Parental Abandonment is a trope with a somewhat confusing definition. When distilled, the description says the trope is about heroes whose parents are missing or dead. However, a hero with dead parents would overlap with Conveniently an Orphan, meaning either that trope needs to be cut (unlikely) or this trope needs to be looked at.
Furthermore, all descriptions of the trope are ambiguous enough to seemingly cover every case of one or both parents being missing or dead, and people seem to have a tendency to pothole to this trope whenever any hint of a parent not being around shows up.
Wicks: 23/93
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Characters with missing but not dead parents (5/93)
- Child Hater: Batman Returns: The Penguin, one of the villains, plans to kill all first-born children of Gotham City as a twisted revenge for his own Parental Abandonment. Actually, he hates the human race, and is just scapegoating children in this scene. It also should be pointed out that all his would-be victims are rich boys, with girls apparently being too beneath contempt to warrant hatred. When this plan is foiled by Batman, he decides to "punish all God's children," no matter what their sex or socioeconomic status. Had to check the film's character sheet but he definitely qualifies.
- ArmorPiercingQuestion.Anime And Manga: Lelouch of Code Geass gives one to the Emperor and Marianne during their final confrontation when he talks about his banishment to Japan, which the Emperor then invaded. Textbook use.Lelouch: Only one thing is undeniably certain. I understand now that what you did to Nunnally and me may have been done out of good intentions, but... the hard fact remains that you abandoned us in a foreign land!
Marianne: But we did that to protect you!
Lelouch: Then why didn't you stop the war between Japan and Britannia? The plan was such a priority for you both that it didn't matter to either of you if Nunnally and I were alive or dead. That's why you abandoned us; all you have left are self-serving excuses! - Characters.A 3 Spring: (Sakuya Sakuma's folder) Parental Abandonment: Lost his parents at a young age. Can't find word on whether they're alive or dead.
- Characters.Akira (1/2): Parental Abandonment: He did have parents, once upon a time, but it's implied they dumped him in a daycare orphanage and never came back for him. No wonder he became so screwed up later in life.
- BrokenBird.Anime And Manga (1/2): Maron Kusakabe/Jeanne from Phantom Thief Jeanne became this because of Parental Abandonment. Because of their work, her parents often left her alone as a little girl, and it is implied that, even when they were home, they fought a lot. Before Maron was even in grade school, they moved overseas for their jobs, leaving Maron behind, and at the start of the series, Maron hasn't gotten a single letter or phone call from either of them since. She hides her sadness most of the time, but the only reason she's anything resembling okay when the series begins is because Finn's around and she doesn't have to spend every night alone in her apartment any more, though having her best friend, Miyako, and her family right across the hall probably helps. (What has social services been doing this whole time?)
- Characters.Doubt Academy Black Roster: Parental Abandonment: His parents threw him out, for a multitude of reasons. He hasn't had any contact with them since.
Characters with dead parents (Conveniently An Orphan) (2/93)
- Characters.Chainsaw Man Denji: Parental Abandonment: Denji's mother died from disease when he was very young and his father later committed suicide, literally abandoning him with a mountain of debts to the yakuza he was obliged to pay by hunting devils. Except we learn that he actually killed his father and repressed the memory of it. Not sure if this is the right spot but the parents are dead, they didn't abandon him.
- Characters.Fate Hollow Ataraxia: Parental Abandonment: Twice yet. Once when he was orphaned in the Fuyuki Fire, and a second time when Kiritsugu passed away. Conveniently An Orphan.
Characters with one missing parent misuse (Disappeared Dad/Missing Mom)(6/93)
- Holiday Pardon: Coco: Mama Coco's father is forgiven on the Day of the Dead after decades of being an Un-person to their family when Miguel was inexplicably given the chance to meet him in the afterlife and know why he left his wife and daughter. Hector didn't want to; Ernesto de la Cruz murdered him. Literally says that the mom was still present, and he's dead, not missing.
- Break the Cutie.Literature: In the backstory of Everworld, the quiet and innocent girl Senda goes through this when her mother leaves her with her biological father's family, all of whom either fear or hate her. This eventually results in her adopting, and ultimately becoming, the persona of the cold, controlling witch Senna Wales. In the meantime, she relieves some of her pent-up frustrations by messing with her half-sister, who is even more of a cutie. Only her mother abandons her.
- Wise Beyond Their Years: Antimony from Gunnerkrigg Court. Even at age six, "when Annie still knew how to act like a kid", her desire to help was well in place, and she showed courage and level-headedness during her very first counseling session with a ghost. Then she takes a turn toward stoicism following her mum's death. In one of the rare cases where twelve-year-old Annie actually acts her age, she ends up collapsing in tears, crying that she misses her mother. One might assume that she wears her maturity so tightly, because the child can't handle that pain. (Or maybe it was just those cherries.) Mom dies, doesn't abandon her.
