Favorites - Top 12 Sidekicks

Unlike henchmen, sidekicks are another story all-together. Simply, they are there to help and support the protagonist. They usually get more room to shine than the usual henchmen. Sometimes, they are on par with the main hero. There are even some that can outshine the main hero. Other times, they’re the ones that need help. Just look at Robin back in some of those old stories I did last month. That guy got captured a lot! So, here are my Top 12 Sidekicks in fiction. I chose twelve because it’s a magic number.

12. Kato from The Green Hornet

It’s Bruce Lee for a sidekick. That’s all I need to say there. Kato was the sidekick to the Green Hornet. Together, they stopped crime under the guise of being criminals. It’s a pretty weird situation overall. I’ve only seen some Green Hornet episodes and the pretty lackluster movie with Seth Rogen. When Kato isn’t Britt Reid’s driver, he’s the butt-kicking sidekick. In fact, he kicks more butt than that green insect. Overall, it’s Bruce freakin’ Lee and the guy knows martial arts! I rest my case.

11. Chewbacca from The Star Wars Trilogy

He’s the alien who not the best at losing weird games. Chewbacca is Han’s assistant on the Millennium Falcon. He’s also the muscle for our heroes in the trilogy. He’s the guy who’ll be at your side through thick and thin even if you don’t know what he’s saying. Simply put, Chewie’s pretty cool.

10. Chloe Sullivan from Smallville 

Chloe was Clark’s friend, confidant, and helper on the TV show, Smallville. She basically started out as a copy of Lois Lane. She was the news girl who wanted the truth. Over the seasons, she developed into a hero of her own. She learned Clark’s secret and basically became Smallville’s version of Oracle (Barbara Gordon). She even tried to keep Clark on his mission when even he wasn’t ready to do it. She was smart, kind, brave, a little dim-witted (middle of Season 8, ya’ll), and really cute. Chloe is definitely one you want to have at your side. I know I would.

9. April O’Neill and Casey Jones from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Yeah, I listed both for this part since they are really the only humans that the Turtles really interact with. While April is usually known as the damsel in distress in some incarnations, she has been known to be an effective part of the team. Just see the 2003 animated series and IDW’s current comic series. Casey is always the sport-equipment-wielding vigilante and he helps the Turtles out from time to time. He’s got a great rapport with Raphael and he’s just cool in my book. April and Casey also make for a great couple and they’re pretty rad in my book.

8. Wang from Big Trouble in Little China 

Wang was Jack Burton’s sidekick in Big Trouble from Little China. In some ways, he’s the main character of the movie. Yes, Kurt Russell the main star, but he is really ineffective at times.  Wang is the guy who has the most at stake in the movie. All Jack loses is his truck. Wang loses a whole girl to David Lo Pan. He can also kick a lot of butt which is something that Jack didn’t excel at that. He does all he can to get his green-eyed woman back and Jack is essentially along for the ride. By the way, Big Trouble in Little China is an awesome movie, just saying.

7. Samwise Gamgee from Lord of the Rings 

Sam was a friend to Frodo Baggins in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. When Frodo decided to split off from the Fellowship, Sam tagged on along even if Frodo didn’t want him to. That worked out great especially since Frodo really needed it. Sam fought Gollum and saved Frodo from Orcs and that that spider. When Frodo was down, Samwise was there to pick him up and end the journey. All in all, Sam’s a cool Hobbit to have as a friend.

6. Hal ‘Otacon’ Emmerich from the Metal Gear Solid franchise 

He’s the smart anime fan who just can’t catch a break with the ladies. One reason Solid Snake is good at his job is because of Otacon. They first met during the events of the first MGS game and were partners throughout the Sons of Liberty and Gun of the Patriots. Hal was pretty much the brains of the operation since he was the one who can fix anything. Overall, Otacon is the best sidekick to have when saving the world from evil organizations. Just don’t give him a love interest because Hideo Kojima will then kill her and we then have to hear Otacon cry. It’s never a pretty sight.

5. Genie from Aladdin

Aladdin is one of my favorite Disney movies and the main reason for that is the Genie. Aladdin made a new friend when he freed Genie from the lamp. Genie did a lot for Aladdin. He saved him a few times and he even gave Aladdin sound advice on women. He also had that “Cosmic Power” thing going for him. He was also wonderfully voiced by the great, (unfortunately) late Robin Williams. I even liked him on the animated series where he wasn’t voiced by Williams. Simply put, Genie was a riot from beginning to end.

4. Robin from the Batman franchise 

Robin is the sidekick to the Dark Knight. He was also the first kid sidekick and first kid superhero, I think. Batman may be awesome at times, but even he needs help in ridding Gotham City of crime. The butler can only do so much. There has also been a lot of Robins. Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, and Damien Wayne are just a few. My favorite is probably Tim Drake though. Robin gives Batman someone else to get ideas from and someone to mentor. Robin also gives Batman someone to confide in when it’s bad. Yes, Batman is fine when he’s solo but I do like that he has a sidekick even if that sidekick gets into trouble at times. Overall, Robin’s cool even if he usually is a teenager.

3. Dr. Emmett Brown from Back to the Future 

Doc Brown was the man responsible for making a DeLorrean into a time machine. He was Marty’s only hope to get back to 1985 in all three movies. In some ways, he was cooler than Marty. He was smart, funny, quotable, and could dance quite well. He created a dang time machine—twice! Remember that train at the end of the third movie? That’s cool in my book. Overall, Doc made us experience some serious… stuff. I’ll go with “stuff” this time.

2. Dr. John Watson from Sherlock Holmes 

Dr. Watson was Sherlock Holmes’ assistant in the books, TV shows, and movies. He’s usually the straight man to Holmes’ weird antics. Before meeting Holmes, he was a doctor in the military. He also writes about Holmes’ adventures and mysteries. While Waston has been portrayed to be a bit ineffective in a couple of incarnations, he’s mostly portrayed as an intelligent man who’s not as acute as Holmes is. He was done well in the Guy Ritchie movies and I like him in BBC’s Sherlock… which reminds me, I haven’t seen that third season yet. Overall, Watson’s a perfect partner for Holmes.

1. Spock from Star Trek 

Commander Spock the first officer of the USS Enterprise. He serves under the awesomeness known as Captain James T. Kirk. He’s pretty much the brains of the operation. He’s also one who won’t try to start a fight. Still, he isn’t afraid to get in one. He’s half-Vulcan and half-human, remember? His friendship with Kirk is awesome. He’s always there when Kirk needed him. He’s also the one person Kirk will turn to when things need to be done. In the end, Spock was the ultimate sidekick and he’s possibly my favorite Trek character.

Well, that ends that. Are there other cool sidekicks? Yeah, but these are the ones that really stuck out to me. If you have any sidekicks that are your favorites, let me know.