Spy X Family Season 2 Release Date, Cast, Trailer, Possible Plotlines And More Details
Family can come from surprising places, which is a major theme of the hit anime "Spy x Family." The adaptation of Tatsuya Endo's ongoing manga series follows three unique figures destined to be together. Loid Forger (codename Twilight) takes on a mission that requires a few new assets — he needs a wife and a child to pull off his new assignment as a spy. His search takes him to an orphan named Anya, whose telepathic powers have made her an outsider. The unlikely pair then find a wife/mother in Yor, an assassin who uses her unassuming manner to her advantage.
Fans and critics have responded well to the material's refreshing combination of action and comedy. The team at Wit Studio was pleasantly surprised by the enthusiastic response to the anime in the West. "I had not realized the global love for the series until I was at the AX [Anime Expo] panel," producer Kazue Hayashi said during an interview with The Illuminerdi. "The reaction of the Japanese voice cast from the overseas fans and their reaction to their favorite scenes were so positive and excited — plus all of the cosplayers! Now I am starting to see the global reach."
The first season of the anime aired in Japan as well as internationally throughout 2022. When can you expect the second season to drop? Are the cast and creative team all returning? And what will the follow-up season be about? Here's everything you need to know about "Spy x Family" Season 2.
When will Spy x Family Season 2 be released?
"Spy x Family" Season 2 is set to drop in Japan on October 7, 2023, and fans in the United States will be able to see the first episode on the same day thanks to Crunchyroll. The streamer is running a simulcast of the show's second season in North America, Central America, South America, Europe, Africa, Oceania, the Middle East, and CIS. "The Forger family returns on October 7, and will be available in a slew of subs and dubs across its regions," Crunchyroll said in a statement. "In addition to the original Japanese language version with subtitles, dubs for 'Spy x Family' Season 2 will be produced in English, Latin American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, German, French, Italian, Castilian Spanish, Russian and Arabic."
The streamer didn't reveal when the various dubs would be made available (this "will be announced at a later time," the statement continued), but fans who are fine with watching a subtitled version of the show will be able to access it on the morning of October 7, 2023. The first episode is scheduled to air on TV Tokyo and a number of other channels at 11pm, meaning the first episode of Season 2 should be available to stream on Crunchyroll at around 10am on October 7, 2023. The season is expected to run for 12-13 episodes, meaning it will come to a close around the same time that the film "Spy x Family Code: White" arrives in Japanese cineplexes.
What is the plot of Spy x Family Season 2?
Minor manga spoilers ahead.
The first season of the "Spy x Family" anime covers roughly eight arcs from the manga (not including the two-chapter introductory arc). The first cour comes from the Admissions Interview Arc, the Eden Beginnings Arc, the Secret Police Arc, and the Stella Star Arc. The second cour is made up of the Doggy Crisis Arc, the Midterm Exams Arc, the Campbelldon Tennis Arc, and the Imperial Scholars Mixer Arc. As fans of the manga series will know, the Imperial Scholars Mixer Arc is followed by the Cruise Adventure Arc, and promotional material has seemingly confirmed that this will be the jumping off point for "Spy x Family" Season 2.
The Cruise Adventure Arc is mainly about Yor, who is tasked with protecting mother and son Olka and Gram Gretcher of the Gretcher crime family. They're traveling aboard the cruise ship the Princess Lorelei. Her mission becomes even more complicated when Loid and Anya win tickets for the cruise. As she juggles keeping her clients safe and her secret identity hidden, Yor begins to have doubts about her line of work.
At the time of this writing there are only four complete arcs left to adapt from the ongoing manga. After the Cruise Adventure Arc there's the WISE Arc (in which Loid attempts to engineer peace between Ostania and Westalis), the Friendship Schemes Arc (in which Yor develops a friendship with Melinda Desmond, the woman who appears as a silhouette in Episode 25), and the Red Circus Arc (in which Anya's school bus gets hijacked by a terrorist group during a field trip). As such, it's likely that "Spy x Family" Season 2 will also be split into two parts, giving the manga enough time to release more chapters.
Who is starring in Spy x Family Season 2?
No announcements have been made regarding additional casting for "Spy x Family" Season 2, but the core voice cast from the first season will be back in action. One of the most recognizable voices is that of Saori Hayami, who voices Yor. She can be heard on a host of other popular anime shows. She has voiced characters on "Boruto: Naruto Next Generations," "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba," "One Piece," "Kotaro Lives Alone," and "My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU," to name but a few.
Hayami will once again reunite with "My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU" co-star Takuya Eguchi for "Spy x Family" Season 2. Eguchi voices the role of Loid, and while it's one of his most prominent roles, he has an impressive set of credits in addition to his contribution as Twilight. He can be heard on numerous series including "Sword Art Online," "Grand Blue," and "That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime."
Atsumi Tanezaki is the voice of daughter Anya, and she's known for the likes of "Detective Conan" and "High School Fleet." The main cast is rounded out by Kenichirō Matsuda, who plays family pet Bond, a huge dog who gained precognition abilities thanks to a series of experiments. Matsuda (who also narrates the series) is best known for his work on shows like "Vinland Saga" and "Black Clover." All four were present at AnimeJapan 2023 for the Season 2 panel.
Which studio is making Spy x Family Season 2?
