Parental Abandonment/Video Games: Difference between revisions

** This makes the first game sorta headscratchy, as Sora spends the whole game trying to find Riku and Kairi, yet doesn't even mention his family ONCE (though then again, the very beginning of the game has them planning to go off on a raft, so I guess he didn't think much of his family to begin with).

** This sort of thing hits ''Birth by Sleep'' even harder. None of the PCs mention any relatives - Master Eraqus seems to be the only father figure Terra has, and Ven was basically adopted by Eraqus, Terra and Aqua after losing his memory. {{spoiler|After Xehanort murders Eraqus and tries to do the same to Aqua and Ven, Terra demands "Was my teacher - no, my father not enough for you?!", suggesting he really doesn't have any other parental figures.}}

** Lloyd: Mother killed, adopted by a dwarf. {{spoiler|Finds out later that his father [[Mercy Kill|killed his mother to save him]], is still alive, and [[Oedipus Complex|is the right-hand man of the Big Bad.]]}}

** Colette: spends {{spoiler|the first third of}} the game under the belief that her loving father and grandmother are merely a foster family and that her true father is an angel -- {{spoiler|and said angel is something of an uncaring prick towards her. Subverted once we learn that the angel was lying (or as he claims, the characters just misinterpreted him using "daughter" as a priest would) -- and her foster family is really her family.}}.

** {{spoiler|Subverted with}} Emil: Both parents were killed during the Palmacosta Blood Purge. However we later learn that {{spoiler|they weren't even his parents, nor is he the real Emil Castagnier.}}

** Marta: {{spoiler|Mother killed when the giant tree went berserk and destroyed Palmacosta, Father went [[Brainwashed and Crazy]] and started the Vanguard.}}

** While we're on the subject, we also have your half-brother {{spoiler|Sarevok and your half-sister, Imoen.}} And there are companions such as Valygar Corthala, who [[Self-Made Orphan|killed his own parents]] [[What Happened to Mommy|when they turned into ghouls.]] And Viconia deVir, whose mother was killed by her brother for trying to kill her. And Aerie, who was kidnapped from her home by slavers and raised by a gnomish carny. And Anomen Delryn, whose mother is dead and whose father is [["Well Done, Son" Guy|abusive]] and drunk. And Nalia de'Arnise, whose mother is long dead and whose father is killed by trolls during the course of the game. And Lord Keldorn Firecam doesn't spend enough time at home with ''his'' kids. And Cernd doesn't even know that he ''has'' a kid.

* Similarly, in ''[[Neverwinter Nights 2]]'', the closest thing you have to living relatives are your foster father and his brother. You never learn anything about your real parents.

** Also Neeshka, who says she doesn't really remember/know her parents and was taken in by Priests.

* ''All'' of the ''[[Final Fantasy]]'' games are like this. You could probably count the number of characters in the whole series that actually ''have'' one parent on one hand, and ''forget'' finding a named character with both a mother and a father.

** ''[[Final Fantasy II (Video Game)|Final Fantasy II]]'': Maria and Leon's birth parents, who are also Firion and Guy's adoptive parents, get slaughtered by Imperial troops right at the start of the game. As for Guy and Firion--Guy was abandoned by his ''actual'' parents at birth and raised by wild animals (specifically a beast named Mauza) until Maria and Leon's family took him in. They also took in Firion, who had been orphaned in the city of Salamand. Moreover, Josef and Ricard are fathers, {{spoiler|and they both die during the course of the game, leaving Ricard's son without a father and Josef's daughter without either parent.}}

*** Also inverted, since Anna dies before her father, Tellah, {{spoiler|albeit not by very long.}}

*** You forgot the two optional characters (Yuffie is understandable). Vincent's dad was killed in a materia experiment performed by the woman he loves. Yuffie hates her father (who was a disgraced warrior after Wutai lost a war with Shinra) and left to find a way to restore honor to her village (somehow this involves thievery).

