''Spy × Family'' (stylized as ''SPY×FAMILY'' and pronounced "spy family") is a Japanese
manga
are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
series written and illustrated by
Tatsuya Endo
is a Japanese manga artist. Endo is best known for creating ''Tista'', ''Blade of the Moon Princess'', and ''Spy × Family'' manga series among other works. The latter work has been serialized on the ''Shōnen Jump+'' platform since 2019 and had ...
. The story follows Loid Forger, an enigmatic
spy
Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering, as a subfield of the intelligence field, is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence). A person who commits espionage on a mission-specific contract is called an ''e ...
who has to "build a family" to execute a mission, not realizing that his adopted daughter is a
telepath
Telepathy () is the purported vicarious transmission of information from one person's mind to another's without using any known human sensory channels or physical interaction. The term was first coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Frederic ...
, and the woman he agrees to marry is a skilled assassin. The series has been serialized biweekly on
Shueisha
is a Japanese publishing company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. Shueisha is the largest publishing company in Japan. It was established in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The ...
's ''
Shōnen Jump+
is a manga platform created by Shueisha. Launched on September 22, 2014, it operates as a free mobile app and website. Jump+ serializes original titles and titles from other Shueisha manga magazines, and also carries digital editions of ''Weekl ...
'' platform since March 2019, with its chapters collected in 15 volumes as of March 2025. It was licensed in North America by
Viz Media
Viz Media, LLC is an American entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California, focused on publishing manga, and distribution and licensing Japanese anime, films, and television series.
The company was founded in 1986 as Viz, ...
Wit Studio
, stylized as WIT Studio, is a Japanese animation studio founded on June 1, 2012, by producers at Production I.G as a subsidiary of IG Port. It is headquartered in Musashino, Tokyo, with Production I.G producer George Wada as president and ...
and
CloverWorks
is a Japanese animation studio that was rebranded from A-1 Pictures' Kōenji Studio. It is a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment Japan's anime production firm Aniplex.
Establishment
On April 1, 2018, A-1 Pictures rebranded its Kōenji Studio ...
premiered on
TV Tokyo
JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as is a Japanese television station that serves as the flagship of the TX Network.its affiliate stations in April 2022 and was licensed by
Muse Communication
Muse Communication Co., Ltd. (also known simply as Muse) is a Taiwanese distributor and licensor that specializes in the distribution of Japanese animation. Based in Xinzhuang District, New Taipei City, the company also distributes Asian and E ...
in Asia and
Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming service owned by Sony, Sony Group Corporation. The service primarily distributes fi ...
worldwide. The second half aired from October to December 2022. The second season, continuing from 2022's adaptation, aired from October to December 2023. A third season is set to premiere in October 2025. An anime film titled '' Spy × Family Code: White'', featuring a returning cast from the television series, was released theatrically in Japan in December 2023 and in the United States and Canada in April 2024.
By December 2024, ''Spy × Family'' had over 38 million copies in circulation, making it one of the best-selling manga series of all time. The series received critical acclaim for its storytelling, comedy, characters, action scenes, and artwork.
Plot
In order to maintain the state of peace between the rival nations of Westalis and Ostania, a Westalian agent code-named "Twilight" is tasked with spying on Donovan Desmond, leader of the National Unity Party within Ostania. However, due to Desmond being notoriously reclusive, the only way Twilight can get close to him is to enroll a child in the same private school as Desmond's son, Damian, and pose as a fellow parent.
To accomplish this and present the image of a happy family, he creates the alias of Doctor Loid Forger, adopts a young orphan girl named Anya, and marries an Ostanian woman named Yor Briar. However, unbeknownst to him, Anya can read minds, and Yor is in fact a professional assassin. Yor also sought a marriage of cover, because single adult women draw suspicion and attention in the paranoid Ostania. Neither Loid nor Yor are aware of each other's true identities or that Anya, thanks to her secret powers, knows their true professions. The family later takes in a dog with precognitive abilities named Bond. Despite these unknown factors and Twilight's occasional lapses of common sense due to years of being a spy, he must learn to play the role of the perfect father and husband to carry out his mission.
Production
Tatsuya Endo
is a Japanese manga artist. Endo is best known for creating ''Tista'', ''Blade of the Moon Princess'', and ''Spy × Family'' manga series among other works. The latter work has been serialized on the ''Shōnen Jump+'' platform since 2019 and had ...
and his editor Shihei Lin have known each other for over ten years; Lin was his initial editor on his first serial, ''
Tista
Tista, also called Tistedalselva or Tistakanalen, is a river in Halden municipality, in Østfold county, Norway. It is the main river in the Haldenvassdraget system and flows from Femsjøen lake to Iddefjorden fjord. The river is less than 5&nb ...
'' (2007). When Lin was moved from the ''
Jump Square
, also written as , is a Japanese monthly manga magazine. Published by Shueisha, the magazine premiered on November 2, 2007, as a replacement for ''Monthly Shōnen Jump'', another manga anthology that Shueisha discontinued in June of that year. ...
