Raised by Grandparents: Difference between revisions

A character, generally the main character and a child or minor in age, is shown to have missing, dead or otherwise absent parents. Because there is still the need for an adult figure around, the character's grandparents fill in the void. Generally, there are no aunts or uncles in the picture.

 

 

[[Truth in Television|This happens in real life as well.]] Compare [[Family Relationship Switcheroo]], when the child is raised by grandparents but believes them to be their real parents.

 

== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==

* Yoh's grandparents, Kinu and Yohmei, in ''[[Shaman King]]''

* Rei/Mars from ''[[Sailor Moon]]'' is raised by her maternal grandfather after her mom dies. In the Manga and [[Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon|Live action]], her father is still around but she refuses to have anything to do with him {{spoiler|because of his cold treatment of her [[Ill Girl]] mother, not visiting her a single time until her death}}; he isn't mentioned in the anime. Her grandfather isn't mentioned in the live action (nor anyone else she may be living with) thus not using this trope.

* Link is raised by his grandparents (including his [[Badass Grandpa]]) in the [[Zelda Manga|manga adaptations]] of ''[[The Legend of Zelda]]: [[Oracle of Ages]]'' and ''[[Oracle of Seasons]]''.

* When first introduced, Yukito Tsukishiro from ''[[Cardcaptor Sakura]]'', though as they're often said to be out of town, his grandparents are never seen. {{spoiler|As Yukito is the "false form" of the magical being Yue, most of his background is actually false memories, including his grandparents. ''They simply don't exist''.}}

* In the manga ''[[Baby and Me]],'' one of Takuya's classmates claims to live with her grandparents because her father and mother are famous and are overseas. {{spoiler|Actually, it turns out that her grandparents are really her ''parents,'' and she's embarrassed about the fact, so she lies.}}

** Also, the young Italies used to live with their grandfather Ancient Rome until his "death", then were taken in either by Austria and Hungary (Chibitalia) or Spain (Chibimano).

* Kaoru Hanabishi from ''[[Ai Yori Aoshi]].'' Unluckily for him, the trope comes along [[Abusive Parents|abusive grandparents]].

* Lunlun from ''[[Hana no Ko Lunlun]]'', since {{spoiler|mom [[Death by Childbirth|died in childbirth]] and dad followed five years later.}} Also some of the people she helps, like a Spanish girl named Isabel and a Moroccan boy named Sayid.

* Takeshi Sendoh from ''[[Hajime no Ippo]]''. His mother died few after he was born (''maybe'' [[Death by Childbirth|because of childbirth]] but it's not specified), his father was a firefighter who died in the line of duty. Hence why he was raised by his widowed grandmother, the owner of a small shop in Osaka.

* Misaki from ''[[Hana no Mizo Shiru]]'' was raised by his grandfather after his parents died in accident...for a few years, until ''he'' died, too. Then he's left in [[Sexy Mentor|Kawabata's]] care, which doesn't really end well.

 

* In one continuity, ''[[Legion of Super-Heroes (comics)|Legion of Super-Heroes]]''' Luornu Durgo(Triad/Triplicate Girl/Duo Damsel) was raised by her grandmother, until she died and Luornu was sent to a mental hospital, due to her three selves not being emotionally identical. The grandmother was like this, as well, though she didn't reveal it to Luornu until shortly before she died.

* The ''[[Batman]]'' villain Dr. Jonathan Crane aka The Scarecrow was raised by his grandmother. [[Abusive Parents|She was not a pleasant woman]] and it did not turn out well.

** The same goes for Humphrey Dumpler, AKA Humpty Dumpty.

 

== [[Film]] ==

* Masao in Takeshi Kitano's ''[[Kikujiro No Natsu]]'' is a boy who is raised by his grandmother. The plot involves his looking for his estranged mother during the summer vacation (and meeting an oddball surrogate father figure).

* Huey and Riley Freeman in ''[[The Boondocks]]''. Various news reports and other official statements treat "Granddad" as if it were Robert Jebediah "Mr. Bitches" Freeman's actual first or middle name. Even ''he'' does it. Huey and Riley's parents are stated to be dead (Robert spent their inheritance on the house), the anime suggests they have no aunts or uncles, so he is the closest person left to take care of them.

 

{{quote|He is wearied, and I forgot, being a grandmother. (None but a grandmother should ever oversee a child. Mothers are only fit for bearing.)}}

* In the ''[[American Girl]]'' historical fiction series, the Victorian-era Samantha is raised by her wealthy grandmother because {{spoiler|her parents died on a boat. No, not [[Titanic|that one]].}}

* Peter Hartling's book ''[[Oma]]'' ("Grandma") is about an [[Cool Old Lady]] who takes in her 5-year-old grandson Karl aka Kalle after his parents die. They both have to deal with the loss {{spoiler|and with the grandmother's ailing health.}}

* In ''[[Les Misérables]]'', Marius Pontmercy's grandfather takes him away from his father after his mother dies by threatening to disinherit him if his father raises him.

* In the [[Sufjan Stevens]] song "Romulus", the narrator and his brother are left in grandpa's care by their mom, who they apparently don't see again until Grandpa's funeral many years later.

 

* [[Chris Rock]] discusses this in his special ''Bigger and Blacker''. He says that "if a kid calls his grandmama 'Mommy' and his mama 'Pam', he's going to jail".

 

** Also, while not his Biological Grandparents (assumingly), Ganondorf was raised by the sisters Twinrova, who are far older then him and fit the dynamic nicely.

* Naoto Shirogane from ''[[Persona 4]]'' claims "Grandpa" as the main parental figure.

** Subverted with Lyn from ''[[Fire Emblem Elibe]]'', since she came to live with her grandfather only when she was in her mid-late teens and had been living alone for a bit after her parents (and whole tribe) died. Played straighter with {{spoiler|Canas's son Hugh}} from the prequel; he was raised by his grandmother {{spoiler|Niime}} since his parents died {{spoiler|protecting their village from a snowstorm}}.

* Mai Shiranui from ''[[Fatal Fury]]'' and ''[[The King of Fighters]]'' is hinted to have lived like this too, since her only mentioned relatives are her grandfather and trainer Hanzou and her dead grandmother. The hairpin that she wears is hinted to be a [[Tragic Keepsake]] from said grandma.

* This seems to be the case for Blue and his sister Daisy in ''[[Pokémon Red and Blue]]'', as their parents are never brought up, only their grandfather Professor Oak.

* [[Gabriel Knight]] was raised by his paternal grandmother; his parents died when he was still a baby.

 

== [[Web Comics]] ==

* According to [http://www.gu.org this site], "6 million children live in grandparent and other relative headed households nationwide" in the United States.

** It's not that hard to find this. In certain parts of the United States (and many parts of the world) where there is a strong emphasis on family, it's not uncommon for three generations to live in a house together (or at least live close to each other.) If the grandparents are of retirement age and both parents have full-time jobs, this is one of the better situations (it gives the grandparents something to do, it prevents the children from becoming latchkey kids, and it's usually cheaper than a nanny or babysitter.)

* A common phenomenon in China since the [[To Get Rich Is Glorious|Great Opening Up]]. Many people headed East to work in the cities, leaving their children in the care of the grandparents. As a result, many Chinese children in rural areas in China are much closer to their grandparents than their parents.

 

[[Category:Orphaned Index]]

[[Category:Adopt an Index]]