At Anime NYC 2025, special guests Kenichirou Matsuda-san, the voice of the Narrator and Bond, and Emiri Kato-san, the voice of Becky Blackbell, appeared for a panel celebrating SPY x FAMILY. Both Matsuda-san and Kato-san shared their excitement about visiting New York City for the first time, talking about stops at Times Square, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Ghostbusters Firehouse, and the Continental Hotel from John Wick. Kato-san also mentioned meeting Suzuko “Mimorin” Mimori for lunch in Central Park, a fellow voice actress she previously worked with on projects such as YuruYuri and as part of the duo SAKUHIMA*HIMASAKU in 2012.
We then asked the guests about the currently airing Season 3, including their expectations for the story and characters, behind-the-scenes experiences, and their personal journeys since joining SPY x FAMILY.
Portions of this interview have been lightly edited for clarity with some questions and answers from other outlets being included
Q: SPY x FAMILY is popular globally. How does it feel to be part of the cast in this amazing series? And did you ever think of being a part of this series?
Matsuda-san: I’m very honored to be a part of such an amazing popular series all around the world. To be honest, I didn’t think that I’d ever be a part of something this big, so I’m very thankful to be a part of it.
Kato-san: I was very happy when I was chosen to be Becky. After I was chosen, I decided to read the whole series that was out. I really loved it. It was a lot of fun. I was very much looking forward to the recording process. Now that it’s out in the world and everyone obviously loves it. I’ve seen so many cosplayers even online. Right now, I’m even more grateful to be part of such an amazing series.
Q: For Kato-san: Becky is unique in that she tries to act a bit more mature than she actually is but still retains a lot of childlike elements. How do you work that mixture of maturity and immaturity into your voice acting?
Kato-san: Becky loves to watch a lot of dramas and to learn the hard words used in them, even though she has no idea what they usually mean. In the script and subtitles, a majority of the time, difficult words are sometimes expressed in Katakana; which helps convey to me the level of difficulty for a child. Again, she doesn’t understand the words that are being said, but she wants to say them because she enjoys learning something new. This is something that I’m conscious of while voicing a character who acts mature, but has a lot to learn.
Q: What do you feel when you play Bond? What do you feel when you play the role of a dog? And how do you prepare for the role?
Matsuda-san: Bond may be a dog, but he’s very smart. The feelings that he’s feeling are pretty similar to a human, so I don’t really feel it’s that different from playing a human character. But he is a dog, so there’s parts that he’s much more honest and simple, and he’s also very straightforward. As for preparing for the role, I basically just stay at home and say, BORF, BORF, a lot, myself.
Kato-san: So yes, Bond is a dog, but there are very few times in the series that he actually says human words. And that’s something that we as a cast always look forward to (Laughs in background)
Matsuda-san: So when I look at the script, I try to see if there’s any parts where I can actually just say human words, and during the rehearsal or the run-through, I’ll try it out, and usually it actually goes through.
Q: For both: What would you say is the most difficult aspect of voicing your character?
Matsuda-san: I get away with a lot of things playing Bond. Our recording sessions are very free, we actually get away with a lot of things, I’ll try things out, and really not expecting them to say okay. They’ll take the take, which would make me think that I can go even further next time. But, to be clear, I’m talking about Bond.
Kato-san: The role of Becky itself is not very difficult for me to play, but she speaks very fast, so a lot of the time, I’d have to say a lot in a very short amount of time, so I end up practicing a lot at home to make sure I make the time slot.
Q: For both: Do you feel like any aspects of how you approach your voice acting have changed since the beginning of the anime’s production?
Matsuda-san: I feel like I understand Bond a lot more now that more time has passed. I feel like I can play Bond more freely now than I did in the beginning. I can basically relate to Bond because when I first joined the cast and Bond first joined the family, we were both very nervous. But now, we both very much feel at ease with the rest of the Forgers and I’m having a lot of fun. I feel like I’ve become closer to Anya and her friends.
Kato-san: At first, Becky is a bit unapproachable and prickly even towards Anya, but as the story comes along, they go from friends to best friends. Even when we’re [Kato-san and Tanezaki-san] playing our roles and not at the same mic, I feel that we’re more connected now. She even said it as well. So it doesn’t matter if we’re far apart. We’re very connected in our roles.
Q: For both: Why do you think this show is so beloved?
