10 Most Powerful Spy Organizations In Anime History

No competent in-story spy would dismiss the pivotal role that the powerful anime spy organization plays in helping them accomplish their mission. The support that these organizations provide with timely intelligence, state-of-the-art equipment, and crucial resources frequently determines whether a mission will succeed or fail.

Powerful in the context of spy organizations is not the same as it would be in other types of anime. Rather, a powerful spy organization is one that has the resources and funding to make sure its agents succeed. It also means experience, expertise, and reach to carry out operations. Lastly, it means having the resilience to sustain the occasional failure but emerge from a loss better than ever. Ultimately, powerful anime spy organizations focus on teamwork that makes the dream work.

10
D-Agency (Joker Game)

Based on the novel series by Kouji Yanagi

The Joker Game’s D-Agency operates much like the Impossible Mission Force from the Mission Impossible television and film franchise. It is a specialized spy organization that operates alongside other traditional intelligence services within the Japanese Army. However, rather than being staffed with soldiers, its small team of agents are civilians who, just like the IMF members, will not be recognized by the Japanese government if they are caught or killed.

What makes D-agency powerful is the hands-off approach given by its overseers in the Japanese Army’s General Staff. This affords its agents the freedom to operate in other countries as students, tourists, or local business people without drawing a foreign government’s attention. There is danger in this approach as agents often operate on their own with minimal support. But this just shows the effectiveness of its training program. This element combined with the agents’ deep understanding of the culture, language, and history of their location gives D-Agency intelligence, influence, and an impact that belies their small staff.

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9
British Library Special Operations Division (Read or Die)

Based on the manga by Hideyuki Kurata

Read or Die’s British Library Special Operations Division is one of the more unique anime spy organizations. Unlike other members of the British Intelligence community, the focus of its mission is not on protecting the security of the United Kingdom, but rather on preserving the “glory and wisdom” of Britain by taking down those who would damage such by stealing or destroying books. In other words, British Library Special Operations Division is the global protector of knowledge.

Headquartered in a secret complex under the British Museum, the Division accomplishes its goals by deploying a staff of specialized agents who not only fight book-related crimes but also seek out rare books for safekeeping. Its extensive presence everywhere in the world where rare books exist is one of the reasons the Division is so powerful. Moreover, its access to the knowledge held in the books of its collection gives it unmatched wisdom and expertise. Most important, however, is the abilities of its field agents, which include the power to manipulate paper into anything their mind desires.

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8
Westalia Intelligence Service (Spy x Family)

Based on the manga created by Tatsuya Endo

Spy x Family’s Westalian Intelligence Services’ Eastern-Focused Division (WISE) acts like an “in real life” spy organization. As the Westalian Intelligence Bureau unit focused on its Ostania, it works exclusively on identifying, obtaining, and analyzing information about its neighbor and former foe to provide Westalian leadership with actionable intelligence that hopefully will keep the two nations from becoming enemies again.

What makes WISE powerful is its unique mission. Whereas traditional spy-craft entails getting and using intelligence from one nation to damage or hurt that same nation, WISE operations focus on doing everything it can in Ostania to prevent another war. Accordingly, it eliminates or disrupts threats such as domestic terrorist groups or those who would harm Ostania if doing so would put it on the path to war with Westalia. It is both a Westalian spy organization and a secret international law enforcement unit. Its narrow focus gives it incredible influence throughout Ostania society.

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7
Direct Attack (Lycoris Recoil)

An original anime written and directed by Shingo Adachi

Lycoris Recoil’s Direct Attack is a super-secret independent surveillance and security agency that is tasked with making sure Japan is safe and secure. Unlike regular police and military services, Direct Attack agents, who have licenses to kill, are focused on major threats to Japan’s domestic security.

There are two reasons why Direct Attack is so powerful. First, there’s its Intelligence Division. The Intelligence Division has access to all the information, data, and intelligence of the other law enforcement, military, and spy agencies in Japan. This, combined with its AI systems, gives it an unequaled advantage in the timely identification of threats as they actualize. Second, there’s the Lycoris agents. Having actionable intelligence is useless without the ability to act on it. Fortunately, the ridiculously skilled Lycoris agents are more than up to the task of keeping the nation safe.

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6
Mithril (Full Metal Panic!)

Based on the manga created by Shoji Gatoh

Full Metal Panic’s Mithral is not a typical spy organization. On the one hand, its jurisdiction is global. Indeed, its mission is not to help protect any particular nation but rather to save all the nations of the world. On the other hand, Mithral’s mission is narrowly focused on counter-terrorism, especially terrorism assisted or facilitated by the use of “Black Technology”.

