History ParentalAbandonment / AnimeAndManga

* Likewise Wataru in ''SisterPrincess''. While no genealogy is provided for his (half-?)sisters, the most likely solution to their parentage implies that they are all also missing at least the father whom they must share with Wataru. In the VisualNovel, all the legal ones have alternate endings where they turn out to be [[NotBloodSiblings adopted]].

* In ''Literature/{{Toradora}}'', Ryuuji Takasu's father is dead [[spoiler: but we later learn that he just walked on his mom when she was still preggers]], so he lives with his mother Yasuko. OTOH, Taiga Aisaka lives alone because she has problems fitting in at home ever since her mother re-married, and [[spoiler: her father ran away from home after his business went down the toilet, and is quite a JerkAss otherwise.]] In the end, [[spoiler: Taiga returns to her home so she can deal with her familiar problems.]]

* In ''KazeNoStigma,'' Kazuma gets literally abandoned by his parents after losing a match with his cousin. At least he gets a gold card from his mom, but he bends it to prevent himself from relying on them.

* ''JojosBizarreAdventure'' has this running the entire length of the series. In Part One, Jonathan Joestar lost his mother when he was an infant in a carriage accident; Dio Brando, meanwhile, also lost his mother as a child, but personally killed his father for being an abusive alcoholic. Part Two has Joseph Joestar, who was raised by his grandmother ([[spoiler:his father having been killed by a vampire and his mother, Lisa Lisa, giving him up to keep him from what now looked like the family destiny, requesting Erina tell Joseph both his parents were dead]]). Jotaro in Part Three actually has both parents, but his father is a famous musician perpetually on tour. In Part Four, Josuke grew without the presence of his father (Joseph), he meets him at the start. Part Five has Giorno Giovanna, his father is Dio [[hottip:* :whose head took over Jonathan's body]] and is estranged from his stepfather and mother. In Part Six, Jolyne had to live with his father's (Jotaro) frequent absency. Most of the series has her trying to save him. As for part Seven, Johnny's father [[TheUnFavourite shunned him]] as he [[ParentalFavoritism prefered his older brother]]. Johnny got booted out after a fight with him.

* Train from ''BlackCat'' had his parents murdered, and then he was temporarily taken care of by their ''murderer'', albeit not by choice. After he dies, he's picked up by Carl, a Chronos member.

** Actually, a scene in the Gundam movies specifically states that [[spoiler: Tem died through DeathByFallingOver in Side 7, having plummeted down the stairs of his home during Amuro's battle.]]

* In ''Anime/{{Toradora}}'', Ryuuji Takasu's father is dead [[spoiler: but we later learn that he just walked on his mom when she was still preggers]], so he lives with his mother Yasuko. OTOH, Taiga Aisaka lives alone because she has problems fitting in at home ever since her mother re-married, and [[spoiler: her father ran away from home after his business went down the toilet, and is quite a JerkAss otherwise.]] In the end, [[spoiler: Taiga returns to her home so she can deal with her familiar problems.]]

** It's also applicable to {{Tsukihime}}. Shiki's biological parents are dead. His foster father died before the start of the story and is the plot catalyst. Only passing mention of the mother, it's assumed she died. Arihiko has no family left except his sister. Ciel's parents are dead [[spoiler:because she killed them]]. Hisui and Kohaku don't even know their surnames let alone their parents. Most of the rest of the cast aren't people who actually ''would'' have families of any sort. An exception is made for Satsuki, who apparently has a healthy home life. Maybe that's why her route was removed?

* ''ThePrinceOfTennis'' is a rather curious case. With the exception of Ryoma's relatives (parents, [[CoolBigSis cute female cousin]], pet cat), Ryuzaki-sensei's relationship with her granddaughter Sakuno (whose parents aren't even * mentioned* ), Akutsu [[spoiler: and his [[HotShounenMom beautiful]] AbsurdlyYouthfulMother ([[DisappearedDad what happened to the father]], nobody knows)]], Kawamura and his father the genki sushi chef, and/or the siblings who are into tennis as well (Yuuta and Shusuke Fuji, Kippei and An Tachibana, Senri and Miyuki Chitose, Narumi and Kurumi Ijyuin), the players' families are usually ignored, or only their voices are heard in the background. If they ''do'' show up, it's generally in small manga chapters (Tezuka's parents and grandfather, Fuji's mother) or tennis-related cameos ([[HelloNurse Yumiko Fuji]], Kaidoh's parents and younger brother). [[spoiler: And in the case of the Americans, [[AbusiveParents they're not exactly the best role models either]] (Kevin's father is an alcoholic who raised him as a tennis {{Tykebomb}}, the Griffy twins' aunt and caretaker was abusive and sold them out to their mentor)]]

* ''ScienceNinjaTeamGatchaman'' is fond of this one:

** Inverted in the prequel, ''[[FateZero Fate/Zero]]'' -- Kiritsugu (Shirou's adoptive father, and protagonist) left Illya, his daughter, knowing that he can't be reunited with her, which is the reason for her strange relationship with Shirou in ''Fate/stay night''.

** Princess Charlotte's birth mother died, her stepmother [[ParentalNeglect more or less ignored her]], and her father [[spoiler: who had previously [[ParentalIncest tried to rape her]]]] is now dead.

