Follow TV Tropes

Following

Context AFatherToHisMen / VideoGames

Go To

1%%%
2%%
3%% This page has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in the correct order. Thanks!
4%%
5%%%
6
7----
8
9* Shi-Long Lang, the Interpol agent from ''VisualNovel/AceAttorneyInvestigations'' is intensely devoted to his men and is adored by them in return. This is both played for laughs (as when he insists that the 99 agents under his command should not count off from 1 to 99, but should all count off as '1' because they're all #1), and played totally straight [[spoiler: when he takes a bullet for one of his agents, even though she had been revealed as a spy in his unit ''and'' a wanted murderer not five minutes prior, on the grounds that she was ''still one of his agents'', and therefore it was his responsibility to keep her from harm.]]
10** There's a scene earlier than the above-spoilered one that highlights just what extremes Lang takes this trope: He gives one of his men a birthday present. But it's not for the man he gave it to; It's for the man's younger brother's wife's younger brother.
11** Yuri Cosmos, from ''Dual Destinies''. He may [[SmallNameBigEgo care a bit too much about himself]], but he definitely cares about his men, and will and has done anything in his power to save them during [[spoiler:the space center bombings]].
12* A common staple of ''VideoGame/AceCombat''.
13** [[RedBaron Yellow 13]] from ''VideoGame/AceCombat04ShatteredSkies'' prided himself not on how many kills he got in battle but how he never lost a {{Wingman}} in combat.
14** Commander Dietrich Kellerman, aka Silber One from ''VideoGame/AceCombatZeroTheBelkanWar'' was this.
15** To a lesser extent, so was Victor Vochek and his successor, Ilya Pasternak to the rest of Strigon Team in ''VideoGame/AceCombat6FiresOfLiberation''.
16** ''Ace Combat Zero'' also featured a female version, though in a minor unnamed and unseen character. In one mission you are ordered to destroy a Belkan base with a female commander who can be briefly heard through radio transmissions. Upon other transmissions from the soldiers in the base, it can be heard that they greatly admire her, for her beauty as well as her courage, and all see themselves as equivalent to her sons. At the end, despite a brutal defeat, she even reassures her troops and says they all fought well and with honor.
17* ''VideoGame/AdvanceWars:''
18** Though he is a little rough around the edges, Olaf is very much like this to both Grit and Colin. Andy even remarks on how they get along like a happy family when they liberate Blue Moon from Black Hole:
19---> '''Olaf:''' Colin's right!! In fact, you're both great commanders! You're the mold from which great [=COs=] are made! You're the children of Blue Moon! You're MY children!
20---> '''Grit:''' YOUR children? You tryin' to scare old Colin half to death?
21** Captain Brenner/O'Brian in ''Advance Wars: Days of Ruin'', who indeed serves as an idealized counterbalance to the leader of the other Rubinelle/Laurentinian faction.
22* ''[[VideoGame/AirForceDelta Air Force Delta Strike]]'' has Holst Prendre being this to Brian.
23* The fire chief in ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamKnight'' holds a lot of respect and admiriation from his men for the compassion and bravery he shows not just to them, but also to the victims of the fires they put out. [[spoiler:It also delves into the dark side of this trope when we see how far the "dad" is willing to go for his "kids", as the climax of that sidequest is learning that the chief was working with Firefly to deliberately set fire to cleared-out areas in order to keep the department from sliding into irrelevance. His men are utterly devestated when they find out.]]
24* Emperor Doviculous of ''VideoGame/BrutalLegend'' is ''literally'' a father to his men ([[AbusiveParents an abusive one]]). Every single one of them is his own offspring. ''That's how you make more when you play as him in multiplayer''. What do you expect from a demon king dressed in BDSM gear and voiced by Creator/TimCurry?
25* ''VideoGame/CriminalCase'': Gauthier Delacroix, the Chief of the [[VideoGame/CriminalCaseCityOfRomance Parisian Police Department]], is always looking out for his colleagues, whom he clearly regards as a family. In the very first Additional Investigation, he is willing to personally assist Carrie -- a new recruit -- patrol the streets of Paris to look for her missing brother; and when another subordinate becomes unhealthily obsessed with a dating app, he takes the time to stage an intervention and bring Emile back to his senses.
