Darting around space is the slick and no-nonsense duo of Spike Spiegel and Jet Black, perhaps the most skilled bounty hunters operating out of the vigilante community. By using a blend of subterfuge, intuition, cybernetics, firearms and martial arts, Spike and Jet manage to bring down enough bounties to put food on the table and afford repairs to their temperamental spaceship known as the Bebop.

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Regarding format, each episode serves as a self-contained adventure. As the series progresses, Spike and Jet engage in sporadic clashes with a man named Vicious, a katana-wielding gangland executioner whose presence provides some insight into Spike’s past as a syndicate member. During these clashes, Spike and Vicious work out a deeply seeded vendetta with a maximum of carnage, the likes of which serve as the only reoccurring plotline within the series.

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As time goes by, Spike and Jet are joined by an eclectic mix of space drifters, each with their own talents and quirks. First on the list is Faye Valentine, an expert con-artist and thief who uses her feminine wiles and sleight-of-hand to win big at casinos. Next on the roster is Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV (or “Ed” for short). This young, eccentric and perpetually energised computer-hacker provides much of the comedy relief of the series as well as rounding out some of the more gruff personalities aboard the Bebop. Finally, there’s Ein, a super-intelligent Welsh Corgi who escaped from a laboratory.

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Mixing humour, creative plotlines and stylish gun fights with an expertly crafted jazz soundtrack, Cowboy Bebop is definitely a landmark in the history of science fiction anime. Check it out today!