** Naturally, it's {{Lampshaded}} in ''{{Yu-Gi-Oh The Abridged Series}}'' several times. After Tea and Tristan snuck on a boat heading for the private island of the BigBad of the season, Tristan wonders if their parents even care that they're missing.

* A suprising number of characters from ''{{Baccano}}!'' are a victim of this:

* The parents of Kotomi in ''{{Clannad}}'' don't seem to be very present in her life despite being famous scholars. [[spoiler: We later find out why when it's revealed that they died in a plane crash. And they loved her. A lot. Until the very end. But Kotomi herself was so traumatised by their deaths that she convinced herself they were in permanent travels and dedicated herself only to her studies]]. There is also Tomoya, who is estranged from his father; given the fact that said father was responsible for injuring his arm in a drunken fit and thus preventing Tomoya from ever fulfilling his dream of becoming a basketball player, it is not surprising that it should be so. [[spoiler:At one point Tomoya even leaves home to live with Nagisa and her family because of issues with his father; however, it is hinted that they are on their way to healthier relationship in the last episode of the anime, and in fact Tomoya's dad ''did'' try to raise him well at first but succumbed to depression at some point and became an alcoholic.]].
** The trope is heavily subverted with Nagisa's parents, who shower her and each other with affection, but then again, [[spoiler:they did not pay much attention to her when she was a child due to their work and because of that Nagisa nearly died; one could say that it is a rare case of the trope evolving into a normal family situation]].
** And of course Tomoya's relationship with [[spoiler: Ushio]]. Not only does Tomoya end up mirroring the relationship with his own father, but by [[spoiler: becoming a doting parent when Ushio is 5 years old, mirrors the relationship with Nagisa and her parents]].

* ''TokyoMewMew'' has ''lots'' of this. Out of the five main girls, only Ichigo (and in the anime, also Retasu) is shown to have a normal family. Minto's parents are too busy to look after her, so she is watched over by her grandmother. Bu-ling has to take care of her five younger siblings because her mother is dead and her father is away -- and she's only nine at the end of the series. Zakuro has no known relatives and apparently lives alone; ''she's'' fifteen at the end. Finally, there's TeenGenius Ryou, whose parents were killed in the {{backstory}}, and [[HoYay whose only family appears to be his partner Keiichiro]].

** Well, not Nia; her father is [[spoiler:Lordgenome]]. No mention of her mother. [[spoiler:If she even had one, that is.]]
*** She picks up ParentalAbandonment ''during'' the series, when [[spoiler:she's stuck in a box and thrown out like garbage]].

* In ToraDora, Ryuuji Takasu's father is dead [[spoiler: but we later learn that he just walked on his mom when she was still preggers]], so he lives with his mother Yasuko. OTOH, Taiga Aisaka lives alone because she has problems fitting in at home ever since her mother re-married, and [[spoiler: her father ran away from home after his business went down the toilet, and is quite a JerkAss otherwise.]] In the end, [[spoiler: Taiga returns to her home so she can deal with her familiar problems.]]

* Both series of ''HanaukyoMaidTai''. Both of Taro's parents are dead, and both of Cynthia's parents gave her up to the Hanaukyo family.

* ''AstroBoy'' was actually ''sold'' by his father/creator to what amounted to slavers.

* In ''{{ARIA}}'' there is no mention of Alice's parents, even though she is only 14 years old at the start of the series. Likewise, Akari never mentions her parents, despite being only 16 years old when she moves to Aqua. The only one from Manhome who she has any contact with is Ai--at least in the Anime.

* All three of ''[[FateStayNight Fate/stay night]]'''s key human characters have parent issues. Shirou is an orphan, and the man who adopted him is also dead. Rin is living alone, her father having died in the previous Grail War; the man who's been her guardian since then [[spoiler:is in fact the BigBad, and her father's killer]]. Worst off by far is Sakura: [[spoiler:her parents gave her to a foster family years ago, and she's been suffering horrific abuse at their hands ever since.]]

* In ''{{Berserk}}'', Casca was thrown out of her house at a very young age because her parents couldn't support her, and was taken in by a noble who wanted another servant girl -- only it turned out that the scumbag [[IfYouKnowWhatIMean didn't want her for cooking or cleaning]], and she was saved by Griffith. Guts, meanwhile, was born from a pregnant woman's hanged corpse and taken in by Shisu, a prostitute who had just had a stillbirth and thus saw baby Guts as a ReplacementGoldfish; she later died of the plague. His adoptive father, a mercenary leader... deserved ''everything'' Guts eventually did to him.

* In ''[[{{Anime/Ptitlei015gc004kw4}} Pokémon]]'', Ash's father ''seems'' to be alive but not around, for some vague, non-traumatic reason. As well, it seems that not only is it socially acceptable, but a ''cultural expectation'' that if a child wishes to be a Pokemon trainer, he/she has to leave their house at least at the age of ''ten'' and travel the world looking for Pokemon completely alone (unless they find unrelated traveling partners). This is mitigated somewhat by the general helpfulness of the ''Pokémon'' world's residents, and the fact that a Pokemon trainer is TheKidWithTheRemoteControl of what is potentially an incredibly powerful weapon.