Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
It is pure kid delight in two syllables: Anya hears the word spy and her whole body lights up. The phrase became the character's calling card in the fandom, in memes of her gleeful face and in merchandise; the franchise even named a Japanese touring pop-up event after it (Wakuwaku Park, from December 2023). Saying it online is shorthand for being thrilled about something small and secret.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Spy x FamilyShow the scene
Anya Forger, the six-year-old telepath adopted by the spy Loid Twilight in Spy x Family, debuts in the first episode, Operation Strix (aired in Japan on 9 April 2022, from chapter 1 of Tatsuya Endo's manga). Her cry of waku waku is the Japanese onomatopoeia wakuwaku, meaning to be thrilled or excitedly expectant, and English subtitles and dubs leave it untranslated. She uses it whenever something promises to be a spy adventure, and it recurs across the series. Atsumi Tanezaki voices her in Japanese; Megan Shipman and Bryn Apprill voice her in English.
Sources (4)
- Spy x Family Wiki: Episode 1 (Operation Strix)infobox and summaryReference checked
- Spy x Family Wiki: Anya ForgerPersonalityReference checked
- Wiktionary: wakuwakuJapanese adverb entryReference checked
- Wikipedia: Anya ForgerCastingReference checked
Context reviewed