Since its debut in 2022, Spy x Family has been one of the most popular titles in the anime world. One of the reasons it is so popular is its ability to attract a broad spectrum of fans including men and women, young and old, otaku and new anime fans. Indeed, its fan base gives it a unique appeal that few other spy anime have achieved. Nevertheless, there are a lot of good spy anime out there that Spy x Family fans will enjoy.
While spies, espionage, and spycraft are the foundations that the Spy x Family story is built upon, they are not its only elements. Spy x Family‘s unique appeal comes from the integration of other themes into the basic spy story. Those themes include a healthy dose of comedy and humor, superhero fiction in Anya’s telepathy, romance courtesy of Loid and Yor, and a sprinkling of action. Here are 10 of the best spy anime that tick some of the same boxes, but with their own signature style.
10 Joker Game
For fans looking for a purer spy anime experience – one that does not include all the extra themes of Spy x Family – the Joker Game is the anime for you. This award-winning series takes place in the years before the start of World War II. It follows Lt. Colonel Yuuki and the agents of D Agency – a special intelligence service established to infiltrate foreign countries and obtain information that will help Japan’s war effort. What makes Joker Game worth watching is the attention to detail the creators put in to keep fans guessing and make sure every character is fascinating in their own right. This works particularly well for the series’ anthology style, which deep dives into the story of each character with each new episode.
9 Release the Spyce
For an anime that is closer to Spy x Family’s mix of spy intrigue with slice-of-life normality, there’s Release the Spyce. It tells the story of high school student Momo Minamoto who hopes to work in law enforcement like her father. Her opportunity comes sooner than she expects when her classmate Yuki invites her to join the Tsukikage, a secret spy organization focused on protecting the city from special threats. Momo brings a special skill set to the agency – she can tell what people are thinking and feeling by licking them – a weird twist along the same lines as Anya’s telepathy. Release of Spyce is a fun and lighthearted anime with plenty of action to satisfy fans’ spy story cravings.
8 Full Metal Panic
Part of what makes Spy x Family so relatable and human is its depiction of how draining the life of an undercover spy actually is. Full Metal Panic, however, portrays the tensions of a covert spy even better. The story centers on Sousuke Sagara, an agent of Mithril – a super secret spy agency focused on stopping the next terrorist attack. Sousuke, however, is not on the front lines as he’d like. Instead, he’s enrolled in a high school to secretly protect student Kaname Chidori from harm. Kaname has a special ability that the government wants to protect for later use. The problem is, however, that Sousuke is totally unsuited to student life. While Full Metal Panic has plenty of action and suspense, its real genius is its depiction of spy life away from the action, and the mingling of domestic life and high-stakes adventure.
7 Golgo 13
While Spy x Family’s main underlying story is Loid’s spy mission, Yor’s assassination missions add a totally unique kind of action. The best anime that hews to Yor’s master killer in a spy’s world is Golgo 13. The series details the exploits of the top assassin Golgo 13. Golgo works independently but is willing to take assignments from any intelligence agency willing to pay his price, which – based on his success rate – is understandably high. Interestingly, Golgo generally takes hits on people who are widely considered evil. Outside its compelling story, Golgo 13 is worth watching because of its fascinating mix of spycraft and cold-blooded contract killing. It demonstrates that top-level assassins, like Yor Forger, have their own clandestine world equal to spies.
6 Mission: Yozakura Family
Perhaps the most endearing aspect of Spy x Family is the Forger family. While initially fake, they demonstrate a caring for one another that some real families are never able to achieve. For fans who love this aspect of the show, Mission: Yozakura Family is a must. The story focuses on the joys and sorrows of Taiyo Asano. After losing his parents in a car accident, Taiyo develops a deep connection with his childhood friend Mutsumi Yozakura. Eventually, they decide to get married. The problem ism Mutsumi’s family is one of the biggest spy organizations in the land, and by marrying her, he’s expected to continue the family tradition. Mission: Yozakura Family is a great watch because of its mix of spy action and a home life, where everyone in the house is a spy.
5 Darker Than Black
Fans shouldn’t be fooled by Darker than Black’s world of super-powered individuals – it’s spy-fare of the highest level. The story follows Hei, a “spy assassin for hire” who is incredibly successful at what he does. The problem, however, is Hei is beginning to doubt the morality of his profession. Naturally, agents who start having second thoughts about their missions are a liability to the organizations they work for, and this puts Hei in harm’s way. Darker Than Black addresses the same issues Loid and Yor are learning to deal with, namely how far are they willing to take their job when doing so may negatively impact the people they most care about.
4 Night Raid 1931
Night Raid 1931 is a period piece that explores the work of the small spy agency known as Sakurai Kikan. Their focus is on keeping tensions between Russia, China, Japan, and the West from boiling over into open conflict in Asia. To help ensure peace and security in the region and Japan, the agency looks to leverage its location in Shanghai, China – the crossroads of the Pacific, and a team of outstanding telepaths and espers. On the one hand, like Joker Game, this anime presents a more realistic and fascinating spy environment than some of the other picks on this list. On the other hand, the fact that many of its agents make use of supernatural powers adds a decidedly Spy x Family tweak. It is the perfect example of a superhero spy story.
3 Lycoris Recoil
What if Loid, Yor, and Anya confessed their secrets to each other and decided to start their own security consulting firm? The anime Lycoris Recoil provides a fascinating answer. The story follows Takina Inoue, a master spy assassin who one day lets her emotions get the best of her. As a result, she ends up breaking company protocol and being let go. Partnered with another top-ranked ex-agent, Takina begins to understand that there’s more to life than working for the company. Lycoris Recoil explores what’s next when life as an elite agent doesn’t work out – especially the fact that there’s a lot of work out there for people with her skill set.
2 Princess Principal
Two neighboring nations are locked in a Cold War, ever fearful that the other will one day deliver the doomsday blow. If this sounds like the plot of Spy x Family, you’d be right. It’s also the underlying story in the anime Princess Principal. However, this series is actually about cooperation at its heart. In Princess Principal, one side sets out to replace a member of the enemy royal family – only for the princess to turn around and offer to work as a double agent if the spy team will help elevate her to queen, at which point she intends to unify both nations into a single kingdom. It’s spycraft for the good of all!
1 Spy Classroom
Spy Classroom shares more than a few other similarities with Spy x Family, which makes it the best anime to see if you are a Forger family fan. The story follows Lily, a spy-in-training who is struggling with standardized testing that fails to appreciate her potential. Enter Klaus, a former top spy who is tasked with training an “impossible mission force.” He gives Lily and six other struggling spy students a chance to be on the inaugural team. The problem is they only have a month to train for a mission that other “top of the class” spy teams have failed. Spy Classroom shares Spy x Family‘s mix of action and comedy against the backdrop of a compelling spy mission. Similarly, It’s filled with interesting characters that become more captivating as the tale goes on. It’s a solid story that draws fans in from the beginning and keeps them interested to the end.
Spy x Family is a triumph because of how it marries disparate elements, and the anime above tackle the same themes in their own ways – and if there’s a particular element of the Forger family’s adventurers that you love more than the rest, it’s a safe bet that one of these shows has a balance you’ll enjoy even more.
