Premiering in Spring 2022, Spy x Family took the anime world by storm. Even before the anime was announced, the manga topped the charts and gained a cult following of fans. And when the news came out, it quickly became one of the most anticipated anime of 2022. Not long after the anime premiered, the internet was full of clips of Loid Forger and his family, Yor and Anya. Spy x Family centers around a spy named Twilight, who builds a fake family as part of a secret mission “Operation Strix.”

Loid’s family of misfits, which includes an assassin for a wife and a telepathic for a daughter, gets up to quite some amusing antics throughout the action-comedy anime, making it a fan favorite. Tatsuya Endo, the manga artist of Spy x Family, put quite a lot of thought into the characters and the narrative of the anime to ensure that the audience has an enjoyable experience. Here are some hidden facts about Spy x Family that many people don’t know about.

Eden Academy is Modeled After Real Locations

The initial portion of the first season focuses on the Forgers working together to ensure that Anya gets admission into Eden Academy, a prestigious private school located in Ostania. Not only does the school have strict criteria to ensure that only a select few elite students are able to enroll, but the building also upholds the appearance of a high-status structure in terms of appearance and aesthetic.

Many would be surprised to know that Eden Academy is actually modeled after multiple real-life prestigious academic institutions. For instance, the entrance to the academy is reminiscent of the entrance at Berlin’s Humboldt University. In addition, there are various buildings and sections of the Academy that are inspired by either Oxford or Cambridge. The bridge is based on Oxford’s Hertford Bridge, also popularly known as the Bridge of Sighs. The dining hall, where Anya and her friends eat is inspired by Oxford’s Christ Church.

James Bond References

When the audience is first introduced to Loid’s adopted daughter Anya, it is unveiled to the audience, and the audience only as Loid and later his wife, Yor, are both blissfully unaware of Anya’s telepathic abilities. It is assumed that Anya develops her abilities after she is part of an experiment by an unknown organization. Interestingly, when Anya was still trapped in the organization, she was referred to as Test Subject 007. Fans of the Bond Franchise would immediately recognize the number as a reference to the British Secret Service spy James Bond, who is also known by the code name 007.

The Bond references just don’t stop there. Season two of Spy x Family brings the addition of Bond Forger, the family’s dog. One would assume that the name Bond is the obvious reference. However, Bond is named after Anya’s favorite cartoon hero, Bondman. What is in fact a James Bond reference is the bow tie collar given to Bond Forger by Anya. The bow tie is reminiscent of James Bond’s iconic bow ties.

Related: The Best Live-Action Anime Adaptations, Ranked

Anya Was Supposed to Have an Uncle?

The audience knows Franky as Loid’s informant, who works at a tobacco store as a front. He’s kind to Loid and his found family and often contributes to the comedy. However, one thing that many people don’t know about Franky is that originally Endo had planned to make him Anya’s biological uncle. If Endo had followed through with his original plans, the relationship between Anya and Franky might have been different. Franky already acts as a relaxed, eccentric uncle of sorts to Anya; had there been an actual biological bond, maybe the audience would be able to witness a deeper relationship develop between the two.

Anya's Original Design Was Different

The most adored character in Spy x Family is none other than Anya Forger. Most of Anya’s charm and cuteness comes from the fact that Anya is six years old and is still learning her way around the world. Originally, Eno had a different plan for Anya. Not only was she supposed to be older, but also taller. The manga artist revealed the initial character sketches for Anya’s character. They revealed Anya with a variety of expressions, hairstyles, and accessories. From long hair with a hat to short hair with a bandana; the ideation for Anya’s character design were quite diverse. In the end, Endo settled for short six-year-old Anya, who is adored by many. In fact, Anya’s final character design is based on another one of Endo’s characters, Ashe from Rengoku no Ashe. If one were to put the two characters side by side, Anya definitely looks like a younger version of Ashe.

Related: Tower of God: One of the Best Lesser Known Anime Shows You Should Watch

Loid’s Underwear Color Revealed

Endo has yet to unveil a chapter that gives the audience a glimpse of Loid’s underwear. However, this does not mean that the manga artist hasn’t revealed any information. Endo took character profiles to the next level when he revealed in Loid aka Twilight’s profile, that his underwear color is black. Does this mean that an actual underwear reveal is in the works for the future? Nobody knows yet. Interestingly, the profile redacts all the important information such as his real name, blood type, and birthdate, but doesn’t shy away from revealing the color of his undergarments.

Secret Meaning Behind the Name Forger

When Twilight is creating his fake family, he chooses Forger as his last name. Even though Forger is not a very common last name, it’s still a real last name. However, there’s a particular reason why Twilight went for the name. It’s a play on words and is a reference to forgery, which fits perfectly for the forged family. It seems that Twilight has quite the humor and likes picking names with similar hidden meanings. In one manga scene, Loid chooses Twain Foney as his alias. As many may have already guessed, Foney is a homonym for phony. It’s little details like these that make Spy x Family more enjoyable to watch for the audience.