'Cowboy Bebop's 10 Best Episodes, Ranked

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The space western Cowboy Bebop is still regarded as a masterpiece of anime, with its stories of the exploits of bounty hunter Jet and his crew aboard the Bebop in the not-too-distant future. It's regarded as one of the best anime ever made, and as a result, it's credited with helping change anime's reputation in the west, proving the format could tell series, compelling stories and wasn't just cartoons for children. Its legacy still lives on today, and it was remade as a live-action series in 2021.

While pretty much all of Cowboy Bebop's 26 episodes, called "sessions," are solid, a few do stand above the rest and exemplify how great the show could be, from entertaining mishaps to dramatic character arcs. The series' arc of Spike's rivalry with Vicious, as well as the mysterious past of Bebop crew member Faye, made for some of the show's best episodes and still hold up as as examples of fantastic writing.

10 "Mushroom Samba"

Session 17

With the ship out of fuel and the crew out of food and money to buy it, the Bebop was hit by another smaller ship and knocked off course in “Mushroom Samba.” After crashing onto Io, Ed (Aoi Tada) and Ein (Kōichi Yamadera) went on a search for something to eat and found hallucinogenic mushrooms, although Ed didn’t realize it at the time. As a result, each member of the crew, save for Ed and Ein, experienced bizarre hallucinations after eating them.

“Mushroom Samba” is one of the funniest episodes of the series, with each character reacting differently to the experience of the mushrooms, while an unaffected Ed and Ein were left to handle a bounty on their own. But there is more to it than just an entertaining trip. Each character’s hallucinations reflected their subconscious desires and the problems they were facing, most notably Spike climbing a stairway that’s going nowhere.

9 "Toys in the Attic"

Session 11

The crew of the Bebop—with no bounty to chase, as well as no money or food, yet again, was under attack from a venomous blob in “Toys in the Attic.” The blob hunted down the crew one by one, leaving purple splotches on victims’ skin and putting them into a coma-like sleep. As seemingly the last one standing, Spike (Kōichi Yamadera) attempts to hunt down and kill the blob, ultimately revealed to be the product of old food in the fridge.

“Toys in the Attic” was Cowboy Bebop’s entertaining take on Alien and, like “Mushroom Samba,” was one of the funnier, more lighthearted episodes, especially when it comes to how the blob was created, which is exactly what made it stand out. While it’s not one of the episodes essential to the plot, it’s still a fun watch, as well as a little bit unnerving as the blob takes down its victims one by one.

8 "Cowboy Funk"

Session 22

The Bebop crew went on the hunt for a terrorist known as the Teddy Bomber (Takaya Hoshi), who was planting explosives inside teddy bears in skyscrapers, in “Cowboy Funk.” Just as Spike was about to catch him, he was interrupted by another bounty hunter called Cowboy Andy (Masashi Ebara), who mistook Spike for the actual bomber, allowing the Teddy Bomber to escape. The encounter kicked off a rivalry between the two which led to the hunt for the Teddy Bomber taking a backseat.

The Spaghetti Western-style “Cowboy Funk” featured a cruel villain, but the real draw was the rivalry between Spike and Cowboy Andy, who quickly became more interested in each other than the Teddy Bomber. It’s a fun setup which leads to some great funny moments, especially as it became increasingly obvious to everyone but Spike that he and Cowboy Andy were a lot alike. It was also one of the final lighthearted episodes before things took a more serious turn as the show headed towards the finale.

7 "Pierrot le Fou"

Session 20

Clown-like assassin Mad Pierrot (Banjō Ginga)—who could fly and had superhuman strength, claimed yet another victim in “Pierrot Le Fou,” and as Spike was leaving a bar, he inadvertently stumbled on Le Fou’s crime scene and became a target himself. Despite taking quite a beating, Spike managed to narrowly escape. The two then hunt each other, culminating in Spike killing Pierrot. The episode also revealed Pierrot had been a test subject in the Titan War.

Cowboy Bebop often drew inspiration from other genres or familiar titles, and in the case of “Pierrot Le Fou,” the episode was a clear homage to Batman, while the episode’s title was taken from a 1965 film by Jean-Luc Godard. In addition to featuring a creepy villain and some great action between him and Spike, the episode also addressed some of the events which took place in the years prior to the start of Cowboy Bebop.

6 "Asteroid Blues"

Session 1

In "Asteroid Blues," the first episode of the series, Spike and Jet (Unshō Ishizuka) went to the Tijuana asteroid colony to look for Asimov Solensan (Rintarō Nishi), a man who was part of a syndicate and was wanted for killing his own men and for stealing the drug Red Eye, also known as Bloody Eye. Joining Asimov on the run was his pregnant girlfriend, Katerina (Yurika Hino). The episode’s opening also featured glimpses of Spike’s past, which would become more relevant later.

