Who's Your Daddy?

Joel is the tragic protagonist of The Last of Us, and it’s fair to say that he’s put through the wringer. During the game’s prologue, his daughter Sarah is gunned down before his very eyes. From there, his life spirals out of control and he becomes a cynical smuggler. His nihilistic attitude is understandable, and a lot of people would have a diminished sense of morality if they were in his shoes. He eventually lets his guard down after he’s hired to smuggle a teenage girl named Ellie through hostile territory. Joel moves mountains to keep the girl safe, and reluctantly takes on a fatherly role. His relationship with Sarah (and the circumstances surrounding her death) continue to define him to a certain extent, but Ellie gives him a renewed sense of purpose for the first time in over a decade. It was fascinating to see their relationship evolve over time, so it’s unfortunate that the sequel was so toxic and subversive. It would be distasteful to rank the duo any higher on this list, considering Ellie devolves into a spiteful bitch who actively resents Joel. Ellie was something of a surrogate daughter for Joel, but the writers apparently felt that Joel should be re-united with his actual daughter in Part II. Sarah was cooler than Ellie anyway, so I’m sure Joel is much happier now.

After Bass Armstrong’s wife passed away, the burly pro wrestler was left to raise young Tina by himself. Since he was ill-prepared for the task, he encouraged her to become a wrestler so he could continue to watch over her. Tina quickly ascended to the top of the wrestling world thanks to her father’s training regimen, but she had other goals in mind. At various points in her life, she pursues a career as an actress, a runway model, and a rock star. (She’s one step away from opening up an OnlyFans account.) Bass is rightfully concerned that Hollywood will exploit her sex appeal, so he frequently interjects in her affairs… by facing off against her in fighting tournaments! Tina inherited her fierce independent streak from her father, so neither party is willing to back down. When they’re not butting heads with each other, they prove to be a surprisingly effective tag team. They can perform a number of tag maneuvers together, and they even took the time to choreograph unique entrance and victory poses. Their relationship is certainly unusual, but it’s nice that they get to spend so much quality time with one another.

Shadow is a wandering mercenary who swears allegiance to no one. A man of few words, he goes through great lengths to keep his past shrouded in mystery. It’s said that he’d kill his own best friend if the price was right, and his only companion is his dog, Interceptor. Throughout the course of his adventure, it becomes apparent that he’s not as cold-blooded as he pretends to be. After his party meets up with a young girl named Relm, his behavior starts to change. He even rescues the girl from a house fire at one point – though he swears that he was just trying to save his dog. There are subtle clues suggesting that there was some sort of past connection between Shadow and Relm. The girl is the only one Interceptor is friendly with besides Shadow, for instance. Also, there is a unique accessory which can only be worn by Shadow or Relm. When you learn that Shadow fathered a daughter and that Relm was being raised by her adoptive grandfather, the pieces all fall into place. After Relm’s mother died, Shadow left the girl with a family friend. He couldn’t keep his past from catching up to him, so he made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure she’d have a peaceful life. Shadow is forever haunted by his decision to leave, but it allowed Relm to have the peaceful childhood that she deserved. Relm has a natural propensity for magic, and she eventually re-unites with her father through pure happenstance. Although they fight shoulder to shoulder as members of the same rebellion, Shadow never reveals his true identity to her and continues to carry the burden by himself.

Nier and Yonah’s eligibility for this list depends on what version of NieR you’re looking at. NieR Replicant was originally released in Japan for the PS3. In this outing, Nier was a young man who was trying to save his sister Yonah from a mysterious illness. An alternate version – titled NieR Gestalt – was later released for the Xbox 360 that featured a middle-aged protagonist. This time around, Nier was Yonah’s father rather than her brother. Although the overarching narrative is largely unchanged, the story has a different context because of Nier’s age. The older Nier has already been put through the ringer a few times, so he lacks the unbridled optimism of his younger counterpart. Even though he knows the world is dying, he still devotes his life to protecting Yonah. The opening act sees Nier defending his daughter from ethereal monsters, and there’s nothing he won’t do for her. At one point, he even eats stew that “tastes like death” just because she made it. Yonah spends most of her time at home, but she sends letters of encouragement from her sick bed and tries to lift Nier’s spirits whenever she can. It’s obvious that she would rather have her father at home, even when he’s out searching for a cure. Nier and Yonah are separated for extended periods, but they’re always on each other’s minds.

Alyx Vance stands out on this list by virtue of the fact that she’s an adult when we meet her. While most of the girls on this countdown are still children, Alyx is already established as a brilliant scientist by the time she’s introduced in Half-Life 2. This doesn’t make her father any less protective of her, of course. Alyx’s mother was killed in an incident involving extradimensional beings from another realm, so Eli had to look after his daughter by himself. To that end, he went so far as to design a sentient robot out of scrap metal just to keep her safe. Her father was the only role model Alyx had growing up, and he’s one of the reasons why she developed an interest in science. No matter how old Alyx gets, Eli continues to see her as his little girl. He frequently uses terms of endearment like “baby” or “sweetheart” when he talks to her, and he immediately comes to her defense when he senses she’s in danger. When Eli is eventually killed, it’s easy to have empathy for Alyx since its plainly clear how important they were to each other.