26* Fontana from ''VideoGame/DeadRising4'' actually cares quite a lot for the troops under her command, in stark contrast to every other military leader in the series thus far, being unwilling to put her troops at unnecessary risk. [[spoiler:She goes so far as to order them to ''not'' come to her aid, knowing that they would just be slaughtered by Calder, and opts instead to [[HeroicSacrifice kill herself to try and take it down instead]]]]. Even Frank is taken back by this, remarking how it's odd to see a mercenary who actually cares about her troops.
27--> '''Fontana:''' Wolves take care of their pack, Frank.
28* Master Big Star from ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea 3|AbsenceOfJustice}}'' fills this role nicely. The late King Kricheveskoy also appears to have been one, if Etna's accounts are anything to go by.
29** King Kricheveskoy definitely fits in ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea|HourOfDarkness}}''. The vassals scattered around the castle make many mentions of it: when a former enemy of the late king's shows up and attacks Laharl, they go to his defense explicitly in honor of Kricheveskoy's legacy. Later, after Laharl becomes the new Overlord, one of them even says he cannot think of anyone but Kricheveskoy as truly being the Overlord. None of them ever have anything but kind words for him, and they mention him often.
30** Valvatorez of ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea 4|APromiseUnforgotten}}'' may be strict with his Prinnies, per his job as a Prinny Instructor in Hades, but he treats them with respect and is willing to issue sardines for exceptional performance, even if it means breaking up a culling. As a result, his Prinnies are exceedingly loyal and decently competent.
31** The yellow Prinnies of Toto Bunny are charged with assisting the Overlord in helping keep the peace and are duly respected by the royal family. Their loyalty and competence is equal to that of Valvatorez' Prinnies, to the point [[spoiler:one such Prinny steals a plate of curry from Seraphina's pocket Netherworld, annihilates several of Seraphina's Prinnies and endures beatings from the rebel army and the Lost just to aid her young master and thinks nothing of it]].
32* Aveline Vallen in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' is the den mother to the Kirkwall guards once she becomes captain -- not that she ever coddles them, and she [[BerserkButton gets upset if anyone ever questions if she does]].
33* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'':
34** The Inquisitor can be played this way, at one point telling Leliana who is beating herself up over putting her people before the mission, that their people aren't tools to be thrown away. Cullen, the commander of the Inquisition military forces, also deeply cares for the men under his command and warns them not to put themselves in danger unless they absolutely have to.
35** On the villainous side, Samson, the general of the Red Templars and one of the two possible [[TheDragon Dragons]] for the BigBad, acts as something of an EvilCounterpart to Cullen. He becomes enraged when the Inquisitor starts killing his men and inspires genuine loyalty from them, to the point that they are willing to throw their lives away in order to help him escape, something that saddens him when he learns of it.
36** Grand Enchanter Fiona, the leader of the rebel mages, is another example. Everything she does, including entering a desperate alliance with the Venatori, she did so that her subordinates would not be exterminated by the Templars or the Chantry. In the quest "In Hushed Whispers," when she finds out that Magister Alexius only wanted her mages as CannonFodder for his army, and that he works for [[BigBad The Elder One]], she immediately objects.
37* Starscourge Radahn of ''VideoGame/EldenRing'' was said to greatly care for the men under his command and treasured his Red Lion army. His soldiers returned that sentiment so much that, when he fell into madness because of the Scarlet Rot, [[AGoodWayToDie they organized the elaborate Radahn Festival to give him an honorable death]].
38* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls''
39** In the series' backstory, this is said to have been the case for [[GodEmperor Tiber Septim]], [[FounderOfTheKingdom founder of the Third Cyrodiilic Empire]]. Following his posthumous [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence apotheosis]] as the [[DeityOfHumanOrigin deity Talos]], he ''[[RealityWarper warped reality]]'' to change Cyrodiil from a tropical jungle to a more temperate forest in order to please the [[BadassArmy Imperial Legions]] who served him as a mortal.
40--> '''Talos:''' ''"You have suffered for me to win this throne, and I see how you hate jungle. Let me show you the power of Talos Stormcrown, born of the North, where my breath is long winter. I breathe now, in royalty, and reshape this land which is mine. I do this for you, Red Legions, for I love you."''
41** The [[LongDeadBadass ancient]] [[FounderOfTheKingdom Nordic hero]] Ysgramor was one both in the figurative sense and, to a degree, in the literal sense. He's known as the father of the Nordic people and to a lesser extent, of all mankind (in Septim propaganda). Every Nordic king has claimed at least some ancestry with him.