*** And then we have [[Big Bad|Sephiroth]], who was told that his mother, Jenova, died during childbirth. In truth, {{spoiler|he was taken away from his biological mother shortly after he was born. She then tried to commit suicide, but failed, and then sealed herself away in a crystal to atone for her misdeeds. His real father, [[Mad Scientist|Hojo]], neglected to ever mention that he was his father.}}

*** Denzel from ''[[Advent Children]]'' had his parents killed when the Sector 7 Plate collapsed.

*** Zack is an inversion: ''he'' abandoned his parents in order to join SOLDIER, without their knowledge. They still have no clue as to what the hell happened to their son (as we assume that Cloud and company never bothered to fill them in).

*** Their surrogate mother-figure, {{spoiler|Edea}}, abandoned them when they were still very young {{spoiler|because she became possessed by an evil sorceress from the future}}. Their surrogate father figure, Cid, had all of them trained to be elite mercenaries, {{spoiler|and allowed (if not actually arranged) for their memories of Edea to be wiped, in order to later send them to assassinate her}}.

*** Although Quistis, Zell, Selphie, and Irvine were all adopted, only Zell still appears to have a loving relationship with his adopted mother; Selphie and Irvine's adopted parents are never mentioned, and Quistis' adoption "didn't work out," causing her to be sent to Garden by the age of ten. Seifer was never adopted at all.

*** And Squall takes the prize for [[Parental Abandonment]] issues: on top of the abovementioned abandonment by his surrogate mother and father, he ''also'' got abandoned by his ''other'' surrogate mother/big-sister figure at the age of about four, and between one and the other is left with crippling emotional issues that he struggles with throughout the game. On top of ''that,'' he eventually learns that his mother died in childbirth and his father {{spoiler|is the president of a prosperous nation and had no idea he ever had a son}}.

**** Even when they do meet, Squall's father only awkwardly hints that they have some things to talk about, and Squall doesn't indicate openly whether he's aware of the connection or not.

*** Tidus' father went missing when he didn't return from swimming practice in the sea, and his mother died when he was eight and it left him to [[Parental Substitute|Auron to be taken care of]].

*** Yuna's father is a legendary hero because he sacrificed himself to defeat Sin ten years ago. Her mother's own demise was the inspiration for her father's act of heroism.

*** Rikku's mother was killed when malfuctioning machina went on a rampage.

*** Seymour {{spoiler|gradually turned bad because when he was a child, his mother died to become an Aeon. And then he later killed his own father}}.

*** Snow is an {{spoiler|orphan, everyone in NORA is.}}.

*** Sazh is a single father and cares for his son Dajh alone.

*** That's actually a fair point to make, considering {{spoiler|Orphan's genocidal plot is only formed because the fal'Cie wish to call back the Maker, the creator deity which allegedly abandoned the world and all his creations millions of years ago.}}

* [[Nippon Ichi]] loves to use this trope.

*** Flonne's parents are met in [[No Export for You|the Japan only]] [[Disgaea Novels|novels.]]

** In ''[[Phantom Brave]]'', both of Marona's parents die in the opening cutscene. Ash's parents are never mentioned. Walnut {{spoiler|was adopted and then later left his adoptive parents so that he wouldn't burden them and his sister, Castille.}}

*** In the [[Updated Rerelease]], you have Carona, {{spoiler|a Marona from an [[Alternate Universe]] who loses her parents ''and'' Ash.}}

** In ''[[Makai Kingdom]]'', we see Alex's family during the credits, but they're never mentioned nor do they appear in the game. Pram took her Netherworld from her father at the age of two (Making this a case of the ''child'' abandoning the ''parent'') and depending on how you interpret King Drake's accusation of her taking his Netherworld, he may be her father. Other than that, none of the Overlords have visible parents.

