I love how Peter helps Miles become a proper Spider-Man in the games and the Spider-Verse movies but at the same time Miles helps Peter with his issues too. So both the mentor and the student benefit from their relationship. That's the kind of dynamic that I like the best.

Keith David is so awesome his characters get two slots on this list

Honorable Mention: Scorpion from Mortal Kombat X. Admittedly, we don’t see much of him mentoring in MKX, but what we do see shows how different he is compared to when he was serving Quan-Chi. Given Scorpion’s insanely tragic backstory, it’s nice seeing him being a surrogate father figure to Takeda while Kenshi is off doing his thing, and it’s also really nice to see Scorpion be happy for once.

It’s very cool that in the new Spider Man Game, Peter Parker teaches Miles all the nuances of being Spider-Man, just like in “Into the Spider-Verse.”

My honorable mention is a hot take: Homare Nishitani from Yakuza 0. Whether Nishitani intended to or not, he inspired Goro Majima to become the crazy guy we know and love while also reminding him to keep his honor and loyalty intact. And it's telling that in universe his name became a title for every successor of his crime family.

Honourable mention I think people wouldn't often consider, King Rhoam in botw. While he was definitely hands off through a lot of it, he still subtly guided Link through his prologue on the Great Plateau, pointing him towards objectives, explaining Sheikah Slate functions and offering hints whenever he was requested. He was well aware of Link's memory loss and chose to take things slowly, ensuring Link had the capability to survive and fight before he dumped the fate of the world on his shoulders. It could also be seen as his attempt at making up for his failures as a father, ensuring his daughter's hero would have the guidance to succeed against the prolonged calamity and free Zelda of the burden he unintentionally helped place on her.

My personal vote would go to Jade from Tales of The Abyss. Without spoiling too much, it's no secret that the MC of Abyss, Luke is a character that desperately needed some development, and Jade aids him in that path. Being a military soldier, Jade's very experienced with the way of the world, and has taken a fair share of lives in his line of work. Unfortunately, he can never truly understand the weight of the lives that surround him, which led to him receiving his nickname, The Necromancer. Luke being sheltered as he is, mostly learns about the world from Jade, about different aspects of the world, different ideals, and even a little bit of the world's politics. Jade, on the other hand also learns a bit from Luke, not only seeing a bit of himself in Luke (as in, being a not-so good person trying to make the effort to improve) but also learns the weight of not only other's lives, but his own as well. In terms of personality, Jade's fun. There's a reason some people have decided to call him Yuri Lowell's prototype. Despite what I've said so far, Jade's not all doom and gloom, as he often like to lighten the mood with jokes and snark, while still knowing when to be serious

For whatever reason whenever I think of a good example of a mentor I think of someone like Jiraiya from the Naruto series. I guess my definition of a mentor is someone who not only teaches but also fills a certain parental role for our young heroes and heroines in case a father and mother figure are nowhere to be found.

And remember, that Captain Anderson is also voiced by Keith David. Sooooo... if you want a good mentor voice get Keith David.

Vandam in the intro, massive respect for recognizing a amazing character who basically jumpstarts Rex's character development. The line "Remember to fight your war!" is pretty much the core theme of Xenoblade 2 in a nutshell and I love it.

Josh, man, are getting rid of the MJ stealth missions REALLY worth giving up your marriage? Cause you KNOW that's what Mephisto is going to take.

I think the closest thing in the Star War films we ever got to a Kreya like mentor was Qui-Gon Jinn, he was so against the Jedi Dogma that he couldn't get on the Council, and when asked if he was a Jedi because he carried a Lightsaber, instead of the usual vain "Of course I'm a Jedi" response. He instead responds, "Maybe i killed a Jedi and stole it.." Everything about him was pretty much Lawful Neutral. Compared to the Chaotic Good, or Chaotic Evil of the JedI Order Or the Sith.

There's never a wise and strong hero without a strong and wise mentor. Sometimes when it comes to heroism you can't do it forever and one day you need a successor to assist you or even pass the torch to when it comes to doing the things you do. Showing everything they know from wisdom, strength, and discipline is what a good mentor must do.

