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While not all dads in anime are the greatest just as can unfortunately be the case in real life sometimes, there are plenty of dads in either the real and animated worlds who are absolute gems; Be they step-dads, adoptive dads, or grandparents, there are also those who are willing to step up to fill a fatherly role to those who need it most. Regardless of any actual biological connection, there’s one thing that all these dad’s have that no Kamehameha nor punch from Saitama can destroy: their absolute, unwavering love for their child(ren).
1) Loid Forger from Spy x Family
As the neighboring countries Ostania and Westalis quietly plot against each other, spy Twilight takes on the alias of psychiatrist Loid Forger in the Ostanian city of Berlint to conduct intel. His target: the politician Donovan Desmond. The problem is Donovan only rarely appears at his son’s school, Eden Academy. In order to get closer to his target, Loid enlists Yor Briar, an unmarried city hall clerk, and Anya, his newly adopted daughter, who he enrolls at Eden Academy, to act as a normal, happy family. Unbeknownst to the spy, Loid’s new family hides their own secrets — Yor is actually an assassin known as “Thorn Princess” and Anya is a telepath secretly able to read others’ minds.
Although Loid starts a family as a farce to further his mission, there’s no doubt that his love for his faux family grows to be true, especially when it comes to the care and nurture of his adoptive daughter, Anya. Parenthood may be a learning experience to the otherwise very experienced spy, but, like his professional work, he never fails to get the job done. Anya, being pretty precocious with her own set of abilities, may be a bit more to handle than a typical kid, but Loid nonetheless dotes upon the daughter he’s grown to love to the utmost as one of anime’s best and most lovable dads.
Spy x Family can be streamed on Hulu and Crunchyroll where available.
2) Rei and Kazuki from Buddy Daddies
As four-year-old Miri Unasaka searches for her father alone in Tokyo, she ends up at a large hotel following a man with a tasty-looking cake. Unfortunately, this lands her right in the midst of a Christmas Eve mafia boss assassination scheme by skilled assassins Kazuki Kurusu and Rei Suwa. Fortunately for Miri, Kazuki and Rei take it upon themselves to take her in and try to return Miri to her mother. Although the cold-hearted assassins mutually live together and try to avoid any emotional connections with anyone, they eventually find their hearts melting as they dote upon the little girl as stand-in father figures, even Miri taking to calling each of them “Papa”.
What’s better than one assassin parent? Two assassin parents! Although their jobs may be difficult, Kazuki and Rei find the one thing that rivals the challenges of their work: the challenges of being parents. It takes Rei a bit longer than Kazuki to warm up to Miri, but when he does, he takes to doting upon her just as much. Though the two struggle at first to try to create a normal childhood for their little girl amidst being assassins, they eventually find their footing and become a great dad team.
Buddy Daddies can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
3) Maes Hughes from Fullmetal Alchemist
The Elric brothers, in their endeavor to bring their mother back from the dead, ignored the ban on human transmutation and ended up paying a hefty price. While trespassing the taboo cost Edward an arm and a leg, Alphonse lost his entire body. With their bio-mechanical engineer neighbor and friend Winry able to fit Edward with advanced automail prosthetic limbs, Alphonse had his soul bound to an entire suit of armor in Edward’s attempt to save him. Determined to restore their bodies, they set out to find the Philosopher’s Stone, an item said to allow an alchemist to defy the traditional laws of Equivalent Exchange, and become caught in the middle of a conspiracy along the way.
When Edward becomes a State Alchemist for the military, working alongside him as an officer is one Maes Hughes. Reminding me of my own father, Maes Hughes is such a jovial, devoted family man, bragging about and offering to show photos of his beloved wife and child could practically be considered a sort of hobby of his. Hughes is a man who both shows an overwhelming love for his family as a father and a certain amicability and perseverance for his fellow man in a difficult line of work.
While the original Fullmetal Alchemist series isn’t widely available, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood can be streamed on Netflix, Crunchyroll, or Hulu where available.
4) Kun’s Father from Mirai
In their quaint, modern home in the city, Kun Oota has gotten used to being doted upon as the only child of his family consisting of him, his mother, his father, and the family dog, Yukko. When his parents bring home his new baby sister Mirai, four-year-old Kun finds difficulty in adjusting to this new way of life living with a new member of the family. With Mirai now the center of his parents’ attention, Kun lashes out with tantrums in order to try to be heard, his nagging landing on his parents’ seemingly deaf ears. But as Kun experiences a myriad of adventures meeting his family’s past, present, and future selves, he comes to realize what it means to be a big brother and be part of a family.
As Kun’s mother works outside the home as the main breadwinner, Kun’s father, an architect, is a domestic dad. As my own father has experienced in the past and as my brother-in-law is currently experiencing, though some may assume being a stay-at-home parent would be a walk in the park, it’s anything but (…except when they literally take their kids to the park). In fact, being a stay-at-home parent may as well be a full-time job in itself. But even with a lot of work being put in to the home and family, it definitely seems to be worth every ounce of effort. And whether it’s Kun’s father or my brother-in-law, they certainly give it their all.
5) Ryouji “Ranka” Fujioka from Ouran High School Host Club
After accidentally wandering into the wrong place at the wrong time, Haruhi Fujioka ends up being slapped with a debt to the school’s Host Club and must pay it back by becoming a host. The problem? She’s a girl. But that doesn’t stop her from disguising herself as a boy in order to pay off her debt. With the boys assisting in keeping her secret, she becomes close friends with them and ends up truly enjoying her time at the Host Club.
You may be wondering why there’s a mom featured on a list of dads… Well, the answer is “how dare you, Ryouji ‘Ranka’ Fujioka is a great dad-mom to Haruhi”. You see, when Haruhi’s mother passed away, a certain void was left in their home. So, since her father already knew what it’s like to parent Haruhi, who better to step up to fill both parental roles? Ranka is a hardworking parent who doesn’t shy away from being genuine and always prioritizes Haruhi’s happiness and well-being — an absolute gem of a parent, whatever the preferred gender.
Ouran High School Host Club can be streamed on Hulu and Netflix.
