# Coolest fictional sidekicks **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 30, 2007, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-fictional-sidekicks/410022 "2007-06-30T06:20:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2007, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-fictional-sidekicks/410022/1 "2007-06-30T06:20:16Z")
I’m not talking about Riggs or Murtaugh, Jules or Vince, or Bill or Ted - those guys were _partners_. I want _sidekicks_. You know…Robin. I’m thinking of this because I just caught _The Untouchables_ on TV, and was reminded of how cool Andy Garcia’s character (Stone) was. Remember the train station scene? Where Stone is on his back, upside down, holding the stroller steady with one hand and with the other, he’s aiming at the bad guy, who’s using the informant for a shield? Ness: “You got him?” Stone: “Yeah, I got him.” Ness then lowers his gun and Stone plugs the guy between the eyes. I thought, _in the extremely unlikely event I’m ever in a full-scale war with organized crime, I want a guy like that to have my back._ Any others? Who are your favorite sidekicks in literature/film/TV? ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2007, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-fictional-sidekicks/410022/2 "2007-06-30T06:35:50Z")
Some will argue that he wasn’t really a sidekick, but I’ll nominate Archie Goodwin. In the mystery genre. there are too many sidekicks like Dr. Watson and Captain Hastings, whose only job is to act awed by their friends’ brilliance. Archie is smart and capable in his own right, and enjoys tweaking his boss’ sensibilities. That made him a rarity in his genre, and a perfect narrator, as well. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2007, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-fictional-sidekicks/410022/3 "2007-06-30T07:56:09Z")
Short Round in _The Temple of Doom_. Goose, the epitome of a wingman. Kip from _Futurama_, just because he makes Zapp so funny. “Oh Kip, I see you’re crying…like a woman” ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2007, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-fictional-sidekicks/410022/4 "2007-06-30T10:27:31Z")
Jimmy Olsen. ---
**Author:** ![MerryMagdalen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@MerryMagdalen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MerryMagdalen)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2007, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-fictional-sidekicks/410022/5 "2007-06-30T10:33:52Z")
Dammit **Sitnam** you stole mine. Short Round was the first one I thought of. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2007, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-fictional-sidekicks/410022/6 "2007-06-30T10:42:59Z")
Ron Stoppable ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2007, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-fictional-sidekicks/410022/7 "2007-06-30T10:49:03Z")
Tonto (tracking, riding, grunting ‘Kemo Sabe’, representing ethnic diversity - he had it all!) ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2007, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-fictional-sidekicks/410022/8 "2007-06-30T11:35:26Z")
Captain Haddock. Accident-prone, alcoholic, foul-mouthed and with serious anger management issues {they don’t write kids’ stories like they used to}, but damned if you wouldn’t want him in your corner when the shooting started, particularly if his whiskey bottle had been shattered in the first salvo: “Bashi-Bazouks! Troglodytes! Billions of blistering bilious blue barnacles in ten thousand thundering typhoons!” ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2007, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-fictional-sidekicks/410022/9 "2007-06-30T11:48:20Z")
Legolas and Gimli. But especially Legolas. ---
**Author:** ![Caprese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9a28c/32.png) [@Caprese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caprese)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2007, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-fictional-sidekicks/410022/10 "2007-06-30T12:33:01Z")
I always liked [Gray Mouser.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fafhrd_and_the_Gray_Mouser) Both he and 7-foot Fafhrd are thieves and scoundrels, but the small yet able Mouser always seemed to sort of complement Fafhrd. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2007, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-fictional-sidekicks/410022/11 "2007-06-30T12:34:05Z")
Ryo-Ohki, darn it. Cute, fuzzy, friendly, capable of planetary scale devastation and faster than light travel in comfort. And clearly, Fafhrd is the sidekick. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2007, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-fictional-sidekicks/410022/12 "2007-06-30T13:54:34Z")
Loiosh the jhereg from Steven Brust’s Vlad Taltos books. Kragar, the same series. Boo the miniature Giant Space Hamster from the Bladur’s Gate PC games. “Go for the eyes Boo ! Go for the eyes ! SQEEEE !” The Stainless Steel Rat’s family, from the series of the same name. Alex Kilgour from the Sten series. Assassin, heavyworlder and mad bomber. Brandark from David Weber’s Bahzell books. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2007, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-fictional-sidekicks/410022/13 "2007-06-30T14:19:03Z")
Zoe and Jayne can kick my side anytime. Wait…that came out wrong… 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2007, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-fictional-sidekicks/410022/14 "2007-06-30T14:43:52Z")
People, people, people… KATO. I don’t know why the Green Hornet even bothered to get dressed. Just send Kato and watch the villains disappear. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2007, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-fictional-sidekicks/410022/15 "2007-06-30T15:20:00Z")
Alex Kilgour from the _Sten_ books. Strong, loyal, and only Alex could stretch the spotted snake joke over 5 books. And live. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2007, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-fictional-sidekicks/410022/16 "2007-06-30T16:00:54Z")
[QUOTE=Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor] Ron Stoppable [/QUOTE] In my fantasies, Ron totally gets to hit that. ---
**Author:** ![Lucky\_13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucky_13/32/13209_2.png) [@Lucky\_13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucky_13)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2007, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-fictional-sidekicks/410022/17 "2007-06-30T18:24:46Z")
Somebody beat me to mentioning Ron Stoppable. Boo-yah! [QUOTE=OneCentStamp] In my fantasies, Ron totally gets to hit that. [/QUOTE] 🆒 I think he does, but Disney Channel isn’t allowed to show that. Kim’s always getting interrupted every time she tries to kiss him! ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2007, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-fictional-sidekicks/410022/18 "2007-06-30T18:35:16Z")
Blind Seer from Jane Lindskold’s Firekeeper books Ivan Vorpatril from Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan books Nuriko, from the anime Fushigi Yuugi I want to say Alphonse from the anime Patlabor, but I can’t _quite_ make it stick, even in my mind. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Lucky\_13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucky_13/32/13209_2.png) [@Lucky\_13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucky_13)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2007, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-fictional-sidekicks/410022/19 "2007-06-30T19:35:03Z")
[QUOTE=OtakuLoki] Nuriko, from the anime Fushigi Yuugi [/QUOTE] Nuriko rules! I wish I knew how to do spoilers, so I could discuss what happens to this character (notice the lack of gender pronouns.) In _Ranma 1/2_, do Ukyo and Ryoga count as sidekicks? I know they’re rivals to Akane and Ranma, respectively, but they still fight alongside them when the situation warrants it. I want to throw in a few Sailor Senshi, particularly Sailor Mars. But something tells me she’s not entirely happy with her status as a sidekick… ---
**Author:** ![Licentious\_Ectomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5e9695/32.png) [@Licentious\_Ectomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Licentious_Ectomorph)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2007, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-fictional-sidekicks/410022/20 "2007-06-30T19:43:23Z")
[QUOTE=Lucky 13] I wish I knew how to do spoilers [/QUOTE] Just preface the part you want to hide with the word spoiler inside brackets [like this], and then end with /spoiler also inside brackets. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-fictional-sidekicks/410022.md?page=2)