Snarky Non-Human Sidekick

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

Every second web comic has one, because nothing screams nerd-humor quite like having a token little mascot that swears like a sailor and brings hookers to your place when you're absent for the night.

He is a sociopath who mocks the idealistic rest of the cast and the villains alike and always has the last word. His popularity ranges from The Scrappy to fan favourite in the same fandom.

For some reason it's always a "he" even when it's hard to understand what about his physique qualifies him as male.

Cuteness is an option, not a certainty.

Cats and/or vaguely cat-like things are common as are toasters, for some reason.

If their style of snarkiness involves a lot of puns, they may well be Pun Fursonified.

See also The Imp, Weasel Mascot, Non-Human Sidekick and Small Annoying Creature. Contrast with The Snark Knight, the close human equivalent.

Examples of Snarky Non-Human Sidekick include:

Anime and Manga

Comic Books

Film

  • Jiji the cat in Kiki's Delivery Service.
  • Possibly Zazu from The Lion King, who is definitely snarky to Simba although respectful to Mufasa.
  • Diego in Ice Age, although it's more "snarky predator sidekick", and Manfred himself is rather snarky.
  • Even though we can't directly understand anything they say, R2-D2 and Chewbacca both fill this role in the Star Wars universe.
    • Statement: In the same universe, HK-47 can be understood and fulfills this role far superiorly to any meatbag.
  • If you thought Superman Returns was bad—and really, it wasn't, it just wasn't very good—you obviously have not heard Kevin Smith's story about the proposed Superman Reborn/Superman Lives film that was in Development Hell for decades and eventually became Superman Returns. Quite aside from ideas like Sean Penn as Clark, Superman fighting a giant spider, and Superman not flying and not wearing the suit, producer Jon Peters wanted to give Brainiac, the coldhearted AI, a snarky robotic sidekick—a "little gay R2-D2".

Literature

Live-Action TV

  • Special Unit 2 has Carl the gnome who is a kleptomaniac pervert.
  • Sabrina the Teenage Witch has Salem, a powerful warlock who was turned into a cat as punishment and by far the funniest character on the show.
  • Despite being a normal non-speaking animal, due to clever scripts, good comic-acting, and cinematography tricks, Fraser's pet wolf in Due South manages to be one of these. That sarcasm comes across so naturally from a silent animal is indeed a triumph.

Newspaper Comics

  • The title character himself from Garfield, while not a sidekick (but rather the main star of the comic strip), otherwise certainly fits the description. Probably one of the oldest examples of this trope.
  • Hobbes from Calvin and Hobbes.

Video Games

  • Daxter from Jak and Daxter, an "Ottsel" who is ridiculously snarky, as well as a very, very Large Ham... in a good way.
    • Specifically, history's smallest, fuzziest Large Ham.
  • In a similar vein, Robot Buddy Clank of Ratchet and Clank, though Clank is the thoughtful member of the duo rather than a Large Ham.
    • "Mr. Zurkon is not here to satisfy your pathetic need for comic relief. Mr. Zurkon is only here to kill you."
  • Sulpher, a cat, from Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis, as opposed to his owner, an Extreme Doormat.
  • Gouto-douji from Shin Megami Tensei : Devil Summoner.
  • Grimoire Weiss, a magical talking book from NieR always has something to snark about during battle. It doesn't help that it's never really clear just whose side he's on.
    • In the English Dub, this is compounded as he is played by Liam O'Brien in full Lezard Valeth mode. If you didn't expect to have to fight Weiss at some point, you weren't paying attention. However, this never happens, and Nier and Weiss become something more like Vitriolic Best Buds.
  • Banjo-Kazooie: Banjo might be a bear, but he's much more anthropomorphic than his snarky bird companion, Kazooie.
  • Captain Smiley from Comic Jumper has a talking star on his costume named, well...Star, who spends most of his time making cracks about just about anything...Smiley, Gerda, Smiley's enemies, himself, Smiley again. The only character safe from Star's sharp tongue is Smiley's muscle-headed nemesis Brad.
  • Centurion Tenebie Tenebrae from Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World, an ancient guardian spirit of darkness that...kind of looks like a doggie, at least according to Colette.
  • In The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess we have Midna, also qualifying as The Imp and Exposition Fairy as well.

Web Animation

  • The Cheat from Homestar Runner. Also The Unintelligible, so usually incapable of verbal snark.
    • That's okay, Strong Bad has more than enough snark to go around. Somewhat ironic when you consider that physically Strong Bad is probably the most humanoid character in the cast.

Web Comics

Krosp: Is this one of those situations that involves "ethics"? 'Cause I'm a cat, you know. I've never been very good at those.

  • Girls with Slingshots has McPedro the Talking Cactus.
  • Reynardine from Gunnerkrigg Court is a dangerous demon, possessing a cuddle toy and kept in check by Antimony.
    • It is worth noting that Reynardine can shift into a large, dignified-looking white wolf form, and is not nearly as snarky or foul-mouthed. His snark is apparently dependent on his mascot status, and there is some serious confusion regarding what he actually thinks about others (at least, anyone he doesn't regard with snarky apathy).
  • Although she fits the qualification of being the resident Non-Human Sidekick-in-a-Webcomic, Molly the Monster in The Inexplicable Adventures of Bob is innocent and naïve rather than snarky—but she is nonetheless a source of much comic relief. And she certainly takes the cuteness option.
  • Artie from Narbonic (a super-intelligent talking gerbil) was originally presented as this, but became more developed as the story went on.

Artie: I'm I fuzzy little animal who talks too much! I'm comic relief!
Zeta: Congrats. You got promoted.

Western Animation

  • Iago in Aladdin definitely qualifies, especially after his Heel Face Turn in the sequels and television series.
  • Bender from Futurama is a robotic sidekick who indulges in vices from gambling to strippers and often remarks upon "his" desire to kill his friends.
  • Custard becomes one of these to Strawberry Shortcake in the 2003 series.
  • Rubilax, a Talking Weapon from Wakfu. Actually a sealed demon, and definitely a sociopath—if freed, his main occupation is senseless carnage. He compensates for his imprisonment by ruthlessly snarking at his idealistic guardian.
    • Season 2 features loads of such sealed demons, all of them just as snarky as the other.
  • Roger the alien on American Dad.
  • Porkchop, Doug's dog from Doug. While Porkchop can't speak, his expressions and body movements can show his snarkiness at times. Especially when his owner starts drifting into Cloudcuckoolander territory.