While Cowboy Bebop There are quite a few funny moments, it can be said that this sad series as a whole is not known for its comedy. However, there is still one funny moment that can emphasize the theme of the series very well.
The line in question comes from the season two episode “Jupiter Jazz,” after Spike lands on Callisto. He wanders the streets, asking for information about Gren. This triggers a group of thugs to follow him, mistakenly believing that he is Vicious, and therefore in possession of a large amount of money to use for a drug deal. This mistaken identity angers Spike, who then beats the group up and begins interrogating their leader. When the leader says that all foreigners are rich, Spike loudly declares, “Do I really look like I have money?!” after throwing the man aside.
Spike and the Bebop gang never had any money.
Spike's line shows growing frustration with their situation
While this scene is pretty serious, Spike's line is lighthearted enough to be funny, given his puffy winter coat. Spike is clearly frustrated at having to deal with these petty street thugs, because he's emotionally invested in finding out if Julia is here, and these idiots are wasting his time. But the line comes from an honest place–Team Bebop is constantly bankrupt throughout the series.and that's something Spike has been fed up with since the very first episode, with Jet's “Bell Pepper and Beef Special.”
Spike's situation isn't much better than these guys, so it's absurd to think he has enough money to commit a heist. While the Bebop crew are skilled bounty hunters, to the point where Spike is even somewhat famous, the crew still makes enough money to make ends meet, which is often consumed by costly repairs, fuel, and food. Spike may have a safe, warm place to sleep, but that's about the only advantage he has over the poorest people on Callisto.
Poverty plays a major role in Cowboy Bebop
Bankruptcy makes good people commit crimes
Economic factors are a large component of the Cowboy Bebop world and story as a whole, even when it's not relevant to the Spike/Vicious plot. Faye is shown to be plagued by a massive debt that she can never hope to pay off, explaining why she's so quick to squander any and all money that comes her way. Ed grew up in an orphanage that could barely feed all the children living there, and while it's never revealed why Spike joined the Syndicate, it's clear that this is the kind of situation that someone who's well off in life would never find themselves in.
The fact that Spike and Jet even have to be bounty hunters in the first place is also a consequence of this theme. Both Spike and Jet have a specific skill set that is hard to come by, forcing them to put themselves in dangerous situations just to have a chance at surviving another day. While Ed has a somewhat romantic idea of what it would be like to be a bounty hunter, that image is quickly shattered when Ed begins to experience the constant hunger that is a part of everyday life for the Bebop crew.
The topic of poverty is not exclusive to Spike and his friends.; it's an idea that runs through the series, and is often the ultimate motivation for more good guys to appear as bounty leaders, such as in “Waltz for Venus,” when Rocco is pushed into working with criminals to obtain the Grey Ash needed to cure his sister's blindness. If Rocco and his sister weren't so poor, they could afford conventional treatment, and Rocco would never have had a reason to get involved in crime in the first place.
The same could be said of Rhint in “Ganymede Elegy,” who got into trouble after shooting a loan shark who was pursuing his girlfriend in self-defense. The same could be said of Katerina in the first episode, “Asteroid Blues,” as well; her dream of a better life on Mars was what motivated her to stay with Asimov and carry out their risky drug deal in the first place.
Other episodes revolve around giant corporations and how they take advantage of those around them without regard for the impact on their lives, such as in “Bohemian Rhapsody”, when it is revealed that the company continued to build portals, despite knowing that they were unsafe, leading to the destruction of Earth and ruining Ed and Faye's lives from the start.
Poverty is a major theme in many of Watanabe's works.
Other works by Shinichiro Watanabe with similar themes
The idea of characters facing constant poverty is a common one in Shinichiro Watanabe's other great works. Samurai Champloo's Mugen, Jin, and Fu are nearly as broke as the Bebop crew, and can't even afford to make money on their travels. Carole and Tuesday sees the main characters pursuing their dreams despite being completely broke at the beginning of the story. The same goes for the extremely funny Space Dandy, as Dandy and his crew take on the dangerous job of hunting down and capturing never-before-seen aliens just to survive, much like Spike's bounty hunting.
Watanabe never really explained why these themes were so important to him, but it's not hard to guess why; the way he depicts poverty shows that he was familiar with the subject. The scope of his work suggests that it's an issue that could apply anywhere at any time, from feudal Japan to Mars.
Spike's frustration at being so broke gives this line weight, even if the way it's delivered is laughable. It's the culmination of the series' failure to make money so far, despite all the hard work the crew has put into it. This line really sums up one of the Cowboy Bebop(and Watanabe) are the most important topics, making it a perfect example.
