Spy X Family: Why Does Anya Forger Like Peanuts so Much?

Anya Forger is undoubtedly one of the most popular, if not the most popular SPY×FAMILY characters. The young girl has become a breakthrough character and while Loid and Yor are definitely both important and popular, Anya is the one who adds the finishing touch to the gallery of protagonists. And in light of that fact, we have decided to dedicate this article to her. In this article, we are going to discuss Anya’s love for peanuts, as you will find out why she loves them so much in the series.

Anya loves peanuts, but the series never explained why that is

Anya Forger is the child protagonist of the SPY×FAMILY manga and anime created by Tatsuya Endō. She is a telepathic girl, known as Test Subject “007”, i.e., an experiment of an unknown organization from the fictional country of Ostania, from where she escapes from the laboratory and ends up in a children’s orphanage where she is adopted by Loid Forger (Twilight) to carry out his operation in Ostalia.

Her origins are not well known; what we know about her is that she was part of a mysterious experiment (she was Test Subject “007”), and the results to which she was exposed turned her into a telepath. After escaping, she ended up in two orphanages until she was adopted by Loid Forger (Twilight), who saw a lot of potential in her, which would help him execute his espionage mission in Ostalia.

On the first day with her new “family,” Anya reads Loid’s mind and understands that the world’s peace depends on her. Anya tells him that she likes to eat peanuts very much; later, Anya buys a poster, and Loid, seeing that she lacks money, thinks that she is not that smart and wonders if it would be better to return her to the orphanage. Anya hears his thoughts and starts crying, so Loid calms her down by buying her peanuts.

Anya takes the admission test at Eden School, considered an elite school, where she is supposed to watch Damian, the son of Donovan Desmond, Twilight’s target. Anya enters school on the first day and meets Damian Desmond there, who pesters her until Anya gets tired of it and punches Damian. The Prefect arrives, and she tells him that it is for defending Becky Blackbell. From that moment on, she also becomes a spy and trails Damian.

This was Anya’s story, in short. She has a very specific personality, true to the fact that she is a child, and she can be quite flamboyant – at one moment, she is crying. At another, she is laughing and scheming. She can also be quite sincere, and she is not an evil person. Even though she is aware that she is in a “fake” family and that she is on a mission, she is enjoying her life with Loid and Yor, as it finally gives her at least a hint of a family, something she never had as a child.

As per the series, Anya has several favorite things and people, which include chimera dolls, peanuts, spy cartoons, silenced pistols, bombs, castles, penguins, her uniform, Loid, Yor, and Becky. Many of these things make sense, but we will focus on the food she likes in this article. Loid has stated that Anya is quite picky about her food, and the food she likes includes peanuts (which is her all-time favorite food), cake, and hamburg steak. She also likes to eat omurice at Eden and crunchy things in general. But, on the other hand, she hates carrots.

Peanuts might be tasty, and a lot of people like them, but it is somewhat strange that a character has peanuts for their favorite food, especially at such a young age. But, Anya is absolutely certain that peanuts are her favorite food, and fans have discussed this theory on more than one occasion. One Reddit theory, as presented by user jish5, states the following:

So something I don’t think a lot of people have brought up is the reason behind Anya’s peanut obsession. I know it’s a great running gag, but I have a feeling there’s more to it than what’s been state.

My theory about her obsession with peanuts is that when she was being experimented on, peanuts were used as positive reinforcement. This would lead her to see peanuts as a means of comfort and getting them most likely represents a reward and to show she did well.

(Source)

This theory makes sense from a psychological standpoint as that is how conditioning works, but sadly, there is absolutely nothing in the series that would corroborate this theory. Absolutely nothing – so far, at least – points to this being true, but as more details about Anya’s past are revealed, we assume that this could be explained as well, but we cannot know at this moment. Also, peanuts are good for the brain, which could also be a fact worth considering here.

Ultimately, regarding the current state of the canon, there is absolutely no specific reason why Anya likes peanuts so much, which is why we can conclude that she – simply likes them. The author obviously wanted her to have a favorite food, and peanuts could either be a random pick or something more meaningful, but we cannot know that at this moment.

Hopefully, The story will address this issue later in the series, so we will update this article with new information; until then, just enjoy the fact that Anya’s “peanuts scenes” are some of the most funny and heartwarming scenes in the whole series.

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