The All-Time Best Dads In Video Games
Being a dad isn’t easy and that’s doubly true for video game dads. If there’s a father in a video game, chances are his child or spouse has been killed or kidnaped or he's raising his progeny during an alien invasion, a post-apocalyptic fallout or bloody siege. It’s no wonder so many games are based around fatherly revenge.
Luckily, there are some guys who, even at the darkest of times, manage to succeed as father figures. Some characters take in orphans, others struggle with fatherhood and strive to be better while some pass down wisdom on the best way to eviscerate an enemy. Regardless of the situation, these characters achieve true dad status - and all without busting out dad jokes or bad dance moves.
Kratos is the latest character to enter the pantheon of good video game dads, and he’s already carved out a space for himself as a stern and struggling single father. Although Kratos initally refuses to call his son Atreus by his name (instead opting for the instantly memeable “boy”), the ice around Kratos’ heart melts as he learns to accept himself and his son. It’s a heartwarming story full of monster slaying and tough love.
Kratos might struggle to connect with his son emotionally, but he clearly loves Atreus. What other dad would give his son a piggyback ride up a sheer cliff face? Sure, he might not be able to reach out and comfort his son (physically or emotionally), but Kratos dads when it matters most. He’ll leap into combat to protect Atreus at a moment’s notice, expressing love through the only way he knows how: rage and violence.
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Joel’s entire story in The Last of Us is defined by his role as a father. The prologue of the game sets up how much Joel loves his daughter Sarah by showing him pull her out of a burning car and carry her through the collapse of civilization. That’s a hardcore dad move, but Joel tops himself towards the end of the game.
After Joel loses Sarah to a trigger happy soldier, his entire life and the entire country fall apart. He finds hope in Ellie, a young girl who is immune to the infection plaguing that is decimating the rest of humanity and apparently immune to the cold shoulder Joel gives her. She slowly becomes the surrogate daughter Joel never wanted and by the end of The Last of Us Joel’s natural paternal instincts return. When Joel realizes that Ellie won’t survive the procedure to extract a cure from her body, he goes on a rampage, killing doctors and soldiers to protect his “daughter.” In a moment of pure unadulterated dadness, Joel dooms humanity to save one girl.
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Witcher hero Geralt is all gravel-voiced sarcasm and tough guy bravado until he meets Ciri, a young woman who breaks through his tough, monster killing, exterior. Like all witchers, Geralt is sterile, making Ciri the closest thing he'll ever have to a child. With her, he breaks his tough guy act to show some genuine emotion between hunting and destroying ancient creatures and demons.
Geralt even finds time to joke around and engage in impromptu snow ball fights while trains Ciri in the art of monster slaying. But when his adopted daughter disappears, Geralt spends the third game in the Witcher series searching for her chopping up any skeleton warrior, wraith, demon or other creature that steps to him.
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Big Daddy (BioShock)
OK, the Big Daddies aren’t technically fathers, but the bond between a Big Daddy and the Little Sister, human girls in the underwater world of Rapture, is just as intense as the one most fathers have with their biological daughters. The heavily-armored and explosively hostile Big Daddies are genetically designed to protect their Little Sisters with their lives and heavy weapons.
The Big Daddies might be a little overprotective, but in a place like Rapture that’s necessary. If anyone lays a finger on a Little Sister, that finger isn’t the only thing that they’ll be missing. A swipe or a spin of a Big Daddie's giant arm drill can dismember or disembowel someone with ease and a Big Daddy isn’t afraid to do that if it senses its “daughter” is in trouble.
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Kazuya Kiryu (Yakuza Series)
The Yakuza series central protagonist is a street brawler with a heart of gold and a soft spot for orphans. His harsh exterior and impressive fighting skills might scare some people off, but Kiryu is always ready to help someone in need.
Kiryu’s relationship with Haruka Sawamura is one of the emotional centerpieces of the Yakuza series and after her parents die, he takes her under his wing, realizing his potential as a father in the process. Kiryu is so inspired by his newfound paternal status that he eventually starts an orphanage where he can live out his days helping children in need. Kiryu might not have any children of his own, but he’s no less a father than any other character on this list because of his dedication to the dad lifestyle.
