Cowboy Bebop: Series 1 (2001)

In the first episode of Cowboy Bebop, the characters Jet and Spike are introduced as two broke and hungry bounty hunters living on a ship called the Bebop. Jet and Spike go to the asteroid Tijuana after the bounty of Asimov Solensen, a villain addicted to the drug Red Eye. Asimov and his girlfriend, Katerina, are on the run heading for Mars when Spike meets up with them and shows off his Bruce Lee-style fighting skills. The reoccurring background characters of Antonio, Carlos, and Jobin make their first appearance. "Asteroid Blues" bears some tributes to the film Desperado.

The title being a take on the tune by the Stray Cats, the episode "Stray Dog Strut" marks the first appearance of the data dog Ein and his joining of the Bebop crew. Jet and Spike are after the bounty of thief Abdul Hakim. Hakim is chasing after the valuable data dog while illegal research scientists try to get it back. One of the more lighthearted and funny episodes, it makes some references to Bruce Lee's Game of Death.

Named after the Rolling Stones tune, "Honky Tonk Women" features the first appearance of Faye Valentine. Taking a tip from a dream about Charlie Parker, Jet and Spike go to the Spiders From Mars casino. Trying to get money to pay off her debt, Faye works as a blackjack dealer in a scam with casino owner Gordon, and Spike gets involved in the transaction. After accidentally stealing a valuable casino chip, Spike and Jet capture Faye, who soon has a bounty on her head. This episode features Faye doing some crafty flying and dramatic escapes in her ship, the Red Tail.

While after a different bounty, Jet and Spike capture Twinkle Maria Murdock, the leader of the Space Warriors, an eco-terrorist group planning to release a virus on Ganymede. Meanwhile, Faye runs out of gas in Jupiter's orbit and retrieves a mysterious vial from a dying ISSP cop. This episode features the first battle team up between Spike and Faye, and a daring escape sequence through the hyperspace gate.

One of the most visually striking episodes, "Ballad of Fallen Angels" sets a narrative standard for the episodes to come. Spike and Jet are arguing, both refusing to reveal important events of their past. Jet is apprehensive about going after the bounty of Mao Yenrai, but Spike has personal reasons. Faye goes after him herself and gets captured, calling the Bebop for help; what follows is one of the most beautifully rendered sequences in the series. This episode contains references to John Woo's action classic A Better Tomorrow.

Titled after the Rolling Stones' tune of the same name, "Sympathy for the Devil" is one of the darker episodes, opening with a series of flashbacks from Spike's past. While going after the bounty of a criminal known as Giraffe, Jet and Spike go to a club where a little kid, Wen, is playing blues harmonica. Giraffe goes after Zebra, Wen's companion, and is thrown out of the window of a high-rise building. Spike catches Giraffe, who gives him a gem and a message. Spike holds on to the gem, tries to figure out the message, and battles Wen.

While looking for the bounty of a criminal named Decker, Faye and Spike stake out some locations. Spike encounters a tough-talking truck driver named VT, who travels with her faithful cat, Zeros. Nicknamed "the Heavy Metal Queen," she has a deeply felt resentment toward bounty hunters, but Spike manages to charm her. Faye and Spike both gets their ships wrecked, causing a nagging Jet to have to fix them. With VT's help, Faye and Spike chase Decker into the Linus Mines, an unstable asteroid area. With failing weapons systems on both ships, and Decker hauling a shipload of explosives, VT, Faye, and Spike have to make a daring escape.

"Waltz for Venus" opens with Spike and Faye teaming up to successfully earn a bounty against some airplane hijackers. Faye gambles away her winnings at the casino, while Spike gets harassed by a kid named Roco, who wants to learn his technique. Spike reluctantly offers him some bits of wisdom in keeping with his Bruce Lee-style fighting skills. When some gangsters show up, Roco takes off and Spike unwittingly gets stuck with a mysterious healing plant called gray ash. Spike meets Roco's sister, Stella, who has been blinded from the spores that fall on Venus. Jet discovers that Roco has a bounty on his head, along with the gangsters who are after the gray ash.

This episode, "Jamming With Edward," is the first appearance of Radical Edward, the 13-year-old girl genius computer hacker, whose trademark is a smiley face. An artificial intelligence satellite carves cave drawings on the surface of Earth, and a huge bounty is placed on the mysterious culprit, believed to be Radical Edward. Thinking hackers are boring, Spike stays on the Bebop while Faye and Jet go to Earth searching for clues. Edward makes contact with the Bebop, and Faye makes a promise to her in exchange for information about the bounty head. Spike gets involved and the crew embarks on the dangerous task of downloading a copy of the A.I. satellite. Due to Faye's promise, Ed officially joins the Bebop crew.