Cowboy Bebop is one of the most beloved anime of all time. The combination of sci-fi and western tropes lends itself to a riveting watch, with each episode featuring memorable characters and intense story beats that will keep viewers reeling long after they're finished watching.
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With the live-action Netflix series right around the corner, there's no better time to get into the phenomenal Cowboy Bebop than right now. The stories of Spike, Jet, Faye, and the other members of the main cast never fail to entertain. The production of this anime was full off numerous quirks that most people aren't aware of, including the most notable instances below.
Spike Uses Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do
Spike's fighting style is incredibly unique, resulting in memorable battles throughout Cowboy Bebop. This is mainly to do with his unique martial arts style, which is designed as an homage to an iconic martial artist.
Bruce Lee's patented Jeet Kun Do serves as the source of inspiration for Spike's moveset. The fact that a poster of Bruce Lee is present in the doctor's office during the episode "The Real Folk Blues" adds further weight to this.
An Homage To Bruce Lee & Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's Film Fight
The second episode of Cowboy Bebop demonstrates the sheer level of amazing action that viewers will enjoy in this series. In this episode, one particularly mesmerizing fight takes place between Spike and Abdul Hakim.
This fight serves as a homage to the battle between Bruce Lee and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in The Game of Death, a legendary martial arts movie. The fact that Bruce Lee died during the production of this film makes this homage all the more impactful.
Every Episode Title Is A Musical Reference
Cowboy Bebop is known for having several clever references under its belt. Even the episode titles themselves are references to either bands, songs, or genres of music. The only exceptions to this are episodes 20 and 23.
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Any music buff will have a field day as they comb through these titles and try to figure out what these names are trying to reference in the music industry. Some are quite obvious, but others are more obscure.
The Ship's Name Itself Is A Reference To A Type Of Jazz
The episodes of the show aren't the only names to house clever musical references of their own. The show's name itself houses a clever musical reference that some music aficionados might not be aware of.
The ship that Spike and Jet utilize for their bounty hunting adventures is named the Bebop. This is also the moniker given to a style of jazz developed in the 1940s.
Spike's Iconic Bent Cigarettes Pay Homage To Two Major Icons
Whenever Spike is smoking in Cowboy Bebop, viewers will notice that his cigarettes are always bent. This serves as a clever reference to the jazz icon Dizzy Gillespie, whose trademark instrument was a trumpet with its bell slanted.
Another character that these bent cigarettes reference is Jigen from Lupin III. This iconic anime served as an inspiration for Cowboy Bebop in many ways, and this homage is one of many scattered across the series.
Gren Was Originally Modelled After Brad Pitt
Gren is one of the most iconic characters in Cowboy Bebop. This multi-faceted character is one of the most complex figures in the entire show, and his struggle is heartbreaking to witness throughout the anime.
One interesting thing about Gren is that his character was originally going to be modeled after Brad Pitt. This served as a source of great frustration early on while designing the character, with Kawamoto Toshihiro stating that it was hard to picture a version of Brad Pitt that had breasts.
Edward's Gender Was Changed To Even Out The Gender Ratio
At the start of Edward's inception, this character was meant to be a boy, who would be based on the show's music director. However, after some deliberation, Edward's gender was changed to that of a girl instead.
The major reason for this change was to even out the gender ratio among the characters on the Bebop. With the inclusion of this character, the final crew of the Bebop consisted of two men, two women, and one extremely adorable corgi.
The Show Aired In A Less-Than-Ideal Timeslot
The timeslot that a show receives can make or break it further down the line. This turned out unfavorably for Cowboy Bebop, which was given a rather unflattering midnight timeslot in Japan.
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However, the quality of this show meant that devoted viewers were willing to stay up to witness its brilliance. It's a testament to the quality of Cowboy Bebop that it managed to beat all the odds and become one of the most successful and renowned anime of all time.
Some Episodes Were Edited Before Airing On Adult Swim
Cowboy Bebop holds the honor of being the most re-run show on the Adult Swim Network. It was clear that this anime was special, and the network decided to capitalize on its quality by letting as many people get into this series as possible.
However, there are six episodes of Cowboy Bebop that received a TV-MA rating due to their mature content. Adult Swim had to edit and censor this show so that this footage could be aired on their network with a TV-14 rating.
The Star Trek Reference
Faye Valentine is one of the most intriguing characters in the series. She was cryogenically frozen in a pod for a very long time, before finally getting free and embarking on her adventures aboard the Bebop.
The pod that Faye was stuck in all this time has the code NCC-1701-B written on this. This is a clear reference to the Enterprise from Star Trek, as this code is identical to this famous spaceship's registration number.