Best Anime Like Spy X Family

Tatsuya Endo’s Spy x Family manga debuted in 2019 and is still going strong more than five years later. During that period, the shonen story has produced more than 100 chapters and 13 volumes, and there is nothing to suggest this momentum will derail anytime soon. While the manga is popular and worth seeking out, most people might be more familiar with Wit Studio and CloverWorks’ adaptation, which is among the funniest anime of the 2020s so far. Throughout 37 episodes and a movie, viewers get to meet and fall in love with Loid, Yor, and Anya Forger, a makeshift family who all carry big secrets that they want to keep to themselves.

Spy x Family season 3 is confirmed to be in production, although a release period has yet to be revealed. The sequel might come out in 2025, but it is just speculation at this point. To help pass the time until the Forgers make their grand comeback, fans might wish to check out some of the best anime like Spy x Family. While not delivering the exact same meal, quite a few shows have similar ingredients.

Updated December 4, 2024, by Mark Sammut: Spy x Family season 3 is likely to debut in 2025, although Wit Studio and CloverWorks have yet to announce any release schedule. Regardless of which season the studios pick, the Forgers will undoubtedly be one of its highlights. Die-hard fans looking for something similar to watch should check out the following shows, including a new 2024 isekai anime. Galleries for each series have also been added.

22 The Little Lies We All Tell

Four Friends With Big Secrets

Spy x Family‘s humor largely rests on the Forger’s secret identities, with Loid, Yor, and Anya all trying to keep a big part of themselves hidden from their family. Due to her ability to read minds, Anya knows everything there is to know about her adoptive parents, but she still needs to play the part of the oblivious child out of fear that revealing her power would result in abandonment.

The Little Lies We All Tell‘s premise is very similar to Spy x Family, at least in its core appeal. The former focuses on four female students who all have HUGE secrets that they must keep to themselves.

• Chika is an alien that is hoping to fix her ship and leave Earth.
• Chiyo is a ninja with a violent past (and present, to be honest).
• Sekine is (basically) an esper who can read the minds of girls (meaning, she knows almost everyone’s secrets).
• Tsubasa is a guy (admittedly, this secret is a bit tame compared to the other three, although it is amplified by Tsubasa’s bizarre dynamic with his pretty awful sister).

Although containing slice of life elements, The Little Lies We All Tell is primarily an absurdist sketch comedy that primarily revolves around each character’s desperate attempts to hide their true identities or powers. Compared to Spy x Family, this 2022 anime is considerably more hit-and-miss in the humor department, and it takes a pretty long time to find its feet. Nevertheless, The Little Lies We All Tell is an amusing enough watch for the most part, and it even improves as it goes along.

21 A Journey Through Another World: Raising Kids While Adventuring

An Isekai Trip With A Childcare Twist

As isekai anime tend to be escapist fantasies that often incorporate harem elements, they usually do not saddle the protagonist with children they must take care of. A Journey Through Another World opts for a different approach, with its male lead, Takumi, finding himself acting as the parent of twins named Elena and Allen. As neither of the kids likes to talk, their backgrounds are shrouded in mystery; however, they are more than capable of holding their own in battles, occasionally even eclipsing Takumi.

A Journey Through Another World is just a relaxing slow-life series. The main characters are rarely challenged in any significant way, and their relationships strengthen naturally as they spend more time together. While not having big personalities, the kids are cute and endearing.

20 Spy Classroom

Training The Next Batch Of Master Spies

Spy Classroom is mainly for people who wish to try out another show set in a fantasy world where nations are essentially in an espionage war. Although not devoid of humor, this series primarily focuses on action, so it has a different tone than Spy x Family. Still, fans of the latter might enjoy some elements from this anime, including the main male protagonist: Klaus.

Like Loid, Klaus is a master spy who can accomplish extraordinary feats, and he agrees to craft a team filled with female spy rejects. While not exactly playing the part of a father, Klaus is the girls’ mentor, even if they have an adversarial dynamic at times. Spy x Classroom starts on a fairly bad note, with the first few episodes doing a pretty poor job of introducing the audience to this universe. However, the anime improves as it goes along, and season 2 is pretty good.

