TL;DR Anime Geek predicts that the SPY x FAMILY Season 3 release date will be in late 2024 at the earliest due to the historical release pattern and the time typically required for anime production. Read more below for a much deeper dive!
The SPY x FAMILY Season 3 anime TV has not been officially confirmed yet. However, the series’ immense popularity and the successful launch of its second season and the anime-original movie, SPY x FAMILY Code: White, strongly suggest the third season is inevitable. It’s a matter of when, not if.
Last time, the dual announcement of the 2nd season and the movie was made during Jump Festa 2022. That’s the biggest event of each year for making major anime announcements related to Shonen Jump manga series, thus it’s possible that history will repeat itself.
It’s possible that the official announcement of SPY x FAMILY Season 3 will take place in the middle of the night (for Americans) on December 17, 2023. On that day, the SPY x FAMILY series will be featured on the Jump Festa 2023 Red Stage from 1:50 PM – 2:30 PM JST (for Americans, that’s 11:50 PM on December 16, 2023).
Otherwise, it’s likely that the announcement will be made on December 23, 2023, when the SPY x FAMILY Season 2 Episode 12 finale episode airs.
That means the 2nd season will concluded right after the film’s premiere on December 22, 2023, maintaining a consistent flow of content for the fans. The SPY x FAMILY Season 2 Blu-ray and DVD was released as three volumes from December 20, 2023, through April 17, 2024.
This article provides everything that is known about SPY x FAMILY Season 3 (SPYxFAMILY Season 3) and all related news. As such, this article will be updated over time with news, rumors, and analysis. Meanwhile, let’s delve down into what is known for certain.
Is a 2024 SPY x FAMILY Season 3 release date possible?
As of the last update, neither Shueisha, Studio CloverWorks, WIT Studio, nor any company related to the production of the anime has officially confirmed the SPY x FAMILY Season 3 release date. Nor has the production of a SPY x FAMILY sequel been announced.
Once the news is officially confirmed, this article will be updated with the relevant information.
In the meantime, it’s possible to speculate about when, or if, the SPY x FAMILY Season 3 release date will occur in the future.
In the past, Anime Geek successfully predicted that both SPY x FAMILY Season 2 and a movie would be planned for 2023. We also predicted that the 2nd season would have a single cour or 1 part.
What’s a “cour,” you might ask? For those unfamiliar with the lingo, a “cour” is a three-month block of TV broadcasting based on the physical seasons usually composed of 10 to 13 episodes.
A “split-cour” is where a single anime season takes a multi-month break before resuming TV broadcasting. Once a rarity, this type of TV broadcasting schedule has become fairly common in the anime industry, especially since the COVID pandemic disrupted several years’ worth of production scheduling.
What we got wrong was that we thought the film would adapt the Great Cruise Adventure Arc (Cruise Daibouken). Instead, the new film was a completely original story produced under the supervision of SPY x FAMILY manga creator Tatsuya Endo.
Still, it’s fairly easy to correctly predict that the producers will have SPY x FAMILY renewed on a consistent basis since it’s a big moneymaker. The numbers don’t lie.
The SPY x FAMILY reviews were through the ceiling from Episode 1 and an estimated 3.1% of all Japanese households watched the premiere. Within days, the first season managed to reach the Top 10 most popular anime of all time on MyAnimeList.
It was so popular that some oddball anime fans even began generating controversy by demanding that the studios have SPY x FAMILY “cancelled” over certain anime scenes allegedly “sexualizing” Any Forger. When an artist created fan art of a Black Any, Loid, and Yor that caused another SPY x FAMILY controversy.
According to Oricon, the SPY x FAMILY Season 1 Blu-Ray box set sold 8,085 copies in its first 5 days. Keep in mind that an anime TV show is considered successful if it surpasses 3,000 copies in its first week, although BD sales have long since been surpassed by streaming revenue as a metric for measuring financial success. The hype train did slow down a bit after the initial launch, but even then the SPY x FAMILY anime’s first two seasons were almost always in the Top 10 on Crunchyroll’s popular anime list.
Another major factor was the boost to SPY x FAMILY manga sales in Japan. The series was already popular before the first season premiered in Spring 2022, but then the manga began selling around half a million copies per week in Japan, which at the time meant it was was outselling Tokyo Revengers, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Golden Kamuy combined!
The manga was up to 16 million copies in circulation shortly after the first season premiered in April 2022. The day that the 2nd season was announced in December 2022 the series had reached 29 million copies. When the 2nd season aired, the manga was already up to 31 million copies in circulation with 11 volumes. With this number, the manga surpassed works such as Death Note, One Punch Man, and Black Clover.
