It took nearly a whole season, but hacking prodigy Edward — otherwise known as Radical Ed — is officially entering the Bebop universe. In the season finale of the live-action Netflix adaptation of Cowboy Bebop, we are finally introduced to the mysterious red-haired teen, who ceremoniously entered while shouting at an unconscious Spike Spiegel (John Cho) — and it was just the sort of irritating younger sibling behavior fans of the 1998 anime will remember of Radical Ed. At age 14, actor Eden Perkins plays the role of Edward, and as fans of the original anime already know, there’s a lot more to come for this character. 

But first, let’s start with Radical Ed’s origins as an anime icon. In the original Bebop storyline, Edward is a colorfully eccentric, mischievous character known for referring to herself in the third person. She is also a staple of the show’s arc as the universe’s ultimate hacker. 

Ed injects a bit more innocence into the Bebopverse — a space filled with damaged souls, sardonic banter, and unresolved traumas. Her quirks — the child-like speech patterns, nursery rhymes, and constant... barefootedness — are what make Edward a memorable character. But, they also disguise her hacking expertise. In the anime rendition, by the age of 13, Ed transforms into an accomplished hacker whose near-mythic status plays a crucial role in the Bebop universe. 

The Bebop crew first meets Edward while investigating a case of someone — or something — vandalizing Earth’s surface in episode 9 of the original anime ("Jamming With Edward!"). In this universe, many Earth-bound humans have launched supercomputers into space to make outside contact due to a cataclysmic disaster that made Earth nearly uninhabitable. Edward is among the hackers taking advantage of those computers, using her skills to follow the Bebop’s movements in the hopes of joining the crew.  

That’s when she strikes a deal: If Edward can help deliver the vandal to them, she earns herself a spot in the crew. And Edward’s legendary tech savvy enables her to do just that. Throughout her time with the squad, she helps secure information on bounties while hacking into computer systems whenever needed. 

In a 2005 interview with Anime News Network, Cowboy Bebop character designer and animation director Toshihiro Kawamoto explained that Ed was originally conceived as a boy computer hacker, but, over time, director Shinichirō Watanabe switched the character to a girl. But Watanabe said in a later interview that the character’s gender is “meaningless,” and that, in fact, the character has no gender at all.

“I wanted to create a character that surpasses humanity. I personally think that he might not even be human, someone from outer space,” Watanabe told IGN in 2017. 

While fans await the return of Radical Ed, we sat down with Perkins for the Cowboy Bebop edition of “Unlocked,” where the actor shared with us what it was like to take on Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky the IV (aka Radical Ed): 

Who is Radical Ed?

Ed is such an amazing character. She’s just so incredibly lively, and she just brings energy wherever she goes. Looking at all the scenes of the anime of Ed, she’s just so cool — I really relate to her actually, and it was just so exciting being cast as her. 

She's a fan favorite from the anime. What is your favorite Ed scene from the original series?

One of my favorite moments from the anime is definitely when there’s a bounty [head] on the Bebop. And he is being very mean to Ein, and Ed just comes down and thunks him on the head and starts biting him. It’s truly amazing. 

What was the experience like getting into the Ed costume for the first time? 

Getting into costume for the first time — it’s so cool. I love the costume so much. It’s very free and movable, I suppose, which suits Ed very much. And the wig is so cool. It’s so spiky, and I desperately want to touch it. But I don’t, ’cause otherwise it will mess it up. But it’s such a cool costume. 

You only shot for one night for your scene in Season 1, but it must have been a wild experience entering the set for the first time. Can you tell us what that was like?

When I finally got to be on set, it was incredible. The sets are so cool, and, at night, it’s like a completely different atmosphere. It was very cold, but it was amazing. And everyone is so very lovely — I got to act with John Cho, which was cool. It was such an amazing experience. 

What are you most excited for fans to know about Ed in Cowboy Bebop?

I’m so excited [for] people to get to know Ed. She’s just such a cool character, and even though there’s only one scene, she packs a punch of personality.