Anya Forger is the breakout star of the hit manga and anime series Spy x Family, created by Tatsuya Endo. A young girl with the secret ability to read minds, Anya was adopted by the master spy Loid Forger (codename: Twilight) as part of Operation Strix — a covert mission requiring him to build a fake family to infiltrate the prestigious Eden Academy and get close to the dangerous politician Donovan Desmond. Anya is the only member of the Forger family who knows everyone's secrets: she knows Loid is a spy, Yor is an assassin, and Bond can see the future. She keeps quiet about all of it because she loves her new family and finds their double lives thrilling.
Anya's backstory is shrouded in mystery. She was a test subject in a covert government experiment known as Project Apple, which gave her telepathic abilities. After escaping the facility, she bounced between multiple orphanages, being returned each time because her ability to read adult minds made her behavior seem strange. When Loid arrived at the orphanage seeking a child smart enough to pass the Eden Academy entrance exam, Anya — having read his mind and learned he was a spy — deliberately presented herself as the perfect candidate. Her academic performance is consistently poor (she struggles with basic subjects), but her telepathy allows her to occasionally cheat or stumble into heroic situations. Much like Tanjiro Kamado captured the hearts of a new generation of anime fans, Anya has become the face of the current era of mainstream anime.
At Eden Academy, Anya navigates a world far beyond her actual age and ability. She needs to earn Stella Stars (merit awards) to become an Imperial Scholar, which would grant her family access to social events attended by Donovan Desmond. She earned her first Stella by saving a drowning classmate, using her telepathy to locate the boy. Her relationship with Damian Desmond — the target's son, whom she punched on her first day — evolves into one of the story's most charming subplots. Anya also forms a close friendship with Becky Blackbell, a wealthy classmate who becomes her loyal companion.
Anya's telepathy is not without limitations. Her powers do not work during new moons, and she can only read the surface thoughts of people within a certain range. She cannot control whose thoughts she reads, which often leads to comedic situations where she reacts to thoughts people never intended to share. Despite these limitations, her ability has saved the family — and the world — on multiple occasions, most notably when she and Bond prevented a terrorist bombing by combining her mind-reading with Bond's ability to see the future.
Anya's cultural impact has been enormous. Her catchphrase 'waku waku' (expressing excitement) became one of the most recognized anime phrases globally after the anime premiered in 2022. Her smug 'heh' face spawned countless memes across social media platforms. Spy x Family merchandise featuring Anya consistently tops sales charts in Japan, and the character has been credited with bringing millions of new viewers to anime. Anya represents a shift in anime protagonists — she is neither a fighter nor a genius, but a small child trying her best in a world of adults with dangerous secrets, held together by her genuine love for her found family.
