Anya Forger, the телепат (esper) extraordinaire from Spy x Family, has captured the hearts of anime and manga fans worldwide. Beyond her adorable expressions and mind-reading antics, one of the most fascinating aspects of Anya is her distinctive way of speaking in Japanese. While the English dub and translation do a commendable job capturing her essence, to truly appreciate the nuances of Anya’s speech, we need to delve into the original Japanese version of Spy x Family.
As we previously explored Twilight’s sophisticated dialogue, Anya presents a stark contrast. Her speech patterns are deliberately crafted to highlight her youth and unique background. Let’s unravel the linguistic quirks that make Anya’s Japanese so iconic and integral to her Anya Spy Family charm.
One of the most immediately noticeable features of Anya’s dialogue is its visual presentation in the manga. Japanese writing employs three scripts: hiragana, katakana (collectively known as kana), and kanji. Kanji characters represent meaning, while kana represent sounds, similar to the English alphabet. Japanese children first learn kana and gradually incorporate kanji as they progress through their education. Children’s books in Japan are often written entirely or mostly in kana for this reason. Manga aimed at younger readers, or even to aid younger readers, often includes furigana, kana readings placed above kanji characters.
Image alt text: Manga panel showcasing Damian Desmond and Anya Forger dialogue. Damian’s speech includes Kanji with furigana, while Anya’s dialogue is exclusively in Hiragana, emphasizing the difference in their linguistic presentation in Spy x Family.
Interestingly, in the Spy x Family manga, Anya’s dialogue is written entirely in kana. This stylistic choice immediately signals her childishness. While using kanji wouldn’t necessarily imply Anya understands them, the exclusive use of kana creates a visual impression of youth and innocence. It subtly communicates, “She speaks only in kana because she hasn’t learned kanji yet… she’s just a little kid, after all.” This linguistic marker is a common technique in Japanese manga to depict young children. For instance, Yotsuba, the titular five-year-old in the manga Yotsuba&!, also speaks solely in kana.
In stark contrast, the other children at Eden Academy, including Damian Desmond and Becky Blackbell, speak “normally,” using a mix of kana and kanji appropriate for their age and social standing. This deliberate contrast highlights the impact of their privileged “rich family” upbringings, suggesting they are pushed to mature faster, even linguistically. The panel above visually exemplifies this difference, showcasing Damian’s dialogue with kanji and furigana alongside Anya’s kana-only speech, even for words that typically use kanji. This visual distinction reinforces Anya’s unique position within the Spy x Family narrative.
However, there are notable exceptions to Anya’s kana-exclusive dialogue. In moments of heightened determination or dramatic flair, Anya surprisingly uses kanji. This occurs when she dramatically announces her “Arrow of Light, Seize the Star” move during the dodgeball game and her “Lightning Bolt, Deliver my Aid” move in the cruise ship arc.
Image alt text: Manga panel depicting Anya Forger declaring her “Arrow of Light, Seize the Star” move. The move’s name is written in Kanji with furigana, a rare instance of Anya using Kanji in her dialogue in Spy x Family, highlighting the dramatic nature of the scene.
Image alt text: Manga panel showcasing Anya Forger announcing her “Lighting Bolt, Deliver my Aid” move. Similar to her dodgeball move, the name is in Kanji with furigana, emphasizing Anya’s determination and the shonen manga parody elements within Spy x Family.
As seen in these panels, the names of these special “moves” are written in kanji, complete with furigana. This serves multiple purposes. Firstly, it’s a clear parody of shonen manga tropes where characters dramatically shout out move names. Secondly, the use of kanji, even in these isolated instances, emphasizes Anya’s intense focus and determination in these specific moments. It’s as if, when driven by strong emotions or a desire to help, Anya briefly transcends her usual linguistic limitations within the Spy x Family universe.
Beyond writing, the content of Anya’s speech also sets her apart. She speaks very “plainly.” While her grammar is generally correct, with occasional childlike errors, she largely avoids colloquialisms and slang. It’s as if she possesses a solid grasp of the basic language structure but lacks the practical experience to use it with natural social fluency. This isn’t unusual for a child still learning to navigate the complexities of language, but it becomes particularly noticeable when contrasted with her classmates.
