# List of Cowboy Bebop episodes
**Cowboy Bebop** is a 1998 Japanese anime series of 26 episodes, each called a "session", following bounty hunters aboard the spaceship Bebop. The series was produced by Sunrise, directed by [Shinichirō Watanabe](https://www.edgepedia.org/shinichiro-watanabe), and scored by [Yoko Kanno](https://www.edgepedia.org/yoko-kanno), and it aired on [TV Tokyo](https://www.edgepedia.org/tv-tokyo) and later WOWOW between 1998 and 1999[1](https://animehistory.org/anime/cowboy-bebop/lore/session-guide/). This article lists the sessions, the series' broadcast history, and where the companion film fits.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Episode count | 26 sessions plus one TV special[1](https://animehistory.org/anime/cowboy-bebop/lore/session-guide/) • [2](https://time.com/6120831/cowboy-bebop-original-explained/) |
| Original broadcast | TV Tokyo from April 1998; only 12 of 26 episodes, plus a special, aired there because of the show's mature subjects[2](https://time.com/6120831/cowboy-bebop-original-explained/) |
| Complete broadcast | The full series ran on the satellite network WOWOW a few months later in 1998[2](https://time.com/6120831/cowboy-bebop-original-explained/) |
| Episode naming | Session titles are drawn from classic rock songs[3](https://api.pageplace.de/preview/DT0400.9781501325861_A31718332/preview-9781501325861_A31718332.pdf) |
| Story-driving episodes | The background plot (Spike's past in the Red Dragon syndicate and his rivalry with Vicious) advances mainly in sessions 5, 6, 22, 25, and 26[4](https://hajimenews.com/en/cowboy-bebop-watch-order/) |
| Companion film | *Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' on Heaven's Door* (2001), about 115 minutes, commonly watched between sessions 22 and 23[4](https://hajimenews.com/en/cowboy-bebop-watch-order/) |
| US broadcast history | Premiered on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim in September 2001 as the block's first anime; three episodes were cut from that first run[2](https://time.com/6120831/cowboy-bebop-original-explained/) |
## The session format
Watanabe designed the narrative as episodic, aiming to mimic the spontaneity of a jazz jam session, and each session blends film noir, western, and science-fiction material[5](https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/211081671.pdf) • [6](https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.ethnomusicology.org/resource/group/dc75b7e7-47d7-4d59-a660-19c3e0f7c83e/publications/21_2ethnomusicologynow/Casey_rv_21-2.pdf). The titles themselves are taken from classic rock songs[3](https://api.pageplace.de/preview/DT0400.9781501325861_A31718332/preview-9781501325861_A31718332.pdf). The dominant story format is the done-in-one tale in which the Bebop crew target a bounty and get caught up in complications[7](https://www.awn.com/blog/cowboy-bebop).
Because of this structure, the background plot, [Spike Spiegel](https://www.edgepedia.org/spike-spiegel)'s past in the Red Dragon crime syndicate and his rivalry with Vicious, advances only in a handful of episodes, mainly sessions 5, 6, 22, 25, and 26, so watching in broadcast order is the sensible approach[4](https://hajimenews.com/en/cowboy-bebop-watch-order/).
## Notable sessions
Several sessions recur in critical guides and fan discussion:
- **Session 1: "Asteroid Blues"** introduces Spike and Jet and their bounty hunt for Asimov, a man who betrayed the Red Dragon syndicate by stealing its black-market drug Red Eye[8](https://www.tvguide.com/news/essential-cowboy-bebop-anime-episode-to-watch/).
- **Session 5: "Ballad of Fallen Angels"** includes the sequence in which Spike falls from a cathedral window, a scene Watanabe says was inspired by the song "Green Bird" and was made without having originally been ordered[2](https://time.com/6120831/cowboy-bebop-original-explained/).
- **Session 10: "Ganymede Elegy"** is a Jet-focused backstory episode in which he becomes involved in a former lover's affairs[9](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/best-cowboy-bebop-episodes/).
- **Session 17: "Mushroom Samba"** is an Ed-centered comedy in which the rest of the crew eats psychedelic mushrooms; it homages blaxploitation cinema and spaghetti westerns[9](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/best-cowboy-bebop-episodes/).
- **Session 18: "Speak Like a Child"** centers on a mysterious videotape delivered to the ship, which the crew plays after tracking down an old TV and a Betamax player[9](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/best-cowboy-bebop-episodes/).
- **Session 23: "Brain Scratch"** is an episode in which the crew actively tries to capture a known criminal for only that episode[10](https://cowboybebop.fandom.com/wiki/Cowboy_Bebop_Sessions).
