Warning! Contains spoilers for Spy x Family Chapter #80!
hit manga Spy x Family just put its central Forger Family in jeopardy with a sudden plot twist. Mangaka Tatsuya Endo is superbly skilled at balancing the slices of life and the dramatic elements of the series, but this latest twist suddenly upsets this balance. Ultimately, it’s a good reminder to fans that no matter how peaceful Forgers’ home life may seem, getting destroyed is always a step in the wrong direction.
Chapter #80, translated by Casey Loe, initially continues the hilarious antics of the previous chapter that established Spy x Family’s big Yor Vs. Loid fights, with a still-intoxicated Yor frantically trying to suppress his marriage. This becomes even more comical with the appearance of Yuri, Yor’s brother, who works for the secret police and wants to break up her and Loid’s marriage. During the chaos, Loid receives a call about a high-priority mission, and he goes to the hospital. At first, this seems like a lead up to further antics as Yuri convinces Yor to follow him out of suspicion that he is cheating on her. But when Yuri was also called away, it was clear that this was a much more serious mission than usual. Indeed, when Twilight receives her assignment, it is revealed that a mole in his organization is on the run, carrying secrets that could reveal his cover and thwart Operation Strix continued.
WISE’s mole is Spy x Family’s biggest threat to imposters
This is not the first time the Forger family’s existence has been threatened. A mistake Loid made when handling his cover job resulted in his boss trying to get him into the hands of the secret police. Fortunately, this was easily resolved as Loid anticipated it. More insidious, Yor’s boss Shopkeeper seems to be unhappy with Loid’s political ties to the Desmond family, which could make him a threat that WISE could not have foreseen. The fact that Anya knows about his secret life might also make her blow his cover, but since she’s still a child, people may not trust her. Despite previous threats to the Forger Family’s security, this new threat feels somewhat different and will likely have more serious consequences.
With both Eastern and Western forces pursuing the mole, Loid and Yuri are more likely to come into direct conflict, which could lead to catastrophic results. If Loid is forced to kill Yuri, he will defy his connection to Yor. The series has shown how Loid’s dark backstory has made him a cold-blooded killer and how having a family to protect will further strengthen his resolve to deal with Mole with every possible way, even if it’s someone he knows.
Spy x Family’s newest mission could have dark consequences for fakers
Even if the Loid eliminated the traitor, there was still a high risk of Operation Strix’s existence being leaked to the East. This has the potential to get the Forgers under suspicion by the secret police, which can make moments of their sane lives tinged with insidious paranoia. The Forgers always exist under threat of detection, but Spy x Family are making the Mole’s escape seem a far more dangerous threat than anything they’ve faced before.
Spy x Family Chapter #80 available to read from Viz Media.
