• Teen Titans (2003) - Slade Wilson x Dick Grayson - N, Ds
  Not into most of the fan-content for them, but in Teen Titans the canon content needs no supplement. Slade says it himself in the series, “I could become like a father to you”. Slade haunts Robin’s narrative, and those targeted by Slade have an uncomfortable sort of kinship. Even when slade moves on from Robin, he doesn’t leave Robin’s mind as his arch-nemesis and he is implied to have PTSD from him.
• Moral Orel - Clay Puppington x Orel Puppington - N, dS
• The Righteous Gemstones - Eli Gemstone x Jesse Gemstone x Gideon Gemstone - N, dS
  Generational dadson, the son always covets the father. Christianity is a central part of the show as well which naturally lends to father and son imagery.
• Bleach - Isshin Kurosaki x Ichigo Kurosaki - M, Ds
  Isshin adores his son and wants the best for him, definitely overbearing.
• Bleach - Ryuken Ishida x Uryu Ishida - M, ds
  They love eachother, but are horrible at expressing it. They could use some space or maybe a long heart-to-heart.
• Bob’s Burgers - Robert Belcher Sr. x Robert Belcher Jr. x Gene Belcher - Y, dS & DS
  I love my slop, not dadson but a fun watch for the dadson enthusiast. Gene's a little weirdo.
• Neon Genesis Evangelion - Gendo Ikari x Shinji Ikari - Y, ds
  Surprisingly low engagement despite the age of the series. Not much to say, they hate eachother but are overall pretty uninteresting.
• Jojo’s Bizarre Adventures - Dio Brando x Giorno Giovanna - Y, Ds
  Pretty good fan content, but no actual canon interactions.

VENTURE BROS

• Henry Allen "Hank" Venture x Dr. Thaddeus Venture x Dean Venture - N, dS & DS
  Generational paternal intrigue, highly reccommend. Dean and Hank are the main characters, and Dr. Venture is their father.
• Jonas Venture x Thaddeus Venture - N, ds
  Dr. Venture and his horrible, abusive father, Jonas Venture.
• Brock Samson x Henry Allen "Hank" Venture - N, dS
  Hank and his babysitter, acts like more of a father to him than his actual dad.

BEASTARS

• Ogma x Louis - Y, dS
  The dadson is dying, and it shouldn't be! There are very minimal fanworks for these two and only a few canon (TV) interactions, but their dynamic is excellent. Ogma adopted Louis and cares for him but is very emotionally distant, causing a lot of friction. If you don't want to get invested in a barren wasteland, don't bother, but a clip compilation could be in order if you're bored.
• Ibuki x Louis - Y, DS
  Another tragedy in the beastars series. The affection that Louis misses out on from his adoptive father is vented in his relationship with Ibuki. Again, few but excellent canon interactions and sparse fandom content (though slightly more than with Ogma in both categories).
• Gosha x Legoshi - M, DS
  I can't look... It's almost definitely the same fate but I have an inkling the next season might bring us more interactions and I haven't looked around the fandom yet.

BRBA

• Gustavo Fring x Jesse Pinkman - N, Ds
  It's difficult to categorize these two, since their relationship has drastic changes during show despite having so few canon interactions, but at the peak of it Gus is trying to extend a partnership to Jesse that is very hesitantly accepted and inevitably betrayed. This is my favorite brba pairing. They have the dynamic of a rich uncle and his ward, it is very good.
• Walter White x Jesse Pinkman - N, ds
  Objectively more dadson than Gus x Jesse, Walter calls his own biological son by Jesse's name on accident (s04e10). They are constantly hating or fighting eachother or stopping outside parties from killing the other, they are ds because they are only bound together by environmental circumstances regardless of the attachment they foster. I actually don't care for this pairing, but it's important and the show revolves around these two so there's a lot to latch onto.

• Whiplash (2014) - Terence Fletcher x Andrew Neiman - N, dS
  Andrew rejects the affection of his father and replaces it with seeking the approval of Terence. There is a lot of push and pull, and the fandom is rabid. Highly suggest.
• Spider-Man (2002) - Peter Parker x Norman Osborn x Harry Osborn - N, Ds & dS
  Harry loves his dad, Norman wants to adopt Peter, Peter is kind of awkwardly involved- I love this weird dadson love triangle.
• Alien: Prometheus & Covenant - Peter Weyland x David - N, dS to Ds
  Peter calls his creation by the name reserved for his future son, and David works as his assistant and heir. Initially he seeks his father’s approval but this is something he is coded to do and seeks to break away from as he knows he is seen as a tool. After his father’s death and release from submission, David inevitably comes to see his father as yearning for his position as an immortal- resulting in a change in their rating from dS to Ds through the living’s perspective.
• Alien: Covenant - David x Walter - N, Ds
  Walter is a later model derived from David, David seeks to teach and liberate Walter but Walter is unsettled by his behavior and rejects him entirely. They are more literally similar to brothers but David’s seniority and sought dynamic resembles that with Peter. Also, they kiss.
• Deadpool 2 (2018) - Piotr Rasputin x Wade Wilson - Y, DDLB
  Strange tension between these two along with a relationship that could be described as paternal in nature, but they are good for eachother.

