Cowboy Bebop Fans Just Got Even More To Look Forward To On Netflix

In the world of anime, "Cowboy Bebop" remains one of the most beloved and most well known series of the last 20 years. Created and directed by Shinichiro Watanabe, the space western, known for its incredible music, is set in the year 2071 after humanity was forced to colonize the solar system. It tells the story of a rag-tag group of intergalactic bounty hunters led by Spike Spiegel (voiced by Kôichi Yamadera), a former Red Dragon crime syndicate henchman. He's joined on his journey by ex-cop Jet Black (Unshô Ishizuka) and con-artist Faye Valentine (Megumi Hayashibara). They're later joined by Edward, a hacker, and a genetically engineered Corgi named Ein.

American audiences were first introduced to the series in 2001, when it made its U.S. debut on Adult Swim. It was the first anime for many — a gateway anime, if you will — leading to what would become a lifelong appreciation. Since then, the show has only grown in worldwide popularity as more and more viewers have discovered it and the manga that followed. When Netflix first revealed in November 2018 that it was developing a live-action adaptation starring John Cho as Spike, fans naturally went wild. Now, just weeks away from the debut of said series, fans of "Cowboy Bebop" are getting even more good news.

After offering fans a sneak peek of the live-action "Cowboy Bebop" during its global fan event TUDUM, Netflix recently announced that it has acquired the streaming rights to the original series. The entire anime will be available to stream on the service worldwide beginning Oct. 21. It was previously available on Hulu and Funimation.

This is excellent news for the fans of the original anime, but it's also good news for those who might have been curious about the upcoming adaptation, which launches Nov. 19 and follows Spike, Jet Black (Mustafa Shakir), and Faye Valentine (Daniella Pineda) as they hunt down the solar system's most dangerous criminals. With all 26 episodes of the anime being widely available to stream on Netflix, this will be the perfect opportunity for curious viewers to find out what all the fuss is about before diving into the live-action show. 

Entertainment Weekly was first to report the news, while also revealing that the anime's original voice cast will reprise their roles for the Japanese dubs of the live-action show.