The Most Lovable Anime Dads, Ranked

Highlights

• Lucky anime protagonists get to experience the love and affection of a parent, shaping their lives for the better.
• These dads protect their kids from danger and ensure they walk the path of justice.
• New anime series use the trope of involved and protective fathers, instead of killing off parents, with great success.

In most anime, the protagonists are always on the receiving end of a cruel fate. They are usually orphaned at a very young age, or their parents do not pay any kind of attention to them, which makes their lives extremely difficult.

However, a few lucky protagonists get to experience the love and affection of a parent. The role of a father in the life of an anime character is often overlooked, but they are responsible for shaping the persona of their kids. With different contenders, the question arises— who is the best anime dad?

Updated December 23, 2023, by Suzail Ahmad: Parents play a pivotal role in the development of a person. Depending on a parent-child relationship, a character can either turn out good or bad. While most shonen leads have to make do without a father figure, there are some who get the opportunity to spend quality time with them. These anime dads ensure that their kids stay away from all kinds of evil and walk the path of justice. In other cases, certain anime dads get involved personally and protect their kids from danger. Many new anime series have used this particular trope instead of killing a parent, and it has been highly successful. With that in mind, here are the best anime dads.

19 Kotetsu

Selfless And Loving

Kotetsu is among the main characters of Tiger & Bunny. He spent most of his time devoted to his job, which led to his daughter having feelings of resentment towards him. She believed that her father was a liar who didn’t care about her. But when the truth about his real job came to light, she realized that he had been carrying a massive burden.

On many occasions, Kotetsu openly displayed feelings of affection towards his daughter. He tried his best to balance his work, life, and personal life. Apart from being a good father, Kotetsu is also an incredible human being who always looks after others. He even keeps his own feelings locked up if it means troubling those around them.

18 Jotaro Kujo

Sacrified His Own Life To Protect His Daughter

Jotaro Kujo is the father of Jolyne and one of the main supporting characters in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean. Initially, he came off as a man who did not care about his family, but it became increasingly obvious that this was untrue. Jotaro sacrificed himself. Not once but twice to save his daughter from danger.

The first time was in prison, where the two were attacked by Johngalli A. and Whitesnake. The second time was in the fight against Enrico Pucci. Jotaro got an opportunity to finish off the priest, but in exchange, he would have to let his daughter die. Despite being a rational man, Jotaro decided against killing Pucci if it meant sacrificing his daughter. Given his sacrifices, Jotaro is definitely among the best anime dads.

17 Loid Forger

Cares About Her Daughter And Wife’s Well-being

Twilight, better known as Loid Forger, is the main protagonist of Spy x Family. He is the most talented agent in WISE, which is why he ended up receiving the organization’s big mission to save the world. To complete his mission, Loid was ordered to get a family. He started by adopting Anya as his daughter.

While Loid did not have any experience raising kids, he did a remarkable job with Anya. Loid tries to fulfill Anya’s every wish, even going out of his way many times. Despite only adopting Anya for personal reasons, Loid is extremely protective of her, and he loses his cool if someone bothers his daughter.

16 Rei and Kazuki

Learn New Skills To For Their Child’s Happiness

Rei and Kazuki are two of the main characters from Buddy Daddies. Both of them work as assassins, and to make things easier, they split their duties. Kazuki is in charge of obtaining information, organizing, and carrying out the assassinations.

Rei is also an exceptionally talented assassin who excels at shooting and is very strong physically. Aside from being expert assassins, Rei and Kazuki are excellent dads who show their affection for their daughter, Miri, in their own unique ways. Despite being a recluse, Rei worries about Miri when she gets sick and tries to take care of her. Kazuki is more lively than Rei, and during his first encounter with Miri, he lets her eat the cake that he had baked for his mission.

15 Tetsuo Tosu

Becomes A Fugitive To Save His Daughter

Spoiler warning for the Spring 2023 anime’s pilot episode.