'' editorial department to ''
Shōnen Jump+
is a manga platform created by Shueisha. Launched on September 22, 2014, it operates as a free mobile app and website. Jump+ serializes original titles and titles from other Shueisha manga magazines, and also carries digital editions of ''Weekl ...
'', Endo happily followed, and they began developing a new work. ''Spy × Family'' takes elements from three of Endo's ''Jump Square'' one-shots: , , and ''I Spy''. Lin said that its reception among the editorial department was so good that serialization was practically decided before the official meeting was even held.
The initial draft was given the working title ''Spy Family'' written in Japanese. When deciding the final name, Endo came up with over 100 options, but they ultimately decided to use the same title but in English and with a "cross" in between, the latter influenced by ''
Hunter × Hunter
''Hunter × Hunter'' (pronounced "hunter hunter") is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoshihiro Togashi. It has been serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' since March 1998, although the man ...
''. Lin said that he and Endo are always conscious of the line where violence, a necessary aspect in a spy manga, is given a pass for comedy's sake. With ''Tista'' and ''
Blade of the Moon Princess
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tatsuya Endo. The series is loosely based on the Japanese folktale ''The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter''. It was serialized in Shueisha's ''Jump Square'' magazine from May 2010 to January 2012 ...
'' both having a dark tone, the editor told Endo to give ''Spy × Family'' a more cheerful one. Anya was inspired by the main character of ''Rengoku no Ashe''. Her
extrasensory perception
Extrasensory perception (ESP), also known as a sixth sense, or cryptaesthesia, is a claimed paranormal ability pertaining to reception of information not gained through the recognized physical senses, but sensed with the mind. The term was ad ...
was decided early on, and Lin cited its use for comedic effect as one of the series' strengths. Lin said that the series has a broad readership among all ages and genders. He also cited Endo's clean art and ability to convey emotions as part of the manga's appeal.
Lin feels that the world and characters were firmly established as of volume two. As such, he revealed that he and Endo would start to include longer narratives in the series.
Media
Manga
Written and illustrated by Tatsuya Endo, ''Spy × Family'' has been serialized biweekly on the ''Shōnen Jump+'' app and website since March 25, 2019. The chapters, which are released every other Monday, have been collected and published into individual volumes by
Shueisha
is a Japanese publishing company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. Shueisha is the largest publishing company in Japan. It was established in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The ...
. Shueisha also simultaneously publishes the series in English for free on the ''
Manga Plus
''Manga Plus'' (stylized as ''MANGA Plus by SHUEISHA'') is an online manga platform and smartphone app owned by Shueisha that was launched on January 28, 2019. It is available worldwide except in Japan, China, and South Korea which already hav ...
'' platform.
Viz Media
Viz Media, LLC is an American entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California, focused on publishing manga, and distribution and licensing Japanese anime, films, and television series.
The company was founded in 1986 as Viz, ...
began publishing ''Spy × Family'' in English digitally on their website for free on September 22, 2019. The Viz version was translated by Casey Loe. They released the first volume in print in Q2 2020.
The manga series has one companion book, ''Spy × Family Official Fanbook: Eyes Only''. A comprehensive collection of information, the book was published on May 2, 2022. It includes detailed information and analysis about the series' characters and worlds, colored artworks, early character designs, guests' art contributions, a long interview with Endo, and commentary on most chapters by Endo and Lin. On February 3, 2023,
Viz Media
Viz Media, LLC is an American entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California, focused on publishing manga, and distribution and licensing Japanese anime, films, and television series.
The company was founded in 1986 as Viz, ...
announced that they have licensed the companion book for English publication. The companion book was released on October 3, 2023.
Light novel
The
light novel
A is a type of Genre fiction, popular literature novel from Japan usually classified as young adult fiction, generally targeting Adolescence, teens to Young adult, twenties or older. The definition is very vague, and wide-ranging.
The abbr ...
, written by Aya Yajima, was published on July 2, 2021. The book contains four disconnecting chapters and a seven-page "short story". The first chapter, , tells the story of the time
Anya
Anya, Ania or Anja is a given name. The names are feminine in most East European countries and unisex in several African countries.
Origins and variant forms
* Anya (Аня) is a Russian diminutive of Anna.
* Ania is the spelling in Polish ...
and
Damian Damian () may refer to:
*Damian (given name)
*Damian (surname)
*Damian Subdistrict, in Longquanyi District, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
See also
*Damiani, an Italian surname
*Damiano (disambiguation)
*Damien (disambiguation)
*Damon (disambiguation)
*Da ...
got lost in the forest on their school nature camp. The second chapter, , recounts the day
Yuri Yuri may refer to:
People
Given name
*Yuri (Slavic name), the Slavic masculine form of the given name George, including a list of people with the given name Yuri, Yury, etc.
