In the decades-long tradition of anime, few have come close to matching Cowboy Bebop — whether in terms of narrative, animation, musical score, or even the densely cultivated character arcs. In fact, it happens to be one of Netflix's attempts at live-action conversion, but it's going to take a lot of effort to maintain the various peculiarities that the anime is beloved for.
Though it wrapped itself up in a single season of 26 episodes (and a movie that covered a few gaps in between), the characters have left a powerful impression on anyone who watches Cowboy Bebop, even today. The MBTI® system is ideal in terms of evaluating their personalities, and the associated quirks, as shown below.
10 Ed - ISFP (The Artist)
The Artist is one of the most introverted subtypes, choosing their friends carefully and wisely rather than being a social butterfly. Ed falls under this category, given her refusal to associate herself with anyone but the Bebop crew (unless she's trying to fleece someone.)
She is action-oriented, and would rather test out possibilities in real life rather than rifle through them for eons within her mind. Ed might be reserved, but she shows no bigotry towards the people she encounters; the only thing she respects is intelligence.
9 Spike Spiegel - ENFP (The Champion)
Spike is great at what he does, the only problem is that he loves doing it a little too much. However, nobody complains for too long, since he is the Champion after all.
Spike is rarely interested in things he considers of low importance and prefers to laze around the ship than help Jet, to the latter's constant frustration. He is averse to following habits or routines; instead, he does whatever he has to do on the spur of the moment, no warning bells attached.
8 Chessmaster Hex - ISTP (The Crafter)
In the episode "Bohemian Rhapsody", Edward plays CosmoNet Chess against an impossibly brilliant competitor, the genius programmer known only by his pseudonym, Chessmaster Hex. As a Crafter, he loves finding solutions to the problems before him, which is evident considering his role in developing the Hyperspace Gate Project.
Hex is far too smart for his employers — when he finds out that they have mismanaged his operation, he creates a code-hack in the system to permit criminals (half a century in the future) to take control of the toll booths.
7 Lin & Shin - ESFP (The Performers)
The Performers are bound to the present, in that they can lose sight of the potential ramifications of their deeds. More importantly, ESFPs are far more reckless than they need to be, a trait that has unfortunate consequences in this case.
The brothers, Lin and Shin, are definitely of this subtype: Lin is a rash Red Dragon Crime Syndicate member who proudly takes a bullet for his idol, Vicious; and Shin helps Spike reach his enemy, but loses his life in the process.
6 Vicious - ESTJ (The Director)
Being the Director, Vicious cannot see past the dreams he has for himself, and for the amassing of power. He believes that he is a revolutionary, simply because he takes down the previous Syndicate and places himself as its supreme leader.
What Vicious does not realize is that his "hatred" of tradition and rules is a facade created by his own psyche, so he can reproduce an identical hierarchy to the one he has just destroyed (but this time asserting that things will be different without the "Van's Code."
5 Jet Black - INFP (The Mediator)
It is a given that Jet Black, the kindly soul that literally holds the Bebop together, is a Mediator. He is a highly fastidious creature, taking great care in almost all of his daily tasks, but he shines brightest when he delicately cultivates his bonsai.
Jet rarely allows himself to develop permanent bonds with people, but when he does, they are nigh unbreakable. He mostly spends his time trying to keep Spike and Faye away from each other, given their aggressive hatred (?), proving his roles as the Mediator.
4 Julia - ESFJ (The Caregiver)
The Caregiver obtains the greatest satisfaction when they protect others, more so when the person in question is dear to them. This is clear from the fact that Julia protects and nurtures a seriously wounded Spike, regardless of how Vicious might react to her "betrayal."
She is far from being a doormat, though, seeing as she refuses to help Vicious when he commands her to assassinate Spike. In the end, her sacrifice shapes the final course of the series, yet another line of evidence supporting her Caregiving nature.
3 Ein - INTP (The Thinker)
Obviously Ein is The Thinker — his name is short for Einstein. He is quite unlike a dog, but this is mainly because of the copious amounts of information stored in his consciousness.
Ein is extremely adept at analyzing data, and almost always finds an explanation for whatever the Bebop crew usually face (before they do, even!) His introverted qualities are the reason he likes Ed more than anyone else, as he decides to follow her on her new journey, abandoning the Bebop saga without a single worry.
2 Faye Valentine - ESTP (The Persuader)
As a Persuader, Faye is skilled at manipulating her way across the galaxy, leaving behind furious enemies in her wake. She is clearly intelligent and knows exactly how to extract information (or money) from a number of inane men.
Faye does display a degree of impulsive behavior, which doesn't necessarily create more complications for her, considering her multiple talents. In classic Persuader form, she has no inclination for planning her moves beforehand when she can reach her goals via spontaneous last-minute decisions.
1 The Three Old Men - ENTP (The Debaters)
Among the various offbeat characters that populate the show, the most eccentric are the Three Old Men, Antonio, Carlos, and Jobin. They sit around in assorted bars and restaurants, usually in the background, where they argue about their best years (being farmers, air force pilots, space-time engineers, as well as bounty hunters.)
These three men are typical Debaters, seeing as their discussions never really lead anywhere but, in fact, only happen for their own sake. There is no purpose, no rationalization that one can assign them: they take pleasure in the simple act of being.