The three most recent chapters of Spy x Family has seen a focus on Yor Forger. This happens every few story arcs of Spy x Family. But what has made this latest focus on Yor’s character different is seeing her return to her life as Thorn Princess. It is a side of Yor Forger we haven’t seen in quite a while. This return to her assassin life further spotlights the growth Yor has been since living the married. It has also brought the spotlight on The Garden Assassins Syndicate that Yor is secretly a part of. Let’s break all of that down and what it could mean for Spy x Family’s future.
YOR FORGER RETURNS TO THE GARDEN
Yor Forger is undoubtedly a badass and arguably the best fighter in Spy x Family. While we have seen Yor use her assassins’ skills throughout the series it has been a while since we last saw Thorn Princess. The last time we saw Yor in full Thorn Princess mode was the “Cruise Adventure Arc” that was over 50 chapters ago.
There has been a big reason for why Yor hasn’t been seen in her Thorn Princess persona. She simply hasn’t had to. The “Cruise Adventure Arc” that happened between Spy x Family Chapter 43 to 57 was key in her understanding the satisfaction of being married and having a family. Her time with Loid and Anya has made it so she has found a life outside of being an assassin because she felt that was what she had to be due to her circumstances.
We have seen Yor truly enjoy her life with Loid and Anya. Sure, their various adventures have called for Yor to use her assassin skills. That includes in the Spy x Family movie Code: White. But for the most part her character growth has been about who Yor Forger is now having found a family.
While she has seemingly put her assassin life behind her we’ve seen that Yor has been in contact with the Garden’s Shopkeeper and Matthew McMahon. And as we see in Spy x Family Chapter 115 when called upon, Yor will get back into her Thorn Princess mode to take on a job.
YOR FORGER’S THORN PRINCESS IS HER
With this latest story arc we get a direct counter that for Yor to show how different she is and grown during this series. That has come in the way of Yor teaming up with her other fellow Garden assassins, namely the newly introduced Hemlock, for her latest mission. While the mission goes well when Hemlock refuses to let emotions get in the way of their mission he attacks Yor. Hemlock views being an assassin should be detached from society and only the mission matters.
Hemlock’s characterization comes in direct contrast to Yor and how important connection to society, especially family is. We see that as during the fight with Hemlock, Yor tries to convince her colleague they aren’t enemies. But as soon as Hemlock brings up killing Loid, Anya, and Yuri to sever her connections Yor goes full Thorn Princess mode.
Yor completely overwhelms the highly skilled Hemlock in Spy x Family Chapter 117. Not only that but she does so in a way that shows she could kill Hemlock if she wanted to. Most importantly she showed Hemlock that her family life didn’t dull her skills whatsoever. If anything it has made her survival skills even greater. She isn’t just living to see her brother grow up to have a normal life. She now has others to live for daily and vice versa.
ROLE GARDEN ASSASSINS SYNDICATE PLAYS IN SPY X FAMILY
While the latest Spy x Family story arc has been a great spotlight on Yor Forger it has brought a spotlight back to an important part of the series. That is what role Garden Assassins Syndicate has to play in this series. Unlike Loid’s WISE or Yuri’s State Security Service (SSS), the Garden hasn’t gotten much development. The organization last big spotlight was the mission during the “Cruise Adventure Arc” that the Shopkeeper gave Yor and Matthew McMahon.
Since then, things have been quiet with the Garden save for some cameo appearances. Now that we are getting a focus back on the type of missions the Garden accepts this previous lack of focus could be on purpose. Because as is highlighted during the Shopkeeper’s meeting with a political official the Garden does not accept just any mission thrown their way. They do not care who is trying to get their services, even if it’s the Prime Minister, they only take missions that is important protecting Ostania’s peace.
This is a show of power by the Garden. There was no consequences for the Shopkeeper being particular about only accepting one of the several mission request from the Prime Minister. That signals that their standing in Ostania is even higher than the SSS. Or at least Ostania’s government knows that the Garden’s assassins are too big of a threat to be on their bad side.
This all seems to be purposely done on Tatsuya Endo’s part. Possibly the lack of time spent with the Garden is because they may have an important third party role to play in the greater Spy x Family narrative. Especially if the closer WISE and SSS get to clashing the Garden could have missions that involve making sure to keeping the greater peace of Ostania.
As the current story arc for Spy x Family is still ongoing it’ll be interesting to see what further developments Yor and the Garden get. Hopefully Endo doesn’t wait to long to focus on the Garden as this story arc shows they have untapped story potential.
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