Science says we keep pets for health reasons, such as reduction of blood pressure. The real truth is that we like pets because they’re just so damn cute. That’s why in Fable II, the hardest achievement is the one where you have to take the life of a poor, innocent wabbit. Sure, you murder hundreds upons hundreds of humans, but why does it expect you to kill the fuzzy wee bunny? If you delighted in murdering the hoppy little furball then this list is probably not for you. However, if it brought a flood of tears to your eyes and weird looks from your loved ones watching on, then keep reading to find out which characters are the cuddliest, loveliest little things that you’ve ever seen in a videogame.

10. Kirby (Kirby series)

Can you believe that Kirby is nearly in his twenties? Gamers first encountered the bright pink ball of lovable puff in Kirby’s Dream Land on the NES, a game made by the legendary designer Masahrio Sakurai back in 1992. Sakurai, who incidentally was also the spark behind the Super Smash Bros. series, was only 19 when he created the minuscule orb of rosiness originally known as Popopo. That blob became Kirby, and now he’s sweet 16, still going strong and even cuter than he was back then; no oozing acne or unsettling urges for this wee teenager. Some readers may argue that there’s nothing cute about a creature that can inhale its foes at great force and mercilessly devour them, only to spit them out having stolen their abilities like a common bandit. Those readers are wrong. Look at those oversized shoes, adorable blush marks and big, innocent blue eyes. Have you seen him with a little Solid Snake beard in Brawl? Of course he’s on the list. 

9. Tails (Sonic The Hedgehog 2)

When Miles ‘Tails’ Prower first appeared in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, gamers fell in love with his simple yet charming design. Sure, he was pretty much useless in that game, dying repeatedly like a noob playing CoD4’s Veteran difficulty. Somehow that gave him an endearing helplessness, and soon enough the sweet-natured sidekick had developed his own adoring fanbase, mostly comprised of girls and furry lovers. Tails was the first of Sonic’s friends to win our hearts, and definitely the last... and you’ll probably have noticed that rather than denoting the Sonic franchise, only Sonic 2’s been mentioned. Well, just like the Sonic franchise, Tails became tainted goods after his initial success. Maybe it was after we first heard his nauseating voice in the accompanying cartoons, maybe it’s when said fanbase started surfacing doubts about his gender, or maybe it’s when those doubts evolved into a tirade of seriously disturbing deviantART pictures. Let’s remember the Tails of old -- the unassuming little fox that flew silently behind you, following you on your travels and bashing a few enemies in if you were lucky.