“Sidekick” is considered a bit of an antiquated term these days, as it can somewhat unfairly diminish a friend or partner’s contributions to an effort.
Even so, not everyone gets to be the de facto protagonist, especially in video games, so someone has to bring up the rear.
10 Best Video Game Sidekicks
Sidekicks can make or break a game. From sassy rodents to sentient and powerful AI, which video game companions are the most iconic?
That said, many sidekicks are only sidekicks by circumstance rather than necessity. If we weren’t following a particular protagonist and their journeys, these individuals could easily be heroes (or villains) in their own right.
If absolutely nothing else, we’re pretty sure that if push came to shove, these sidekicks could step up and fill the protagonist’s shoes, either temporarily or indefinitely.
10Miles “Tails” Prower
Sonic The Hedgehog (Series)
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Tails isSonic’sbest friend and crimefighting sidekick, and he’s perfectly content with that. He likes spending time with Sonic and following his lead, and barring a few occasions, Sonic’s path has rarely steered him wrong. However, let nobody say Tails is incapable of being a hero in his own right.
Sonic’s only real edge over Tails is his speed, which Tails can surmount with a combination of tech and his twisty-tail trick. Despite being fairly young,Tails is a certifiable geniusin the fields of science, technology, and engineering.
He built the original Tornado biplane from scratch, and the subsequent Tornado 2 possesses the ability to shift into an artillery walker almost immediately.
To put it simply, Tails could probably be a globe-trotting hero on his own even if Sonic weren’t in the picture.
Sonic, on the other hand, might have some trouble with it, at least if the villainous scheme of the day requires any more complicated intervention than “run really fast.”
9Kim Kitsuragi
Disco Elysium
If there were a single brain cell betweenDisco Elysium’s protagonist, Harry Du Bois, and his partner Kim Kitsuragi, the latter would have almost-exclusive custody over it.
Where Harry is a complete wild card, his actions largely dictated by chance and casual interest, Kim is a proper police officer doing things by the book.
Kim may be assigned to assist Harry for the Hanged Man murder case, but between the two of them, Kim is objectively a more decorated officer.
He’s been in the Revachol Citizens Militia for over 20 years, and has over 100 solved cases to his name. He’s very intelligent and intuitive, regularly taking notes on case-relevant occurrences and people.
Harry’s unusual state of being does help to approach the case from unconventional angles, but with enough time and resources, Kim probably could’ve logic’d out a suspect on his own.
8Elizabeth
BioShock Infinite
If you played the first two BioShock games, you’ve already had a degree of experience with mildly annoying escort missions as you protected Little Sisters.
You might expect a similar sort of situation from Elizabeth inBioShock Infinite, but despite her mildly naive disposition, she’s a remarkably capable young lady.
As soon as Booker liberates Elizabeth from her room, the game straight-up tells you thatyou don’t need to worry about her in a fight. No matter how many bullets and fireballs are flying by, Elizabeth can handle herself, staying out of the line of fire.
10 Most Iconic JRPG Party Members Of All Time
JRPGs are long ingrained in the gaming landscape and throughout the years, we have experienced some of the best written characters imaginable.
Granted, she’s literally the most important person in Columbia, so most of your opponents are probably trying not to shoot her, but it’s still impressive.
More to the point, in the game’s Burial at Sea DLC, Elizabeth shows she can get her hands dirty if Booker isn’t around. She’s not quite strong enough to go guns blazing like he did, but with a little stealth and subtlety, she can carefully pick off soldiers and Splicers.
Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Hunter-Killer-47, HK-47 for short, is one ofyour many recruitable alliesinStar Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.
As his designation may imply, he is an assassin droid, engineered for the express purpose of killing those who oppose his designated master, not to mention enjoying every second of it.
HK is an exceptionally skilled combatant, able to kill pretty much anyone or anything with just about any implement of death you could realistically think of. Put a blaster in his hands and give him ten minutes, and he’ll bring you a pile of corpses with a jaunty spring in his step.
HK’s only real weakness is the fact that, as a droid, he is inherently subservient to his registered master. If he hasn’t blasted a hole in you, it’s only because his programming is holding him back.
This is also what forces him to stay by his master’s side, much to his verbal distaste. If HK were freed of his restrictions, he would immediately depart on a galaxy-wide killing spree.
Ratchet & Clank (Series)
Ratchet & Clank
In the firstRatchet & Clankgame, we see Clank rolling off a production line of Chairman Drek’s sentry robots. Because of his small size and intellectual tendencies, he’s declared a defect.
While he lacks the overt brute strength of his siblings, though, Clank is no pushover. Although Clank usually prefers to hang back and let Ratchet handle the firefights, he is perfectly capable of getting into a scrape himself, using a combination of hand-to-hand combat and weaponry.