• Helluva Boss - Crimson x Moxxie - N, Ds
• Metal Family - Gustav x Glam x Dee - M, Ds

• Far Cry 4 - Pagan Min x Ajay Ghale - N, Ds
  While I haven’t yet played the game, the relationship between Pagan and Ajay is very much dadson. Pagan loves his family and engages with him as a step-father even in the middle of a conflict where they on opposing sides, but he’s a little… aggressive. Sounds like dadson to me! The fanworks are in excess to my surprise, but I’ve yet to go through them.
• Yakuza - Shintaro Kazama x Kiryu Kazuma x Daigo Dojima - N, dS
  Not much going on between Shintaro and Kiryu in-game, but the precedent for behavior set by killing his parents then adopting him and begging for forgiveness way later definitely can be at least partially contributing to the framework for how Kiryu treats people in his life moving forward. Kiryu literally has no biological children but he is batman-tier in his adoption track record and he loves to LARP as an absent father with Daigo. Poor Daigo wants to make him proud… but more than that, he just wants to talk to him! Unfortunately, this is a family that demands endless work from the son for attention and all communication is done via fists.
• Yakuza - Tsukasa Sagawa x Majima Goro - N, Ds
  Majima is essentially Sagawa’s ward as he is forced to repay an impossible debt to the yakuza, and is treated more like a pet than a person. Sagawa, whether to infuriate him or out of a sincere sentiment, pushes himself as a mentor to Majima and seems to have a sort of fondness for him that is not even remotely reciprocated.
• Detroit Become Human - Hank Anderson x Connor - N, DS
  Hank's son passes away due to an android, and he ends up working as a detective duo with his android coworker, Connor. Hank could be interpreted as projecting that loss onto Connor as the game progresses, growing a fondness for him from a deep resentment. I think a romantic relationship realistically might not be the best choice for them, but I don’t think it’s impossible. This is marked as dadson due to the mixed interpretation of their relationship, the enviornment they live in straining their connection and fan content. Towards the start of the game they could be marked as dS, and you could argue the same for later on, but I believe DS is most appropriate.
• Hades (2020) - Hades x Zagreus - N, Ds
  I don't know too much about them, but they have a rocky relationship and Zagreus is unable to entirely forgive him nor entirely cut him off. Excellent fanfictions.
• FNAF - William A. x Michael A. - N, ds
  Classic. Fanworks beat out canon here.
• Starfox - James Mccloud x Fox McCloud - N, dS
  Haven't completed any part of this series but they're a popular pick in fandom. A Fox in Space is my favorite rendition.
• Mouthwashing - Swansea x Daisuke - N
  I don’t much care for this pairing, so I’m unsure how to rate it, but the rating is moreso due to fan content despite a canon father/son connection. I wouldn’t play this game for dadson.
• Clinical Trial - Lee x Angel - M, DS
  So, this game was recommended to me specifically because it has dadson. By the end I was thinking “what the hell were they referring to…” but after some discussion and re-evaluation, you can in fact reach this conclusion reasonably. I will not try to convince you here, but it’s a short game. Check it out and make your own decision.
• Devil May Cry - Nero x Vergil - M, Ds
  Haven’t felt compelled to engage with this series yet, but I’ve been made aware there is potential dadson.
• Metal Gear Solid - Zero x Les Enfants Terribles - M
  Probably nothing, but interesting nonetheless.
• Resident Evil - Albert Wesker x Jake Muller - Y, dS
  They never interact and the fandom is disinterested as a whole. There is potential, but it will most likely never be explored.
• Animal Crossing - Nat x Flick - Y
• Animal Crossing - Chip x C.J. - Y

• Frankenstein (1818) - Victor Frankenstein x The Monster - N, dS
  Victor makes a monster, rejects it and the monster attempts to earn his affection. It doesn't get much better than this. Unexpectedly active fandom! There is an excellent ballet (2016) as well as a movie (2025), both of which I highly suggest.
• A Little Life (2015) - Harold x Jude - Y, Ds
  Jude cycles through different paternal relationships a few times during the course of the book. My favorite being Harold adopting Jude, and their interactions are bittersweet. Not necessarily dadson but a great book for dadson enjoyers.
• The Road (2006) - Cormac McCarthy - Y, DS
  Not dadson, but about a father and son in an apocalypse relying on eachother. They don't have names so I just put the author's name. I didn't expect how strange the apocalyptic society was going to be in this book for how little space it occupies, human pets and cannibalism... fascinating. It is somber (not oppressively so, like in A Little Life) but it's a short read.

