It comes as no surprise that fans may be hungry for other shows similar to this surefire hit. Thankfully, there are some fantastic anime like Spy x Family around for anyone who is interested.
Updated October 27, 2022 by Mark Sammut: Spy x Family season 2 has started airing as part of the Fall 2022 anime line-up, and the show is still as good as it was in Spring. The Forgers’ weekly escapades deliver comedy, action, and even a few sweet moments. Fall 2022 is absolutely jam-packed with stellar shows, but there are not all that many anime similar to Spy x Family; consequently, this article has been updated to include a few more recommendations.
14 Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu
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.
13 ACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Dept.
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.
12 Kaguya-sama: Love Is War
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 lean 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.
11 Bunny Drop
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.
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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.
10 The Yakuza’s Guide To Babysitting
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 established 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.
9 Kakushigoto
Kakushi Gotou and his daughter Hime have an odd relationship where one is keeping things hidden the best they can 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. Of course, nothing can stay a secret forever…
8 Kotaro Lives Alone
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 of sorts in his neighbors who seem extremely baffled at the situation but go along with it anyway. Light and comedic, this show was unfortunately overlooked when it premiered on Netflix.
7 The Disastrous Life Of Saiki K.
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.
6 Hinamatsuri
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 Princess Principal
Princess Principal focuses a bit more on the spy side of things with several elite girls attending Queen’s Mayfaire school work 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.
4 Listen To Me, Girls. I Am Your Father!
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 now 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 that enjoyed the exploration of family dynamics in Spy x Family will likely love Listen To Me, Girls. I Am Your Father!
3 Sweetness & Lightning
Sweetness & Lightning is an iyashikei, otherwise known as a soul healing anime. It also features a father trying his best to figure out how to care for his daughter just like Spy x Family but is certainly far more fluffy and light in terms of story. It follows Kouhei Inuzuka and his daughter after the death of her mother.
As he’s so busy being a single father and has no idea how to cook, he’s forced to feed her ready-made meals. Desperately wanting to give her proper fresh food, he ends up getting convinced to visit Kotori Iida’s restaurant and their lives become intertwined. The show is a reminder of just how special family meals are and why they should be treasured.
2 Aishiteruze Baby
Aishiteruze Baby shows another strange family dynamic as high school playboy Katakura comes home to find his five-year-old cousin abandoned by his aunt. He suddenly is thrust into becoming a parent while having no idea how to do so. Even harder is how the young girl has to grapple with the fact that her mom is suddenly gone.
They both have a hard road ahead of them but the journey to get to the light at the end of the tunnel is one that viewers will be glued to until it finishes.
1 The Millionaire Detective – Balance: UNLIMITED
It may not be a spy thriller but the comedic adventures of the extraordinarily rich Daisuke Kanbe and the justice-driven Haru Katou are downright hilarious. The two absolutely don’t agree on the best ways to solve cases but the two have to work together using their various methods to solve mysteries.
The story starts out with the two solving individual cases but gradually builds into something far larger than viewers will expect going in.
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