42** Vilena Donton, the Guildmaster of the Fighter's Guild in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]''. Bonus points since her son Viranus is part of the Guild. Unfortunately, [[DeconstructedTrope her doting and overprotective nature causes her to make mistakes]] [[spoiler:and she reacts very badly when Viranus is killed, blaming and kicking out the most competent members of her guild (including ''you'').]]
43* William Cabot, leader of The Crew in ''Videogame/{{Evolve}}''. On several occasions, he's shown to care for the members of his team, such as offering to use his connections with Hub to allow Abe to see his father again or reassuring Jack that the others will stop ribbing him once they get a chance to work with him.
44* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'':
45** General Leo of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' is a classic video game example. In fact, his EstablishingCharacterMoment has him reminding one of his troops that he (said trooper) is a human being before he is a soldier. Made all the more apparent for the fact that he's ''immediately'' contrasted against [[OmnicidalManiac Omnicidal]] MonsterClown [[BigBad Kefka]], who takes over Leo's post when he's called away.
46** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'', Gaius van Baelsar. He acts as a ParentalSubstitute[=/=]TeamDad for two of his generals, promotes based on achievements and merit rather than social status, and is visibly upset when he learns the heroes killed one of them. Later expansions reveal that he had a habit of taking the war orphans he found under his wing, and raising them as his own. Many of these children would go on to join the Imperial army and serve under him, wanting to repay his kindness. He even acted as a ParentalSubstitute to Cid nan Garlond after his relationship with his father Midas soured due to the latter's obsession with the Meteor project.
47*** Also, one of Gaius' previously mentioned generals, Rhitahtyn sas Arvina. He is initially flanked by two Imperial {{mooks}} when you confront him, but he sends them away when he realizes they would just get killed if they tried to help him. These soldiers end up returning with the reinforcements and refuse to leave out of loyalty towards him. Patch 6.1 updated the fight so that Rhitatyn becomes enraged upon seeing his soldiers die, vowing to avenge their deaths after which he dishes out everything his got at the player.
48* ''Franchise/FireEmblem'':
49** Greil from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance'' is like this, saying things like "It doesn't matter what our blood ties are; we are all family. So if you don't want to cause your family any grief, then live!" By the end of the game, [[PromotionToParent his son Ike has taken on the same role.]]
50** Mustafa from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' provides a rare [[NobleDemon antagonist]] example. He not only demonstrates [[AntiVillain these qualities]], but adds complexity to [[ReligionOfEvil Plegia]] as a whole simply by existing. He shows tact, respect, concern for the lives of others and especially the men under his command, and (as reported in Henry's supports) kindness freely given to others long before you meet him. Unlike nearly every other enemy commander in Awakening, [[spoiler: besides Yen'Fay,]] there are no mixed feelings amongst the Shepherds about him: he was a good man, and it pains them to have to fight him. In a better world, he could easily have ''joined'' them.
51* In ''Videogame/FateGrandOrder'' Goredolf Musik, despite initially coming off as a pompous blowhard, when assuming the role of Director of Chaldea is shown to be someone who puts the safety and well-being of the people around him above all else with Da Vinci even stating that he treats any danger towards them as a threat to himself. His seemingly-cowardly nature is borne out of a desire to keep the remainder of Chaldea away from unnecessary harm and is even willing to personally negotiate with an enemy Servant for their safety. Da Vinci speculates that he was likely given a harsh upbringing where he was taught to empathize and show concern for the lives of others.
52* Kratos to his fellow Spartans. Even when he becomes the god of war in the second game he does not forget them and they become his most devoted and favored followers. In ''VideoGame/GodOfWarIII'' the Spartans stay loyal to Kratos even in death itself -- it is ''their'' strength he calls upon in this game, as opposed to the Olympians in the first game and the Titans in the second.
53* ''VideoGame/GodsWillBeWatching'': Sergeant Burden tries his best to keep his entire team well even through some ridiculous hardships, and the team looks up to him for it.
54* King Volechek from ''VideoGame/GoldenSunDarkDawn'', who [[HeroicSacrifice gives his life]] to save his people from the ApocalypseHow that [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone he unleashed]].
55* ''VideoGame/HiddenCity'': Mr. Black, the Head of the Security Service is a subtle example. He'd make a [[ParentsAsPeople poor father figure]]--being proud, obstinate and frequently stuck in his own prejudices--but he definitely cares for his agents. He seems upset when he discovers the terrible things his agents went through when many of them got trapped inside the headquarters because of the fog, and expresses pride over what they've done for the City. In an event, he insists on holding a proper celebration in honor of their achievements and sacrifice, and is annoyed by the other citizens' apparent indifference towards them. And despite Violet accusing him of being a coward who can only hide behind orders, this is obviously not the case, as Mr. Black prefers to conduct investigations on his own rather than delegating the tasks to his subordinates, often at a great risk to himself.