During his stint as a secret agent (in reality, not in his TV show), Clank was able to handle the bulk of the entire adventure, with Ratchet only helping out in the background during his incarceration.
Clank could probably be as much of a planet-hopping hero as Ratchet is by himself if he wanted to, buthe prefers the company of good friends.
Super Mario (Franchise)
Super Mario Bros.
Ol’ Weeg has been getting a bit of a raw deal as far back as the very firstMario Bros.game. He’s often portrayed as the cowardly, somewhat bumbling member of the titular brothers, with Mario usually taking the lead in adventuring matters.
However, when push comes to shove, Luigi has proven himself to be just as capable as his brother, if not more so. Let’s not forget, in Super Mario Bros. 2, he’s actually an even better jumper than Mario, which is quite an achievement in itself.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: How To Counter Luigi
Luigi is a very peculiar and polarizing character to fight against. Learn how to best him in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
The brothers do their best work when teamed up, but as we’ve seen inthe Luigi’s Mansion games, Luigi can take the reins should the situation demand it.
He’s not going to like it, and he’s probably going to whine a bit throughout the whole thing, but he’ll definitely get the job done. If he couldn’t, Mario would still be trapped in a painting. Twice!
4Alyx Vance
Half-Life 2
In the original Half-Life, Gordon Freeman’s escape from Black Mesa and subsequent battle with Nihilanth is more or less a one-man show.
InHalf-Life 2, though, the Combine and Metro Police are much more organized, well-equipped forces, and even Gordon can’t take them on single-handedly.
Luckily, he has Alyx Vance in his corner, who is not only a combatant on par with Gordon himself, but arguably an even smarter, more tech-savvy person. Alyx has spent half her life in the company of machines and engineers, and can hack pretty much anything with enough time and the right tools.
We’ve seen in Half-Life: Alyx that she’s a perfectly capable freedom fighter on her own, and can (and has) done substantial damage to the Combine in her own activities.
If Gordon had never returned from whatever dimension the G-Man had dumped him in, Alyx definitely could’ve been the Resistance’s hero.
Banjo-Kazooie (Series)
Banjo-Tooie
In the originalBanjo-Kazooieduology, Banjo’s the one who typically gets his paws dirty while Kazooie lounges around in his backpack.
Without Kazooie present, Banjo wouldn’t be nearly as mobile as he is, but Banjo definitely has a bit more than Kazooie in terms of raw muscle and heartiness.
All the same, when the two gain the ability to split up in Banjo-Tooie, Kazooie utilizes her natural birdy agility to its fullest potential. Not only is she much faster without Banjo weighing her down, she can jump higher and flap further.
With a little help from Jamjars, she even gains the ability to glide across long distances without needing a flight pad.
Kazooie proves that she’s more than capable of platforming and fighting on her own, but if Banjo weren’t in the picture, there’s a distinct chance she just wouldn’t bother. He is the moral compass of the two, after all.
The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Over the course of the Legend of Zelda franchise, Link has had a variety of helpers, usually either fairies or spirits. These many sprites offer helpful tips and might have the occasional magical parlor trick to assist, but it’s mostly down to Link to do the heavy lifting.
Out of all of Link’s helpers, though,Twilight Princess’s Midna is definitely the most capable. While she may be in a diminished state due to Zant’s magic, she’s still quite a spellcaster in her own right, able to conjure portals and lift large objects with her hair-hand.
The only reason Midna even deigns to associate with Link at first is due to an old heroic legend from the Twili people. Had she not encountered him, her quest to gather Fused Shadows might’ve taken a lot longer, but she probably could’ve put something together.
God Of War (2018)
God of War
At the beginning of the2018 God of War, Kratos’ son Atreus is still very young and inexperienced. He’s only just learned to wield a bow, and Kratos insists that he not fire any shots without his express go-ahead.
As the two journey across the realms, though, Atreus naturally grows in strength and skill, able to fight enemies more directly and use more magical abilities.
This comes to a head when Kratos enters a pillar of light in Alfheim, leaving Atreus to fend for himself for a long period. He proves himself, albeit perhaps not in the way he would’ve wanted.
By the time of God of War: Ragnarök, Atreus ismore than ready to fend entirely for himself, having mastered his bow and multiple more eclectic abilities like shapeshifting.
As of the end of Ragnarök, Atreus has already gone his own way from Kratos, so we might just see him in a fully solo adventure someday.
Palworld: 10 Best Partner Skills, Ranked
Partner Skills offer some unique interactions with your Pals in Palworld. This list tackles the best ones to make sure you’re using on your journey.
