Fathers, dads, and papas are always there to provide care and mentorship to their children towards adulthood. Even in video games, they help shape and form many memorable characters we all love today. However, there are also those who provide the opposite of caring and mentoring, for some reason, forsaking their role as paternal figures and becoming their children’s worst villains.
These figures are such parental failures that they not only fail to achieve the bare minimum of being a father, but go beyond it. Some display violence against their children and even teach them to become violent as well. Others use their children and manipulate them for their own benefits, or just straight up abandon them without a parental figure in their lives. These people may be fictional and over the top, but sometimes they are essential obstacles for our main characters to overcome and grow as a person.
With that said, let's take a look at gaming’s most toxic father figures!
Kratos (God of War Series)
Indeed, Kratos is now making small steps to become a better father, raising his son, Atreus. However, long before the events of God of War 2018, he destroys everything in his path, including his family. Due to his untamable rage and Ares’ trickery, he killed his own wife and child without knowing. This is what mainly pushes Kratos to be the ever-angry god we all know today.
The epiphany of killing his own family caused his rampage over the entire Greek god pantheon. Now, he is pursuing becoming a better father and man overall. Despite that, his silence is evidence of all the guilt coming from the atrocities he once committed.
Heihachi Mishima (Tekken Series)
The Mishima family story is so tragic that it could also be included in a worst family in gaming history list. The cycle of trauma and violence in this family never ends. The forerunner of this violence is Heihachi Mishima, with his horrible hobby of throwing his young relatives from high altitudes.
Heihachi tossed his own son, Kazuya, off a cliff to toughen him up when he was merely 5 years old. Kazuya survived and eventually returned the favor by throwing his father as well upon his defeat. It didn’t even stop on Kazuya, as Heihachi's grandson, Jin, also got to experience the tradition, but from a flying helicopter. Heihachi has this deranged concept of raising children that they have to overcome death itself to secure their spot in the Iron Fist Tournament and in society.
Zachary Comstock (BioShock Infinite)
BioShock Infinite is full of twists and turns, and it uniquely tackles bad parenthood. You play as Booker DeWitt, who has a grim secret of paying off his gambling debt with his own newborn daughter, Elizabeth. The one who took her, Zachary Comstock, manipulated her to use her powers for his own benefit.
It's terrible enough that her own father has forsaken her, and the supposedly new paternal figure just used her. However, it gets worse as it was revealed that DeWitt and Comstock are the same person from different realities. Nothing proves that someone is a horrific father more than having two versions of himself fail in the same role.
Bowser (Super Mario Series)
Even with the intention of the games being cute and family-friendly, Bowser’s way of raising his child is no way to form a family. Bowser's character as a villain is evident, but the fact that he's also a bad father is often overlooked. First off, he named his son Bowser Jr., a name that he obviously knows symbolizes evil in the games’ universe. Then, while still young, he included him in his shady plans to defeat Mario.
Although the father and son duo is adorable, his son could’ve done better with good parental guidance. Due to the lack of proper mentorship, he even grew to hate Mario for no real reason. Bowser Jr. might not be raised from physical abuse and trauma, but his obedience may see him end up in lots of trouble as he’s always up to no good with his father.
Vergil (Devil May Cry Series)
Vergil is popular among fans, but they agree on one thing: he is an awful dad. To summarize, he abandoned his own son, Nero, for the pursuit of power. When Vergil was weakening, he searched for Nero just to cut his arm off and get his power back. Vergil eventually became the main villain of Devil May Cry 5 with Nero as the lead protagonist.
With that setup, Nero versus Vergil is inevitable, as is the fight between Dante and Vergil. However, upon the mention of Nero being his son during his fight against Dante, Vergil clearly stated that "my son means nothing to me." Nero finally settled the sibling rivalry by defeating his father; however, Vergil once again left with Dante. Nero might have gotten his arm back, but he gets to live with the fact that his father abandoned, dismembered, and attempted to kill him.
Conclusion
Bad fathers are an unlikable trope in real life and even in video games. Unlike real life, though, they are essential in some circumstances for our protagonists to develop as the heroes of the story. A tragic upbringing can be an effective motivation for the good guys to persevere and be better than their evil parents. Conclusively, portraying these characters is essential for real fathers to know what not to do to become great role models for their children.
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