Long Lost Parents in Video Games

Key Takeaways

• The return of presumed dead parents is one among many big video game tropes that often lead to messy, emotional outcomes.
• Misty Fey, Jun Kazama, Gaidel, and Adria are examples where parents reappear later on in the story.
• All these video game parents have complicated relationships with their children, which eventually come to play a role in the game’s plot.

Gaming can be a medium utilized for storytelling, and to that end, many of its narrative tropes carry over. One such example is that of parents who are presumed dead, MIA, or otherwise inaccessible suddenly returning into the lives of their children.

This often results in somewhat messy feelings, likely stemming from both the reasons behind their separation and the feelings they had as a result of it. Like many tropes in this fashion, there are plenty of ways in which it can be executed. Each of these characters was separated from their child, for a time, before a sudden reunion sometime later.

5 Misty Fey

Long-Lost Mother of Maya Fey

Bridge to the Turnabout, the final chapter of Trials and Tribulations, ties back into the greater lore of the Ace Attorney series. Once Phoenix Wright accompanies Maya, and Pearl Fey to go to Hazekura Temple, they encounter a Children’s Author, by the name of Elise Deauxnim. She served as a mentor to Larry Butz, who also went under the name Laurice Deauxnim during his subsequent artistic pursuits.

Coincidentally, Elise happened to be Pearl’s favorite author, but this is not their only connection. After the author’s tragic murder, she is also revealed to be Misty Fey, Pearl’s aunt, and also Maya’s missing mother. Mystic Misty was the leader of the Fey clan, due to her prowess with the Kurain Channeling Technique, being picked over her elder sister who was not privy to the power. She was secretly recruited by the authorities to channel Gregory Edgeworth to determine the identity of his killer. Unfortunately, the late Edgeworth incorrectly guessed his killer’s identity. The subsequent trial resulted in an acquittal which had long-lasting consequences for those involved. Once Misty’s involvement was publicized, she abandoned the Fey clan in shame.

However, Prosecutor Godot convinced her to come out of hiding after identifying a premeditated murder plot. Misty’s sister, Morgan, who bore a grudge due to her lack of power within the clan, was going to plot Maya’s death, in order to secure power for her daughter, Pearl. Due to Godot’s distrust and dislike of Phoenix, he did not know of this until much later, specifically having to deduce it in court himself. Although Godot conspired with Misty and Iris, a nun at the Hazekura Temple, to save Maya, this action ultimately came at the cost of Misty’s own life.

This is because Dahlia Hawthorne, Morgan’s estranged late daughter, was going to be channeled by Pearl to enact Morgan’s schemes. Pearl herself has no desire to usurp Maya. To avoid this, Misty channeled Dahlia herself, after being unable to find Pearl. However, the channeled Dahlia, who was guilty of multiple murders during her lifetime, was still prepared to kill Maya. Godot ended up killing Misty to protect Maya. This was due to Godot’s own guilt, which stemmed from failing to save Maya’s older sister, Mia, with whom he was romantically involved.

Although Misty never informed her daughter of her true identity during the remainder of her lifetime. She did manage to briefly reunite with her before her untimely demise. She likely would not have come out of hiding if Maya’s life was not on the line.

4 Rudolf

Alm’s Sort-of-Secret Father

Albein Alm Rudolf was the fourth king of Rigel, despite previously having only belonged to a branch family. His home continent, Valentia, was ruled by a pair of twin gods known as Mila and Duma. Mila primarily held influence over Zofia, whilst Duma was in control of Rigel. Duma’s warlike ways and degenerating being caused him and his subordinates to rally together a country under his influence. The corruption concerned Rudolf, who became aware of a prophecy that a Rigelian Prince and a Princess of Zofia, their rival kingdom, would put an end to the era of the gods in Valentia.

He secretly bore a son named Alm, who he entrusted to his close friend Mycen to keep safe. Alm was raised alongside Celica, a covert Zofian Princess, for a time. However, further attacks caused the pair to be separated, much to their dismay. Independently, they grew into adults and swore to reunite once more, developing their own armies along the way. Due to rising tensions and a rapid decrease in food, Rudolf prepares to invade Zofia. Once Alm meets Rudolf in battle, he is puzzled by his lack of resistance. A dying Rudolf reveals that Alm is his son, with his full name being Albein Alm Rudolf II. He survived far longer than most lord’s fathers do in Fire Emblem, but this was likely due to his status as a major antagonist.

Ultimately, Alm and Celica unite their forces to ultimately defeat Duma. The pair become husband and wife, ruling a united Valentia, under a religion that worships both Duma and Mila, without either of them directly influencing their respective kingdoms. This was ultimately, in part, the result of Rudolf’s advanced planning. While he knew his own son would be in danger from the Duma Faithful, his efforts and the trust of a friend across the border allowed Alm to grow into a king who would unify the continent for benevolent reasons.

