Behind every powerful protagonist or side character is a wise, old mentor that helped build them into the person they are today. However, while there are a good number of kind and supportive mentors that are understanding and follow their students every step of the way, there are a small handful of mentors that are perhaps a bit harsher than they need to be.
Some video game mentor characters aren't fans of being patent and believe that tough love or relentlessly strict training is the only way to lead their students to success. Here are some mentors in video games that were ruthlessly harsh with their students.
8 Metal Gear Solid 2 - Solidus Snake & Raiden
When it comes to the Metal Gear Solid series, there are quite a few faces that may come to mind when thinking about characters that acted as mentors to others. However, the twisted mentorship between Solidus Snake and Raiden is one of the worst mentor and student relationships that the MGS series has ever seen.
Their relationship began in the late 1980s when Raiden was a young child. Solidus Snake took it upon himself to kill young Raiden's parents in order to adopt him himself. As if that wasn't horrible enough, Solidus then enlisted Raiden in his Small Boy Unit to serve as a child soldier.
Not only did Solidus Snake take literally everything from Raiden from such a young age, but he also forced him into a life filled with trauma and violence and was even said to kill soldiers right in front of Raiden to teach him a lesson.
7 Sekiro- Owl & Sekiro (Wolf)
In Sekiro, Owl is a veteran shinobi who decided to take Wolf (Sekiro) under his wing when he was just a young boy; and right off the bat, Owl proved to be a very tough mentor. Owl served not only as Wolf's mentor but also as his adoptive father.
Even before Owl decided to formally take on the role of Wolf's mentor, he was already setting the bar incredibly high. Owl demanded that the young Wolf train with Lady Butterfly in Usui's forest of mist and illusions before even taking Wolf in as his student and son. Owl was a ruthless mentor toward Wolf and even plays with his emotions during his boss battle by reaching out while pleading for help, just to stab Wolf the second he approaches.
6 Katamari Damacy - The King Of All Cosmos & The Prince
It is natural to assume that one of the first true mentors in a young child's life is their parents. While Katamari Damacy was a fun journey for the player, The Prince had nothing to do with the initial conflict that started the whole game's story.
Katamari begins with The Prince's father, The King of All Cosmos, accidentally destroying the entire galaxy; leaving not a single star (or even the moon) in the sky. This apparently happened after a night of binge drinking and had absolutely nothing to do with The King's young son! All the advice The King gave his six-year-old son about how to perfectly craft each Katamari was helpful, but in the end, The King did send his son off to fix a massive problem that he caused on his own!
5 Resident Evil 2 Remake - Marvin Branagh & Leon Kennedy
Sadly, Marvin's time with rookie cop Leon is very limited in Resident Evil 2, but from what players can see, Marvin made sure to waste no time when it came to scolding the new hire. After a bit of investigating, the player finds out Marvin (along with the rest of the force) actually had a fun first day planned out for Leon, including a fun welcome party and puzzles.
However, many players were quick to point out how the actual interactions Marvin has with Leon were a bit more aggressive than needed. This was made especially clear when players switched over to Claire's story and saw how kind and soft-spoken Marvin became when interacting with the young girl.
In the end, Marvin's harsh tone and words towards Leon were all a product of tough love and RE2 players will always appreciate him no matter what.
4 The Last Of Us - Joel & Ellie
While The Last Of Us' Joel and Ellie did eventually warm up to one another, it's important to remember how the beginning of their journey began. Joel didn't even want the responsibility of taking Ellie to the Fireflies in the first place; the two constantly sparking arguments, one after the other in the beginning stages of their travels together.
Despite how much they care for one another by the end of the game (and the beginning of the second game), Joel did give Ellie a hard time every time she couldn't keep up or if she did something too brash and careless.
The absolute worst thing that Joel had ever done to Ellie after taking her under his wing was betraying her trust and stopping the operation (and killing many innocents in the process) that could have led to a cure for the worldwide infection; after she expressly told him that dying in the process of developing the cure was something she would have wanted.
3 Genshin Impact - Venti & Barbara
While Genshin Impact's Venti isn't directly a mentor to Barbara, part of him definitely is. In summary, Venti is secretly the ancient Ameno Archon, Barbatos, who just so happens to have his very own church in Mondstadt dedicated to him and his followers. Hydro vision user, Barbara, just so happens to be a very devout follower of Barbatos, the God of Freedom.
However, Barbara is unaware of the fact that the carefree drunken bard she's been scolding and praying for this entire time is actually the god she has been worshipping all along! In Venti's quest, he even goes as far as stealing an important item from the Cathedral, breaking it, and subsequently, fooling his devout follower into thinking he had fully repaired it! In the end, Barbatos is a free spirit, so much so that he tends to forget his duties to his very own devotees every now and then.
2 Final Fantasy 7 - Sephiroth & Cloud
Generally, when Final Fantasy 7 fans think of the dynamic between Cloud and Sephiroth, they think of "protagonist and antagonist," however their past together makes things a bit more complicated. Well before their famous rivalry, years ago, Cloud and Sephiroth both fought for the same cause.
During Sephiroth's reign as the Shinra Military poster boy and celeb war hero, he had served as an idol for a young Cloud. Cloud and many other aspiring Shinra infantrymen looked up to Sephiroth; so of course, the opportunity to go on a mission to Nibelheim with the Sephiroth himself was an honor for a starry-eyed sixteen-year-old Cloud.
Of course, every FF7 fan knows the tragedy that then occurred in Nibelheim and how Sephiroth was then driven insane from the revelation of his origins. Poor Cloud went from idolizing the famous SOLDIER Sephiroth to constantly being tormented by his former mentor both mentally and physically.
1 Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze - Cranky Kong & Donkey Kong
Fans of the Donkey Kong series may already be acquainted with Cranky Kong, but many may not know that Cranky Kong is also known as "Donkey Kong the First". Cranky Kong was actually the original Donkey Kong in the 1981 game and is the current Donkey Kong's grandfather.
For the most part, Cranky Kong is a rather typical grandfather in that he often does offer good advice to both Donkey Kong and Diddy but still finds it difficult for himself to hold back from going overboard with critiques every so often. Cranky Kong, as his name would lead on, is often seen berating Donkey Kong and even going as far as putting down Donkey Kong in favor of his own glory days, telling his very own grandson that he'll never be as good as/never live up to his name when he was in his prime.
It may be a bit harsh, but fans can't blame Cranky for his nostalgic longing for the good old 8-bit gaming days when many gamers feel the exact same way.