| Overview |
| “ | With proper watering and pruning… and careful maintenance… the world can remain a beautiful place. | ” |
— The Shopkeeper to Yor Forger[1]
| ||
The Shopkeeper (
Appearance[]
The Shopkeeper appears to be a middle-aged man with tan skin, long and shaggy white hair that reaches down to the waist, and sunken almond-shaped black eyes. While working in his garden, he is shown wearing a brown hat with a red string that has two golden figurines in the shape of small spikes attached at the ends, which are similar to Yor's own earrings and weapons. The Shopkeeper also wears a beige long-sleeve shirt with rolled sleeves and pants alongside a black apron, gloves, and boots.
Personality[]
The Shopkeeper is a man who values the past and tradition of Ostania, seen by his devotion to the Miteran Empire, an old empire from the country's history. For example, he holds the Miteran elk in the former lands of the empire in high regard, respecting them as divine beings and asking his assassins to do the same. In contrast, the Shopkeeper has little interest in getting involved with political affairs, as he refuses jobs that appear politically motivated and declares that Garden only serves the nation rather than a politician.
The Shopkeeper is always seen maintaining his beautiful garden, tending to its plants and trees.[2] The Shopkeeper seems to be a calm and patient person, often seen smiling calmly, and normally accepts any petition or favor Yor asks him. He also shows a somewhat mischievous side, swiping at Yor with his shears, seemingly out of a mixture of amusement and testing her awareness. The Shopkeeper has also shown mysterious moments, such as when he remained silent upon seeing Yor worrying about her family after giving her a new assignment and being intrigued when she later tells him about Loid's interest in Donovan Desmond.
While he is largely a mysterious man, his greatest ambition is to ensure the world remains a beautiful place, which he passes on to his assassins, particularly to Yor, whom he seems to trust deeply because he personally trained her. According to Yor, the Shopkeeper says that being an assassin is "a noble calling" and that his employees "should be proud as any soldier who has devoted their life to their homeland."
History[]
The Shopkeeper has known Yor since her youth, having taught her survival skills and trained her to be an assassin.[3] When assigning Yor with assassin contracts, the Shopkeeper provides her with photos of her target, as well as information about their capabilities and defenses. The targets are given to the "Thorn Princess" because they are traitors to the nation of Ostania, whom he believes must be eliminated.
Not much is known about the Shopkeeper himself, but he has connections to the Ostanian underworld, as he states that he owed a personal debt to the former head of the Gretcher family before his death.
Synopsis[]
Introduction Arc[]
The Shopkeeper assigns Yor a new "client" over the phone
The Shopkeeper calls Yor to assign her a new job, but she mistakes him for her brother, Yuri; her tone makes him wonder if the siblings are having a fight, and he finds it unusual. After Yor apologizes for the confusion, the Shopkeeper moves on to inform "Thorn Princess" about a client at the Royal Hotel, Room Number 1307.[4]
Later, after Yor gets married to Loid Forger and moves to the Forger residence to help with her cover identity, she recalls to herself that she was able to get the Shopkeeper's permission for this decision.[5]
Campbelldon Tennis Arc[]
When Yor's daughter, Anya, picks her for a job investigation as part of her school project, Yor begins to imagine a scenario in which she explains her assassin job to Anya. She mentions the Shopkeeper, sharing his beliefs about being an assassin, and receives a call from him about a new client.[6]
Imperial Scholars Mixer Arc[]
The Shopkeeper talks with Yor on the phone
Yor is assigned to eliminate a faction of the Red Circus group in the northern district of Berlint. After completing her task, she calls the Shopkeeper to inform him of her mission's completion. During the call, Yor reports that she will be going straight home afterward but remembers that she promised Loid that she would pick up eggs and milk on the way. As she finishes their call, Yor fails to notice a surviving member who ends up shooting her butt, causing her great pain for several days.[7]
Cruise Adventure Arc[]
The Shopkeeper informs Yor's manager, Matthew McMahon, to tell her that she has a phone call while they are working at Berlint City Hall. Yor goes to a private room in the building where she answers the phone, and the Shopkeeper greets the Thorn Princess and says she has a new "client."[8]
The Shopkeeper tests Yor's instincts
The Thorn Princess and Matthew arrive at a garden maintained by the Shopkeeper. Yor compliments the garden, and he replies that with proper watering and careful maintenance, the world can remain a beautiful place. While Yor takes a moment to smell the flowers, the Shopkeeper decides to test her instincts with a surprise attack. After Yor successfully dodges it, the Shopkeeper apologizes for his sudden actions, saying it was to test her. Satisfied that Yor's skills have not dulled, he proceeds to brief her on her latest assignment, the protection of Olka Gretcher and her child, Gram, aboard the cruise ship Princess Lorelei.
