Where can they be from?
Summary:
- There are several theories about Yor and Yuri’s nationalities.
- One of the most common theories is that they’re of Slavic origin.
- Their names are the best clues.
Spy x Family’s characters love being a secret not only to each other, but also to the fandom. Fans always try to collect every sliver of information, then make theories and speculations. And one of the things they’re interested in is the origin of the Briars.
The series takes place in Ostania, which is, as we know, a reference to real-world Germany. Even the name of its capital, Berlint, sounds extremely similar to the capital of Germany, Berlin.
It’s fair to suggest that Yuri and Yor come from Ostania, which would make them the equivalent of real-world Germans, but fans have other theories.
Are They Half Slavs?
One of the theories is that they might be of Slavic origin, or at least half-Slavic, specifically Russians. Slavs have this weird reputation of being weird, crazy, but incredibly powerful. And both Yuri and Yor fit that description perfectly.
Although Yor has a low alcohol tolerance, she’s quite a violent drunk who becomes a completely different person after a glass or two. And yes, Slavic people are also notorious for drinking a lot. But so are Germans, if we think about it.
But the biggest hint, fans say, is Yuri’s name, which is very popular among Eastern European Slavs such as Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians. The Slavic form for it is “Юрий,” and if you were into anime back in 2016, you might remember that there was a Russian character with the same name in Yuri on Ice.
Moreover, fans mention another interesting theory about this name. Tatsuya Endo once mentioned that he’s a space fan, and one of the most famous Soviet astronauts was Yuri Gagarin. Spy x Family fans think the author might have combined his love for space with his love for meaningful names.
By the way, Anya is also a very popular Slavic name, so the Slavs theory is starting to make more and more sense.
Other Theories
A lot of fans thought that Yor was Japanese at first. Her name is the most Japanese-sounding in the series and when fans started reading the manga, they noticed that her name was spelled Yoru as in "night" in Japanese.
Endo might have wanted to alter it later to make it sound more European, but changed his mind and decided to leave it as is.
It’s also rumored that Yor’s name was originally Yolanda, which is a name of Greek origin, and various equivalents of it are widely used in such countries as Germany, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Italy, Portugal and Romania.
Which might bring us back to the Slavic origin of the siblings, since a big portion of these countries are also Slavic.