A Slapstick Masterpiece

A comedy classic, Fumoffu is the Full Metal Panic spin-off that focuses on Sousuke Sagara’s earnest attempts to protect Kaname Chidori while undercover at the latter’s school. Although mecha-themed danger may lurk around every corner in the main seasons, the same cannot be said for Fumoffu, although that does not discourage Sousuke from treating every development as a life-or-death situation.

Fumoffu utilizes slapstick humor more than Spy x Family, but they both revolve around protagonists who are trying to keep up appearances for the greater good. Compared to Loid Forger’s ability to seamlessly blend into his environment, Sousuke sticks out like a sore thumb, and Chidori is usually the one who has to clean up his messes.

18 The Fable

A Mob Hitman Has To Pretend To Be Ordinary For A Year (For People Who Want A Darker Anime)

A Spring 2024 anime, The Fable comes with the caveat that it strikes a different tone than Spy x Family and targets a more adult audience. While both shows lean heavily on humor, the former is a black comedy that is firmly grounded in reality (specifically, Japan’s criminal underworld). Therefore, taking all of that into account, why is this show still recommended? Well, The Fable deals with an infamous hitman who is forced to lie low for a year, requiring him to pretend to be an average person while living in Osaka. He is accompanied by his driver, who is also given a false identity as the hitman’s pretend sister.

Yor and Loid are generally more positive and affable than The Fable‘s Akira and Youko, especially since the latter are under no illusions about their line of work (and neither is the anime). Still, both series feature extraordinary people who take on fake roles as they try to blend in with a specific crowd. In the case of The Fable, Akira is mostly just trying to understand what it means to be ordinary; meanwhile, Youko is just happy to drink away her nights and string along a few guys.

17 A Salad Bowl Of Eccentrics

A Princess From Another World Meets A Private Investigator

Although not among the best anime of the Spring 2024 season, A Salad Bowl of Eccentrics is a cute reverse isekai story that blends humor, action, and (small) hints of drama quite well. With her life collapsing around her, Princess Sara escapes from her kingdom and makes her way to Earth, literally falling on top of a private investigator named Sousuke while he is on the job.

While initially resistant to the idea, Sousuke eventually agrees to allow Sara to live with him, a turn of events that is mostly inspired by the girl’s rather potent magical abilities. Rough start aside, the two develop a pretty quick bond that is quite wholesome. In the meantime, Sara’s knight, Livia, also makes her way to Earth, although she decides to go the homeless route.

Similar to Spy x Family, A Salad Bowl of Eccentrics brings together an unorthodox found family centering around a male lead who has a pretty dangerous job and originally had no desire to play the role of a parent.

16 ACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Dept.

Similar Universe, Wildly Different Tone

ACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Dept. is a widely different type of show than Spy x Family. Set in the fictional kingdom of Dowa, Madhouse’s anime revolves around a public servant, Jean Otus, who is charged with investigating rumors regarding a coup d’etat. In order to quietly gather information, Jean goes to the country’s states to conduct audits.

Tonally, these anime have little in common since ACCA has almost no comedy or action; however, both series revolve around characters who work behind the scenes to maintain peace. ACCA and Spy x Family‘s societies are also relatively similar.

15 Kaguya-sama: Love Is War

Hilarious Mind Games

Even though their settings are nothing alike, Kaguya-sama and Spy x Family cover a lot of the same ground. Both shows revolve around characters who have to keep secrets from each other; in the case of A-1 Pictures’ series, Kaguya and Miyuki are secretly in love with each other but cannot admit it. The series leans heavily into comedy while incorporating elements of other genres, be it romance for Kaguya-sama or action for Spy x Family.

Even the style of humor is similar as both shows combine mind games, slapstick, and wordplay. More importantly, Kaguya-sama and Spy x Family have hilarious characters with pink hair.

