Dogs have been loyal companions to humans for centuries, and this is clear not only in our daily lives but in the pop culture as well. Not only that, but dogs have received a special following in most entertainment mediums, including movies and video games.
When it comes to video games, some of them have made certain dogs and their characters not only extremely popular but also to have a passionate cult following. In this list of ten all time coolest dogs in video games, we take a look at some of the most well-known dogs that gamers have long been huge fans of.
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1 Amaterasu
Okami
Amaterasu, also known as Ammy, is the wolf protagonist of the Wii and PS2/PS3 game called Okami. She never speaks, but fights a mean fight with divine weapons and a celestial paint brush. Oh, right, did I mention she’s a goddess?
Goddess of the sun, to be more specific, and often referred to in the game as the mother of all the other gods. With her little buddy, Issun, who does all the speaking for her, she fights the demons of the land of Nippon, from minion imps to eight-headed dragons. Her original ability is to bring out the sun, turning night into day.
Amaterasu is known for being mature,quiet, gentle, and kind. She is always helping those in need, but also isn't afraid to show her opinion. She is also extremely intelligent, but has a very short attention span. She will fall asleep if someone explains something for too long or if she already knows the information they are giving.
2 Missile
Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective
Missile is the name of the excitable little Pomeranian from the Nintendo DS game called Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective.
At first, he seems like just a cute little furball owned by one of the side characters, but as the story progresses, he shows his true colors with just how far he is willing to go to protect his two masters, Kamila and Lynne.
He first appears after having been shot by an assassin who was waiting for Lynne to come home. Intervention from another character, who turns back time to protect everyone, results in Missile not only surviving, but being able to communicate with dead people.
He also gains access to a power that allows him to swap objects of the same shape to keep one from dying. Later in the game it is revealed that he gained these powers from dying near a meteor which gives special powers to those that die near it.
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3 Red XIII
Final Fantasy VII
You can't have a list of the most awesome dogs in video games without including Red XIII.
Another playable wolf, Red XIII is one of the many party characters the player collects throughout the story of Final Fantasy VII.
He is not a typical wolf, however, with an extended lifespan and special fighting abilities. Red XIII is the name he was given as a specimen designation while he was held captive and experimented on by Professor Hojo. Even though he is 48 years old, his age is comparable to about 15 or 16 in human years; much longer than most regular dogs live.
Red XIII's special fighting abilities include being able to hit every opposing enemy with an attack that is capable of the max amount of damage even at low levels. He is refined, despite having every reason to detest the villains, and when it all comes down to the line, he remains by the side of the game’s main character in saving the entire planet.
4 Koromaru
Persona series
Continuing the trend of playable dogs, Koromaru is an albino Shiba Inu from the Persona series that fights with knives and is much more intelligent than normal canines.
He joins the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad (SEES) in Persona 3.
A special Evoker is made for him that he can wear as a collar, and he also wears protective clothing. He has an alternate persona called Cerberus, that is based on the beast of the same name from Greek mythology and a Doberman.
While being Cerberus, he wears clothes like a human and acts like a human, but is a dog thru-and-thru and just as loyal to the player as a dog should be. His design is based off the famous Japanese dog named Hachiko, who continued to wait faithfully for his owner at the train station long after his owner’s death.
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5 Growlithe and Arcanine
Pokémon series
Growlithe and Arcanine were the first dog Pokémon to be introduced in the Pokémon series. They both started with the very first game, where they acted as the dogs of the police force.
Growlithe is the puppy form of Arcanine, and both are pure fire-type Pokémon and are based on legendary guardian dogs of Japanese mythology. They are known for their powerful fire attacks and great speed stats and attacks. This makes them the most famous and popular dog Pokémon in the series.
Training a puppy is hard work, so it's a good thing Growlithe doesn't need much. He is a friendly and loyal Pokémon that will fearlessly bark at, bite, and chase away any perceived threat. If he detects an unknown smell in his territory, he roars to flush out the intruder. When he evolves into Arcanine he becomes capable of running 6,200 miles in 24 hours with a speed and grace that will remind you of flight.
6 General Pepper
Star Fox series
What’s better than a dog in charge of an entire army? General Pepper is the commander of the Cornerian Army in the Lylat system.
He performs his job with all the duty and honor that a general should have.
While not a member of the main character’s team of fighters, he often sides with the main team and orders his army to help them on missions. He even survives a Picard-esque assimilation into an alien species during the events of one game.
As the icing on the cake, his name is a reference to the Beatles song, “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” Sadly, General Pepper grew progressively ill in more recent games, and was surpassed by Peppy Hare, who takes over the role of general after the events of Star Fox: Assault.
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7 Riley
Call of Duty: Ghosts
Army dogs are certainly some of the most awesome dogs in video games, and Riley, from Call of Duty: Ghosts, is no exception.
He is a much better example of the more realistic use of a dog as an army hero. He is a representation of many dogs in the United States army and a hero in the game’s world.
Riley is a playable dog character and member of the main character’s team. Riley is a trained army dog, capable of sneaking up on enemies, collecting information via a camera on his harness, and even taking down armed enemies.
The well-trained German Shepherd works as a friendly character who will help and support the player by sniffing out explosives and assisting with the take-down of hostiles. He can be controlled by the player during certain points of the game, and is also able to take down helicopters by jumping up and biting the pilot if they are close enough to the ground.
8 K. K. Slider
Animal Crossing series
If you’ve ever wanted to live in a world inhabited by sentient, talking animals, the Animal Crossing series are the games for you.
K. K. Slider, more commonly known as K. K., has been in every game in the series, composing music since the start of the series for the player to put as background music in their home.
He comes to town every Saturday night to play his music, and even better, he does it for free because he doesn’t believe in playing for “the man.” K.K. is a hippie-style traveling musician. This is reflected in his laid-back speech towards the player.
Although he seems like someone who wants to be liberated, as shown by his rebellion against putting a price on his songs, he changes his ways later in the series. Oddly, his songs are for sale in New Leaf the main characters, Timmy and Tommy, are upgraded enough.
9 Hewie
Haunting Ground
Let’s round up this list of the most awesome dogs in video games with some pups from horror video games.
Hewie, a white German Shepherd, is one of the protagonists of the PS3 game called Haunting Ground. Working with him is the only way for the main character, Fiona, to escape from the castle alive.
After she saves him from captivity, Hewie is willing to defend her to the death from enemies and stalkers in this horror game where everything wants to kill the living. He is a well-trained dog, and controllable using the right analog stick, which makes Fiona shout commands to him that he follows without hesitation.
Hewie can be ordered to search for items or reach places that Fiona cannot get to. He growls when stalkers or other forms of danger are near including traps and luminesence. Hewie is a vital key to survival, and in order to maintain a good relationship with him, the player must not let him die or get harassed by the stalkers.
10 ???
Silent Hill 2
This dog has no official name, but is infamous to fans of the Silent Hill series nonetheless.
James Sunderland, the protagonist of Silent Hill 2, has spent the entire game travelling through a town with enemies, some invincible, that want to kill him and make him relive his worst fears and inner demons.
During the second playthrough of the game, there are certain items the player can pick up that lead James to a hotel room in the final stage of the game. A room that, when unlocked, leads to a control room manned by one lone Shiba Inu.
Now there are a lot of common dog behavior problems, but tt seems that everything that has happened to James thus far, all the horrors he has faced and all the weird things that have happened, were all controlled by this one dog. What a twist!