*Yuri (Japanese name), feminine Japanese given names, including a list o ...
took Anya to experience a mock-up of future employment for kids. The third chapter, , tells the story of Franky's short-lived love with a blind opera singer from a prestigious family. The fourth chapter, , tells about the day the Forger family modeled for a famous painter in the park. In the "short story" chapter, , two waitresses were talking about their ideal family, the Forgers, among many unhappy families they saw. On December 20, 2023, Shueisha released an audiobook version of the light novel, featuring the voices of
Miyuri Shimabukuro
is a Japanese voice actress from Okinawa Prefecture who is affiliated with Office Osawa. After debuting as a voice actress in 2017, she played her first main roles in 2018 as Yuuna Yunohana in the anime series ''Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs ...
and
Ryōhei Arai
is a Japanese voice actor who was born in Saitama Prefecture and is affiliated with Aoni Production. His best known roles are in ''WorldEnd'' as Willem Kmetsch and '' Battle Spirits: Burning Soul'' as Toshiie "Toshi" Homura.
Filmography
Televi ...
. This marked the first time a Jump J-Books light novel received an audiobook release. On February 3, 2023,
Viz Media
Viz Media, LLC is an American entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California, focused on publishing manga, and distribution and licensing Japanese anime, films, and television series.
The company was founded in 1986 as Viz, ...
announced that they have licensed the light novel for English publication. The Viz's English-translated novel was released on December 26, 2023. It was translated by Casey Loe, who was also the translator for official English manga published by Viz; it was edited by Holly Fisher and designed by Francesca Truman.
On April 7, 2023, Shueisha's Mirai Bunko announced that a novel adaptation of the manga is in the works. The first volume, , written by Hitomi Wada, was released on May 26, 2023. The contents of the novel is described to follow the plot of the manga's first volume. The second volume, , is also written by the same writer as the first book and was released on August 4, 2023. The contents of the novel is described to follow the plot of the manga's
second
The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of U ...
and third volume. The third volume, , is also written by the same writer and was released on November 11, 2023. The contents of the novel is described to follow the plot of the manga's fourth volume.
A novel adaptation of the movie ''Spy × Family Code: White'' with the same name was published on December 22, 2023, the same day as the movie premiere. It is written by Aya Yajima, who also penned for the first light novel ''Spy × Family: Family Portrait''. The novel was based on the plot of the movie, which is screenplay by
Ichirō Ōkouchi
is a Japanese screenwriter and novelist. He is a graduate of the School of Human Sciences in Waseda University.
Ōkouchi is best known for collaborating with director Gorō Taniguchi for composing the story and script of the Sunrise original p ...
.
Anime
On November 1, 2021, an
anime
is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
television series adaptation for ''Spy × Family'' produced by
Wit Studio
, stylized as WIT Studio, is a Japanese animation studio founded on June 1, 2012, by producers at Production I.G as a subsidiary of IG Port. It is headquartered in Musashino, Tokyo, with Production I.G producer George Wada as president and ...
and
CloverWorks
is a Japanese animation studio that was rebranded from A-1 Pictures' Kōenji Studio. It is a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment Japan's anime production firm Aniplex.
Establishment
On April 1, 2018, A-1 Pictures rebranded its Kōenji Studio ...
was announced via a trailer video and the anime's website. The series was directed by
Kazuhiro Furuhashi
is a Japanese anime director and supervisor. He is amongst anime's most foremost directors, having directed the '' Rurouni Kenshin'' series (including the original television series, and its subsequent original video animation iterations), '' Zi ...
, with character designs handled by Kazuaki Shimada, and music is composed and produced by
(K)now Name
(K)now_Name (stylized as (K)NoW_NAME) is a Japanese music group affiliated with Toho Animation Records. Formed in 2016, the group primarily provides music for anime series.
History
The project was conceived by anime producer Masaya Saitou, who w ...
. The series ran for two split cours and has 25 episodes. The first cour aired from April 9 to June 25, 2022, on TXN stations. The second cour aired from October 1 to December 24, 2022. Crunchyroll licensed the series outside of Asia.
Muse Communication
Muse Communication Co., Ltd. (also known simply as Muse) is a Taiwanese distributor and licensor that specializes in the distribution of Japanese animation. Based in Xinzhuang District, New Taipei City, the company also distributes Asian and E ...
licensed the series in Taiwan, South and Southeast Asia; they are streaming it on their YouTube channel (limited release in some of the available regions during the first-air run),
Netflix
Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
,
iQIYI
iQIYI (, pronounced in English as ), formerly Qiyi (), is a Chinese subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Baidu. Headquartered in Beijing, iQIYI primarily produces and distributes films and television series.
i ...
,
bilibili
Bilibili (stylized in all lowercase), nicknamed B Site, is a Chinese online video sharing website based in Shanghai where users can submit, view, and add overlaid commentary on videos.
Bilibili hosts videos on various themes, including ...
,
Disney+ Hotstar
Disney+ Hotstar, also known as JioHotstar or simply Hotstar, is an Indian subscription video-on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Disney Star. The brand was introduced as Hotstar for a streaming service carrying content from Di ...
and other regional streaming services. On April 11, 2022, Crunchyroll announced that the series would receive an English dub. It had an early preview on Crunchyroll's
Twitch
Twitch may refer to:
Biology
* Muscle contraction
** Convulsion, rapid and repeated muscle contraction and relaxation
** Fasciculation, a small, local, involuntary muscle contraction
** Myoclonic twitch, a jerk usually caused by sudden muscle c ...
channel on April 15, before premiering the following day.
