Shinichirō Watanabe's Cowboy Bebop is a critically acclaimed neo-noir space western anime from the late 1990s. It's considered by many to be one of the greatest anime series of all time; after its release in 1998, it gained popularity internationally, and soon after the franchise grew with a manga series and movie in 2001. That same year, Cowboy Bebop became the first anime to air on Adult Swim.
Despite being short-and-sweet (twenty-six episodes and a feature-length film) and the fact that it came and went before the golden age of online content creation, Cowboy Bebop has such a large impact and scope it has earned its share of memes over the years.
Ruby
Steven Universe is another great animated series, but it's appropriate for kids as well as adults. This meme features Ruby, a Crystal Gem who is usually shown in a different form, fused with her partner Saphire to make Garnet.
Very early on in its creation, Cowboy Bebop was originally supposed to be geared more towards children and was actually sponsored by a Japanese toy company. The company hoped to create and market toys based on the characters in the series. But when it became clear that Cowboy Bebop would contain adult themes including violence and somewhat sexualized character designs, the company ended its partnership with the show's creators.
You think I look like I got money?
Many people are down on their luck in 2071; Earth has long since been abandoned and crime rates across space are rising as humans begin colonizing other planets. The social problems that existed on Earth in the past have not subsided but have been carried over across the galaxy.
The crew of the space vessel Bebop consists of Spike Spiegel, Faye Valentine, Jet Black, Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV (Ed), and Ein the Welsh corgi. Spike is featured in this meme, indignantly asserting the fact that he's broke.
Manga Anime Netflix
With shows like Avatar: The Last Airbender, which had a critically unsuccessful live-action film adaptation, and a Netflix live-action series project in pre-production that the original show creators have since left, it can be understandable why some devoted fans would have reservations on a Cowboy Bebop live-action Netflix series.
Along with ATLA and Cowboy Bebop, the incredibly long-running anime One Piece will also be getting the live-action adaptation treatment from Netflix eventually.
Sometimes It Really Do Be Like That
The ending intertitle 'See You Space Cowboy' that would appear at the conclusion of every episode of Cowboy Bebop is another unique detail of the show that became iconic. Occasionally the text would vary in the show, but fans would create memes that would take this to another level like in the example above. The simple image is easy to generate memes from, and a couple of them appear on this list.
Is This A Real World
This meme comes from a scene that Spike narrates, describing himself as a "man who lived in dreams." He reaches out to close his hand over a glowing yellow butterfly, and when he opens his hand back up its disappeared - an illusion. This scene is meant to emphasize the loneliness and isolation he's feeling, which is another big theme in Cowboy Bebop.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine Characters
This meme draws a comparison between the character from Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Cowboy Bebop. While the shows come from different eras and are completely different genres, both shows have a compatible cast of characters that work really well together, often getting on each other's nerves but also accomplishing their goals in entertaining ways.
Jet Black & Ein
Like many dads that quickly warm up to a new pet faster than they'd like to admit, Ein the corgi soon became a well-liked member of the Bebop, especially for Jet. Spike took the longest time to warm up to Ein, a super-intelligent 'data dog' he brought onto the ship after a failed mission. One of Spike's best quotes was, "...there are three things I particularly hate...kids, animals, and women with attitudes."
Netflix Adaption - Keanu Reeves
While Spike's life is fraught with danger, drama, and sometimes heartbreak, he's not without comedic traits. Highly sarcastic and quick to make jokes, Spike is character is dynamic and adaptable to the variety of situations he finds himself in as a crew member of the Bebop.
Keanu Reeves has played both goofy characters like Ted Logan from the sci-fi comedy Bill & Ted franchise and neo-noir characters like the title character of the John Wick franchise, so it makes sense why some fans would see it fitting to cast him as Spike.
Stu Pickles
In this single, brief moment from Rugrats, a disheveled Stu Pickles resembles Spike Spigel. The two are, of course, nothing alike as Spike has a unique character design; he's always sharply dressed and has thick, very dark green hair. His fighting style is unique as well and he's a devoted practitioner of Jeet Kune Do, Bruce Lee's specific style of martial arts. Born on Mars in 2044, Spike was once a member of a criminal organization called the Red Dragon Syndicate until he faked his death in order to leave it.
Space Cowboy Joined The Game
The iconic end title card from Cowboy Bebop would certainly come to mind for fans looking at this video game screenshot. The term 'space cowboy' actually originated in the 1960s as a slang word for marijuana users. In the case of Cowboy Bebop, the definition is more literal as the outlaw-type characters navigate the lawless wild west of space. One of the things that made Cowboy Bebop unique was its seamless blending of western, science fiction, and neo-noir genres. For this reason, it will always be remembered as a unique anime that fans from all backgrounds appreciated.