Anime "SPY×FAMILY" Season 3 is currently airing every Saturday at 11:00 PM (JST), with online streaming available on Crunchyroll. Since its debut in 2022, "SPY×FAMILY" has grown into a social phenomenon, having aired Season 1 and Season 2, released a theatrical film in 2023, and been adapted into a musical.
animate Times has been conducting a series of interviews with the cast since the anime began airing. In Season 3, it appears that previously untold and unknown aspects of the characters will be revealed.
In the recently aired MISSION:44 "Red Circus," there was a thrilling development where Anya, caught in a bus hijacking, had a bomb attached to her neck! We spoke with Atsumi Tanezaki-san (voice of Anya), Natsumi Fujiwara-san (voice of Damian Desmond), and Emiri Kato-san (voice of Becky Blackbell), who will also play major roles in MISSION:45. Since this is a long interview, we'll be delivering it in two parts over consecutive weeks. Check out this Part 1!
Damian, Anya, and Becky's Growth
──We've been conducting interviews since the first season of anime "SPY×FAMILY", but this is Fujiwara-san's first appearance. Could you tell us about the character of Damian?
Fujiwara: At first, my impression was, "What a little brat this kid is!" But as the story progressed, I found myself increasingly drawn to his manliness and straightforward personality. When performing the role, I started thinking, "I want to make him even more appealing." Now I feel that Damian is a boy whose charm really comes out the more you get to know him.
He's concerned about Anya somehow, but he also wants to prioritize his grades and himself—he interacts with her while dealing with various internal conflicts. Even so, there's a part of him that can't help but pay attention to Anya, and I think, "That's really wonderful. That's so cool."
Tanezaki: It's been somewhat like this before, but since Season 3 started, Damian's boiling point has gotten even lower—his reactions are faster. Unlike before, where there'd be a beat before he responded, now he seems to react instantly to Anya's words and actions.
Kato: It's true, he might have become more emotional than before.
Fujiwara: That might be the case. I feel like I'm constantly making a reaction.
Kato: Isn't it because his feelings toward Anya—his embarrassment and the emotions stemming from his own flustered state—have increased quite a bit?
Tanezaki: Maybe it's because the Season 3 stories happen to involve unusual situations like Old Lady Tonitrus or the bus hijacking, so it's easier for his emotions to surface.
Kato: In Season 3, we're learning more about Damian's family situation, right? Now that we understand Damian's position within his household, I feel like I'm empathizing with him in a different way than before. Before, he seemed like an annoying boy because he was the son of an important person, but learning about his home environment really conveys how hard Damian is trying.
Fujiwara: As a son within his family, yes.
Kato: His desire to be acknowledged really comes through, and it's so endearing—it makes you want to pat his head.
Fujiwara: His feelings toward his father, his feelings toward his mother, and his older brother too—Season 3 really shows all of that in depth.
Tanesaki: His mother's character is quite strong too.
Kato, Fujiwara: She really is~
──I'm curious about the relationship between Damian and Anya, and Becky watching over them.
Kato: From Becky's perspective, she's completely convinced that Anya likes Damian.
Fujiwara: She really does push them together a lot, doesn't she?
Kato: There were girls like that in school who would support their friends' romances (laughs).
Fujiwara: There were (laughs).
Kato: Playing a slightly precocious girl who loves giving advice is fun, and I think the dynamic between the three of them is interesting because they're not quite on the same page.
Tanezaki: The way she cheers them on too. She talks in such a loud voice saying "Anya-chan!" that everyone can hear everything.
Fujiwara: That's true (laughs).
Kato: She doesn't whisper at all; it becomes like loud talking to herself. She's probably causing misunderstandings with people around them too (laughs).
Everyone: (Laughs).
Season 2: Filled with Exciting, Serious, and Heartwarming Moments
──Could you tell us about any memorable episodes or favorite scenes from Season 2?
Kato: For me, it's definitely "Berlint in Love" (MISSION:36). It really stuck with me because it's the episode where Becky goes to Anya's house. From Becky's perspective, it was so much fun because she meets Loid in person for the first time and just completely loses it.
That was also the first time she really interacted with Yor, her first real involvement with the Forger family, and it deepened her relationship with Anya even more.