Accompanying the anime, the guidebook ''Animation × 1st Mission'', which includes anime character designs, storyboards, key animations, promotion images, interviews and comments from the staff and the voice actors, was released on April 4, 2022. The book acts as a starter guide for the anime series and does not contain many details about later episodes beside the first two. The second guide book ''Mission Report:220409-0625'', which provides in greater details of the first half of the first season, was released on September 2, 2022. It includes information for the main characters; details of the first twelve episodes; key arts for location settings and stories; storyboards; interviews and comments from the staff, the actors and the singers of the first opening and first ending songs, Official Hige Dandism and Gen Hoshino. The third guide book ''Mission Report:221001‐1224'', which provides in the details of the second half of the first season, was released on September 4, 2023.
On December 18, 2022, a second season was announced at the
Jump Festa
is an annual manga and anime fan convention in Tokyo, Japan. It is organized by Shueisha, publisher of the various '' Jump'' anthologies, with Jump Festa focusing specifically on the Shōnen manga magazines such as Weekly Shōnen Jump, Jump Squar ...
'23 event.
Ichirō Ōkouchi
is a Japanese screenwriter and novelist. He is a graduate of the School of Human Sciences in Waseda University.
Ōkouchi is best known for collaborating with director Gorō Taniguchi for composing the story and script of the Sunrise original p ...
replaced Furuhashi as scriptwriter, while the remaining staff and cast reprised their roles. The second season aired from October 7 to December 23, 2023, and has 12 episodes.
On October 4, 2023, Wit Studio announced an art book for the anime adaptation, titled ''Spy × Family Animation Art Book''. The book was released on December 8, 2023, containing 200 pages of character designs, background designs, prop and item designs, anime and collaboration artworks, storyboards for season 1's second cour's opening animation by Tetsurō Araki and ending animation by Takayuki Hirao.
On June 9, 2024, a third season was announced at the Spy × Family Anime Extra Mission special event. It is set to premiere in October 2025.
Film
An anime film was announced at the Jump Festa '23 event. On March 25, 2023, it was revealed to be titled ''Spy × Family Code: White'', and the film was released on December 22, 2023. Tatsuya Endo supervised the production and provided original character designs. The film was directed by Takashi Katagiri, while the screenplay written by Ichirō Ōkouchi. On September 12, 2023, it was reported that
Tomoya Nakamura
is a Japanese actor.
Career
Nakamura made his debut in the film '' The Innocent Seven'' in 2005.
Personal life
On March 25, 2023, Nakamura married Nippon TV
JOAX-DTV (channel 4), branded as (NTV) or Nippon TV, is a Japanese televisio ...
and
Kento Kaku
is a Japanese actor born in Tokyo. He has appeared in a number of feature films, television series, and stage productions. He is represented by Amuse, Inc. His wife is actress Nana Eikura.
Biography
He made his acting debut in films in 2007. In ...
would voice the movie-original villain duo for the movie named Dmitri and Luka, respectively. On September 22, 2023, it was announced that
Banjō Ginga
, sometimes credited as his real name , is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator who was born in Kofu, Yamanashi. Ginga is affiliated with Aoni Production. He is married to voice actress Gara Takashima.
Known for his deep baritone voice, ...
and
Shunsuke Takeuchi
is a Japanese voice actor and singer affiliated with 81 Produce. He won the award for Best Rookie Actor at the 10th Seiyu Awards. His roles include Producer in ''The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls'', Alexander Yamato in '' King of Prism'', Juuza H ...
was cast for the role of two other villains, Snidel and Type F.
A limited-printed booklet, named ''Spy × Family Code: White Film File'' was distributed exclusively for early movie audiences in Japan. It contains an original 8-paged manga done by the manga creator Tatsuya Endo, interviews with Endo, the anime staff and voice actor cast, with its cover also drawn by Endo. The print number is limited to 4 million copies. Along with this announcement, it is also announced that the opening day's earliest screening would be at midnight, when they started distributing the booklet. On 9 January 2024, AR illustration cards drawn by Tatsuya Endo were announced to be distributed for movie audiences in Japan. It contained a QR code on the back that can display a 3D pop-out model of
Anya Forger
Anya, Ania or Anja is a given name. The names are feminine in most East European countries and unisex in several African countries.
Origins and variant forms
* Anya (Аня) is a Russian diminutive of Anna.
* Ania is the spelling in Polish, w ...
speaking her voice lines if read by smart phones.
On July 2, 2023, it was announced that the movie was going to have a collaboration project with ''
Street Fighter 6
''Street Fighter 6'' is a 2023 fighting game developed and published by Capcom. It is the seventh main entry in the ''Street Fighter'' franchise, following ''Street Fighter V'' (2016), and was released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows ...
