10 Tv Shows Anime Like Cowboy Bebop Thereviewgeek Recommends

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Regarded as one of the classics, Cowboy Bebop focuses on the daily adventures of bounty hunter Spike Spiegel and his friend Jet Black. They travel to many planets, tackling new missions and collecting many bounties. During their travels, they’ll meet many new enemies and make new friends. It’s a stellar anime that every anime fan needs to watch! Fear not if you’re having trouble finding anime similar to Cowboy Bebop! We’ve discovered 10 alternate shows that’ll give you a similar experience as Cowboy Bebop. Additionally, for each anime we’ve reviewed, we’ve included a link that allows you to view our full thoughts about the series to see if it’s worth your time. So without further ado, we present 10 TV shows that should whet your appetite when you’ve finished streaming Cowboy Bebop!

Samurai Champloo

Similarities – Well-Choreographed Action

If you adored Cowboy Bebop’s stunning action sequences, then you’ll adore the sword-wielding combat found in Samurai Champloo. This anime gives off the same energetic energy as Cowboy Bebop. It features a stellar cast of likable characters and a soundtrack that will have your blood pumping. Like Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo feels slightly episodic. However, the quests Samurai Champloo’s cast embarks on feature a similar sense of wonder and charm as Spike and his crew’s. As the story progresses, you’ll get more knowledge about the characters’ darker past lives. Nonetheless, this anime offers a great deal of comedy that balances out with its harsher undertone. If you’re looking for a fun-filled adventure anime with well-choreographed action sequences and an intriguing plot, check out Samurai Champloo.

Trigun

Similarities – Sci-Fi & Western Setting

Trigun’s universe is nearly identical to the landscapes you’d find Spike and his friends exploring. Both anime contain environments that feel Western-inspired from their character designs to their locales. Despite Trigun revolving around an endless desert, you can expect its characters to utilize advanced weaponry to subdue their opponents. Trigun follows Vash the Stampede, rumored to be the fiercest bounty hunter in the universe. Unfortunately, these rumors hold less merit. In reality, Vash is a humble person that loves to laugh and enjoy the peaceful vibes of life. This all comes crashing down when a group of legendary assassins aims to take his head. With his trusty friends Meryl and Milly, Vash must forgo his peaceful persona and become the intense bounty hunter of legend. Despite its exhilarating premise, Trigun offers some deal of humor. The humor in this show ranges from jokes to visual gags. Like Cowboy Bebop, Trigun does a phenomenal job of balancing its goofy humor and its serious combat. Fans looking for another anime with a Western-like influence should give Trigun a watch.

Black Lagoon

Similarities – Bounty Hunters

Black Lagoon is an intense and slightly humorous anime about bounty hunters. Like Cowboy Bebop, this show features adrenaline-pumping action scenes, witty dialogue, and colorful characters. The characters in this show harbor intense backstories that are gradually revealed to viewers as the story progresses. Black Lagoon kicks off with a salary man named Rokurou Okajima getting captured by a pirate syndicate called the Lagoon Company. Unfortunately, Rokurou’s managers refuse to fork over cash to release him, forcing Rokurou to join the Lagoon Company. Rokurou must live among them in Roanapur, a corrupt and crime-ridden city. Like Cowboy Bebop, Black Lagoon does an excellent job building upon the chemistry between Rokurou and his new teammates. The situations they find themselves in will leave you laughing and excited for more. The gunfights in this anime will leave you speechless while its emotional moments may cause your eyes to develop some tears. This is a magnificent anime to watch after Cowboy Bebop.

Baccano

Similarities – Unique Story Structure & Distinct Fighting Styles

Baccano and Cowboy Bebop offer distinct and unique methods of storytelling. While Cowboy Bebop feels slightly episodic, Baccano feels more like an anthology series but wraps each of its character’s storylines together to form a solid conclusion. Each character we follow in Baccano feels well-rounded and intriguing. They all have distinct personalities for fans to gravitate toward and interesting ways of solving the mysteries that crop up in their arcs. Baccano’s mystery aspects are on par with the curiosity one develops while watching Cowboy Bebop. On that note, Baccano contains excellent jaw-dropping martial arts and gun-play sequences. These scenes will leave you mesmerized and speechless. There’s also a similar degree of comedy that’s on par with the humor you’d find in Cowboy Bebop. If you’re looking for an incredible mystery anime with a unique approach toward storytelling, Baccano may be the anime for you.

Megalo Box

Similarities – Action & Setting

Megalo Box is a fascinating gem that exceeded many fans’ expectations when it was released in 2018. It captured the raw energy of classic boxing anime like Hajime No Ippo and Ashita No Joe. Like Cowboy Bebop, Megalo Box has this futuristic junk-like flair to it that many fans of retro anime may find appealing. Megalo Box takes place in a futuristic society where underground fight rings like Megalo Box thrive as a form of citizens’ entertainment. Megalo Box is a form of boxing where its fighters utilize mechanical limbs called Gear to fight. At the helm of all this is our protagonist Junk Dog, who chooses to fight his matches the old-fashioned way, through sheer manpower alone. He finds himself in a routine where he’ll throw a match on purpose to generate revenue for himself. However, after a fateful thrashing by the Megalo Box champion, Yuuri, Junk Dog’s passion for the sport is ignited. Filled with motivation, Junk Dog takes on the alias “Gearless Joe” and enters Megalonia, a tournament that will decide the world’s greatest Megalo Boxer ever. Megalo Box is a well-written gem that will spark anyone to pursue their wildest dreams. In the vein of Cowboy Bebop, this series offers an incredibly catchy soundtrack and a batch of interesting characters. If you’re looking for a hard-hitting action-packed anime full of spirit, Megalo Box is worth watching.

