27 Years Later, 'Cowboy Bebop's Greatest Quote Still Haunts Me

Few anime remain as effortlessly quotable as Cowboy Bebop. Nearly three decades after its debut, so many iconic lines have lingered long after the credits rolled, from Jet Black's weary observation that “the past is the past” to Faye Valentine's bitter reminder that “you know the first rule of combat?” — and even the devastating promise of “whatever happens, happens.” Shinichirō Watanabe's 1998 space western understands that its coolest moments were often hiding something much sadder underneath. Every joke, cigarette, gunfight, and late-night conversation carries the feeling that these characters are trying to outrun something they can't leave behind. And nobody embodies that contradiction better than Spike Spiegel.