Blamed for the aircraft explosion and the death of its passengers, a hefty bounty is made for the successful capture of Vicious. That’s until his pupil, Vicious, intervenes and destroys the aircraft carrying the rival syndicate and murdering Yenrai. His dream of creating peace between syndicates is almost complete. In it, the leader of the crime syndicate known as the Red Dragon, Mao Yenrai, has finally completed a truce with a rival. But there are other installments that serve to provide a deeper glimpse into the past of our heroes, and Ballad of Fallen Angels showcases that for Spike. After that, the majority of episodes are standalones, giving the crew a complete and fulfilling adventure within its half-hour timeframe. The first four episodes of Cowboy Bebop work as character introductions, as we meet the Bebop and its crew of misfits. Legendary anime composer Yoko Kanno’s jazz-infused score not only enhances the drama, it brings a level of sophistication to the proceedings that similar series can’t touch.Īs such, the soulful and action-packed fifth episode, Ballad of Fallen Angels, encapsulates everything that makes the series sing. Besides the outstanding comedy and slick action sequences that are trademarks of Bebop, another element that fuses it all together is the music. The sci-fi / western trappings bring to mind the TV series Firefly, another series where space cowboys run into trouble despite their best intentions. More often than not they miss their targets, and they have a tendency to get into trouble along the way. They are known as the crew of the Bebop bounty hunters who only chase the biggest marks.

Cowboy Bebop is often considered one of the greatest anime of all time, and while it only had a brief 26-episode run and a movie, its continued relevance 20-plus years later (including Netflix’s live-action take), speaks volumes to the quality of the series.Ĭowboy Bebop follows the exploits of Spike Spiegel, Jet Black, Faye Valentine, Edward, and Ein the corgi. Anime didn’t need to just cater to 15 year old boys it could have adult themes and expand what the medium was capable of. Some titles like Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball Z have continued running in some variation even to today, but one series that truly helped change the perception of anime in the west was Cowboy Bebop. Following the crossover success of Pokémon and the popularity of Cartoon Network’s Toonami block, more people than ever were watching anime. In the late ’90s, Japanese Animation was having a moment.

Cowboy bebop series ending song