For example, Becky Blackbell, in the panel below, uses typical interjections and colloquial particles like “ne” (ね), “wa” (わ), and “yo” (よ). These linguistic devices are common in Japanese to soften speech, add emphasis, or express emotion. Anya, however, typically omits such nuances, resulting in speech that sounds direct, and at times, even abrupt. This plainness can make her sound less like a native speaker and more like someone who is still learning the social subtleties of the Japanese language, a subtle yet significant detail for Anya Spy Family character analysis.
Image alt text: Manga panel comparing Becky Blackbell’s speech, rich with Japanese colloquialisms like “ne,” “wa,” and “yo,” to Anya Forger’s plain and direct speech, highlighting the linguistic differences between the characters in Spy x Family.
Another defining characteristic is Anya’s consistent use of third-person self-reference. In the Japanese version, Anya almost exclusively refers to herself by her name, “Anya,” instead of using first-person pronouns like “watashi” (私) or “atashi” (あたし). This is a common trait in young children in many cultures, and it strongly reinforces Anya’s childish persona. The English translation, unfortunately, often loses this nuance by using “I” or “me,” diminishing a key aspect of her character portrayal. Retaining the third-person self-reference would have further emphasized the childish and slightly detached nature of Anya’s speech in Anya Spy Family.
Combining these elements – the lack of colloquialisms, the plain speech, and the third-person self-reference – paints a linguistic portrait of Anya as childish, naive, and almost baby-like. It begs the question: Is this deliberate linguistic construction simply to highlight her youth compared to her classmates, or does it hint at a deeper, perhaps more unusual origin for Anya? Could it connect to the “classical languages” subtly hinted at in her background?
Regardless of the underlying reasons, Anya’s unique Japanese speech is a crucial element of her character. As explored in a broader Anya Spy Family character analysis, what Anya may lack in formal education and sophisticated speech, she more than compensates for with her exceptional empathy, resourcefulness, and, of course, her telepathic abilities.
Beyond these consistent patterns, Anya also makes typical childlike speech errors. She occasionally misunderstands words or mispronounces them, further adding to her realistic portrayal as a young child. While she primarily uses casual speech, she sometimes attempts polite speech (keigo), though not always accurately. For example, she might say “ohayaimasu” (おはやいます) instead of the correct polite form “ohaiyou gozaimasu” (おはようございます) for “good morning.”
However, perhaps the most consistent and endearing “mistake” (though not technically incorrect) is her way of addressing Loid and Yor. Anya calls them “chichi” (ちち) and “haha” (はは) respectively, meaning “father” and “mother.”
Japanese has a complex system of words for family members, varying based on whether you are speaking about your own family or someone else’s, and whether you are speaking to them or about them. “Chichi” and “haha” are neutral, general terms for “father” and “mother,” used when talking about your parents to someone else. However, they are not typically used when speaking directly to your parents. Common terms for directly addressing parents are “o-tou-san” (お父さん) and “o-kaa-san” (お母さん), or variations with different honorific prefixes. Damian, for instance, addresses his father with the highly formal “chichi-ue” (父上), while Becky uses the informal English loanword “papa” (パパ).
Anya’s use of “chichi” and “haha” when speaking to Loid and Yor is akin to a child constantly calling their parents “my father” and “my mother” in English – grammatically correct, but socially unusual and slightly stiff. This started in the very first chapter when Loid, in his guise as a sophisticated spy, asks Anya to use an “elite-sounding” term for him. He suggests the extremely formal “o-tou-sama” (お父さま), but when Anya simply says “chichi,” Loid, preoccupied with his mission, doesn’t correct her.
This consistent use of “chichi” and “haha” further emphasizes Anya’s childlike nature and perhaps hints at her unfamiliarity with typical family dynamics. It’s another subtle yet effective linguistic tool employed by Spy x Family creator Tatsuya Endo to enrich Anya’s character and make her the uniquely endearing Anya Spy Family icon that fans adore.
Continue to Part 3 ->