''. An illustration drawn by
Capcom
is a Japanese video game company. It has created a number of critically acclaimed and List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being ''Resident Evil'', ''Monster ...
's illustrator and designer Chisato Mita was revealed along with the announcement. On December 4, 2023, Capcom social media released the animated short video of Yor Forger and ''Street Fighter 6''s character
Chun-Li
Chun-Li (; Japanese: , Hepburn: ) is a character in Capcom's ''Street Fighter'' video game series. She first appeared in '' Street Fighter II: The World Warrior'' in 1991 and is the first female playable character to appear in a fighting game t ...
dueling on Suval'hal Arena stage. The animation was made by
Wit Studio
, stylized as WIT Studio, is a Japanese animation studio founded on June 1, 2012, by producers at Production I.G as a subsidiary of IG Port. It is headquartered in Musashino, Tokyo, with Production I.G producer George Wada as president and ...
, with Shunsuke Aoki doing key animation and Kyōji Asano working on storyboard and character design. On 9 January 2024, Capcom revealed and released the in-game collab items, which are avatar costumes based on Yor's Thorn Princess dress and Loid Forger's signature dark cyan suit. Yor and Loid's hairstyles are also added to the avatar creation. Players who log in during the collaboration period, which lasted until 31 January, would receive free items like picture frames, stickers, and player titles. The Battle Hub area would also receive a temporary redesign to promote the movie.
On July 10, 2023, a collaboration project with the movie '' Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One'' was announced. A parody poster illustration featuring the main characters of the anime replacing the ''Mission: Impossible'' cast was released with the announcement, as was a highlight video for ''Dead Reckoning Part One'' narrated by the voice actors of the Forgers. On September 19, 2023, another collaboration project with the movie ''
Wish
A wish is a hope or desire for something. In fiction, wishes can be used as plot devices. In folklore, opportunities for "making a wish" or for wishes to "come true" or "be granted" are themes that are sometimes used.
Sociology
Several cu ...
'' was announced. A parody poster illustration featuring
Anya
Anya, Ania or Anja is a given name. The names are feminine in most East European countries and unisex in several African countries.
Origins and variant forms
* Anya (Аня) is a Russian diminutive of Anna.
* Ania is the spelling in Polish ...
and Bond Forger, which mirrors the Japanese theatrical release poster of ''Wish'', and a combination trailer video were also released on the same day.
Toho
is a Japanese entertainment company that primarily engages in producing and distributing films and exhibiting stage plays. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. ...
Stage's production on May 1, 2022. The musical premiered at Tokyo's
Imperial Theatre
The Imperial Theatre is a Broadway theater at 249 West 45th Street ( George Abbott Way) in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1923, the Imperial Theatre was designed by Herbert J. Krapp and ...
in March 2023, with a nationwide tour following in April and May of the same year.
On September 30, 2022, it was announced that the musical play would debut on March 8, 2023, with
Win Morisaki
is a Burmese actor. He was the lead vocalist of PrizmaX, a J-pop idol boy band. He has appeared in films and television dramas in Japan and Myanmar, as well as in the American film ''Ready Player One (film), Ready Player One'' (2018).Eleven Medi ...
Mirei Sasaki
is a Japanese singer, model, actress, and reporter. She is an exclusive model for the fashion magazine ''Non-no'' and a former founding member of the Japanese idol group Hinatazaka46.
Sasaki has appeared in dramas such as ''Women's Gourmet Bur ...
Nonoka Yamaguchi
Nonoka Yamaguchi (山口乃々華, ''Yamaguchi Nonoka'', born March 8, 1998) is a Japanese dancer, actress, and model. She is a former member of J-Pop group E-girls under LDH.
Early life
Yamaguchi was born on March 8, 1998, in Kasukabe, Saitam ...
as Fiona Frost. G2 took the director, screenplay and lyric writer roles, while Shuhei Kamimura was in charge of composing, arranging, and directing the music. For the nationwide tour, the musical was performed in the Kobelco Grand Hall at Hyogo Performing Arts Center in
Nishinomiya
270px, Nishinomiya City Hall
270px, Aerial view of Nishinomiya city center 1985
270px, Hirota Shrine
is a city located in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 484,368 in 218,948 households and a population density ...
,
Hyōgo Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Hyōgo Prefecture has a population of 5,469,762 () and a geographic area of . Hyōgo Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the east, Osaka Prefecture to th ...
in April and at
Hakata-za
The is a kabuki theatre in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, located near the Nakasu-Kawabata Station. It was originally constructed in 1996.
Overview
The Hakata-za is a multipurpose theater that can be used in all theater genres, such as ...
Theatre in
Fukuoka
is the List of Japanese cities by population, sixth-largest city in Japan and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancient times. ...
,
Fukuoka Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of 5,109,323 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,986 Square kilometre, km2 (1,925 sq mi). Fukuoka Prefecture borders ...
in May. On December 14, 2022, the cast for
Anya Forger
Anya, Ania or Anja is a given name. The names are feminine in most East European countries and unisex in several African countries.
Origins and variant forms
* Anya (Аня) is a Russian diminutive of Anna.
