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As long as there have been nations with competing interests, there have been spies peddling in secrets across borders. The idea of knowledge as power is timeless, which is why the obscure timeline of Spy x Family is so important to the series’ structure. By not being tied to a specific time period, Spy x Family allows itself to sit in whichever time best suits the moment.

When you’re watching Spy x Family, it immediately and intentionally brings the Cold War to mind. The 'East vs West' mentality. The neighboring nations at the cusp of outright war but not quite willing to fire the first shot. Everything is set up to evoke the Cold War, which it does remarkably well. To the point where it becomes impossible to narrow down exactly what time period Spy x Family takes place. 

Most of the manga feels very much out of the 1950s and '60s in its visual aesthetic. The fashion has a post-war feel, with men wearing suits and hats as casual wear and women wearing casual but shaped dresses. However, Yor’s second most iconic outfit – her red sweater dress and a white headband – is pure Mod, which was at its height during the late 1960s. Loid’s attire is much more grounded in the 1950s, with a sharp suit and trilby hat serving as his general wear. Which makes sense – he’s playing the role of a conservative, middle-class husband and father, so he’s dressing for the part. It is perfectly reasonable that both the 1950s and 60s fashion would exist side-by-side in Spy x Family.

The technology in the show feels a little more fluid than the fashion. Anya’s beloved Spy Wars show is broadcast in color. While color TVs were available as early as the late 50s, they weren’t common until the 1970s – depending on where you lived, of course. In Germany, which the fictional nations of Ostania and Westalis represent, it wasn’t until 1972 that color TVs became common. Again, it is perfectly possible that the Forgers represent early adopters of color TV technology thanks to Loid’s spy connections, but seeing a color television clearly evokes the feeling of the 1970s for most people.

However, there are some very clear deviations from the 1960s feel of Spy x Family. The folks at the Internet Movie Plane Database (seriously, there is a fan-wiki for everything) have identified two planes used in Spy x Family as being distinctly 1980s in their origin. The first is the Cessna 208 Caravan Amphibian used in Season 1 Episode 5 (Will They Pass or Fail?), which was introduced in 1984, and the Airbus A310 from Season 1 Episode 13, which wasn’t introduced until 1982. Episode 20 of Season 1 also shows the inside of Frankie’s hideout, which contains, among other things, an arcade cabinet – something else that wouldn’t become prominent until the 1980s.

The movie, Spy x Family: Code White, further complicates things because it incorporates technology already obsolete by the Cold War (a zeppelin) and more advanced than our own (a cyborg). It is impossible to pinpoint the exact time period of Spy x Family – which is kind of the point. Because Tatsuya Endo doesn’t limit himself to a specific time or even a specific technology level, we don’t have to worry about historical inaccuracies or technological inconsistencies. The technology available to the Forgers is exactly what is needed for the plot and nothing more.

It is clear that Endo is operating under a Rule of Cool – if something looks cool, he’ll include it. Obviously, there are limits to this, but the ambiguous time period of Spy x Family is why we accept things like mind-readers and dogs that can see the future. These fantastical takes on real technology are staples of the spy thriller genre – James Bond took off in a jetpack in 1965’s Thunderball – so we don’t give them a second thought. So long as everything feels retro enough, it works within the world as presented, and we don't need to worry about inconsistencies.

I don’t think that we’re likely to see a cell phone or personal computer pop up in Spy x Family anytime soon, but it is clear that Endo doesn’t want to limit himself to a specific time period. Giving us an ambiguous setting means that he has the freedom to do almost anything he wants. After all, as long as there have been nations, there have been spies and assassins. Mind-readers, a little less so.

Here's how to watch Spy x Family in order.