The Netflix adaptation of Cowboy Bebop is now just weeks away and in anticipation of the new series, Netflix is debuting the anime on their streaming service on Oct. 21. That makes now the perfect time for old fans to revisit the anime ahead of the live-action debut and for new fans to get acquainted with the source material. But which episodes are actually crucial for getting to know the main cast of characters? While every episode of the original Cowboy Bebop anime is worth watching, there are at least five essential episodes for each character that either explore their backgrounds or establish their status quo.
One of the main characters of Cowboy Bebop is Jet Black, who is portrayed by Mustafa Shakir in the live-action series. While a valuable member of the team, Jet is also the least appreciated, at least compared to fan-favorite characters Spike Spiegel, Faye Valentine, and Radical Edward. Still, he is an important character in the anime, who -- in many ways -- ends up functioning as a father figure to the other members of his crew. Often the voice of reason and the guy who cleans up after his teammates, these are the crucial episodes fans should watch to get to know Jet.
'Ganymede Elegy' Begins to Fill in Jet's Backstory
Though Jet makes his debut in the first episode, "Asteroid Blues," for many of his earlier episodes, he primarily functions as Spike's partner who guides him on missions while he does most of the leg work. It's not until the 10th episode of Cowboy Bebop, "Ganymede Elegy," that Jet gets some backstory. It's the first episode to establish Jet as a former police officer who worked for the ISSP prior to becoming a bounty hunter. It's also the first to reveal some of his network connections as well as his past relationship with a woman named Alisa, who broke up with him over irreconcilable differences.
The episode sees Spike pursue a bounty on a man named Rhint, who happens to be in a relationship with Jet's former girlfriend, Alisa. When their paths cross, Jet briefly reunites with Alisa to reminisce about the old days, but also find out the real reason she left him since he thought they were pretty stable together. When Jet becomes aware of the bounty on Rhint, he persuades Spike to let him capture him since he's aware of his relationship with Alisa.
Thinking Jet wants the bounty on her boyfriend, this prompts Alisa to tell Jet the real reason she left him: she found his controlling behavior suffocating. This was a real eye-opener for Jet as he was never aware of this aspect of himself. Deciding to make up for his past, Jet tries to reason with Alisa, telling her that if she continues to go on the run she'll only end up as an accomplice to the crime. Once he has apprehended Rhint he talks to the ISSP officers and informs Alisa that he'll probably be let off for self-defense. Jet walks away having found a way to move on and leaves Alisa in the care of Rhint who is presumed to be released.
In addition to being an episode that sheds some light on Jet's past, "Ganymede Elegy" depicts Jet as a layered character capable of change when he's learned he's hurt someone important to him.
'Bohemian Rhapsody' Establishes Jet's Investigative Skills
After "Ganymede Elegy" established Jet as a former ISSP officer, the 14th episode, "Bohemian Rhapsody," established more of Jet's network connections, as well as his investigative skills. While tracking the whereabouts of Chessmaster Hex for his involvement in an attempted gate hijacking, Jet suspected Hex was once an employee of the Gate Corporation. He reasoned Hex had to have known the gates well to know how to successfully hijack the system.
One way he validated his suspicions was by paying a visit to Gate Corporation HQ where he lit a specialized cigarette he was then asked to put out. The cigarette he purposely left behind actually contained a microphone that allowed him to listen in on executive conversations. Once he confirmed that the Gate Corporation HQ knew more than they wanted the public to know, Jet used this knowledge to help locate Hex with Ed's help.
'Black Dog Serenade' Reveals the Story of Jet's Prosthetic Arm
The 16th episode of Cowboy Bebop, "Black Dog Serenade," provides an origin story for Jet's prosthetic left arm. In the episode, Jet is reunited with his former ISSP partner, Fad, who asks for his assistance on a hijacking case involving an inmate named Udai Taxim. The inmate has a history with Jet as he was the former Syndicate assassin who was supposedly responsible for taking his left arm. At least, that was the version of the story Jet knew.
As Jet investigated Taxim and his hijacking of the prison ship carrying him, he started to uncover a lot of dark secrets about his former partner. One of those secrets was the night Jet lost his arm while tracking down Taxim. It turned out Taxim was never responsible for the loss of his arm as he was never the guy who pulled the trigger. Instead, his former partner set him up to be at the right place at the right time, and when the moment was right, he was the one who fired the shot that cost Jet his arm.
Jet soon put two and two together and realized Fad was on Syndicate payroll. The real reason he invited Jet to help him investigate the Taxim hijacking case was to tie up loose ends. He succeeded in killing Taxim but did not succeed at killing Jet, finding himself on the receiving end of Jet's bullet. Having learned the truth about his arm, Jet was finally able to close that chapter in his life.
'Boogie Woogie Feng Shui' Sends Jet After an Old Acquaintance's Daughter
As one of the few Jet-centric stories, the 21st episode, "Boogie Woogie Feng Shui," depicts another aspect of Jet's career as a former ISSP officer. At one point during his service, Jet had a contact in the Blue Snake Crime Syndicate named Pao Pu-Zi, who served as their consultant. It is revealed Pao was supposedly killed in a gate accident, but somehow still sent him a cryptic message posthumously. As a habitual investigator, Jet looked into it.
The message led Jet to Pao's grave, where he also encountered his daughter, Meifa. Together, Jet and Meifa were able to decode Pao's message, which helped them locate the sunstone needed to locate him. Once they acquired the sunstone, they were able to locate Pao, who was trapped in hyperspace. It turned out Pao sent Jet his cryptic message because he knew his investigative skills would bring him to his daughter, whom he wanted to say goodbye to before dying in hyperspace.
'Brain Scratch,' One of the Creepier Episodes, Is Also a Showcase for Jet
One of the creepier episodes of Cowboy Bebop further showcases Jet's investigative abilities. Having gotten the attention of authorities all over the solar system, a mysterious cult leader named Dr. Londes gets a bounty placed on his head. Faye goes out on her own to capture Londes and claim his bounty for herself but falls into his trap instead. When Jet and Spike conduct their own investigations, they come up with nothing. Jet has one lead left to follow, but Spike chooses to look for Faye instead of following that lead. Ironically, Jet's lead ends up saving both Faye and Spike's lives.
Deciding to hack into the computer system of Londes' cult, SCRATCH, with Ed's help, Jet purchases a Brain Dream Vizor and gets into the system. In doing so, Jet finds out how Londes is easily persuading people to end their lives through the use of the vizor. When they use the vizor on Ein (who is a dog), they are able to confuse the system, which then leads them to Londes' real location in a hospice. Jet and Ed disguise themselves as a father and daughter looking to visit his son in order to infiltrate the hospice.
Once inside, Jet and Ed learn the real Londes is a 15-year-old boy in a coma, and that "Londes" was just a character he created that somehow made it out into the world wide web. Together, Jet and Ed work to get the "Londes" program offline while not shutting down the boy's life support system. They succeed and in the process save the members of the cult and their friends. Jet debates arresting the comatose boy, Rosney Spannegen, but decides not to. This moment shows that he has grown past his relentless tendencies as the "Black Dog."
