1. モノクロの裏道を走り抜けてきた 出会いなんて予想もせずに この街で

Romaji: Monokuro no uramichi o hashirinukete kita / deai nante yosou mo sezu ni kono machi de

Cultural Nuance: I’ve spent my life running through colorless back alleys, a lonely spy suppressing all emotion. I never imagined, not even in my wildest dreams, that I would meet you all in this city.

🗣 Japanese Insight: "Monochrome" (モノクロ) symbolizes the life of "Twilight" (Loid Forger)—a life stripped of personal identity and color for the sake of missions. Having lived only in the "back alleys" (uramichi) out of the sunlight, any encounter with others was a "risk to be eliminated." This opening depicts the dawn of his new life, where a mission in "this city" unexpectedly begins to paint his world with color.

2. 落書きみたいに消されてく 大切な想い出まで

Romaji: Rakugaki mitai ni kesareteku / taisetsu na omoide made

Cultural Nuance: Before the massive tides of national interest and war, our small, precious memories are erased as easily as a child’s scribbles on a wall.

🗣 Japanese Insight: "Rakugaki" (落書き) refers to doodles or graffiti—things that aren't part of official history but are unique expressions of an individual. In the world of espionage, personal lives are often treated as "unnecessary data" to be deleted. By using the innocent word "scribbles," Kusano highlights the cruelty of how the "erased pasts" of Loid and Anya are treated by the world, making the sorrow feel more raw and poignant.

3. 幸せの意味にたどり着きたいんだ 密かにともるこの可愛い灯を護ろう

Romaji: Shiawase no imi ni tadoritsukitain da / hisoka ni tomoru kono kawaii hi o mamorou

Cultural Nuance: Is this what "happiness" feels like? I'm not certain yet, but I want to protect this lantern light—this small, beloved flame of family—and never let it go.

🗣 Japanese Insight: The word "Kawaii" (可愛い) here goes beyond the modern sense of "cute." It carries an archaic Japanese nuance of "something small, fragile, and deeply beloved." As mentioned, while the common mamoru (守る) can mean physical defense, the kanji "護る" (used in the title and lyrics) signifies a spiritual will to shelter the "value" of the object. It perfectly describes the Forgers' resolve to shield the "family hearth" they’ve secretly built.

4. 錆びついたドアノブいくつ回したっけ？ 昨日と同じ誰もいないと思ってた

Romaji: Sabitsuita doanobu ikutsu mawashita kke? / kinou to onaji dare mo inai to omotteta

Cultural Nuance: How many rusted doorknobs have I turned in my life? I always assumed that behind every door would be the same silence as yesterday—an empty room with no one waiting for me.

🗣 Japanese Insight: A "rusted doorknob" symbolizes years of isolation and a heart that has remained closed to others. For a spy, returning to a cold, empty safe house was the norm. This phrase highlights the "miracle" of the present—where opening a door now leads to a "Welcome home" from Anya and Yor—by contrasting it with the heavy silence of his past.

5. 君がいる世界の続きに触れたい 囚われの結び目をほどきたいんだ

Romaji: Kimi ga iru sekai no tsuzuki ni furetai / toraware no musubime o hodokitain da

Cultural Nuance: I want to reach the future where you are still there. I want to carefully untie the knots of our secrets and the shackles of our past that keep us bound.

🗣 Japanese Insight: The "knots of captivity" (toraware no musubime) refer to the contracts of espionage that forbid them from revealing their true selves, as well as their personal traumas. The choice of the verb "hodoku" (to untie) rather than "cut" suggests a gentle, patient process of becoming a real family over time, rather than a forced or violent change.

6. 鉛色の雲の隙間から 水色が小さく見えるから

Romaji: Namariiro no kumo no sukima kara / mizuiro ga chiisaku mieru kara

Cultural Nuance: Even when the sky is covered in leaden clouds of despair and war, I can see a tiny patch of light blue—a sign of hope. As long as that light is there, I can keep moving forward.

🗣 Japanese Insight: "Namariiro" (Lead-colored) represents the heavy, suffocating atmosphere of the Cold War and personal despair. In contrast, "Mizuiro" (Light Blue) is a color Spitz has used since their debut to symbolize freedom, purity, and hope. It beautifully visualizes how Anya’s innocent smile acts as the "light blue sky" piercing through the dark clouds of Loid and Yor’s professional lives.

7. 絵空事と笑われても やめないよ手を伸ばす精一杯

Romaji: Esoragoto to warawaretemo / yamenai yo te o nobasu seiippai

Cultural Nuance: Even if the world mocks us, saying "Your family is just a fake" or "World peace is a pipe dream," I don’t care. I will never stop reaching out with all my might to make this "lie" our reality.

🗣 Japanese Insight: "Esoragoto" (絵空事) refers to an improbable story or a total fabrication. While the Forger family began as a "fabrication" for a mission, this final line declares their resolve to turn that "lie" into a "truth." It is a powerful closing statement of defiance against those who would mock their "fake" happiness, proving that the strength of their bond is anything but a dream.

🎤 Emotional Summary

Spitz’s "Hi o Mamoru" is a song of "rebirth and guardianship" dedicated to all adults who have known loneliness. It resonates deeply with the world of SPY×FAMILY, where three broken souls find a flickering light in one another.

In a world covered by leaden clouds, finding your own "patch of light blue" and protecting that small lantern flame requires immense courage. Masamune Kusano’s voice gives us the strength to believe in our own happiness—even if it started as a "fabrication"—and to keep shielding it from the dark.