Honorable Mentions: *Dunban - Xenoblade Chronicles -We can see why Shulk looks up to him, even taking up the Monado to face any foe when Dunban's body couldn't handle using it anymore. *Chop Chop Master Onion - Parappa The Rapper Series -He appears in every game in the series, plus the Um Jammer Lammy spin-off. Kick! Punch! It's all in the mind. *Gouken - Street Fighter Series -The master of both Ryu and Ken, teaching them in the Ansatsuken fighting style. *Liu Kang - Mortal Kombat 1 -This was a really tough pick, from the Thunder God, Raiden to the Drunken Master, Bo Rai Cho and others. But I had to give Liu Kang in MK1 props for his role in the story. After resetting the timeline and becoming a god, he became a new mentor for this new timeline's Kung Lao and Raiden (who isn't a god, but rather, a farmboy).

I think Master Mustard from Pokemon Isle of Armor is my honorable mention. The man is nothing but kind and supportive to his students. He’s able to train Pokémon to do the impossible such as with his super speedy slowspoke. And then there’s his final lesson which evolves Urshifu into either Single Strike or Rapid Strike style forms.

VERY happy to not only See Kreia on this list, but on a very respectable 4th place! And yes, her line delivery, especially those final moments on Malachor V, is amazing!! Sara Kestelman's performance was just so incredibly spot on for Kreia

Thank you Mr. Sterling from my middle school 6th grade reading and writing class for actually making me put effort into my reading and writing while others let me half a$$ed it almost all of the time.

How the hell was Uncle Mario from Assassin's Creed 2 not on this list he tought Ezio basically everything about being part of the brotherhood throughout AC2 and Ezio even mentored his own assassin students throughout AC Brotherhood and revelations

Happy seeing Rost again even in the preview before the countdown.

'Always two there are- a master and an apprentice' Loved Auron helping Tidus grow up, wish they could've had more scenes together. Maybe a final test where they duel each other.

Thanks for including the end where you mention personal mentors in our lives. I wouldnt't be who I am without mine. Rest in Peace Dad.

I am an absolute sucker when it comes to mentor/parental-figure characters! Whether in cartoons or video games, they're just the type of characters I admire the most because their advice to the protagonist can apply to real-life situations.

You know all these mentors remind me of Larry Cullen said to his brother Peter Cullen (va for Optimus prime) "If your going to be a hero Peter, be a real hero, dont be like one of those Hollywood hero's with all the bs, be strong enough to be gentile."

Conrad Roth is a great example. he teaches Lara some hard life lessons that she ends up having to learn it the hard way and taught her shoot, climb, and survive. You know about loss, Sacrifice is a choice, loss is a choice made for you

I'm glad Final Fantasy X gets a spot on these lists. And yeah, Auron is fricking awesome. And there's so much more left to speculation. Auron was made aware that Tidus loves blitzball and wants to surpass his father. With Tidus's mother giving up on life, neglecting, and then basically abandoning her child, all that was left in Tidus's life was Auron, so it had to have been up to him to nurture Tidus's passions as he grew up. Also, correction, he wasn't planning everything that whole time. If you talk to Auron in the airship basically just before the endgame, he'll eventually tell you that he intended to spend the rest of his days in Zanarkand, but when Sin/Jecht attacked, he changed his mind. Bringing Tidus to Spira was Jecht's idea, and the Fayth, not Auron's. Speaking of Jecht, I feel like he tends to get overlooked. He has no spot in this list, of course. But I think people should bear in mind that although he was an ass toward his son, out of the two parents Tidus had, Jecht was the one who actually paid attention to him. And when Jecht was stuck in Spira, he thought about Tidus and tried making recordings to show to Tidus. He wanted Tidus to be a blitzball star and surpass him. And when Jecht tells Auron his "dying" wish, one can only speculate that he knew Tidus's mother would have neglected Tidus even more due to Jecht's absence/presumed-death, and Tidus would need a parental figure to actually pay attention to him and "hold his hand" as Jecht puts it. Also, I kinda wish we got a game that followed Braska's party. Edit: I'm commenting as I watch. So, holy hell, Kotor 2 gets a mention!? And it's about Kreia!? If i could give a second like, I would. Anyway, I don't have much to say about Kreia, other than she reminds me of Theresa in Fable 2 and 3. But anyway, Kotor 2, this may be an unpopular opinion, but I like that game more than the first, honestly. The story of the first game was pretty straightforward with some good twists, but the story in Kotor 2 had an aura of mystery around the whole thing. There were a lot of unanswered questions left only to speculation throughout the whole game, and I love that.

