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The Best Episodes of Cowboy Bebop Season 1

Every episode of Cowboy Bebop Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Cowboy Bebop Season 1!

In 2071, roughly fifty years after an accident with a hyperspace gateway made the Earth almost uninhabitable, humanity has colonized most of the rocky planets and moons of the Solar System. Amid a rising crime rate, the Inter Solar System Police (ISSP) set up a legalized contract system, in which registered bounty hunters, also referred to as "Cowboys", chase criminals and bring them in alive in return for a reward.

Genres:AnimationAction & AdventureSci-Fi & FantasyWestern

Season 1 Ratings Summary

The best episode of "Cowboy Bebop" season 1 is "Stray Dog Strut", rated 8.2/10 from 4674 user votes. It was directed by Ikuro Sato and written by Michiko Yokote. "Stray Dog Strut" aired on 4/3/1998 and is rated 0.8 point(s) higher than the second highest rated, "Honky Tonk Women".

  • Stray Dog Strut
    8.2/10 4,674 votes

    #1 - Stray Dog Strut

    Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 4/3/1998

    Spike and Jet’s next case takes them to Mars, where they’ll to try apprehend a professional pet thief and a priceless data dog.

    Director: Ikuro Sato

    Writer: Michiko Yokote

  • Honky Tonk Women
    7.4/10 3,931 votes

    #2 - Honky Tonk Women

    Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 4/10/1998

    A night at the casino lands Spike and Jet in hot water when they cross paths with Faye Valentine, a stunning con artist wanted by the law – and the bad guys.

    Director: Kunihiro Mori

    Writer: Keiko Nobumoto, Ryota Yamaguchi

  • Heavy Metal Queen
    7.8/10 3,741 votes

    #3 - Heavy Metal Queen

    Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 4/17/1998

    The Bebop crew pursues a renegade explosives expert, and Spike crosses paths with a nameless space trucker that hates bounty hunters.

    Director: Kunihiro Mori

    Writer: Michiko Yokote

  • Waltz for Venus
    7.5/10 3,523 votes

    #4 - Waltz for Venus

    Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 4/24/1998

    Spike gets involved with a fugitive who is willing to risk his own life to restore his sister’s sight. Can the Bebop crew save the day before tragedy strikes?

    Director: Yoshiyuki Takei

    Writer: Michiko Yokote

  • Jamming with Edward
    9.2/10 5,228 votes

    #5 - Jamming with Edward

    Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 5/1/1998

    The Bebop crew tries to crack the case of mysterious satellite drawings appearing on the Earth’s surface, but they’ll need help from a hacker know as Radical Edward to earn their bounty!

    Director: Ikuro Sato

    Writer: Dai Sato

  • Ganymede Elegy
    8.1/10 3,511 votes

    #6 - Ganymede Elegy

    Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 5/8/1998

    When a case takes the Bebop crew to Jet’s old stomping ground, the big man crosses paths with an old lover – and her wanted boyfriend.

    Director: Hirokazu Yamada

    Writer: Akihiko Inari

  • Toys in the Attic
    7.6/10 3,274 votes

    #7 - Toys in the Attic

    Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 5/15/1998

    When an unusual, blob-like space creature infects Ein, Faye, and Jet, Spike and Radical Edward must figure out a way to save their friends.

    Director: Kunihiro Mori

    Writer: Michiko Yokote

  • Jupiter Jazz (1)
    8.6/10 3,849 votes

    #8 - Jupiter Jazz (1)

    Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 5/22/1998

    Faye robs and abandons the Bebop crew, Spike goes in search of a woman he once knew, and Vicious makes another deadly appearance.

    Director: Yoshiyuki Takei

    Writer: Keiko Nobumoto

  • Jupiter Jazz (2)
    7.6/10 3,107 votes

    #9 - Jupiter Jazz (2)

    Season 1 Episode 9 - Aired 5/29/1998

    Jet continues his mission to reunite his Bebop comrades, and Spike finds himself locked in a brutal dogfight with his old nemesis Vicious.

    Director: Ikuro Sato

    Writer: Keiko Nobumoto

  • Bohemian Rhapsody
    8.2/10 3,223 votes

    #10 - Bohemian Rhapsody

    Season 1 Episode 10 - Aired 6/5/1998

    The Bebop Crew embarks on a wild goose chase of a bounty hunt that leads them deep into space in search of an ancient chess master.

    Director: Hirokazu Yamada

    Writer: Dai Sato

  • My Funny Valentine
    8.3/10 3,333 votes

    #11 - My Funny Valentine

    Season 1 Episode 11 - Aired 6/12/1998

    When Jet brings in a fugitive from Faye’s past, the rebellious beauty must decide whether to turn him in – or give an old flame one last chance.

    Director: Kunihiro Mori

    Writer: Keiko Nobumoto

  • Speak Like a Child
    8.6/10 3,358 votes

    #12 - Speak Like a Child

    Season 1 Episode 12 - Aired 6/19/1998

    When a mysterious package arrives, Faye disappears on a gambling binge, and Spike and Jet embark on a frustrating search for ancient technology!

