Moms are often underappreciated, in media especially. Sad dads became a running video game genre meme during the 2010s, but moms don’t get anywhere close to that representation. Maybe that’s the perfect encapsulation of a mom; working hard to do the little things, always being there when you need them the most, being resilient in the face of EVERYTHING. I’m not envious of the position many are in, they are rockstars in their own right. Whether through blood or through some maternal figure that just steps up, the mom title deserves more praise and better representation in all of media. Video games especially.
There are some great moms in games, but for what they are usually tasked with doing, they should get their flowers more frequently, both literally and figuratively. For Mother’s Day, and after you call the mom in your life that is always there when you need them the most, here’s a list of some of the coolest mom’s. They aren’t all kicking ass and taking names, though some are and more should be. Sometimes they are just a phone call or a letter away and that kind of thing is equally deserving of praise. Spoilers ahead for many of these games, but here are just some of the cool moms featured in games, whether through blood or through just stepping up and being the one trying to keep it all together.
Jun Kazama (Tekken)
The Kazama family arc is the best family soap opera in fighting games. The person trying to keep it all together definitely deserves some credit. Jun Kazama is the mother of Jin Kazama and wife of Kazuya Mishima. After realizing that her son Jin has inherited a dark abnormality called the Devil gene from her husband, Jun prays for the ability to defeat the devil and save her son. She is given this ability, and leaves to raise Jin by herself in the woods in order to keep the dark power from corrupting him.
Jun Kazama has flaws; she’s naïve and has made a ton of baffling decisions from her debut in Tekken 2 to where she winds up by Tekken 8. But she’s doing the best she can under the circumstances. Her pure intention while in the face of multiple family members being thrown into a volcano is commendable. Jin Kazama has gone through it and hasn’t always been able to control the devil powers inside him, but Jun is mostly successful in keeping her son on a good path and sacrifices everything to do so. Mostly succeeding when raising a kid with the devil bloodline while also being pure and powerful enough to push back on this ability is some top tier Mom of the Year stuff.
Link’s Grandma (The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker)
Being able to defeat the devil is great, but sometimes a great mom is the one that succeeds at the little things. Link’s Grandma isn’t in The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker all that much, but during the time you spend with her, you can tell she’s been great as the mother figure in Link’s life. When talking to your Grandma you can tell how much she loves Link and Aryll, Link’s sister. Her soup can restore your health and magic fully and she likes pranks too. She’s great at taking care of her two grandkids, but is also key to the origins of this version of Link.
Link’s birthday is also key to the origin story in Wind Waker as he turns the same age as the legendary hero from Hyrule legend. To celebrate this birthday, Link’s Grandma gifts him the classic green tunic that Link always begins his journey with. Soon after this celebration, Link’s sister Aryll is captured, leading to Link leaving his grandmother in order to go save her. Losing both her grandkids in quick succession leads to her becoming depressed and bedridden, but Link can visit and save her. What does she do when her grandson comes back, visits, and cures her illness? Give him every single rupee she’s saved up in a letter telling Link to be safe. She’s an MVP.
Elmyra Gainsborough (Final Fantasy VII)
Elmyra Gainsborough is called upon to be a Mom multiple times in Final Fantasy VII. In both the original and the where things currently are in the Remake, Elmyra Gainsborough does what every good mom can do in a really bad situation: her damn best. When Aerith and her mother, Ifalna, escape from being Shinra research subjects, Ifalna passes out at the train station in Midgar. Aerith tries to get help from anyone she can find at the station, eventually running into Elmyra who agrees to try and help. But Ifalna is unable to survive after years of being tortured. Before she passes, she asks Elmyra to take care of her daughter. Elmyra does just that for the next 15 years.