Tetsuo Tosu is a regular dad with a loving family. He enjoys his life, but things change when he finds out about his daughter’s new boyfriend, Nobuto. Tetsuo is shocked to learn that his daughter Reika is being physically abused by her boyfriend.

​​​​​​Angered by his discovery, Tetsuo starts to dig deeper into Nobuto’s past, only to find out that the latter has a history of killing girls. Tetsuo murders Nobuto and hides his body with the help of his wife. Tetsuo’s extreme actions entail serious consequences, and he is targeted by Matsuri, a yakuza boss. While Tetsuo’s decision may be radical, it shows how much he loves his daughter and how far he is willing to go to protect her.

14 Byakuya Ishigami

Always Put His Son’s Needs First

Byakuya Ishigami is the father of Senku, the main protagonist of Dr. Stone. He was an extremely supportive parent, going as far as selling his car to buy the apparatus that Senku needed for his experiments. Byakuya was even willing to work harder just to be able to help Senku in his pursuit of knowledge.

Byakuya was also kind and would always try to help other people in need. Furthermore, he was honorable and daring. With such amazing personality traits, it is no wonder that Byakuya is among the best anime dads.

13 Naruto Uzumaki

Treats The Entire Village As One Big Family

Naruto Uzumaki is the main protagonist of the Naruto series. Towards the end of the series, he became the Hokage and married Hinata Hyuuga. With Hinata, Naruto had two kids, and one of them, Boruto, is the main character of Boruto: Naruto Next Generation.

Naruto has a tough time juggling the responsibilities of being the Hokage and a father to his kids, but has grown accustomed to the job with time. Naruto tries his best to be there for his kids, and he also takes care of people like Kawaki, who are not even remotely related to him. As Naruto knows all about the pain of having no one to look after him, he tries his best to help everyone.

12 Joichiro Yukihira

Saved His Son From Crumbling Under Pressure

Joichiro Yukihira is the father of Soma. He has taken care of Soma on his own for most of their lives. Yukihira was a prodigy in the kitchen. He kept his past hidden from his son as he did not want to force his son into doing the same thing as him, but Soma shared his father’s passion for cooking, which made Joichiro very happy.

As Soma grew up, he started to feel the pressure of managing a restaurant and Joichiro was aware of the situation, so he tried to calm his son by reassuring him that he was doing a great job. Furthermore, Joichiro also told him how to overcome the problems that are associated with being a chef.

11 Isshin Kurosaki

Did The Best He Could For His Kids

Isshin Kurosaki used to be the Captain of the 10th Division. Depending on the situation, Isshin could either be funny or serious, making him one of the more interesting characters in Bleach.

While he did have his shortcomings, Isshin always tried to provide for his kids. He is a very loving father and tried everything in his power to make sure that his kids were able to lead happy, normal lives.

10 Kazuma Sohma

Was Always Calm And Helpful

Kazuma is the adoptive father of Kyo, whom he took in as a form of atonement. Gradually, Kazuma opened up to Kyo and began to treat him as if he were one of his own. They went through many life-changing experiences together, which only brought them closer. Kazuma’s bond with Kyo is absolutely amazing.

He is always trying to help his son, and, even when they get into an argument, Kazuma tries to be the bigger person and calm everything down. Also, he lets Kyo do whatever he wants for the sake of his happiness.

9 Soichiro Yagami

Believed In His Son Till The Very End

Soichiro Yagami was a police officer, who firmly believed in justice. When L became suspicious of Light, Soichiro defended him with everything that he had. He went as far as to put his own life at risk to prove that his son, Light, was innocent.

Furthermore, he was willing to give the Death Note to the mafia in exchange for getting his daughter back from them. For a devout police officer to make such a decision shows how much he cared about his children.

8 Minato Namikaze

Died To Protect His Son From The Nine-Tails

Minato Namikaze became the Fourth Hokage of the Hidden Leaf after his numerous feats. He was one of the youngest Hokage in history, which proved that his talent was immense. Minato got married to Kushina, and together they had a baby, Naruto.