3 Jun Kazama

Jin Kazama’s Missing Mother

A wildlife surveillance officer for an animal conservation group known as the WWWC, Jun Kazama was a very caring person. The powers that had been passed down in her family had caused her to isolate herself from most people, preferring the company of animals. She became closely involved with Kazuya Mishima, a man who also suffered from the hereditary powers he possessed. Their relationship eventually resulted in the birth of another child, known as Jin Kazama. Around the time Jin turned 15, a mysterious being known as Ogre arrived to fight Jun. Jin was quickly defeated by the beast and Jun was badly injured, rushing to a sanctum where she was made to recuperate for many years. When Jin awoke, he believed his mother dead, due to her disappearance, and saw fit to kill Ogre to avenge her.

Jin notably despises both his father, Kazuya, and his grandfather, Heihachi. That said, Jun has clearly shown a level of apparently reciprocated affection towards Kazuya. It is speculated by fans of Tekken, and to some extent confirmed by the events of the game, that the hereditary powers of the Kazama clan are capable of neutralizing the Devil Gene. This is shown when Asuka, a relative of Jun’s, is able to neutralize Jin’s own Devil Gene powers. It is possible that when removed from the corrupting influence of the Devil Gene, Kazuya is a far kinder person than he is otherwise shown to be.

In canon, Jun has been missing, not being playable in a majority of Tekken games since her disappearance. She has appeared in the non-canonical Tekken Tag Tournament games, also boasting a corrupted form of unclear origin identified as Unknown. However, this form’s existence is only confined to non-canonical material for the moment.

Jun became playable once more in Tekken 8, despite her actual presence in the story outside of Jin’s visions being somewhat limited. From a distance, Jun encourages Jin to tap into his Kazama side to save his father from the Devil Gene. This allows Jin to transform, becoming Angel Jin and apparently neutralizing the Devil Gene in himself and his father. In the good ending, Jun appears to approach an unconscious Kazuya.

2 Gaidel

Leona’s Fallen Father

The mysterious Gaidel is a background character in the King of Fighters series. He is the biological father of Leona Heidern, a member of the Ikari Warriors (the very same organization from the titular run and gun game), who was adopted by its commander, Heidern. He was a member of the Hakkeshu, the cult that wished to resurrect Orochi and destroy humanity. However, Gaidel refused this destiny and became involved with a woman outside the Hakkeshu, who became his wife and Leona’s mother. Goenitz demanded Gaidel’s help in resurrecting Orochi but was refused. In vengeance, Goenitz activated the Riot of Blood, a ritualistic event in which those of partial Hakkeshu descent are both strengthened and driven mad. This caused Leona to become insane and powerful, causing her to kill her parents, as well as her entire village.

The trauma from this event left her amnesiac for a while. Impressed by her strength, Heidern recruited the young Leona. Coincidentally, he too had lost his family, as a result of the actions of his own nemesis, Rugal Bernstein. Leona was a member of the Ikari Warriors Team in most subsequent incarnations, replacing Heidern, who subsequently participated in fewer tournaments. Leona’s issues with her Orochi blood recur in most games with a focus on Orochi. Despite having passed away, Gaidel encourages Leona from beyond the grave to make her own fate rather than get caught up in the supposed “destiny” of the Hakkeshu.

In a truly bizarre twist of fate, this may not be the last we’ve heard of Gaidel. The death of Verse, a bizarre compound of souls, in King of Fighters 14 resulted in a number of deceased characters being resurrected. One of many confirmed to be present within Verse was Gaidel. This is confirmed when Verse beats Leona and tells her he is “always…watching over [her.]” This death, which was likely used as a way to retcon the numerous character deaths in the wake of fewer “dream match” games, can be inferred to have also revived Gaidel. Leona eventually grew interested in this fact and has since put some time and effort into searching for her birth father. If he does return, he will likely oppose the Hakkeshu once more, as most of their once-deceased members have since been resurrected.

1 Adria

Leah’s Monstrous Monster

Adria had a rough upbringing, despising her father Sevrin for his preoccupation with riches rather than his family. She found a form of salvation when she took up witchcraft, seeking to gain power and aligning with anyone she believed would give it to her. This resulted in botched alliances and a willingness to do virtually anything. She speaks casually about disposing of unwanted children, which families apparently requested her services to do.

Adria eventually met a man by the name of Aidan, who slew Diablo but was left scarred by the experience. Diablo subsequently made himself known to Adria, once Aidan lodged the being’s soulstone into himself in an effort to contain him. Diablo convinced Adria to bear him a child who would be his vessel, as well as offer herself up to him, with the promise of power. The resulting birth was her daughter, Leah, who was fathered by Aidan.

Upon making herself known to Leah, Adria acted as if she always had her daughter’s best interest at heart. However, eventually, Leah reveals her allegiance to Diablo and allows him to possess her daughter. Unfortunately, Leah was killed with Diablo’s defeat, a fate which oddly did not befall her predecessors. Although she outlived her daughter, Adria herself was eventually slain, even after transforming into a blood demon. Adria proves that even in video games, parents who go out of their way to abandon their children may not always necessarily have their best interests at heart.