Worst anime dads

7874 duels later, Shou Tucker – Nina's Father – Fullmetal Alchemist is still #1 in the worst dad ranking, with Judge Vinsmoke – Sanji's Father – One Piece close behind.

The podium reveals an undisputed hierarchy of parental failure. A chasm of 278 ELO points separates Shou Tucker from Judge Vinsmoke at ranks 1 and 2, leaving no doubt about which father manga readers condemn most harshly. Ging Freecss from Hunter X Hunter takes third place with 1321 ELO points, proving that abandoning your child to chase personal ambitions resonates as deeply problematic even in a field crowded with abusers and manipulators. Yujiro Hanma follows at rank 4, while Grisha Jaeger rounds out the top five, each representing distinct failures of fatherhood that the community has weighed and measured. At the bottom of the ranking, Minato Namikaze sits at rank 12 with 957 ELO points, suggesting voters distinguish between fathers who failed through circumstance and those who chose cruelty. The gap between the top and bottom tells a story about intent: Tucker's grotesque betrayal of trust earns him a win rate of 89%, while Minato's sacrifice in death garners a more forgiving 29%.

This ranking draws from 7874 duels across 12 contenders, shaped by 282 players who weighed negligence against monstrosity, absence against abuse, and tragic circumstance against deliberate harm. The data was updated on 10 October 2026. VAINKEURZ builds these rankings through head-to-head votes, so your perspective shifts the order. Cast your own judgments on these father figures and see whether the worst dads in manga align with your reading of parental failure.

Updated on October 10, 2026

How this ranking is computed

Every duel won lifts a contender and every loss drops them, by an amount that depends on the opponent's strength: beating the leader is worth more than beating the last. It is an ELO, the same principle as in chess. Duels are not drawn at random — an adaptive entropy sort puts the least predictable match-ups first, which settles the ranking far faster than a full round robin. A worldwide ranking is only published past 30 completed plays. Known limit: a contender who has faced few opponents keeps an approximate score, and the bottom of the table moves more than the podium.

How our rankings are made →