* Ania is the spelling in Polish, w ...
was announced; she would be played interchangeably by four actresses: Risa Masuda, Aoi Ikemuda, Miharu Izawa and Miharu Fukuchi.
A second musical play was announced during the Jump Festa '25 event on December 21, 2024. It is scheduled to be perform in multiple cities from September 20 to December 30, 2025. The cast including Win Morisaki as Loid and Fuka Yuduki as Yor will reprise their roles from the first musical play, while Genki Hirakata and Sora Kazuki will play Loid and Yor respectively. The staff will host auditions for child actors for Anya. On June 14, 2025, the cast for
Anya Forger
Anya, Ania or Anja is a given name. The names are feminine in most East European countries and unisex in several African countries.
Origins and variant forms
* Anya (Аня) is a Russian diminutive of Anna.
* Ania is the spelling in Polish, w ...
was announced; she would be played interchangeably by four actresses: Rana Izutani, Mirei Tsukino, Mio Nishiyama and
Nonoka Murakata
Nonoka Murakata (村方乃々佳), also popularly known as Nono-chan (born 31 May 2018) is a Japanese child prodigy and singer. She has a younger sister named Hinano Murakata (村方日那乃) who was born on 5 September 2022 (also popularly know ...
.
Video games
A
video game
A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
based on the series was announced in a
Nintendo Direct
Nintendo Direct is a series of online presentations or live shows produced by Nintendo, where information regarding the company's upcoming content or franchises is presented, such as information about games and consoles. The presentations began ...
on September 14, 2023. Titled ''Spy × Anya: Operation Memories'', the game was developed by Groove Box Japan and published by
Bandai Namco Entertainment
is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game video game publisher, publisher, and the video game branch of the wider Bandai Namco Holdings group. Founded in 2006 as it is the successor to Namco's home and arcade video game ...
. The game allows the player to experience
Anya Forger
Anya, Ania or Anja is a given name. The names are feminine in most East European countries and unisex in several African countries.
Origins and variant forms
* Anya (Аня) is a Russian diminutive of Anna.
* Ania is the spelling in Polish, w ...
's everyday-life activities with her friends and family, in order to take and collect photos for Anya's diary. As a daily-life simulation game, it gives the player the options to visit locations in the series, participate in minigames, and customize the characters' appearances and outfits. The game was released on December 21, 2023 on the
Nintendo Switch
The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...
in Japan, and was released on
PlayStation 4
The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...
and
PlayStation 5
The PlayStation 5 (PS5) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was announced as the successor to the PlayStation 4 in April 2019, was launched on November 12, 2020, in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, North ...
on June 27, 2024, and internationally on June 28 for home consoles and
Windows
Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
via
Steam
Steam is water vapor, often mixed with air or an aerosol of liquid water droplets. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization. Saturated or superheated steam is inv ...
.
Others
An amusement park attraction based on the series, named , opened for visitors at
Universal Studios Japan
is a theme park located in Osaka, Japan. Opened on March 31, 2001, it is one of six Universal Destinations & Experiences, Universal Studios theme parks worldwide and was the first to open outside the United States. The park is owned and operat ...
theme park from February 17 to July 2, 2023. Participants were put on the role of a newcomer agent from the in-universe spy agency WISE, trying solving hidden codes at various locations around the park. After successfully solving the codes, they were permitted to attend a live show featuring the Forger family members. From July 1, 2025, to January 4, 2026, the theme park is again set to host an attraction based on the series. The VR/XR ride is set to open for visitors who will solve quizzes and hear the Forger family having fun. Its story ride is a conversion of the Hollywood Dream the Ride, in which the visitors can hear dialogue from Eden Academy students Anya Forger, Becky Blackbell, and Damian Desmond.
On April 3, 2023, it was announced that an official art exhibition would be held at Matsuya Ginza at
Ginza
Ginza ( ; ) is a district of Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo, located south of Yaesu and Kyōbashi, Tokyo, Kyōbashi, west of Tsukiji, east of Yūrakuchō and Uchisaiwaichō, and north of Shinbashi. It is a popular upscale shopping area of Tokyo ...
,
Tokyo
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
from July 20 to August 13, 2023. Afterwards, the exhibition went on a nationwide tour, starting at
Osaka
is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...
in August and then to other cities in Japan, including
Fukuoka
is the List of Japanese cities by population, sixth-largest city in Japan and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancient times. ...
and
Sapporo
is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in Hokkaido, Japan. Located in the southwest of Hokkaido, it lies within the alluvial fan of the Toyohira River, a tributary of the Ishikari River. Sapporo is the capital ...
. Tickets for the first four days were distributed via a lucky draw lottery while the general admission tickets were sold on a later date. The exhibition included the original artworks by the manga creator among various other exhibits. There were "mission keywords" hidden around the venue, which encouraged visitors to find all of them to receive a prize.