Fujiwara: Becky brings up Loid's name at every opportunity, doesn't she?
Kato: She really does (laughs). When it comes to Loid, her voice changes a bit.
Fujiwara: She becomes more feminine, right?
Kato: Exactly. The way she goes "Kyaa!" is so cute.
Tanezaki: Nighfall (Fiona) also thinks about Loid deep down, doesn't she? It's interesting how even though they're thinking about the same person, their expressions are so different. Becky's feelings are easier to relate to, aren't they?
Kato: Becky has that giddy feeling of a normal girl, you know? It's like meeting your favorite idol.
Fujiwara: Becky fell for Loid's appearance, after all.
Kato: Right. She doesn't know anything about who he really is. It's love at first sight (laughs).
Tanezaki: At first, it was just from a photo (laughs).
──How about you, Tanezaki-san?
Tanezaki: In Season 2, I really felt that Mother (Yor) worked so hard... Those lines of determination in the luxury cruise ship arc bring me to tears no matter how many times I hear them. While Anya was in a completely different place, seriously yet comically doing her thing with Father (Loid), Mother was risking her life doing incredible work. So for me, Season 2 has Mother's image.
There's her past of working hard for her younger brother (Yuri) all this time, leading up to her current determination. Season 3 will depict Father's past as well, but I think it's very SPY×FAMILY—the present and future built upon everything they've been carrying with them.
──How about you, Fujiwara-san?
Fujiwara: I really loved the playing cards story in "The Pastry of Knowledge" (MISSION:29), but "Damian's Field Research Trip" (MISSION:27) was particularly memorable—it's one of those heartwarming episodes.
Damian overslept and his mental state was a bit shaken, but the teachers encouraged him and he went on the field trip. Damian worked through it while facing himself, and the fact that he went on the field trip together with his friends Emile and Ewen made me really feel the importance and value of companionship.
I don't think Damian had ever experienced anything like that before. He was energetic, but I think it was his first time being so immersed in nature and experiencing survival like that, so I'm sure he learned a lot in his own way and made many discoveries. After overcoming difficulties during the field trip, they all looked at the stars together, and his childlike expression was so adorable.
Damian pushes himself because he wants to be recognized by his father, so understanding that, the teacher takes him on the field trip saying he needs to take a break sometimes—I'm grateful there are adults who understand such things.
The friendship between Damian, Emile, and Ewen is also really wonderful. After going on the field trip, I felt their relationship deepened another step. It might be good to watch it again knowing more about Damian himself.
──Continue to Part 2
[Interview by Song Risook]
About "SPY x FAMILY"
Story
Everyone has a side of themselves they never show to others...
In an era where countries around the world were engaged in fierce, covert information warfare, the Eastern nation of Ostania and the Western nation of Westalis had been in a cold war for over a decade.
Twilight, a top spy working for WISE, Westalis' Eastern-Focused Division, is given a top-secret mission. Codenamed Operation Strix, the mission is crucial for maintaining peace between East and West. The objective: to investigate the movements of Donovan Desmond, the leader of the National Unity Party in Ostania, a dangerous figure threatening peace between the two nations.
The mission requires him to "start a family within one week and infiltrate a social gathering at the prestigious school Desmond's son attends."
Disguising himself as psychiatrist Loid Forger, Twilight sets out to create a family. However, the daughter he meets, Anya, turns out to be a telepath, and his wife, Yor, is actually an assassin!
With their interests aligned, the three decide to live together while hiding their true identities from each other.
The fate of world peace now rests in the hands of this makeshift family prone to one mishap after another.
Cast
Loid Forger: Takuya Eguchi
Anya Forger: Atsumi Tanezaki
Yor Forger: Saori Hayami
Bond Forger: Kenichiro Matsuda
Franky Franklin: Hiroyuki Yoshino
Sylvia Sherwood: Yuko Kaida
Henry Henderson: Kazuhiro Yamaji
Yuri Briar: Kensho Ono
Damian Desmond: Natsumi Fujiwara
Becky Blackbell: Emiri Kato
Fiona Frost: Ayane Sakura
© Tatsuya Endo/Shueisha, SPY x FAMILY Project
© Animate Times
*Some parts of this text have been translated using machine translation
