After a season dominated by slice-of-life shows like My Dress-Up Darling, April 9th of 2022 heralded the long-awaited release of the breakout slice-of-life anime Spy x Family.
Spy x Family features a pretty unconventional trio in the main family: the genius spy and father Loid Forger, the exceptional assassin and mother Yor Forger, and their adopted child and telepath Anya. Together, the family makes a pretty wacky bunch that often finds themselves in wild situations. However, some anime families are even more eccentric than the Forgers.
The Sohmas – Fruits Basket
The Sohmas are a clan of shapeshifting humans with a curse placed upon them. Each Sohma can transform into one of the Chinese zodiac animals.
Kyo and Yuki are the most iconic of the family, but the entire plot of Fruits Basket revolves around Tohru’s relationship with the family. The Sohmas may not be exceptional in the way that Loid and Yor are, but like Anya, they possess a strange power that often ends up making their life more difficult.
The Vanettis – 91 Days
One of the greatest mafia anime of all time, 91 Days, revolves around protagonist Avilio’s revenge scheme against the powerful Vanetti family. Most importantly on his list are Don Vanetti and Nero Vanetti, who killed his father.
Nero, the son of the Don, is a brilliant businessman who is as efficient at his job as Loid is at being a spy. He’s also as efficient at “taking care of people” as Yor is. If only Nero or the rest of his family could read people at the level that Anya can, then Avilio’s revenge plot would have fallen through completely.
The Daigo Family – Dororo
The protagonist, rival, and antagonist of Dororo all hail from the same family. The abandoned cursed son Hyakkimaru, brilliant beloved son Tahomaru, and crooked lord Kagemitsu Daigo.
Anime is no stranger to family feuds, but the hatred between the Daigo family is one of the most intense in the genre. Tahomaru and Hyakkimaru are both incredible warriors, as showcased in their final battle, and Daigo is a merciless tactician and leader. The family certainly gives even Loid and Yor a run for their money on multiple levels.
The Momobami Clan – Kakegurui
Season 2 of Kakegurui follows the struggle for control of the Momobami clan, led by the infamous student council president Kirari Momobami and opposed by former clan member Rei Batsubami.
The Momobami is a harsh and powerful clan rooted in gambling ability. Their leader, Kirari, is one of the world’s best gamblers and a brilliant strategist. The Momobami clan is a much bigger family than the Forgers, with several brilliant major characters appearing throughout the season.
The Kamishiros – Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal
The orphaned Shark and Rio began Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal as rivals to Yuma before becoming close friends. By the end of the series, they once more opposed Yuma as Barian Emperors.
Shark is the greatest character in the franchise to ever carry Joey’s mantle of “protagonist’s best friend.” He and his sister are two of the best duelists in the show and the revolution that Shark was Nash, the leader of the Barians, was one of the top twists in the franchise. Even the brilliant Loid Forgers doesn’t compare to the strategical genius of the Kamishiro twins.
The Briefs – Dragon Ball
The Briefs began Dragon Ball as a wacky family of mad scientists mostly comprised of Bulma and her father Dr. Briefs. Since Z, the family has added Bulma’s husband Vegeta and sons Trunks and future Trunks as notable members.
Bulma and Vegeta are arguably Shonen Jump’s greatest couple. They also rival Yor and Loid as a power couple, with Bulma being one of the smartest people in the galaxy and Vegeta being one of the strongest. The combo of Trunks and future Trunks are the icing on the cake, both having distinct personalities and different relationships with Vegeta.
The Uchihas – Naruto
Naruto has many of the most iconic families in anime, but the Uchihas stand out in the show as especially unique. Itachi, Madara, and Sasuke in particular are key characters throughout the whole series.
Naruto and Sasuke’s Rivals-to-friends-to-enemies-to friends again arc was many people’s least favorite part of the series, but the youngest Uchiha’s influence on the original series and Shippuden can’t be denied. The family features the main rival, antagonist, and a tragic anti-hero. Yor may be an assassin, but the Uchihas take the cake when it comes to moral complexity.
The Britannians – Code Geass
Lelouch Vi Britannia, the protagonist of Code Geass, has one of the most extensive and infamous families in anime. Among the most memorable are Cornelia, Schneizel, and Nunnally.
The Britannians are an extensive royal family with remarkable skills in military tactics. Lelouch is the greatest prodigy among them, but his father Charles and older siblings Schneizel and Cornelia all rival his intellectual abilities. The family is far more dysfunctional than the Forgers, and far more terrifying as well.
The Yeagers – Attack on Titan
Grisha and his sons, Eren and Zeke Yeager, strive to end the oppression of their people through wildly different means. The whole family clashes in the process, each with the same goal in mind.
Attack on Titan is full of great fight scenes and battles, most of which are thanks to the antics of the Yaeger family. Grisha Yaeger’s restoration plan was the catalyst of much of the anime’s plot. Zeke Yaeger both ended the lives of major characters and was the trigger needed for Eren’s final plan. Eren has ended far more lives than Yor or Loid and is one of anime’s greatest villains.
The Zoldycks – Hunter X Hunter
One of the protagonists of Hunter X Hunter, Killua Zoldyck, is from a family of genius assassins that make a fortune. Every member is a skilled user of nen and a force to be reckoned with.
Similar to the Forgers, the most unique member of the family isn’t a brilliant assassin but a young girl with strange powers. However, far more unique than the telepathic Anya is the wish granter Alluka. Alluka’s ability to grant wishes makes her one of the most unique and powerful characters in the series, and her family isn’t far behind her.
