By Koji Uchida

Copyright kyodonews

The official report for the special “SPY×FAMILY” stage at “Anime NYC 2025” is here! The event, held on Sunday, August 22, 2025, in New York, brought together over 2,200 fans with guest appearances from Kenichiro Matsuda (Bond Forger and narrator) and Emiri Kato (Becky Blackbell). A video message from Atsumi Tanezaki (Anya Forger) was also a special surprise. The panel session was packed with excitement, including a live voice-over performance and a sneak peek at newly revealed Season 3 production designs and advance cuts.

An Exclusive Look Inside the “SPY×FAMILY” Panel at “Anime NYC 2025”

“SPY×FAMILY” Live from New York! “Anime NYC,” a massive anime convention, was held in New York from August 21-24 and a special panel session “SPY×FAMILY” took place on the main stage, featuring Kenichiro Matsuda (Bond Forger) and Emiri Kato (Becky Blackbell).

The venue had a capacity of about 2,200 people, with North American fans filling the seats and standing room in the back. The crowd was buzzing with excitement even before the show began, with many fans dressed in “SPY×FAMILY” cosplay, including outfits for Anya and Yor.

As the familiar theme music from the series played, the crowd erupted in cheers. Matsuda and Kato took the stage, waving enthusiastically.

Despite the overwhelming energy, Matsuda greeted the audience in English, saying, “Hello, Everyone! My name is Kenichiro Matsuda. I’m Bond Forger and narrator. It’s great to be here today. I’m so happy to meet all of you!!” Kato followed, saying, “Hello, Everyone! I’m Emiri Kato. I’m playing Becky. I’m happy to meet you all!!”. The audience responded in kind, and the energy in the hall intensified as the event began.

This was the first time for both of them attending Anime NYC. When asked if they were nervous, Kato playfully replied, “Not at all!”. In contrast, Matsuda joked, “I’m extremely nervous…” which drew laughter from the crowd.

It was also their first time traveling to New York. Matsuda commented, “This is my first time in America and my first time in New York. I think it’s a wonderful city, like something out of a movie.” Kato shared, “This is my first time in New York, too. There are so many dogs, and everyone walking around seems so energetic and friendly. I was also really happy that people complimented the camera I brought as a hobby.”When the host asked if she saw any dogs like Bond, Kato replied, “Yes, I did!” Matsuda then responded with a happy “Borf!” in Bond’s voice, which was met with a thunderous cheer from the audience.

Atsumi Tanezaki’s Video Message

The next segment featured a surprise video message from Atsumi Tanezaki, the voice of Anya Forger. The venue erupted in cheers once again as she began with, “Hello everyone. My name is Atsumi Tanezaki, and I play Anya. I’m sorry that I can’t see you today, but I’m happy to reach out to you in this video!”

When Tanezaki asked, “Are you guys enjoying Anime NYC!??,” the crowd cheered and some even shouted “TANOSHIIYO!! (It’s so much fun!)” in Japanese.

The first question was, “What are your favorite scenes with Bond and Becky?”

Tanezaki chose the scene from MISSION:15 “A New Family Member,” where Bond first joins the Forger family, as her favorite with Bond. For Becky, she picked the shopping scene from MISSION:24 “Shopping with Friends.” Tanezaki briefly disappeared from the screen with a “Just a moment” gesture and returned holding the matching sheep plushie charms that Anya and Becky bought in the show. She commented, “I’m so glad Anya has Becky, and Becky has Anya,” which resonated with the audience.

Next, she shared her enthusiasm for “SPY×FAMILY” Season 3, which was set to begin airing on October 4. “I’m truly ‘Waku Waku! (excited)’ to be able to play Anya again! I’ve heard everyone’s voices saying they want to see the sequel soon. I’m so happy we can finally deliver it!” she said. For the highlights, she mentioned, “You’ll get to learn about a certain character’s past! And those kids will get caught up in something big! A certain character’s mother will also appear!? Season 3 is packed with content, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it 120%!” She concluded by exciting the crowd with, “‘SPY x FAMILY’ Season3 will start soon! Are you guys ready? I hope you’ll like it. Don’t miss it!!”.

After the video, Matsuda and Kato responded to Tanezaki’s question: “If you could spend time in New York with any “SPY×FAMILY” character, who would it be?” Matsuda chose Sylvia, explaining, “She seems like she would plan everything out, telling me what to buy and where to go. It would be a huge help because she’d tell me the best places to visit.” Kato’s answer was an instant hit with the crowd: “Becky, of course! She has so much money!” She continued in Becky’s voice, “‘Give me everything from here to here!’ ‘What? You’re okay with something so cheap?’ she would probably say. ‘Becky’s the best!'” Her impression brought both laughter and agreement from the audience.

Recap of Season 1 and Season 2

Next, the cast looked back at memorable scenes from Season 1 and Season 2. For Season 1, Matsuda chose the same scene as Tanezaki: Bond becoming a member of the Forger family from MISSION:15 “A New Family Member.” Kato also selected the same scene as Tanezaki, the one after the shopping trip in MISSION:24 “Shopping with Friends,” which showcased the strong bond within the “SPY×FAMILY” team.

