Summary

• Unique designs in Spy x Family reflect personalities, making characters memorable and easily identifiable.
• Anya's potential adult appearance hinted in prior manga - similar to character Ashe's look.
• Anya and Ashe from Rengoku no Ashe share striking physical similarities, but also characteristic differences.

Spy x Family is filled with some of the most exceptional character designs in anime that are absolutely unmistakable. Creator Tatsuya Endo has artfully and thoughtfully created visually stunning designs for each member of the Forger family that represent their personalities and demeanors well. The appearances of the main characters give viewers a clear impression of their character traits just by looking at them, which can be difficult to convey through visual art alone.

For example, Loid's understated and professional appearance indicates his calm and confident spy identity, while Yor's bubbly persona and warm and inviting smile show she is a loving and open person who cares deeply for her family and friends. The same goes for Anya. Her look is adorably childish, with unforgettable bubblegum pink hair and a goofy grin.

Her black and yellow horns give her a mischievous air, hinting that she can be a prankster with a humorous side. However, many fans speculate about how Anya's appearance may transform and change as she grows older and becomes an adult.

Anya's Future Appearance Has Been Hinted At In A Previous Manga

Tatsuya Endo, the creator of Spy x Family, has actually already revealed a potential future Anya look

Spy x Family was not Endo's first manga. He created another series before the immensely popular slice-of-life family drama was ever released. This oneshot series was titled Rengoku no Ashe and focused on a main character who appears undeniably similar to Anya Forger. First released in July 2014, the fantasy manga was much darker than the fairly lighthearted and silly story of Spy x Family. The titular heroine, Ashe, works as a nurse, while attempting to hide her magical powers from the judgmental citizens of the town she is living in who would cause her harm if they knew of her abilities.

Hiding one's powers is a theme depicted in Spy x Family as well. Anya, Loid, and Yor all possess supernatural and special skills but hide them carefully from the other members of the family and the rest of the world. However, Ashe and Anya's most obvious shared trait is a similar physical appearance. Ashe might as well be a grown-up version of Anya, and could definitely hint at how Anya may appear when she reaches adulthood in Spy x Family. Ashe's hair is the same shade of light pink as Anya's. However, it is slightly curled, not straight.

Ashe From Rengoku No Ashe Bears An Uncanny Reference To Anya

The two characters could almost be twins, with identical outfits, hair color, and other matching details

Aside from hair, Ashe also wears a more mature and professional version of Anya's signature outfit. She is clothed in a black jacket with gold trim and detailing, nearly identical to what Anya wears daily. One of the most striking shared features between the two is that they both possess black and gold horns atop their pink hair. Anya's horns are most likely just decorations since she can remove them, and Ashe's are hair clips as well. The clips make their appearances more distinctive and easy to recognize in a sea of anime heroes and heroines that often appear visually similar to one another.

Based on Ashe's pensive and stoic facial expressions and behavior in the manga, she is a lot more reserved and quieter than Anya. Anya is animated, outgoing, and wears her emotions on her sleeve, so the two characters do seem to differ in this regard. However, Anya may mature into a more serious and less goofy individual as she becomes an adult, so her demeanor could begin to resemble Ashe's more in the future. Either way, it's clear Tatsuya Endo took a sizable amount of inspiration from Ashe Talton when he was writing Anya's character and especially while designing her appearance.

Anya And Ashe's Personalities Are Markedly Different, Although They Look Nearly Identical

Ashe is serious and soft-spoken, while Anya Forger is undoubtedly the polar opposite

It is intriguing to see where Tatsuya Endo gained his inspiration. It is quite common for mangakas to draw on past works to inspire them as they create future series. For example, Tsugumi Ohba, the creator of the groundbreakingly popular franchise, Death Note, wrote a oneshot manga that mirrors many aspects of the Death Note series that would come later. Although she was definitely influenced by Ashe's appearance, Anya is an extraordinary character in her own right. Anya Forger brings so much life and humor to Spy x Family and her happy-go-lucky and hilarious personality sets her apart from Ashe.