56* In ''VideoGame/{{Infernal}}'', the commander of the ''HMS Liberty'' seems to care deeply that Lennox has killed some of his crew. It's the villainous version of this trope since the casualties in question were incurred when Lennox was breaking out of a torture room.
57* ''VideoGame/JudgmentRites'': Just as in the [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries original series]], Kirk cares a good deal about his crew. When accused by Ellis that he is a BadBoss who throws the lives of his men away, he says that each and every man lost haunts him and that he does his best to protect everyone -- but space is a dangerous place, and people will die no matter what you do.
58* ''VideoGame/KidIcarusUprising'':
59** Pit cares more about the [[RedShirtArmy Centurions']] well-being than he does his own, and the feeling is entirely mutual.
60** Viridi outright refers to the members of the Forces of Nature as her children.
61* ''VideoGame/{{Kirby}}'':
62** Although the ''VideoGame/{{Kirby}}'' series isn't exactly known for its deep characterization, what we see of Meta Knight's interactions with his endless army of FacelessGoons seems to indicate he plays this role for them; yet another one of the reasons he's the resident WorthyOpponent and HeroAntagonist. ''VideoGame/KirbySuperStar'''s "Revenge of Meta Knight" makes it a bit more explicit. He tells his crew to abandon ship before it crashes into the ocean while he distracts Kirby with a [[DuelBoss final duel]]. His crew likes him too much and they decide to [[MultiMookMelee fight Kirby first]]. He snaps at them for being so willing to throw away their lives, then apologizes under his breath for allowing things to get to the point that they would have to.
63** Meanwhile, King Dedede is shown to care deeply for his Waddle Dees. While he proclaims that [[HypocriticalHeartwarming only he can be mean to his Waddle Dees]], he's shown to be incredibly protective of them and will risk his life to keep them safe. In ''VideoGame/KirbyAndTheForgottenLand'', he does a HeroicSacrifice just for the sake of one Waddle Dee. No wonder nobody tries to overthrow the self-proclaimed king; he earned his claim to the throne.
64* While not at all important in the gameplay, Swain in ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'' is said to be in the lore an incredible strategist and commander, with soldiers who survive serving under him becoming fanatically loyal while superiors request demotions just to join his unit.
65* [[TheHero Rean Schwarzer]] in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsOfColdSteel III'' is this towards his students, enough that some fans refer to him as the dad of the group. Never mind that he's only 6 years older than the youngest member in his class.
66* ''VideoGame/LisaThePointlessScholarOfTheWilburSin'': Francis Gizmo Jr. to his partners, Wallaby and Kroger. If you damage one of them enough, he'll immediately shield them with his own body, and if you kill both, he'll berate himself over not being a good enough leader.
67* ''Franchise/MassEffect'':
68** [[PlayerCharacter Commander Shepard]] can clearly be this in both games if played as a [[TheParagon Paragon]]; striking up friendships with all his/her subordinates and often passing along compliments, encouragements, and [[spoiler: risking his/her and the party members' lives to rescue them in the sequel]], as well as [[spoiler: fulfilling the "cut up about losing a squadmate" portion of the trope quite handily in the first game...]] Not to mention, [[GoodIsNotSoft arguably the most dangerous thing a person can do,]] is attempting to harm the people under his/her command, current or former. Some variants of Renegade Shepard could also qualify as a JerkWithAHeartOfGold version of this.
69** Captain Anderson is also this, especially towards Shepard. ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' reinforces this in particular [[spoiler: with Anderson's last words to her/him.]]
70---> [[spoiler:'''Anderson:''' You did good, [child/son]. You did good. I'm proud of you.]]
71** General Victus from ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' is shown to have this dynamic with his men. One of the reasons he's reluctant to accept his promotion to Primarch is that he'll have to leave his men on the battlefield while he goes politicking. Even when convinced, he requests a few minutes to say goodbye to his subordinates.
72* ''VideoGame/MenOfValor'': Lieutenant Zook. [[spoiler:So much that when he died, [[PlayerCharacter Dean]] remarked that "things aren't the same anymore"]]. And Captain Van Bao.
