Parents in Video Games

[Moonface]

I was going to make this thread about mother's in video games since today is Mother's Day (in the US) but I don't see the point in not just focusing on parents in games in general instead. 

Anyway, are there any parents in games that you like/dislike? I feel like parents aren't really common in games and the only one I can think of easily is the mother in every Pokémon game because your father never seems to exist in those games.

[ShiraNoMai]

I think Kratos' journey into being a single father in God of War 2018 was a really good showcase for his character and how he's changed over the course of the games he's been in. This wasn't his first rodeo into parenthood--you see in the prior God of War games that he's had a family to love and care for (his white skin is a testament to that). He is, however, new to being the sole parent in the family, which is something he clearly left to the job of his wives. Through his interactions with Atreus and other helpful friends in the Norse realm, he essentially turns a weakness of his into a strength, which I think is apt for a character known for their might/prowess.

[Moonface]

I think Kratos' journey into being a single father in God of War 2018 was a really good showcase for his character and how he's changed over the course of the games he's been in. This wasn't his first rodeo into parenthood--you see in the prior God of War games that he's had a family to love and care for (his white skin is a testament to that). He is, however, new to being the sole parent in the family, which is something he clearly left to the job of his wives. Through his interactions with Atreus and other helpful friends in the Norse realm, he essentially turns a weakness of his into a strength, which I think is apt for a character known for their might/prowess.

Although the original God of War trilogy shows Kratos cared for his family given them dying by his hand is the driving factor in him going postal on the Greek gods, are there any moments where he really demonstrates that love/care for them in a way that isn't by killing something else? With how he's portrayed as a father in the Norse games I get the impression he didn't really show a gentle caring side towards his family or we are least didn't really see it because that side of him was before when the games take place.

[Moonface]

Damn I'm actually ashamed I never thought of this one and just realized it should've been the most obvious one to me for how many games I've played of Tekken.

The entire Mishima family is just front to back bad parenting of varying degrees of "how do I want to abuse/potentially kill my child today". Tekken 7 tries to make Heihachi seem "justified" for what he did to Kazuya but we all know he's still actually a bastard. Kazuya is... actually hard to judge as a parent because he isn't even alive when Jin is born and doesn't make his return until Jin has reached 21 so there's no way to know how he would have raised Jin. He doesn't seem to have any care for Jin but I wonder if any parent would have a connection to their child when they don't know they even have one and only find out once that child has become an adult?
Jin did at least have Jun though, who was a decent mother to him until she died/disappeared. So at least the Mishima family tree has one known decent parent in it.

Nina has a child too but I can't really blame her for hating Steve. The poor guy was born as a result of Heihachi using eggs taken from Nina while she was cryogenically frozen against her will, so not only did she not want a child but it was done from using her in experiments she never consented to. While it isn't Steve's fault of course he does represent a period of her life that she reviles and it's no surprise she wants nothing to do with him or anything related to that time.

Marshall Law seems to be one of the few decent parents in Tekken at least. He takes care of his son Forest, even if he might be a little overprotective, and when his son gets into a bad motorcycle accident he enters the Fifth King of Iron Fist Tournament to try and pay off the medical expenses.

Michelle Chang adopts a daughter but we don't really hear anything more about it, but I think it's safe to assume she's a decent parent.

I don't think there's any other characters in Tekken that are a parent. Writing it out I actually didn't expect an even balance between decent and shit parents but that's mostly because the games put more emphasis on the actions of the shit parents.

[queenzelda]

Actually, in Pokémon Ruby your mom is a homemaker, and your dad is a gym leader. A normal gym leader in fact. In the og game he is a pain to defeat. In Omega he was made easier idk why. With the newer pokemon games it's usually just your mom.

In Animal Crossing New Horizons, you get letters from your mom who mentions your dad from time to time. But he never writes.

You only get to see Mario and Luigi's parents due to seeing them in the movie Nintendo released. Otherwise, they don't exist in the games.

In the Suikoiden franchise, your father in the first game is the General of the army you have to fight against. In Suikoden 5 your mother is the Queen of the Kingdom who marries the General of her kingdom after winning her hand in battle against others who fight for her hand in marriage. I don't remember if there are other parents in the Suikoden series atmo but if I do, I'll try to come back and edit this. But I think you just have two games with your parents in them.

