Stories and world-saving antics come and go, but friendships last forever. And video game culture has a ton of that going on; mostly the hetero-for-life kind.

To celebrate International Friendship Day this week, let’s bring up our favourite BFFs in gaming.

Marcus Fenix & Dom Santiago (Gears of War Series)

Bros until the end, at least in Gears of War 3. Marcus is the main protag with a temper, while Dom is the level-headed soldier. Together they rely on each other in the war against the Locust and Lambent Horde, spouting some one-liners, being best buds, and killing a heckaton of baddies along the way.

Sonic & Tails (Sonic Series)

Sonic can’t do jack without Tails’ tech know-how and flight skills. Tails can’t do much without Sonic’s proactiveness and super-speed. Together, they forge a friendship like most other Saturday Morning Cartoon friendships, but this one is steeped in retro awesomeness.

Ryu & Ken (Street Fighter Series)

Rivals for life, but close friends as well, Ryu and Ken fight in the streets looking for challenges. While Ryu is in it for the fight, Ken is already a family man who occasionally fights to hone his skills. Regardless, they studied under the same teach -Gouken- and bond over the training and fights they’ve been in along the way. They have each other’s back in other words: Ryu for strength and Ken for the wealth.

Sol Badguy & Ky Kiske (Guilty Gear Series)

Rivals for life, to the point where both of them meet up in different points of the world’s age and era.

For a full breakdown of Guilty Gear’s insane plot and history, you should check out Woolie’s video series and see how Sol and Ky’s friendship and rivalry has evolved.

Simon & Catherine (Soma)

Soma is a nice adventure game that explores the philosophy behind consciousness and identity. Most importantly however is the friendship that sparked between Simon and Catherine.

Simon, the man lost in the future, is stuck in a world where everyone he has ever known is dead. Catherine, on the other hand, is a person who always had a hard time making friends, even when she wasn’t a robot.

The two of them start out as complete strangers but end up as pals despite the many, MANY difficult circumstances splitting them up.

Shantae & Sky (Shantae Series)

These lovely ladies are pals for life. One’s a half-genie who can shapeshift to different animals and saves the world from evil sexy pirate Risky Boots. The other’s a best pal who has a giant hawk that takes them places and can kick ass in her own accord.

Misako & Kyoko (River City Girls)

Bonding through violence in River City, scouring the town in search of their boyfriends: that’s the River City way, and Misako and Kyoko wouldn’t have it any other way.

Ellie & Riley (The Last of Us)

It was fun while it lasted, at least. Both Ellie and Riley shared a deep bond nd while messing around at an abandoned mall, they were attacked by a pack of infected. Both got bitten, so they decided to wait out what was left of their minds until they turned. Unfortunately, only Riley became infected since Ellie was immune. Ellie survived alone, the guilt at being the one who made it nearly consuming her.

To be fair, Riley got off easy since The Last of Us Part 2 happened.

The Boss & Johnny Gat (Saints Row Series)

If you want a crazy over-the-top friendship, look no better than your main character and Johnny Gat in the entire Saints Row series.

Both of them wreak havoc all across the board from Stillwater to the universe, and even Hell at one point. Both are amoral manchildren who have weapons and a devil-may-care attitudes that made them a force to be reckoned with. Except for part 3, since Johnny died pretty early in that game. But hey, he came back from the dead through part 4’s nonsensical plot development, because we know Saints Row isn’t the same without the homicidal Asian.

We’re very sure there are a ton of video game best buds we missed out on. Who are your favourites? Let us know on the comments and on our YouTube page.