Mion and Shion's family from Higurashi.
I have an over-thinking take on the whole thing, that isn't mean to be taken seriously, but does argue the point.
[ ](#s "Look, I don't care if Shion's family do a few good things here and there in the VN. What I'm worried about, is what they do off-screen to innocent bystanders, and poor, poor Shion...
First, let me establish that these are not good people. They are gangsters who run Protection rackets, Illegal gambling operations, and god knows what the heck, but we can presume they are involved with some pretty violent crimes because the Sonozaki family stockpiles weapons.
But they're not just mobsters. They are sadists. They have a torture chamber on their estate, that is actively organized and maintained. Contrast to Rika's Shed, which is very old, unorganized, and dusty. In other words, the Sonozaki family actively uses their torture chamber to torture people, even at the time of the VN, and in fact use it to torture Shion with the infamous nail-peeling scene.
Could such a people into such crazy shit really be called a proper parental figure?
Most Higurashi fans are familiar they force Shion to undergo the ritual of peeling off her fingernails, over some stupid pseudo-religious honour bullshit. But did you stop to think that maybe Shion never agreed to be part of their Yakuza operation in the first place? The Western equivalent would be an extremist Christian parent strapping their Atheist child to a torture cross, and literally mutilating them.
On top of that, the justifications of Sonozaki's family didn't even make any sense: 1. They were mad because Shion had a job at a Maid Cafe to support herself after her crazy family abandoned her? How dare she! 2. Some shit about car pooling with some trusted Yakuza dude from her family. Was it that big a deal? 3. Witch grandmother with signs of delirium, is angry because Shion loved an innocent young boy, who comes from a family she doesn't like? OHHHHH woe is me! BIIIIIIIG FUCKING DEAL!!!!
So let me get this straight: because that bitch of a grandmother wants complete control over her grand daughter's finances, wants to control her transportation, and who she speaks to, who she loves, she thinks she's justified to litrally mutilate and torture her own grand-daughter?
This case of child abuse is especially fucked up when you realize that Higurashi is a story that in fact highlights child abuse, particularly against Satoko, but it's also a curious case of Fridge Horror if you were to question what would happen to Shion if she were to continue to dissent against her family? What would happen if she had no more fingernails to peel? Would they cut off a finger? Would they kill her?
The Sonozaki family is missing a very important moral about parenting, in that a parent does not own their child. For the same reason that a Radical Islamic family is not allowed to perform "honour" killings to their children, they are not allowed to harm Shion.
Not only that, but the Sonoaki know they are being abusive! They're a rich family, with a huge family and estate, yet they sent Shion to an abusive bording school that they knew was horrible, and they knew she would be traumatized if split up from her sister, they knew that Shion was violating their "family code" and they didn't make any attempt to stop her, but they did everything they did anyway, and let her supposedly "stack" punishments, and then during the punishment itself, they knew she was in intense pain because when she hesitated after doing the first fingernail, they did it to her by rough force! They actively took pleasure in making Shion suffer!
Arguably, it is because of the Sonozaki family that Shion even went crazy in the Maekeshi arc in the first place. Screw Hinamizawa Syndrome, you place yourself in Shion's position, and see how long you last. Hinamizawa Syndrome merely heightens anxiety and irrational thoughts, but it doesn't mean the Sonozaki family didn't mentally damage their child before the later stages of Hinamizawa Syndrome.
Was Shion justified killing her grandmother? Higurashi, as a story, tries to condemn murder. But try to think a bit deeper about the topic, and recall my earlier point about the violent murders and torture committed by the Sonozaki family, outside the context of Higurashi's narrative. Shion basically killed what is the equivalent of Japan's Don of the Mafia. Except, unlike the Don, they are abusive to their children, and there for have no redeemable factors. Give Shion a fucking medal!")