*** In the manga version of Disgaea 2, {{spoiler|we are treated to a flashback of Rozalin's mother... and her fate alongside the rest of the clan.}} Rozalin's mother is actually seen in the official art book. Also in the manga {{spoiler|Adell's parents [[Heroic Sacrifice|sacrifice]] their lives so that he can reach Zenon before he escapes with Rozalin. Finally, Zenon is killed by Rozalin, but despite being a fake, Rozalin still sees him as her father.}}

*** According to the [[Updated Rerelease]]'s Axel Mode, it's very common for a demons to abandon their children. {{spoiler|Axel himself and the rest of his siblings are all revealed to be orphans and their mother actually adopted them.}}

** Danette's parents in ''[[Soul Nomad and The World Eaters]]'' were killed by Thurists. Gig has no parents, being a god, and Revya has no parents. In his/her ''past'' life, {{spoiler|his/her mother died 200 years and his/her father, Lord Median, is currently a zombie.}} {{spoiler|Tricia}}, Levin, and Euphoria were also orphaned at a young age. {{spoiler|It should be noted that Trish was eventually adopted for the purpose of being raped at the age of 17 (Whether or not this happens depends on which path you chose) and Levin and Euphoria were being used by the World Eater Raksha so that he could put his [[Evil Plan]] into action as his body couldn't move.}}

*** In Sapphire's case, I think it's only her mother who is dead.

* It's easier to list which [[Nintendo]] characters actually ''have'' parents or explain the lack of them.

** [[Metroid|Samus Aran]] had parents that were murdered by Space Pirates when she was very young, and she was adopted by the Chozo. And it's strongly implied that the Chozo are now all extinct. This would make Samus an orphan ''twice over!''

** ''[[Fire Emblem]]'': Ike's {{spoiler|mother was killed by his father after he touched his wife's magical pendant that made him go berserk, and his father was killed by one of his former students in a duel in front of Ike.}} Then there's Soren, {{spoiler|whose father abandoned him because he couldn't turn into a dragon [[Half-Human Hybrid|like his mother]], and who befriended Ike and ultimately killed his father and later his grandfather (mother's side) as a result...}}

* ''[[Devil May Cry]]''. Dante and Vergil's father, the uber-Devil Sparda who [[Defector From Decadence|awoke to justice]], has been missing since their early childhood and both are bitter about it. It's never explicitly stated what happened, but it is suggested that he was either killed or captured by the demons. Their mother Eva was killed some time later in a demonic attack on their house. Lady's mother was {{spoiler|killed by her father as part of a sacrifice, and later pays him back in turn.}}

** Nero was not only abandoned in Fortuna at an early age by his biological parents (who are dead now, kthx), his ''adoptive'' parents end up dying from a demonic attack in ''his'' early childhood. No protagonist is safe from this trope.

*** Even better, Capcom has revealed that {{spoiler|his father is Vergil, who we all know what happened to. Considering the third game's events, Nero was no doubt literally abandoned by his father.}}

* From the makers of ''[[Ace Attorney]]'' we then get [[Ghost Trick]] wich goes all out in taking away poor Camila's parents in the cruelest ways imaginable. {{spoiler|However, thanks to the timeline-altering efforts of the two most loyal pets ever she ends up living happily ever after with both of them alive. Fans of [[Ace Attorney]] collectively cried tears of joy upon witnessing this unexpected outcome.}}

** Considering how in ''Wind Waker'' Link's grandmother reacted to his quest to save Aryll (becoming ill with grief and anxiety), it's not too hard to imagine why he's an orphan in a lot of these games. It avoids the [[Fridge Horror]] element of asking what kind of parent would allow their young son to go off and experience all of that.

** There's more to that. The military made sure that his parents won't search for him by creating a flash clone. While flash cloning works perfectly for stuff like replacement organs, cloning an entire human is problematic since the accelerated growth results in the clone succumbing to metabolic cascade faliure after a few months.

* [[Ratchet and Clank]] was pretty much raised by himself. His [[Disappeared Dad|father]] was dead since Ratchet was a baby, and nothing is known of his [[Missing Mom|mother]] except that she was there at some time. So he grew up without knowing his parents on a [[Does This Remind You of Anything?|backwater]] [[Star Wars|desert planet]]... not that he [[Angst? What Angst?|cares in]] [[Badass Normal|the slightest.]]

