# Spy × Family (TV series)

Spy × Family (stylized as SPY×FAMILY and pronounced "spy family") [X in Japan is a symbol for "meets"] is a Japanese anime television series based on the manga series of the same name by Tatsuya Endo. The series broadcasts on TV Tokyo in Japan. It has been streamed by Crunchyroll outside of Asia. The series is distributed by Muse Communication in the rest of the Asia-Pacific region. It follows master spy Twilight, who must disguise himself as psychiatrist Loid Forger and build a mock family in order to investigate political leader Donovan Desmond. Unbeknownst to him, his wife, Yor, is actually an assassin known as the Thorn Princess, while his daughter, Anya, has telepathic abilities.
The series received critical acclaim for its storytelling, comedy, action sequences, characters, animation, voice acting, and world-building, as well as numerous awards, including Animation of the Year at the Tokyo Anime Award Festival. A feature film based on the series, Spy × Family Code: White, was released in Japan in December 2023 to positive reviews.

## Episodes

| Season | Episodes | Episodes | Originally released | Originally released |
| Season | Episodes | Episodes | First released | Last released |
| 1 | 25 | 12 | 9 April 2022 (2022-4-9) | 25 June 2022 (2022-6-25) |
| 1 | 25 | 13 | 1 October 2022 (2022-10-1) | 24 December 2022 (2022-12-24) |
| 2 | 12 | 12 | 7 October 2023 (2023-10-7) | 23 December 2023 (2023-12-23) |
| 3 | TBA | TBA | October 2025 (2025-10) | TBA |

## Cast and characters

| Character | Japanese | English |
| Main characters |||
| Loid Forger (ロイド・フォージャー, Roido Fōjā) / Twilight (黄昏, Tasogare) | Takuya Eguchi | Alex Organ |
| Anya Forger (アーニャ・フォージャー, Ānya Fōjā) | Atsumi Tanezaki | Megan Shipman |
| Yor Forger (ヨル・フォージャー, Yoru Fōjā) née Briar (ブライア, Buraia) / Thorn Princess (いばら姫, Ibara Hime) | Saori Hayami | Natalie Van Sistine |
| Bond Forger (ボンド・フォージャー, Bondo Fōjā) | Kenichirou Matsuda | Tyler Walker |
| Secondary characters |||
| Franky Franklin (フランキー・フランクリン, Furankī Furankurin) | Hiroyuki Yoshino | Anthony Bowling |
| Sylvia Sherwood (シルヴィア・シャーウッド, Shiruvia Shāuddo) / Handler (管理官（ハンドラー）, Handorā) | Yūko Kaida | Stephanie Young |
| Henry Henderson (ヘンリー・ヘンダーソン, Henrī Hendāson) | Kazuhiro Yamaji | Barry Yandell |
| Yuri Briar (ユーリ・ブライア, Yūri Buraia) | Kensho Ono (adult) Mirei Kumagai (young) | Dallas Reid (adult) Sarah Wiedenheft (young) |
| Damian Desmond (ダミアン・デズモンド, Damian Dezumondo) | Natsumi Fujiwara | Caitlin Glass |
| Becky Blackbell (ベッキー・ブラックベル, Bekkī Burakkuberu) | Emiri Katō | Dani Chambers |
| Fiona Frost (フィオナ・フロスト, Fiona Furosuto) / Nightfall (夜帷, Tobari) | Ayane Sakura | Lindsay Seidel |
| Narrator | Kenichirou Matsuda | Ben Phillips |
| Supporting characters |||
| Camilla (カミラ, Kamira) | Umeka Shōji | Morgan Lauré |
| Millie (ミリー, Mirī) | Manaka Iwami | Katelyn Barr |
| Sharon (シャロン, Sharon) | Mirei Kumagai | Leah Clark |
| Dominic (ドミニック, Dominikku) | Shōhei Kajikawa | Jordan Dash Cruz |
| Emile Elman (エミール・エルマン, Emīru Eruman) | Hana Sato | Macy Anne Johnson |
| Ewen Egeburg (ユーイン・エッジバーグ, Yūin Ejjibāgu) | Haruka Okamura | Michelle Rojas |
| Shopkeeper (店長, Tenchō) | Junichi Suwabe | Jim Foronda |
| Donovan Desmond (ドノバン・デズモンド, Donoban Dezumondo) | Takaya Hashi | John Burgmeier |
Notes
* ↑ Bryn Apprill temporarily replaced Megan Shipman for the role of Anya Forger in season 2.
* ↑ Bryn Apprill temporarily replaced Lindsay Seidel for the role of Fiona in season 1, episode 21.
* ↑ Kenichirou Matsuda also voices Bond Forger.