14 The Millionaire Detective – Balance: UNLIMITED

Action & Comedy

Daisuke Kanbe is stupidly rich. In fact, he is so rich that he can effortlessly indulge in his crime-solving pastime without fear of repercussions for collateral damage since he can just pay off the city whenever his escapades destroy a building. When he joins the Modern Crime Prevention unit, Daisuke is assigned to Haru Katou, a straight-laced detective who is not enamored by his new partner. As they solve cases together, they gradually learn that they are both far more complex than they might initially seem.

The Millionaire Detective – Balance: UNLIMITED blends action and comedy incredibly well, although it leans into the former more than Spy x Family. While there might not be a kid involved in the main story, Daisuke and Haru’s dynamic is more than gripping enough to carry the series, although the fantastic storytelling does not hurt either.

13 Bunny Drop

Wholesome Father & Daughter Relationship

Season 1 of Spy x Family steadily strengthens the bond between Loid, Yor, and Anya. The eponymous spy’s actions are still primarily driven by his mission, but he has started to grow attached to his pretend family; in fact, these brief moments of genuine connection between the characters make up some of Spy x Family‘s most unforgettable scenes.

Bunny Drop is all about the bond that can develop between a father figure and their adoptive daughter. In this touching anime, Daikichi Kawachi decides to take in Rin Kaga, the illegitimate child of his deceased grandfather. Over the course of 11 episodes, Daikichi and Rin’s relationship develops significantly, as the two characters learn to trust and cherish each other. Except for the occasional gag, Bunny Drop is a slice of life anime rather than a comedy, so it does not have Spy x Family‘s blend of humor and action; however, this series has one of the best father-daughter dynamics in anime.

12 Beelzebub

Gag Comedy Goodness

A slightly underappreciated shonen anime that, unfortunately, ended years before the manga concluded its run, Beelzebub is a cute little series about a tough high school student who suddenly becomes the caregiver of the demon king’s baby. While incorporating a few battle shonen ingredients, this series is predominantly a comedy, with most episodes focusing on a few sketches.

Obviously, Beelzebub‘s premise is quite different from Spy x Family, and their settings are nothing alike; however, they share a few notable things in common. Both anime focus on peculiar parent-child dynamics that venture into fantasy or supernatural territory. Oga and Baby Beel are adorable together, and Hildegard fits the “mother” role well.

11 The Yakuza’s Guide To Babysitting

Two Worlds Collide

A Summer 2022 anime, The Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting was a pleasant surprise. The premise sees a violent yakuza enforcer, Tooru Kirishima, tasked with taking care of his boss’s daughter, the reserved Yaeka Sakuragi. At first glance, this pairing might appear mismatched, but the story blasts through the “will they get along?” section and quickly establishes a wholesome dynamic. Like Anya in Spy x Family, Yaeka is aware that Tooru’s profession is unique, and she mostly leaves him to it. On the other hand, Tooru has to balance his yakuza responsibilities with his role as a babysitter, and the latter influences his approach to the former.

While mostly a cute slice of life comedy, The Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting does not shy away from the dark side of Tooru’s life either. In fact, the anime can get shockingly vicious at times, and these moments are generally earned.

10 Kakushigoto

A Raunchy Secret

Kakushi Gotou and his daughter Hime have an odd relationship where one is keeping things hidden the best they can, which is sort of like Spy x Family. The major difference here is Kakushi is not a spy, he just draws an extremely raunchy manga.

Kakushi does his absolute best to not let his daughter know as he fears she will become disillusioned if she ever finds out; however, nothing can stay a secret forever. Kakushigoto is funny and cute, with the main characters having a really charming dynamic that feels genuine.

9 Kotaro Lives Alone

A Mature Child Protagonist

Those who want to see what a goofy child like Anya would be doing if she lived by herself will adore this anime. While what happened to Kotaro’s family is a complex mystery, the four-year-old now lives by himself and gets into quite a few shenanigans.