Matsuda-san: I wonder why. (Laughs in background)
Kato-san: What I think is that Anya is cute. Loid is cool. Yor is cool too. They’re not a real family, but as time progresses they get along like a real family. Bond joins them and expands the family. I think all of their lives are relatable with the viewers and that could also be the charm. But I think the main reason is Anya’s cuteness..
Matsuda-san: I believe that Endo-sensei’s character designs are so good, but the way he writes is amusing and it keeps you enthralled in the story. The actual story, if you think about it, is serious and a bit dark, but it’s presented as a comedy a lot of the time, so you feel at ease that there’s no impending doom, so you get to enjoy it. While there’s still serious stuff going on in the background, I think that’s basically one of the biggest reasons why it’s so beloved.
Q: For Matsuda-san: When you first became a voice actor, did you ever imagine one of your key lines would be BORF? And if you could give Bond some life advice, what would you say to him?
Matsuda-san: I didn’t think that one of my most memorable lines would be BORF. I heard that BORF is popular and I’m grateful that’s the case. It’s such a simple line and I’m also grateful for that as well.
I would like to tell him that Yor is actually not that scary. He always feels like impending doom and that his life is being threatened when he’s around her. So I’d like to tell him that’s not the case.
Q: For Kato-san: If you had the opportunity to give Anya Forger and Becky Blackbell some life advice, what would you want to tell them?
Kato-san: I would tell them that what brings people together is not exactly money. What brings people together is being honest with each other. The reason why they became such good friends is because they’re both so honest. They have no lies. They don’t really lie. So, I don’t feel like I taught them anything. I believe that they basically taught me that.
Q: For both guests: Do you have any advice for voice actors?
Matsuda-san: First, watch a lot of things, consume all sorts of media, read a lot of books, and watch a lot of movies. I don’t really do this much, but travel the world. Go places and experience a whole lot of things. Broaden your horizons, I think all of that is very important for your experience of playing other characters.
Kato-san: I basically feel the same. Experiencing a lot of different experiences, but when you also experience a lot of things obviously that also bring a lot of emotions. Different kinds of emotions from something fun, happiness, sadness, pain, and you tend to remember all those feelings, even physically and mentally, like when you want to cry. Your throat starts closing up or gets dry, and I think that really helps when I’m acting, I’ll be able to recreate whatever feelings are needed for me in the role
Q: For both guests: Do you get scared or nervous while voice acting? If so, what advice would you have for overcoming that fear?
Kato-san: When the main cast is together, I don’t think any of us get nervous. But sometimes during the recording sessions, someone who’s an amazing senior will come to do a guest spot or something. That makes me nervous and I also feel like I can’t mess up obviously. I think that we’re perpetually nervous anyway.
Matsuda-san: I think being nervous is actually pretty important. I don’t think you have to overcome it, but accept that part of yourself. I feel like that makes me even more serious about this role. So I’m sort of becoming friends with my nervousness.
Q: For both: What do you hope for the future of SPY x FAMILY?
Matsuda-san: I think for Bond, speaking for Bond and myself, but I think, Bond just sort of wants to stay with the Forgers and just live a very peaceful life, rolling around as a dog. I also hope that he gets to just live peacefully from now on, considering everything he’s gone through.
Kato-san: As Becky, I really want to see how everyone at Eden College is going to grow from now on. I’m very curious to see when they grow up a grade and see how they will grow. I hope I get to see them older at some point in the story, but I also love them as they’re small little souls right now. Speaking for Becky, I’m obviously very curious where the romance between Damian and Anya is going to go in the future.
Matsuda-san: You mean both Damian and Anya?
Kato-san: From Becky’s point of view, they are both in love with each other. So I want to see where their romance ends up in the future.
Conclusion
We would like to thank TOHO, Crunchyroll, and the Anime NYC staff for arranging this interview. We also extend our thanks to Emiri Kato-san and Kenichirou Matsuda-san for taking the time to visit New York City, and we hope to see them again at a future event.
Both seasons of SPY x FAMILY and the film SPY x FAMILY CODE: White are available to stream on Crunchyroll, with the third season currently airing every Saturday. For more coverage, please check out our article on their panel event.
This interview was conducted by Jay Gibbs, while it was written by Luke So.
Images: Crunchyroll, @Emiryun
© Tatsuya Endo/Shueisha, SPY x FAMILY Project
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