Like the first season of the show, "Spy x Family" Season 2 will be a collaboration between Wit Studio and CloverWorks, both of whom have created some memorable shows in recent years. Wit is perhaps best known for working on the early seasons of the smash hit anime "Attack on Titan," though there's way more to the studio than just this. "Seraph of the End," "Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress," and "The Ancient Magus' Bride" are just a few of the titles on Wit's resume, not to mention the Viking show "Vinland Saga."
Speaking to The Illuminerdi at California's Anime Expo in 2022, Wit producer Kazuki Yamanaka revealed that "Spy x Family" is one of the most challenging shows the studio has worked on due to the mixture of styles and genres. "The original manga has a 'cool' energy, there are also Loid's action spy actions, and Anya's kawaii moments," he said. "Animation should materialize those aspects. There are a lot of anime that focused on each type. In 'Spy x Family' we have all of them. That's the hardest part of production."
CloverWorks is a newer studio, having released its first show (the seinen series "Slow Start") in 2018. Since then, it has put out well-known shows such as "The Promised Neverland," "Fate/Grand Order – Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia," and the popular cosplay-centric fan favorite series "My Dress-Up Darling." Both studios are also working on the upcoming "Spy x Family" film together, continuing what is fast becoming a fruitful relationship.
Is there a trailer for Spy x Family Season 2?
The announcement trailer for "Spy x Family" Season 2 gave viewers a hint of what to expect in the upcoming sophomore season, with Loid asking Yor if she will go on an actual date with him. She's taken aback by the idea, despite having pretended to be his wife for so long. As she stands in shock at the prospect, posters of a cruise ship can be seen in the background, and the huge ship itself is shown in the next shot, with Anya commenting on how big it is (as well as Loid's lame disguise).
This teaser, which doubled as an ad for the show's second season and the upcoming film "Spy x Family Code: White," didn't give too much away, but the first actual trailer proved to be far more informative. It contains snippets of Yor and Loid seemingly on their date — they are shown eating in a fancy restaurant, rowing a boat on a lake, and taking in some jazz at a club. This is followed by a few shots of Anya completing some school work at max speed, but perhaps the most interesting moment comes later in the trailer.
At 1:11, there's a shot of nine near-silhouetted people with red eyes. Manga readers will no doubt recognize this shot, as it's almost identical in the source material. This is The Garden Assassins Syndicate, a group that operates within Ostania. Fans are eagerly anticipating the arrival of this formidable organization, essentially a paramilitary unit that takes orders from a shadow government. The trailer (which was later subtitled by Crunchyroll) refers to them as a group of assassins that has been around "for ages." It also teases a more emotional side to the story, as the fake family members continue to develop real feelings about each other.
Is there a new opening for Spy x Family Season 2?
The second trailer for "Spy x Family" Season 2 also previewed the music that will be used in the opening and closing credits of the show. The opening song is by Ado and it's called "Kurakura." Ado burst onto the Japanese music scene in 2020 when her song "Usseewa" was streamed over 100 million times via Billboard Japan, becoming the sixth-fastest release to hit that milestone. Speaking to Billboard about "Spy x Family" Season 2, Ado said that she is "so happy to be in charge of the opening theme," adding that the title (which can mean dizzy or giddy) is supposed to be mysterious. "Let your imagination run free about what the song will be like from the title 'Kurakura' and what kind of excitement is packed in it, and look forward to its release!" The song comes out digitally on October 5, 2023, right before the second season drops.
The ending song, titled "Todome no Ichigeki" (which means "Finishing Strike"), is by Vaundy and features American guitarist Cory Wong. Vaundy is no stranger to anime, having worked on music for the likes of "Chainsaw Man" and "One Piece Film Red" in the past. Both Vaundy and Ado have proven to be popular choices with fans of "Spy x Family," who have taken to Reddit to rave about them since the announcement was made. "Finally an anime opening for Ado and it's SPY x FAMILY. Also ED by Vaundy that's a combo right there," said u/Ghoste-Face, while u/BliknoTownOrchestra wrote, "Ado and Vaundy? They pulled out all the stops for the music, damn!"
Where to watch Spy x Family Season 1
Season 1 of "Spy x Family" is available to watch on Crunchyroll, with the first three episodes free to view. If you want to go beyond that, then you'll need a paid membership, as episodes three through to 25 are for premium members only. Plans start at $7.99 a month, and that will get you access to ad-free anime that's often available just one hour after it has debuted in Japan. The next step up is the Mega Fan package, which costs $9.99 a month and allows you to stream on up to four different devices. You can also stream offline, which is a nice bonus for a few extra dollars a month.
If you're willing to cough up $14.99 a month for the Ultimate Fan package, there are even more perks. Not only will you be able to stream on up to six devices, but you'll also get "an annual Ultimate Fan member swag bag, member-only access to the purchase of exclusive merch, and a special benefit for the Crunchyroll Store that provides $25 off a purchase of $100 every three months," Crunchyroll confirmed in a press release.
If you're unsure about which package to take, you can start with a free 30-day trial, which should be enough to watch the first season of "Spy x Family" — the show is so binge-worthy that you'll probably only need a fraction of that time. There's an English language version, as well as dubs in French, Spanish, German, Italian, Russian, and Arabic, as well as Latin American Portuguese and Spanish. You can also watch it with its original Japanese audio with subtitles in all of the aforementioned languages.