## Production
### Season 1

Produced by Wit Studio and CloverWorks, the first season of Spy × Family was broadcast on TV Tokyo in 25 episodes divided into two parts. The first part, consisting of 12 episodes, aired from 9 April to 25 June 2022, and the second part, the last 13 episodes, aired from 1 October to 24 December 2022. The first season was directed by Kazuhiro Furuhashi, with music by (K)now Name, character designs by Kazuaki Shimada, while Kazuaki Shimada and Kyoji Asano are chief animation directors. It was first announced in October 2021.
Following the chapter naming practice of the original manga, the episode titles in the anime series are written as "Mission" with a number (e.g. "Mission 1", "Mission 2", etc.) which the counting continues to the subsequent seasons. This season adapts 38 main chapters of the manga, from Mission 1 to Mission 38, along with a couple of side stories: Extra Mission 1 and Short Mission 1 to 5.
The series is licensed for streaming by Crunchyroll outside of Asia, while it is distributed by Muse Communication in a selection of countries in Asia-Pacific.

### Season 2

In December 2022, a second season and a theatrical film were announced at the Jump Festa 2023 event. Ichirō Ōkouchi is replacing Furuhashi as scriptwriter, with the remaining staff and cast reprising their roles. The second season, consisting of 12 episodes, aired from 7 October to 23 December 2023.
The season is licensed for streaming by Crunchyroll outside of Asia, while it is distributed by Muse Communication in a selection of countries in Asia-Pacific.

### Season 3

On 9 June 2024, a third season was announced at the Spy × Family Anime Extra Mission special event. It is set to premiere in October 2025.

## Music

The music of the Spy × Family anime series was composed and produced by (K)now Name. The opening theme for the first part of the first season uses the song "Mixed Nuts" (ミックスナッツ, Mikkusu Natsu) by Official Hige Dandism and is directed by Masashi Ishihama; while the ending theme uses the song "Comedy" (喜劇, Kigeki) by Gen Hoshino and is directed by Atsushi Nishigori. The opening theme for the second part uses the song "Souvenir" by Bump of Chicken and is directed by Tetsurō Araki; while and the ending theme uses the song "Shikisai" (色彩, lit. "Color") by Yama and is directed by Takayuki Hirao. The second season's opening theme uses the song "Kura Kura" (クラクラ, lit. "Dizzy") by Ado and is directed by Masaaki Yuasa. The ending theme uses the song "Todome no Ichigeki" (トドメの一撃, lit. "Finishing Strike") by Vaundy (feat. Cory Wong) and is directed by Eugene Winter.
The music of the movie Spy × Family Code: White was also composed and produced by (K)now_Name. On 30 October 2023, the anime social media announced "Soulsoup" by Official Hige Dandism as the main theme song. On the premiere day, they revealed the song "Why" (光の跡, Hikari no Ato, lit. "Trail of Light"), performed by Gen Hoshino, was used for the ending theme.

## Home media release
### Japanese

Toho Animation (Japan – Region 2/A) :
| Volume | Volume | Episodes | Cover character | Release date |
| Season 1 | 1 | Mission 1–4 | Loid Forger | 20 July 2022 |
| Season 1 | 2 | Mission 5–8 | Anya Forger | 21 September 2022 |
| Season 1 | 3 | Mission 9–12 | Yor Forger | 16 November 2022 |
| Season 1 | 4 | Mission 13–16 | Bond Forger | 18 January 2023 |
| Season 1 | 5 | Mission 17–20 | Yuri Briar | 15 March 2023 |
| Season 1 | 6 | Mission 21–25 | Fiona Frost | 17 May 2023 |
| Season 2 | 1 | Mission 26–29 | Anya Forger, Damian Desmond & Becky Blackbell | 20 December 2023 |
| Season 2 | 2 | Mission 30–33 | Yor Forger, Loid Forger, Anya Forger & Bond Forger | 21 February 2024 |
| Season 2 | 3 | Mission 34–37 | Loid Forger, Anya Forger, Yor Forger, Yuri Briar & Fiona Frost | 17 April 2024 |

### English

Crunchyroll, LLC (North America – Region 1/A) :
| Volume | Volume | Episodes | Cover character | Release date |
| Season 1 | 1 | Mission 1–12 | Loid Forger, Anya Forger & Yor Forger (primary & alternate cover) | 9 August 2023 |
| Season 1 | 2 | Mission 13–25 | Loid Forger (primary cover) & Anya Forger (alternate cover) | 13 February 2024 |
| Season 2 | Season 2 | Mission 26–37 | Loid Forger, Anya Forger, Yor Forger & Bond Forger (primary cover) | 18 March 2025 |

