The Best Supporting Characters in Video Games

Image via Complex Original

Debut Game: Max Payne
Date: 2001
Sidekick To: Max Payne

Mona is a noir archetype– the mysterious, sultry woman in black. She's the perfect foil for Max, because you're always questioning her loyalties – you don't know whether she's going to bed you or shoot you in the back. A contract killer who treats death as a business, Mona proves at the end of Max Payne 2 that love conquers all. With those seductive eyes and tight leather pants, she makes our hearts pound in bullet time.

Debut Game: Portal 2
Date: 2011
Sidekick To: Chell

It's hard to get angry at, or form any kind of emotional connection to, something that has no face. Wheatley, however, makes up for his lack of humanity with dry, British repartee. Voiced by British comedian Stephen Merchant, Wheatley is your friend at first, and your enemy in the end. Whether he's helping Chell break out of Aperture Facility or trapping her inside of it, Wheatley adds wry menace and humor to this now classic puzzle game.

Debut Game: Starcraft II
Date: 2010
Sidekick To: Jim Raynor

As Raynor's loyal buddy, the cigar chomping, Southern drawling Findlay has seen it all. His beaten up Marine armor is proof of a life harshly lived, and he has a lot to atone for – enough, in fact, to make a deal with Mengsk. Still, it's a shock when Raynor shoots Findlay in the face to save, of all people, the Queen of Blades. Damn Jimmy. That's cold.

Debut Game: Resident Evil 4
Date: 2005
Sidekick To: Leon S. Kennedy

"Heh, heh, heh! What're ye buyin?" The first time you meet the Merchant, you're loaded down with gold. You could really use a gun upgrade – or, even better yet, a sniper rifle, because those crossbow Ganados have really good aim for a bunch of dead guys. The Merchant's shop becomes your sanctuary – it means that there's a typewriter nearby to save your game. You've got to wonder how he manages to lug all that artillery by himself.

Debut Game: Grand Theft Auto III
Date: 2001
Sidekick To: Claude

8-Ball is the man. After getting you some fresh clothes and a hideout, he puts you in contact with Luigi for your first mission (driving Misty's lazy ass for five blocks). Later on, 8-Ball is your right hand man in "Bomb da Base," when he has to rig a bomb while being sniped at by Cartel members. It's a shitty job, but whether he's setting explosives or re-spraying your car, 8-Ball is always up to the task.

Debut Game: Banjo-Kazooie
Date: 1998
Sidekick To: Banjo the Honey Bear

Banjo was the opposite of Yogi – he was a bit dumber than the average bear, which is why Kazooie was so valuable. Even though she spends the majority of time in her buddy's backpack, she contributes in invaluable ways, by flying, shooting eggs, and pecking enemies to death. Gruntilda has a lot to fear from Banjo's feathered friend.

Debut Game: Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
Date: 2007
Sidekick To: Nathan Drake

The Uncharted series is everything that an adventure game ought to be – it's intriguing, swashbuckling, and historically referential. Nathan Drake is a modern male hero – a courageous rogue with a conscience. Serving as a perfect foil is reporter Elena Fisher, a modern April O'Neill who's in over her head. Despite this, however, she knows how to cover and shoot – she saves Nathan's hide more than once. Dumb blonde? Hell no – this gal's got brains.

Debut Game: Bioshock: Infinite
Date: 2013
Sidekick To: Booker DeWitt

Easily one of the most helpful supporting characters we've ever rolled with, Elizabeth more than earned her keep throughout Bioshock Infinite. Always ready with ammo, cash, or an assist in the form of tear in space/time, Elizabeth has been cited as one of the most advanced NPCs in recent history. She has become an instant fan-favorite within Ken Levine's universe and her starring role DLC is coming soon. 

Debut Game: Duck Hunt
Date: 1984
Sidekick To: You

Irritating, but memorable. That sums up the Dog from Duck Hunt. He scares the ducks into the sky, catches them when they fall, and mocks you when you fail (what kind of rifle has only three bullets anyway?). Every frustrated player, at some point, tries and fails to shoot the Dog. Such is the love/hate relationship with our very first sidekick.

Debut Game: Half-Life 2
Date: 2004
Sidekick To: Gordon Freeman

There's nothing worse than a computer controlled sidekick who can't take care of him/herself. That's what ruins Resident Evil 5 – you have enough to worry about without wondering if Sheva is being decapitated somewhere. Alyx Vance, however, exceeds expectations. This is no blushing blossom – here is a woman of color who can shoot, take punishment, and computer hack her way through problems. Alyx Vance – the Combine was never prepared for someone like her.