Lupin The Third

Similarities – Crime & Mischief

Lupin The Third captures the same episodic and exciting energy as Cowboy Bebop. This show features a group of criminals who spend their time traveling to different locations in search of rare items. While the group’s leader Arsène Lupin III feels more comical than Spike, fans’ shouldn’t downplay this thief’s cunning personality. Our tale revolves around Arsène III, the grandson of the famous thief Arsène Lupin I. Like his grandfather, Arsène III adores stealing rare items and getting in trouble with the police. His infamy attracts the attention of Inspector Zenigata and other criminals. Along with his femme fatale Fujiko and his other partners, Arsène III plans to continue his nonstop quest to obtain every rare item known to mankind. Like Spike and his crew, Arsène III’s gang gets involved in troubling circumstances regarding challenging puzzles and running from Zenigata and his men. While the adventures Arsène III and his crew tangle with are fun, fans will find the show’s characters to be its best feature. If you’re looking for a crime-themed show that will make you laugh and smile, check out any of the Lupin The Third entries and films.

The Big O

Similarities – Characters & Tone

The Big O was one of those series that benefitted from being aired on Toonami. Like Cowboy Bebop, this anime feels like it has a western influence. Many regard this show as anime’s answer to Batman for its focus on crime and American cartoon-like art style. The Big O follows an agent named Roger, who enjoys taking cases in Paradigm City. Many classify him as a lady’s man while others note his adoration for funeral black. The cases he tackles are far from friendly, as Roger will encounter situations where he must save his city from doom and crime. Roger isn’t alone in his endeavors. He’ll be accompanied by his butler Norman and his android companion Dorothy. With his friends and his prized relic Big O, a jet-black mechanized robot, Roger plans to serve justice to any lurking villain who dares threaten Paradigm city and its citizens. Roger displays the same tough-guy, collected, and independent persona as Spike. At the same time, The Big O features a character that’s quite like Spike’s female companion Faye Valentine. Characters aside, this show features the same melancholic tone throughout its run and has wonderful action scenes that’ll keep you invested.

Code Geass

Similarities – Action

Code Geass is a fun sci-fi anime with incredible action, mind games, and plot twists. Its action scenes will fill viewers with exhilaration while its psychological warfare will keep viewers watching each episode. Like Cowboy Bebop, Code Geass’s characters are well-developed and some have tragic pasts. Viewers may not like the show’s art style. The characters’ designs appear pencil thinned and look as if they were ripped out of worlds like in Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas. On the other hand, the show’s animation isn’t something fans should overlook. From its fluid mech fights to the effects given to its protagonist’s Geass ability, you’ll find yourself mesmerized by this anime’s visuals. Our tale follows Lelouch, a boy who gets involved in a war between the Britannian Empire and Japan’s former rulers. Before some Britannian soldiers murder him, Lelouch makes a contract with a mysterious woman. This woman named C.C. gives Lelouch a supernatural ability called the Geass. This power allows Lelouch to command anyone to do his bidding as long as they look into his eyes. This ability is what gets the ball rolling in this show, leading to many intriguing scenes that will keep fans on edge.

Outlaw Star

Similarities – Space Adventures & Colorful Characters

Who doesn’t love space adventures and funny characters? While Outlaw Star may be more humorous than Cowboy Bebop, this show knows when to tap into its serious nature. This show features fun action sequences involving stellar gun-wielding and pirate-like tactics. This show’s western tropes feel akin to the western influence found in Cowboy Bebop. The worlds our protagonist Gene and James visit aboard the Outlaw Star look impeccable. Each world features something new and fun for our characters to indulge in. The characters in this show may take some time to grow on fans. Gene isn’t the brightest protagonist and comes off as a stubborn individual. However, Outlaw Star does a wonderful job fleshing Gene out and placing him in situations where he’ll need to take situations more seriously.

Space Dandy

Similarities – Setting & Themes

Director Shinchiro Watanabe may have some hit-or-miss products. However, Space Dandy and Cowboy Bebop are among some of his finest works. The former features a similar atmosphere and setting as the latter. Its protagonist Dandy comes off as a groovy individual that loves to explore space and cash in on some wonderful bounties. Dandy doesn’t travel alone. Like Spike Spiegal, Dandy is a part of a dysfunctional but entertaining group of bounty hunters. He travels through space with his alien-cat friend Meow and QT, a vacuum cleaner robot. This team indulges in outlandish and somewhat comical activities. At the same time, Dandy will get involved in serious mishaps like Spike and will need to tackle matters more seriously. This series features over-the-top space battles involving mechs and guns. Viewers will find these scenes exhilarating as many will get their heart pumping. If you’re looking for another incredible space adventure anime with a more comedy angle, check out Watanabe’s Space Dandy. So there we have it, our 10 anime/TV show alternatives to watch when you’ve caught up with Cowboy Bebop! What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!