The Shopkeeper briefs Yor on what the assignment entails, including its background and his personal connection to it. He watches Yor as she hesitates to take on the job because of her worries about making an excuse for her cover job and family. He informs her that Matthew has already prepared a cover story of her being there as part of her work, which puts her mind at rest. The Shopkeeper then entrusts the assignment to the Thorn Princess, who gladly accepts.[9]
Friendship Schemes Arc[]
The Shopkeeper learns about Loid's political interests
Yor visits the Shopkeeper to inform him of her meeting with Melinda Desmond, who wishes to be friends with her. Because Melinda is an important person in the country, she asks for his permission. The Shopkeeper says he has no problem with it but tells Yor that because Melinda is a conservative, he would not recommend it if "anything" were to happen. He then instructs Yor to at least watch herself to prevent Loid from thinking she has one-sided political beliefs. Yor says it should not be a problem, bringing up how Loid met Donovan Desmond and his interest in the National Unity Party, which piques the Shopkeeper's attention.[10]
Mole Hunt Arc[]
While going out for dinner with her city hall co-workers, Yor gets drunk and imagines approaching the Shopkeeper to request permission to kill Loid in order to maintain her cover as a normal housewife. The Shopkeeper approves, and Yor soon finds herself facing off against Loid and getting into a bloody fight with him. However, she quickly snaps out of her fantasy and tells herself that the Shopkeeper would never give her permission like that.[11]
Current Arc[]
The Shopkeeper becomes interested in Wilker's poaching file
The Shopkeeper is visited by Director Wilker of the SSS at his mansion. After attempting to make some small talk, Wilker presents the Shopkeeper with a briefcase filled with files for job requests, mostly from Ostania's prime minister. The Shopkeeper turns the first two down due to them having political agendas until he reads the third file, a poaching case on Miteran elk in southwest Ostania. He accepts the job, explaining to Wilker the historical significance of the land's forests and how a portion is a demilitarized zone that could cause friction between East and West. Wilker agrees with the Shopkeeper's choice and asks him to consider the other files. However, the Shopkeeper rejects Wilker, sternly reminding him that Garden acts in service to the nation, not to a politician. The Shopkeeper then watches Wilker as he leaves the mansion with his men.
Later, the Shopkeeper meets with his assassins at his garden, interrupting a tense moment between Yor and Hemlock before starting their meeting. After Hemlock and Gympie complete their reports, the Shopkeeper introduces the group's new assignment to protect the elk by stopping the poachers, briefing them on its background and the potential risks they may face. Suspecting that their work will need to be divided over multiple missions, the Shopkeeper tasks Yor and Matthew with the first. Hemlock volunteers to join as support, which the Shopkeeper agrees with while requesting him not to harm the elk. Matthew plans to make arrangements at city hall in case their mission goes on for longer, a decision that the Shopkeeper supports.[12]
Abilities and Skills[]
Master Combatant: Although not much of his overall abelites have been showcased, the Shopkeeper appears to be an expert combatant. He uses a giant pair of garden shears as a weapon and has good control over them, as he tries to attack Yor with them with a quick and skillful thrust. He is also responsible for training Yor all she knows about being an assassin, indicating he is of comparable, if not a higher level of skill in the profession.
Teaching: The Shopkeeper has personally taught and trained Yor to become a full-fledged assassin. Upon meeting her again in person after she joined the Forger family, he tried to attack her while she was distracted to test her reflexes.
Gardening: The Shopkeeper owns a large garden where he carefully grows, cultivates, and maintains a wide variety of flowers and plants. Among them are grapes, which he uses to make vintage wine.
Relationships[]
Yor Forger[]
Similar to Loid and Sylvia in WISE, the Shopkeeper is Yor's mentor and handler in Garden, as he taught her survival skills in her youth and trained her to be the Thorn Princess[3] and is mainly responsible for summoning and dispatching her to complete assignments. Despite allowing her to enter the Forger family as part of her cover, the Shopkeeper appears to have concerns about them negatively impacting her abilities as an assassin, such as when he tested her skills to see if it had been dulled by her family life and quietly watched her worry about her family after assigning her with an important mission.
