Top Anime Series Fans of Cowboy Bebop Must See

Shinichirō Watanabe has been pioneering innovative science fiction storytelling ever since his collaboration as co-director on the renowned Macross franchise entry, Macross Plus. Throughout his illustrious 35-year career, he has crafted some of the most cherished and impactful anime series. His magnum opus, Cowboy Bebop, blends jazz-inspired flair with a band of charismatic space adventurers navigating a neo-noir universe. The show's timeless appeal is significantly enhanced by Yoko Kanno's iconic musical score, which continues to resonate through live performances, soundtrack reissues, and ongoing cultural relevance.

This celebrated sci-fi series has profoundly influenced modern cinema and narrative art, with creators such as Rian Johnson (Star Wars), Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko (Avatar: The Last Airbender), and Diego Molano (Victor and Valentino) crediting Cowboy Bebop as a major inspiration.

6 Great Anime Series Similar to Cowboy Bebop

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Additionally, Cowboy Bebop remains one of the select few anime series that has successfully attracted a significant non-anime audience. For these reasons and more, it stands as an essential and enduring masterpiece within the anime canon. If you’re searching for what to watch following your most recent (or perhaps first) journey through Cowboy Bebop, we’ve curated a list of exceptional spacefaring, globe-trotting, and morally ambiguous anime to explore next.

Lazarus

Our first recommendation is Watanabe's latest series, Lazarus, whose debut episode premiered on Adult Swim at midnight on April 5th. Produced by MAPPA and Sola Entertainment, with John Wick director Chad Stahelski overseeing art direction and original compositions from Kamasi Washington, Floating Points, and Bonobo, Lazarus arrives with arguably more anticipation than any other anime release this year. Stylistically, it serves as an excellent companion to Cowboy Bebop, marking a return to the grittier, underdog sci-fi aesthetic of that series—especially when contrasted with his more recent works like Carole & Tuesday—while feeling remarkably relevant to the contemporary landscape of 2025.

The story revolves around the invention of a miracle drug that saves lives but reveals a fatal side effect three years after use, placing millions in danger of sudden death. Enter the protagonist, Axel, a regular convict and skilled escape artist, who must assemble a team to track down the elusive doctor who created the drug and convince him to develop an antidote—all within a tight 30-day deadline. Prepare for a suspenseful, darkly thrilling adventure as the clock starts ticking.

Terminator Zero

Staying within the realm of grounded and dystopian science fiction, our next pick is this impressive expansion of the Terminator universe from director Masashi Kudō, Production I.G, and creator Mattson Tomlin (director of the Netflix film Project Power starring Jamie Foxx). Although it adopts a more serious tone than Bebop—and much of Watanabe's lighter work—its stylistic action sequences and meticulous gunplay will satisfy that specific craving and fill the Cowboy Bebop-shaped void in your action-anime watchlist.

When it comes to contemporary sci-fi that thoughtfully examines modern technology and culture, Terminator Zero is in a class of its own, making it essential viewing for 2025. Furthermore, if you're seeking a visually stunning modern anime that matches the artistic flair of Cowboy Bebop, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better option than this brilliantly polished, boundary-pushing series. It revisits the Terminator franchise's Judgment Day narrative through a distinctly Japanese perspective for the very first time.

Space Dandy

This entry in the Shinichirō Watanabe collection saw the visionary creator stepping into the role of general director, with Shingo Natsume as director, for this comedic space opera brought to life by the acclaimed animation studio Bones. If you're in the mood for an effortless, lighthearted callback to classic Saturday morning cartoons that evokes a similar sense of nostalgia as Cowboy Bebop, this is a fantastic choice.

Packed with homages to classic sci-fi and anime, this delightful series follows the eponymous Dandy, an intergalactic bounty hunter dedicated to discovering and registering new alien species. He possesses the same suave charm as Spike and Faye Valentine, with enough confidence to take on the cosmos. While the premise may appear straightforward, the show ventures into unexpected and existential territory as Dandy uncovers cosmic truths and the nature of his own reality while hunting aliens with his endearing crew—a robot and a cat. While it may not have achieved the same worldwide acclaim as Cowboy Bebop, it remains immensely rewatchable, visually striking, and thoroughly enjoyable.

Lupin the 3rd

If you're searching for a series that delivers the same adventurous spirit and boundless potential as Cowboy Bebop, then the endlessly entertaining crime capers of Lupin the 3rd are an ideal choice. Since its debut in 1965—penned by Kazuhiko Katō under the pseudonym Monkey Punch—the beloved franchise has grown to include manga, anime, video games, and numerous film adaptations. For on-screen introductions, the best starting point is the 1971 anime series of the same name, which introduced audiences to Lupin, a remarkably relaxed master thief inspired by the legendary fictional gentleman burglar Arsène Lupin.

The first season spans 23 episodes and features direction by talents like Masaaki Ōsumi, alongside future Studio Ghibli legends Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. It serves as an excellent gateway into the best of what Lupin the 3rd has to offer. The best part? If you become a fan, you’ll have over five decades of additional stories, films, and series to explore afterward.

Samurai Champloo

Samurai Champloo stands as the spiritual successor to Cowboy Bebop. The series began to take shape while Shinichirō Watanabe was developing Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, an influence evident in Champloo's artistic style, structure, and narrative approach. That said, it may surprise viewers as a historical action epic rather than the science fiction genre for which Watanabe is best known. While the setting differs, the series grapples with similar themes—exploring life’s meaning, the price of freedom, and the struggle to confront and ultimately accept mortality.

Similar to much of Watanabe’s other work, the story revolves around a group of flawed, morally ambiguous protagonists: an outlaw named Mugen, a tea server called Fuu, and—true to any compelling Edo-period narrative—a ronin known as Jin. A particularly notable aspect of this series is its forward-thinking emphasis on inclusion and tolerance, a thematic choice Watanabe implemented within the historical context to avoid nationalistic undertones.

Trigun

If the stylistic action and the allure of a morally complex anti-hero pitted against the world are what captivate you most about Cowboy Bebop, then Trigun is likely to become your next anime obsession. Adapted from the popular manga of the same name by Yasuhiro Nightow, originally serialized in Monthly Shonen Captain, the anime premiered in Japan in 1998 and reached the United States three years later, right at the dawn of the new millennium.

Like Cowboy Bebop, Trigun is a noir-infused space western, but it escalates the stakes considerably. It follows Vash, a man burdened by an enormous bounty on his head after losing control of his immense superpowers, resulting in the accidental destruction of an entire city. As we uncover the truth about the man targeted for elimination, we also learn about the individuals pursuing him, setting the stage for a gripping conflict. The series earned a place on numerous year-end best-of lists, and the original manga achieved such success that it frequently sold out in the U.S.