Spy x Family’s Anya Forger has to be the cutest little six-year-old Esper in the history of anime.

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But, wait, is she really six-years-old? Well, that’s what she indicates to Loid – or, Agent Twilight – in the very first episode of the series. But as we know from early on, the Forgers are a family forged in secrets. Everyone lies: Loid is a “cool liar,” Yor is not nearly as good at the art of lying, and Anya is perhaps the worst out of all of them but as she is such a small child (and a telepath to boot), she manages to get away with it. It helps that Loid’s incredibly sharp perceptive skills seem to go dull around his “fake” family.

So, if Anya lied about being six, how old is she? And why did she not tell the truth?

Why did Anya lie and what’s her actual age?

Anya’s lie stems from the fact that Loid needed a six-year-old child and, when he visited the episode in season 1, episode 1, the girl read his mind and decided to lie in order to get adopted by the spy. You can even see her briefly trying to stand on her tiptoes to appear taller.

The reason for the child’s age requirement is that Eden Academy only accepts students who are six and older. Operation Strix requires access to Eden College to get, in a covert way – there was no point in a direct assassination – to the target, a politician named Donovan Desmond, whose two sons attend the prestigious school, one of whom, the youngest, Damian, is six-years-old and thus could indirectly provide another path – the friendship scheme – to get to Donovan.

Hence, Anya lies about being six when, in actuality, she is younger. It is speculated that she is five, or even four years old. This would also explain why Anya is a bit less mature than her classmates and struggles to keep up with the subjects, having some of the worst grades. But, if she’s four, doesn’t that mean Anya has all the potential to become a good student with a bit of time and practice – and the additional help of some mind reading? It is certainly arguable that she’s in fact smart for her age. I mean, have you known any other four or five-year-olds to build a peanut bomb by themselves?