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Cowboy Bebop seasons
Cowboy Bebop is a single 26-episode TV series, produced by Sunrise and directed by Shinichirō Watanabe, plus one feature film. It began on TV Tokyo on 3 April 1998, but that broadcast ran until 26 June 1998 and left several sessions out, partly because of their violence and the early evening timeslot. The satellite channel WOWOW then aired all 26 sessions from October 1998, ending on 24 April 1999. Keiko Nobumoto led the writing, Toshihiro Kawamoto designed the characters and Yoko Kanno wrote the music with her band Seatbelts. The film followed in 2001. There has never been a second season of the anime.
| Season | Premiere | End | Episodes | Studio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | April 3, 1998 | April 24, 1999 | 26 | Sunrise |
| Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (Knockin' on Heaven's Door) | September 1, 2001 | Bones |
Season 1
The series follows Spike and Jet as they chase bounties across Mars, Venus, the moons of Jupiter and beyond, picking up Faye, Ed and Ein along the way. Most of its 26 sessions are self-contained stories in different genres, from crime to comedy and westerns, while a few return to Spike's history with the Red Dragon syndicate. The full run aired in Japan on WOWOW from October 1998 to 24 April 1999.
Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (Knockin' on Heaven's Door)
Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, also called Knockin' on Heaven's Door, opened in Japan on 1 September 2001. It was animated by Bones with Sunrise and Bandai Visual. Set between sessions 22 and 23, it follows the crew on Mars just before Halloween, when a tanker truck explodes on a highway and the government offers a huge bounty for whoever caused it. It can be watched without spoiling the series.
Next season Anime finished
No second season of the Cowboy Bebop anime has been announced, and the series is complete. In a 2006 interview Shinichirō Watanabe said a return might happen someday, without any plan. Netflix's 2021 live-action version was cancelled after one season. A SoraNews24 report of 11 March 2026 on a live-action Samurai Champloo series from the same director mentions no new Bebop project. As of October 2026 the 26 sessions and the 2001 film remain the whole anime.
FAQ
How many seasons does Cowboy Bebop have?
One. Cowboy Bebop is a single TV series of 26 episodes, called sessions, made by Sunrise in 1998. There is also one feature film, Knockin' on Heaven's Door, released in Japan in 2001.
Will there be a Cowboy Bebop season 2?
Nothing has been announced. The anime ended in 1999 and, as of October 2026, there is no new anime project. The 2021 Netflix live-action series was also cancelled after its first season.
Where does the Cowboy Bebop movie fit in the series?
The film takes place between sessions 22 and 23 of the TV series. It tells a standalone story, so it can be watched after finishing the series without missing anything or spoiling the ending.
Why did the TV Tokyo broadcast skip episodes?
The first broadcast on TV Tokyo in 1998 aired in an early evening slot and left out several sessions, partly because of their violence. The complete series of 26 sessions was first shown on the WOWOW satellite channel from October 1998 to April 1999.
Who made Cowboy Bebop?
Sunrise produced the series, credited to Hajime Yatate, a shared pen name for its staff. Shinichirō Watanabe directed, Keiko Nobumoto led the scripts, Toshihiro Kawamoto designed the characters and Yoko Kanno composed the music with Seatbelts.
Is there a Cowboy Bebop manga?
Cowboy Bebop is an original anime, not based on a manga. Two manga spin-offs came out alongside it from Kadokawa: Shooting Star by Cain Kuga and Cowboy Bebop by Yutaka Nanten.