Anime Anime Global

Jun. 21 is “Father's Day”.

Inspired by Mother's Day, this day commemorates Mrs. Dodd in America offering a white rose to her father's grave, and is annually celebrated on the 3rd Sunday of June.

Many fathers have appeared in anime. They vary from ideal fathers to those who are lazy losers. Some are their biological father and others are not. So the question is, who is the most popular father character?

Here at Anime!Anime!, we conducted the same survey as 2 years ago asking, “Who Is Your Ideal Anime Father Character?”. We received 181 votes during the voting period form Jun. 9 through Jun. 16.
There were more female voters with a gender ratio of 30% male to 70% female, and the age range tilted to the younger side with 50% being under 19 and 35% being in their 20s.

■The top of the list was Nohara Hiroshi. Fans pointed out his actions in the films!
1st Place
1st place went to Nohara Hiroshi from “Crayon Shin-chan” with roughly 15% of the votes.
Nohara Hiroshi is the breadwinner of the family, who loves his son Shinnosuke, daughter Himawari, wife Misae, and their pet Shiro.

“He seems to be irresponsible and unreliable, but he is a father who cares about his family more than anything. His coworkers rely on him, but he's not pompous and is kind. I love how he fights for his family at all costs!” shows that fans voted for him because he is a reliable father.
There were also comments pointing out titles such as “Fierceness That Invites Storm! The Adult Empire Strikes Back” and “Intense Battle! Robo Dad Strikes Back”, “He's usually irresponsible, but I'm moved by him in the films.”

2nd Place
Coming in 2nd was Kudou Yuusaku from “Detective Conan” with roughly 10% of the vote.
Yuusaku is the father of the protagonist Kudou Shinichi aka Edogawa Conan. He was popular for his intelligence and stylishness, “He's a world-famous detective fiction author and both father and son are intelligent. Though living separately with Shinichi, I love how he always cares for him!”, “He's smart, dandy, and even has a sense of humor. I think it would be fun to have him as a father.” Fans also pointed out his kindness of coming to help his son when in a pinch.

3rd Place
3rd place went to Kinomoto Fujitaka from “Cardcaptor Sakura” with roughly 8% of the votes.
Kinomoto Fujitaka is the father of the protagonist Sakura. He received comments like, “He did a good job in taking care of his children, though being the only parent in the household. Above all, he is so tolerant,” “He's kind and watches over his children & he can cook and do housework. The ideal father figure!” and “He's a good cook, he works hard, and he takes good care of you.” How he gently talks to his family left a strong impression on the fans.

■Here are some comments for other characters.
For Kaburagi T. Kotetsu from “Tiger & Bunny”, “He's a clumsy father of the Showa period whose love spins its wheels, but I love how he tries to connect with his daughter and does his best to help her.

For Maes Hughes from “Fullmetal Alchemist”, “He was often poked fun at, but I think he was an amazing father that dotes on his wife and daughter. Fujiwara Keiji-san's voice was also impressing.”

For Masaoka Tomomi from “Psycho-Pass”, “It was very fatherly of him how he cared about his son the whole time even though being hated. He was also awesome for risking his life to save him at the end.”

For Gotou Kakushi from “Kakushigoto: My Dad's Secret Ambition”, a new anime from spring 2020, “He's a bit too soft on his daughter, but I love how he truly loves her.”

There were also some characters like Sawamura Daichi form “Haikyuu!!”, who are tolerant and keeps others together just like a father, making the top 20.

■Top 20
[Who Is Your Ideal Anime Father Character?]
1. Nohara Hiroshi “Crayon Shin-chan”
2. Kudou Yuusaku “Detective Conan”
3. Kinomoto Fujitaka “Cardcaptor Sakura”
4. Umibouzu “Gintama”
5. Kirishima Zen “The World's Greatest First Love”
5. Gotou Kakushi “Kakushigoto: My Dad's Secret Ambition”
5. Namikaze Minato “Naruto”
8. Kaburagi T. Kotetsu “Tiger & Bunny”
9. Furukawa Akio “Clannad”
10. Fujimoto Shirou “Blue Exorcist”
10. Matsuno Matsuzou “Mr. Osomatsu”
12. Ishigami Byakuya “Dr. Stone”
13. Edward Newgate “One Piece”
13. Kamado Tanjuurou “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba”
13. Sawamura Daichi “Haikyuu!!”
13. Son Gokuu “Dragon Ball Z”
13. Nobi Nobisuke “Doraemon”
13. Fujiwara Shigeru “Natsume's Book of Friends”
13. Maes Hughes “Fullmetal Alchemist”

(Voting Period: Jun.9 to Jun. 16, 2020)