## Reception
### Popularity

The anime had received high TV rating percentage since its release in April 2022, until the end of its first season. With the premiere of its second cour on 1 October 2022, Spy × Family sets a new record for TV Tokyo in time shift audience ratings. The president of TV Tokyo reveals that the series' second part was the "best among all programs on all stations for the July 2022 season", including the first episode of the second cour into July quarter's statistics. Its debut episode was the second most watched in Japanese streaming site. The series took second place in April and later rose and remained in the first place for the next three months (from May to July) in the Japanese monthly streaming rank lists and VOD rank lists, despite the fact that the anime stopped releasing new episodes in July.
Spy × Family has also started gaining mainstream popularity with a wide range of age groups, from children to adults. An official from Takara Tomy Arts said: "[the series] is popular among a wide range of people, just like Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. Anya is particularly popular. It is likely that there will be even more toys and goods in the future, including products for children." Anya's popularity led to Toho make a music video heavily featuring her. Additionally, a Tamagotchi involving Anya was released in June 2022.
In a survey conducted by FinT, Spy × Family and Anya were ranked first and fourth respectively, on the top trending things among Generation Z in Japan for 2022. In the same survey, "Anya likes peanuts" (アーニャピーナッツが好き) was the no. 1 trending phrase of the year in part due to a mash-up with the song "Renai Circulation" on TikTok.

### Critical response

The series has met critical acclaim. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the first season of Spy × Family holds an approval rating of 100% based on six reviews, with an average rating of 9/10. The reviewers of Anime News Network praised the first episode of the series. Caitlin Moore and James Beckett gave it a perfect score; Moore lauded the show for its "consistent sense of comic timing" which perfectly deliver each joke and calling it a "guaranteed crowd-pleaser and a solid choice for almost everyone," while Beckett wrote that the "breakout star of the show" is Anya though what made him won over the show is its heart. Nicholas Dupree noted that "[the show] operates in a very precarious space between a goofy comedy of coincidences and a serious spy thriller, where the result is a world that mostly runs on cartoon logic." Richard Eisenbeis described Anya as a "fantastic little character" while praising the anime for its characters and world-building. Rebecca Silverman, similar to all of her manga reviews, she called Anya as the "beating heart of the series" while praising the anime for its story and animation.
Kambole Campbell of Polygon noting about Twilight's parenthood to Anya. While the action isn't particularly flashy, Campbell found that the animation in those moments is quite pleasing, and the choreography is precise and snappy. Rafael Motamayor of IGN praised the show for its comedy, action, animation, characters, and poignant commentary on family and class. He also compare Anya to Baby Sinclair of the 1990s comedy series Dinosaurs, while stating that "Spy × Family manages to strike a great balance between commentary, drama, action, and slice-of-life comedy without undermining any of those respective elements in the process." Rebecca Silverman of Anime News Network listed Spy × Family as the best anime of 2022, stated that the story crafts a delightful and emotionally meaningful tale about one family wrapped up in all of this. Silverman also hailed Anya and Bond as the best characters of 2022, due to how wonderful they are as a person and the dog in which they represent the same sign that Anya gets to keep the family she desperately wants.

### Accolades

In 2022, Spy × Family won in the anime category while Anya Forger voice actress Atsumi Tanezaki won in the voice actor category of the Yahoo! Japan Search Awards, based on the number of searches for a particular term compared to the year before. Yor and Anya Forger were ranked fifth and tenth respectively, on the top 10 overall buzzwords list while the anime series was awarded the Pixiv Award at Japan's Internet Buzzword Awards. In 2023, the series received the award for Animation of the Year at the Tokyo Anime Award Festival. At the 7th Crunchyroll Anime Awards, Spy × Family was one of the three series to win the most awards with six; the series won in the categories: Best New Series, Best Comedy, Best Supporting Character and "Must Protect At All Costs" Character (Anya Forger), Best Ending Sequence ("Comedy"), and Best VA Performance – Portuguese (Nina Carvalho as Anya Forger). It was also nominated for twelve other categories, including Anime of the Year. It won the 2023 Excellence Award at Japan's 28th annual Association of Media in Digital (AMD) Awards. In June 2023, the anime series won the Character License Award at the Japan Character Awards by Japan's Character Brand Licensing Association (CBLA).

### Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
| 2022 | MTV Video Music Awards Japan | Best Group Video (Japan) | "Mixed Nuts" by Official Hige Dandism | Won |
| 2022 | 12th Newtype Anime Awards | Best Work (TV) | Spy × Family | 2nd place |
| 2022 | 12th Newtype Anime Awards | Best Character (Male) | Loid Forger | 3rd place |
| 2022 | 12th Newtype Anime Awards | Best Character (Female) | Anya Forger | 4th place |
| 2022 | 12th Newtype Anime Awards | Best Character (Female) | Yor Forger | 6th place |
| 2022 | 12th Newtype Anime Awards | Best Voice Actor | Takuya Eguchi | 5th place |
| 2022 | 12th Newtype Anime Awards | Best Voice Actress | Saori Hayami | 4th place |
| 2022 | 12th Newtype Anime Awards | Best Voice Actress | Atsumi Tanezaki | 5th place |
| 2022 | 12th Newtype Anime Awards | Best Theme Song | "Mixed Nuts" by Official Hige Dandism | 5th place |
| 2022 | 12th Newtype Anime Awards | Best Director | Kazuhiro Furuhashi | 5th place |
| 2022 | 12th Newtype Anime Awards | Best Character Design | Kazuaki Shimada | 2nd place |
| 2022 | 12th Newtype Anime Awards | Best Mascot Character | Anya Forger | Won |
| 2022 | 12th Newtype Anime Awards | Best Screenplay | Kazuhiro Furuhashi | 3rd place |
| 2022 | 12th Newtype Anime Awards | Best Soundtrack | (K)now Name | 3rd place |
| 2022 | Yahoo! Japan Search Awards | Anime Category | Spy × Family | Won |
| 2022 | Yahoo! Japan Search Awards | Voice Actor Category | Atsumi Tanezaki | Won |
| 2022 | IGN Awards | Best Anime Series | Spy × Family | Nominated |
| 2022 | Internet Buzzword Awards | Pixiv Award | Spy × Family | Won |
| 2022 | Reiwa Anisong Awards | Best Work Award | "Mixed Nuts" by Official Hige Dandism | Nominated |
| 2022 | Reiwa Anisong Awards | Composition Award | "Mixed Nuts" by Official Hige Dandism | Nominated |
| 2022 | Reiwa Anisong Awards | Artist Song Award | "Mixed Nuts" by Official Hige Dandism | Won |
| 2023 | 5th Global Demand Awards | Most In-Demand Anime Series of 2022 | Spy × Family | Nominated |
| 2023 | Tokyo Anime Award Festival | Animation of the Year (Television) | Spy × Family | Won |
| 2023 | 7th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Anime of the Year | Spy × Family | Nominated |
| 2023 | 7th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best Action | Spy × Family | Nominated |
| 2023 | 7th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best Animation | Spy × Family | Nominated |
| 2023 | 7th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best Character Design | Kazuaki Shimada | Nominated |
| 2023 | 7th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best Comedy | Spy × Family | Won |
| 2023 | 7th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best New Series | Spy × Family | Won |
| 2023 | 7th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best Score | (K)now Name | Nominated |
| 2023 | 7th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best Main Character | Loid Forger | Nominated |
| 2023 | 7th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best Supporting Character | Yor Forger | Nominated |
| 2023 | 7th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best Supporting Character | Anya Forger | Won |
| 2023 | 7th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | "Must Protect At All Costs" Character | Anya Forger | Won |
| 2023 | 7th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best Director | Kazuhiro Furuhashi | Nominated |
| 2023 | 7th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best Opening Sequence | "Mixed Nuts" by Official Hige Dandism | Nominated |
| 2023 | 7th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best Ending Sequence | "Comedy" by Gen Hoshino | Won |
| 2023 | 7th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best Anime Song | "Comedy" by Gen Hoshino | Nominated |
| 2023 | 7th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best VA Performance (Japanese) | Atsumi Tanezaki as Anya Forger | Nominated |
| 2023 | 7th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best VA Performance (English) | Natalie Van Sistine as Yor Forger | Nominated |
| 2023 | 7th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best VA Performance (Portuguese) | Nina Carvalho as Anya Forger | Won |
