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After Cowboy Bebop, there was Cowboy Bebop: The Movie. Also known as Cowboy Bebop: Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door, the 2001 film follows bounty hunter trio Spike Spiegel, Jet Black, and Faye Valentine on another adventure in their trusty spaceship, the Bebop. The science-fiction flick arrived a few years after the original anime and can technically stand alone, but it’s worth including in a binge-watch of the series. Will Cowboy Bebop: The Movie be available to stream on Netflix?

John Cho, Mustafa Shakir, and Daniella Pineda in Cowboy Bebop on Netflix
John Cho, Mustafa Shakir, and Daniella Pineda in Netflix’s ‘Cowboy Bebop’ | Geoffrey Short/Netflix

‘Cowboy Bebop: The Movie’ acts as a midquel to the anime series

The original Cowboy Bebop anime aired in Japan between 1998 and 1999. Later, in 2001, all 26 episodes came to Adult Swim in the U.S. That same year, director Shinichirō Watanabe gave fans Cowboy Bebop: The Movie. The film was designed to occur between episodes 22 and 23, as episode 26 had an ambiguous ending that the writers wanted to leave alone.

Cowboy Bebop: The Movie follows Spike, Jet, Faye, and Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV (a.k.a. Ed) on Mars in the year 2071. A few days before Halloween, a terrorist detonates an explosive on a truck, releasing a deadly pathogen into the air. With more than 300 people dead or ill, the government offers a reward for anyone who captures the culprit. The Bebop crew get to work hunting the terrorist, each following a different lead. Can they find the killer before a greater attack takes place?

Is ‘Cowboy Bebop: The Movie’ coming to Netflix?

In mid-October, Netflix announced its plan to bring the original Cowboy Bebop to the streaming platform. Fans can binge the series worldwide beginning on Oct. 21. In addition to Netflix, Cowboy Bebop also lives on Crunchy Roll, Funimation, and Hulu.

Unfortunately, Netflix didn’t mention Cowboy Bebop: The Movie in its announcement, only the series. However, it’s worth noting that a listing for the film does exist on the platform, which means it could arrive with the anime on Oct. 21.

There are plenty of places to stream the anime, but Cowboy Bebop: The Movie is a bit harder to come by. At the time of this writing, it’s not available on any streaming platform. Funimation links the film, but the “stream now” button directs to the anime series. Fans can still purchase a DVD copy via Amazon, though.

The live-action adaptation hits Netflix in November

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The Opening Credits for Netflix’s ‘Cowboy Bebop’ Draw Straight From the Anime

The Cowboy Bebop anime will arrive on Netflix one month ahead of the platform’s live-action adaptation, starring John Cho, Mustafa Shakir, and Daniella Pineda. Premiering on Nov. 19, the series sees Spike, Jet, and Faye on new quests to bring criminals to justice. The series is meant to expand the universe that Cowboy Bebop previously created.

In a video for Netflix Geeked, Pineda, who plays Faye, teased that the new Cowboy Bebop will be unlike anything fans have seen before.

“From what we’ve seen thus far, there is nothing we can compare our show to,” she said. “Maybe Kill Bill and Star Wars. And that is really exciting.”

Cowboy Bebop (the anime) will arrive on Netflix on Oct. 21. The live-action Cowboy Bebop premieres on Nov. 19.

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