- **Sessions 25 and 26: "The Real Folk Blues", Parts I and II** form the series finale; the second part closes the series with high-octane violence and the final song "Blue"[9](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/best-cowboy-bebop-episodes/).
"Toys in the Attic" is the series' first full-blown parody of a specific film, 1979's *Alien*, one of many film references across the 26 episodes that also include *Desperado*, *The French Connection*, and the spaghetti western genre[11](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/anime-shows/my-favorite-anime-series-gave-us-one-of-the-best-alien-homages-ever-and-alien-earth-gave-me-the-perfect-excuse-to-revisit-it/).
## Broadcast history and cuts
The original TV Tokyo run, which began in April 1998, aired only 12 of the 26 episodes plus a special because of the show's mature subjects; the full series later ran on WOWOW in 1998[2](https://time.com/6120831/cowboy-bebop-original-explained/).
When the English dub debuted on [Adult Swim](https://www.edgepedia.org/adult-swim) in the United States in September 2001, shortly ahead of the 9/11 attacks, the first broadcast omitted three episodes that contained specific kinds of violence, among them one about a serial bomber targeting skyscrapers; reruns since then have included every episode[2](https://time.com/6120831/cowboy-bebop-original-explained/). Episode 19 was also temporarily pulled from broadcast following the [Space Shuttle Columbia disaster](https://www.edgepedia.org/space-shuttle-columbia-disaster) of 2003[12](https://animesuperhero.com/forums/threads/list-of-cowboy-bebop-episodes.5136851/).
The series was later adapted as a 10-episode Netflix live-action series in 2021, with episodes titled "Cowboy Gospel", "Venus Pop", "Dog Star Swing", "Callisto Soul", "Darkside Tango", "Binary Two-Step", "Galileo Hustle", "Sad Clown A-Go-Go", "Blue Crow Waltz", and "Supernova Symphony", all released on November 19, 2021[13](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/cowboy_bebop_2021/s01).
## The film's place in the list
*Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' on Heaven's Door* (2001) sits outside the 26-session numbering but is usually inserted in the viewing order around session 22; one watch guide recommends it between sessions 22 and 23, and notes it can also be saved for last without losing any main plot[4](https://hajimenews.com/en/cowboy-bebop-watch-order/). Counting the special and the film, the franchise totals 28 pieces of content, with a watch time of about 12 hours[14](https://myanimepulse.com/watch-order/cowboy-bebop).
## References
1. [Session Guide, AnimeHistory.org](https://animehistory.org/anime/cowboy-bebop/lore/session-guide/)
2. [Everything to Know About the Original Cowboy Bebop, Time](https://time.com/6120831/cowboy-bebop-original-explained/)
3. [Cowboy Bebop guide preview, Bloomsbury Academic](https://api.pageplace.de/preview/DT0400.9781501325861_A31718332/preview-9781501325861_A31718332.pdf)
4. [Cowboy Bebop Watch Order: The Complete 2026 Guide, HajimeNews](https://hajimenews.com/en/cowboy-bebop-watch-order/)
5. [Academic chapter on anime structure, CORE](https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/211081671.pdf)
6. [Casey review, Society for Ethnomusicology](https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.ethnomusicology.org/resource/group/dc75b7e7-47d7-4d59-a660-19c3e0f7c83e/publications/21_2ethnomusicologynow/Casey_rv_21-2.pdf)
7. [Cowboy Bebop, Animation World Network](https://www.awn.com/blog/cowboy-bebop)
8. [The Essential Cowboy Bebop Anime Episodes, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/news/essential-cowboy-bebop-anime-episode-to-watch/)
9. [The 10 Best Cowboy Bebop Episodes, Den of Geek](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/best-cowboy-bebop-episodes/)
10. [Cowboy Bebop Sessions, Cowboy Bebop Wiki](https://cowboybebop.fandom.com/wiki/Cowboy_Bebop_Sessions)
11. [Cowboy Bebop and the Alien homage, GamesRadar](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/anime-shows/my-favorite-anime-series-gave-us-one-of-the-best-alien-homages-ever-and-alien-earth-gave-me-the-perfect-excuse-to-revisit-it/)
12. [List of Cowboy Bebop Episodes, Anime Superhero Forum](https://animesuperhero.com/forums/threads/list-of-cowboy-bebop-episodes.5136851/)
13. [Cowboy Bebop Season 1 Episodes, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/cowboy_bebop_2021/s01)
14. [Cowboy Bebop Watch Order: Complete Guide, MyAnimePulse](https://myanimepulse.com/watch-order/cowboy-bebop)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Fictional worlds and series reference apparatus › Episode lists, seasons, and broadcast lifecycle › Episode lists for individual series*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license