When Does “Cowboy Bebop” (1998) Take Place?
"Kaubōi Bibappu" (released to English-speaking audiences as "Cowboy Bebop") is a science fiction animated television series showran by Shinichirō Watanabe that released April 3rd, 1998. So when is "Cowboy Bebop" set?
It takes place in the year:
We know this because in episode twenty-one "Boogie Woogie Feng-Shuei" (1999), Jet Black’s old friend Pao Pu-Zi's gravestone says "2021 ~ 2071" and Pao died "3 days ago." (Episode twenty-one cannot be in January 2072 AD with Pao's death in December 2071 AD because the "3 days ago." occurred on or just before August 18th, 2071 AD based on a date we see on a piece of paper.)
2071 AD
We know this because in episode twenty-one "Boogie Woogie Feng-Shuei" (1999), Jet Black’s old friend Pao Pu-Zi's gravestone says "2021 ~ 2071" and Pao died "3 days ago." (Episode twenty-one cannot be in January 2072 AD with Pao's death in December 2071 AD because the "3 days ago." occurred on or just before August 18th, 2071 AD based on a date we see on a piece of paper.)
Furthermore, in episode twenty-three "Brain Scratch" (1999) when Jet reads from the medical file of Rosny Spanngen he says, ..."a medical accident 2 years ago at age 13." and the part of the medical file visible on the tablet-type device he's reading says: "Date of birth" next to "Fe. 7 2056" presumably representing February 7th, 2056 AD. So episode 23 also takes place in 2071 AD and the episodes appear to be sequential.
2,056 + 13 = 2,069
and
2,069 + 2 = 2,071.
More specifically, a few months within 2071 AD can be nailed down:
(-In episode eleven "Toys in the Attic" (1999), Ed says, "August 6th. Skyday!" Though Ed is pretty odd and tends to say all kinds of wild nonsensical things at the drop of a hat. It is possibly August of 2071 AD during this episode.)
-Episode sixteen "Black Dog Serenade" (1999) includes a spaceship dashboard screen labeled "PLANET JUPITER GATE MAP" which also, just below that label, reads "TIME CODE : 2071.7.7" probably representing July 7th, 2071 AD. Though just below that it says: "CHANGE TIME CODE", it stands to reason Jet and his former partner Fad are using this to figure out the current location of some escaped convicts. So it is presumably July of 2071 AD during this episode.
-Episode twenty-one "Boogie Woogie Feng-Shuei" shows us a print-out of an e-mail Jet gets from his recently-deceased friend just before his death and it reads "RECEIVED/AUG.18.3:16 PM" in the corner. So it's probably August of 2071 AD during this episode.
-Episodes twenty-three "Brain Scratch" to the final episode, twenty-six "The Real Folk Blues" Part 2 (1999), must take place after October of 2071 AD because they definitively take place after "Cowboy Bebop: The Movie" (2001), which ends on October 31st, 2071 AD. Other than that it isn't known how much time passes so we can't know exactly when they occur.
Additionally, episode fifteen "My Funny Valentine" (1999) reveals some of the personal backstory of Faye Valentine in two flashbacks. The episode opens with one short flashback featuring a cryogenic chamber. It is unplaceable other than being after the date on the chamber itself that reads "RECENT OPEN:2019.11.23", presumably representing November 23rd, 2019 AD, and before the larger flashback in 2068 AD. During this later, extended flashback the setting is clearly dated (a rare example) when Witney Hagas Matsumoto says, "Listen to me, the year is 2068." Later in the massive second flashback, a screen displays a series of financial records ending at "2067.12.05" representing December 5th, 2067 AD, meaning it must be after late 2067 AD. Then, in the 2071 AD main action of the episode Matsumoto says, "It's been over 3 years.", referring to their last interaction during the flashback. So it is 2068 AD.
2,071 - 3 = 2,068.
Also, multiple other episodes have quick mysterious flashbacks that are mostly unplaceable:
-All flashbacks throughout the series featuring Spike Spiegel's big mysterious 'death' before he ever met Jet are never perfectly clearly dated but during episode five "Ballad of Fallen Angels" his old friend Annie says, "No, you died 3 years ago!" So we can assume all these flashbacks with the falling roses and the big fight to also happen in 2068 AD.
2,071 - 3 = 2,068.
-Gren’s two flashbacks and Vicious’ single flashback to their shared military past in episode thirteen “Jupiter Jazz” Part 2 (1999) are essentially unplaceable.
-The two flashbacks revealing some of Jet's past in episode sixteen "Black Dog Serenade" are similarly unplaceable.
-There are also extremely tiny flashbacks in episode thirteen “Jupiter Jazz” Part 2 and in the final episode, twenty-six "The Real Folk Blues" Part 2, to Spike's life before his intense 'death' experience. Other than being before 2068 AD, these are also unplaceable.
