In this world, from ancient times, people were eaten by beings called "youma". For a long time, people lived without any means to counter them. However, a half-human, half-youma female warrior was born.... Female soldiers known as "Claymore" who, with silver eyes that can see through to the true form of "youma", and carry a large sword as a weapon, continue to battle those which people have named "youma".
The series features distinctively different main characters. The first two introduced in the series are Spike Spiegel and Jet Black . The two pilot their spaceship, the Bebop , and work as bounty hunters. Spike is a former member of the Red Dragon crime syndicate who is haunted by a past love triangle between his former syndicate partner, Vicious , and a mysterious woman named Julia . Jet is a former Inter-Solar System Police (ISSP) officer and the owner of the Bebop . Once called "The Black Dog" by his fellow officers for his relentless nature, he bears a cybernetic arm as constant reminder of what happened when he rushed into trouble without looking first. Like Spike, he is haunted by the memory of a woman: Alisa, his longtime girlfriend who left him without notice.