73* ''VideoGame/MetalGear:''
74** Big Boss in the series in general. The kids at Zanzibar Land called him their "One-Eyed Uncle", and there is a very good reason why his men are genuinely loyal to him instead of serving him out of fear. He's also something of a deconstruction. When things go wrong and his soldiers die, Big Boss ''really'' has a tough time dealing with it. Eventually [[DespairEventHorizon he can't take it anymore]] and [[ProtagonistJourneyToVillain things]] [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope don't]] [[ForeverWar end]] [[CrapsackWorld well.]] Notably, during [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVGroundZeroes the destruction of Mother Base]], he's completely calm for almost the entire fight, until he sees a good number of his men cut down in front of him, at which point he goes into a rage and almost needs to be dragged back to the chopper.
75** The Boss to her Cobra Unit in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater''. She was the one who trained Big Boss and thought of him as her greatest student, having developed [[CloseRangeCombatant CQC]] alongside him. Their relationship became a more literal example of this trope than most, as she became a surrogate mother to him after losing her own son to the AncientConspiracy and being rendered infertile by her involvement in [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Buster%E2%80%93Jangle Operation Buster–Jangle]], whereas Big Boss was a teenager in a war zone.
76** Big Mama to the Paradise Lost Army in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots''; she even outright calls her men her "children."
77** Amanda Valenciano Libre to the Sandinistas in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker'', although she herself is a deconstruction as while her men do have some respect for her, they tend to address her on a first-name basis instead of referring to her by her proper title of "Comandante". [[spoiler:At least until late into Chapter 4 after she, Miller, the Sandinistas, and the MSF [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome save Big Boss from Zadornov at literally the last possible moment.]]]]
78* Surprisingly, General Donald Morden from ''VideoGame/MetalSlug'' was said to have been this back when he was a Vice Admiral in the Regular Army. When he eventually resigned [[spoiler: due to his son's preventable death]], everyone formerly under his command followed him out, sheerly from loyalty. The fact they're still there fighting after half a dozen games spent getting [[TheGoomba slaughtered by the hundreds by the Peregrine Falcon squad]] already spells it out.
79* Giovanni from the ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' series is hinted to be one. Whilst he isn't shown doing anything particularly noteworthy for his grunts on-screen, his reasons for disbanding Team Rocket are due to being unable to face his followers, with the remakes specifically having him say he betrayed their trust. His speech to [[spoiler: his son]] in the Celebi event in the ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'' remakes has him stressing the importance of using the potential of an organization and how he failed to do that. Tellingly, Neo Team Rocket's true goal in ''Gold and Silver'' is to call Giovanni to return to lead them.
80* Played with in reference to Dutch van der Linde in ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption2''. He certainly fancies himself this and acts this way throughout the first half of the main story or so but drops it once his SanitySlippage kicks in. Whether he was EvilAllAlong is left open to the player's interpretation but if one sees it this way, he was never this but pretended to be for his own ends. If you take the interpretation that he did change throughout the game, he was once this but lost it once the TraumaCongaLine of the story kicks in. Some of the characters take the former stance (like Arthur and John who even believes this in the [[VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption first game]]) but some of them (like Sadie and Charles) take the latter. By the end of the story, he leaves [[spoiler: his "sons" John (twice!) and Arthur to die.]]
81* ''Franchise/ResidentEvil''
82** Surprisingly enough, [[BigBad Albert Wesker]], of all people, might be this to S.T.A.R.S., if his line upon TheReveal that [[spoiler:he's Umbrella's [[MoleInCharge mole within STARS]]]] is anything to go by (also doubles as an EvenEvilHasStandards). On the other hand, he could have been being sarcastic, and he is willing to [[spoiler:kill Marini, send the team on a suicide mission to collect combat data, blackmail Barry, and gloat about how easy Barry was to manipulate]].
83-->'''Wesker:''' "The Tyrant virus leaked, polluting this whole place... and unfortunately, I had to give up my lovely members of S.T.A.R.S...."
84** Played straight with Chris Redfield in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil6'' as he becomes a father figure to his [=BSSA=] team and when Ada [[spoiler: aka Clara]] burns them alive, Chris goes through HeroicBSOD and amnesia that takes Piers and dozen others to pull Chris out of. When recovered Chris wastes no time going on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge after Ada and is barely stopped by Leon.