Debut Game: The Last of Us
Date: 2013
Sidekick To: Joel

Is one person worth the entire world? Literally, the entire world? People continue to debate the ending to this game, but there would be no debate if Ellie wasn't so damn likeable. She's spunky with a smart mouth, and even though she can't swim, she's a crack shot. There are very few people to call a friend when everyone is infected with fungus, and Joel is lucky to have Ellie watching his back.

Debut Game: Gears of War
Date: 2006
Sidekick To: Marcus Fenix

Cole Train is blaxploitation to the extreme. Massive, funky, and funny, the big lug is the guy you want in the trenches with you. Voiced by Lester Speight, famous for his portrayals of Terry Tate in the Reeboks commercials, Cole Train has the best comedic timing on the Delta Squad. Yeah baby. Can't stop the train.

Debut Game: Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy Kong's Quest
Date: 1995
Sidekick To: Diddy Kong & Dixie Kong

Donkey, Diddy, Dixie, and Kiddie have had a lot of Animal Buddies, but Squitter takes the cake. A huge spider with sneakers and a shit-eating grin, Squitter has the ability to shoot and aim web projectiles. In addition, he has a secondary fire that allows him to build web platforms. He only appears a handful of times – if he was around any more frequently, the game would be too easy.

Debut Game: Star Fox
Date: 1993
Sidekick To: Fox McCloud

"Do a barrel roll!" Falco is an arrogant jerk, and Slippy is a cowardly punk, but Peppy is always the reliable member of your team. The wisest member, he walks you through basic training, shows you the double laser secret, and tells you to slam on the brakes when you almost hit the wall. The Lylat System needs Fox McCloud to be a hero, and Peppy is up to the task of making him one.

Debut Game: Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!
Date: 1987
Sidekick To: Little Mac

Doc Louis is certifiably insane. When Little Mac gets his face pounded in, Doc recommends that he join the Nintendo Fun Club. On the Punch-Out!! remake for the Wii, Doc reaches new levels of craziness, babbling about his love of chocolate when you could really just use some advice. At least he has the generosity to heal you between rounds. Stick and move, Mac baby! Stick and move!

Debut Game: Halo: Combat Evolved
Date: 2001
Sidekick To: Master Chief

Cortana has legitimate sex appeal, and when holographic women look like her, it's easy to see how. Serving as Master Chief's companion for four Halo games, the sardonic Cortana has a cultured voice to contrast with the gritty gameplay, and she's a crucial ally to taking down the Covenant. When her program finally becomes Rampant, you identify with her flawed humanity, feeling a sense of loss usually reserved for human characters. Hopefully, we haven't seen the last of her.

Debut Game: The Walking Dead
Date: 2012
Sidekick To: Lee Everett

It's hard to think of a video game character that's made more grown men cry than Clementine. As Lee Everett, escaped convict and murderer, you have to protect her from fevered, flesh-eating creatures. Yes, you're loyal to Kenny and Carley, but Clementine holds a special place in your heart. She's your moral conscience (she TOLD you not to steal food from that car) – a Jiminy Cricket in an apocalyptic world.

Debut Game: Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Date: 1992
Sidekick To: Sonic the Hedgehog

It's hard to not like Tails. He's got that earnest, Scrappy Doo energy that's impossible to ignore. Knuckles is alright, but he tries way too hard to be cool. Tails is his own man, and his helicopter tails give him skills that Sonic can't even touch. He's never had his own game, but he looks up to Sonic too much to ever break away. That's loyalty right there.

Debut Game: Mega Man 3
Date: 1990
Sidekick To: Mega Man

A dog is a man's best friend, even if that dog is made of metal and that man is a robot. Rush can be a submarine, a jet, a coiled spring, and anything else that Mega Man needs him to be. Like a futuristic Swiss army knife, Rush is always helpful, no matter what Dr. Wily manages to invent.

Debut Game: Super Mario World
Date: 1990
Sidekick To: Mario & Luigi

Miyamoto always wanted Mario to ride a dinosaur. Back in the early days, however, he lacked the technology to bring his concept to fruition. Finally, when the Super Nintendo dropped, we got to see what Miyamoto had been planning. Yoshi has everything Mario and Luigi need in a sidekick – a monstrous appetite, boots that can walk on Munchers, and the ability to breathe fire, fly, and cause earthquakes, depending on the Koopa shell's color. You have to love a sidekick that hatches with a built-in saddle.