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Harry Mason (Silent Hill)
How far would you go to rescue your child? For Silent Hill dad Harry Mason, the answer is to another dimension to fight an ancient demon.
Harry's problems begin when he and his adopted daughter Cheryl travel to the little town of Silent Hill for a quiet vacation. Cheryl is kidnaped and Harry charges headlong into a series of nightmares to get her back. Unlike other characters on this list, Harry is a normal guy. He doesn't have martial arts skills or weapons training, just an incredible amount of devotion and perseverance. Even as Silent Hill reveals its true hellish nature, Harry pushes forward, traveling to the Otherworld to a battle a demon know as Incubus and navigating a world of evil spirits and curses that make coaching your daughter's soccer team look easy.
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Octodad (Octodad)
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Octodad faces the same problems any father does. He has to balance work with family, raise his kids right and hide the fact that he’s actually an octopus from the rest of his family. Perfectly normal.
Octodad might not be human and might struggle to accomplish even the most mundane tasks, but his family loves him all the same. When a nefarious sushi chef tries to kill him, octodad’s kids come to the rescue -even when the chef exposes Octodad's secret. Sure, Octodad can’t perform basic human activities, but none of that matters to his family. He’s a great dad and that’s what matters most.
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Eli Vance (Half Life)
Unlike other dads on this list, Eli Vance from Half-Life is able to balance his need to protect his daughter Alyx with his desire to see her live her own life. He builds Alyx a guardian robot dog but isn’t afraid to let her join up with the Resistance and fight an invading alien force.
With every “honey” or “sweetheart” he utters it’s clear that Eli loves Alyx. It’s why he’s willing to sacrifice himself when Alyx gets captured by an alien and why the last thing Eli says to his daughter before he passes isn’t some piece of information that will save the world. Instead, he gives her one last “I love you” before he dies in her arms. Then it's time for a daughter -and her robot dog- to seek revenge.
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Before becoming an assassin, Assassin's Creed Origins hero Bayek was a father. He loved hunting with his son Khemu, teaching him the joys and struggles of Siwan life in ancient Egypt. But when the Order of Ancients kill Khemu, Bayek dedicates his life to vengeance.
Bayek's path to revenge starts with the assassination of leaders of the Order of Ancients such The Vulture and The Snake and eventually crosses paths with Cleopatra and Julius Caesar. In the end, the series’ titular creed is born as much out of Bayek’s desire to free people from the Order of Ancients as it is to avenge his son.
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- Nintendo
Fox McCloud’s father is a mystery in Star Fox lore. Fox enters the cockpit after the supposed death of his father, James McCloud. James’ legacy looms large over Fox’s career, not the least because so much of it is still unknown.
In one of Star Fox 64’s most memorable moments James McCloud proves he’s more than just a shadow in Fox’s past. In the final battle against Andross, James swoops in from out of nowhere to save the day and lead Fox to safety. He disappears back into space shortly after, but in that moment he confirms the legend and, more importantly, that he still loves his son.
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Mike Haggar (Final Fight)
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The Mad Gear gang should’ve known: never kidnap the daughter of a man who looks like he was born with a six pack. Unfortunately for them, the gang kidnapped Jessica the daughter of former professional wrestler turned mayor of Metro City Mike Haggar. Much like Liam Neeson, Haggar has a very particular set of skills and he happily brings it to bear against the fools who messed with his family.
Other dads might go to the police. Haggar uses his bare hands and impressive wrestling skills to tear a path through the Mad Gear gang save his daughter.
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Ethan Mars (Heavy Rain)
If you’re a dad in a video game, chances are your child will be killed or kidnaped. Ethan Mars is unlucky enough to experience both. After losing his son Shaun in a car accident, Ethan’s second son Jason is kidnaped in the middle of a mall by the mysterious Origami Killer.
The kidnapping created one of the most infamous examples of fatherhood in video games as players roam the mall pushing a button to call our "Jason!", launching the meme-worthy moment knows as “Press X to ‘Jason!’” But Heavy Rain actually provides a lot of smaller, more mundane moments to flesh out Ethan’s role as a dad. Players get to cook for his kids and play games with them. And yeah, you get to press X to call out “Jason!” over and over again with the same two recorded lines of dialogue. Hey, it’s all for the kids.
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