Joe West and the 7 Best Dads from the Arrowverse

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The Flash — “So Long and Goodnight” — Image Number: FLA616b_0435b.jpg — Pictured: : Jesse L. Martin as Captain Joe West and Grant Gustin as Barry Allen — Photo: Colin Bentley/The CW — © 2020 The CW Network, LLC. All rights reserved /

Who are the best dads from the Arrowverse?

The Arrowverse is chockful of fantastic characters—but some of the parental figures leave much to be desired, particularly the dads on the shows.

Despite the number of fathers and father figures in the shared universe, the ones that stand out are the horror dads—such as Damien Darhk, who let a demon possess his daughter, or dads like Noah Kuttler—Felicity Smoak’s father—a dangerous individual who put so many lives in jeopardy before finding redemption.

And the protagonists themselves were rarely pure as driven snow in the dad department. Oliver Queen may have launched the universe but he inadvertently caused the death of his son’s mother, and relied heavily on others to bring up his children. He did die saving the universe and was thus not a part of his daughter’s life, but we forgive him that one. But only that one.

7. Best Dads from the Arrowverse: Maseo Yamashiro

Way back in season three of Arrow, Maseo Yamashiro proved to be one of the rare good dads on the show, and the Arrowverse.

Maseo only had one season to show fans what kind of father he was but it was enough. In the wake of Merlyn and Queen Sr, Maseo was the kind of dad who did everything in his power to protect his son, even if it meant facing untold danger.

Unfortunately for Maseo, his efforts came to naught when his son Akio was the first victim of a deadly man-made virus. But while his son’s death could have disqualified Maseo from this list, Akio’s legacy cemented Maseo’s place here.

Grief can take many forms, and for Maseo, losing Akio meant that he had not only failed his son, but he had failed as a person. He was no longer worthy of being Maseo, father of Akio. He abandoned his life, his name, and his wife, Tatsu/ Katana, to join the League of Assassins—which would serve as a literal prison for the prison that encompassed his heart.

Maseo didn’t do great things as an assassin, but his actions were powered by an overwhelming sense of love and loss that he felt for his son. Not the traditional idea of a ‘best dad’, but a dedicated one, nonetheless.

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