Captain Anderson from Mass Effect is one of the best characters in the game!! Who doesn't love that guy??

Ok I'm genuinely shocked that Dunabn wasn't even mentioned. Especially since in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Future Redeemed. Shulk even calls him his mentor....and shulk went on to become a mentor himself. And dunban mentored more than just shulk. He Mentored Reyn as well. And I'd even argue Sharla, Melia, Riki ans Fiora to differing extents. So for him to not even be MENTIONED....I was more than surprised. Oh well. Not my list

Live A Live is a great game, between the Kung Fu and Ninja chapters i can have at least 3 full playthroughs to enjoy all the options, taking different students each time and deciding whether to silently sneak through the Castle right to the boss, go on a Genocide run or take a mix between the two, i only wish that the other chapters had that much in way of choices rather than a linear path.

So Happy to see Kreia/ Darth Traya in the Top 5. She's my all time favourite Star Wars character.

The mentor I'm writing for my manga is kind of an important one and I get the feeling the Boss might actually have some cool traits to take inspiration from.

YO shoutout to my man Auron! My favorite Final Fantasy character! Keith David makes this list TWICE. ADMIRAL DAVID ANDERSON FTMFW

Spider-Man training Kid Arachnid has been quite interesting.

I'd like to add my boys, Ryu and Ken, as two more mentors as of Street Fighter 6! Especially with training me in the ways of the Hado. (World Tour is just....fun!)

If I could make an honorable mention for this list, it would be Captain Brenner from Advance Wars: Days of Ruin. In an apocalyptic world where meteors crashed down, the sun is blotted out by dust clouds, a mad scientist is studying everything to do with suffering, raiders roam the land, and generals can't let old conflicts go, Will, cadet and main protagonist of the story, couldn't have found a better mentor. Able to trust in the abilities of those around him while still being stern when they go too far while reigning in his own anger and frustrations. He passes on to Will his belief that "Where there's life, there's hope." And while Brenner himself couldn't see it, his lessons to Will definitely payed off.

No vandham? Who pretty much raised rex into the man he is? And planted the seed that grew into the rex we have in XB3 and who honours the vandham name while leading the mercs in 2? Maaaaaan he deserves some credit for that.

My personal vote goes to a mentor who we admittedly never see train the protagonist, Utsushi. We see him teach certain gameplay mechanics, but it would've been awesome to see him actively teaching the player how to handle weapons in the Training Room. The fact that as a follower he can use ANY weapon is a cool easter egg, but he admittedly had no buildup or time with his pupil after the training was done. Still, he's my personal favorite mentor.

Keith David made it twice on this list! At #10 with Julius and #3 with Anderson!

A great list, no doubt… But I feel like Sully from Uncharted should’ve been on the list.

While not necessarily a mentor story-wise, Komaki from the Yakuza games is crucial for giving us one of the most satisfying moves in gaming: the Tiger Drop. Only for some detective in skinny jeans to master it all by himself after finding a QR-code in an alleyway.

Would you consider Sonic the Hedgehog being a good mentor to Miles "Tails" Prower? Not sure if that could be counted.

Thank You for the Disgea 5 mention. One if my favorite games and cast in RPGs. ❤

Please, teach me the ways of finding good video game mentors. 10: This is the opposite of what one would expect from the standard mentor figure, though still cool. (Julius Little (Saints Row)) 9: Man, that BURN! Sorry, Hades, just because you can light your own head on fire and be just fine doesn't mean you're immune to THAT. (Auron (Final Fantasy X)) 8: ... Not touching THAT can of worms. From my understanding, the lore of Blazblue is more complicated than Kingdom Hearts. (Jubei (Blazblue)) 7: One day, I'll get access to the Ace Attorney games. (Mia Fey (Ace Attorney)) 6: Some of my best teachers would not give me the help I asked for all the time, because they knew I had to do it myself. (Mycen (Fire Emblem Echoes)) 5: Thank you for not putting in spoilers for Spider-Man 2. It's on the top of my Christmas list, and I'm sure I'll get to see more of this dynamic grow throughout that. (Peter (Spider-Man: Miles Morales)) 4: And didn't Disney remove these games from canon? At least for a while? Man, another reason to dislike Disney. (Kreya/Darth Traya (Star Wars: KOTOR 2)) 3: I need to give mass Effect another shot. (Captain Anderson (Mass Effect)) 2: There's only one Shifu that I care about, and he taught a panda. At least, until now. This guy's cool. (Earthen Heart Shifu (Live a Live)) 1: Now THAT'S a mentor. (The Boss (Metal Gear Solid 3))

