Spike Spiegel is a cynical, incredibly laid-back bounty hunter who lives by a philosophy of going with the flow. He often acts indifferent to danger, famously stating that he is just living a dream he can't wake up from. Despite his relaxed attitude, he is a deadly martial artist who practices Jeet Kune Do, an expert marksman with his Jericho 941 pistol, and an ace pilot behind the controls of his Swordfish II starfighter. His carefree persona masks a dark history as a former hitman for the Red Dragon Crime Syndicate.

Jet Black is the mature, practical captain of the Bebop who serves as the grounded father figure for the chaotic crew. He is the one who keeps the spaceship repaired, cooks the meals, and finds peace tending to his beloved bonsai trees. Jet is a physically imposing brawler and a highly resourceful investigator with deep connections in the underworld. Before becoming a bounty hunter, he was a dedicated detective for the Inter Solar System Police known as the "Black Dog." He quit the force in disgust after losing his left arm to a corrupt partner and being abandoned by his lover, Alisa, replacing his missing limb with a mechanical cybernetic arm.

Faye Valentine is a fierce, cynical con artist who uses a flirtatious and arrogant exterior to protect herself from being hurt. She loves gambling, drinking, and spending money, often abandoning the crew when things get too personal out of fear of being left behind first. In combat, she is a skilled pilot in her Red Tail fighter ship and a highly capable gunslinger. Faye’s selfish behavior stems from deep trauma; she spent 54 years in cryogenic freeze after a terrible accident. When she woke up with total amnesia, she was immediately scammed into inheriting an astronomical medical debt, forcing her to become a fugitive survivor with no memory of her true identity.

Radical Edward is an eccentric, hyperactive teenage computer hacker who walks on all fours, speaks in riddles, and ignores normal human boundaries. Despite her bizarre, childlike antics, Ed is a world-class hacking prodigy capable of breaching the galaxy's most secure networks using her custom computer, "Tomato." She grew up roaming the wasteland of Earth on her own after being accidentally left at an orphanage by her eccentric, map-making father. She eventually tracked down the Bebop crew using her hacking skills and joyfully forced her way onto the ship to join their adventures.

Ein is a genetically enhanced Welsh Corgi, known as a "data dog," who possesses human-level intelligence. While the human crew mostly treats him like an ordinary pet, Ein frequently displays incredible smarts by hacking websites with his mind, answering phones, playing chess, and understanding human speech perfectly. He shares a close, playful bond with Ed, who is the only crew member who truly recognizes his brilliance. Ein originally escaped from a top-secret research laboratory and was picked up by a petty thief before Spike accidentally adopted him during a chaotic bounty hunt.