just keep on making Cowboy Bebop sequels for the sake of it". Watanabe added that ending production and "to quit while we're ahead when people still want more" is more "in keeping with the Bebop spirit"."[https://web.archive.org/web/20030307023145/http://www.cowboybebop.org/english/door/interview/index.html The Director's Voice Shinichiro Watanabe Interview]." CowboyBebop.com. In a more recent interview from 2006 with The Daily Texan, Watanabe was asked if there would ever be more Cowboy Bebop. Watanabe's answer was "someday...maybe, someday".{{cite web|last=McNamara|first=Jonathan|url=http://www.dailytexanonline.com/life-arts/cowboy-bebop-director-watanabe-talks-anime-1.971462|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090715113817/http://www.dailytexanonline.com/life-arts/cowboy-bebop-director-watanabe-talks-anime-1.971462|title='Cowboy Bebop' director Watanabe talks anime|newspaper=The Daily Texan|place=Austin, Texas|date=2006-02-14|archive-date=2009-07-15|accessdate=2023-03-20}}

In May 2020, composer Mason Lieberman partnered with Sunrise and Funimation to produce an official Cowboy Bebop charity track for COVID-19 relief. This track was released on vinyl and featured the return of original series composer Yōko Kanno, original recording band The Seatbelts, and a collection of forty other special musical guests.{{Cite web|date=May 1, 2020|title=A Special Performance of Cowboy Bebop's "The Real Folk Blues" feat. Yoko Kanno, Steve Blum, and More|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GwE0wwMmKE|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200503140826/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GwE0wwMmKE&gl=US&hl=en|archive-date=May 3, 2020|access-date=May 3, 2020|website=www.youtube.com}}{{Cite web|title=Yoko Kanno, Voice Actors, Musicians Create Cowboy Bebop Charity Track to Fight COVID-19|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2020-05-01/yoko-kanno-voice-actors-musicians-create-cowboy-bebop-charity-track-to-fight-covid-19/.158175|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200501183615/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2020-05-01/yoko-kanno-voice-actors-musicians-create-cowboy-bebop-charity-track-to-fight-covid-19/.158175|archive-date=May 1, 2020|access-date=May 3, 2020|website=Anime News Network}}

{{Notelist}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

• {{Cite book|last1=Clements|first1= Jonathan|title=The Anime Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese Animation Since 1917|last2=McCarthy|first2= Helen|author2-link=Helen McCarthy|date=November 1, 2006|publisher=Stone Bridge Press|isbn=978-1933330105|chapter=Déjà Vu All Over Again?: Cowboy Bebop's Transformation to the Big Screen}}
• {{Cite book|last1=Camp|first1= Brian|title=Anime Classics Zettai!: 100 Must-See Japanese Animation Masterpieces|last2=Davis|first2=Julie|date=September 15, 2007|publisher=Stone Bridge Press|isbn=978-1-933330-22-8}}

{{Sister project links|voy=no|wikt=no|b=no|q=Cowboy Bebop|s=no|commons=Category:Cowboy Bebop|n=no|v=no}}

• {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021122143108/http://cowboybebop.org/|date=November 22, 2002|title=Official website}} (CowboyBebop.org) {{in lang|ja|en}}
• {{Official website|http://www.cowboy-bebop.net/}} (Cowboy-Bebop.net) {{in lang|ja}} (repost of official website)
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20170106134929/http://www.b-ch.com/ttl/index.php?ttl_c=130 Official Bandai Channel website] {{in lang|ja}}
• [https://www.adultswim.com/videos/cowboy-bebop Official Adult Swim website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111223513/https://www.adultswim.com/videos/cowboy-bebop|date=November 11, 2020}}
• [http://www.funimation.com/shows/cowboy-bebop Official Funimation website]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20170106173520/https://www.madman.com.au/series/home/3110/cowboy-bebop Official Madman Entertainment website]
• {{IMDb title|qid=Q101244908}}
• [http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/cowboy_bebop Cowboy Bebop] in The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
• {{Anime News Network|anime|13}}

{{S-start}}

{{Succession box

| before = Kodomo no Omocha
(April 5th, 1996 – March 27th, 1998)

| title = TV Tokyo Friday 18:00 Timeframe

| years = (April 3rd, 1998 – June 26th, 1998)

| after = Hatsumei Boy Kanipan
(July 3rd, 1998 – January 29th, 1999)

}}

{{s-end}}

{{Cowboy Bebop|state=expanded}}

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