Outlaw Star

Gene Starwind is a jack-of-all-trades responsible for odd jobs and bounty hunting with his partner, Jim Hawking. Stuck on a rundown planet, he’s going nowhere fast. But when a bodyguard job goes sideways, he finds himself the proud owner of the Outlaw Star and on an adventure to find the mysterious Galactic Leyline. Facing pirates and dangers galore, can he survive the journey through space?

Outlaw Star (1998-1999) is a Japanese animated space western series created by Takehito Ito and produced by Sunrise for TV Tokyo. Gene Starwind, a jack-of-all-trades bounty hunter voiced by Shigeru Shibuya, and his partner Jim Hawking, voiced by Rica Matsumoto, scrape by doing odd jobs on a rundown planet until a bodyguard job goes wrong and leaves Gene the owner of the Outlaw Star, a battered starship. Their engine is the search for the mysterious Galactic Leyline, a goal that keeps pulling them into pirate attacks, rival crews, and firefights across a frontier of distant worlds. Ayako Kawasumi voices Melfina, an android whose presence adds an emotional thread to the crew's rough living. Each of the twenty-six episodes mixes bounty missions, swordplay, dogfights, and gunfights with broader space-adventure momentum. The series is a single season of twenty-six episodes with a brisk, scrappy energy and a warm bond among its misfit crew. Fans of Cowboy Bebop, Firefly and Space Pirate Captain Harlock will find resonance in its blend of frontier grit, outlaw camaraderie, and retro-futuristic adventure.

Audiences rate the single season positively, valuing its space adventure energy, character dynamics and retro-futuristic action.

• Cowboy Bebopspace western tone, bounty hunter adventure, outlaw crew aboard a ship
• Space Pirate Captain Harlockspace opera adventure with pirates and a ship-based crew, lighthearted action
• Fireflyspace western frontier mood with gunfights and bounty hunting

Created by

Takehito Ito

Release Date

1998-01-09

Episode runtime

25 min

Rating

7.9 / 10 (62)

What is Outlaw Star about?

A scrappy bounty hunter and his partner inherit a starship and chase a mysterious Galactic Leyline through a dangerous frontier of pirates and rivals.

What is Outlaw Star like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Outlaw Star as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.

Is Outlaw Star violent?

Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Outlaw Star as mild.

What did critics think of Outlaw Star?

Audiences rate the single season positively, valuing its space adventure energy, character dynamics and retro-futuristic action.

Which shows are like Outlaw Star?

Shows with a similar feel include Cowboy Bebop, Space Pirate Captain Harlock, and Firefly.

How long is Outlaw Star?

Outlaw Star: 1 season, 26 episodes.

Is Outlaw Star still running?

No, Outlaw Star has ended.

Where can I watch Outlaw Star?

In United States, Outlaw Star is available to rent or buy from Apple TV Store.