The animal known as "man's best friend" has been featured in many video games. Sometimes they are the protagonist, and other times they are even a boss players have to defeat.

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Dogs are animals with a ton of symbolic meaning. They stand for loyalty and friendship, which often makes them valued video game sidekicks. Players can't get enough of them. Even when their roles are small they are often the most valued characters. Many gamers are just programmed to love animals, especially dogs.

Updated March 23, 2022 by Allison Stalberg: Dogs and everywhere in video games, even when they are not, as recently shown in Elden Ring where players are writing messages next to turtles that just say "dog." Popular video game dogs are ever-increasing, such as the newest addition, Argos, from Final Fantasy 14. There are also older faces that deserve attention, such as the mabari from Dragon Age: Origins. From post-apocalyptic German Shepards to bipedal guitarists, video games have given society a lot of memorable dogs.

14 K.K. Slider From The Animal Crossing Series

Isabella is very popular, but K.K. Slider was around since the beginning and enchanted players with his mellow speech and passion for song. He is not a one-trick pony either, as he has over 90 songs since New Leaf came out!

He is also a unique dog character since he can talk and is either a boss, sidekick, or protagonist. He is just a famous traveling artist and sticks true to the laid-back and cute style of Animal Crossing games.

13 Argos From Final Fantasy 14

Argos flying at night.

Argos is one of the newest dogs to gaming, playing an important role in Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker and later being accessible as a mount for players to ride on. The golden-haired dog belonged to Venat a very long time ago but has survived the test of time due to being a familiar rather than your average animal.

The dog has become a favorite mount among players, standing as a symbol to them completing the Endwalker story. Argos is also named after a dog from Homer's Odyssey.

12 Dogmeat From The Fallout Series

Fallout is a big series, and Dogmeat is one of its most iconic characters. He first appeared in the original game in 1997 and continued to pop up in the games as a companion all to way to Fallout 4.

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Fans loved this dog so much that they would reload their save files if he ever ended up dead. Sometimes that meant undoing hours of game progress! So fans were very happy once Fallout 4 made it so Dogmeat could not die (though some still do not like that the dog can be attacked at all).

11 The Mabari From Dragon Age: Origins

Mabari in camp.

The mabari companion in Dragon Age: Origins is the one unquestionably faithful friend in the party. No matter what the Warden does, the dog remains loyal. Like other companions, it can be part of banter while the player explores. This results in a lot of humorous relationships between companions and the dog.

The dog is also quite skilled in battle, able to knock down enemies and tear them to shreds. Players could also get and give gifts to the dog as well as decorate it with warpaint and collars.

10 The Dog In Fable 2

The dog of Fable 2 is most well known for being part of one of the biggest choices in the game. The dog, who is your loving companion throughout the game, dies protecting you in a boss fight. At the end of the game, you get to choose a major reward. You have three choices: a ton of wealth, reviving the people who died or reviving your dog. Guess what a lot of players end up choosing?

9 Sif From Dark Souls

This boss fight broke a lot of hearts, as you had to defeat a wolf that was protecting the grave of its fallen comrade. First of all, the wolf's design is awesome. It is huge, epic, and carries a giant sword. Also, its backstory is very tragic. Players felt very strongly about this boss fight due to the lore behind the wolf and its dead companion.

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Players didn't want to kill Sif, so rumors spread that Sif could be spared and a ton of players hoped it was true. Unfortunately, the rumors were false. Sif is not an optional boss.

8 D-Dog From Metal Gear Solid 5

Players fell in love with this companion the moment they saw him as a little puppy in Snake's hands. D-Dog (also known as DD) and Snake even got matching eye patches. You get to see the dog grow from a puppy to a grizzled military dog. Before you know it, the dog is sniffing out and taking down enemies.

The dog has a lot of skill and tricks, following commands such as wait, come, bark, keep enemy busy, knock an enemy out, kill an enemy, and wound an enemy.

7 Polterpup From Luigi's Mansion 3

Luigis-Mansion-3-reading

Who said spooky cannot also be cute? Polterpup may be a ghost, but it still has all its dog charm. Also, the name is adorable. Fans were very excited when they learned they could pet Polterpup in Luigi's Mansion 3.

A major complaint from many animal-loving gamers is when there are cute animals, but you cannot pet or interact with them. Luckily, Polterpup became available for pets, and he certainly deserves them for being a good boy.

6 The Duck Hunt Dog

Dog holding duck.

The dog from Duck Hunt is one of the oldest video game dogs, as Duck Hunt was released for the NES in 1984. Unlike other dogs in gaming, the duck hunt dog is actually one of the most hated characters. This is because he would laugh at players if they missed ducks.

Despite being a symbol of annoyance for many, the dog has become a very iconic video game character to the point that he joined Super Smash titles as a playable character.

5 The Annoying Dog From Undertale

This dog has become somewhat of a symbol for Undertale as a whole. The dog is just a troublemaker and appears in short instances throughout the game. It plays a part in one of Papyrus' traps, steals bones from Papyrus, is an actual bomb at one point, and absorbs an item you get for completing the difficult piano puzzle.

Besides those instances, there are a lot of other minor encounters with this mischief-maker. The dogs' antics are absurd and funny, which is quite true to Undertale's humorous tone.

4 Amaterasu From Okami

Amaterasu is the character you play as, and she is a goddess in the form of a wolf. To any regular human though, she just looks like an ordinary wolf. However, her tail is a paintbrush that can create day, night, wind, fire, rain, and so much more. Despite being so powerful, she can also just do dog things like bite people, bark, dig, and even pee on her enemies.

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It is theorized that the wolf is not her true form and that she is actually an elegant human-looking woman.

One of the most iconic video game characters of all time was turned into a dog. Link in Twilight Princess got to be a wolf and switch between his human and wolf form throughout the game. Being a wolf had its moments, especially since it allowed you to talk to other animals. Most humans did become afraid of you, though. Midna would also ride on your back like you were her personal steed, so that was fun.

Wolf Link remains a popular game character. The wolf even can be summoned as a companion in Breath of the Wild.

2 PaRappa The Rapper

PaRappa.

PaRappa is a bipedal dog that emerged in the late 90s as the lead character for the rhythm game, PaRappa the Rapper. The game is actually considered by some to be the first true rhythm game in the video game industry. It was remastered for the PS4 in 2017 for its 20th anniversary.

This rapping dog has had a decent amount of cultural impact. Fans loved this dog for his optimistic personality, goofy nature, and innocent love for Sunny Funny.

1 The Pomeranian From Tokyo Jungle

Tokyo Jungle is a hugely underrated video game. Fans play as animals following the human apocalypse in Tokyo. This includes zoo animals, dinosaurs, and little house pets like Pomeranian. Basically, your goal is to hunt, survive, and breed.

The Pomeranian is one of the starting characters and is quite difficult since you are a tiny dog in a big, wild world. It is pretty amazing to watch the fluffy little dog take on the post-apocalypse and go toe-to-toe with larger animals.

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