On July 10, 2023, Shueisha announced the return of "''Manga Dive''", an immersive VR experience, at Lumine Zero event hall in
Shinjuku
, officially called Shinjuku City, is a special ward of Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative center, housing the northern half of the busiest railway station in the world ( Shinjuku Station) as well as the Tokyo Metropol ...
, Tokyo. The three Shōnen Jump+ series, ''Spy × Family'', ''
Chainsaw Man
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tatsuki Fujimoto. Its first Story arc, arc was serialized in Shueisha's Shōnen manga, manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from December 2018 to December 2020; its second arc began ...
'' and ''
Dandadan
, also script displayed as ''Dan Da Dan'', is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yukinobu Tatsu. It has been serialized in Shueisha's ''Shōnen Jump+'' app and website since April 2021, with its chapters collected in 19 volu ...
'' were chosen to be the main features of the VR show. The show was projected on five surfaces of the event hall by the use of twelve projectors and the sounds were presented by eight speakers to simulate a stereoscopic experience for the audiences. The screening of ''Spy × Family'' show began on August 14 and lasted until August 23.
Reception
Popularity
In December 2019, ''
Brutus
Marcus Junius Brutus (; ; 85 BC – 23 October 42 BC) was a Roman politician, orator, and the most famous of the assassins of Julius Caesar. After being adopted by a relative, he used the name Quintus Servilius Caepio Brutus, which was reta ...
'' magazine included the series on their "Most Dangerous Manga" list, which included works with the most "stimulating" and thought-provoking themes. Later that same month, ''
Polygon
In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure made up of line segments connected to form a closed polygonal chain.
The segments of a closed polygonal chain are called its '' edges'' or ''sides''. The points where two edges meet are the polygon ...
'' included it on a list of the best comics of 2019. The 2020 edition of the ''
Kono Manga ga Sugoi!
is an annual reference mook series published by Takarajimasha since 2005 featuring yearly rankings and reviews of manga. The rankings are compiled by surveying professionals in the manga and publishing industry. The first two years saw two s ...
'' guidebook named ''Spy × Family'' the best manga series for male readers. The series ranked first on Honya Club's Nationwide Bookstore Employees' Recommended Comics of 2020 list, compiled by surveying 1,100 professional bookstore employees in Japan. It ranked fifth in a 2020 poll conducted by
AnimeJapan
AnimeJapan is a Japanese anime consumer show held annually at the Tokyo Big Sight exhibition center in Tokyo since March 2014. It was created from the merger of the Tokyo International Anime Fair with the Anime Contents Expo.
It is organized ...
of "Most Wanted Anime Adaptation". It was named as the "No. 1 Popular Web Comic of 2019," the "No. 1 Popular ''Shōnen Jump+'' Work," and a "Signature Work of ''Jump+''". In May 2022, as stated by the manga's editor Shihei Lin, the series reached 350 million views on ''Shōnen Jump+''. In August 2022, the series reached 480 million views. About a month later, the series reached 500 million views. The manga topped the 2022 "Book of the Year" list by '' Da Vinci'' magazine; it ranked nineteenth on the 2023 list; and seventh on the 2024 list.
Sales
In 2019, ''Spy × Family'' had 300,000 copies in circulation, including digital and physical sales, less than a month after the release of its first volume. The series reached 800,000 copies 2 months later, upon the release of its second volume. This number exceeded 2 million with the release of volume three, and 3 million in circulation by volume four. Less than two weeks before the release of its fourth volume, ''Spy × Family'' became the second fastest and successful hit, behind ''
Assassination Classroom
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yusei Matsui. The series follows the daily life of an extremely powerful octopus-like being working as a junior high homeroom teacher, and his students dedicated to the task of ass ...
''. According to
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics
Statistics (from German language, German: ', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that ...
, volumes three and four of the series were some of the top 30 best-selling manga volumes of 2020. It became the first ''Shōnen Jump+'' series to receive an initial print run of over 1 million copies with its sixth volume. With its sixth volume released in December 2020, ''Spy × Family'' had over 8 million digital and physical copies in circulation. At that time, it was the ninth best-selling manga in 2020, with over 4.5 million copies sold within that year.
In 2020, the third volume of ''Spy × Family'' had received an initial print run of 400,000 copies. Along with '' Kingdom'', it had an initial print run of 1 million copies, with its sixth volume in 2021. In May 2021, ''Spy × Family'' had reached 10 million copies in circulation and increased to 11 million copies by the next month. With 537,558 copies sold in its first week, volume six became the series' second consecutive volume to debut at number one on Oricon's weekly list of the best-selling manga. Volume six was among the top 30 best-selling manga volumes of 2021 according to Oricon. By November 2021, the manga had over 12.5 million copies in circulation. It was the eighth best-selling manga in 2021, with over 4.9 million copies sold within that year. The series was ranked tenth on
Rakuten
is a Japanese technology conglomerate based in Tokyo, founded by Hiroshi Mikitani in 1997. Centered around the online retail marketplace Rakuten Ichiba, its businesses include financial services utilizing Fintech, digital content and communi ...
's Top 20 Best Selling Digital Manga of 2020 and 16th in 2021.
