Cowboy Bebop Creator Reveals Why His Protagonists Have a Similar Theme

Cowboy Bebop‘s creator, Shinichiro Watanabe, recently shared insights into his creative process during an interview at Manga Barcelona (via Anime Corner), the largest anime convention in Spain. Released 28 years ago, this anime followed a group of bounty hunters traveling through space, while dealing with their own issues.

The anime is known for its blend of science fiction, western, and noir genres. Even today, it remains a central subject of discussion in animation direction and character development, as no one has done it better than Watanabe. Let’s dive into everything that Watanabe revealed in the interview.

Why All Cowboy Bebop Characters Strive for Happiness

It is a common recurring theme in Watanabe’s work that the characters are looking forward to the days of happiness. For example, Faye Valentine was always finding her happiness in a world where she didn’t belong, and Spike was always looking forward to being with Julia. In the interview, Watanabe explained that it is because we are humans that we all experience loss at some point in our lives.

I try to draw characters who strive to be happy, even if they might seem a bit distant or dry in how they interact, and who do not let themselves get caught up in this sadness of the past on a day-to-day basis.

However, he specifically wrote his characters to pursue a better life rather than wallow in grief all the time. What this does is it creates characters that appear very detached and aloof on the outside, but they remain resilient against their past traumas. Faye is a great example of this. She lost everything in her life, but we rarely see her being emotional about it, as she is always trying her hardest.

In the works I have made so far, this “gathering and parting” is heavily influenced by this style of working.

Furthermore, Watanabe also explained how most of his characters eventually fall into the found family trope. The same trope that was with the characters in Kids on the Slope, the crew of Bebop, and even the wandering party of Samurai Champloo, which is also set to get its live-action adaptation.

Shinichiro Watanabe on Antagonists, Music, and More

There is another unique aspect in all of Shinichiro Watanabe’s work: the antagonist doesn’t have much screentime. For example, before the final battle, Vicious was a rare sight in Cowboy Bebop. Watanabe stated that showing an antagonist in every episode would ruin the mystery surrounding him.

If the screentime is restricted, it is ensured that the eventual appearance carries more weight. I think it’s a lot like only meeting the final boss at the end of the game, which makes the entire feeling heavier.

Speaking of feelings, music is yet another thing that Shinichiro Watanabe’s work has been praised for. For example, Samurai Champloo mixes the hip-hop music genre with Edo-period Japan, making it quite unique.

In the interview, Watanabe recalled the production of the “Mushroom Samba” episode from Cowboy Bebop. He mentioned how the music was created first, and then the entire episode was designed around it, which also made it one of the best episodes as well.

Watanabe also talked about his latest project, Lazarus. He clarified that the story was written before the COVID-19 pandemic, despite the story focusing on a global crisis. The anime ends with a warning that humanity still has “zero days left.” Watanabe used this to emphasize that resolving one immediate crisis does not eliminate the problems threatening society, and that we have no time to lose.

TITLE	Cowboy Bebop
RELEASE DATE	Apr 3, 1998 to Apr 24, 1999
STUDIO	Sunrise
MAL RATING (as of May 30, 2026)	8.75 / 10
STREAMING	Crunchyroll

What is your favorite Shinichiro Watanabe anime? Let us know in the comments.

Cowboy Bebop is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.