With an anime adaptation currently airing in the Spring 2022 season and manga sales in the millions, to say that Spy x Family has been a success would be a massive understatement. Volume 1 of the manga alone sold 50,000 units on its launch day in Japan. However, creator Tatsuya Endo’s name has not always been one that's equated to success.
In fact, most of his manga prior to the release of Spy x Family have been canceled very early on. This has happened so frequently that he’s earned the not-so-affectionate moniker “Axeman”. Here’s a look at some of Endo’s earlier works and why Spy x Family is such a huge breakthrough for the mangaka.
Tatsuya Endo's Humble Beginning With One-Shots
Most manga start out as one-shots, then if they gain enough popularity, they’re eventually picked up for serialization. From 2000-2004, Endo’s works consisted of just that -- one-shots. None of them were ever picked up for serialization, and that was the end of the story. With the exception of Endo’s very first one-shot, which was published on Jump Next!, all of his works up to this point were published in Weekly Shonen Jump.
Tatsuya Endo's Short-Lived Serials
Tista, Endo’s first serialized work, ran for one year from 2007-2008 with a total of nine chapters. It was an action/mystery tale set in New York starring a young girl named Tista who moonlights as an assassin. The series was published on Jump SQ but was quickly canceled due to its low readership.
Meanwhile, Gekka Bijin was an action-comedy based on an old Japanese folktale and ran for two years. From 2014-2017, all of Endo’s works were just one-shots with none of them being picked up for serialization -- until 2018, when he penned ISpy. Starting from Gekka Bijin, all of Endo's works up to 2018 were published in Jump Square.
Going From ISpy to Spy x Family
As with most one-shots, ISpy acted as a prototype for what would eventually become Spy x Family. Quite a few of the characters featured in the one-shot bear a resemblance to the main characters we all know and love today, although the story itself is very different.
Instead of a wholesome found family comedy, ISpy's version of the story follows a love-sick teenage girl with a natural ability for sneaking around. She develops a crush on a handsome older man who, unbeknownst to her, is actually an elite spy. The one-shot gained enough popularity to be officially picked up for serialization on Shonen Jump+.
While some were skeptical over Spy x Family's lifespan given Endo's reputation, the doubters were quickly proven wrong. It went on to become a massively popular work on Shonen Jump+ and has won several awards, including an Eisner Award and a Harvey Award -- all within just three years of serialization. Endo's continued attempts to become a serialized shonen mangaka have finally paid off, and his faithful fans are truly glad for it.