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Fantasy’s best animal companions do more than follow the hero: they offer counsel, loyalty, knowledge, comic trouble, or a relationship that changes both characters. This ranking weighs each companion’s contribution to the story, personality, bond with the human characters, and fit with the broad idea of an animal companion. It includes magical and hybrid beings as well as more familiar animals, so “animal” is a story-centered category here, not a strict biological one. The order is an editorial judgment, not a reader poll or critical consensus.
1. Mogget — The Abhorsen trilogy by Garth Nix
Mogget has the outward habits of a cat—sleepy, sarcastic, and content to keep his own counsel—but there is something much more dangerous beneath that familiar surface. Django Wexler describes him as possessing strange powers and as a character who can become perilous when angered. That contrast makes Mogget compelling: he is not simply a pet alongside the adventure, but an unpredictable presence whose nature complicates it.
He takes the top spot because he combines a distinctive personality with genuine stakes. His feline manner invites familiarity; his power makes that familiarity uneasy.
2. Pantalaimon — His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
Pantalaimon, usually called Pan, is Lyra’s close companion, but his role is more intimate than that of a conventional animal sidekick. Wexler highlights the contrast between Lyra’s boldness and Pan’s caution: he can be a counterweight to her, not just an echo of her choices. Their bond makes companionship part of the story’s emotional center.
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Penguin Random House’s page for The Golden Compass presents Lyra and Pantalaimon as adventurous characters and records the book’s 1996 Carnegie Medal among its awards. That recognition belongs to the book, not to a ranking of companions.
3. Hedwig — Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling
Hedwig never speaks, but her quiet presence gives Harry a steady connection to the world beyond Hogwarts. Wizarding World says Hagrid buys the owl for Harry in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Its guide also makes a useful distinction: Hogwarts animals are largely pets, rather than supernatural familiars. Hedwig’s place on this list rests on the affection and narrative weight she earns without human speech or magical exposition.
She is a reminder that a companion does not need dialogue to become memorable. Her loyalty and presence matter precisely because the relationship is expressed through actions and care.
Rank #2
4. Tock — The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
Tock is a watchdog, faithful friend, and practical guide for Milo. Wexler emphasizes that he offers sound advice as the two travel through the adventure. His usefulness is not a matter of extraordinary magic; it comes from being attentive, dependable, and willing to help Milo make sense of what lies ahead.
Tock ranks high because he shows how guidance can be a companion’s defining gift. He helps the hero navigate, while remaining a character in his own right rather than a prop for the journey.
5. Kazul — The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede
Kazul is a dragon and a friend to the princess Cimorene. Wexler notes that the relationship can be read in reverse: Kazul might consider Cimorene her companion. That small shift opens up a larger idea. Companionship need not mean that one character owns, rescues, or leads the other; it can be a mutual arrangement between distinct characters.
Kazul earns her place for that sense of reciprocity. She is a powerful fantasy creature, but the friendship is not simply about her usefulness to a human hero.
6. The Death of Rats and the raven — Hogfather by Terry Pratchett
These two animal figures accompany Susan Sto Helit as guides and occasional tormentors. Wexler’s selection treats them as a pair, and their place on an animal-companion list is deliberately less literal than Hedwig’s or Tock’s. Their appeal lies in the comic voice and unsettling presence they bring to Susan’s story.
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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →They rank below companions whose bond or guidance is more central to the relationship, but they make a strong case for including disruption as part of companionship. Sometimes the memorable companion is the one who refuses to make an already strange situation comfortable.
Rank #4
7. A-Through-L — The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne Valente
A-Through-L is a wyverary—the child of a wyvern and a library—and knows almost everything about subjects beginning with letters through L, as Wexler describes him. Like Tock, he can guide a human companion, though his warnings may not be heeded. His knowledge gives him a practical role, while his hybrid nature stretches the category of “animal” well beyond an ordinary pet.
He is an inventive example of the fantasy companion as specialist: the character who can explain, warn, and orient, without necessarily controlling what the hero does with that information.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.8. Dog — Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
Dog begins as a huge black hellhound and becomes a small dog, a transformation that gives Wexler’s choice its comic premise. The sudden difference between the ominous creature’s expected scale and the familiar pet’s appearance is the point: Dog makes a mythic threat unexpectedly domestic.
He rounds out the ranking as a compact example of comic disruption. His appeal is less about guidance or a long-developed partnership than the delight of watching a fantasy creature’s identity collide with an ordinary image of a dog.
What makes a fantasy animal companion memorable?
- A relationship, not just a role: Pan and Lyra’s closeness gives their companionship emotional weight, while Kazul and Cimorene show how it can be mutual.
- A distinct point of view: Mogget’s sarcasm and Tock’s practical advice make them more than accessories to a hero’s journey.
- Useful presence in different forms: Companions can guide, warn, offer knowledge, stay loyal, or disrupt expectations. They do not all need to talk or possess magic.
- A category with flexible edges: Dragons, a wyverary, and personified figures challenge a narrow definition of “animal.” This list includes them because their stories frame them as companions.
This selection follows the sequence of Django Wexler’s personal 2014 Guardian list for its first eight entries; the ranking and explanations here are editorial rather than universal verdicts. Readers looking for other memorable examples may recognize names such as Oy or Iorek Byrnison from an informal r/Fantasy discussion, but that discussion is not evidence of a measured popularity ranking.
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