| 2023 | 7th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best VA Performance (Spanish) | Miguel de León as Loid Forger | Nominated |
| 2023 | 28th AMD Awards | Excellence Award | Spy × Family | Won |
| 2023 | Japan Character Awards | Character License Award | Spy × Family | Won |
| 2023 | 37th Japan Gold Disc Awards | Song of the Year by Download (Japan) | "Mixed Nuts" by Official Hige Dandism | Won |
| 2023 | 37th Japan Gold Disc Awards | Best 3 Songs by Download | "Mixed Nuts" by Official Hige Dandism | Won |
| 2023 | 37th Japan Gold Disc Awards | Song of the Year by Streaming (Japan) | "Mixed Nuts" by Official Hige Dandism | Won |
| 2023 | 37th Japan Gold Disc Awards | Best 5 Songs by Streaming | "Mixed Nuts" by Official Hige Dandism | Won |
| 2023 | Japan Expo Awards | Daruma for Best Anime | Spy × Family | Nominated |
| 2023 | Japan Expo Awards | Daruma for Best Director | Spy × Family | Nominated |
| 2023 | Japan Expo Awards | Daruma for Best Action Anime | Spy × Family | Nominated |
| 2023 | Japan Expo Awards | Daruma for Best Suspense Anime | Spy × Family | Nominated |
| 2023 | Japan Expo Awards | Daruma for Best Slice of Life Anime | Spy × Family | Won |
| 2023 | Japan Expo Awards | Daruma for Best Opening | "Mixed Nuts" by Official Hige Dandism | Nominated |
| 2023 | Japan Expo Awards | Daruma for Best Ending | "Color" by Yama | Nominated |
| 2023 | 18th AnimaniA Awards | Best TV Series: Streaming | Spy × Family | Won |
| 2023 | 45th Anime Grand Prix | Grand Prix | Spy × Family | 3rd place |
| 2023 | 45th Anime Grand Prix | Best Character | Anya Forger | Won |
| 2023 | 45th Anime Grand Prix | Best Theme Song | "Mixed Nuts" by Official Hige Dandism | Won |
| 2023 | 45th Anime Grand Prix | Best Voice Actor | Atsumi Tanezaki | 2nd place |
| 2023 | 45th Anime Grand Prix | Best Voice Actor | Saori Hayami | 8th place |
| 2023 | 13th Newtype Anime Awards | Best Character (Male) | Loid Forger | 2nd place |
| 2023 | 13th Newtype Anime Awards | Best Character (Female) | Yor Forger | 8th place |
| 2023 | 13th Newtype Anime Awards | Best Theme Song | "Souvenir" by Bump of Chicken | 9th place |
| 2023 | 13th Newtype Anime Awards | Best Mascot Character | Anya Forger | 4th place |
| 2023 | Reiwa Anisong Awards | Composition Award | "Kura Kura" by Ado | Nominated |
| 2024 | 8th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best Comedy | Spy × Family | Won |
| 2024 | 8th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best Continuing Series | Spy × Family | Nominated |
| 2024 | 8th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | "Must Protect At All Costs" Character | Anya Forger | Won |
| 2024 | 8th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best Ending Sequence | "Color" by Yama | Nominated |
| 2024 | 8th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best VA Performance (Japanese) | Atsumi Tanezaki as Anya Forger | Nominated |
| 2024 | 8th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best VA Performance (Arabic) | Hiba Snobar as Anya Forger | Nominated |
| 2024 | 8th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best VA Performance (Castilian) | Majo Montesinos Guzman as Anya Forger | Nominated |
| 2024 | 46th Anime Grand Prix | Best Character | Anya Forger | 9th place |
| 2024 | 46th Anime Grand Prix | Best Voice Actor | Atsumi Tanezaki | Won |
| 2024 | Japan Expo Awards | Daruma for Best Ending | "Todome no Ichigeki" by Vaundy feat. Cory Wong | Nominated |
| 2024 | 19th AnimaniA Awards | Best TV Series: Disc Release | Spy × Family | Won |
| 2024 | 19th AnimaniA Awards | Best Director | Kazuhiro Furuhashi | Won |
| 2024 | 19th AnimaniA Awards | Best Character Design | Kazuaki Shimada | Won |
| 2024 | 19th AnimaniA Awards | Best Studio | Wit Studio and CloverWorks | Won |
| 2024 | 19th AnimaniA Awards | Best German Voice Acting | Tim Knauer as Loid Forger | Won |
| 2024 | 19th AnimaniA Awards | Best German Voice Acting | Lana Finn Marti as Anya Forger | Nominated |
| 2024 | 19th AnimaniA Awards | Best Anime Score | (K)now Name | Won |
| 2024 | 19th AnimaniA Awards | Best Anime Song | "Mixed Nuts" by Official Hige Dandism | Nominated |
| 2024 | IGN Awards | Best Anime Series | Spy × Family Season 2 | Nominated |