Twilight’s tragic childhood reveal in Spy X Family manga gives the series a new meaning

Chapter 62 of the Spy X Family manga is divided into three parts and deals with the childhood of the boy who would grow up to be Twilight. It is a distinct turn from the light-hearted tone of the previous chapter but also capitalizes on the darker undertone prevalent since the conception of the series.

While it is known that Twilight had a tragic past that was plagued by loss, the depth of that tragedy was unclear until this chapter. The Spy X Family manga has always hinted at a darker, more sinister background for both Twilight and Yor, but the brutal reality of it comes to light only in this three-part chapter.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from Spy X Family manga.

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Spy X Family manga unveils Twilight’s dark past in a war-torn country

Twilight’s actual name is not revealed in the manga, nor is his age specified. He was a resident of Luwen, Eastern Westalis, during the beginning of the war between his country and Ostania. His father was a government official who bartered for peace, and his mother was likely a housewife.

His parents were always fighting, leading Twilight to respect and resent his father. Twilight was friends with three other children and went by the code name Advisor.

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Spy X Family chapter 62-1

Twilight was a smart and adaptable child who was very good at impersonating people and playing any role to perfection. Like all children from a war-ridden country, he dreamed of becoming a soldier and serving his nation in the coming war.

His father, however, was severely displeased by this notion and reminded the boy that he had never met nor talked to these Ostanian soldiers whom Twilight seems so ready to villainize.

One day, Twilight needed a new toy gun. Knowing that his father despised these games, he lied to him, saying that he needed money for a book. However, Twilight found that he did not like lying and suffered from guilt so much that he could not play with the gun he had bought.

He resolved to apologize to his father once the man returned from his business trip, but the next day the Ostanian army crossed the border and bombed Luwen.

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Spy X Family chapter 62-2

After the bombing, a shocked Twilight moved to Kielberg with his mother. Luwen fell under the Ostanian attack, and Twilight realized that all adults were liars since they had promised that there would be no war.

He wanted to go back to Luwen to wait for his father, but his mother’s attitude makes it clear that the father had passed away, likely due to another attack. Unfortunately, Kielberg soon got razed to the ground, and Twilight lost his extended family and his mother.

Like every orphan child in a scrambling, warring nation, Twilight learned to grow up in the gutter and the rubble, scrounging for food and shelter until the bitterness within him made him pick up a gun.

In an ironic twist of fate, Twilight took up the fake name Roland Spoofy as soon as he was old enough to pass 18 years of age to join the Westalis militia. He lost count of how many people he killed until he came across a lowly Ostanian soldier who begged him not to shoot. Unbeknownst to either of them, Spy X Family would later introduce this soldier as the information broker known as Franky Franklin.

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Spy X Family chapter 62-3

Franky revealed that he had deserted the army. He explained to Twilight that both sides of the war held the other responsible for the tragedies that befell them. However, Twilight’s vengeful mind refused to consider anything other than his own perspective. Franky soon escaped during the gunfire, but he left Twilight with the impression that the Ostanian soldiers were also humans.

Twilight soon got injured and was called back to the camp, where he met his three childhood friends, whom he presumed to be dead. However, the reunion was short-lived as the three friends left for the frontline and were killed in action. Twilight learned that the battle that took the lives of his friends was badly planned due to a lack of information. He reached the conclusion that:

“Ignorance is not bliss. Ignorance is a weakness. Ignorance is sin.”

He was soon met by an officer of military intelligence, who greeted him by his real name and commended him for getting into the military while still underage. The man made Twilight understand the importance of spies and intelligence agencies, making him an offer to join them.

While Twilight understood that nothing could bring back his family or friends, he still took the man up on his offer. The Spy X Family manga heavily hints that this is where his resolve to “build a world where children do not have to cry” came from.

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Epilogue

The man forced Twilight to discard everything that tied him to his old life, and Twilight discarded his old name because there was no one left to remember it. He was handed over to his commanding officer, who was in charge of his spartan training, shaping him into the spy we first met in Spy X Family. This officer was named Sylvia Sherwood, who would later become Twilight’s Handler.

This origin story gives the readers a new perspective of Twilight’s motives and actions. Throughout Spy X Family, Twilight has been calculative, suspicious, ruthless, and borderline unfeeling while also being emotional and melancholic.

His attraction to stability and family is clearly explained via this flashback. He wants it because he once had it and thus knows how essential it can be. It remains to be seen if he will ever disclose his past to Yor and Anya.

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