There are about six main characters in the live-action version of Cowboy Bebop. There are the three crewmates of the Bebop: Jet, Spike, and Faye. Then there is the villain of the show, Vicious, who is accompanied by Spike’s long-lost love interest, Julia. Most of the characters are teased in the intro to the show.
The other main character could be argued to be Ana who runs the nightclub on Mars. Ana, or Annie as she was called in the anime, gets a much larger role in the Netflix version. Annie only appeared twice in the anime. Ein could also be called a main character although he is just a dog. It’s hard to get something like that wrong. So from the worst interpretation to the best, let’s rank these characters out in full spoiler mode for the live-action Cowboy Bebop.
6 Vicious
Vicious is supposed to be a calm, collected, and calculated ruthless killer without feelings. He has none of those qualities in the live-action version. He does his characteristic bloodlust, but they also made him abusive to Julia. It’s a bit hard to watch. That’s not really what he is all about.
They also made Vicious related to one of the elders whose name is Caliban. Vicious is abused by Caliban in an attempt to try and get viewers to have sympathy for the demon. It doesn’t work or at least it shouldn’t. He is supposed to be a true villain and for anime, that’s okay to have sometimes. Not every villain needs to have a tragic backstory to make them compelling.
5 Julia
Julia is also very different. In the anime, she is like a mystery. All viewers know throughout most of the anime is that Spike has strong ties with her and is on a never-ending hunt to find or avenge her. It’s never quite clear until she appears in the second to last episode. She has been evading the Syndicate for many years.
This shows that she is quite capable of taking care of herself besides her impressive driving skills. The live-action version is shown right away, which gets rid of the mystery. The biggest problem is that she is presented as a weak character. She cowers before Vicious with whom she's now married. That is, until the end of season one which truly is a stab to the heart for many fans of Julia.
4 Jet
The biggest difference in Jet’s character is his child. Fans can then deduce that Jet had a lover. He was married but the relationship fell apart when Jet went to jail because he was framed for something he didn’t do. This is tied into the episode in the anime about Udai. He was the criminal that led to Jet’s arm being taken away.
Fad, his ex-partner, was still in on it too in the live-action version so at least that part of his backstory matches up with the anime. He also still likes jazz music, maybe even more so than the anime. Jet’s personality is also pretty close although making him an absentee father does soften up his image quite a bit. On a final note, Jet is missing his Hammerhead ship. This may be a small detail for some but for others, this was a huge loss in the live-action version.
3 Ana
As previously mentioned, Ana is the replacement for Annie in the anime. She is also known by Anastasia but that is an old name tied to the Syndicate. When Spike calls her that she is not pleased. In the anime, Annie runs a small bodega. She’s also only in two episodes so her role is minimal to put it lightly. The live-action version freshens up her image a bit.
She now runs a successful club on Mars with Gren, who was also a smaller character in the anime. She’s not exactly tied to the Syndicate anymore but she can’t say she has zero either. The additions made to her are quite welcomed since she wasn’t much of a character before. The live-action show gets her right thematically as sort of a go-to for Spike when he needs Syndicate related help. That’s all fans could have hoped for.
2 Faye
Faye is mostly the same character in a sense. She still has a problem with authority and the live-action series begins with her untrusting of others. She can’t stand the idea of working with Spike and Jet. She even steals Ein and Spike’s Swordfish. About halfway through the season, all three members of the Bebop crew develop a close familial bond. It was a bit odd to see Spike and Faye so close especially. Now, her untrusting nature is tied to her amnesia.
She wakes up from a cryogenic slumber only to be duped of her identity by a man named Whitney in the anime. In the live-action version, Whitney is a woman who acted like Faye’s mother before she scammed her out of her identity. A new character is added to this mix, The Iron Mink, who is Whitney’s lover and also an arm’s dealer. Finally, Faye might be bisexual which is new. Her sexuality isn’t explored much in the anime but her relationship with Mel still feels unique.
1 Spike
John Cho nails Spike within an 80% range of accuracy. His hair isn’t as poofy, or green, like in the anime. Cho is a bit older than Spike and isn’t as tall. Still, he fits that suit well and carries that nonchalant swagger from the anime. His introduction in the live-action show might be his best scene. Listening to headphones before kicking the teeth out of dozens of bounties was a treat.
There are some questionable changes like the other characters though. Spike Spiegel is a cover name. In the Syndicate, he was known as Fearless. When he “died” he changed his name to hide from Vicious and the rest of the Syndicate. Spike also doesn’t lose his eye in his first death which is a big part of his character in the anime. He always talked about seeing the past and present at the same time. Spike also doesn’t have a hatred for pets, kids, or women with attitudes.