If you’ve somehow missed this show despite its meteoric rise to popularity, Cowboy Bebop tells the story of Spike Spiegel. A former hitman turned “cowboy” in a future in which mankind has colonized most of space, and established a contract-based bounty hunting force to supplement the Inter Solar Space Police. Partnered with his former officer friend, Jet Black, the pair scour the galaxy for big scores and pick up a few more members of their rag tag bounty hunting outfit, including damaged vixen Faye Valentine, socially awkward savant Edward, and a genius Corgi.

The show utilizes a non-linear form of storytelling, with episodes often taking a “case of the week” style arc influenced heavily by different genres of music, which makes it perfect to hop on at any time, just like Heavy Object. Peppered throughout is the overarching plot involving Spike’s rival, Vicious, a member of Spike’s former crime syndicate and rival in a deadly love triangle. The action is as stylish as it is visceral, whether it’s a high-speed chase through the farthest reaches of space, or the bone-crunching kung-fu taking place on the ground. Episodes encompass a wide variety of mature themes, but comedic beats prove the show doesn’t take itself too seriously, which will make fans of Heavy Object feel right at home. Like other entries on the list, when the credits roll, it’s the characters you’ll be thinking about after.