In a rare instance, he assigned her a mission whereby she would protect someone, that being Olka Gretcher and her son. He also allowed Yor to become friends with Melinda Desmond, but gave her a warning due to Melinda's political alignment and that something could happen.[10]
Chapter Appearances[]
| Mission 1 | Absent |
| Mission 2 | Voice |
| Mission 3 | Mentioned |
| Mission 4 | Absent |
| Mission 5 | Absent |
| Mission 6 | Absent |
| Mission 29 | Mentioned |
| Mission 30 | Absent |
| Mission 31 | Absent |
| Mission 32 | Absent |
| Mission 33 | Absent |
| Mission 34 | Absent |
| Mission 35 | Absent |
| Mission 43 | Voice |
| Mission 44 | Debut |
| Mission 45 | Flashback |
| Mission 46 | Absent |
| Mission 47 | Absent |
| Mission 48 | Absent |
| Mission 49 | Absent |
| Mission 50 | Absent |
| Mission 51 | Absent |
| Mission 52 | Absent |
| Mission 53 | Absent |
| Mission 54 | Absent |
| Mission 55 | Absent |
| Mission 56 | Absent |
| Mission 57 | Absent |
| Mission 64 | Absent |
| Mission 65 | Absent |
| Mission 66 | Appears |
| Mission 67 | Absent |
| Mission 68 | Absent |
| Mission 79 | Fantasy |
| Mission 80 | Absent |
| Mission 81 | Absent |
| Mission 82 | Absent |
| Mission 83 | Absent |
| Mission 84 | Absent |
| Mission 85 | Absent |
| Mission 86 | Absent |
| Mission 87 | Absent |
| Mission 88 | Absent |
| Mission 89 | Absent |
| Mission 112 | Absent |
| Mission 113 | Absent |
| Mission 114 | Absent |
| Mission 115 | Appears |
| Mission 116 | Mentioned |
| Extra Mission 1 | Absent |
| Extra Mission 2 | Mentioned |
Anime Appearances[]
| 26. FOLLOW PAPA AND MAMA | Mentioned |
| 27. BOND'S STRATEGY TO STAY ALIVE / DAMIAN'S FIELD RESEARCH TRIP | Absent |
| 28. MISSION AND FAMILY / THE ELEGANT BONDMAN / THE HEART OF A CHILD / WAKING UP | Absent |
| 29. THE PASTRY OF KNOWLEDGE / THE INFORMANT'S GREAT ROMANCE PLAN Ⅱ | Voice |
| 30. PLAN TO CROSS THE BORDER | Debut |
| 31. THE FEARSOME LUXURY CRUISE SHIP | Absent |
| 32. WHO IS THIS MISSION FOR? | Absent |
| 33. THE SYMPHONY UPON THE SHIP / SIS'S HERB TEA | Absent |
| 34. THE HAND THAT CONNECTS TO THE FUTURE | Absent |
| 35. ENJOY THE RESORT TO THE FULLEST / BRAGGING ABOUT VACATION | Absent |
| 36. BERLINT IN LOVE / NIGHTFALL'S DAILY LIFE | Absent |
| 37. PART OF THE FAMILY | Absent |
Trivia[]
- The original concept for the Shopkeeper was "a kindly-looking old man, futzing around his garden," but this was changed into his current and final design. The original design for the Shopkeeper appears to be the same as his current one, the only differences being his hat color being changed to black and the addition of round glasses and a long beard.[13]
References[]
- ↑ SPY x FAMILY Manga and Anime: Chapter 44, and Episode 30.
- ↑ SPY x FAMILY Official Fanbook: EYES ONLY (p. 78).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 SPY x FAMILY Official Fanbook: EYES ONLY (p. 41).
- ↑ SPY x FAMILY Manga and Anime: Chapter 2 (pp. 10-11), and Episode 2.
- ↑ SPY x FAMILY Manga and Anime: Chapter 3 (p. 3), and Episode 3.
- ↑ SPY x FAMILY Manga and Anime: Chapter 29 (p. 2), and Episode 20.
- ↑ SPY x FAMILY Manga and Anime: Extra Mission 2, and Episode 26.
- ↑ SPY x FAMILY Manga and Anime: Chapter 43 (p. 23), and Episode 29.
- ↑ SPY x FAMILY Manga and Anime: Chapter 44 (pp. 2-9), and Episode 30.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 SPY x FAMILY Manga: Chapter 66 (pp. 18-20).
- ↑ SPY x FAMILY Manga: Chapter 79 (pp. 13-16).
- ↑ SPY x FAMILY Manga: Chapter 115.
- ↑ SPY x FAMILY Manga: Volume 8, Franky's Secret Files