Given the series’ rapid success and the strong demand from fans, along with the ready availability of enough manga content as souce material, the official announcement of SPY x FAMILY Season 3 should be expected. The anime TV series is also a special case since it was very popular well before the anime premiered so the producers knew they had a definite hit on their hands. Typically, anime productions are scheduled out years ahead, but producers don’t book the studio, animation staff, and voice actors in advance for sequels unless they have very solid financials,
For example, the overwhelming success of Attack On Titan Season 1 was partially squandered by making fans wait for 4 years since the producers didn’t plan ahead for success. The producers of SPY x FAMILY also produced Attack On Titan so they likely learned from that mistake.
At the same time, they can’t plan out a consistent production schedule similar to One Piece or Black Clover since there’s simply not enough source material and the anime would quickly catch up. Instead, it makes more sense to release new seasons on a quasi-annual basis similar to how the My Hero Academia anime adaptation is being handled.
Pushing the 2nd season to the end of 2023 gave SPY x FAMILY mangaka Endo more time to produce enough chapters. What’s more, the 2nd season was only a single cour, rather than two cours like the 1st season, which ensured that the anime did not catch up to the source material.
On that basis, the SPY x FAMILY Season 3 release date is predicted to be around October 2024, the Fall 2024 anime season, aligning with the series’ past release patterns. Based on the story pacing of the manga series it’s also predicted that the 3rd season will only have a single cour or 1 part.
The production schedule, the availability of source material from the manga, and the anime’s popularity are key factors contributing to this prediction. However, it’s important to remember that predicting anime release dates can be speculative, subject to production delays, studio scheduling, and other unforeseen factors.
SPY x FAMILY Season 3 English dub release date
The SPY x FAMILY Season 3 English dub release date has not been announced yet.
The SPY x FAMILY cast includes Japanese voice actor Takuya Eguchi as Loid Forger, Atsumi Tanezaki as Anya Forger, and Saori Hayami as Yor Forger.
Alex Organ is voicing Twilight aka Loid Forger. He’s known for playing Aizawa in My Hero Academia Season 6.
Natalie Van Sistine is voicing Yor Forger. She’s known for playing Reona in Full Dive: The Ultimate Next-Gen Full Dive RPG Is Even S**ttier than Real Life!
Megan Shipman is voicing Anya Forger. She played Akebi in the 2022 Akebi’s Sailor Uniform anime.
Anthony Bowling is voicing Franky. He also voiced Alciel (Shirō Ashiya) in The Devil is a Part-Timer! Season 2 in 2022 and The Devil is a Part-Timer! Season 3 in 2023.
Additional cast:
- Caitlin Glass as Damian Desmond
- Dani Chambers as Becky Blackbell
- Macy Anne Johnson as Emile Elman
- Michelle Rojas as Ewen Egeberg
Presumably, Crunchyroll’s SPY X FAMILY Season 3 English dub release date will be announced in the month of the 3rd season’s premiere. In the best-case scenario, it could be a SimulDub where the dubbed version is not behind by a week. Assuming that the anime premieres in Fall 2024, that would be mid-to-late October 2024.
SPY x FAMILY Season 3 will be based on the manga series. Pic credit: Tatsuya Endo
SPY x FAMILY manga compared to the anime’s 2nd season
The story for the anime TV show is based on the SPY x FAMILY manga series by creator Tatuysa Endo. The mangaka started his career as an assistant for Blue Exorcist (and the Blue Exorcist Season 3 release date is finally in 2024) before he began creating various one-shot manga stories with editor Shihei Lin.
When creating the initial concept, the working title was written out in Japanese as スパイ・ファミリー. The editor and mangaka decided to make the official title in English and the cross or X between the title was influenced by Hunter x Hunter. Unlike the inspiration, it’s claimed that the production team pronounces the title as simply Spy Family, with the “x” being silent.
Serialized monthly in Shueisha’s Shonen Jump Plus magazine since March 25, 2019, the series was up to SPY x FAMILY Volume 13 as of March 4, 2024. Each chapter is called a “mission” and the tankobon volumes include bonus (omake) chapters.
Publisher VIZ Media has been publishing the official SPY x FAMILY manga’s English translation in North America. The first three chapters and the three most recent chapters can be read for free on VIZ Media’s website (you have to pay for the in-between chapters). The English volumes are up to Volume 10 as of October 2023.
You can tell a lot of love went into the anime adaptation. It faithfully adapts the manga source material while adding little touches. Some episodes incorporated great amounts of anime original content that expanded on the manga’s premise without feeling like filler content.
However, there were some changes made to make the anime more anime-friendly. It was notable that fatal gunshots and bloody stabbings by Yor’s various massacres as an assassin were pushed off-screen or pixelated. The moment with Loid’s shadowy face was not nearly as scary.