For Season 2, Kato chose the scene from MISSION:29 “The Pastry of Knowledge,” where Anya and Damian share macarons. Matsuda picked the scene from MISSION:37 “Part of The Family,” where a soaked Bond becomes skinny. He explained, “It was simply funny. I didn’t know how to play skinny Bond. At first, I tried a ‘Bof’ (a slightly higher pitch than usual Bond voice). But they told me I could make it even more feeble, so I went with a ‘Bohfuuu’ (a much weaker voice). I remember thinking, ‘Wow, they let us do so much. This is a very free-spirited workplace.'” Each time he imitated Bond’s cries, the audience cheered and laughed.

Live Voice-Over Session

The next segment was a live voice-over performance. When asked, “Are you ready?” Kato replied “OK!” while Matsuda replied “NO…” This contrasting humor heightened the audience’s excitement.

Kato performed Becky’s first appearance scene from MISSION:6 “The Friendship Scheme,” and the scene where Anya and Becky run in search of the pastry of knowledge from MISSION:29 “The Pastry of Knowledge”. Matsuda performed “that” scene from MISSION:21 “First Fit of Jealousy” where Bond gets jealous of Penguinman and fights with Anya, and his narration scene from MISSION:26 “Follow Papa and Mama.”

Cheers erupted with every line, and the entire voice-over session was a huge success. Reflecting on it, Kato asked the audience, “Do you all watch the anime in Japanese?” The crowd responded with a resounding “Miteru yo!!” (I’m watching it!) in Japanese, along with cheers of agreement. Matsuda and Kato expressed their gratitude and joy that their voices had reached fans in New York, and the live voice-over session concluded.

Season 3 Information Revealed

Next, new information about Season 3 was finally revealed. Following the first and exclusive reveal of Anya’s new costume designs for Season 3 at Anime NYC, the first promotional video for Season 3, which had just been released in Japan, was shown. Additionally, never-before-seen scene cuts from Season 3 were also revealed exclusively at Anime NYC.

The crowd went wild, especially when a scene showing Twilight’s childhood was shown. Kato shared a behind-the-scenes anecdote, “Season 3 has so many more characters appearing than before. We almost ran out of chairs in the recording booth!” which captivated the audience.

Rock-Paper-Scissors Tournament & Photo Session

A rock-paper-scissors tournament was then held for posters autographed by Matsuda and Kato. The entire crowd of over 2,200 people stood up, and the venue was filled with excitement. The heated competition resulted in two children as the final winners. Seeing them happily hugging the posters they received, Matsuda and Kato once again expressed their joy that “SPY×FAMILY” had reached fans in New York.

The final segment was a photo session. Matsuda, Kato, and the entire audience came together to shout, “We Love SPY×FAMILY!!!” passionately proclaiming their love for the series.

Finally, Matsuda and Kato delivered a message to the audience.

Kato said, “I had so much fun today with all of you in New York. I could truly feel how much you all love “SPY×FAMILY.” Season 3 is starting soon, so please look forward to it. I really hope to come back to New York and see you all again.”

Matsuda followed, “Thank you all so much for coming today! I believe you will see a side of “SPY×FAMILY” in Season 3 that you haven’t seen before, and there will be some incredible scenes that will stay with you forever, so let’s enjoy it together! Thank you all very much for today!!”

The crowd responded with a standing ovation, and the event came to a close with an incredible energy that lasted until the very end.

Post-Stage Chat

After the event, Matsuda shared, “Every time I made Bond’s voice, the crowd would let out these incredible cheers that sounded like screams. It made me so happy to feel how popular Bond is overseas.” Kato reflected, “Whether it was during the live voice-over or the event in general, they were so happy with every single word we said, and I was so touched. I thought, these fans are so warm. I’m so glad I was able to come.”

Event Overview

Event Name: Anime NYC 2025 Panel Date: Sunday, August 22, 2025 Time: 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM Venue: Javits Convention Center Guests: Kenichiro Matsuda (voice of Bond Forger and narrator), Emiri Kato (voice of Becky Blackbell)

About “SPY x FAMILY” Season 3

Everyone has a side of themselves they never show to others…

In an era where countries around the world were engaged in fierce, covert information warfare, the Eastern nation of Ostania and the Western nation of Westalis had been in a cold war for over a decade.

Twilight, a top spy working for WISE, Westalis’ Eastern-Focused Division, is given a top-secret mission. Codenamed Operation Strix, the mission is crucial for maintaining peace between East and West. The objective: to investigate the movements of Donovan Desmond, the leader of the National Unity Party in Ostania, a dangerous figure threatening peace between the two nations.

The mission requires him to “start a family within one week and infiltrate a social gathering at the prestigious school Desmond’s son attends.”

Disguising himself as psychiatrist Loid Forger, Twilight sets out to create a family. However, the daughter he meets, Anya, turns out to be a telepath, and his wife, Yor, is actually an assassin!

With their interests aligned, the three decide to live together while hiding their true identities from each other.

The fate of world peace now rests in the hands of this makeshift family prone to one mishap after another.

Loid Forger: Takuya Eguchi

Anya Forger: Atsumi Tanezaki

Yor Forger: Saori Hayami

Bond Forger: Kenichiro Matsuda

Franky Franklin: Hiroyuki Yoshino

Sylvia Sherwood: Yuko Kaida

Henry Henderson: Kazuhiro Yamaji

Yuri Briar: Kensho Ono

Damian Desmond: Natsumi Fujiwara

Becky Blackbell: Emiri Kato

Fiona Frost: Ayane Sakura

© Tatsuya Endo/Shueisha, SPY x FAMILY Project