Cowboy Bebop

Production Notes

When Cowboy Bebop first aired in spring of 1998 on TV Tokyo, only episodes 2-3, 7-15, and 18 were broadcast, it was concluded with a recap special known as Yose Atsume Blues. This was due to anime censorship having increased following the big controversies over Evangelion, as a result most of the series was pulled from the air due to violent content. Satellite channel WOWOW picked up the series in the fall of that year and aired it in its entirety uncensored. Cowboy Bebop was not a ratings hit in Japan, but sold over 19,000 DVD units in the initial release run, and 81,000 overall. Protagonist Spike Spiegel won Best Male Character, and Megumi Hayashibara won Best Voice Actor for her role as Faye Valentine in the 1999 and 2000 Anime Grand Prix, respectively. Cowboy Bebop's biggest influence has been in the United States, where it premiered on Adult Swim in 2001 with many reruns since. The show's heavy Western influence struck a chord with American viewers, where it became a "gateway drug" to anime aimed at adult audiences.

Cast Highlights

Black, Jet

Main

Voice: Ishizuka, Unshou (Japanese)

Spiegel, Spike

Main

Voice: Yamadera, Kouichi (Japanese)

Valentine, Faye

Main

Voice: Hayashibara, Megumi (Japanese)

Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV, Edward

Main

Voice: Fahn, Melissa (English)

Actress

Supporting

Voice: Horie, Yui (Japanese)

Alisa

Supporting

Voice: Doi, Mika (Japanese)

Amjad

Supporting

Voice: Tsuji, Shinpachi (Japanese)

Angel

Supporting

Voice: Kojima, Sachiko (Japanese)

Core Staff

Cook, Justin

Producer

Ikeguchi, Kazuhiko

Producer

Maseba, Yutaka

Producer

Minami, Masahiko

Producer

Koike, Tsunetoshi

Assistant Producer

Watanabe, Shinichirou

Director, Episode Director, Script, Storyboard

Theme Songs

Quick Facts

Ranking And Reach

Title Variants

Production Team

Themes And Audience