Monsters are everywhere in fiction. They are stuffed all over games in order to give the player something to conquer, in books to give new dangers, and in television to give a bit of a scare. There is no limit to what sorts of monsters are out there beyond that of the imagination.
Sometimes, that freedom opens up more possibilities and usages for the creatures that are out of this world. Not every monster has to be well, a monster. They can also be allies, shopkeepers, and just plain misunderstood.
10 Krobus Doesn’t Have To Live In The Sewer (Stardew Valley)
Krobus is a Shadow Brute that is hiding within the sewers under Pelican Town in Stardew Valley. Unlike other Shadow Brutes, Krobus will actually include himself onto the player’s friend list, sell them items, and even move into the spare room instead of a spouse if offered.
After he moves into the farm, he can occasionally be found trying to make the player food and performing most of the functions a spouse would. The difference is that he is just the player’s roommate and cannot go outside if it’s sunny. He even leaves behind a chest in his stead so that the player can still purchase his rotating stock of goodies.
9 Numismatist Just Wants The Junk (Star Stealing Prince)
With everything else throwing Prince Snowe for a loop within Star Stealing Prince, the first time the Numismatist appeared on top of a skeleton, it was like the beginning of a new battle that just never happens.
Instead, the little ghost hops between soulless skeletons, following the Prince throughout his trials in order to try and get all of that leftover junk from his inventory. Basically, the Numismatist is just there to be a traveling merchant and give the player a shop that isn’t back home in Sabine.
8 Skelly Helps Get A Grip On Controls (Hades)
Skelly is primarily there within Hades to help the player get a grip on the controls and to figure out how to use new weapons and abilities in a safer environment than the rest of the world. He just hangs out at home, giving Zagreus a fun little punching bag.
The saddest part, though, is that eventually, Zagreus is given the option to fully kill Skelly. Doing so unlocks an achievement, and it’s not like he didn’t literally ask for it. But that is almost as painful as it would be if say, Achilles decided to ask for the same favor.
7 Ventuswill Is A Godly Friend (Rune Factory 4)
The player first meets Ventuswill of Rune Factory 4 as they literally fall through her ceiling and right onto her. She is so startled that she drops her godly visage and starts talking to the player. She then makes it clear that she will continue to keep talking to the player more casually, but only when it is just the two of them.
It’s very cute, and the pretty dragon is always happy to have the player around. She becomes a heartbreaking plot point later in the game, but at least before then, she can be fed pancakes and given the love she deserves.
6 Ratbag Might Be Delusional (Shadow Of Mordor)
Lord of the Rings: Shadow of Mordor is finally a good game set in Tolkien’s Middle Earth. Within it, there are some rather interesting characters. Ratbag, for example, is such a coward of an Uruk that even if he got the power he wanted, he wouldn’t be able to do anything with it.
He’s weak and pathetic, but he becomes an ally to Talion regardless and goes on to move up the orcish ranks and makes some interesting stories up to keep his own soldiers in line.
5 Yuzuruha And Kongiku Provide Access To Forge Demon Blades (Muramasa: The Demon Blade)
The pair of Kitsune under the service of Inari in Muramasa: The Demon Blade find themselves in the position to give out important materials in order for the player to forge new blades. Kongiku steals a mask containing Senji Muramasa’s spirit and gives it to Jinkuro and Momohime. She then shows up in shrines that serve as save points throughout the game.
Yuzuruha sees the potential in Kisuke and gives him the mask so that he can craft the demon blades, but only under the condition that he delivers the souls of his enemies to her Lord Inari.
4 Rei Literally Tried To Raise Ryu (Breath Of Fire III)
The first friendly character the player meets within Breath of Fire III was the Woren thief Rei, who saved him from a hound attack after falling from a train and suddenly changing form.
Despite the fact that Rei doesn’t have enough to feed himself or his friend, Teepo, he still picks Ryu up and is one of the main characters propelling the plot forward from that point… even if he is also secretly a weretiger who goes berserk upon his transformations.
3 Glommer Is Best Bug (Don’t Starve)
In a world where everything is trying to kill the player, Glommer is a friend. A very good yet kind of annoying friend. Upon every full moon, a flower will bloom on a strange statue within the Birch Forest biome, and with it, Glommer shall arrive.
As long as the player keeps that flower about and Glommer alive, they will receive a steady stream of sanity just by being nearby. Whatever the weird, fuzzy bug is, he is such a friend that purposefully killing him will immediately spawn the Krampus to maul the player for their naughtiness.
2 Bahamut Grants The Warrior Of Light Class (Final Fantasy)
Back in the ancient days of the original Final Fantasy, there was Bahamut hiding away in the caves of Cardia Island. Once the players show their courage to the dragon by returning to him with a Rat Tail from the Citadel of Trials, he will allow them to take on the Warrior of Light class.
Since then, he makes follow-up appearances in the manga and gets numerous redesigns for his summons that get increasingly less dragon-like and more demonic as the series goes on.
1 Kuromimi Is Just Desperate (Suikoden)
Kobolds are often enemies, taking on various different forms in different media. In Suikoden, by the time the player actually gets to the Kobold Village and meets Kuromimi, they have probably already slaughtered more than they care to count.
Kuromimi, however, is a short but important part of the storyline. Following him helps Tir and his group get one step closer to getting aid from the Dwarves. When he eventually joins to help with a fight, he also shows he’s one of the 108 Stars of Destiny. Plus, he’s also required to recruit Gau, another one of the Stars.
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