Ask John: Why Are Cowboys Popular in Anime?

Question:
A lot of anime I’ve seen recently has involved cowboys or had situations where the characters act like cowboys or are in Wild West type places. Cowboy Bebop, Trigun, Outlaw Star, and I’m sure there are more I just can’t think of. I thought the cowboy was the classic American hero and the samurai the Japanese one. What is the fascination with cowboys?

Answer:
I think you’ve answered your own question. Cowboys are popular in anime exactly because they are the classic American hero and represent the spirit of individuality, ruggedness and open frontier freedom. Japan simply does not have a native archetype that addresses this spirit of freedom and wide open possibility. The samurai represent the spirit of honor, duty and repressive convention- exactly the opposite of the American cowboy.

From the dusty hat and cloak and low-slung revolver of Tetsuro from the 1970s Galaxy Express to the free-wheeling Rio (whose very name sounds western) and rustic Western setting of the early 1980s Cream Lemon: Pop Chaser episode to recent cowboy and cowgirl characters in Labyrinth no Honoo and Miami Guns, and cowboy themes in Cowboy Bebop and Trigun, the association of the cowboy life with individualistic, free-spirited, constantly traveling anime characters has always remained constant.