Summary
Quick Links
Cowboy Bebopfans have reason to be excited about the 2025 Spring anime season, as the latest series from renowned directorShinichiro Watanabewill debut in April — and, so far, every trailer looks great.
While this new anime is not officially related toCowboy Bebop, there are reasons to believe that it may end up giving fans some nice treats. And, surely, after going through a highly divisive Netflix live-action adaptation, Watanabe fans deserve a little joy.
What is Lazarus Plot Premise?
Lazarusstarts in 2052, when Dr. Skinner (perhaps based on the real B. F. Skinner) discovers a true panacea, a drug that can cure all diseases. But there is a catch: three years later, in 2055, Skinner makes a dreadful announcement. The half-life of this drug is three years, and everyone who has taken it will soon die. Then, he vanishes.
A task force is appointed to find Dr. Skinner and produce a vaccine for this terrible drug. The name of the team? Lazarus. Just like the biblical one (but since this is Watanabe, it may also be an homage to David Bowie’sLazarusalbum, which, in turn, was inspired by the biblical Lazarus).
The main character is Axel, a guy from Brazil who practices parkour and has been arrested many times, becoming sort of a prison celebrity. He is part of the Lazarus team. Other characters include:
Lazarus Main Animation Staff
It’s not just Watanabe,Lazarusis produced by a great team. Watanabe is the main director, but he is not the only head writer. He’s counting on three other people to write the scripts:
Furthermore, the action sequences of the series were designed bynone other thanJohn Wickdirector,Chad Stahelski.Watanabesaid in an interviewthat he is really glad to be able to work with Stahelski. He also added that he would be interested in working with Billie Eilish, just in case she is reading.
Sola Entertainment(The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim) is producing the series, andMAPPA(Jujutsu Kaisen) is handling the animation.
Lazarus Release Date and Where to Watch
Lazaruswill be releasedin the US on June 14, 2025, at midnight (likely ET, that is 9:00 PM PT). Unlike most anime, it will be broadcast onAdult Swim’s Toonami blocksimultaneously with the Japanese schedule. Well, actually, a few hours ahead of the Japanese broadcast.
Typically,Adult Swim exclusive seriesare added to MAX either a few hours or a day after they air on TV. So, those who don’t have access to Adult Swim or live outside the US will likely be able to watch the series on MAX starting April 6. However, apparently, only dubbed episodes will be available at first, and the subbed version will hit the service a month later:
The series is confirmed tohave a total of 13 episodes, andproduction is reportedly completed. If there are no delays during the broadcast,it should air from April 6 to June 29.
Is Lazarus Related to Cowboy Bebop?
Watanabe has also stated that he plans his seriesas if they are all set in the same universe. This means that not only wasLazarusconceived as taking place in the same universe asCowboy Bebop, but alsoSamurai Champloo, Space Dandy, Carole & Tuesday and Terror in Resonanceare all set at different times in the same timeline.
Some fans had previously speculated about this possibility, since there are a few common elements in many of these series. Most notably, in most, if not in all of them, the existing currency is called Woolong (probably the longest lasting currency ever created).
In the case ofCowboy Bebop, this is especially important becauseLazarusis set in 2055, andCowboy Beboptakes place in 2071, meaning these two series are roughly 20 years apart in the same timeline. WhileLazarusis not marketed as a prequel toCowboy Bebop,we may see a few familiar faces, like younger versions of characters that appear inBebop.
Anyway, for those who just like to enjoy his works as standalone products, it’s easy to just ignore this information and watch them all as standalone series. References toBebopinLazarus, if there are any, probably won’t be a key part of the story, considering how Watanabe usually works.
