Page "Cowboy Bebop" Paragraph 32

Watanabe's main inspiration for Cowboy Bebop was Lupin III, a crime anime series from the late 1970s through the mid -' 80s.

Watanabe, however, made no secret that, in addition to Lupin III, the series paid subtle tribute to his favorite American films and series, which were shown in Japan during the 1970s and ' 80s including Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid ( the relationship between Spike and Jet ), Bruce Lee films ( Spike's martial-arts practice ), films with blues or jazz soundtracks ( the music of the series ), as well as Blaxploitation films ( the series has a very racially diverse supporting cast ).

Individual movies from Alien to Midnight Run were pastiched.