Netflix’s live-action Cowboy Bebop remake is bringing back quite a few characters from the original anime, but not all of them are exactly as they originally appeared. The new series stars John Cho as Spike Spiegel, Mustafa Shakir as Jet Black, and Daniella Pineda as Faye Valentine, but those three leads are far from the only original characters making their way to live-action. The new Cowboy Bebop cast is loaded with talented stars, all playing familiar faces from Shinichirō Watanabe’s noir sci-fi universe.
Like the original Cowboy Bebop, the Netflix series will feature both episodic and long-term plot arcs. For that reason, many of the anime’s most memorable characters only appear in one or two episodes, while the recurring cast is much smaller. According to what’s been revealed so far in the live-action Cowboy Bebop trailers, the Netflix remake is following that same format, with some arcs cleanly wrapped up in single episodes, and others being slowly revealed over the course of the show. However, because the live-action Cowboy Bebop is only ten episodes long, many of the original anime’s stories are likely being saved for a season 2. Netflix has also apparently moved around the order of some episodes, as the trailers include some scenes from much later in the anime.
Despite those format changes, the actual characters of Cowboy Bebop seem to have been beautifully recreated in the remake. Their costumes, personalities, and roles in the story seem mostly unchanged, though there are some minor alterations here and there, as well as a notable absence from fan-favorite character Radical Edward. Here are all the major Cowboy Bebop characters revealed so far, and how they compare to their anime counterparts.
Spike Spiegel
Spike is the lead protagonist in Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop, and from what’s been shown so far, John Cho’s version of the character seems spot-on to the original. The blue suit, the insatiable appetite for noodles, the cool-under-pressure vibe, it’s all on full display in the Cowboy Bebop trailer, as is Spike’s dark and complicated backstory. One notable difference is that, in the new series, Spike Spiegel is apparently a new name taken on by the character after leaving the Red Dragon syndicate. In the original anime, Spike doesn’t change his name after disappearing.
Jet Black
Jet Black, the pilot of the titular Bebop, is back in Netflix’s show, played by Mustafa Shakir. The live-action trailers show that, like Spike, the new Cowboy Bebop's Jet is very similar to the character from the anime. He’s a quiet, measured, almost fatherly character who does his best to maintain order amongst his crew. As in the original story, Jet used to be a cop before taking to the life of bounty hunting. His look and personality are incredibly loyal to the anime, and as of yet, Cowboy Bebop hasn’t revealed any major changes to Jet’s core character.
Faye Valentine
The third member of the Bebop crew, Faye Valentine, is played by Daniella Pineda in the Netflix remake. Of the three core Cowboy Bebop characters, Faye seems to have undergone the biggest changes in the efforts to ground her more for live-action. She’s a bit less bombastic in her speech and her outfits are more realistic and less grossly sexualized, but overall, she seems like the same old Faye Valentine from the Cowboy Bebop anime – prone to sarcasm, capable in a gunfight, and always looking out for herself and her bottom line above all others.
Ein
Of course, there’s another denizen of the Bebop who’s already been confirmed for the Netflix series, and that’s Ein, the data dog and pet of the ship. Because he’s a corgi, there’s not exactly much to change or analyze in Ein’s new live-action form. Suffice it to say that the interstellar pup looks just as he does in the anime, and he’s sure to brighten up the depths of space for Spike, Jet, and Faye.
Vicious
In the original Cowboy Bebop anime, Spike has a longstanding rivalry with his old Red Dragon syndicate partner, Vicious. The silver-haired, sword-wielding assassin is back in the Netflix series, this time played by Alex Hassell. Not much has been revealed about the live-action version of Vicious yet, but the trailers have confirmed that, at the very least, his and Spike’s iconic church duel from the anime episode “Ballad of Fallen Angels” will be featured in the new show. There are strong hints that the specifics of Spike and Vicious’ past will also be the same in the live-action Cowboy Bebop, but that’s yet to be officially confirmed. As far as the look goes, however, Hassell is about as good a match for Vicious’ anime look as could be found anywhere, complete with the hair, the sword, and the iconic coat.
Julia
Spike’s long-lost lover Julia – another syndicate agent – returns in Netflix’s live-action Cowboy Bebop series, played by Elena Satine. Julia is only glimpsed in the Cowboy Bebop trailer footage, which matches with the fact that she mostly appears in flashbacks in the original show. Still, it seems that her story and complicated history with Spike is the same as it is in the anime, and Satine is a spot-on choice as far as look and onscreen persona.
Ana
Another important figure from Spike’s criminal past is Ana, the Martian jazz bar owner who played a mother-like role to Spike when he was younger. In the new Cowboy Bebop, Ana is played by Tamara Tunie. The look of the character has changed a bit, but her personality seems basically the same, as does her love of whiskey on the rocks. Ana doesn’t play too big a role in the original Cowboy bebop anime, but she might get a bit more screen time in the Netflix series.
Mad Pierrot
In addition to the core and recurring Cowboy Bebop cast, there are numerous one-off anime characters present in the Netflix trailers. Of them all, the most notable may be Mad Pierrot, a deranged killer clown man who lost his mind and gained supernatural abilities after a series of scientific experiments. Pierrot will be played by Josh Randall in the new series, and the striking accuracy with which the character has been brought to live-action – complete with his clown outfit and levitation powers – is a testament to just how loyal the Cowboy Bebop remake is being to the anime.
Other Cowboy Bebop Characters
The Cowboy bebop trailers have revealed a number of other smaller characters from the anime, most of whom seem incredibly accurate to their original versions. Villains like Maria Murdock (Adrienne Barbeau), Teddy Bomber (Rodney Cook), Abdul Hakim (Cali Nelle), and Mao Yenrai (Rachel House) are all returning along with less dangerous characters like Jet’s old partner Detective Chalmers (Geoff Stults), Ana’s assistant Gren (Mason Alexander Park), and Big Shot TV show hosts Punch and Judy (Ira Munn and Lucy Currey). A few of those characters have received changes, like Mao being swapped from a man to a woman, Gren now being openly nonbinary, and Teddy Bomber’s absurd teddy bear suit now covering his face.
Vicious’ henchmen Shin and Lin are also back, played by Ann Truong and Hoa Xuande, and Jan Uddin and Lydia Peckham will play renegade criminal couple Asimov and Katerina Solensan. Most of these characters are barely seen in the Cowboy Bebop trailer footage, but they all seem in line with the spirit of the original anime versions, both in terms of their costumes and their roles in the story. There’s still a lot Netflix hasn’t revealed, but so far, the Cowboy Bebop cast looks fantastic, not to mention loyal to the original anime series.