Some elements were flat-out censored by the anime in order to comply with TV broadcasting rules. For example, the fan-favorite scene where Loid proposed to Yor with a grenade pin originally had flying bloody body parts in the background in the manga version.
The censorship issues was actually the main reason that Anime Geek incorrectly predicted that the Great Cruise Adventure Arc would be adapted as a movie. After all, there’s a lot of bloody assassin action during that story arc so it seemed like a better fit for a film, but the producers apparently felt that the TV adaptation needed to tone down the violence in order to appeal to a broader audience.
Due to all the anime original content and adapting the bonus/omake chapters, , which are called Short Missions or Extra Missions in the manga series, the 2nd half of the first season definitely felt slower-paced. But it was the best choice in order to reach the perfect stopping point for the first season in Volume 7: Chapter 38 when Loid finally reaches a solid milestone in Operation Strix by making contact with his target Donovan Desmond for the first time.
Here is a guide to how the anime’s 2nd season adapted the manga chapters:
- SPY x FAMILY Season 2 Episode 1: Volume 3 – Extra Mission 2
- SPY x FAMILY Season 2 Episode 2: Volume 7 – Chapters 39, 40
- SPY x FAMILY Season 2 Episode 3: Volume 3 – Chapter 41, Volume 10 – Short Mission 7, Volume 2 Confidential Files Bonus, Volume 7 Confidential Files Bonus
- SPY x FAMILY Season 2 Episode 4: Volume 7 – Chapters 42, 43
- SPY x FAMILY Season 2 Episode 5: Volume 7 – Chapter 44, Volume 8 – Chapter 45
- SPY x FAMILY Season 2 Episode 6: Volume 8 – Chapters 46, 47, 48 (partial)
- SPY x FAMILY Season 2 Episode 7: Volume 8 – Chapters 48, 49, 50
- SPY x FAMILY Season 2 Episode 8: Volume 8 – Chapters 51, 52, 53 (partial), Short Mission 6
- SPY x FAMILY Season 2 Episode 9: TBA (Volume 8 – Chapters 53, Volume 9 – Chapters 54, 55?)
- SPY x FAMILY Season 2 Episode 10: TBA (Volume 9 – Chapters 56, 57?)
- SPY x FAMILY Season 2 Episode 11: TBA (Volume 9 – Chapters 58, 59?)
- SPY x FAMILY Season 2 Episode 12: TBA (Volume 9 – Chapters 60, 61?)
Anime Geek correctly predicted that SPY x FAMILY Season 2 Episode 1 would adapt the bonus Red Circus terrorist story from manga Volume 3: Extra Mission 2 (Chapter 15.1). Among manga readers, this “Butthurt Date” chapter is famous for being the one where Yor is shot in the butt! This bonus/omake chapter was probably intentionally shifted to much later in the timeline since it made for a good action-based opening to the 2nd season while also providing necessary foreshadowing for events that won’t take place until SPY x FAMILY Season 3, which should adapt a story arc that ends with Chapter 69.
All in all, it’s predicted that the ending of the 2nd season’s finale, SPY x FAMILY Episode 37, will correspond to Volume 9: Chapter 61.
It’s the perfect stopping point since Loid faints at the sight of Anya receiving a Tonitrus Bolt for helping out Damian. It would be great to finish with a comedic and a lighthearted family moment, although the finale could tease the dark turn that immediately comes next with a flashback to Loid’s past.
The good news is that there is plenty of source material for making SPY x FAMILY Season 3 in 2024.
When the first season finished in December 2022, slightly more than half of the manga chapters available at the time had already been adapted. When the 2nd season finished in December 2023, about two-thirds of the chapters had been adapted. However, since manga chapters are released bi-weekly, every year the manga creator makes enough source material for at least one more anime season.
As previously noted, the 3rd season probably won’t be 2 cours once again. Otherwise, the 3rd season would catch up with the manga and make the wait for SPY x FAMILY Season 4 longer. As such, it’s predicted that the 3rd season will adapt roughly 17 main chapters in combination with bonus/omake chapters and anime original content.
SPY x FAMILY Season 3 studio and staff
The SPY x FAMILY anime TV series has been produced as a collaboration between Japanese animation companies WIT Studio and CloverWorks. The two studios split the work by having one studio produce the odd-numbered episodes and the other the even-numbered episodes.
In recent years, WIT Studio has produced anime originals like The Great Pretender (the Great Pretender Season 3 release date is confirmed for 2024) and the adaptation of the Ranking of Kings manga (Ranking of Kings Season 2 will likely be produced in several years once manga Part 2 has enough chapters).
Studio Cloverworks is known for producing the popular My Dress-Up Darling, Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai anime, co-producing Darling in the FranXX, and the Fate/Grand Order anime series.
