Spy x Family Ch. 101 / Mission 101 continues the story between Henry and Martha even more in the next part of their story arc. However, this particular chapter actually does not have Henry in it. In fact, he barely even gets a mention. This chapter is really all about Martha and her perilous journey back home.

Spy x Family Ch. 101 / Mission 101: Details

Spy x Family Mission 100 special illustration.
I’m still using this even though it’s been one chapter after the 100th one.

Spy x Family Ch. 101 (known officially as Mission 101) is the latest chapter (as of writing these reviews) of the action spy comedy manga by Tatsuya Endo (Blade of the Moon Princess, TISTA). In fact, this chapter actually continues the story of the previous chapter and is Pt. 3 of this story arc. You can read my reviews of Pt. 1, Pt. 2, Pt. 3, and Pt. 4 here.

Casey Loe returns as the translator for Spy x Family Ch. 101, with Rina Mapa returning as the letterer. Shueisha originally published this manga in Japan under their Jump Comics+ imprint in the magazine Shōnen Jump+. Viz Media is the company publishing this manga in English in the NA region.

When and Where to Read

Spy x Family Ch. 101 made its online debut on July 7, 2024. You can read this chapter entirely for free on Shonen Jump on Viz Media. Ch. 101 will remain free for two chapter releases after it. Upon the release of the third chapter after it, Ch. 101 will go into the Shonen Jump vault. Once there, you will have to pay a subscription fee to read it and all previous chapters. Admittedly, the fee is only $2.99 per month, so it’s not that big a hit to your wallet. All the same, if you’re short on cash, then you might want to hurry up and read Ch. 101 for free before you can’t anymore.

Anime Adaptation Details

As a side note: Spy x Family now has an anime adaptation that premiered on April 9, 2022. In fact, season 2 just recently premiered on October 7, 2023, and even more recently ended on December 23, 2023. There was even an anime film spinoff called Spy x Family Code: White that premiered in Japan December 22, 2023; and will finally make its NA debut on April 19, 2024. You can watch all episodes on either Crunchyroll or Hulu. Note, though, that only Crunchyroll has any of the dubs. So if you like watching the English dub for some reason, then you have to watch the anime on Crunchyroll. If you want to purchase tickets for that Spy x Family Code: White anime film though, then you can do so from its official website.

Spy x Family Ch. 101 / Mission 101: Plot Summary

Spy x Family Mission 101 manga panel showing a hungry Martha.
Alas, she can’t complete this journey without sustenance.

Spy x Family Ch. 101 picks up more or less directly from where we last left off from the previous chapter. Martha is still stuck in Westalis, and is just trying to find her way home to Ostania. Alas, life is tough for a someone trapped behind enemy lines, without any ID or ration cards to acquire food with. Even worse is the possibility of being recognized as one of the famous/infamous female Ostanian soldiers, thus resulting in Martha cutting her hair short, abandoning the dress the old woman from the previous chapter gave her, and pretending to be a man.

Alas, they’re still not enough for Martha to collapse from hunger by a road. Which results in a Westalis truck loaded with troops driving right by her. Fortunately, they don’t kill her. Even more fortunately(?), they reveal to her that the war is over, so…hooray? This results in Martha getting on a train back to Ostania at the border between the two nations. She even befriends one of the Ostanian soldiers on the way back…only for him to die just as the train arrives back in Ostania. So…good news mixed with bad, and a very traumatized Martha because of it. What awaits her back in Ostania? Well, we will find out in the next chapter of Spy x Family.

Spy x Family Ch. 101 / Mission 101: The Good

Spy x Family Ch. 101 manga panel showing Martha learning that the war is over.
Both good and bad for Martha here.

There’s really no doubt about it. It’s the story of Spy x Family Ch. 101 that keeps me on my toes here, just as it’s keeping Martha on her toes. Seriously, Tatsuya Endo is at his best when he’s writing war drama. This story is like This War of Mine, but in manga form. Where else can you read about a story of a soldier trapped behind enemy lines trying to find her way home in the middle of an adorable slice of life spy comedy?

And of course, Endo’s art is what seals the deal for me. It’s truly amazing how his usually upbeat and adorable art style can just instantly change to some of the most despairing faces I’ve ever seen in manga form. Seriously, Martha’s face as she’s collapsed by the road, unable to move from hunger is pretty nightmarish. It will probably only get worse from here on out. That’s the beauty of Endo’s art.

Spy x Family Ch. 101 / Mission 101: The Bad

Spy x Family Ch. 101 manga panel showing Martha cutting her long hair.
It’s even sadder when you remember that she loves her hair.

Alas, Spy x Family Ch. 101 is not the chapter for action junkies. There is no action in this chapter, only pain and war drama. If you want high-intensity action scenes, then you might want to check out Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Solo Leveling, Kaiju No. 8, and/or The Elusive Samurai. Those anime should have more than enough action to satisfy any junkie.