It’s said that behind every great individual, there were scores of others working behind the scenes to facilitate that greatness. Since the age of kings and queens, noble servants like maids and butlers have devoted themselves fully to their masters, providing the epitome of quality service with grace and panache.
Throughout gaming, there have been many capable maids and butlers, some thanks to their kindness and empathy, others thanks to resources and combat abilities. For the purposes of this list, we’ll be using a bit of a broad definition of “maid” and “butler,” encompassing similar professions like assistants, handmaidens, bodyguards, and so on. If they provide someone important with a vital service, then they can be considered a maid or a butler.
10 Hibiki Kohaku – BlazBlue Series
The faithful assistant to NOL Colonel Kagura Mutsuki, Kohaku is exceptionally capable as a butler, secretary, and when the situation calls for it, assassin. In fact, Hibiki’s entire family prioritizes such covert tactics, priding themselves on their abilities as kingmakers in the background of history, which is why he didn’t take up an active role until events required it in the fourth BlazBlue game.
Hibiki has nothing but respect for Kagura, though Kagura’s overly-headstrong nature does occasionally put a strain on his various resources. In an effort to rein Kagura in, Hibiki acts as a voice of reason in his presence, encouraging him to take simple, straightforward solutions to problems. Kagura listens about 50 percent of the time.
9 Noelle – Genshin Impact
Genshin Impact‘s Noelle is a prim and proper young lady who dreams of joining the Knights of Favonius, though she doesn’t quite qualify for the position just yet. In the meantime, she works as a sort of freelance maid, helping out not only around the Knights HQ, but seemingly appearing out of nowhere whenever the citizenry of Mondstat has some kind of problem that needs solving.
Noelle is known around Mondstat as the “Wondermaid” because she can remedy almost any grievance, though she doesn’t see it that way herself. There’s nothing magical or wondrous about what she does, in her opinion. She’s just a hard worker who enjoys helping out.
8 Codsworth – Fallout 4
Prior to the nuclear war that would devastate the world of Fallout, the individual that would come to be known as the Sole Survivor employed the services of a RobCo brand Mister Handy robot named Codsworth. When the Sole Survivor and his family fled to Vault 111, Codsworth dutifully remained behind and continued tending to the house. And then he continued tending to it for the next 200 years or so until the Sole Survivor finally reemerged.
The fact that Codsworth is still in fairly good shape after a nuke dropped nearby is a testament to his construction and dedication to the butler ways. He’s happy to accompany the Sole Survivor anywhere they go, defending them, offering sage advice, and telling the occasional eye-roller of a joke.
7 Hisui & Kohaku – Melty Blood
Hisui and Kohaku are two people, yes, but they are both maids serving the same master, and they’re almost always together, so they may as well be considered a single maid. Whether together or separate, though, these sisters go a long way toward keeping the Tohno household a livable place.
Not only do the two of them keep the place spotless, but they also provide support to Akiha and Shiki in magical and anti-vampire endeavors. In the original Tsukihime story, they weren’t combatants, but in Melty Blood, they’re quite capable, with Kohaku employing a katana hidden in her broom and Hisui using a bizarre martial art based on household chores.
6 Ignis Scientia – Final Fantasy 15
The trusted valet, bodyguard, and chauffeur to Prince Noctis, Ignis was appointed to his position at the remarkably young age of six but has never had a complaint to offer. Thanks to his specialized education, Ignis is worldly in a variety of studies and subjects and is eager to pass any relevant information on to Noctis when necessary throughout Final Fantasy 15.
Ignis has a powerful strategic mind, though rather than putting his plans into action himself, he prefers to delegate roles to Noctis and his fellow bodyguards. Ignis’s philosophy is one of inherent trust; he believes Noctis has what it takes to be a great man, and is 100 percent committed to doing everything he can to make that happen.
5 Poppi – Xenoblade Chronicles 2
In Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Tora the Nopon inventor is a major shut-in, to put it politely. To alleviate himself of any potential social interaction, he created his artificial Blade, Poppi, as the world’s most versatile servant. Poppi is naturally predisposed toward helping Tora with whatever he wants, though he also added a couple of quasi-useful features that wouldn’t be necessary if he could be bothered to leave the house.
Examples of this include a “tail-wagging” function to emulate a dog and a “comb protocol” for fixing Tora’s hair in the morning. Strange as some of these features are, though, Poppi genuinely cares about Tora and is happy to serve him and his… unusual needs.
4 Rowen J. Illbert – Tales of Xillia
In Tales of Xillia, Rowen is the loyal butler of Lord Cline Sharil. Ever-bearing a kind, almost grandfatherly face, Rowen is very easy to approach and talk with, and he directs that kindness toward faithfully serving Cline, the man who showed him kindness when he was at his lowest.
However, in his younger years, Rowen was a renowned soldier with strategic capability so great that he came to be known as “the Conductor.” When Cline is captured while trying to rescue a group of people who were captured by the Rashugal military for experiments, he wasted no time in joining Jude and Milla in their efforts to rescue him and destroy his captors.
3 Impa – The Legend Of Zelda Series
Throughout the various periods of the Legend of Zelda series, whenever there is a Princess Zelda, there is almost always an Impa standing proudly behind her. Every woman bearing the name Impa is a member of the Sheikah Tribe, a mysterious group that works in the shadows to protect Hyrule and its royal family.
Some instances of Impa work as bodyguards to Zelda, wielding swords and kunai in her defense, while others work as assistants and handmaidens, taking care of her in her day-to-day life. In all of her incarnations, Impa often acts as an arbiter of Link’s worth to interact with Zelda, though time and again, he proves that he’s just as ready to defend her as Impa is – and that’s saying something.
2 Toadsworth – Mario Series
As the steadfast valet to Princess Peach, Toadsworth is probably one of the most perpetually-perturbed individuals in the Mario series. Every time Peach is kidnapped by Bowser or someone else, he’s absolutely beside himself with worry. However, that worry doesn’t prevent him from doing his job; he always puts out the call to the Mario Brothers to help and is always on hand to provide them with whatever assistance he can offer.
In peacetime, Toadsworth often acts as an emcee for sporting and party events. Despite his age, though, he’s no pushover; he’s a surprisingly spicy pitcher in Mario Super Sluggers, and a capable outfielder. He probably gets his cardio in with all the nervous pacing he does whenever Peach is kidnapped.
1 Kirumi Tojo – Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony
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As the high school student chosen to be the Ultimate Maid, Kirumi believes in one thing over all else: “Selfless Devotion.” While working as a part-time maid, she gained a reputation amongst her clientele as an absolute miracle worker, able to fulfill any task requested of her. Her service is known to be so incredible, that those she serves become incredible themselves by proxy.
While Kirumi doesn’t see herself in any particularly fantastical light, she does enjoy serving others and will perform any task, so long as she deems the one asking to be worthy. During the Killing Game in Danganronpa V3, she was happy to provide household services like cleaning and cooking to the other students, though she doesn’t appreciate it when people jokingly ask her to be their mom.
