Summary

• Spy x Family Movie Code: White emphasizes family bonds amidst thrilling action and comedy sequences.
• Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro showcases impressive animation and thrilling heist adventures.
• Cowboy Bebop: The Movie features intense action similar to what Loid and Yor go through in Code: White to save Anya on a burning airship.

Spy x Family has been a smash hit since its premiere in 2022. Twilight, the greatest spy in Westalis, is tasked with forming a fake family to infiltrate the neighboring country, Ostania. Under his new identity as Loid Forger, he winds up recruiting assassin Yor as his wife and telepath Anya as his daughter, with all three of them hiding their true identities from their new family.

Spy x Family Code: White is the franchise's first movie, and it sees the Forger family taking a vacation to the wintry region of Frigis, only to get caught up in a plot by the vicious Colonel Snidel to spark war between Westalis and Ostania. The movie spotlights many of the anime’s strongest points: goofy comedy, stellar action sequences, and heartfelt moments shared between the Forger family. And if fans are still hungry for more, there are plenty more anime films like it to try.

10 Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro Is a Game Between Criminals

Based on the 1971 anime Lupin III Part 1

In one of the best anime based on classic literature, the grandson of Arséne Lupin is the world’s greatest thief. His gang pulls off daring heists, dodging the efforts of police (particularly the determined Inspector Zenigata) to catch him. The spinoff film of the first TV series sees Lupin and company storming an evil count’s castle to rescue a princess and get back at him for tricking them with counterfeit money.

This 1979 movie is notable for much more than being the legendary Hayao Miyazaki’s directorial debut. Like Code: White, our heroes (made considerably more heroic from their manga incarnations thanks to Miyazaki’s influence) travel the world to reach their goals, getting caught up in the crimes of those much crueler than them. It is particularly highly praised for its impressive animation, a step up even from the original show.

9 Cowboy Bebop: The Movie Bumps Up the Show's Action

Based on the 1998 anime Cowboy Bebop

As a super-spy and a brutal assassin, Loid and Yor are both much stronger than their mild-mannered civilian personas suggest. Code: White gives them both ample time to shine in the action department as they storm Snidel’s airship to rescue Anya. Loid takes on Snidel himself and Yor fights off his most monstrous lackey as the ship burns out of the sky around them.

Both a Halloween special and a feature film spinoff, this movie plunges the crew of the Bebop into their direst adventure yet. Spike and company must stop ex-soldier Vincent Volaju from releasing a virus that will kill everyone on Mars. As they fight to save the planet, their martial talents (Spike’s especially) are shown off in lovingly animated combat sequences, longer and more complex than even those from the original show.

8 Tokyo Godfathers Brings an Unconventional Family Together

Based on the novel "The Three Godfathers" by Peter B. Kyne

By a considerable stretch, Code: White could be counted as one of the best Christmas specials in anime. As befits the movie’s name, Frigis is wintry and fun, and in addition to saving their countries from all-out war, the impromptu mission brings the Forgers closer as a family. Tokyo Godfathers brings an unlikely group together in much the same way.

One of Satoshi Kon’s best films and a fantastic Christmas anime movie overall, funnier and more grounded in realism than Kon's usual works, Tokyo Godfathers centers around Hana, Miyuki, and Gin, a trio of homeless Tokyoites who discover a baby girl abandoned on Christmas Eve. Naming her Kiyoko, they resolve to look after her and reunite her with her parents. Along their journey, they go through a series of absurd yet helpful coincidences and regain hope for their own lives.

7 The Boy and the Beast Stars an Adoptive Father and Son

Original film written by Mamoru Hosoda

After the breakup of his family, angry and lonely nine-year-old Ren finds his way through a portal to the world of beasts. There, he's raised by Kumatetsu, a bear warrior outcast from his society as well. Kumatetsu might not be confident in his abilities, but he grows devoted to his adoptive son, training him as a martial artist and willing to risk his own life to protect him.

Many more of Mamoru Hosoda’s best films, from Summer Wars to Wolf Children, are about the bonds between family. For most of her short life, Anya Forger wasn’t cared for by anyone, and is constantly terrified of being rejected by her adoptive parents. However, as Loid and Yor prove throughout Code: White, they adore Anya and would do anything to protect her.

6 Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop Is a Charming Rom-Com

Original film written by Kyohei Ishiguro and Dai Sato

True to its name, Spy x Family spends much more time on its family aspects than it does on any love story between Loid and Yor. However, while the pair’s marriage is fake, their care for one another is very real, even if their ideas of what is normal behavior are a bit skewed. Yor in particular is very anxious about not measuring up as Loid’s wife, leading to a misunderstanding in Code: White where she worries he’s cheating on her.

