Cowboy Bebop (カウボーイビバップ) is a 1998 Japanese anime series developed by Sunrise. It featured a production team led by director Shinichirō Watanabe, screenwriter Keiko Nobumoto, character designer Toshihiro Kawamoto, mechanical designer Kimitoshi Yamane, and composer Yoko Kanno. The twenty-six episodes of the series are set in the year 2071. It follows the adventures, misadventures and tragedies of a bounty hunter crew travelling on the Bebop, their starship.
The crew is made up of five main characters: Spike Spiegel, an exiled hitman of the ruthless Red Dragon Syndicate; Jet Black, a former ISSP officer who retired following a mob hit that cost him his arm; Faye Valentine, an amnesiac con artist who awakened in the future after a lengthy period of cryogenic hibernation; "Radical" Edward, a barefooted preteen girl who is a prolific computer hacker; and Ein, a hyper-intelligent, genetically-engineered Welsh Corgi dog.
The following weapons are seen in the anime Cowboy Bebop:
Spike Spiegel's signature pistol is a customized IMI Jericho 941 R chambered in 9x19mm. He has installed custom grips and a frame mounted laser sight on the right side, although we never see him use it.
The original Jericho 941 came with two barrels for use with either 9mm or .41AE ammunition. A blued steel rod was intended for the 9mm round with a lighter spring, and a stainless steel rod with heavier springs for the larger load of the .41AE round. Spike's Jericho is chambered in 9mm but features a silver recoil spring. We can assume this was either due to artistic license, or part of the modifications Spike made to the gun. Worth noting that many actual owners of a Jericho 941 chambered in 9mm change the stock rod/recoil spring by an aftermarket chrome kit, to reduce recoil and increase rate of fire.
Jet Black's signature pistol is a Walther P99. Of all the gun-wielding members of the Bebop's crew, Jet is perhaps the least likely to be seen with his weapon drawn; preferring instead to get up close and personal with the enhanced strength of his cybernetic arm.
The pistol appears to be a holdover from his days as an ISSP officer since he can be seen using it in a flashback during the episode 'Black Dog Serenade'.
Faye's signature pistol in Cowboy Bebop is a .45 ACP Glock 30. She draws the pistol frequently to threaten bounties but is rarely seen firing it, one of the most notable exceptions being in the episode "The Real Folk Blues Part I", when she uses it to shoot out the tires of two cars belonging to the Red Dragon Syndicate during a chase. She later fires several rounds into the ceiling of the Bebop when she fails to prevent Spike from leaving.
While preparing for the confrontation with Vicious and his men at the church, Spike stocks up on weapons, one of the weapons he retrieves is a Ruger P85, that he had kept hidden in the fridge of the Bebop. Though it is shown being loaded and cleaned, it is never seen in use on screen.
In the episode "Black Dog Serenade", several prisoners aboard the ISSP prison ship can be seen with a Heckler & Koch USP when they take control, including using one to kill the pilot.
Gren carried one in the two-part episode "Jupiter Jazz" and used it against Vicious. Police forces can also be seen using the pistol in the episode "Jamming With Edward".
In the episode "Pierrot Le Fou", ISSP bodyguards can be seen using Heckler & Koch Mark 23 pistols as their sidearms fitted with AN/PEQ-6 Laser Aiming Modules, which prove to be no match for Mad Pierrot's skill and arsenal.
In the episode "Black Dog Serenade", Fad, Jet's former ISSP partner, can be seen using a Smith & Wesson Model 29 with a 4 inch barrel as his sidearm which he keeps in a shoulder rig.
Surprisingly, the Beretta 92FS is seen in a mere 2 episodes. In the episode "Ballad of Fallen Angels", Annie gives Spike a Beretta 92FS with a stainless steel barrel along with a carton of 9x19mm ammo. Spike later dual-wields it with his Jericho during his fight with Vicious and his men.
In "The Real Folk Blues Part I", a Red Dragon member uses a Beretta 92FS to fire at Julia and Faye.
In the episode "Stray Dog Strut", the three scientists after Hakim appear to be using modified Beretta 950 Jetfires sporting wood grips and suppressors. Unfortunately they never get the chance to use them.
The Browning Hi-Power and its variants seem to be popular weapons in the Cowboy Bebop universe, appearing in the episodes "Honky Tonk Women", "Ballad of Fallen Angels", and "Ganymede Elegy".
In "The Real Folk Blues Part I", Vicious uses a 9mm Colt Commander to threaten Julia. She later uses it when she and Spike are engaged in a shootout with Red Dragon Syndicate members.
In Episode 2, "Stray Dog Strut" Hakim uses a Desert Eagle to threaten the man who stole his briefcase. The weapon is drawn smaller than normal, possibly to emphasize Hakim's towering stature.
Appearing in only one episode, "Sympathy for the Devil", Spike uses this single-shot pistol loaded with a custom round made from a rare mineral against the primary antagonist in the climax of the episode.
Its function and form appears to be based on the Thompson Center Arms Contender, but is entirely fictional. The casing of the custom round looks to be 7.62x39mm.
Also appearing only once in the episode "Sympathy for the Devil", this fictional pistol appears to be partially based on the M1911. A compensator (or barrel weight?) is attatched to the front of the pistol.
