Summary
Families in games can often be a sensitive topic and, more often than not, they are used foremotional impact within the story.When it comes specifically to fathers, they will either suffer from the age-old trope of the mentor dying and leaving their student to fend for themselves, or be an outright villain.
Capcom doesn’t shy away from including full families in their games, creating a whole host of troubled child and father bonds, but there are definitely fathers that are far from being the perfect role model. Among the memorable dads in the company’s history, there are a few that stand out asthe worst fathers in Capcom games.
Absentee Father
Darkstalkers
Capcom’s ambitious fighting game to rival Street Fighter II. The Darkstalkers world featured a uniquely dark, gothic horror setting and beautifully smooth pixel art animation.The Darkstalkers are denizens of the dark, feared by all humankind, who dub them “monsters.” But one night, each of the Darkstalkers hears a mysterious voice whispering at the edge of their consciousness…“Denizens of the dark, come to my side.”
Capcom’s action fighting gameDarkstalkerswas home to manysupernatural creatures, such as the game’s mascot succubus Morrigan and the werewolf Jon Talbain, likely a play on the name Larry Talbot from the classic werewolf movie.
Jon was the son of a human mother and a werewolf father, with his mother dying during childbirth and his father nowhere to be found. He was not present for any of Jon’s life and certainly not his upbringing, marking him as an absentee dad. Though being a deadbeat is not the worst crime a Capcom dad has ever committed, it still makes him one of the worst Capcom fathers, as Jon certainly could have used the support and nurturing of his biological father following the death of his mother.
Viewtiful Joe 2
Slow-mo quick-time kick-butt chaos comes to GameCube, as Viewtiful Joe and lady friend Silvia embark upon another insane movie-come-to-life extravaganza.
Stride fearlessly across insane film-set based locations, battering a succession of bad guys and puzzling out a series of conundrums. Silvia can use her pom-poms to pummel enemies or unleash bolts of pure energy to pick them off from a distance, while Joe is no slouch, punching and kicking at close range to devastating effect. Both characters can also use the VFX meter to perform a breathtaking repertoire of time and space shifting attacks straight out of a Hollywood flick.
Extraordinary visuals, a constant stream of psychopathic robots and fiendish boss characters to trounce, and some of the most teeth-grindingly challenging gameplay ever makes for a must-play title. Joltin’ Joe’s second take on the side-scrolling brawler is a Viewty to behold…
In the world ofViewtiful Joe, the titular character was born to parents Junko and Jet, with his father aiding Captain Blue in getting his movies into the theaters, just one of the acts of kindness he performed. His ideals became twisted and warped following the death of his wife in a car accident, following an obsession to secure the Seven Rainbow Oscars and become the ultimate hero.
In a twist of irony, Jet Black became the main antagonist of the game, becoming thefinal boss rather than the hero. He trades blows with his own son, which is not something a good father would ever do.
Abandoned His Daughter
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy
The classic courtroom adventure series that has sold over 6.7 million copies worldwide is finally here. Become Phoenix Wright and experience the thrill of battle as you fight to save your innocent clients in a court of law. Play all 14 episodes, spanning the first three games, in one gorgeous collection. Solve the intriguing mysteries behind each case and witness the final truth for yourself!
TheAce Attorneyseriescertainly is no stranger to bad father figures, but Zak Graymarye may have all of them beat with his antics that are borderline evil. A traveling performer as part of a troupe, he may seem charismatic at first, but Zak, or Shadi Enigmar as he goes by in the troupe, is anything but charming to those who know him.
He landed his lawyer in hot water by withholding a piece of evidence connected to a crime, knowing the one he had in his possession was a forgery, and abandoned his daughter for years, leaving her without a parental figure to help her in life. Leaving his daughter, while still a heinous act, was probably the kindest thing he ever did for his daughter, as he was an unpleasant person to be around, to put it mildly.
One of the sons of the good demon Sparda, Vergil couldn’t be any more different than his brother Dante. Dante is a cocky, confident jokester who embraced his humanity, while Vergil is more silent and stoic. He chose to reject his humanity and instead fully embrace hisdemonic heritage, marking himself as one of the series' main antagonists.
The fact that Vergil ever became a father in the first place is a mystery, as he certainly doesn’t seem like the type to entertain a woman’s affections or the notions of fatherhood, the latter of which he certainly rejects. Vergil remains an absent mystery for most of Nero’s life, and even when he does show up, it is as a villain. This is made especially present inDevil May Cry 5, in which Vergil tears Devil Bringer from Nero’s arm to fuel his own strength, as he cared only for gaining power, even at the expense of his own flesh and blood.
Once, the Bakers were a caring family that took pity on lone, washed-up Evelyn, but their kindness was repaid with her ‘gift’ that twisted them into deranged anddeadly monsterswith only thoughts of violence on their mind. Though Ethan bears the brunt of Jack’s brutality, Lucas and Zoe weren’t spared either.
During one of the opening scenes, Jack Baker saws his own son’s hands off at the dinner table and, judging from Lucas’s dialogues, this was not the first time he had done this. In fact, shortly after Evelyn’s gift took over, he relentlessly hunted his daughter Zoe through the halls of their home. These actions will certainly ensure Jack isn’t winning father of the year anytime soon.
Jeopardized the Life of his Daughter
Resident Evil 2
The genre-defining masterpiece Resident Evil 2 returns, completely rebuilt from the ground up for a deeper narrative experience. Using Capcom’s proprietary RE Engine, Resident Evil 2 offers a fresh take on the classic survival horror saga with breathtakingly realistic visuals, heart-pounding immersive audio, a new over-the-shoulder camera, and modernized controls on top of gameplay modes from the original game.In Resident Evil 2, the classic action, tense exploration, and puzzle solving gameplay that defined the Resident Evil series returns. Players join rookie police officer Leon Kennedy and college student Claire Redfield, who are thrust together by a disastrous outbreak in Raccoon City that transformed its population into deadly zombies. Both Leon and Claire have their own separate playable campaigns, allowing players to see the story from both characters’ perspectives. The fate of these two fan favorite characters is in players hands as they work together to survive and get to the bottom of what is behind the terrifying attack on the city. Will they make it out alive?
Many children have probably proclaimed their parents are monsters with a touch of irony, but Sherry Birkin is one of the unfortunate few that can say that and be honest. Along with her callous and distant mother, Sherry was also saddled with William Birkin for a father, neither of whom were ideal parents.
Asa brilliant scientistwith an important mission inResident Evil 2, he prioritized his work over every aspect of his life, even his own daughter, leaving her alone during a dangerous outbreak. What’s even worse is that, after his transformation, he sought out Sherry as a host for his parasitic larvae, to make her change into a monster for him. The fact that he was successful only makes it all the worse, firmly reinforcing the idea that William Birkin was a terrible father.