The main staff and studio that is making SPY x FAMILY Season 3 haven’t been announced yet. In the best-case scenario, the main staff at WIT Studio and Studio CloverWorks will return.
Tetsuya Nakatake (Attack On Titan series, Bubble movie) and Yuuichi Fukushima (The Promised Neverland) are the producers. Jouji Wada (Attack On Titan, Ranking of Kings, Vinland Saga) is the executive producer.
The first two seasons of the SPY x FAMILY anime project was helmed by director Kazuhiro Furuhashi. Known for his directorial work, he has earned acclaim for his ability to blend intense storytelling with dynamic visual narratives. His work includes critically acclaimed titles like Hunter x Hunter anime, Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn, and Dororo, showcasing his proficiency in handling a range of genres from historical to supernatural themes. Furuhashi’s career began as an animator with the anime adaptation of Rumiko Takahashi’s “Urusei Yatsura,” transitioning into episode direction and then directorial roles, notably with Studio Deen’s anime adaptation of another Takahashi work, “Ranma ½.” Known for realistic portrayals and first-person views in his directorial and storyboard works, Furuhashi has earned a reputation for his unique storytelling and visual style.
Takahiro Harada, often working alongside Furuhashi, brings his own set of skills to the table. His background in animation and storyboard artistry has contributed significantly to various projects. He has made significant contributions as an episode director and assistant director across various anime titles, including episode direction for Akebi-chan no Sailor-fuku, Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai., Ao no Exorcist, Darling in the FranXX, and Fate/Grand Order: Zettai Majuu Sensen Babylonia. His expertise extends to storyboarding, as seen in his work on Occultic;Nine and Seikimatsu Occult Gakuin. Notably, Harada played a crucial role in the SPY x FAMILY series as an episode director and assistant director. His ability to visualize and execute complex scenes complements Furuhashi’s directorial style, making them a formidable team in the anime industry.
Director Furuhashi was also the series composition writer for the first season. For the 2nd season, Ichirō Ōkouchi replaced Furuhashi as scriptwriter, with the remaining staff and cast reprising their roles.
Okouchi is renowned for his work on scriptwriting and story development. His notable works include Code Geass and Princess Principal, where he demonstrated his talent in crafting engaging and intricate narratives. Okouchi’s skill in developing characters and weaving complex plots is evident in his contributions to SPY x FAMILY.
Artist Kazuaki Shimada (The Promised Neverland) was the character designer and chief animation director. Musical unit [K]NoW_NAME composed the music.
SPY x FAMILY Season 3 OP and ED music
The SPY x FAMILY Season 3 OP (opening) and ED (ending) theme song music hasn’t been announced yet.
The SPY x FAMILY Season 2 OP “Light-headed (Kurakura)” was performed by Ado, the famous songstress who played Uta in One Piece: Red. The Season 2 ED “Todome no Ichigeki” was performed by Vaundy while featuring Cory Wong. The OP was storyboarded and directed by Masaaki Yuasa.
SPY x FAMILY Season 3 anime TV spoilers (plot summary/synopsis)
In the haunting shadows of a past marred by war, SPY x FAMILY Season 3 delves into the poignant memories of Twilight, once known as Advisor, in the war-torn town of Luwen, Eastern Westalis. The loss of his parents in the brutal Westalis-Ostania conflict leaves deep scars, propelling him into a life of service.
Fate intertwines Advisor’s path with Franky, a deserter from the enemy’s ranks, and reunites him with childhood friends, only to lose them again in a tragic operation. This crucible of pain and loss shapes his resolve, leading him to embrace a destiny as a spy.
In the present, Loid awakens from this dream after having fainted upon noticing the Tonitrus Bolt on Anya’s chest. Shaken from his childhood memories but still composed, Loid imparts wisdom on the value of friendship to Anya, drawing from his own turbulent history.
Meanwhile, Sylvia, an experienced spy, mentors a novice in the intricate art of information control. Anya finds herself under the tutelage of Housemaster Henderson, learning the balance of diligence and moderation in her studies.
As the story unfolds, Yor’s courageous act draws her into the orbit of Damian’s mother, Melinda Desmond. This chance encounter on a volleyball court sets the stage for Loid’s “Plan C” in Operation Strix: urging Yor to infiltrate Melinda’s inner circle. Unbeknownst to them, this strategy triggers a ripple effect, compelling Anya to forge a friendship with Damian, driven by her family’s clandestine agenda.
But that’s just the beginning of the drama since Loid is accused of espionage and reported to the SSS. Worse, Anya finds herself in the middle of an attack by the Red Circus terrorists!
Unfortunately, anime fans will have to wait until the SPY x FAMILY Season 3 release date to watch what happens next. Stay tuned!