85** In ''Anime/ResidentEvilVendetta'', Leon himself had his own squad of troops that were killed in a bombing in D.C and which he was forced to kill again when they zombiefied. Traumatized, Leon falls into a drunken stupor similar to Chris in ''[=RE6=]'' and becomes apathetic to saving the world [[TheWorldIsAlwaysDoomed considering it futile]], thankfully Chris and Rebecca bring him to his senses.
86* ''VideoGame/ReturnOfTheObraDinn'': [[spoiler:First Mate William Hoscut]] is shown to be a more caring authority figure than the relatively stern captain or [[spoiler:the corrupt Second Mate Edward Nichols]], with enough heart to comfort a dying [[PluckyMiddie midshipman]] even after all the tragedy the ship has endured.
87-->'''[[spoiler:Hoscut]]:''' Bear up, son. I'll stay with ye.\
88'''[[spoiler:Lanke]]:''' Tell Pete's mother, I...I tried my best. To pull him back. To save him.\
89'''[[spoiler:Hoscut]]:''' You tell her yourself. Brennan! Bring the surgeon's kit!
90* In ''Videogame/SabresOfInfinity'' Should you take the time to gain your men's trust and respect, you yourself can be this.
91--> '''Sergeant Lanzerel:''' Begging your pardon sir, but we missed you. It'd be a fine honour to serve under your command again.
92* The Boss from ''VideoGame/SaintsRow''. Even at their most depraved, loyalty to their men is one of their constants, and they will repay any wrong done to the Saints a thousand times over. Just ask Jessica, who thought she could subject one of the Saints to a CruelAndUnusualDeath. She got paid in full for that.
93* ''VideoGame/SamuraiWarriors'':
94** ''Samurai Warriors 2'' plays with this for magnificent, awesome and SugarWiki/{{Funny|Moments}} effect: Nene is a mother to her men -- in that she warns them to be careful with their knees and elbows, tells the enemy to stop firing cannons so as not to wake the neighbors (and upon beating them, remarks: "Such weak enemies! Who's feeding them anyway?" with some concern on her face), and, in general, seems to be blissfully unaware of how a battle between two armies is supposed to work -- made all the funnier by the fact that she's a very skilled warrior, and that the morale of the men who hear her motherly warnings increases.
95** In a slightly more traditional bent, Ujiyasu Hojo from ''Samurai Warriors 3'' treats even the {{Mook}}iest of his soldiers like his own kin, taking the time to speak to them personally and address their worries, a bit like a rough old uncle or grandfather. Thanks to this treatment, his men are absolutely ''fanatical'' in their loyalty to him as a result.
96* Takeda Shingen from ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara'' cares deeply about his men, and in particular has a fatherly affection for his young ward Yukimura.
97** Chosokabe Motochika is also a good example, though he's rather young so his crew see him as more of an older brother than a father.
98** Tachibana Muneshige and Maeda Toshiie also claim that their soldiers are like family to them.
99** One can't discuss ''Sengoku Basara'' without also mentioning Date Masamune, who doesn't give a second thought to waltzing into a trap while badly wounded to save a handful of his subordinates.
100** Despite his ruthless demeanor, Toyotomi Hideyoshi cares a lot for his subordinates, which is why they're so fiercely loyal to him, especially [[VillainousFriendship Hanbe]] and [[PsychoSupporter Mitsunari]]. It's Hideyoshi's care for his men that makes him oppose Nobunaga in ''[=SB2=]''.
101* ''VideoGame/{{Shadowverse}}'': Rowen treats his comrades like if they were his family members, which is why he is well-liked and respected in his squad. This makes his fate as the SoleSurvivor tragic.
102* Commander Gore from ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiStrangeJourney'' gives off very strong vibes of this. [[spoiler: This only makes his death, however, temporary, a much harder PlayerPunch.]]
103** And later on in the game, [[spoiler:he comes back, as an [[OurZombiesAreDifferent Ubergestalt]]. At first he appears to have done a FaceHeelTurn, but defeating a particular boss later brings him back to his senses and memories, and returns to the Red Sprite with final words of encouragement for the Strike Team. Depending on your personality, he'll either [[HopeSpot decide you're]] [[ThatOneBoss unworthy of your existence]] or assist you in destroying the Schwarzwelt and saving humanity.]]
104* In ''VideoGame/SpaceQuestVTheNextMutation'', Roger quickly proves himself to be this to the crew of the Eureka. Him willing to risk his life against W-D40 to keep them out of harm's way, and the lengths he goes to to save Cliffy from prison, are what make his crew actually warm up to him and decide he's not such a bad captain.
