The 4 Best Video Game Sidekicks of All Time

by Staff & Contributors on February 18, 2019

in Gaming

No video game superhero is complete without their trusty sidekick. While the protagonists may go down in history, it’s always important to remember the faithful friends that help them on their way to greatness. Regardless of the kinds of games you enjoy, whether it’s strategy or free Vegas slots, it’s the characters along the way that truly make them memorable. Here are 4 of the best sidekicks of all time. How many do you remember?

 

Tails

As Sonic the Hedgehog’s best friend, Tails has a place in the hearts of many gamers. The sidekick — whose real name is Miles Prower — is a humble and sweet-natured fox with two tails which he uses to propel himself along like a helicopter. Tails was first introduced in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 in October 1992. Created by Yasushi Yamaguchi, he was designed as part of an internal Sega competition to find a sidekick for the blue hedgehog. The character was based loosely on the Japanese folklore fox which was said to be able to grow multiple tails at a time. In 1998, the original character was redesigned along with the rest of the Sonic team by Yuji Uekawa for Sonic Adventure. The slight changes included giving his fur a more yellowish hue and making his eyes blue.

 

Diddy Kong

An iconic part of both the Donkey Kong and Mario series, the monkey Diddy Kong is widely recognisable thanks to his red vest and hat complete with the Nintendo logo. Diddy debuted in the 1994 Donkey Kong game and became a staple of those that followed. Famed for helping Donkey Kong fight off armies of Kremlings, he’s often described as Donkey Kong’s best friend although in one Nintendo 64 manual he is also referred to as his ‘nephew wannabe’.

 

Leonardo da Vinci

Arguably one of the most helpful sidekicks in video game history has to be Leonardo da Vinci. Based on the extraordinary painter, mathematician and engineer, the game version of the iconic figure lends his support to protagonist Ezio Auditore de Firenze in Assassin’s Creed. With a host of skills under his belt, da Vinci creates an array of amazing weapons and even a flying machine for de Firenze as he battles against his enemies, the Templars. In the series, the pair initially meet in da Vinci’s studio. At first, de Firenze is unsure of his talents but they quickly become close friends.

 

Luigi

Ending on one of the most famous sidekicks ever created, Luigi is the right hand man to everyone’s favourite plumber. Depicted as slightly taller than his twin brother Mario, Luigi wears blue overalls and a green jersey with a matching initialled hat throughout the series. Having first appeared in the 1983 arcade game Mario Bros, Luigi has gone on to star in countless other titles in the franchise up until today. Personality-wise he is said to be good-natured and shyer than his more famous brother.  Along with the rest of the Super Mario world and its characters, Luigi was created by prominent game designer Shigeru Miyamoto.

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