Sadly, Minato could not spend enough time with Naruto, but before dying the former sealed the Nine-Tails inside Naruto. Minato had a great deal of trust in his son and during the Pain arc, he stopped Naruto from unleashing the Nine-Tails completely. Minato also helped the Shinobi Alliance in the Fourth Great Ninja War and before leaving for the world of spirits, Minato wished Naruto a happy birthday.

7 Piccolo

Became The Dad That Stepped Up

Piccolo did not have kids of his own, but he certainly knew how to take care of them. When Goku was busy getting more powerful, Piccolo was the one who took care of Gohan. Piccolo looked after Gohan as if he was his own son. Because of Piccolo’s care, Gohan managed to become a great human and a fighter.

Piccolo’s contribution as a parent should not be overlooked, as not even many biological parents take care of their kids in such a manner.

6 Maes Hughes

Loved His Daughter To Bits

In the dark world of Fullmetal Alchemist, Maes Hughes provided much-needed laughter. Unlike the other military officials, Maes Hughes was cheerful and capable of putting a smile on the face of someone as tough as Roy Mustang.

Maes Hughes adored his family, especially his daughter. He carried a picture of her and showed it to everyone. His daughter, Elicia also loved him very much, and it broke her heart when she saw Maes being buried.

5 Joseph Joestar

Went Around The World To Save His Daughter

Joseph Joestar is at center of Battle Tendency, and he also played important roles in Stardust Crusaders and Diamond is Unbreakable. When his daughter, Holly fell sick, Joseph decided to go to Egypt and face DIO to save her.

Joseph was extra protective of Holly as he reprimanded Jotaro for talking in a rude tone to her. Joseph also took care of Josuke and tried to form a bond with him.

4 Thors

Tried To Keep His Son Away From Violence

Many years before the story starts, Thors used to be a popular Viking warrior. After numerous impressive performances, Thors’ fame spread even further.

However, one day Thors decided to stop fighting, so he faked his own death. Thors left all the bloodshed behind and started a normal life far away from the Vikings. Despite being a tough, grizzled soldier in the past, Thors cared about his family more than anything and was willing to go to the extreme to protect them.

3 Akio Furukawa

Loving Father And Husband

While Akio does not have any special powers, he is extraordinarily compassionate toward others. He is a great husband, who eats his wife’s terribly baked bread. Akio comforts Sanae by telling her how much he loves the bread.

Akio was also an amazing father, as he took care of Nagisa, and he was extra cautious when Nagisa started to date Tomoya. He also served as a father figure to Tomoya and helped the latter in various situations.

2 Shikaku Nara

Helped His Son In Difficult Times

Shikaku Nara was a genius who served as the advisor to the Hokage. His intellect proved to be invaluable to the Hidden Leaf as well as to his own family. Shikaku was among the few people who did not resent Naruto and allowed his son Shikamaru to play with Naruto. In addition to this, Shikaku also took a keen interest in Shikamaru’s mental health.

When Asuma died, Shikaku was there for his son and helped him get through the tough time. Not many parents pay so much attention to their child’s mental health.

1 Whitebeard

Forgave The Son Who Stabbed Him

Whitebeard never had sons of his own, but he served as a father figure to many. In a flashback, Whitebeard clearly stated that the thing he wanted the most was a family. Once he left his old crew and started a new one, Whitebeard got an opportunity to fulfill his dream. Many people joined Whitebeard’s crew, and he took all of them in and treated them like his own sons.

When the Navy threatened to kill Ace, Whitebeard arrived at Marineford with all of his forces to free his son. Whitebeard’s love for his family was unconditional, and because of this, his family was ready to die for him. The biggest example of his love was when Squard stabbed him and Whitebeard hugged him, and forgave him. He was a giant of a man with an even bigger heart.

MORE: Chainsaw Man: Everything You Need To Know Before The Anime Begins