Father Knows Best

Ken Hayabusa is the father of the heroic ninja Ryu and one of the last of the Dragon Clan bloodline. After losing a duel to an ominous masked warrior, Ken passed down his family’s legendary Dragon Sword to his son. Although Ken was presumed dead, he was later revealed to be alive and under the control of a powerful demon named Jacquio. With Ryu’s help, Ken was able to regain his composure and break free from Jacquio’s spell. Sadly, the reunion between Ken and Ryu did not last long. When an enraged Jacquio fired an energy bolt in Ryu’s direction, Ken bravely stepped in front of the blast in order to protect his son. Ryu was able to defeat Jacquio in an ensuing battle, but Ken’s injuries proved too severe to overcome. With his dying words, Ken selflessly ordered Ryu to escape without him while he still could.

When gamers were introduced to Donkey Kong’s son way back in 1982, the brave gorilla was setting out to rescue his infamous father from the clutches of the evil Mario. (That’s right. Mario was the villain in Donkey Kong Jr.) For Junior to risk his own life to save his father suggests that the pair were extremely close. Indeed, this proved to be the case. The pair worked together against Mario in Donkey Kong ’94 and took some time to relax in Mario Tennis. Their relationship isn’t only based on fighting Mario, however. In Donkey Kong Jr. Math, for example, Donkey Kong devised an elaborate game to help his son learn basic math operations. In an era where most parents didn’t even bother checking to make sure their kids were doing their homework, Donkey Kong went out of his way to make sure his son had a leg up on his peers.

A man’s life changes drastically after they have children, and no one on this list illustrates this point better than Pac-Man. In the oft-forgotten Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures, the video game icon kept himself busy with a number of errands – such as getting milk for his baby or finding his son’s guitar. These activities weren’t quite as boring as they sounded, however, and Pac-Man had to ride in a mine cart and take to the skies in a hang glider to complete his missions. Still, Pac-Man went from being chased around in mazes and eating ghosts, to buying groceries for his family. That’s a radical transition if ever there was one, and Pac-Man should be commended for being a provider for his children. Pac-Man’s animated series from the 1980s also focused on his day-to-day activities as a father.

Flint is one of the stars of Mother 3 and the father of twin boys, Claus and Lucas. He’s a rugged farmer who works hard to support his family, but he’s also reckless at times. After his wife loses her life defending their children from a dinosaur, Flint lashes out in anger and gets himself arrested as a result. As if dealing with the loss of his wife wasn’t hard enough, Flint also struggles with the loss of a son when Claus disappears to avenge his mother. Flint never gives up on Claus, however, and spends years searching for him. Upon learning that Claus had been brainwashed, Flint tried to bring him to his senses and even risked his own life to prevent him from killing Lucas. Flint suffers many setbacks and is put through an emotional roller coaster, but, through it all, he never loses faith in his children.

Dr. Light isn’t a father in the traditional sense of the word, and Mega Man isn’t technically his son. Dr. Light acts as Mega Man’s father figure, however, so he certainly deserves to be placed on this list. Not only did Dr. Light give Mega Man life by creating him, but he continued to nurture him as he grew older. Mega Man was originally intended to be a lab assistant, but was also programmed with the ability to learn. As Mega Man learns new skills, Dr. Light is there to help him understand how to use them. Dr. Light is constantly making new items for Mega Man, and also makes sure that he has a lot of company. For example, Dr. Light makes a robot dog, a robot bird, and a robot cat to help Mega Man. Perhaps most importantly of all, Dr. Light instilled Mega Man with good morals and a strong sense of justice.

John Marston was orphaned as a child and lived most of his life without parental guidance. After joining a gang at the age of 17, he was left to die by his companions during a bank robbery. This forced John to re-evaluate things and abandon the life of crime. While living peacefully on a ranch with his family, John took his parental duties seriously. He taught his son to hunt and herd cattle, and he even protected him from a grizzly bear attack at one point. John wanted to forget the past, but was commissioned by federal agents to apprehend his former outlaw friends. To ensure John’s compliance, the agents abducted his family and held them hostage. John met his obligations to ensure his family’s release, but the agents then double-crossed him and raided his ranch. Realizing that it was the only way to save his family, John chose to lay down his life.

Doctor Eli Vance is a brilliant physicist, researcher, and the leader of the human resistance movement. As the first human being to make peaceful contact with the Vortigaunt species, Eli was able to convince the alien race to join humanity in their battle against the invading forces of the Universal Union. Eli makes the safety of the entire human race his personal responsibility, but still finds time to be a loving father to his daughter, Alyx. Due to the tragic death of his wife, Eli raised Alyx alone for most of her life. He wants nothing more than for his daughter to be happy, and he even goes so far as to suggest Alyx and the heroic Gordon Freeman should “do their part” to ensure the survival of their species. Not only does Eli always manage to find time for his daughter, but he even looks forward to having grandchildren one day.

After his beloved wife was kidnapped, Pankraz was left to raise his son by himself. He carries around a lot of grief, but this doesn’t stop him from being a loving father. Pankraz is a great role model for his son and instills strong values in him. He brings his son around with him everywhere he goes, and always keeps a close watch over him. On more than one occasion, Pankraz demonstrates his strength and bravery by stepping in to assist his son in battle. Sadly, Pankraz is killed while valiantly defending his son after being ambushed by monsters. Pankraz was powerful enough to defeat these monsters, but he voluntarily laid down his weapon and surrendered his life when the monsters threatened to kill his son. Pankraz made the ultimate sacrifice to protect his son, and you simply can’t ask much more of a father.

Octodad is a loving husband, a caring father, and a secret octopus masquerading as a human. Octodad goes through greats lengths to keep his cephalopodan nature hidden from his human family. Common tasks like washing dishes or mopping floors might sound mundane, but Octodad’s unwieldy body makes these everyday activities excessively difficult. This doesn’t deter him from doing housework, however, which is quite commendable in its own right. Octodad faces increasing suspicions from his wife, and he is constantly being hounded by a maniacal sushi chef who wants to cook him. Through it all, Octodad somehow manages to keep his composure. He has multiple limbs and he looks ridiculous in a suit, but few fathers would be willing to do so much to keep their family together.

A burly pro wrestler beating up a wheelchair-bound man and dropkicking him out of a window might sound like an atrocious hate crime at first, but in Mike Haggar’s case, it was an incredible act of bravery. The proceeding sentence makes more sense if you know that the wheelchair-bound man in question was a millionaire crime lord who was responsible for the kidnapping of Haggar’s daughter, Jessica. Haggar faced opposition from an entire gang of street thugs, but he used his ample fighting experience to kick all of their asses for the sake of his daughter. As the Mayor of Metro City, Haggar could have simply alerted the proper authorities, but he instead decided to risk his own life to guarantee Jessica’s safe return. Haggar is completely selfless in how he puts the welfare of his daughter above his own well-being.