While it lacks some of the characters who made Cowboy Bebop so great—Faye and Ed—"Asteroid Blues" is a great episode which introduces viewers to Spike, Jet and the world of the Bebop. Spike and Asimov also had some things in common, notably a desire to leave a syndicate and live with the woman they loved, something Asimov had succeeded in doing where Spike had failed, hinted at in the opening sequence.

5 "Brain Scratch"

Session 23

In “Brain Scratch,” Faye (Megumi Hayashibara) went undercover in a cult called SCRATCH, whose members believed they would leave their bodies to join the “infinite sea of electrons.” A bounty was put out on its leader, Dr. Londes (Chikao Ootsuka), who discovers what Faye was actually up to and had her held captive. By hacking the cult’s Brain Dream game console, the rest of the Bebop crew discover Londes’ real identity, a teenager in a vegetative state whose mind was connected to the internet.

“Brain Scratch” was among Cowboy Bebop’s forays into horror, with a creepy cult led by an even creepier villain. It presented an interesting take on religion and cults, plus some great moments from Ein, who was always a fascinating member of the Bebop crew. But most importantly, the episode was a commentary on the ways technology can control people and the real-world impact cults can have, presented with a great story.

4 "Jupiter Jazz"

Sessions 12 and 13

Faye cleaned out the Bebop’s safe and headed for the moon of Callisto in the two-part “Jupiter Jazz.” Elsewhere, Vicious (Norio Wakamoto) met with the Van and requested to make a deal for the drug Red Eye, also on Callisto, and Spike was looking for Gren (Kenyu Horiuchi), who he believed was going to make a deal with Vicious. The episode ultimately led to a face-off between Spike and Vicious. Flashbacks showed Spike telling Julia (Gara Takashima) he was leaving the syndicate and asking her to run away with him.

At the halfway point of Cowboy Bebop, “Jupiter Jazz” was a rare two-part episode for the series, and it used its extended runtime wonderfully. Its story arc is among the most compelling in the series, with a few characters having complicated ties to each other. Among the most interesting of those characters was Gren. And while Cowboy Bebophas always been known for its music cues, the use of the seven-minute-long “Space Lion” here is particularly notable.

3 "Ballad of Fallen Angels"

Session 5

Cowboy Bebop - Ballad of Fallen Angels - 1998

In “Ballad of Fallen Angels,” Spike turned to a former contact, who thought he was dead, for information on Mao Yenrai (Kazuaki Ito), a member of the Red Dragon Syndicate who was about to successfully negotiate a truce with a rial when one of his subordinates, Vicious, blew up the rival ship. As a result, a bounty was put out for Vicious, but Spike had other personal reasons for going after him.

Cowboy Bebop took its time in revealing its characters’ backstories, and audiences finally got a glimpse of Spike’s in “Ballad of Fallen Angels”—even though the full context wouldn’t be given until later. By exploring Spike’s past, the episode also laid the groundwork for Vicious’ violence and cruelty, true to his name. It also featured some of the series’ most memorable and wonderfully animated scenes, specifically the action in the cathedral.

2 "Hard Luck Woman"

Session 24

In “Hard Luck Woman,” the Bebop ended up on Earth, where Faye set out to look for landmarks shown in the video she recorded when she was a teenager, seen in the episode “Speak Like a Child.” She took Ed with her, convinced she knew something about the locations. Meanwhile, Ed found her father, only for him to leave her once again, and she and Ein decided to leave the Bebop.

“Hard Luck Woman” was an emotional episode which focused on both Faye and Ed, bringing both stories to conclusions based around the characters, and Faye’s was particularly tragic. And while the loss of Ed and Ein was devastating, it was also necessary leading into the final, plus their final moments as they walked away from the Bebop served as a great send-off. It also marked the ship’s loss of innocence.

1 "The Real Folk Blues"

Sessions 25 and 26

Cowboy Bebop - The Real Folk Blues - 1999

In two-part “The Real Folk Blues,” Spike and Jet learn that Vicious tried to gain control of the Red Dragon Syndicate and was taken prisoner. Because he failed, people with ties to him were being hunted, and just before he was to be executed, he escaped. Meanwhile, Julia sent Faye with a message for Spike. Spike and Julia ultimately reunited, and the episode also showed their history together. Finally, Spike confronts Vicious for one final time.

After being given snippets of his past with Vicious and Julia, it all came to a head in “The Real Folk Blues,” a fitting and well-done end to the series. It was not only a great finale, but also one of the best episodes of the series, and it serves as an example of what a great finale can do. It tied up loose ends with plenty of action and drama and brought the series to a satisfying—if tragic—conclusion, especially for Spike.

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