16 Anime Dads So Great You Wish They Were Your Father

Between chronically dead mothers and father’s who are either absent for no given reason or “work overseas,” I’m beginning to think that a lot of anime creators might have parental issues. That’s (probably?) not true, though. An absent father or a dead mother is just easy back story for a character, or at best, a way to explain why they aren’t including that character who contributes nothing to the plot.

However, not all anime fathers are absent. There are actually some pretty solid ones out there that go above and beyond to shape their crotch goblin into a future upstanding adult or world-saving hero.

Want something less wholesome? Check out these 8 times anime parent beat the crap out of their children instead.

Best Anime Dads

Goku from Dragonball Z

Goku is one of those dads that is both good and terrible at the same time. On one hand, he’s fun, super good-natured, and pretty supportive to his kids. When he is there. That leads us to the other hand, in which he is missing from the majority of Gohan and Goten’s childhood.

But it is all for the sake of the universe, right?

Sometimes you have to make those sacrifices, and his kids turned out okay anyway. I mean he did leave Gohan with a strange, mean alien to train for a year, made him fight a super-powered android, and generally drags him into his battles, but its fine. …Right? It’s actually surprising that Gohan turned out to be a pretty good father himself. If not to Pan, then to Goten who Goku was around even less.

Naruto from Boruto

Much of the contention in Boruto is because the titular main character feels like his father doesn’t have time for him. That may be true, as being a Hokage is probably hard work. The interesting thing is that much of the audience probably feels differently because they knew Naruto grew up with no parents at all. So to watching him doing his best and having his son reject him is a bit heart-breaking.

Isshin Kurosaki from Bleach

Isshin Kurosaki is the kind of father that takes a really big interest in what his kids are doing at home, but other than that, doesn’t seem to keep tabs on them. I mean, what was he doing when Ichigo was in Soul Society or Hueco Mundo? Just hanging out with his daughters, being like “have you seen your brother lately? I feel like it has been weeks.” Regardless, his cheerful attitude, dedication to his wife, and general comedic relief is what makes him such a likeable father. Even if he does keep a few crucial secrets from his kids, he is still a pretty quality dad – to his daughters, at least.

Sojiro Izumi from Lucky Star

His motives towards his daughter’s friends may be questionable, but his love for his daughter isn’t. Sojiro Izumi is that kind of dad we all want to have – Laid-back, easy to talk to, and a fan of video games and anime. Even if he does have a bit of a rubber neck, he has raised his daughter Konata from birth after the death of her mother. That is something that is not easy to do, and many dads have given it a pass. Looking at you, Tomoya from Clannad.

He did his duty as a father, and as long as he doesn’t act on those lolicon impulses, it isn’t a problem.

Kotetsu Kaburagi from Tiger and Bunny

Kotetsu is one of those rare anime fathers whose character isn’t completely defined by being a father. He is a great standalone character in Tiger and Bunny, but the show perfectly walks the fine line of keeping him independent, yet focusing on his relationship with his daughter, Kaede. What is most interesting is that his daughter isn’t even particularly fond of him at first, but after he risks his life to save hers, she comes around. As one does.

He does his best, and we love him for it.

Shiro Fujimoto from Blue Exorcist

Although only an adoptive father, Fujimoto was one of the best. He was able to put up with the bratty Rin and his brother almost to the end in order to protect them from their real father. Along the way, he was able to somewhat quell Rin’s innate anger and allowed him to live as a relatively normal human even if it would have been easier to share his origins in order to try and get him to act differently.

Even though he’s a priest, he maintains a comical weakness for big breasted women that often lightens the mood in the otherwise depressing church. Even in the end, Shiro sacrificed himself for his adopted kids, and that’s really all one can ask from a father in anime.

