In the creation of Anya’s character, the “hair bun” is exceptionally striking and has been used as a distinctive feature to differentiate her from other characters. For a long time, this hairstyle was seen as a subtle detail that contributed to her uniqueness.
However, alongside her ability to evoke sympathy, Anya’s hair bun has the potential to conceal a poignant backstory. The latest chapter of Spy x Family revealed that Anya’s hairstyle is closely related to her mother, which could imply that she takes after her mother.
Chapter 111 of the Spy x Family manga provides the first glimpse of Anya’s mother, who also sports a hairstyle reminiscent of Anya’s. While Anya’s bun is more rounded and is covered by a double-layered hairstyle resembling a cute bun, her mother – who has a face almost hidden – appears to have a bun style similar to Anya’s. This chapter subtly hints that Anya might have been inspired by this symbolic hairstyle, representing a connection between her and her mother.

The Unique Bun Hairstyle of Anya in Spy x Family Draws Inspiration from Her Mother
Considering Anya’s soft demeanor and her relatively shorter hairstyle, the reflection in chapter 111 appears to have occurred long before Anya transformed into a character with a more serious undertone. It’s possible that Anya’s mother originally styled her hair similarly to her own, and Anya eventually learned to style her hair by herself, as seen earlier in Spy x Family chapter 1 when she was still at the kindergarten stage.

The latest chapter does not seem to provide any explicit clues regarding what happened with Anya’s mother; however, the narrative suggests that Anya has a fond memory of her mother that appears in her dreams toward the end of the chapter. Nevertheless, both Anya and her mother are depicted as wearing hospital gowns, indicated by a series of buttons at the back.
This raises a poignant implication that Anya and her mother could be part of a clinical trial for an Apple project or a similar experimental scenario. The imagery suggests that Anya’s mother may have been in a state of melancholy, expressing the deep sorrow of a mother who could potentially be taken away from her child, a theme often associated with the longing for freedom and the potential confinement within a trial.
On the other hand, there’s also the possibility that Anya and her mother are merely victims of circumstances involving illness, with the mother possibly suffering from a terminal condition. Although the exact fate of Anya’s mother remains uncertain, the emotional weight of Anya’s tears when reminiscing about her mother during the selection process at Eden might serve as a compelling indication.

It is heartbreaking to think that Anya’s unique bun hairstyle, often a source of joy, might also be the result of a deeper connection with her mother, whose situation remains shrouded in mystery. It’s likely that the final scenes may reveal Anya’s emotional bond with her mother, as her features closely resemble those of her mother, who quickly fades into the background of Anya’s memories. The audience has yet to see Loid or Yor styling Anya’s hair, as it seems to be a skill that Anya has developed on her own since she was quite young.
It’s truly poignant when Tatsuya Endo manages to weave these intricate details, linking them to Anya’s origin story and her complex past in such a captivating manner. If the latest chapter serves as a significant hint, the upcoming chapters of Spy x Family may delve even deeper into Anya’s intricate backstory.