The trailer for the live-action Netflix adaptation of Cowboy Bebop has just made the anime's creepiest villain so much worse. Of course, that villain is none other than Mad Pierrot. Though only appearing in one episode in the original anime series, he left enough of an impression to be regarded as one of Cowboy Bebop's most iconic villains.

Introduced in the "Pierrot Le Fou" episode, Mad Pierrot opens the episode killing a group of men, which Spike bears witness to. This makes him a target of Pierrot. While Spike is contending with Pierrot, Jet has Ed hack into encrypted files that reveal what happened to Pierrot. As the subject of various experiments, Pierrot gained superhuman abilities, such as levitation and the ability to deflect bullets with force fields. These experiments, however, also deteriorated his mind to the point where he went on a killing spree once he got out, while his psyche only continued to regress into an increasingly unstable state.

Based on the trailer, the live-action Cowboy Bebop seems set to make Mad Pierrot even creepier than he already was. No doubt, this largely boils down simply to the change in format. Seeing a real person do such outlandish things as levitating and deflecting bullets while going on a gleeful killing spree makes for what could be a truly terrifying experience, especially as compared to the more inherently "cartoonish" format of anime. Beyond that, though, there's more to the character that explains why a live-action adaptation could make Pierrot creepier than how he's already established in the anime.


In addition to his superhuman abilities, what makes Mad Pierrot such a terrifying villain for Cowboy Bebop is the sheer joy he gets from killing, as well as the mystery surrounding his character. Like Cowboy Bebop's other iconic villain, Vicious, there isn't a lot established about Pierrot aside from a few glimpses into his backstory. Beyond the flashbacks viewers see regarding the experiments he endures, there's nothing else known about the character. Not even Spike seems interested in learning more about him because of how disturbed he has become due to his ordeal with Pierrot.

What's more, Jet makes a point that Pierrot has continued killing because he enjoys it. At first, killing for Pierrot is about getting free and gaining revenge on the scientists who experimented on him. After that, though, it becomes as natural as breathing to him. These elements of the character add to his creepiness, so it's plausible to imagine that the Netflix adaptation will rework these elements to fit the live-action format while remaining faithful to the anime.

Netflix's Cowboy Bebop adaptation seems set to be making changes to the anime, and one of those could be making Mad Pierrot even creepier than his counterpart. If done well, this could make for a truly terrifying and memorable episode in the Netflix series. Whether the showrunners will add more backstory and motivation remains to be seen, but what viewers and fans have seen so far is enough to have them eagerly awaiting Mad Pierrot's live-action debut in Netflix's Cowboy Bebop.