The Spy x Family manga now has 16 million copies in circulation thanks to the sales boost provided by the anime premiere.
This announcement does not mean that the Spy x Family manga sold over 16,000,000 copies… at least, not yet! Having 16 million manga copies in circulation just means they are printed and distributed and will likely eventually be purchased.
Of course, we can thank the anime partly for this, but the actual reason is the story itself.
Father is a spy, the mother is an assassin, and the daughter is an esper. The best part is that mom and dad don’t know the truth about their partner, while Anya knows everything.
Spy x Family takes the best of action and (someday) romance and combines them into an unforgettable read. I’ll focus on the first three chapters in this article and break them down.
Thus, covering the plot and characters and going over some theories about where the manga is heading. Also, I’ll be going over the awards Spy x Family has won for the manga.
What’s the Spy x Family story about
In chapter 1, we meet the spy known as Twilight. He’s the man with a thousand faces, has been active in the field for 10 years, and is WISE’s best agent.
After receiving his next orders, Twilight must get married and have a child within a week. The mission is of critical importance. The target’s name is Donovan Desmund.
He’s the president of the National Unity Party of Ostania and the one standing in the way of peace. The problem is that he rarely comes out in public.
But he does have two sons attending Eden Acadamy. Demetrius and Damien. Eden Acadamy hosts an annual party for their best students known as The Imperial Scholars.
Fortunately for Twilight, Eden is a massive school that takes in students as young as 6, and any of them could become an Imperial Scholar.
He needs a child to enroll and a wife. And he only has one week to pull it off, which is where we meet Anya. Her actual age isn’t known, but she claims to be 6, so the now known man Loid Forger will adopt her.
Loid doesn’t realize that Anya is an esper, and she’s been reading his mind since they met. When he thinks about her height and age, she attempts to make herself taller by standing on her tiptoes.
When he spots a crossword puzzle and starts thinking of the answers, Anya writes them down and shows Loid. Anya’s ability is more for comedic purposes since she often takes thoughts out of context or has a shocked face around her parents after hearing their thoughts.
Anya’s past is still a mystery, but we know she was a test subject at one time. Her favorite things are peanuts and spy anime. The fact that she quickly tells Loid after he thinks understanding Anya is the key to world peace.
Loid buys many parental books and studies them for the mission. But, sadly, he didn’t understand that leaving a young child alone asked for trouble.
Loid returns to the apartment and finds out that Anya was kidnapped. He disguised himself and told Anya to run for a police station. But he finds her sitting outside of their apartment after the fighting is over, and Loid remembers why he became a spy.
He wants to create a world where children no longer have to cry.
How did Spy x Family get so popular?
Chapter 1 shows us that Loid is a kind man and will be a good father. Chapter 2 introduces us to Yor Briar. Also known as Thorn Princess and will be our leading lady.
Yor is one of those characters who walk between super cool and dumb. When she’s on a mission, Yor is unstoppable, and her skills as an assassin make her very good at cleaning.
Her cooking skills are a different story. Unfortunately for Yor, being single at her age can be grounds to have her arrested as a spy. The fact that her younger brother Yuri and her coworkers are quick to remind her.
Yor is in a bind, she has to go to a party, but she doesn’t have a boyfriend. So she goes to a shop to get her best dress cleaned, and Loid is surprised by her sudden appearance.
Yor’s name is on a list of potential wife candidates, but Loid wasn’t expecting her to notice he was looking at her. When she politely asks him if he wants something, Loid says he thinks she is cute and apologizes.
Anya was getting her measurements taken and was delighted when she read Yor’s mind. Anya decides to help Loid by saying how upset she is that there is no ma.
After talking for a bit, Yor asks Loid if he would pretend to be her boyfriend at the party. Loid agrees and asks she return the favor by pretending to be his wife for the school interview.
He tells Yor that it was his late wife’s dying wish for Anya to attend Eden Acadamy, and Yor agrees. But Twilight is often pulled away on other missions and is late to the party.
Loid has blood on him and is breathing heavily as he introduces himself as Yor’s husband. This makes one of Yor’s coworkers jealous, and she tries to embarrass Yor.
But Loid brushes it off and states that Yor is a remarkable woman. But, to Loid, there is nothing more significant than self-sacrifice and family.
Loid gives Yor a ring he stole earlier and the two exchange vows. It’s a very romantic scene, even with the references to murder and mission being in the background.
Will Spy x Family get a happy ending?
It’s too soon to tell, but chapter 3 shows how quickly our main characters become a family. Anya calls Yor her Ma from the start and gets along with her very well.
To Anya, Yor is intense, scary, and cool, and she wants to be just like her. Yor believes that Anya is Loid’s daughter and does her best to be a good mom.
The three practice interview questions and Anya does a lot of studying for the test. Sadly, Anya and Yor give poor answers, so Loid takes them out to town.
They visit the opera and a museum and have a meal at a high-class restaurant. But when he sees how Anya and Yor are eating, Loid tries to think of a plan where he doesn’t need to rely on them.
Yor sees Loid becoming upset and takes them to a park she likes to visit. The family enjoys the view until they see an old lady get her purse stolen.
Loid says the old woman was careless, but Yor jumps down and tries to catch the thief. Anya uses her powers to find the purse snatcher and gets Loid’s attention by saying she wants cake.
Yor returns, and Loid dashes off; and he catches the thief and returns the purse. The old woman thanks them and says they make a lovely family.
How successful is Spy x Family?
It’s time to talk numbers! Tatsuya Endo’s latest masterpiece began publication on The Shonen Jump+ website on March 25, 2019. On the Manga Plus app and website, Shueisha publishes Spy x Family in Japanese and English.
Viz Media started publishing Spy x Family on their website in English on September 22, 2019, and the first volume in print came out in spring 2020.
Japan has 9 volumes, while the English version is 7. You can also read Mission: 62-1 and Short Mission: 7 on Shonen Jump+. In 2020, Spy x Family was the 9th best-selling manga with over 4.5 million copies sold.
In 2021, it was the 8th best-selling manga with over 4.9 million copies. Spy x Family had 800,000 copies in circulation when its second volume came out.
It reaches 2 million with volume 3 and 3 million by volume 4. Volume 6 started with a print run of 1 million copies, which was a first for Shoen Jump+.
In 2019, Spy x Family won the Next Manga Awards and the 4th Tsutaya Comic Awards. Spy x Family won 2nd place in the 13th Manga Taisho and 3rd in the Da Vinci 21st Annual Book of the Year award in 2020.
In 2021, Spy x Family won 10th place in the 14th Manga Taisho award. Unfortunately, there are only two episodes of the English dub available, but Crunchyroll is going strong with the series.
What happens next for the Forger Family? Will the truth come out? Will mom and dad fight each other? What about Anya? Her powers make her an asset, but she’s still a kid, so how will this family survive?
I hope Spy x Family gets a happy ending and that the series continues for a long time. Family is more than being related by blood. It’s about being accepted and accepting the ones you care about.
Loid and Yor are perfect for each other and have already proven they’ll do anything to keep Anya safe. Anya is the glue that holds this family together.
I pity anyone who tries to hurt her when mom and dad are around.