105* General Horace Warfield from ''VideoGame/StarCraftII'' definitely gives off this vibe, especially considering that [[spoiler:when he was laying on the ground impaled by a steel girder, having just lost a horrific battle against the Zerg and facing down Kerrigan, the lord and master of said Zerg, his primary concern was that she spare the retreating transports filled with his wounded men.]]
106* Captain Sarnova of ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'' would appear to be the feminine version of this. "MY men. Practically my kids!"
107* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros''
108** Within the RPG spinoffs, Bowser is shown to be this to his minions, as his minions follow him out of respect and adoration for him, not fear, despite his numerous losses. It's worth noting that Bowser is also an actual father, and there's never been any sign of turmoil between him and Junior, to the point that within ''VideoGame/FortuneStreet'', Bowser Jr. is the only character Bowser would never insult should he and his son compete against each other on the same board as [=NPCs=], even while losing to him.
109** ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory''. Before Bowser's minions notice him about to rescue them, they talk amongst themselves how Bowser would surely help them out of their situation. This is likely due to Bowser being the most competent person in their army. If Bowser simply tries to walk away and leave his minions in their cages, he'll stop and force himself to go back for them.
110** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG''. He meets up with a Goomba that had gone AWOL from the Koopa Troop and had kids sometime after. Rather than throwing a fit and demanding he comes back, he acts understanding and excuses the Goomba for his running away and wishes him the best of luck, which paints him as genuinely nice to his own.
111** The ''VideoGame/PaperMario'' series does this as well: he is a UniversallyBelovedLeader among his mooks, and ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'' even has a mook point out that in Bowser's books, it is much less terrible to fail him and run away than it is to fail him and run away without making sure that your fellow mooks are all right first.
112** In ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiDreamTeam'': Following another defeat at the hands of the Mario Bros, instead of blaming it on his minions, he tells them that they did rather well and instead pins it on Antasma. This is despite the fact that said minions had gotten curb-stomped by Mario and Luigi.
113** ''VideoGame/BowserJrsJourney'' makes this a central plot point, specifically analyzing the reasons why Bowser inspires his minions and demonstrating how Bowser Jr. does not, forcing CharacterDevelopment on the latter's part.
114* Lt. Colonel Daitetsu (from ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'') actually mentions that he feels this way to his second in command, Tetsuya.
115* Coronado De Cava lampshades this in ''VideoGame/TalesOfMonkeyIsland Chapter 3: Lair of the Leviathan'' when he tells Guybrush and Morgan about his crew members (Bugeye, Moose, Santino, and Noogie), "I may have been a stern leader, but I loved them like sons."
116* Lars Alexandersson of the VideoGame/{{Tekken}} series.
117* The ''VideoGame/TotalWar'' games often have 'Uncle to his men' as a trait for Generals—it generally results in increased morale, though higher levels of the trait introduce penalties to discipline, reflected in shorter strategic-level marching distance. 'Social Drinker' also qualifies, as the description involves him having a flagon or two with his men.
118* Graven Ashe, the Archon of War in ''VideoGame/{{Tyranny}}'', is this to [[EliteArmy The Disfavoured]]. The Disfavoured motto and main greeting is "Graven Ashe Protects", which is NotHyperbole -- his Archon power is literally to feel and heal the wounds that his soldiers receive in battle. It's eventually revealed that it was his abilities as an inspiring leader that led to him becoming an Archon due to their belief in him manifesting into a protective aegis, which the Disfavoured refer to as "Graven Ashe's Love". [[spoiler:Later in the game it's revealed that not only is Graven Ashe healing his soldiers through his Aegis, he's actually [[EmpathicHealer transferring their wounds onto himself]] [[TheMenFirst to relieve them of their pain]]. As the Conquest of the Tiers progresses, Ashe grows steadily weaker from taking on wounds faster than he can heal them.]]
119* One of the first clues that [[ScaryBlackWoman Nadine Ross]] in ''VideoGame/Uncharted4AThiefsEnd'' is not just a [[AmoralAfrikaner stereotypical evil South African]] is the fact that she deeply cares for the men in Shoreline, her army of PrivateMilitaryContractors. As shown by her dialogue towards Nate, a main reason she's so vindictive in her battles with him -- [[CurbStompBattle if you can call them "battles"]] -- is because of [[WhatMeasureIsAMook all her men he's killed]] on the way to finding Libertalia. [[spoiler:Sadly, Nadine's men don't care for her as much as she cares for them, because Rafe Adler is able to [[OnlyInItForTheMoney bribe them into betraying her]].]] A lot of Nadine's protectiveness seems to transfer to her new treasure-hunting teammate [[AwesomeAussie Chloe Frazer]] in ''VideoGame/UnchartedTheLostLegacy'', since she comes across as a worrywort over Chloe's impulsiveness.