I have one suggestion for the next Top Ten: The Top Ten MASTERMIND Villains, the kind of villains that orchestrated everything behind the scenes and right under our noses.

Mass Effect Fan: Please let Anderson be on the list. Number Three: Let's GO!!!!!!!!

I knew he wouldn't be on this list, but I have to give an honorable mention to Kaito Momota from Danganronpa V3. While he's not the most mature of the cast, and he does have a tendency to be a bit egotistical and hypocritical, he ended being a pretty good mentor to Shuichi after his heartbreaking blow from Kaede's trial and execution, and to Maki after she was outed for being an assassin rather than a child caregiver. While his mentoring mostly involved push-ups and inspiring speeches, his goal was to get Shuichi to stop being afraid of the truth and to be more assertive in finding said truth, and for Maki to be more open to other people and stop hiding behind the mask of stoicism. While this ended up biting him in the butt and caused a brief rift between him and Shuichi, the way that it happened confirmed that his training worked; that Kaito was the very person that both Shuichi and Maki needed. Even after everything was revealed to be fiction, including Kaito and his ideals, his words (The impossible is possible! All you gotta do is make it so!) were the very thing that gave Shuichi the final push that he needed to officially end the killing game once and for all.

(Correct me if I’m wrong, but) We all know all that’s left now with a similar subject to be done exclusively by Ari, for obvious reasons; Top Ten Best Video Game Mothers.

16:23 oh alpha-Ferdinand. I love how these two characters despite being important nobles (and having similar names) are far different in terms of personalities

I've always enjoy your top ten lists josh ❤

23:19 The story of the Imperial China chapter is why it's one of my favorites. Not only does Shifu put as much effort as he could to create a successor, but said successor would go on to throw hands with ODIO (granted you put the successor in your party). I went with Lei, and yeah she really is bonkers in the Final Chapter

Fun fact, Julius wasn't supposed to betray you. The ending was altered by the animation team without the knowledge of the creators. They were awestruck when they played through it again after the release.

Hoping for Ford Cruller from Psychonauts & Mia Fey from Ace Attorney.

Kreia is on the list: Light side points gained, influence gained: Kreia She's only #4: Dark side points gained, influence lost: Kreia

Kreia is what ST Luke was trying to be but failed miserably

A small note about Kriea's plan is it would kill 90% of the galaxy as everyone has some connection to the force and only those with the weakest of connections would surive the force's death so shes basicly a worse version of MCU Thanos and defiantly needed to be stoped even if she's got some dam good points

Great list, some other mentors I can think of are Yakou Furio from Rain Code, Milla or Rowen from Tales of Xillia, Teach from Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Professor Layton and Yen Sid from KH 1: A really impactful character to the whole series and superb final boss. 5: I have not played Miles Morales game and not not yet Spiderman 2. But he does a great job helping Miles (also I prefer the older version of Peter why make him look young Insomniac, he´s supposed to be a mentor). I would put Byleth. 6: It´s been a while I played the game and it´s not one of the most memorable FE games. I´m gonna be honest, I don´t remember this character. 7: She does a great job mentoring Phoenix 8: One of my fav cats in videogames and Blazblue characters 9: One of my fav FF characters

Peter Parker in the new Spider-man games rocks as a Mentor If I was a Spider-man in training I'd want the OG to teach me especially when he's voiced Ben 10 😀 (Teenage Ben from UAF and Omniverse)

After all this time I STILL can't understand the opening theme song lyrics.

So Sully from Uncharted? Like pretty much raised, taught, and guides Natan Drake throughout the entire series?

The best mentors learn from their students while they teach them

7:43 Fun fact: Way back on PS2, I had a save file specifically dedicated to rewatching this scene lol

15:58 YES! FINALLY! SOMEONE ADDRESSES IT!!!

