Cowboy Bebop Watch Order: The 26 Sessions, the Movie and Session XX

Watch the 26 sessions of Cowboy Bebop in number order. Add the film, Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' on Heaven's Door, either where the official site places it, between Session 22 and Session 23, or after Session 26 if you would rather watch in release order. That covers the TV series and the film. The recap sometimes listed as "Session XX" is optional, and the 2021 Netflix series is a separate live-action remake.

Cowboy Bebop in order

Order	Title	Format	Notes
1	Sessions 1–22	TV anime (1998–1999)	Asteroid Blues to Cowboy Funk
2	Knockin' on Heaven's Door	Film (Japan, September 1, 2001)	Officially set between Sessions 22 and 23
3	Sessions 23–26	TV anime	Brain Scratch to The Real Folk Blues Part II
Optional	Recap episode ("Session XX")	1998 TV Tokyo broadcast	Not one of the 26 sessions
Separate	Cowboy Bebop (live-action)	Netflix, 10 episodes (2021)	Remake, not part of the anime's story

Where the film fits

Here there is an official answer. The official Cowboy Bebop site describes the film as an original theatrical work positioned between TV episodes 22 and 23, and says it follows the Bebop crew through an incident on Mars. Session 22 is Cowboy Funk and Session 23 is Brain Scratch, according to Anime News Network's episode list.

That placement is about where the story sits, not a requirement to pause the series. The film opened in Japan on September 1, 2001, after the full TV run had finished, so watching it after Session 26 follows release order. Either choice works for a first viewing. The order we suggest is the official one, because it is the placement the official site states.

The film has two English names. ANN's entry lists it as Cowboy Bebop: The Movie and notes that "The name for the North American release was changed in order to avoid intellectual rights infringements issues in relation to Bob Dylan's 'Knocking On Heavens Door.'" If you see either title, it is the same film.

The film is also returning to Japanese cinemas: the official site's 25th-anniversary page announces a 4K remaster screening nationwide in Japan from October 30, 2026 (checked October 7, 2026).

What "Session XX" actually is

Cowboy Bebop's first broadcast was incomplete, and the recap episode comes from that run. Sunrise's own catalog page lists the TV Tokyo broadcast as 13 episodes, from April 3 to June 26, 1998. Its 13 subtitles begin with Stray Dog Strut and end with a 13th episode titled 「よせあつめブルース」 (Yoseatsume Blues, which translates roughly as "Hodgepodge Blues"; the translation is ours). The same page lists the full 26-episode series separately, from October 23, 1998 to April 23, 1999.

ANN's encyclopedia explains the difference: "Cowboy Bebop was first broadcast on TV Tokyo with only 12+1 episodes (2, 3, 7-15, 18, plus a recap episode) and was later re-broadcast on WOWOW with the full 26 episodes." ANN's music credits label the recap "ep XX." That is the episode people mean by "Session XX."

It is a recap made for that partial broadcast, so it is not a missing session. The official site's story page lists Sessions 1 to 26 and the film, and does not list the recap. We could not confirm which current streaming services or disc sets outside Japan include it; if yours does, it can be skipped, or watched after Session 26.

The Netflix live-action series is separate

Netflix's live-action Cowboy Bebop was released on November 19, 2021 with 10 episodes, and ANN files it as a remake of the anime. It does not continue the anime or fill a gap in it, so it has no place in the order above. Watch it before, after or not at all.

After the last session

For language choices, see our Cowboy Bebop sub vs dub comparison. The Cowboy Bebop quote pages and best Cowboy Bebop quotes are better once you have met the crew, and the ending explained page is for after Session 26.