Outside its global footprint, what makes Mithral so powerful is its intelligence-gathering abilities. Although Mithral has its own state-of-the-art intelligence unit, any gaps in its intelligence can be supplemented through its extensive access to the intelligence assets of other nations, including the CIA, MI6, and Mossad. Second, there’s its para-military or tactical unit. Armed with mecha -called Arm Slaves, that employs bleeding-edge technology developed with the help of the Whispered, there are few if any obstacles stopping Mithral from acting on its intelligence.

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5
Office of Secret Intelligence (Code Geass)

An original anime series written by Ichiro Okouchi and directed by Goro Taniguchi

The ultimate purpose of a spy organization is to gather and analyze information to provide actionable intelligence that advances the interests and security of the entity it serves, typically a government or nation. In Code Geass, the Imperial Office of Intelligence Services (OIS) is the epitome of the spy organization. It serves to provide its leader, Emperor Charles, and later Lelouch, with the information to keep the country and leadership safe. In this way, the OIS is not very different from the standard national spy organization.

In addition to its power arising from its direct connection to the emperor or Lalouch, the OIS also has the power to operate above the law in more than a few situations.

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4
Black Organization (Detective Conan)

Based on the manga created by Gosho Aoyama

Good and evil are relative in the world of spycraft. Whether they simply must gather information or execute orders -it’s not the job of spies and secret operators to reason why a job is necessary. Accordingly, despite its reputation as a malevolent force, Detective Conan’s Black Organization meets the standards of a powerful anime spy organization. Its covert operations serve the purpose of keeping its “Boss” one step ahead of its foes.

One of the most obvious characteristics that makes the Black Organization such a powerful spy agency is its global reach. Global reach here means having a global force of connected operatives who can be called on at a moment’s notice to infiltrate, report on, and skillfully execute the leadership’s commands with little to no fanfare. While it might lack the official government support that’s fundamental to spy organizations, the Black Organization’s presence means it will always be a top threat to human security.

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3
Anbu (Naruto)

Based on the manga created by Masashi Kishimoto

Naruto’s Anbu refers to Konoha Village’s elite covert and special ops unit tasked with intelligence gathering and analysis, performing high-risk that provide village leaders plausible deniability, and providing surveillance, safety, and security for the village government. You could say that members of Anbu are the true ninjas in Konoha.

Outside every member of Anbu being a highly skilled and experienced shinobi with a particular specialization – such as Kakashi’s Chidori, there are three other elements of its power. First, they answer to no one but the Hokage. This gives them the freedom to act – essentially above the law – when necessary. Second, the anonymity enjoyed in Konoha gives them the ability to act in plain sight without the need for elaborate games of cloak and dagger. Lastly, Anbu’s diversity, which focuses on recruiting the best available potential agents, means that the agency can operate anywhere and at any time.

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2
Section 9 (Ghost in the Shell)

Based on the manga created by Masamune Shirow

Ghost in the Shell’s Public Security Section 9 is a government agency housed inside Japan’s internal security department – the Ministry of Home Affairs. Unlike other units within Home Affairs, Section 9 specializes in cyber warfare and countering any terrorist threat involving computers, information technology, or the internet. Section 9 is not the primary intelligence unit within Home Affairs but its responsibilities and expertise in information and communications technology make spycraft a fundamental element of its work.

Nothing expresses Section 9’s power more than its independence. Indeed, Section 9 has the authority to investigate almost any threat involving information technology. As such, it can initiate or take over any operation across the Japanese government that fits within its jurisdiction. This includes the independent power to open an investigation into political leaders – including those who oversee its operation. Additionally, Section 9 deploys some of the most cutting-edge technology in the world. Nowhere is this more obvious than the fact that almost all Section 9 agents are androids which gives them superhero-like abilities.

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1
Cipher Pol (One Piece)

Based on the manga created by Eichiiro Oda

If there is any political system more in need of an elite spy organization to keep ahead of its many enemies, it’s One Piece’s World Government. Fortunately, they understood the threatening environment that they existed in and made sure to establish the top-level, all-purpose intelligence unit otherwise known as Cipher Pol 0 – or CP0, for short.

Like other overpowered anime spy organizations, the element of its existence that makes CP-0 so powerful is that it answers only to the World Nobles. Moreover, the trust and deference that the World Nobles give CP0 to use whatever means necessary to succeed speaks volumes to the power that it wields. Conversely, CP0’s extensive access to public and private information also makes it the rare government agency that has as much “dirt” on its bosses as it does on its bosses’ enemies. In other words, CP0 is so powerful it can bring down its own government, making it the strongest spy organization in anime.

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