    Director: Yoshiyuki Takei

    Writer: Akihiko Inari

  • Asteroid Blues
    8.8/10 3,557 votes

    #13 - Asteroid Blues

    Season 1 Episode 13 - Aired 10/24/1998

    Spike and Jet head to Tijuana to track down an outlaw smuggling a dangerous drug known as blood-eye. Jet wants the bounty, but Spike has eyes for a far prettier prize.

    Director: Yoshiyuki Takei

    Writer: Keiko Nobumoto

  • Gateway Shuffle
    7.7/10 2,923 votes

    #14 - Gateway Shuffle

    Season 1 Episode 14 - Aired 11/14/1998

    Faye teams up with Spike and Jet to track down a gang of space activists that plans on turning the human population into monkeys!

    Director: Yoshiyuki Takei

    Writer: Sadayuki Murai

  • Ballad of Fallen Angels
    7.8/10 2,904 votes

    #15 - Ballad of Fallen Angels

    Season 1 Episode 15 - Aired 11/21/1998

    Spike aims to collect the bounty on a member of the Red Dragon Syndicate, but his mission leads him into a deadly showdown with a face from his past!

    Director: Tetsuya Watanabe

    Writer: Michiko Yokote

  • Sympathy for the Devil
    7.9/10 2,838 votes

    #16 - Sympathy for the Devil

    Season 1 Episode 16 - Aired 11/28/1998

    The latest case for the crew of the Bebop finds Spike pitted against a young boy with a talent for the harmonica – and murder.

    Director: Ikuro Sato

    Writer: Keiko Nobumoto

  • Black Dog Serenade
    8.4/10 3,163 votes

    #17 - Black Dog Serenade

    Season 1 Episode 17 - Aired 2/13/1999

    Jet teams up with a former partner to settle the score with the man who took his arm, but he soon discovers that memories can be deceiving.

    Director: Ikuro Sato

    Writer: Michiko Yokote

  • Mushroom Samba
    8.6/10 3,271 votes

    #18 - Mushroom Samba

    Season 1 Episode 18 - Aired 2/20/1999

    After the Bebop crash lands, Ed and Ein’s search for food turns up some very expensive mushrooms with psychedelic side effects!

    Director: Kunihiro Mori

    Writer: Michiko Yokote, Shinichiro Watanabe

  • Wild Horses
    7.3/10 2,749 votes

    #19 - Wild Horses

    Season 1 Episode 19 - Aired 3/6/1999

    While Spike pays a visit to the man who built his ship, Faye and Jet go fishing for space pirates.

    Director: Hirokazu Yamada

    Writer: Akihiko Inari

  • Pierrot Le Fou
    9.0/10 3,811 votes

    #20 - Pierrot Le Fou

    Season 1 Episode 20 - Aired 3/13/1999

    Spike takes a beating during a chance encounter with an indestructible assassin. While Jet searches for the secret to the madman’s power, Spike goes looking for payback!

    Director: Yoshiyuki Takei

    Writer: Sadayuki Murai

  • Boogie Woogie Feng Shui
    7.1/10 2,696 votes

    #21 - Boogie Woogie Feng Shui

    Season 1 Episode 21 - Aired 3/20/1999

    Spurred by a cryptic email, Jet goes looking for an old friend, but finds his daughter – and a mysterious sun stone – instead.

    Director: Ikuro Sato

    Writer: Sadayuki Murai, Shinichiro Watanabe

  • Cowboy Funk
    8.2/10 2,948 votes

    #22 - Cowboy Funk

    Season 1 Episode 22 - Aired 3/27/1999

    Spike’s attempts to apprehend the infamous Teddy Bear Bomber are maddeningly derailed by a mysterious – and clueless – cowboy!

    Director: Kunihiro Mori

    Writer: Keiko Nobumoto

  • Brain Scratch
    8.3/10 2,943 votes

    #23 - Brain Scratch

    Season 1 Episode 23 - Aired 4/3/1999

    Faye goes undercover to collect the bounty on a deranged cult leader, but when the mysterious organization brainwashes her into a very deep sleep – she’ll need a little help from her friends.

    Director: Yoshiyuki Takei

    Writer: Dai Sato

  • Hard Luck Woman
    8.9/10 3,352 votes

    #24 - Hard Luck Woman

    Season 1 Episode 24 - Aired 4/10/1999

    Faye and Ed discover clues to their respective pasts that could send the crew of the Bebop heading in very different directions.

    Director: Hirokazu Yamada

    Writer: Michiko Yokote

  • The Real Folk Blues (1)
    9.1/10 3,321 votes

    #25 - The Real Folk Blues (1)

    Season 1 Episode 25 - Aired 4/17/1999

    Spike and Jet are ambushed by members of the syndicate, and Faye has an unexpected encounter with a woman from Spike’s past.

    Director: Ikuro Sato

    Writer: Keiko Nobumoto