Seeing someone in the intro, and knowing exactly why they are there (both included, because mentor, and not on the list because...spoilers). Always reminds me you're trying to pick the shiniest hay from a stack.

I knew the Earthen Heart Shifu would be on the list. I honestly didn’t expect him to be _that high._

You forgot to put vandam on the list he made Rex into a better person

My personal fav is Mareg from Grandia 2. He becomes not only a mentor for the main char, Ryudo, but also Tio, changing them for the better. Both learn how to be their own person and Tio especially learns the power of the human heart.

Even tough she's from a mobile game, i was really hoping to see Himeko from Honkai Impact 3rd. If you don't why you should experince that for your self couse its truly worth it at the end of it, but if you already do, then you know why i was hoping to see her in this list

For a little preamble to fill some space, I was a little surprised to see Goldion show up in the Honourable Mentions. Really appreciate the moment of seeing him, as probably being one among a relatively small fraction of people who played Disgaea 5, let alone got so far as to see the game's standard ending, to see the main story through. Honestly speaking, I was expecting Vandham from Xenoblade 2 to show up somewhere, at least in the honourable mentions. Not my list, so I can't really make the decision for that, I guess, but it felt worth acknowledging him anyway. Helping Rex out during his first visit to Uraya, providing a little tutorial on Driver Combos, and even giving Rex the chance to fight his own war, while leaving his mercenary company to the up-and-coming Driver. Even left his Blade to Rex, at that. Definitely a lot for someone as young as him to inherit and take up, but it all pays off.

i love these mentors.

So, you have what was called the Yoda effect for mentors, where the mentors train the hero, then dies. Then we added the Gandolf effect where we have the mentor changes, say like Gouken from Street Fighter 4, who was the mentor to Ken and Ryu who died, but came back to life.

Cid from FFXVI is less a mentor and more a brother in arms. But damn did I love his interactions with Clive.

if I had to guess why you hate the MJ stealth sections, i wound say either, the slow pace or the cover system they used in the second half

Auron served as a good stone wall that repelled soras childishness. Auron: I suppose i should thank you. Sora: you dont have to. Auron: ok. Sora: i mean... you could thank us a little? Auron: you should mean what you say. I suppose i could spare a couple of words. thanks for meddling 😂.

That segment about Kreya was brilliant! Yeah, the whole "balance" thing never really sat well with me.

Expected the Earthen Heart Shifu and I wasn't dissapointed. Nice silver medal.

Mentors in any media are there to help the hero and party. Like Obi wan, Peter Parker to miles, and many more

David Anderson... . YES!!

Very well done! Any chance you could do a top ten time travelers? Looking for an excuse to put Future Trunks and sliver on here.

Do Top 10 games made by one person!

I'm a little shocked that vesimire from the witcher series isn't here. He's basically a father friend and mentor all in one

2:02okay, that’s terrifying in a funny way

Yeah Mephisto can get rid of all the Mj missions that don’t have important lore and teases like prototype goblins grenades and a combat helmet

I highly recommend trying out Tales of Arise, hope you have a lot of fun and enjoy this epic journey Josh.

Another good choice from Star Wars video games Kyle Katarn from Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy as someone who has been a Jedi and a Sith(briefly) and back to his current status as a Jedi Master he knows that concerning the Force that nothing is black and white and that certain powers, along with emotions including anger aren't bad or evil it's how you use said powers and whether or not you let your emotions take control of you as seen by his first 2 lessons to his greatest pupil Jaden Korr and her friendly rival Bosh as his first lesson to Jaden and Bosh is this "No power is good or evil it's all on the method said power is use." and after Jaden barely survived Bosh's little distraction aka attack bots set to Jedi Knight level of sparring Jaden is rightfully pissed off at Bosh and Kyle reprimands both of them first he reprimands Bosh telling your friendly rival "even if you meant no harm that was still irresponsible of you to do you're lucky Jaden was able to beat them as she could've been seriously hurt or worse if you had actually set them to Luke's level" and then he calls Jaden out on her failure of wanting to refuse to accept Bosh's apology "You have every right to be angry at Bosh Jaden but if you your anger take over you can risk making a mistake you can't take back." And yes I played through Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy with my version of Jaden being a female Twe'lik.