Communication is a key element of the romantic comedy film Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop. Smile and Cherry love each other very much, but are severely shy and insecure, leading to them having trouble opening up and sharing their feelings directly. As they connect through their love of music, they fall deeper in love themselves, even as life challenges them. Ultimately, they grow brave enough to it how they feel to one another.

5 Pokémon - Zoroark: Master of Illusions Centers Around Family

Based on the 2006 anime season Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl

As one of the longest-running anime of all time, Pokémon has quite a few spinoff movies. On their journey through the Unova region, Ash and company run into a baby Zorua whose caretaker, Zoroark, has been abducted by a CEO who’s using her in his plot to gain wealth and power. It’s up to the heroes to reunite the family and protect all the Pokémon of Unova.

In the reverse of Code: White, the story centers around a young child trying to rescue its adoptive parent from a particularly gruesome villain. Like Snidel, Grings Kodai is cold and sadistic, not only willing but happy to kill human and Pokémon alike if it gets him what he wants. Ash, Zorua and Zoroark, and even Celebi need to summon up every ounce of strength they have to stop him.

4 Flavors of Youth Uses Food to Represent Love

Original film directed by Li Haoling, Jiaoshou Yi Xiaoxing, and Yoshitaka Takeuchi

The Forgers make their way to Frigis in the first place to study a region-specific dish that could net Anya a win in her school’s cooking contest. While their pursuit of the dish falls to the wayside in favor of stopping Snidel, food and drink still drive the plot in several ways. In addition, they’re not only used to represent the villain’s cruel and exacting personality, but the Forgers’ devotion to one another.

Flavors of Youth is a film that centers entirely around the concept of necessities, such as food, representing the bonds between family and friends. In the food-centric segment, The Rice Noodles, Xiao Ming clings to the memory of enjoying noodles with his grandma as his neighborhood and life change drastically. While nowhere near as action-packed as Code: White, it has just as much heart, and it delights in the simple pleasures of life.

3 Castle In The Sky Is a Thrilling Adventure In The Clouds

Original film written by Hayao Miyazaki

When young orphan Pazu saves another child, Sheeta, from the shady government agents trying to kidnap her, the two of them are caught up in a wild adventure. Sheeta is the key to raising the lost city of Laputa, and together the children must stop Muska, the city’s other survivor and a vicious killer, from reviving Laputa and using its powerful technology to destroy humanity.

One of the most underrated Studio Ghibli films, Castle in the Sky is not only the famous studio’s first feature film, but one that matches Code: White both for thrills and heartwarming moments. Like Loid and Yor, Dola and her gang of air pirates aren’t the most conventional people to rely on in a crisis, but they come through in big ways. And Sheeta, Pazu, and Anya could certainly swap stories about being targeted by military men and having to be clever about escaping.

2 Drifting Home Sends Its Young Heroes on a Wild Journey

Original film written by Hiroyasu Ishida, Hayashi Mori, and Minaka Sakamoto

Though Anya, being only four, relies considerably on her parents to help and protect her, when push comes to shove she’s clever and resourceful in getting out of whatever bad situation she’s in. Ducking and dodging can’t work forever, but when they fail she falls back on trickery and surprisingly effective acting skills. Aboard Snidel’s airship, she’ll need all of them to make it back to her family.

The children of Drifting Home are a bit older, but are pushed into a similar position. In one of the best anime now streaming on Netflix, a group of classmates find themselves stranded in an apartment complex floating on a seemingly endless ocean. It’s not quite as directly life-threatening as the massive villainous airship Anya winds up trapped on, but forces the kids to develop vital survival skills very quickly to return home.

1 Naruto the Movie: Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom Employs Spies to Save the Royal Family

Based on the manga by Masashi Kishimoto

Naruto is one of the anime with the most spin-off movies to its name, and while Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow might be closest to Code: White’s setting, Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom is the most similar in plot. Team 7 (with Rock Lee substituted for Sasuke) is charged with protecting the kingdom’s princes from a deadly coup d’etat.

Political intrigue and the lives of Ostania’s wealthy upper class are very important to Spy x Family, between Loid investigating government officials and Anya contending with her well-heeled classmates at school. Similar dynamics can be found in this movie: while Kakashi and the Land of the Moon’s warriors fight to protect the kingdom from being taken over, Naruto’s plot is much more individualized. He takes it upon himself to teach Hikaru, the spoiled younger prince, to grow up a bit, with Hikaru becoming stronger and more selfless thanks to his influence.