She’s pivotal to keeping Aerith safe and once Cloud enters the picture, she continues to try her best to protect her. Elmyra asks Cloud to leave and never talk to Aerith again, knowing he’s a SOLDIER and knowing the risk that comes with that. Even though she’s unsuccessful in keeping Aerith out of danger and the bigger conflict at hand, she’s super helpful to the resistance and is used continuously as the Mom of the group, such as looking after Marlene along with an injured Wedge. In the original iteration of the Final Fantasy VII story she doesn’t hold Cloud accountable for everything that happens to Aerith, knowing Sephiroth is ultimately to blame for the fate of her adopted daughter.
Rosalina (Super Mario Galaxy)
One of the newest recurring characters in the Super Mario universe, Rosalina is coming up on 20 years of being Protector of the Universe and Caregiver to the Lumas. First appearing in Super Mario Galaxy and in case her nicknames didn’t give it away, Rosalina is the mother figure to the Lumas, the star-like characters that also debuted in Super Mario Galaxy. These Lumas even call Rosalina “mama” as portrayed in the recent Super Mario Galaxy movie. Her purpose is to protect the cosmos and every Luma in the galaxy.
Rosalina’s origin starts in a rusty spaceship, where she discovered a Luma that was looking for her mother. Rosalina attempted to help reunite the Luma with her mother, but was unable to find her. Having lost her own mother at a young age, Rosalina adopts the Luma, builds a home for them called the Comet Observatory and starts protecting more and more Luma. Rosalina is one of the most powerful characters in the Super Mario universe. She can manipulate gravity, fly, teleport, along with having universe-creating creatures look to her as a motherly figure. The film has expanded her background further and is considered canon, noting that she is also Peach’s sister, having looked after Peach when the princess was young. The Mario universe doesn’t get a lot of motherly figures as is, but having one this powerful and this dedicated to the job, and also helps to raise one of the most iconic characters in video games easily makes Rosalina one of the best.
Your Mom (Earthbound)
Sometimes your son is called upon to save the universe and life as we know it, and when that time comes, your job is to be as supportive as possible. That’s basically what the Hero’s Mom, AKA Ness’ Mom, does for her son throughout the story of Earthbound. 13-Year-Old Ness along with four other random strangers have to save the entire world. A meteorite crashes inside Onett in the middle of the night, waking everyone in the town. Ness helps his neighbor, Picky, look for his little brother, Pokey, who has ran off to the crash site to check it out. It’s at the meteor that Ness is visited by a fly from the future, who tells him the world will be destroyed by the Embodiment of Evil known as Giygas. This visitor tells him what he must do to save the world and that’s just what Ness goes on to do.
Despite the fact that he’s only 13-years-old, Ness’ Mom is somehow completely understanding about what her son has been called upon to do. She is worried for her son’s safety, but somehow gives very little pushback to the situation. Ness’ Mom is still very important to the journey despite never leaving the house; if you don’t call your mom enough in Earthbound, you will get homesick, a status ailment that will sometimes cause you to miss your attack turn. When you do talk to her, she makes sure Ness is eating well in between watching soap operas and burning the food she’s making. You can also visit her in Onett where you can recover health for free as well.
Nanami (Suikoden II)
Nanami is the protective stepsister of Riou, the main hero of Suikoden II. A young naïve tomboy, Nanami is almost always willing to step up and be the older sister to Riou. Despite being a child, there are multiple times within Suikoden that Nanami involves herself in a conflict for the sake of protecting Riou. As Riou and the rebel party grow, and Riou’s responsibilities increase, Nanami is still very protective of her little brother and is making sure he’s eating properly or doesn’t get too overwhelmed with his role in the rebel army.
On top of the overall motherly/big sister role that she takes, Nanami becomes a motherly figure to Pilika, a small child whose village is completely burned to the ground early on in the game. Pilika becomes mute from the trauma of seeing her entire village destroyed and it’s Nanami who steps up and takes care of her for most of the game. Nanami is a bad ass who isn’t afraid to step up, put herself at risk and fight while still trying to make sure the people in her life are well taken care of and don’t lose touch with the goal at hand.