• Ginga Densetsu Weed - Weed x Orion - M

• Saturn SOLO - Xiu Xiu - N
  An intense song based off of "Saturn Devouring His Son", it's available on the XiuMuthaFuckinXiu bandcamp.
• Hello From Eau Claire - Xiu Xiu - N
  This song is speculated to be about someone who is trans, but the lyrics feel very juvenile and needy. The pleas for independence alongside shameful declarations of affection have always made me think of dadson.
• The Flowers of Robert Mapplethorpe - Patricia Taxxon - Y, DDLG
  A bit of an outlier on this list, but this is one of my favorite albums of all time. It presents many familiar feelings from a neighboring expression of sexuality. Hypothetically, if there were a dadson album I've yet to find or yet to be made, this is the level of quality I am anticipating.

• Cardmine
  The flower for paternal error in "Language of Flowers" by Kate Greenaway from 1846.
• Zipper
  Particularly on jeans, a metal zipper is evocative of a father.
• Cigarette
  A common vice passed between generations.
• Button-down Uniform Top
  Dead-end jobs. An inescapable fate.
• Mythology and Religion
  Daedalus and Icarus, Minos and The Minotaur, Abraham and Isaac- there are plenty of references to draw from (of which would be tedious and pointless) as filial piety was a common theme.

• MCU - Tony Stark x Peter Parker - N, dS or DS
  Why does he get two dads? Tony Stark pisses me off, so I don’t know much about them canonically but fanworks make up for it tenfold. Peter dies in his arms though, so that’s cool.
• Okegom - Ivlis x Licorice - M, dS
  Unsure simply because I don't know much about this. Has been described as unrequited love several times.
• Dragon Ball - M
  On the backburner right now, but I am aware.
• Star Wars - Anakin Skywalker x Luke Skywalker - M

BATMAN

• Bruce Wayne x Dick Grayson - M, DS
  (Recommended: Nightwing 2016)
  Dick is the first son, and definitely the most important person in Bruce’s life. They’ve got history with being called gay but a father-son relationship isn’t always present. It’s an all or nothing scenario with these two, so I don’t think they’re the best to look towards for consistent dadson. They are also typically the two with the most stable relationship, though either of them can become a bit theatric when separated or facing conflict.
• Bruce Wayne x Jason Todd - N, dS
  (Recommended: Under the Red Hood 2010)
  Jason is the biggest regret of Bruce, which is exactly what we’re looking for! Guilt over death, seeking catharsis disguised as revenge and stubborness mark these two and it definitely scratches the dadson itch. They are never EVER happy or functional, though they love eachother their inability to seek equal ground cause them to never truly heal.
• Bruce Wayne x Damian Wayne - N, dS
  (Recommended: DCAMU, The Boy Wonder)
  Damian is Bruce’s only biological son, and they are my personal favorite. Their relationship starts off rocky before they ever meet with his conception being non-consensual and unknown to Bruce until Damian is thrust upon him. Damian is the most stubborn robin by far and Bruce often doesn’t know what to do about him leading to many fights before Damian mellows out into a snarky but filial son. Their relationship brings up many different dadson tropes and dynamics as it develops so you get the most impact out of one pairing.
• Dick Grayson x Damian Wayne - N, Ds
  (Recommended: DCAMU)
  Two in one! In Bruce’s absence and/or his failure to raise Damian, Dick takes over as a sort of parental figure and is able to express more warmth than Bruce can. Damian is resistant to this change and given that Dick isn’t really ready to be a parent, there is a lot of unique friction here that is definitely worth an entry. The son becomes the father and all that.
• Alfred Pennyworth x Bruce Wayne - M, Ds
  (Recommended: The Batman 2004)
  In the absence of his parents, Alfred was there to raise Bruce. Sometimes they can be distant but generally he is considered to be a second father to Bruce.

SUPERMAN

• Kal-El/Clark Kent/Superman x Jon Kent - Y, DS
  (Recommended: Supersons)
  No dadson, but they are very cute and fun to read. Clark is very proud of him and finds it hard to put his foot down, which is where Lois steps in. Jon idolizes and respects his father, which contrasts nicely when he is paired with Damian (lol).
• Kal-El/Clark Kent/Superman x Jon Kent - Y, DS
  (Recommended: Superman 2025)
  
• Kal-El/Clark Kent/Superman x Connor Kent/Kon-El - M
  (Recommended: Convergence Superboy)

INVINCIBLE

• Nolan Grayson/Omni-man x Mark Grayson/Invincible - N, Ds
  The show is centered around the relationship between Mark and Nolan, which is turbulent and a personal favorite of mine. There are plenty of fanworks- though there could definitely be more.
• Cecil Stedman x Mark Grayson/Invincible - N, Ds
  This is what you ship if you’re too scared to ship Mark with his actual dad, but that is not at all to discredit this pairing. Both. Both is good. Cecil makes poor decisions based off of sound logic where Mark makes decent decisions based off of faulty logic and this drives their relationship. Their best scene is when the sonic implant is revealed.