- Conveniently an Orphan: Ed and Al's mother is dead, and their father left them at an early age, leaving the two free to pursue their ambitions. Their mother's death is the Plot-Triggering Death that leads to Alphonse's soul in armor. Only one parent leaves, and the other dies.
- Characters.Codex Equus The Princelings Of Vice: Parental Abandonment: The mortal father of the seven oldest Princelings left them after discovering his lover, Vicearch Iniqutious, is really an infernal goddess and couldn't handle the truth, although there are hints from the implied conversations between them that Iniquitous had deliberately pushed him away after Her true identity was exposed. It's unknown whether he's still alive or not, but Vicearch Iniquitous never spoke of him again, while the only mementos the oldest Princelings have of him are memories and an amulet that has since been divided into seven pieces and shared among them. Mom is still around, only dad left.
- Characters.Eight Simple Rules: Parental Abandonment: The episode "C.J.'s Real Dad" reveals that he and his mother were abandoned by his biological father, who has recently tried to reconnect with him...to help advertise his new self-help book. Says right there that his mother is still with him.
Other misuse (6.5/93)
- Guilt-Based Gaming: In most of the 3D Sonic games, idling for a long period of time will result in the characters talking to themselves or, in the case of Sonic Heroes and Shadow the Hedgehog, each other. This is normally more of an Easter Egg than anything, but in Shadow, a few of the things they say when you do this are heartbreaking. Especially painful is Charmy Bee's comment about wanting to go home and watch cartoons in Shadow's Prison Island... an innocuous line, until you consider that the planet is being invaded by aliens, who are shooting at 6-year-old Charmy as he looks for disks on an abandoned military base alone on the orders of the closest thing to parents he has, and the only one protecting Charmy is Anti-Hero Shadow. Charmy's are never mentioned at all, not even in reference to their absence. The pothole should be changed to Parental Substitute or removed.
- Shrug of God: The writers of the Disney Ducks Comic Universe seem adamant against revealing anything about the origins of all these kids running around with no parents (Donald's nephews, Daisy's nieces, Goldie's granddaughter...) Since acting like you're hiding something leads others to believe you have something to hide, fans are left to assume the worst. Nephewism/Raised by Grandparents. Not this trope.
- Anime.Serial Experiments Lain: Parental Abandonment: Lain's parents turn out to be adoptive, because Lain is an Artificial Human. I don't know what trope this should be, but it definitely ain't this one.
- Characters.Akira (2/2): Parental Abandonment: The Espers were possibly orphans and government wards, as there were no mentions of their parents. Examples are not general, and they don't include "possibly".
- Characters.Date A Live Ratatoskr: Parental Abandonment: Both her parents are working overseas, and there is no mention of them coming back anytime soon. Her parents finally make their appearance in volume 11.5. Looks more like extreme Parental Neglect.
- Characters.Fire Emblem Awakening Second Generation: Parental Abandonment: All of their parents died in the Bad Future. In some cases, they never even knew their parents before they died. Parents died, didn't abandon them. Not quite Conveniently An Orphan though.
ZCE (1.5/93)
- Anime.Zegapain: Parental Abandonment: Justified. They don't exist to lighten the load on the Quantum Server. The Server just tricks its residents into believing they do. Who doesn't exist?
- BrokenBird.Anime And Manga (2/2): When Baby 5's background of poverty and Parental Abandonment, plus enablement of her worst traits by the Doflamingo Family is expanded upon, all of her amusingly needy, people-pleasing behavior stops being funny and becomes evidence of a VERY tortured soul. Fails to actually explain how it is Parental Abandonment.
Other (2/93)
- Poster-Gallery Bedroom: The posters and other decorations of a bedroom can often convey such information as gender and approximate age, hobbies, religious affiliation, the region the story takes place in, approximately what year the story takes place, and the tolerance level of the parents if any (parents, that is). Pothole seems unnecessary, but it's purely informative.
- What Do You Mean, It's Not for Kids?: At first glance, it would seem safe to assume that The Noordegraaf Files would be OK for kids to read, with bright colors, teenage heroes, and a cartoonish artstyle. However, you'd be wrong. While the first three chapters are fine for readers of any age, by chapters 4-5 blood is spilled, and adult themes such as Parental Abandonment and Cold-Blooded Torture are discussed. While the comic is still quite lighthearted in tone,(despite many characters having very dark and troubled pasts), it still shouldn't be read by anyone younger than 13 due to the more serious nature of some topics brought up. Purely informative.