After her world is devastated by a malicious dragon, Lucina travels to the past to prevent the monster from awakening. With her father’s sword in hand, Lucina dons a mask and passes herself off as the Hero-King of old. She initially hides her identity from her father Chrom, and she makes a point to keep her distance from him. Once her secret is finally revealed, her emotions are unleashed and she literally cries in his arms. Chrom had been killed in Lucina’s timeline, so she is eager to be around him again. Lucina is Chrom’s equal on the battlefield, and she pledges undying loyalty towards his cause. She prioritizes his safety above all else, however, as she cannot bear the pain of losing him again. Lucina’s primary goal was to save the world, so it’s an added bonus that she’s able to befriend her parents in the past. I’m pretty sure that she plays Johnny B. Goode at the “Enchantment Under the Sea” dance at one point, but I might be getting her story confused with someone else’s.

In the first Dishonored, players assume the role of an assassin named Corvo Attano who has been tasked with protecting Empress Jessamine Kaldwin. After Corvo is framed for her murder, he is forced to become an assassin in order to clear his name. Fortunately, Corvo is skilled in combat, armed with an assortment of unusual gadgets, and gifted with supernatural powers! As if being framed for murder wasn’t bad enough, Corvo is also blamed for kidnapping Jessamine’s daughter Emily. Players can choose whether or not to rescue her, but Lady Emily ascends to the throne in the true ending while Corvo assumes the role of her Royal Protector. Corvo has an even more important role, of course, since he was secretly Emily’s father! Their relationship continues to evolve in the sequel – set 15 years in the future – and players are given the choice to play as either Corvo or Emily. The young empress has supernatural abilities like her father, and Corvo helps her become accustomed to her powers during the game’s prologue. Emily was a mere child in the first game, so it was interesting to see how she evolved as a person. Corvo’s character was given more depth as well, as he was a silent protagonist in his first outing. Ultimately, Emily’s promotion to playable character made the entire series all-the-more riveting.

Elizabeth Comstock is a beautiful maiden who is held captive in a tower. Booker DeWitt is a dashing rogue who rescues her from the elaborate prison. If you’ve ever read a fairytale you’ll be familiar with this premise, but BioShock Infinite subverts expectations in a couple of meaningful ways. Although she’s literally a damsel in distress, Elizabeth is anything but helpless. She’s more capable than Booker in many regards, and she has the uncanny ability to manipulate dimensional time and space. (This means that players won’t have to worry about protecting her throughout the course of the adventure!) The nature of Booker’s relationship with Elizabeth also takes an unexpected turn. A lot of fans were expecting a romance to develop between the characters, and even Elizabeth’s voice actress saw them as potential lovebirds. The belligerent sexual tension was unintentional, however, as Booker is revealed to be Elizabeth’s father from another dimension! Booker gave up his daughter when she was an infant in order to pay off his gambling debts, and it took him nearly two decades before he finally made his way back to her. The revelation that Booker and Liz were father and daughter was surprising, and some fans erroneously assume they are a romantic pairing. The duo is a popular choice for couples cosplay and suggestive fanart, so I can only assume that some fans still haven’t caught on to the fact that Booker and Elizabeth are father and daughter. Boy, are they going to feel silly when they finally realize!

The Walking Dead is set against the backdrop of a zombie apocalypse wherein undead “walkers” have overwhelmed the population. At the onset of the adventure, a convicted murderer named Lee Everett rescues a young girl named Clementine who has been separated from her parents. Lee promises to reunite Clem with her family, and takes it upon himself to teach her the rules of survival during their journey. He realizes that her parents were likely dead already, so it’s fortunate that he’s willing to take on the mantle of surrogate father. Clementine, for her part, trusts Lee immediately after meeting him. This trust was well-placed. He does everything he can to protect Clem, and imparts wisdom at every opportunity. He even has the foresight to cut her hair in order to make it more difficult for the zombies to get her! To describe Lee as selfless would be an understatement. At one point, he goes so far as to cut off his own arm just so he can buy more time to rescue Clementine! When Lee eventually falls victim to the walkers, he outright refuses to accept his own fate until he knows that Clem is safe. Clementine has to survive on her own after Lee succumbs to his injuries, but she’s able to fend for herself thanks to his lessons.

Kazuma Kiryu is a hot-blooded member of a yakuza group known as the Dojima Family. Although he lives by a strict code of honor, he’s happy to fight if the situation calls for it. Despite his involvement in the criminal underworld, Kazuma has a heart of gold. This becomes immediately apparent after he meets a young girl named Haruka Sawamura. When Haruka becomes a target of various yakuza gangs, Kazuma takes it upon himself to protect the child. He’s not entirely successful in this regard, however. At different points throughout the course of the Yakuza series, Haruka is slapped, shot at, and hit by a car! She’s also kidnapped on multiple occasions and repeatedly bound and gagged. Her association with Kazuma also has negative repercussions on her social life and career. Nevertheless, she absolutely adores Kazuma and gladly welcomes him as a father figure. She even gives up a career as an idol singer because she doesn’t want to be separated from him. The reason why Kazuma and Haruka are ranked so highly on this list is because we see their relationship develop over the course of many years. Haruka is only nine years-old when they first meet, but in Yakuza 6 she’s nineteen with a child of her own. The fact that she managed to survive at all shows that Kazuma must have done something right.