* Ryu Hayabusa's entire clan in [[Ninja Gaiden]] seems to be slaughtered every game or so.

* Joey La Rocca, the protagonist of ''[[The Sopranos]] Road to Respect,'' is the illegitimate child to Big Pussy Bonpensiero ([[Canon Foreigner|although he's never seen on the show]]).

** Two of the three possible origins of [[Player Character|Commander Shepard]] involve parental abandonment: in one (Colonist), both of Shepard's parents were killed when slavers raided the colony they lived in, and in the other (Earthborn), Shepard grew up on the streets of Earth and never knew his or her parents at all. Averted with the Spacer origin--both of Shepard's parents are alive and well, and a sidequest in the first game even involves having to call up your mom.

** Wrex never mentions his mother, but does explain that his father {{spoiler|betrayed and tried to murder him, causing Wrex to kill him}}.

** Ashley's father is also dead, but it's never said how.

** And where do we even begin with Solid Snake...

** Compared to Otacon Snake got off easy {{spoiler|His father disowned him but his mother loved him and probably only gave him up because of Zero. His mother even told him everything right before he inadvertantly killed her. His father even came around and saved his son's life knowing that it woud cost him his.}} {{spoiler|Snake's real problem is his brothers.}}

** ''[[Mega Man ZX]]'': Vent and Aile-their parents got killed by the Serpent group.

** ''[[Mega Man Star Force]]'': Geo Stelar-his mom is alive but his dad is missing.

*** ''Star Force'' also takes it one step further with Sonia Strumm, as her mom died 3 months before the main story and Pat Sprigs, who like Roll Caskett, Vent and Aile has both parents missing.

** The original games also have your rival, Blue -- who is supposed to be Professor Oak's grandson, but appears to live with his ''sister''. Where did the Professor's son/daughter go?

** The player character's father is ''mentioned'' in Platinum, but only so that Mum can say that you're just like him. What happened to him is, as ever, not explained.

*** That's right, and your rival also has a mother. Wally also has both parents who love and support him, and an aunt, uncle and cousin who love and support him. Lucky guy.

* The obscure platformer ''Scaler'' has the main character, a human boy [[Animorphism|transformed into a lizard]], who has decided to go by Scaler. He lives with his mom; his dad, a scientist, disappeared in the backstory; it's implied that he was sucked into the "reptile world" that Scaler now finds himself in. Naturally, he finds his father. {{spoiler|It's Leon, his [[Older Sidekick]].}}

* ''[[Overlord]] II'': Not only is the Overlad's father stuck in The Abyss, {{spoiler|his mother Rose soon after giving birth to him leaves him in a village where [[All of the Other Reindeer|he's hated]] for being a [[Creepy Child]] who shoots lightning out of his hands to assist [[The Empire]] in what she thought would be the restoration of order to the lands by assisting Florian's conquest of the lands.}}

* ''[[Ace Combat]] 04: Shattered Skies'', where the narrator's parents die after a downed plane crashes into the cape where the family home is. In ''Joint Assault'' {{spoiler|Sulejmani's}} [[Freudian Excuse]] is that he was sold off by his parents to be a [[Child Soldiers]].

** Marisa Kirisame was abandoned, or rather, forced out of her home by her family when she decided she wanted to be a [[Cute Witch]]. Her father is mentioned to still be alive, and living in the human village, while Marisa lives alone in the woods, a [[Kleptomaniac Hero]] just to make ends meet. It's interesting to note that the Touhou music CD ''Dolls in Pseudo Paradise'' there is a song's description a story about a western-style mansion in a forest that appears to be referring to Marisa and her mother.

