Animal companions are a pretty important part of human society. We generally think of our pets a🦹s being part of the family. They can amuse us, comfort us, and they can even defend us. So, it makes sense, then, that video✱ games would latch onto this idea and deliver us characters paired with animal companions.

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While𒉰, obviously, dogs are going to be one of the more common animals found in these pairings, there are a lot of diverse animal partners that deserve mention here.

10 Kinnison And Shiro - Suikoden 2 🦂

Official art showing Shiro And Kinnison from Suikoden 2 together

While it is pretty cool to have a dog companion, what about having a wolf companion? Well, that is exactly what you get with Shiro. Kinnison and Shiro are pretty minor characters in 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Suikoden 2. They live in the woods and join Riou in order to defend it. Given how uncomfortable they are living in 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:the bustling Dunan Castle, they clearly miss living among the trees.

One of the most interesting things about Shiro is how kind-hearted the big wolf is. At one point, he seems concerned about a fallen bird and gets your attention to help rescue it. Shiro is a wolf, but he also clearly has a great ൲deal of compassion. These two may be a bit of a mystery, but they make a great pair and are valuable members of your party in the early parts of the game.

9 💝 Xiaoyu And Panda - Tekken

Panda looks worryingly at Xiaoyu as she prepares to leave for adventure (still taken from Panda's Tekken 6 story mode)

A well-trained guard dog is one thing, but a guard panda is certainly more impressive. That is exactly what Panda is. She accompanies 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Tekken's Xiaoyu, kee📖ping her safe. Better yet, t🌺his is one Panda who knows Kung Fu! She even has a karate-fighting grizzly bear admirer.

Outside the tag games, we don't see Xiaoyu and Panda fight alongside each other too often, but we do catch glimpses of them training together and they both appear in a number of each other's stories. All in all, they are a noteworthy pair, but the one-on-one standard of the majority of Tekken games does hamper their synergy as a fighting team a little.

8 ও Shadow And Interceptor - Final Fantasy 6

Shadow And Interceptor from Final Fantasy 6 (as depicted in Dissidia Opera Omnia)

Shadow isn't a man with many friends by choice. His one friend in the world is his trusty canine companion, Interceptor, a confirmed good boy. Interceptor is a loyal companion. He is also happy to take a hit for Shadow occasionally and when he decides to, he dishes out his own hits as well - for big damage too.

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As mysterious as Shadow is, and he is quite mysterious, Interceptor is also similarly enigmatic. For one, Interceptor seems to have a fondness for Relm. She is hinted to have been Shadow's daughter, but how does Interceptor know that? Was he around when she was born? Can Interceptor smell blood relations? We will never know.

7 Mario And Yoshi - Super Mario World 🃏

Nintendo Super Mario Galaxy 2 Mario Riding Yoshi
Super Mario Galaxy 2 Mario Riding Yoshi

Sure, many characters have animal companions, but how many of them were at least partially raised by their animal companion? Not many. Yes, Mario is the star of the show, but, like everyone else, he used to be just another dumb baby. Who looked after Mario for all those years? Yoshi, that's who.

Though clearly, this ꧒relationship is a one-sided one, as we all know what happens to Yoshi when Mario needs to make a big jump.🐟 You were too good for him anyway, Yoshi.

6 Minsc And Boo - Baldur's Gate

Minsc holding Boo with a big smile on his face (official art for their appearance in Neverwinter)

Minsc is a fearsome warrior who comes accompan🥃ied by the equally fearsome Boo who is, of course, a hamster. Is Boo secretly a miniature giant space hamster as Minsc c♔laims? It seems unlikely but we love him anyway.

Sometimes big heroes come in small packages, and we choose to believe that Boo is every bit the champion Minsc says he is. Go for the Eyes, Boo. G👍o for the eyes!

5 🌊 Nakoruru And Mamahaha - Samurai Shodown

Nakaruru stretching while Mamahaha swoops down (official SNK art)

Why choose an animal companion who fights on the ground when you can rain death down from the sky? 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Samurai Shodown's Nakoruru is a protector of nature, so it only makes sense that animals would have an affin🐬ity for her. However,⛎ the eagle Mamahaha definitely shares a particularly strong bond with her.

Mam🧸ahaha is shown to be quite intelligent. She is seen communicating with Nakoruru and telling her that her father had been taken. In battle, the two fight 🎐as one. Mamahara can help carry Nakoruru, or dive from the sky and attack her foes. This is a potent pair with a unified mission and battle-tested bond.

4 ﷽ Bar🐟tz And Boko, Final Fantasy 5

Bartz and Boko looking off into the distance (this is the Final Fantasy 5 boxart)

Chocobos are some of the most notable fictional creatures in games, but you rarely see them forming strong connections to the protagonists. That is not the case with Boko. Bartz and Boko begin༺ the game ꦅas a pair, but as the game continues, Boko never becomes irrelevant.

Related: Final Fantasy: Things You Didn't Know About Chocobos

This Chocobo would become so noteworthy that he would actually be referenced in a number of Final Fantasy games afterward, becoming a common default name for a number of chocobo encounter🔥ed in subsequent titles. Bartz may be the hero of Final Fantasy 5, but Boko became 🐷a legend.

3 Ken And Koromaru - Persona 4 Aren𒉰a Ultimax

Ken And Koromaru from Persona 4 Arena Ultimax

While Ken and Koromaru may show a certain level of kinship in 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Persona 4, it wasn't until Persona 4 Arena Ultimax that these two officially became a duo. The majority of Ken's special moves in the game are performed by Koromaru. Often this makes it possible for Ken to set attacks up and put his opponents into tricky situations.

This fearsome duo synchronizes their actions and fights as one. A beautiful touch is that Koromaru is wearing Ken's hoodie from the original game in Arena Ultimax. That detail alone is definitely worth a chef's kiss.

2 Mo🗹nster Hunter And Palico - Monster Hunter 🐻

A tuxedo Palico from Monster Hunter World

There is one truth that everyone knows deep down in their souls: there simply aren't enough cat companions in games. Well, Monster Hunter is doing their part in trying to curb this unfortunate trend. The Palico is able to assist the hunter in a number of useful ways.

They fight alongside them, they can help snap them out of a stunned state, and they can even provide a heal. Working in synergy with a good Palico is like poetry in motion. While the hunter is an avatar for the player, and therefore lacks characterization, the chummy Palico are filled with personality and more than compensate for the hunter's nonexistent one.

1 🌜 Jack And Hanp♐an - Wild Arms

Hanpan sits on Jack's shoulder while Jack smiles smugly

Jack comes with his sturdy companion Hanpan, who just so happens to be a blue hamster - okay, apparently he is a "wind mouse". When it comes to this pair, Hanpan is the more reasonable one. In fact, it wouldn't be a stretch to call him the brains of the operation. While Jack is a bit of a hothead, Hanpan is generally more cautious.

Hanpan contributes quite a bit to the gameplay of Wild Arms, as well. It is only through him that we are able to reach distant levers while traversing dungeons. He also participates in battle by supporting Jack and isn't all brains, he gets his paws dirty too. We don't know how these two became pals; all we know is that Jack is better off having Hanpan around to help guide him.

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