In "Honky Tonk Women", Faye's debut episode, she uses a Heckler & Koch MP5K with a 15-round magazine to defend herself from the mobsters she was trying to escape from, though is forced to surrender when they answer her MP5K with their own handheld minigun.
It is also used by Red Dragon henchmen in "The Real Folks Blues", and briefly seen in a photograph when Jet is describing the history of the 'Space Warriors' (an eco-terrorist group) in "Gateway Shuffle".
Another surprisingly rare gun, the Heckler & Koch MP5A3 is only seen in the flashback of Spike's final shootout as a Red Dragon enforcer. It is fitted with a Surefire dedicated forend weaponlight and appears to have two magazines in a dual mag clamp.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingHeckler & Koch MP5A3 with Navy trigger group and Surefire dedicated forend weaponlight - 9x19mmFile:CBBmp5.jpgA thug firing an MP5A3 during a flashbackFile:CBBFAMP5.jpgAnother shot of a thug wielding an MP5A3. This appears to be a different thug, as his MP5 doesn't have a Surefire forend.
MAC-10
In the episode "Gateway Shuffle", a group of environmental terrorists calling themselves the "Space Warriors" can be seen brandishing MAC-10 machine pistols.
The MAC-10 also makes a brief appearance in two other episodes fitted with a suppressor. In the hands of several mobsters after Faye in "Honkey Tonk Women", and by Mad Pierrot in the episode "Pierrot Le Fou".
During Spike's raid on the Red Dragon Syndicate headquarters in the episode "Real Folk Blues", Syndicate henchmen can be seen using Steyr TMP machine pistols, among other weapons.
In "Asteroid Blues" several mobsters can be seen weilding IMI Uzi's while chasing their stolen property. In the episode "Toys in the Attic", a full sized Uzi can be seen among the many items that Faye has won from Jet in a game of dice.
The Heckler & Koch G3 is seen in the hands of the Red Dragon firing squad in episode 25, "The Real Folk Blues Pt 1". They appear to be fitted with the "slimline" grips.
In the episode "Cowboy Funk", the guard escorting Ted Bower, the "Teddy Bomber", is carrying a Remington 870 pump-action shotgun with black synthetic furniture.
In the episode "The Real Folk Blues Part I", Spike retrieves a Mossberg 500 Cruiser from a box in the back of Annie's store and uses it during the shootout that ensues.
When Spike faces Vicious at the church, one of his men fires on him with an M79 Grenade Launcher, though fails to score a hit and is ultimately killed by Spike.
In the episode "Mushroom Samba", the youngest Shaft brother wields what appears to be a fictional pump-action grenade launcher, similar in function to the real-life China Lake Launcher.
One is also used by Mad Pierrot in the episode "Pierrot Le Fou", and by a Red Dragon thug in the episode "The Real Folk Blues Part 1".
In the episode "Mushroom Samba", Coffy uses a stylized Arwen 37 to fire on Shaft as he attempts to board the train.
Used again in the episode "Bohemian Rhapsody", Jonathan weilds a stylized Arwen 37 of the same design in order to threaten Hex, and later fires several rounds in crazed frustration.
In episode 20, "Pierrot Le Fou", Pierrot uses a fictional multi-barrel grenade launcher, somewhat similar in design to a Pepperbox Revolver. It has five barrels, staggered vertically, which seems like an odd design choice. Then again, it's possible that Pierrot designed it himself.
In the episode "Cowboy Funk", Cowboy Andy uses a Lever-Action Grenade Launcher during the chase with Teddy Bomber which appears to be at least stylistically based on a Winchester 1894.
The grenade launcher is fitted with a large lever loop (a-la Terminator 2). In a sequence very reminiscent of the film, Andy draws and flip-cocks the Launcher one handed while riding a horse.
In the episode "Ballad of Fallen Angels", Spike empites a paper bag full of M67 Hand Grenades onto a table while preparing to confront Vicious at the Church, later using them to dispatch several of his men.
Unlike the real M67 Grenade, these have grey bodies and no apparent markings.
Appearing in the episode "Toys in the Attic", Spike initially uses this flamethrower to roast some kebabs, but later turns it against an unknown creature incapacitating the crew.
This episode borrows heavily from Alien, and appears to be partially based on the M240 Flamethrower from its sequel Aliens, however the similarities are limited.
In the episode "Honky Tonk Women", the mobsters that capture Faye force her to surrender when they respond to her MP5K barrage by returning fire with a Hand Held GE M134 Minigun, decimating the Chinese pharmacy she was in.
In the episode "Honky Tonk Women", the mob-run casino ship can be seen armed with an M197 Vulcan mounted to the deck, which appears to have a futuristic version of the Raytheon Phalanx Close-In Weapon System.
In the episode "Pierrot Le Fou", the title character can be seen brandishing a fictional Cane Gun as his primary weapon, firing a massive number of shots (as opposed to real cane guns usually being loaded with only one round) and demonstrating incredible accuracy, he is able to shoot out the window of an armored car with a repeated barrage of bullets to the same spot.
Various weapons can be seen when Faye is held at gunpoint in the episode "Honky Tonk Women". Mad Pierrot displays an impressive arsenal hidden in his coat in the episode "Pierrot Le Fou" which he pulls several weapons from.
In the episode "Stray Dog Strut", an assortment of melee weapons, pistols, and rifles can be seen when Spike visits a gunshop looking for info after impressing the owner with his knowledge of nunchaku.
