Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivruski IV is a child prodigy who has a skill in hacking. Born on January 1, 2058, Edward was left at a daycare center after the father forgot to pick up his child. Edward was left with no choice but to stay in the orphanage for two years.
The androgenous character was added to the Bebop crew to find out more about the bounties and to help crack computer systems. Edward’s skill was an advantage to the crew in terms of tracking down creatures and researching people’s names. The androgynous appearance often confused people about Edward’s gender.
Cowboy Bebop: What Is Edward’s Gender?
click to enlargeDespite having a manly name, Edward is a female. She was born as a female and is referred to as her and she pronouns. She first appeared in episode nine when Spike, Jet, and Faye were tracking down Radical Edward, a known hacker. Ed eventually teamed up with the Bebop crew to eliminate the MPU Satellite.
Even Ed considers herself as a female. In episode 17, she says that she is a cowgirl. Another instance is when she corrected the drag queen in Cowboy Bebop: The Movie who assumed that she was a boy. Despite all the obvious hints about Ed’s gender, Watanabe said in an interview with IGN in 2017 that Ed “is a character that surpasses humanity” which explains why Ed was exempted in the pattern of having two men with one-woman team.
In the live-action, the role was given to Eden Perkins who is a non-binary actor. Perkins refers to the character with female pronouns which adds to the fact that Edward is considered a female character. Some fans do not see Ed’s gender as an issue because Ed is still Ed regardless. The character has been loved by many because of her happy-go-lucky and intelligent personality.
She might be childlike at times, but her resourceful and bubbly personality is entertaining and lovable. Everyone can agree that Ed is the primary source of humor in the series with her eccentric behavior so by the end of the day, whether Ed is a female or a male, fans will still love her the same.
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