Freya (God of War and God of War Ragnarök)
Freya is a complex character within the God of War games. Making appearances in both God of War (2018) and God of War Ragnarök, Freya’s relationship with everyone in the game is complicated. None more than the relationship she has with her own son, Baldur. When Baldur was born, Freya put a curse on her son that prevented him from dying a pointless death. This curse makes Baldur nearly immortal as any injuries he receives in battle are healed quickly. In exchange for near immortality though, Baldur is unable to feel anything. This lack of feeling eventually leads to Baldur going insane and straining the relationship between he and Freya.
Despite the fact that her son hates her and wants to kill her, Freya is still incredibly protective of him. Freya tries constantly to protect her Baldur and to repair their relationship. When she’s being strangled by her own son the only thing she tells him is that she loves him. Freya as a whole is such an interesting and flawed character with so many regrets that she wants nothing more than to fix. Even if it means dying in order to show she’s sorry.
Your Mom (Animal Crossing)
Your mom in the Animal Crossing games is your biggest cheerleader. She’s going to try her best to have your back, even if you’re now out in the world on your own and are no longer living at home. She can’t visit you as you move into your new place and put yourself into the debt of the evil Tom Nook, but she’s going to let you know she cares still. Your mom will send you a letter every month, usually updating you on her day to day. She’ll also send you gifts in the mail from time to time as well.
You never actually see your mom in any of the Animal Crossing games; she only communicates with you through monthly letters. But it’s the little things like this that makes her letters that much more exciting to see when you check your mailbox. There’s a lot of effort put into writing a letter and your mom does it every single month, making sure to send you one on your birthday and other special events as well. She’s always thinking about you even if you’re not around to visit and that’s a pretty awesome mom in my book.
The Boss (Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater)
The Boss’ resume as a fighter and as a mother are both quite extensive. The main antagonist of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, The Boss, also known as The Mother of Special Forces, is setup as a legendary soldier that defects to the Soviet Union, turning on her country and her protégé Naked Snake in order to give nuclear weapons to a man named Volgin. Though her story is much more tragic than that. The Boss is a motherly figure and mentor to Naked Snake, having taught the legendary soldier everything he knows for over a decade.
The Boss’ defection though was actually setup by the United States all along and the events of Operation Snake Eater, the main mission in Metal Gear Solid 3, are all according to plan. The Boss’ main mission was to smuggle out microfilm containing records to a slush fund of money pooled together by a secret group of the richest and most powerful people in the United States, the Soviet Union and China. She sacrifices her life and her legacy, forever painting herself as a traitor in order to help take this group down. A group that she used to work for and who were responsible for taking her only biological child away from her. The Boss is a very fascinating character in Metal Gear lore given what she willingly sacrifices for the good of her country. Being a motherly figure to Naked Snake, the man whose DNA is used to create Solid Snake and Liquid Snake, along with being the biological mother of Revolver Ocelot makes her key to so many of the characters and events that take place in Metal Gear.
Toriel (Undertale)
Toriel, known by some as Goat Mom, is an overly protective motherly figure to you in Undertale when you arrive in the Underground. Toriel saves you from the very first enemy in the game and escorts you to her home, holding your hand along the way and showing you some of the game’s puzzles and mechanics. Toriel shows you that you can actually win battles in the game without killing or hurting anyone, a key component to Undertale. Once she brings you to her home, she gives you a room to sleep in, tries to feed you pie and acts as if you are going to be living there for good. In fact, if you ask Toriel about going home she gets sad and tells you that you are home. She will still show you the exit, but tells you why she doesn’t want you to leave.
You find out you’re not the first human to have come into her home; many have come and gone, but every time they leave, they are killed by Asgore, the King of the Underground. She wants to protect you by having you stay in her house. Forever. She lets you leave, but you have to prove that you have the strength to defeat her first. If you decide to defeat her through pacifist means, Toriel will feel guilty enough to let you go, but is heartbroken that another human is leaving knowing what their fate might be. Toriel just wants to make sure you’re safe and bake you butterscotch-cinnamon pie. The extra company would be nice, but that’s really all she wants in exchange. That’s Grade A Mom material in my book.
What mom would you add to this list? Let us know if the comments!