I can't remember any other parents in games atmo. Most games just have none: usually.

[Moonface]

Actually, in Pokémon Ruby your mom is a homemaker, and your dad is a gym leader. A normal gym leader in fact. In the og game he is a pain to defeat. In Omega he was made easier idk why. With the newer pokemon games it's usually just your mom.

Oh wow there is actually a game where the dad exists?! What gym leader is it so I can look them up and find out more about it?

[queenzelda]

Actually, in Pokémon Ruby your mom is a homemaker, and your dad is a gym leader. A normal gym leader in fact. In the og game he is a pain to defeat. In Omega he was made easier idk why. With the newer pokemon games it's usually just your mom.

Oh wow there is actually a game where the dad exists?! What gym leader is it so I can look them up and find out more about it?

Oh yea, there's more than just May's dad (Norman) your rival's dad is Prof Birch. So, there are technically two dads in Pokémon Ruby.  Norman the Normal type Gym Leader and Professor Birch. Depending on if you choose to play as either a girl or boy. 

Bulbapedia for Norman:  Norman - Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokémon encyclopedia (bulbagarden.net)
Bulbapedia for Prof Birch:  Professor Birch - Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokémon encyclopedia (bulbagarden.net)

[Mr EliteL]

Yeah fighting games do like their bad parents, and well good parents too.

For technically a bad parent but I still like him though he is a complete piece of--is Relius CLover from BlazBlue. Usually I don't particularly like PoS characters but sometimes it depends on their whole personality, the world they come from, what they've done, all sorts. To put into perspective of what he's done...as a parent; he's turned both his wife and daughter into dolls/puppets and the wife doll Ignis fights for him, and he will happily fight his son Carl who uses his sister Ada. Of course Carl did NOT like what happened and hates Relius for it and normally that should be enough for many people to dislike him (audience that is). It's the opposite though for me as I care very little for Carl. Relius doesn't break easily and if he did I wouldn't like him, it was just always interesting to see what he's up to. Kinda like Aizen from Bleach really, plus Relius works with Hazama/Terumi who in turn is similar to Gin (Hazama more so) from Bleach but far worse and is a proper villain, plus Terumi is EVEN worse than Relius but all three I just really enjoy in BlazBlue.

Same with Tekken though, Heihachi and Kazuya I still like despite them always fighting each other and their grandson/son Jin but there's the flipside of Jun and the others to level out the good and bad. Jinpachi was a good grandfather to Kazuya but everything went to poop and well, Tekken 5 Kazuya ending, although not canon, could've happened with Kazuya finishing off Jinpachi to take his devil powers.

[Moonface]

Actually, in Pokémon Ruby your mom is a homemaker, and your dad is a gym leader. A normal gym leader in fact. In the og game he is a pain to defeat. In Omega he was made easier idk why. With the newer pokemon games it's usually just your mom.

Oh wow there is actually a game where the dad exists?! What gym leader is it so I can look them up and find out more about it?

Oh yea, there's more than just May's dad (Norman) your rival's dad is Prof Birch. So, there are technically two dads in Pokémon Ruby.  Norman the Normal type Gym Leader and Professor Birch. Depending on if you choose to play as either a girl or boy. 

Bulbapedia for Norman:  Norman - Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokémon encyclopedia (bulbagarden.net)
Bulbapedia for Prof Birch:  Professor Birch - Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokémon encyclopedia (bulbagarden.net)

Thanks for the links! I'd have never found the first guy by myself probably and I didn't know Birch plays the role of a father too. I do find it a little funny that Birch and Norman don't really resemble each other yet will technically have the same child the other could have had.

I see that Norman is also the only father of a playable character in the games. I wonder why Nintendo never did it again even if the father doesn't play a role any bigger than the mother does.


@Mr EliteL: Yeah weirdly I don't dislike any of the characters in Tekken that are shit parents, yet I know I hated the father in Food Wars for being an abusive prick so I'm trying to think what it is about the Tekken characters that makes me not really care? Maybe it's because there isn't any cases of a parent and child interacting constantly in the series where they're not both villainous, and/or because the earlier games didn't really emphasize story much to know just how bad some people in the series actually are?