Don’t Miss These 5 Anime While You Wait for Spy x Family Season 3

Season 3 of the beloved action-comedy anime Spy x Family was officially confirmed in June 2024 and is set to arrive in the fall of 2025. Fans of the ever-so-elegant Forger family and their charming shenanigans have been waiting since 2023 for the anime’s continuation. Season 2 ended with Loid Forger finally meeting the elusive Donovan Desmond in person, but that first contact is only the beginning.

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While you wait for the next chapter of the Forgers’ mission, here are five fantastic anime to watch that capture the same blend of action, comedy, and found family charm that makes Spy x Family so special.

1. Kotaro Lives Alone

This 2022 Netflix anime is about a four-year-old boy, Kotaro Sato, who has been left to care for himself. Despite his age, the titular character is surprisingly capable and independent, although he is still very naive and occasionally needs a helping hand. That’s where his new neighbor, Shin Karino, comes in. While he found it strange that a child was living alone, he couldn’t help but offer the help and guidance Kotaro needed.

While not as action-oriented as Spy x Family, Kotaro Lives Alone still manages to tug on the audience’s heartstrings. Laced within Kotaro’s silly antics are the subtle implications of his hidden sadness. He’s a young boy with no parents to care for him, barely old enough to understand why he’s been left to fend for himself. This lighthearted yet surprisingly devastating slice-of-life anime will have you yearning for the protagonist to find a family, much like Anya Forger. The only difference is, Kotaro doesn’t have Anya’s telepathic abilities to help him—he just has a couple of balloons, his toy sword, and his resilient little heart.

2. The Way of the Househusband

The Way of the Househusband is a J.C. Staff production from 2021, based on Kousuke Oono’s comedy manga. It follows Tatsu, a retired mobster known as the feared “Immortal Dragon,” who has chosen to live a simpler life taking care of his household and his hardworking wife. Tatsu went from fighting street wars to fighting tough tile stains and from safeguarding drug deals to finding excellent deals at the supermarket. He has perfectly assimilated into a normal and uneventful life, and that’s the core of the story.

The animation in The Way of the Househusband is intentionally minimalistic, with many shots looking like colored stills from the manga. However, this artistic choice doesn’t detract from the joyful experience the anime offers. It’s a low-stakes, stress-free slice-of-life comedy with a mild seasoning of organized crime, making it perfect for Spy x Family fans who can’t get enough of extraordinary individuals trying their best to be ordinary. If Loid could simply give up being a spy and be a full-time family man for Yor and Anya, his life would look very much like Tatsu’s.

3. The Millionaire Detective

The Millionaire Detective – Balance: UNLIMITED comes from the same studio that helped animate Spy x Family. Based on a novel by Yasutaka Tsutsui, the story is about two detectives from completely different worlds who possess their own definitions of justice. Daisuke Kanbe believes money can solve any problem, while Haru Katou condemns him for it. Much to Haru’s displeasure, the two are forced to work together to solve a slew of mysteries.

One of the best things about the show is the incredible chemistry between its two main characters. Haru is more honorable and down-to-earth than Daisuke, and while Daisuke approaches life with a smug smile, his common sense is a little skewed. Together, they create an entertaining and occasionally over-the-top dynamic that’s almost as charming as the Forger family’s endearing brand of silliness.

The series approaches themes of espionage and crime with a straightforward sense of humor, creating a vibe similar to Spy x Family before its plot begins to darken. While the series may stagger with its initial “mystery of the week” formula, the real story eventually picks up with a tonal shift that balances action, comedy, and mystery as expertly as Spy x Family does.

4. Buddy Daddies

Buddy Daddies became a rival to Spy x Family, premiering right after the latter wrapped up its second season in late 2022. This original anime from P.A. Works follows a pair of assassins, Rei Suwa and Kazuki Kurusu, after a mission goes awry, leaving them with a little girl glued to their side. Despite initially being against caring for her, Miri becomes the one thing that opens Rei and Kazuki’s hearts to a happiness they were convinced was out of their reach.

With themes of found family, childcare humor, and hidden dangers, Buddy Daddies encompasses everything fans love about Spy x Family. It expertly melds two opposing themes to create a heartfelt action-comedy about a pair of deeply traumatized men who discover a life they want to protect more than anything. Buddy Daddies does lean more into tragedy and emotion than Spy x Family, digging deep into Rei and Kazuki’s pasts. This makes the happiness they find with each other and Miri all the more meaningful.

5. Sakamoto Days

Sakamoto Days is a hit action-comedy series by Yuuto Suzuki that premiered in January of this year. Like Spy x Family, it features assassins, espionage, and organized crime, but it heavily exaggerates these themes and plays up cliches to a ridiculous extreme that is impossible not to laugh at. The titular character, Taro Sakamoto, was (and still is) Japan’s legendary hitman until he fell in love and chose to retire in favor of living a calmer, more mundane life focused on his family.

The problem is, Sakamoto’s old life isn’t willing to let him go quietly. His family may be growing, but so are the dangers that threaten them. It’s a good thing that most of his friends, as well as the newest members of his found family, are just as adept at fending off danger as he is. Sakamoto Days is full of thrilling fights and great laughs, as well as fantastic characters who are just as capable of winning hearts as they are winning battles. No two assassins are ever the same, which makes the one-on-one matchups so exciting to watch. With its exceptional animation, Sakamoto Days has propelled itself into one of the leading anime series of the summer.