Cowboy bebop is often considered a perfect starter anime for good reason, which naturally leads many to search for anime with the same feelings. With fun music, poignant characters, and a witty storyline, it’s hard to recapture Bebop’s magic. Given that even the big-budget Netflix remake of the series can’t even deliver the torch according to many critics and fans’ estimates, it’s tempting to think that there’s nothing else out there like it. . While Bebop is truly unique, that doesn’t mean fans should give up hope of finding a similar series.
Whether it’s western space anime, grounded science fiction, or just plain crime dramas, there are some anime that Cowboy Bebop fans should check out. Bebop casts a huge net of references, which means fans really have a choice when it comes to anime. Even series creator Shinichiro Watanabe revisited many of the themes and ideas that made Bebop special in some of his later works. It behooves every Cowboy Bebop fan to at least try watching a few other anime series.
15 Trigun (1998)
• Available on Funimation and Hulu
Like Bebop, Trigun is a multi-genre space western with many humorous and even more touching episodes. The series follows Vash, a man with a huge bounty on his head and a mysterious past. Following Vash are insurance modifiers Meryl and Milly, who act as audience representatives in many ways. Trigun is similar to Cowboy Bebop in many ways, but differs in that it takes the Western theme further, giving it a classic cowboy look. Cowboy Bebop fans who want a different Western dimension should check out Trigun or its more recent reboot series Trigun Stampede.
14 Fun Spaces (2014)
• Available on Funimation, Hulu and Tubi
Also created by Watanabe, Space Dandy is a light-hearted absurdist take on Cowboy Bebop. The movie is filled with adventure, fast-paced action, and loads of laughs. Set in the distant future, the series follows a space hunter named Dandy who is searching for unexplored alien life forms. This means that Dandy visits the farthest corners of the universe in search of unknown planets potentially habitable in an attempt to document new alien species. Not only was it created by the same people, Space Dandy actually takes place in the far future of Cowboy Bebop, meaning keen-eyed fans might catch a few references.
13 Stray Dogs Bungo (2016 – )
• Available on Funimation, HBO Max and Crunchyroll
Bungo Stary Dogs is a series that has more of the film noir feel that fans loved about Cowboy Bebop. There are more humorous elements in Bungo, but the plot focuses on each character and their individual stories, which is another important feature of the genre. It is also told in a single-scene style with limited serialization elements, a bit like Cowboy Bebop, meaning viewers don’t necessarily have to watch the episodes of Bungo Stray Dogs in any particular order.
12 Michiko & Hatchin (2008 – 2009)
• Available on Funimation
Michiko & Hatchin, sometimes referred to as Finding Heaven in the West, is a 2008 anime series that draws heavily on style from Cowboy Bebop. The plot follows the two main characters – originally implied to be a mother and daughter pair – on the run after a prison break. A tale of intrigue and danger on the margins of society, Michiko & Hatchin is, in a way, a modified version of Cowboy Bebop. Interestingly, the director of Cowboy Bebop signed on to produce the music for Michiko & Hatchin, cementing the bond between the two films.
11 Outlaw Stars (1998)
• Available on Funimation and Hulu
Outlaw Star is another anime about a group of lovable criminals, specifically Gene Starwind and Jim Hawking. The two heroes spend their days performing all sorts of odd jobs on their planet Sentinel III. However, all this changes when a mysterious woman named Hilda recruits them both as bodyguards. As is often the case in these types of comedic adventure anime, the pair quickly descend into a world full of troubles, including being plagued by police, pirates, angry aliens, and other bounty hunters. and a mysterious wanted assassin. The only thing they have is their ship, the Outlaw Star, the galaxy’s most advanced spacecraft. Like Bebop, the real heart of the Outlaw Star is the crew that Gene and Jim amassed over time.
10 Black Dress (2006)
• Available on Funimation and Hulu
What makes Cowboy Bebop unique is that the story behind each character often revolves around a dark personal tragedy. The same carefully thought out character development and underlying sense of darkness are also found in Black Lagoon. The series boasts an equally dark and interesting story, though Black Lagoon follows a band of ragged mercenaries as opposed to bounty hunters. The character in the audience’s perspective is Rock, an ordinary businessman who is captured by mercenaries. He decides to join the crew after negotiations fail, as he is curious to live the harsh but adventurous life that the others are leading.
9 Carole & Tuesday (2019)
• Available on Netflix
Another anime created by Bebop mastermind Watanabe, Carole & Tuesday is actually set in the same universe as Cowboy Bebop, albeit a little further in the timeline. The film follows a quirky musical duo as they try to become musicians. Bebop fans will immediately appreciate Carole & Tuesday’s musical themes as well as the more grounded characters. While the series lacks much of the action that made its predecessor famous, it makes up for it with a compelling depiction of the power of music. Just like Bebop, the series isn’t afraid to tackle social issues. Although Carole & Tuesday was released in 2019, the discussion of AI-generated art seems especially relevant in the modern age.
