The success ofSpy x Familyextends beyond Tatsuya Endo’s expertly written and designed world and into the creative team behind its acclaimed anime adaptation. One specific component is commonly hailed as the best aspect of the show: Anya Forger, who is the comedic lynchpin in practically any scene she appears in, thanks to a crucial casting decision. AsSpy x Family’screator, Tatsuya Endo discusses in an interview alongside Atsumi Tanezaki what set her apart as a candidate to voice the series' most beloved character, Anya.
Anya Forger is the mascot ofSpy x Family, the most iconic character whose telepathy allows her to understand her adoptive parents' secrets while juggling her own as she tries to help Loid on his mission. This results in tons of adorable hijinks as,at Anya’s core, she’s still a very young child whose grasp on the world around her is still developing.
But to have such a ringing endorsement fromSpy x Family’screator, Tanezaki has taken the right steps to get the role.
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Anya Forger’s Voice Actor Gets Ultimate Praise from Spy x Family Creator
To Think She’d Settle for Peanuts
As featured in a radio interview between Tatsuya Endo, creator ofSpy x Family,and Atsumi Tanezaki, the voice of Anya Forger, Endo spares no compliments in praising Tanezaki’s performance, down to her audition. The interview is among many others featured in theSpy x Family: The Official Anime Guide—Mission Report: 220409-0625book localized by VIZ Media, set for release on Jun 15, 2025. In Endo’s interview, he talks about elements he found bland in other auditions for Anya andwhat Tanezaki did to set herself apart and ultimately seize the role.
I had the privilege of participating in the audition phase. Whenever Director Furuhashi and his team asked Ms. Tanezaki to change some aspect of her performance, it would change completely, and she blew everyone else out of the water. I wanted to shout, “This is it!” Getting her to play the part was such a relief to me.
-Tatsuya Endo, Spy x Family Anime Guide
In this interview, which Endo says with Tanezaki sitting in with him, it’s clear that he wants no confusion about the actress boasting the x-factor he sought in his Anya. After all, with the character continuously featuring in so many of the story arcs and evenfan theories about Anya’s past inSpy x Family,to have an underwhelming anime portrayal could have been damning for the show. Endo’s selection criteria may be somewhat vague, but he is also very vocal about when prospective actors rise to the occasion and meet those standards forSpy x Family.
Spy x Family’s Creator Describes His Anya X-Factor
Casting for Anya Forger was a competitive process, with Tanezaki having to beat out other candidates. Still,Endo was enthusiastic when her performance was seen as the worthiest. In his reflection, he talks about what he sought from the character while sitting in on the auditions:
At the tape stage everyone submitted “cute little girl character” voices. But the Anya in my head was never like that. She had sort of a Chibi Maruko-chan voice. We asked all the actors to do different voices, and I had Mr. Lin talk to them about letting me in on the auditions. When I saw Ms. Tanezaki audition, I was amazed at her range. Later, when I went to the acoustic room for a meet and greet with the cast and I got to hear Ms. Tanezaki’s normal speaking voice, I was kind of relieved? I thought, “Oh, she actually created a character for her performance!”
Endo’s praise is clear and a wonderful compliment to Tanezaki’s unique performance of Anya, with elements he specifically highlights, including embodying Anya as a character instead of as a generic cute child and putting the work in. Generic cuteness wouldn’t cut it for Endo, and his top choice meanta three-dimensional yet comical and exaggerated Anya with a wild imagination inSpy x Family. This, combined with Tanezaki’s understanding of Endo’s written quirks, made her an easy choice in the end, and the rest, as they say, was history forSpy x Family.
Spy x Family
Cast
Created by Tatsuya Endo, Spy X Family is an action-adventure comedy anime that follows the misadventures of a found family with unique quirks. The story follows spy Twilight (known as Loid Forger), who, while on assignment, builds a fake family to get closer to his target. Unbeknownst to him, his new family carries their quirks. His wife, Yor, is a kind but deadly assassin, while his daughter, Anya, has telepathic powers - and is the only one who knows their secrets.
