Data Dog

Ein is the lovable, brilliant, and gutsy canine member of the Bebop crew. He is a Welsh Corgi breed. His first appearence was in Episode 2, where Spike obtained him accidently while chasing a bounty. Ein is a "data dog" created through illegal research experiments for a research firm. Highly intelligent and extremely valuable among collectors. Our protagonists don't know this, though, thinking he is common mongrel. Thus, Ein stays on board the Bebop as the ship pet, until Episode 24, Hard Luck Woman, where he leaves for further adventures with Ed.

Top 5 Reasons...

Despite being a dog, Ein does contributes to the awesomeness that is Cowboy Bebop. Here are my top 5 reasons why:

  1. Ein subtlely aids out his bounty hunting friends. One example of this is in Episode 23, Brain Scratch, where he hacks an elaborate computer network that even Ed was not able to get into.
  2. He helped out the popularity of the Corgi breed. Happy Corgi owners everywhere now have automatic names for their Corgis and appreciate their intelligence and companionship. These stumpy dogs were saved from the pound in droves. How many other anime series can say they helped our a canine breed this way?
  3. Ein perfectly compliments Edward. Only Ed understands Ein's true genius, and Ein rolls with Ed's seemingly insane behavior. Who knows what Ed would have been like if she didn't have Ein to balance her out.
  4. He contributes subtle humor, thus helping display the director's style. For instance, when the famished crew was fighting over one last piece of food. Ein waits patiently until the food rolls over to him, and eats it, making him the final victor with no hassle. Watanabe does tons of subtle touches in the show, something that is lost in our current in-your-face pop culture.
  5. Ein brings a sentimental connection to our entertainment. Many dog owners will tell you that they love their pets. Ein's presence in the show kind of brings resembles dogs' functions in real life. He does adorable things, he's often around but not overbearing (He's frequently in group scenes on the ship, like off to the side being cute), and when they're not there, something just feels like it's missing.