5 Worst Video Game Sidekicks of All Time, Ranked

The best sidekicks are your ride or die. The folks you’re convinced will go the extra mile to make your experience as the protagonist memorable. Often, games will take time to develop devoted, charming sidekicks with a propensity for teamwork. However, sometimes these attempts are thwarted by full polar opposites of what a good sidekick should be. So much so that they are on the verge of ruining the entire gaming experience. From obnoxious behavior to poor communication to sidekicks that steal the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, here are the five worst video game sidekicks of all time you wouldn’t want playing by your side.

5. Baby Mario – Yoshi’s Island (1995)

Yoshi had Baby Mario as a sidekick prior to the baby growing up to be Super Mario. You know how sometimes your mission is to protect someone or a treasure chest through severe battles and a sea of villains? Well, in Yoshi’s Island, Yoshi had to protect Baby Mario from enemies for hours on end this time. The combination itself is completely unnecessary, although it isn’t the most annoying aspect of the game. When Yoshi was hit, Baby Mario would fall off his back and start screaming at the top of his lungs. 

It’s reasonable for a helpless baby to scream for a minute or two, but for several hours on end? Of course, he stops screaming once you pick him up, but still.

4. Navi – The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998)

Sibling fights are almost always hilarious and fun. But picture embarking on a quest with said sibling, who is constantly telling you to listen to them, expressing the most obvious things, and just always telling you what to do! 

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was an excellent sequel, save for Navi’s constant “Hey, listen!” charade. From the first time Link got his fairy sidekick, the fairy jumped right into yelling commands and the most apparent things to him. And, to top it all off, this fairy queen of the “Hey, listen!” tagline had the most annoying squeaky little voice. 

It would be fantastic to skip over her dialogues, but that is not possible. Throughout the game, you had to sit through her annoyingly slow lectures, which you couldn’t speed up. So, at the end of the day, you’d simply have to just listen!

3. Ashley Graham – Resident Evil 4 (2005)

Resident Evil 4 is a work of art. It boasts stunning visuals, thrilling gameplay, and an intriguing storyline. The only frustrating aspect of the game is having to put up with Ashley Graham’s constant badgering. Worst of all? Ashley is there throughout most of the second half of the game, practically forcing players into a love-hate relationship they never asked for.

In the game, you take on the role of Leon, whose mission is to save the president’s daughter, Ashley Graham, from a Spanish cult. You put up with her obnoxious badgering, how she’s always putting herself in danger, and is pretty much useless as a sidekick, because you’re a hero and heroes rescue! You almost want to shout, “Don’t help Ashley!” but you can’t because you need to save her life, like the hero you are.

2. Claptrap – Borderlands 2 (2012)

Coming up with game characters is a process, and the most important aspect of it is crafting their personality. Because players connect and react far more to character personalities, it’s no surprise that this might be what absolutely wrecks a game. 

Thanks to Borderlands 2’s commercial success, critical praise, and overall goofy tone, Claptrap has a harder time completely destroying its legacy. It, however, doesn’t change how annoying his persona is. Claptrap has a stand-out personality for all the wrong reasons. He whines about everything, freaks out about the tiniest of things, and is always overenthusiastically bragging about nonsensical things. 

Having a pessimistic sidekick just takes away the joy in gaming. And when said sidekick has an obnoxious voice to boost, it’s completely nerve wrecking to withstand staying entirely engaged with playing Borderlands 2. At the very least, Claptrap’s odd beatboxing skills save the entire gaming experience from being as terrible as it could have been.

1. Donald Duck – Kingdom Hearts (2002)

At the top of our ranking of the five worst video game sidekicks of all time is Donald Duck from Kingdom Hearts. Over the years, Kingdom Hearts has featured loads of fun playing as Disney’s beloved characters save for one annoying character that doesn’t quite hit the mark.

Donald Duck is a Mage whose job it is to use his magical powers to cure Sora whenever he is in pain. Instead of jumping in to help when he is most needed, he does nothing except wait about and watch the action unfold. Sure, Sora could heal himself, but that’s not his job. Instead, gamers must actually go inside the menu to get Donald Duck to pay notice to Sora who is literally right next to him.

Donald Duck has only one job – to escort Sora on his adventures and heal him when he’s hurt. He fails to do so, prompting gamers to question Kingdom Hearts‘ decision to have Donald Duck featured in the game in the first place! It also doesn’t help that Donald dies much more quickly, beating the whole purpose of team work makes the dream work. So, despite the fact that Kingdom Hearts is a legendary action RPG game filled with loads of fun moments, Donald Duck simply takes a lot of it away by doing nothing to help Sora.

So, what’s your take? Do you agree with our top five? Are there more of the worst video game sidekicks that we should know about? Let us know over on our socials here or down in the comments below.