The List
6 Families You Don't Want to Cross
by Lynzee Loveridge,
The phrase "blood is thicker than water" is widely used to demonstrate that familial allegiances trump all else, but these families stretch that oath to the breaking point. Rites of inheritance or generational power can bring out the true colors of these characters in contentious ruling families. Siblings stab one another in the back and patricide is the order of the day. With families like these, who needs enemies?
The Vanettis (91 Days) Mafia don Vincent Vanetti, his sons Nero and Frate, and his daughter Fio sit at the top of one of three families controlling alcohol during prohibition in the fictional city of Lawless. Vincent is dying and leaving behind many enemies, a fact that sends the brothers into opposing corners as the younger vies for recognition from the patriarch. In the midst of this is Fio's husband, a member of the overruling Galassia mafia whose only allegiance is to themselves. Violence begets violence as the members begin to fall like dominoes, when an outsider stokes the family's already existing animosity.
Gandor Family (Baccano!) Little Italy's own mafioso, Keith, Berga, and Luck Gandor run a jazz hall as a front for their illegal activities. They employ particularly brutal henchmen, including torture specialist Tick Jefferson and assassins Claire and Maria. Keith is the family's perpetually stoic leader, preferring to let younger brother Berga's actions speak for him. Those who make the mistake of crossing the Gandors have ended up at the bottom of the Hudson in a barrel filled with cement.
The Zabis (Mobile Suit Gundam) Degwin Sodo Zabi is the supreme dictator of the Principality of Zeon. Like any good totalitarian ruler, he puts his closest trustees in positions of power; in this case his offspring. His son Gihren is no stranger to murder on a mass scale, often arguing the necessity of eugenics. The sister Kycilia was the brain behind Zeon's armed forces and Mobile Suit manufacturing. Brothers Dozle, Sasro, Garma all contribute to the principality's war efforts. Kycilia is the most conniving, however, following up Gihren's assassination of their father with her own. She takes out two of her own brothers, one to avenge her father and claim rulership of Zeon.
The Ushiromiya Family (Umineko no Naku Koro ni) As a product of abuse of the highest order (and black magic), the Ushiromiya family is populated by backstabbing and mentally unstable adults who had no business having children. Kinzo Ushiromiya is the initial perpetrator who brings his children, the greedy Krauss, equally money-hungry Eva and Rudolf, and single mom Rosa who has no problem smacking around her own daughter. The next generation, Battler, Jessica, George, and Maria, represent a semblance of hope for the family if they can manage to escape the sins of their parents. But when a curse seems to befall the family during a reunion, members are killed one by one by either magical or maniacal means.
Britannian Royal Family (Code Geass) Emperor Charles zi Britannia, perhaps more wig than man, had something like a million children with many inheriting his megalomaniac state. The family becomes especially dangerous with the introduction of Geass powers. Charles himself can affect someone's memories just by making eye contact, while Lelouch can command someone to his absolute will. The rest of Charles's children lack Geass powers, but his progeny make up for it in other ways. Ruthless Schneizel serves as Brittania's prime minister, Cornelia slaughters her enemies in a Knightmare frame, and Clovis kills literal thousands merely to save face. The kids run the gamut from ineffective pushovers to self-absorbed nationalists.
The Matou/Tohsaka Family (Fate/stay night) It's easy to write off the Matous as the worst of the bunch. Increasingly ancient and supremely creepy family head Zouken Matou is known for his extreme methods to foster magic abilities in his heirs. These include planting magic dick-worms in his adopted heir, Sakura Matou, so that she can not only participate in the Holy Grail War but channel the tainted being within the grail. Shinji Matou is also twisted with anger fueled by his magical impotence. But what about the Tohsakas? The Matou's penchant for evil is well-established, yet Tokiomi Tohsaka is totally cool with offering up his spare daughter for torture to maintain some sorcerer family allegiance. His wife is equally culpable, doing nothing once her husband breaks the news.
The new poll: What anime villain do you find the most lovable?
The old poll: Who is your current favorite manga creator?
- Hiromu Arakawa (Fullmetal Alchemist, Silver Spoon)
- Eiichiro Oda (One Piece)
- CLAMP (Cardcaptor Sakura, Kobato.)
- Hirohiko Araki (BAOH, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
- Yoshihiro Togashi (Yu Yu Hakusho, Hunter × Hunter)
- Naoki Urasawa (Monster, Pluto, 21st Century Boys)
- Hideaki Sorachi (Gin Tama)
- Sui Ishida (Tokyo Ghoul)
- Rumiko Takahashi (Ranma ½, Inu Yasha)
- Hiro Mashima (Rave Master, Fairy Tail)
- One (One-Punch Man, Mob Psycho 100)
- Kentarou Miura (Berserk)
- Adachitoka (Noragami, Alive)
- Akira Toriyama (Dr. Slump, Dragon Ball)
- Kaoru Mori (A Bride's Story)
- Takeshi Obata (Death Note, Bakuman.)
- Masashi Kishimoto (Naruto)
- Yasuhiro Nightow (Trigun, Blood Blockade Battlefront)
- Inio Asano (Solanin, Goodnight Punpun)
- Hajime Isayama (Attack on Titan)
When she isn't compiling lists of tropes, topics, and characters, Lynzee works as Managing Interest Editor for Anime News Network and posts pictures of her sons on Twitter @ANN_Lynzee.
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