This is probably an unpopular opinion….but I think the MJ stealth missions are over-hated

ocarina of time link or the hero's revenant from tp should be an honorable mention he literally teaches his son (the hero of twilight) all his deadly skills and finishers.

Cassius Bright(again) Trails in the sky Great Dad & Mentor to the Bright Siblings to be Bracers & helped Rean become a Divine Blade. But same results saved Zemuria, the 3 grew as people & defeated the Villains responsible for the Tragedy of Hamel that kickstarted the entire Trails saga Georg Weissman & Ishmelga. (Thanks for putting the Earthern Heart Shifu,Kukui,Mycen,Peter Spiderman,& Jubei were in the vid)

armoldo from pokemon mystery dungeon explorers of sky. special episode two was just really good.

I would've love to see Ignis from The Legend of Spyro on this list.

I spy a wild Jing Yuan 👀👀👀 And while on the topic of Hoyoverse, I would like to nominate... Himeko Murata from Honkai Impact 3rd She was the mentor of the protagonist, Kiana Kaslana. She mainly starts out as mission control, but, early in the story, Kiana gets possessed and becomes the Herrscher of the Void, causing untold cataclysm and death with ease and completely against her will. Many characters band together to stop and save her, but Himeko comes out of retirement specifically to save her student. She also happens to be dying from overexposure to Honkai Energy (which is like radiation, but worse) during her Valkyrie days. Donning special armour, she takes a cure that can supress the Herrscher's presence in Kiana with her and confronts her alone in an epic battle. She succeeds in giving Kiana the cure, but she over-exerts herself and dies before Kiana wakes up. Throughout the rest of the story, Kiana goes through ABSOLUTE HELL!! She wakes up to find her mentor died saving her, she caused immense destruction while possessed and now, people are out for her head for something she had absolutely no control over (also, she's a clone of the real Kiana Kaslana). But Himeko had one Final Lesson to teach Kiana. Himeko gave her the cure knowing damn well that her innocence was going to be shattered afterwards and that she won't be there to support her anymore. So she told her, no matter how horrible things become for her, to keep doing what she always does. Keep fighting for the people, for the world is still beautiful past all the ugliness she's now exposed to. Kiana then survives multiple assassination attempts, she explodes a Honkai Energy bomb in the atmosphere away from a city, she gets diagnosed with the same disease Himeko had afterwards, her best friend/love interest betrays her out of desperation to save her from sacrificing herself and she STILL manages to keep going. After braving through the Theater of Domination, she becomes the Herrscher of Flamescion (coolest superhero name EVER!!) and then, on the Moon, becomes the Herrscher of Finality and sacrifices herself by sealing herself and the Honkai in the moon, finally achieving her lifelong dream and ending the Honkai threat forever. The Tuna has finally become a true hero and it is, in part, thanks to Himeko. Himeko's presence is felt in the story LONG after she dies and it's telling that her death still HURTS all these years later, to new and old fans alike (and now, people are afraid for Himeko in Honkai Star Rail XD).

Well, actually, you don't replace Jagen units, because Bases are more important than growths. Joshis clearly still in that phase every FE player grows through where he thinks a unit's potential is more important than their actual usefulness out the gate.

Disgaea mentioned, very based

17:07 Hey! Give Peter credit. Otto was a genuinely good guy before the arms came into play. He even warned Otto about possible mental side effects that the arms could cause Also, I'm willing to bet that if this list came out a bit later, Hecate from Hades 2 would've scored a top 5 spot at least

Can do a top ten evil kids video and have a cozy glow clip in the video

I wanna take a moment to appreciate the many mentors and teachers PaRappa has had.

Hey quick question: *In your opinion, what are 10 villains that you like that others DON'T like?*

I think Rost from the Horizon series deserves a mention here. It’s thanks to him that Aloy became the strong warrior she is now

Kinda surprised Master Eraqus didn’t show up tbh

Kinda surprised there was no mention of Dunban here.

Another mentor it could had been on the list is Zephyr from Tales of Arise. Just saying.

Could you do top ten bitter sweet endings? I would suggest putting Digimon Hacker's memory ending as we have to say goodbye to a friend that everyone in the game fought so hard to keep around, but it's ok because it was a fate the character chose.