120* [[VideoGame/ValkyriaChronicles Selvaria Bles]] is arguably a female version of this trope according to the DLC. Taking the front lines alongside her soldiers, giving up her cot for exhausted subordinates, rewarding her troops for going above and beyond their normal duties
121** Hell, there are hints of this even in the main story. More often than not, she'll issue the order "All Units Heal".
122* In ''VideoGame/WildArms2'', Cocytus Ptolomea is an AntiVillain and FriendlyEnemy whose greatest concern is for the men who serve under him. [[spoiler:Ptolomea's dying wish is for ARMS to save his men from demise.]]
123* ''VideoGame/TheWitcher2'': The intro proved, beyond a doubt, that for all King Foltest's many and colourful flaws he cares about his men and they love him.
124--> Foltest: You there! Soldier! What's your name?... Wait... Norman Sador, right?! You fought for me at the Battle of Brenna [nearly eight years earlier]! Still an arbalist?
125--> Norman Sador: Yes, Sire. Fate has not been kind to me.
126--> Foltest: Hah! Arbalist Sador, for your many years of loyal service to the Crown, I appoint you decurion of the arbalists!
127* ''VideoGame/WorldInConflict'': Both Nikolai Malashenko and Vladimir Orlovsky have this trait. Malashenko often specifically refers to the men, both when praising and berating you. Orlovsky's wife writes to him saying all the women there who husbands are under his command are truly lucky because they know he cares for them, and he rebukes Malashenko sharply when he insinuates that Orlovsky isn't taking adequate steps to care for the men.
128--> Malashenko: But these are my men lying [dead] here!
129--> Orlovsky: They are my men too, Captain! Never forget that!
130* King Varian Wrynn in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft''. Rather than let his army be slaughtered by the Burning Legion he sent them all away and made a suicidal last stand. He's also this to most Alliance players. To Horde players, he is the ultimate WorthyOpponent. The game has a few other characters who fall into this as well, including some rare female examples.
131** Tyrande Whisperwind is a very literal example because she actually adopted the leader of the Night Elf Sentinels as her daughter. When her people are slaughtered at the Burning of Teldrassil Tyrande does this super awesome and also kind of creepy ritual that makes her an avatar of her goddess. She and her husband Malfurion then conduct a campaign of terrorism to drive the Horde forces out of their territory.
132** All three of the Windrunner sisters are described this way by those they command: but outsiders don't necessarily see it.
133** The game also has Turalyon, commander of the Army of the Light (and Alleria Windrunner's husband, incidentally). **On a statue in the game, Anduin Lothar is described as this and there is an organization called the Sons of Lothar dedicated to avenging his death (they aren't literally his children).
134** Lord Uther is described this way on his tombstone. Although quite prejudiced and dogmatic, he could be considered an example of the harsh father figure.
135** Tirion Fordring is regarded this way by the Argent Crusade, and a not inconsiderable number of both Alliance and Horde players for that matter.
136** Alexstrasza, the Red Dragon Queen, views all living creatures this way. One of the ways the orcs used to torture her was to smear yolk from her eggs on her face. Despite this, she doesn't hate orcs in any way.
137** Grom Hellscream was this in the Warlords of Draenor expansion, and some would argue in the original timeline as well (though, he's really controversial). Although he was one of the antagonists, Grom's actions were all dictated by what was best for most of the orcs who lived on the planet Draenor. Grommash Hold, the building in Orgrimmar where the Horde's leaders meet, is named for him.
138** Jaina Proudmoore was this to the citizens of Theramore, and the destruction of the city was her BerserkButton in the Mists of Pandaria expansion.
139** Cairne Bloodhoof to the Tauren. He unified the Tauren tribes of Kalimdor and built the city of Thunder Bluff. He was also a founder of the Second Horde, and negotiated the peace deal that allowed Horde and Alliance to defeat the Burning Legion at Mount Hyjal. When he was murdered dishonorably by Magatha Grimtotem, the other normally very peaceful Tauren tribes nearly exterminated the Grimtotem.
140%%* ''VideoGame/YggdraUnion'': Baldus is an antagonistic version of this.
141

Top