As a hyperintelligent "data dog," Ein was more than just the cute pet of the Cowboy Bebop crew, but how exactly did he get to be so smart?

A mainstay of Cowboy Bebop, Ein the Corgi was just as much a crewmate of the Bebop as Spike, Jet, Faye, and Ed -- but what's the backstory explanation for how he got so smart? As the series begins, the crew of the Bebop consists only of bounty hunters Spike Spiegel and Jet Black, but they are gradually joined by Ein, Faye Valentine, and Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV. The whole gang is set to appear in Netflix's upcoming live-action Cowboy Bebop adaptation, the opening credits sequence of which even shows the beloved Welsh Corgi.

Ein first appears in episode 2 of the anime, "Stray Dog Strut," as a valuable "data dog" who has been stolen from a laboratory by a thief named Abdul Hakim. Spike and Jet pursue the resultant bounty on Hakim. When it doesn't pan out, they find themselves left with Ein but unaware of his special qualities. They ultimately decide to keep him, and he joins them on their journey before eventually departing with Radical Edward in episode 24, "Hard Luck Woman."

Throughout the Cowboy Bebop anime series, Ein is shown performing feats of exceptional intelligence (by Corgi standards and, occasionally, even by human standards as well), which are presumed to be the result of illegal experiments performed at the lab from which he was stolen. However, the specifics of this process and its exact results are never made entirely clear and seem to vary somewhat depending on the medium in question, with the manga delving more into the technology of it and even showing a virtual user interface in his brain that Ed can interact with. Regardless of his considerable skills, Ein is never able to communicate directly with humans. For what it's worth, he does, however, briefly exchange words with a cow.

Although Ein naturally comes to have a less prominent role in Cowboy Bebop than Faye Valentine or Radical Edward, he nevertheless has the distinction of being the first new member of the crew picked up by Spike and Jet in the series, with his indisputable cuteness undercutting the masculine energy of the ship at the time, while also being the first of a few passengers that the crew has to overcome their reluctance to welcome aboard. All the same, he never really gets a backstory episode to explain his quirks like the others do. Rather, instances of his abilities are left to stand on their own, either as comic relief (e.g., his ability to play shogi) or as integral plot mechanics (e.g., his ability to hack into the computer systems of a religious cult).

Despite its ineffably cool style, iconic moments of action, and beautifully realized futuristic 2071 setting, Cowboy Bebop was never afraid to be more offbeat, and Ein is emblematic of that willingness. His appearance also immediately offers an important narrative beat, because, despite being a canine, rescuing him gives the aloof Spike Spiegel an early "save the cat" moment, in which he can show the heroic nature that exists beneath his roguishness, a recurrent theme throughout for most of Cowboy Bebop's characters who aren't lucky enough to be "very good boys" with souped-up sci-fi brains.

Next: Why Cowboy Bebop Ended After Just 26 Episodes (Was It Cancelled?)