He does have an interesting found family in his neighbors, who are extremely baffled at the situation but go along with it anyway. Light and comedic but with a few heavy moments, Kotaro Lives Alone was unfortunately overlooked when it premiered on Netflix.

8 The Disastrous Life Of Saiki K.

A Very Powerful Psychic Stuck In A Hilarious Comedy

Anya’s ability to read minds has proven useful on many occasions, but it does not begin to compare to Kusuo Saiki’s psychic powers. The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.‘s teenage protagonist can do just about anything, except apparently not attract attention from his classmates.

Like Anya, Kusou wishes to keep his powers a secret from the world; also like Anya, that is easier said than done. The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. is a laugh-out-loud comedy with episodes that typically consist of short skits that pair Kusuo with one or more of his quirky classmates.

7 Barakamon

Finding A Home

Barakamon‘s premise, on paper, is not all that similar to Spy x Family. Sei is a prodigy calligrapher with an attitude problem, and after he reacts poorly to criticism, he is sent by his father to an island where he can “work” in peace. In reality, his father hoped this experience would allow Sei to grow up and acquire a sense of community by interacting with the locals. The latter initiative is spearheaded by a young child named Naru, whose boundless energy initially annoys Sei. However, in time, Sei learns to appreciate not only Naru but also the island’s way of life.

While obviously far removed from Spy x Family‘s universe, Barakamon also explores a family-style dynamic that goes beyond blood. Sei and Naru’s dynamic is relentlessly endearing, and they are hardly the anime’s only great characters. Although classified as slice of life, Barakamon is also pretty hilarious in its own right.

6 ​​​​​​Hinamatsuri

A Found-Family Dynamic With A Supernatural Twist

In Hinamatsuri, a yakuza member suddenly finds himself caring for a young girl with supernatural powers. This supernatural anime comedy has quite a few similarities but does have some significant differences in tone compared to Spy x Family.

Watching Yoshifumi trying to get close to Hina, so he can use her powers to help with his yakuza goals, and ending up just plain getting closer to her in the process is a fantastic experience. Plus, Hinamatsuri is gut-bustlingly hilarious and sure to be an entertaining watch.

5 Buddy Daddies

Two Assassins Adopt A Little Girl

Airing in the season after Spy x Family Part 2, Buddy Daddies initially got dismissed as a lesser version of the former; however, after a few episodes, it became clear that the two anime share little in common beyond some shallow similarities. Rei and Kazuki are assassins who wind up taking out the father of a young girl who has just arrived in Tokyo. As Miri has never actually met her father and has been unknowingly abandoned by her mother, she mistakes Kazuki for her dad, and she ends up living with the two assassins. Together, they form an odd but charming found family.

Even though they are around the same age, Anya and Miri are nothing alike. The latter is a considerably more realistic interpretation of a 4-year-old child, and she can be irrational, frustrating, and loud. That said, she is also sweet and innocent. Rei and Kazuki are also great and entertaining father figures, and they can go on different journeys as they learn to accept Miri as their own.

4 Princess Principal

Undercover At A School

Princess Principal focuses a bit more on the spy side of things than Spy x Family, with several elite girls attending Queen’s Mayfaire school as undercover agents. Ange le Carré, Chise, and Beatrice all work together under the leadership of Dorothy.

With their unique skills, they do their best to protect the Commonwealth. The show also has a historical setting similar to Spy x Family for those who enjoy going back in time with their stories.

3 Listen To Me, Girls. I Am Your Father!

Keeping The Family Together

Yuuta was raised by his sister from a young age after his parents died. When she asks him to watch her own daughters while she goes on an overseas trip with her husband, he can’t refuse. But when the couple’s plane goes missing and they are presumed dead, he suddenly finds himself taking care of the three girls permanently so they won’t be split up in foster care.

The story of Yuuta slowly becoming a father figure for the three girls as they grieve the loss of their parents is packed with emotions for a comedic slice of life show. Those who enjoyed the expansion and exploration of the family dynamics in Spy x Family will likely love Listen To Me, Girls. I Am Your Father!