** Part of the reason people want to see [[Brother Chuck|Mima and Shinki from the PC-98 games return]] is because they ''[[Epileptic Trees|may]]'' have this relationship to Marisa and Alice respectively. In Alice's case, she was first fought in Makai, and [[Physical God|Shinki claimed to be the creator of and the creator of everything in Makai, which would presumably include Alice]]. However, the Windows series describes Alice as a human-turned-youkai and not a demon, which calls such a relationship into question. A common fan interpretation is that a rift formed between Alice and Shinki after Mystic Square, which caused Alice to leave for Gensokyo. Others however, show a more closer relationship with Alice simply trying to strike out on her own.

** Youmu Konpaku was apparently abandoned (if left with [[Honorary Uncle|honorary aunt]] Yuyuko) when Youki Konpaku went on a "journey for enlightenment" completely out of the blue, and dumped all his duties on his prepubescent daughter.

** Sakuya is a lone human [[Meido]] working for a family of [[Our Vampires Are Different|vampires]], a [[Witch Species]], and humanoid [[Youkai]] of unidentified species, and a host of fairies, with absolutely no canon backstory whatsoever. She gets paid purely in food and shelter (when she prepares the food - even the vampire's food, and all that entails - and maintains the house) for her services, has fanatical loyalty to "[[The Ojou|ojou-sama]]", and has bizzare and extremely [[Superpowerful Genetics]] that giver her power of [[Time Stands Still]]. Fanon reinterpretations of Sakuya's [[Origin Story]], however, are a dime a dozen. The simple ones involve Sakuya being from a vampire hunter clan that lost, and she was the only survivor, psuedo-enslaved by Remilia, while others have Sakuya being abandoned and abused as a "monster" for having the superpowers she has, adopted by Remilia since Sakuya is noted by others to be "more like a youkai than the youkai she lives with".

** Despite coming from the Outside World, AKA modern Japan, Wind Priestess Sanae Kochiya's parents are utterly unmentioned and unaccounted for, with her goddesses (one of them being her distant ancestor) often acting as substitute parents for her in [[Fanon]].

* ''[[Rune Factory 3]]'' nearly takes this [[Up to Eleven]]. ''No one'' has two parents, and most of the cast has none whatsoever, and there is absolutely no explanation. The missing relatives are as follows: Raven, Gaius, Pia, Kuruna, Oromis, Zaid, Daria, Shara, Monica, and Marion have no parents. Sakuya and Karina have no father. Sofia, Evelyn, Colette, and Rusk have no mother. To the best of my knowledge, the only character who actually acknowledges the fact that she has no living family is Raven. {{spoiler|The hero's father gets one line of dialogue in a flashback, and the hero calls for his mother in the same flashback, but otherwise they never appear.}}

** Elincia had both her parents killed in the events starting Path of Radiance.

** Boyd, Rolf, and Oscar's story is a little complex. Boyd and Oscar had the same parents, but their mother died. Their father remarried and produced Rolf by the new wife, but then the father died, and wife number two fled. In one of this series' many instances of [[Guide Dang It]], you have to have one of the three brothers visit one specific house in Chapter III-1 to learn this.

** Jill is an inversion. She abandoned her father, a Daein General, to fight for the other side when she figured out that what he was doing was wrong. Doubly inverted in that Shiharam knew what he was doing was wrong, but had to fight for the good of the people of the Daein fiefdom that he ruled. Indeed, if Jill is made to fight her father, she'll turn into an Enemy unit.

* ''[[Animal Crossing]]'' inverts this trope. Your mom still writes to you.

*** Maya and Meena's father is killed. No mother is mentioned.

*** Bianca's mother dies from illness between the [[Time Skip]].

*** Parry and Madchen have this issue {{spoiler|because their parents, [[The Hero]] and his wife, are cursed into stones for years.}}

* In the ''[[Spore]]'' cutscence for when for when your creature family migrates to a new nest, one of the adults will stay behind to watch over the eggs. Your creature then hatches and you have to find the new nest.

* Eroge ''[[Snow Sakura]]'', Yuuji Tachibana has jerkass parents who force him to move from Tokyo to Hokkaido to live with an uncle and a [[Tsundere]] female cousin while they have a nice, long holiday in Hawaii.