Orsi Orfai from Black Clover

In a very same vein as Fujimoto above, Orfai is also a priest who runs and orphanage that takes care of the main character and his friend / rival. He treats them very much like his own sons, and shows incredibly kindness to every child there. You know how good of a father he was by how adamant Aska and Yuno are that they send their pay back there after they become Magic Knights.

Maes Hughes from Full Metal Alchemist

Ah, Hughes. He is easily one of the most famous anime fathers out there, but is he really a good one? Of course he was. He was dedicated, doting, and as cheerful as a major comic relief character can be. Unfortunately, as dedicated as he was to his family, he was also dedicated to his friends. That may be a good quality for a person, but probably a bad quality for a father. After a certain point, a father has to put his family before friends, especially if he finds himself in a dangerous line of work.

Kouhei Inuzuka from Sweetness and Lightning

Inuzuka is a single father as well as a teacher, and he is struggling to raise an active toddler. The entire series is about him learning to cook in order to better provide nutrition for his daughter and for them to spend more time together. The interesting thing is you watch him very realistically lose his temper a few times, but you also see how he recovers from that without his child hating him for life.

Bols from Akame ga Kill

It’s not often I get to include villains on my more wholesome lists, but here we are. Bols, for as huge of a body count as he has, is actually is a surprisingly good father. There are moments that show him as the soft, dedicated family man that he probably really is on the inside. Those moments are there to humanize him in contrast to the terrible things he does, but I like to think that he kept his family separate from his work self successfully.

Ryoji “Ranka” Fujioka from Ouran High School Host Club

Although his daughter is hard-working and independent, Ranka keeps the lights on and the spirits up. While Ranka’s cross dressing is portrayed as just one of his many comic relief quirks, it makes him both a mother and a father to his daughter. He is strong and protective, yet tender and supportive. In his way, Ranka is like the perfect parent.

Byakuya Ishigami from Dr. Stone

Byakuya isn’t actually Senku’s biological father, which makes potentially romancing his descendants less creepy, but the dedication he shows his son more endearing. He believes in his son more than anything. he sells his car to buy Senku lab equipment as a small child because he believes so fervently that his son will be successful. It is always actions rather than words that show love best.

Soichiro Yagami from Death Note

Sometimes you just need a father that believes in you, even when you are a horrible serial killer. In that scenario, you would definitely want Soichiro Yagami as your father. Throughout Death Note, even when it is blatantly obvious, Soichiro maintains that his son Light is innocent and is not the serial killer, Kira. Of course, while he has the utmost faith in his son, he is, for some reason, conflicted when it comes to saving his daughter from the mafia. He makes the right decision in the end, but there seems to be some bias there.

Daikichi Kawachi from Usagi Drop

When it comes to being a good father, sometimes blood doesn’t matter. You can be their adoptive father, birth father, or, in Usagi Drop’s case, a nephew. After his grandfather’s death, not only did Daikichi take in his illegitimate 6-year-old aunt, but he did a great job of raising her. There were hiccups at first, but ultimately he stepped up to the sacrifices of being a father. He stopped smoking, he stopped going out for after work drinks, and he even asked for a demotion so he could make it home at a decent time.

Let’s just pretend that all the weirdness that happens later in the manga doesn’t happen though.

Thors from Vinland Saga

Thors stands at the pinnacle of anime fathers, really. He was literally known as the strongest warrior in the world. He could have left the world awash in blood while collecting his gold and glory. What does he do? Gives it all up, moves to some frozen island, and raises his family. Even at the end, all he wanted was for his son to be happy.

Akio Furukawa from Clannad

Akio is a man willing to toss his dreams aside for his daughter, and is perfectly fine with it. He knows how to be both a parent, guiding his daughter, and often his daughter’s friends, but he also knows when a little levity is needed. Interestingly enough, and ongoing bit about pretending to like his wife’s bad bread is all done to make his daughter laugh. It was a nice touch to explain it that way rather than just leave it as typical anime comedy.

Do you have more great dads from anime? Let fans know in the comments section below.