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Top 50 Sidekicks - The League of Extraordinary Second Bananas

Adrenaline

Post Reader
(He/Him)
Heroes and villains are great, but they wouldn't get anywhere without the people watching their back, helping them, teaching them, or just giving them someone to show off to. Here are our picks for the 50 best sidekicks in the history of fiction. Ties will be presented in order of earliest appearance.

Hon. Mention: Silent Bob
Hon. Mention: Kazooie
Hon. Mention: Walter Sobchak
46 (tie): Anguirus
46 (tie): Marcie
46 (tie): Hobbes
46 (tie): Donna Noble
46 (tie): Elder Cunningham
44 (tie): Bender
44 (tie): Issun
43: Rush
42: Willow Rosenberg
41: Launchpad McQuack
40: Fezzik
39: Diddy Kong
36 (tie): Hermione Granger
36 (tie): Navi
36 (tie): Janet
35: Tim Drake
30 (tie): Little John
30 (tie): Max
30 (tie): Zorak and Brak
30 (tie): Dixie Kong
30 (tie): Damian Wayne
28 (tie): Jiji
28 (tie): Danny Butterman
27: Yoshi
25 (tie): Daisuke Jigen
25 (tie): Dwight Schrute
23 (tie): Crow, Tom Servo, and GPC
23 (tie): Jesse Pinkman
22: Alfred Pennyworth
20 (tie): Captain Arthur Hastings
20 (tie): Bucky Barnes
19: Gabrielle
18: Milhouse Van Houten
17: Sancho Panza
16: Enkidu
15: Waylon Smithers
14: Jimmy Olsen
12 (tie): Dick Grayson
12 (tie): Sallah
11: R2-D2
10: Death
9: Arthur
8: Henchmen 21 and 24
7: Miles "Tails" Prower
6: Luigi
5: Pinky
4: Dr. John Watson
3: Igor
2: Chewbacca
1: Samwise Gamgee

Before we hit the actual top 50, here are a few Honorable Mentions. A single first place vote was enough to make the list, but these characters received multiple votes of lesser value. 1st place was worth 35 points, 25th place was worth 11.

strike-back-silent-bob-coat-1.jpg

Hon. Mention: Silent Bob
"You're givin' me a fuckin' headache."
First Appearance: Clerks (1994)
Sidekick to: Jay
2 votes, 26 points (Top voter: Issun)

Jay and Silent Bob are the connective tissue in most of Kevin Smith's movies, with Jay providing vulgar commentary and Silent Bob, appropriately, standing by him silently. He occasionally breaks his silence to put Jay in his place or provide a pearl of wisdom.

latest

Hon. Mention: Kazooie
"How's your nuts, bark breath?"
First Appearance: Banjo-Kazooie (1998)
Sidekick to: Banjo
2 votes, 30 points (Top voter: Patrick)

Kazooie spends most of her time riding in Banjo's backpack, but she occasionally takes center stage whenever her beak, wings, or legs are needed. She also likes insulting everyone she meets.

latest

Hon. Mention: Walter Sobchak
"Am I the only one who gives a shit about the rules?"
First Appearance: The Big Lebowski (1998)
Sidekick to: Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski
2 votes, 32 points (Top voter: Bulgakov)

Walter is the Dude's bowling buddy, who also spends his time talking about his war experience in Vietnam and trying to prove he's the smartest guy in the room. He is partly based on real-life filmmaker John Milius, director of Conan the Barbarian and Red Dawn.
 
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Ixo

"This is not my beautiful forum!" - David Byrne
(Hi Guy)
A single first place vote was enough to make the list

Oh well that's interesting! How many lists did you wind up getting in?
 

Adrenaline

Post Reader
(He/Him)
latest

#46 (tie): Anguirus
"Roar!"
First Appearance: Godzilla Raids Again (1955)
Sidekick to: Godzilla
1 vote, 35 points (Top voter: Beta Metroid (#1))

Beta Metroid sez: In a series that is predominantly built around “Godzilla fights other big critters,” you would think Anguirus would be well known for being the first big critter Godzilla ever fought. But he’s really best known for being Godzilla’s scrappy, tenacious, #2 when Godzilla’s in full “heroic defender against alien invaders” mode. In the world of kaiju, Anguirus is rather plain, and is often highly overmatched, as he takes on the top-tier threats of the era. But he charges fearlessly into battle with nothing but teeth, claws, and spikes against opponents with death rays, missiles, and buzzsaws. And while he rarely gets the upper hand in any one-on-one matchups, he does his share of damage. More modern comics and video games expand on his role as Godzilla’s scrappy ally, like the time Godzilla uses him as a mace against a mass-produced army of Mechagodzillas.
 

Adrenaline

Post Reader
(He/Him)
ma-color.jpg

#46 (tie): Marcie
"Do footballs mind being kicked, sir?"
First Appearance: Peanuts (1971)
Sidekick to: Peppermint Patty
2 votes, 35 points (Top voter: Kirin)

Marcie is best known to Peanuts fans as the girl wearing glasses who calls Peppermint Patty "sir", much to the latter's chagrin. There's a theory that the two are romantically linked, but Charles Schulz always denied it.
 

Ixo

"This is not my beautiful forum!" - David Byrne
(Hi Guy)
Oh, Marcie's a good one that I didn't think of but should have.
 

Torzelbaum

????? LV 13 HP 292/ 292
(he, him, his)
Well this has been interesting right from the start. I sort of regret not sending in a list. I think I might have been focusing too much on superhero sidekicks when I was thinking of who I could even possibly put on my list. Can't wait to see who else shows up in the rest of the list.

There's a theory that the two are romantically linked, but Charles Schulz always denied it.
Right, she's just a "sidekick".
 

