Loved 'Spy x Family'? 5 Other "Found Family" Anime You Need to Watch

Spy x Family is a global success for many reasons: it has action, comedy, and memorable characters. But the true center of the series is the "found family" theme.

The plot follows Loid, Yor, and Anya—three individuals unrelated by blood (a spy, an assassin, and a telepath) who pretend to be a family for their own reasons. However, in the process of this charade, they begin to develop genuine, protective emotional bonds.

If that dynamic of "disconnected people forming a real family" was your favorite part of Spy x Family, here are 5 other anime series that explore the same concept in unique ways.

1. Buddy Daddies

• Episodes: 12

• Genre: Action, Comedy, Slice of Life.

• Why Watch It If You Liked Spy x Family: This is the most direct comparison. The premise is very similar: two professional assassins, Kazuki and Rei, end up taking care of a four-year-old girl named Miri after she appears during one of their missions.

• Summary (No Spoilers): Kazuki, a sociable assassin, and Rei, his more withdrawn partner, live together. Their lives are turned upside down when Miri, the daughter of a mafia boss they were targeting, believes Kazuki is her father. The two assassins must learn to balance their dangerous job with fatherhood.

2. Hinamatsuri

• Episodes: 12

• Genre: Comedy, Slice of Life, Supernatural.

• Why Watch It If You Liked Spy x Family: The dynamic is very similar to Loid and Anya's, but with a yakuza twist. A serious man with a secret life suddenly adopts a girl with supernatural powers. The series balances absurd comedy with moments of genuine emotion.

• Summary (No Spoilers): Yoshifumi Nitta, a yakuza member, has his life interrupted when a metal capsule falls on his head. Inside is an emotionless girl named Hina, who possesses immense psychokinetic powers. Hina threatens to destroy everything if Nitta doesn't take care of her, forcing this yakuza member to become a father figure.

3. The Yakuza's Guide to Babysitting (Kumichou Musume to Sewagakari)

• Episodes: 12

• Genre: Slice of Life, Comedy.

• Why Watch It If You Liked Spy x Family: The central theme is a dangerous man who must suppress his violent instincts to care for a child. The series focuses less on action and more on the heartwarming interactions between the protagonist and the young girl.

• Summary (No Spoilers): Toru Kirishima is a yakuza lieutenant known for his brutality, nicknamed "The Demon." To teach him some responsibility, his boss assigns him his most difficult mission yet: becoming the babysitter for the boss's daughter, Yaeka, a shy seven-year-old girl.

4. Somali and the Forest Spirit (Somali to Mori no Kamisama)

• Episodes: 12

• Genre: Fantasy, Slice of Life, Drama.

• Why Watch It If You Liked Spy x Family: This is a fantasy version of the trope. It centers on a non-human guardian (a Golem) and a human child (Somali) in a world where humans are hunted. Their father-daughter bond is the core of the story, and they must maintain a charade (Somali pretending not to be human) to survive.

• Summary (No Spoilers): The world is ruled by spirits and non-human creatures, and humanity is nearly extinct. A Golem, a guardian of the forest, finds a human child named Somali. The Golem, which has only one year of life left before it deactivates, decides to embark on a journey with Somali to find other humans.

5. Gintama

• Episodes: 367+

• Genre: Comedy, Action, Parody, Shonen.

• Why Watch It If You Liked Spy x Family: Although it is a long series, Gintama is perhaps the definitive example of a "found family" in anime. The core group (Gintoki, Shinpachi, and Kagura) are three strangers who come together to create the "Yorozuya" (an odd-jobs business) and become the closest family for each other, defending one another in both comedic and tragic situations.

• Summary (No Spoilers): In a version of feudal Japan invaded by aliens (Amanto), samurai Gintoki Sakata runs the Yorozuya. He is joined by Shinpachi, a samurai apprentice, and Kagura, an alien girl with superhuman strength. Together, they take on any job to pay the rent, getting into trouble with the government and various factions.

Conclusion

The appeal of Spy x Family is universal because it demonstrates that family is not defined by blood, but by mutual care and emotional bonds. These 5 series capture that same feeling, each exploring how strangers can come together to form their own unique families.