Fathers are a whole different breed of humans when it comes to celebrating their parenthood compared to moms on Mother’s Day. Dads can generically go one of two ways: they can be the macho, silent type, or they are the “cool” parent who tries to make puns and be as social as Pokémon GO players—I have spoken to too many random parents playing Pokémon GO. CGMagazine celebrates all kinds of dads this Father’s Day, as some can express themselves physically while others can express themselves artistically.
This exquisite list will detail many shows with fathers who stood out for their unique traits—from being strong for their family or being the best dad they can be for the benefit of the family. Some of these anime dads are not necessarily biological fathers either but fill that role in a wholesome way for the kids in their respective shows. These are also not fathers who are in traditional anime like Dragon Ball Z or Naruto—this Father’s Day will be a little spicier.
Here are our Top 5 anime dads for Father’s Day:
5. Joseph Joestar/Jotaro Kujo
Joseph Joestar has always been a goofy character in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure—best line: “OH MY GAWWD!!!” However, he always comes in clutch to stop Dio Brando or other evil forces from hurting his family. He is the second most recurring JoJo in the series after his grandson, Jotaro Kujo, and is also an awesome family man. Jotaro does not shy away from being a father figure to his younger relative, Josuke Higashikata, and moves heaven and earth to save his daughter, Jolyne Cujoh, earning him a spot as one of the best anime dads.
4. Loid Forger
Many fans worldwide have adored Spy x Family for the story’s peculiar family dynamic. While extraordinary circumstances bonded the Forger family, Loid has proven over and over how much he cares for his assassin wife, Yor and his adopted daughter, Anya. He loves his family so much that he would rescue them and defend them instead of his own personal gain for the mission. Audiences have already seen the ridiculous extent that Loid would go to treat his daughter, making him a great anime dad this Father’s Day.
3. King Bosse
King Bosse was a prominent character in Ranking of Kings since he was known as the strongest king in all the lands. He was also the father of two sons from two different marriages, loving each one uniquely. King Bosse makes this anime dads Father’s Day list because he portrayed the full sacrificial dad who would essentially sell his soul to a devil to be strong enough to protect his family.
2. Jouichirou Yukihira
Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma was one of the most popular cooking anime shows for its borderline explicit reactions to judges and characters tasting food. While both the manga and anime redefined the cooking genre, it told a great story of a father’s generation of cooking versus his son’s generation. Jouichirou was a great anime dad who allowed his son’s cooking abilities to flourish when he pushed him to try going to his alma mater’s cooking school.
1. All Might (Toshinori Yagi)/Eraser Head (Shota Aizawa)
Of course, My Hero Academia had a lot of father figures, but All Might and Eraser Head stood out as the most influential amongst the rest. All Might can easily be a father figure as his super strength and duty to save everyone is a heroic trait many could admire. Eraser Head is more complex since he was quieter and always sleeping everywhere; however, his teaching skills were outmatched as he always pushed his students to go “Plus Ultra” but still maintained the safety of their lives when things went awry. Even though they aren’t traditional fathers, they are still great anime dads
BONUS: Byakuya Ishigami and “Red-Haired” Shanks
Byakuya Ishigami from Dr. Stone made this anime dads Father’s Day list because of his unwavering trust in his son, Senku. He knew he would never see his son again but was able to set him up on a great path when Senku awakened from being frozen in stone. Before the worldwide cataclysmic event, he never limited his son’s education and even sold his car to buy Senku lab equipment.
Then of course, Shanks from One Piece will be debuting his fatherhood sensibilities for the first time ever in the upcoming film, One Piece: Red. Shanks has always been a trusted mentor and father figure for Luffy—he literally sacrificed an arm to save Luffy.
That is all the great anime dads this year, and I cannot wait to see some more interesting father figures in the future. Let us know which anime dads you think should be on this Father’s Day list and why you adore them. All of these shows should be available to stream on Crunchyroll or other streaming sites based on your region.