8 Noise! (2007)
• Currently not available on streaming channel
Those who love the stylish fight scenes in Cowboy Bebop need look no further than Baccano! Like Bebop, this anime has a lot of fun, classy, and chaotic action scenes. The film is also set in 1930s Chicago and has been praised for its compelling, stage-accurate score. Baccano! was announced out of order and involved a cast in the hunt for lost bottles containing the elixir of immortality. However, the main plot isn’t everything, with many side stories adding to the overall plot.
7 Psychology-Pass (2013 – 2019)
• Available on Funimation, Hulu and Tubi
One of the most appealing elements to Cowboy Bebop is that its protagonist is well-written, lovable, and meaty. Viewers learn a lot about his past, and throughout the show, Spike is presented as an anti-hero. Psycho-Pass also has an extremely well-written main character. What’s more, the show’s setting is familiar in that it’s both futuristic and has a distinct dark feel to it. While Psycho-Pass is much more of a crime thriller, its social commentary and well-written plot will appeal to any Bebop fan. Psycho-Pass was so successful that it even spawned a major franchise with two sequels and four films.
6 Gungrave (2003 – 2004)
• Available on Funimation and Hulu
Gungrave follows two best friends, Harry and Brandon, who are forced to join a criminal organization after their underworld activities get them into trouble. However, it is revealed early on that Harry betrayed Brandon, and the series recounts how the two became bosses of the criminal underworld before settling on the issue of revenge. Beautiful and devastating, it is easily compared to the almost nihilistic narrative approach taken in Cowboy Bebop. Based on the manga by Trigun author Yasuhiro Nightow, Gungrave is sure to appeal to fans of that series as well. Although Gungrave is probably better known for its PlayStation 2 video game, this anime series is definitely worth checking out.
5 Ragtime Coyote Show (2006)
• Available on Funimation
Many Cowboy Bebop fans praise the film for its fun and visually engaging action and adventure, and fans are obsessed with the series primarily for its visual flair. picture of it so they watched the Coyote Ragtime Show. The anime is about a space-hopping criminal simply named Mister, who spent nearly a year in prison. Just ten days before his release, his partners, Bishop and Katana, relieved him. The show features lost treasure, federal investigators, a crime syndicate, and robot assassins.
4 Blood Blockade Fronts (2015 – 2018)
• Available on Funimation and Hulu
Based on another manga series by Yasuhiro Nightow, Blood Blockade Battlefront—also known as Kekkai Sensen—features secret organizations, monsters, gods, and plenty of hijinks-filled adventures. The series boasts a great soundtrack similar to Cowboy Bebop, with many jazz tunes thrown in. Like Cowboy Bebop, this anime show pays special attention to its dynamic and well-produced fight sequences. Although Blood Blackade Battlefront has more fantasy elements, its tone and setting make it a natural fit for any Cowboy Bebop fan.
3 Death March (2013, 2015)
• Available on Funimation and Hulu
For those who prefer a series that leans towards the dark aesthetic of the film noir genre, there’s Death Parade. Partly because of the grim setting, and partly because of the centrality of the plot in which souls are used as the game’s betting currency. When someone dies, they are assigned to the bartenders in purgatory to eventually either enter eternity or face banishment into the void. Death Parade was adapted from a short film called Death Billiards instead of the manga, which definitely gives it a unique touch.
2 Guns X Swords (2005)
• Available on Funimation
This striking western-style anime shares many of the same themes explored in Cowboy Bebop, albeit in a very different style. Van, an extremely aloof anti-hero, is desperate for revenge, and although it’s a ploy that has been done to death in both classic American films and Western anime, Gun X Sword does it. that, still retains the stylistic aspects of anime and fan-favorite westerns in both genres.
1 Samurai Champloo (2004 – 2005)
• Available on Funimation and Hulu
Set in an alternate version of the Edo period, Samurai Champloo follows the journeys of three strange individuals, Fuu, Mugen, and Jin. After Fuu, a young girl, saves the other two from certain death by execution, she convinces the chaotic Jin and reserved Mugen to help locate a mysterious samurai who “smells sunflowers.” . Samurai Champloo is Shinichiro Watanabe’s direct sequel to Cowboy Bebop, and the characters and subtle undercurrents that follow the characters in both storylines are the same.
Like Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo is also a character-based story, with each episode revealing more about each episode. Another notable aspect that both shows share is the sound-driven style and action conveyed through music. Cowboy Bebop features jazz and blues, while Champloo features hip-hop and lo-fi sounds. The characters in both shows are driven by a constant need for money and food.
Cowboy Bebop truly is like lightning in a bottle, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other anime with similar appeal. Whether it’s the music-inspired fight scenes of Samurai Champloo, Trigun’s space western adventures, or Gun X Sword’s lovable anti-hero, every element that fans love Bebop fans can be found in many different places. Anime is a diverse medium and for a series that has as many diverse influences as Cowboy bebopit only makes sense that there are countless anime for fans to check out.