Most fathers in Shonen anime aren’t ideal. They are absent from their children’s lives for the most part, or not there at all. However, some of them can win awards for being bad fathers.
In One Piece, a series filled with complex relationships and layered characters, many of them fall into the category of bad fathers. One such character is Yasopp, the father of Usopp and the legendary sniper from the Red-Haired Pirates.
Although his status as a sniper is globally known, you cannot ignore his failures as a parent. His reputation takes a significant hit when it comes to his relationship with his son, Usopp.
Eiichiro Oda Gave Usopp the Worst Father In Fiction.
Yasopp ticks all the necessary checkboxes for being a bad father. One such glaring mistake was leaving Usopp as a child. Yasopp left his home village of Syrup, his wife, and Usopp, to join Shanks‘ crew.
His dream of becoming a pirate came at the cost of abandoning his family. You may argue that he was following his ambition, but he left without ensuring his son’s emotional or physical well-being speaks volumes about his priorities.
Usopp, who idolized his father, unfortunately grew up fatherless and when his mother died had no one to help him cope with the loss. This made Usopp the way he was, a boy who always lied and told grand tales to fill the void left by his absent father. Yasopp’s absence left an emotional scar on Usopp.
Yasopp also failed to maintain any communication with his son. The existence of transponder snails enables people in One Piece to pursue long-distance communication, yet he never contacted Usopp. This act of Yasopp signifies his neglect of his duties as a father.
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Yasopp prioritized his ambition of becoming a pirate over being a father, which is another critical point that makes him a bad parent. He may be loyal to Shanks and his crew but his loyalty to his family is non-existent. His absence affected Usopp emotionally, he grew up to be a liar, which was often a coping mechanism to deal with abandonment.
Usopp eventually grew up to be a strong and brave warrior it was on his accords. His journey was one of self-discovery, largely shaped by his crewmates in the Straw Hat Pirates, rather than any guidance or support from his father.
Why Is Yasopp A Worse Father Than Charles Zi Britannia & Gambino From Code Geass and Berserk, Respectively?
All three of them are not ideal parents but Yasopp’s unique brand of neglect arguably makes him the worst among them. Charles Zi Britannia is a man whose ambitions outweighed his love for his children. He saw them merely as puppets in his larger political plan. He sent Lelouch and Nunnally to Japan as a measure to further his empire’s goals.
However, he never pretended to be a loving father. Although cold and manipulative, his ambition was transparent, and Lelouch understood his father’s motivations, which helped him formulate his rebellion against the Britannian Empire.
On the other hand, Yasopp simply left to pursue his dreams. While Charles was openly tyrannical, Yasopp’s abandonment is more insidious as it was driven by his selfishness. He left Usopp to fend for himself just so he could live a life of adventure. Thus making it worse than Charles’ cold yet manipulative tyranny.
Another example of a bad father in anime is Gambino, father of Guts from Berserk. He physically abused Guts and in a drunken rage attempted to kill him. This left Guts emotionally traumatized for the rest of his life.
Yasopp never physically abused Usopp, however, his emotional neglect left similar scars on his son. Gambino’s violence was overt, whereas Yasopp’s absence left a deep psychological wound. Usopp grew up idolizing his absent father, constantly trying to live up to an idealized version of him that never existed.
Though abusive, Gambino provided Guts with skills and mentorship, enabling him to survive in the cruel world. Whereas Yasopp offered nothing to Usopp — no guidance, no life lessons, and no support. He was simply absent, leaving Usopp to find his way alone.
Although Charles Zi Britannia and Gambino are far from perfect, their cruelty had clear yet twisted intentions. Whereas, Yasopp abandoned his son for no reason other than selfish ambition, leaving Usopp to struggle with feelings of inadequacy and abandonment. In this light, Yasopp’s neglect makes him the worst father among the three.