Kirin

Summon for hire
(he/him)
Eh, they're kids, they can figure that stuff out later. In the context of the strip, Marcie is a dang near Platonic sidekick, providing assistance and running commentary on everything Patty gets up to.

(There is of course another very obvious prototypical sidekick in Peanuts, who I considered, but I felt like Marcie had more substance.)
 
Walter and Marcie are two good ones I didn't think of.

If I'd known 35 would be enough to make the lost I would have flipped my #1 and #2, since my #1 was always a shoo-in to make the list and my #2 is probably a longshot. Cest la vie.
 

Falselogic

Lapsed Threadcromancer
(they/them)
Yeah, I always debate how much I am trying to game the game and how much I'm trying to accurate list my likes.
 

Adrenaline

Post Reader
(He/Him)
eb160defc76f01c83d56649902010b63_400x400.jpeg

#46 (tie): Hobbes
"Don't knock my smock or I'll clean your clock."
First Appearance: Calvin and Hobbes (1985)
Sidekick to: Calvin
1 vote, 35 points (Top voter: Falselogic (#1))

Calvin's best friend is a tiger who everyone else sees as a stuffed animal. Maybe Hobbes is magically alive when only Calvin is around, maybe he's a figment of an overactive imagination. What's important is that he's real to Calvin.
 

Johnny Unusual

(He/Him)
Marcie and Peppermint Patty are the comic's power duo. Patty is sort of the anti-Charlie Brown, brash and unafraid, even when maybe tact would be advisable and Marcie is her loved but never heeded external embodiment of what her sense of tact should be.

BTW, the Peanuts Movie from a couple years ago needs more love. Its really good and also helps makes a great argument for the character of Charlie Brown, who I often found too much of a sad sack at times, as a paragon of decency, even if he doesn't have confidence in himself.

I didn't consider Hobbes a sidekick but I love the character (I'm not even going to bother trying to define sidekick in a way that justifies my decision. I feel like its a loose enough word that a lot of characters could fit that slot pretty well as long as you play a certain role in a duo.)
 

Mogri

Round and round I go
(he)
Staff member
Moderator
I won't begrudge anyone's categorization, but I do think you could make an argument for Calvin as the sidekick in this duo.
 

WildcatJF

Let's Pock (Art @szk_tencho)
(he / his / him)
I completely forgot about comic strips on my list, otherwise I probably would have voted for Marcie and Hobbes XD
 

Adrenaline

Post Reader
(He/Him)
I also think of Hobbes as more of Calvin's partner than a sidekick, and I imagine a few others thought the same.
 

Kirin

Summon for hire
(he/him)
Basically every edge of this category is a big fuzzy line.

(And it's got Hobbes by the butt!)
 

Falselogic

Lapsed Threadcromancer
(they/them)
I made the right choice having Hobbes be my #1. Because I love him, and the comic, and it ensured he would make the list. I definitely didn't think I would be the only person voting for him though!
 

Patrick

Magic-User
(He/Him)
I had a hard time coming up with sidekicks, so I'm sure there are a bunch of obvious ones I missed. Hobbes is a good one though!
 

Beta Metroid

At peace
(he/him)
I will use the "thought of them as an equal rather than a sidekick" as my excuse for every case of Lister's Remorse that will inevitably come up (starting with Kazooie).

I'm glad to get my spiky boy into the last/first spot of another list (after he kicked off the Monsters Top 50)!
 

Adrenaline

Post Reader
(He/Him)
doctor-who-catherine-tate-donna-noble-1553016185.jpg

#46 (tie): Donna Noble
"I’m not drifting. I’m waiting."
First Appearance: Doctor Who (2006)
Sidekick to: The Doctor
1 vote, 35 points (Top voter: Zef (#1))

Of all the companions the Doctor has had since Doctor Who's relaunch in 2005 that I'm familiar with, Donna is the one who sets herself the most apart. Her relationship with him is refreshingly platonic and her character arc builds to a satisfying, if tragic conclusion.
 

Zef

Find Your Reason
(He/Him)
On the one hand, I'm glad Donna made it in and that she's in great company with Hobbes.

On the other, I can't believe I'm the only vote for her :( Most Companions are already awesome, and she's the most complex, relatable one!
 

Johnny Unusual

(He/Him)
I really liked the return to a completely platonic companion and having her be someone who is still filled with wonder of the Doctor's world but is a little rougher around the edges and flawed compared to most other companions. Her arc trajectory is among the saddest, too, which is saying something.
 
Hobbes didn't occur to me until Marcie showed up, but as others have said, he's as much of a star of the show as Calvin. Donna's great but I'm more a fan off-the-wall bonkers Catherine Tate, like in her eponymous show and The Office.

As for Silent Bob, a lot of Kevin Smith's humor hasn't aged well, but I was at the right age at the right time for his films to really grab me.
 

Ixo

"This is not my beautiful forum!" - David Byrne
(Hi Guy)
Yeah, there were several potential entries I thought of, but ultimately considered them duos. Jay & Bob was one of those cases.

On the one hand, I'm glad Donna made it in and that she's in great company with Hobbes.

On the other, I can't believe I'm the only vote for her :( Most Companions are already awesome, and she's the most complex, relatable one!

I voted for a companion, but it wasn't Donna.
 

Adrenaline

Post Reader
(He/Him)
5a212ff21b7b9c3edf4121db1fd8e54de3f0c089_00.jpg

#46 (tie): Elder Cunningham
"Would you like to change religions? I have a free book written by Jesus!"
First Appearance: The Book of Mormon (2011)
Sidekick to: Elder Price
1 vote, 35 points (Top voter: Bulgakov (#1))

Bulgakov sez: "You and Me (But Mostly Me)" is the sidekick anthem all Sidekicks want to sing the backup part to.
 
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