The world of manga has a genre just for the cute and magical, known as the magical girl genre. And one of the main staples of this deliciously cute genre is the magical animal sidekick. Whether it is the adorable trio of cats from Sailor Moon or the mysterious yet sweet Mokona from Magic Knight Rayearth, it is hard to deny that these animals would be sorely missed if they disappeared from the pages of our favorite manga. Bringing laughter, surprising compassion, and the random moment of desperately needed exposition, manga animal sidekicks are something that are necessary to the magical girl genre.

Comic relief is first and foremost job of the manga animal sidekick. Where would Cardcaptors be without adorable Kero running around, attempting to lift items much larger than him or anything that isn't his size for that matter? Comic relief is important, and when it is so very important to maintain the fact that while pretty and perky, the heroine is still the heroine, the animal sidekick can allow a release of the tension that can overwhelm the reader at critical moments, keeping the story balanced and well-proportioned.

While those talking animal sidekicks may be harsh taskmasters/taskmistresses, they are also a source of compassion at important moments too. Without Luna, Sailor Moon might have found herself even more depressed at moments in her life when she couldn't see past the horrible things that were happening. Being so close to the people who are the main characters, the animal sidekick can offer as much advice and touching concern as those human friends the main character has. In the end, it can be the four-legged friend can bring the most comfort to a distraught character.

Of course, there are those important pieces of information that the tie the mystery of the plot together, and who is better at bringing those to the light than the manga animal sidekick? Whether it is revealing that the evil villain is the long lost sibling of the main character, or just revealing how to use the magical powers of the magical girl, the manga animal sidekick is full of the interesting, important information that comes in those magical moments of exposition. If not for these animal sidekicks, the magical girls and their friends would be wandering around lost, and no epic battles would never happen for our entertainment.

The value of the animal sidekick in magical girl manga is surpassed only by the value of the magical girl magic. They support the plot, the characters, the comedic relief, as well as being so sickening adorable that you have to own shirts with pictures of them on it. In the end, we all love animal sidekicks, and could never do without them.