On April 3, 2022, on the eve of the release of volume 9 and the premiere of the anime, the manga was reported to have over 15 million copies in circulation. By May 2022, the manga had over 21 million copies in circulation. It was tentatively the third best-selling manga from the last month of 2021 to the first 5 months of 2022. In August 2022, the manga had over 25 million copies in circulation, doubling in number comparing with 9 months before. In October, right around the return of the anime's second cour and the release of volume 10, it was reported that the series had more than 26.5 million copies in circulation. By October, the manga had over 27 million copies in circulation. It was the third best-selling manga series in 2022, with over 10.6 million copies sold; its first ten volumes were among the 25 best-selling manga volumes of the year. The series was also ranked fifth on Rakuten's Top 20 Best Selling Digital Manga of 2022. In December the same year, it is reported that the series has passed 29 million copies in circulation.
On March 23, 2023, editor Shihei Lin reported that the series had over 30 million copies in circulation, on the eve of the release of volume 11. On September 12, 2023, it was reported that the series had reached 31 million copies in circulation with 12 volumes, including volume 12's number that would be released in the next 3 weeks. Volumes 11 and 12 were among the best-selling manga volumes of 2023. On December 17, 2023, the series has been report to have over 34 million copies in circulation. Volume 11 was
Shueisha
is a Japanese publishing company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. Shueisha is the largest publishing company in Japan. It was established in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The ...
's third highest first print run manga volume of 2023–2024 (period from April 2023 to March 2024), with 1.55 million copies printed. In March 2024, the series had reached over 35 million copies in circulation with the release of volume 13. In December 2024, the series had reached over 38 million copies in circulation. Volume 14 had an initial print run of 1.3 million copies printed, making it Shueisha's third highest first print run manga volume of 2024–2025 (period from April 2024 to March 2025).
The volumes of ''Spy × Family'' sold well in North America. They were ranked on
Circana
Circana, Inc., formerly known as Information Resources, Inc. and the NPD Group (previously National Purchase Diary Panel Inc. and NPD Research Inc.), is an American market research and technology company headquartered in Chicago. In 2017, NPD ra ...
(formerly NPD)
BookScan
BookScan is a data provider for the book publishing industry that compiles point of sale data for book sales, owned by Circana in the United States and NIQ in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, India, South Africa, Italy, Spai ...
's monthly top 20 adult graphic novels list since June 2020. Several volumes of the manga were also ranked on ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' Graphic Books and Manga bestseller monthly list since May 2021. According to NPD BookScan, the three volumes of ''Spy × Family'' were ranked among the top 20 highest-selling manga volumes in 2022; four volumes were among the top 20 highest-selling manga volumes in 2023. In the United States, the series' 6 volumes collectively sold 220,000 copies in 2021. In France, the series has had one million sold copies as of volume 6. On October 19, 2023, the French publisher Kurokawa reported that the series has sold over 4.375 million copies as of volume 11.
Critical response
The series has received widespread critical acclaim. In a positive review of the first 11 chapters, Antonio Mireles of The Fandom Post summed up ''Spy × Family'' as a great comedy about a dysfunctional family put into uncanny situations that never pan out as planned due to their unique personalities. He described the family setup of Loid as the
straight man
The straight man (or straight woman in the case of female characters), also known as a "comedic foil", is a stock character in a comedy performance, especially a double act, sketch comedy, or farce. When a comedy partner behaves eccentrically ...
, Yor the "dumb character" and Anya the adorable child "that readers fall in love with," as the perfect recipe for a comedy. However, he felt the humor that comes from Yor being the dumb character was underutilized.
Comic Book Resources
''CBR'', formerly ''Comic Book Resources'', is a news website primarily covering comic book news, comic book reviews, and comic book–related topics involving movies, television, anime, and video games. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publicat ...
' Hannah Collins hailed the first volume as one of the best manga releases of 2020. She had strong praise for Endo's art; writing that "Action-comedy is no mean feat even in animated or live-action mediums. To pull it off so well in still images takes real artistic talent." The reviewer called the artist's range of facial expressions his secret weapon, which he deploys to win over the hearts and minds of readers; particularity with those of Anya, whom Collins said, "steals every page she appears on."
Morgana Santilli of ''The Beat'' stated that ''Spy × Family'' volume one does an excellent job balancing fun espionage action with heartwarming family moments. She called Endo's art "clean and appealing," which makes his parody of post-war
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
easily recognizable. Santilli compared its comedy to that of '' From Eroica with Love'', another
Cold War
The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
-centric series. In a review for ''Polygon'', Julia Lee stated that Endo takes a premise that could make a "typical, corny, action manga" and uses it to make one of the funniest series out right now. Like the other reviewers, Lee praised Endo's art, writing that he has a knack for action scenes, as well as "expressive panels that really show you how the characters are feeling."
Manga Plus
''Manga Plus'' (stylized as ''MANGA Plus by SHUEISHA'') is an online manga platform and smartphone app owned by Shueisha that was launched on January 28, 2019. It is available worldwide except in Japan, China, and South Korea which already hav ...