For the uninitiated, Ni No Kuni is a role-playing game with game mechanics similar to those found in the main Pokemon games. While roaming the world, players come into contact with creatures they can catch and tame to fight for them in battle. Like Pokemon, not all familiars are created equal.
In fact, many of the familiars are leagues better than others. Even familiars of the same type can have wildly different stats. The familiars are built for different purposes as well; some are designed to be a tank, some are offensive spell-casters, some serve more of a utility role (like a healer), while some are less stout but are quick and powerful attackers (glass cannons).
Updated on January 22, 2022, by Jeff Drake: Ten is a good starting-off point for a list, but at some point, an expansion is needed. There are so many great familiars in Ni No Kuni that ten only begins to scratch the surface. The original list identified what most players would consider the best familiars. There are other familiars though; familiars that deserve to be on this list of the best in the game. This update will add five additional familiars to the list and rank them accordingly. Some of the new familiars to this list are not great fighters - they are nonetheless incredibly useful in a fight.
Updated on October 2nd, 2022 by Jeff Drake: Ten is good starting-off point, fifteen adds some hidden gems to the mix of best familiars, but twenty is about when this list starts representing the best of the best familiars in Ni No Kuni. This game did a good job of balancing the familiars so that all of them are worth taming and training. Even with the best balancing though, there are still many familiars that are clearly better than others. Keep in mind this list is in the broadest terms, as some familiars are better with certain characters. Some familiars, like Wimpeafowl, are top tier familiars through the use of gems, but in general are just pretty good.
20 Dynamite
The Dynamite and Mermite are the metamotphose forms for Mighty Mite. They are built a little differently; with the Dynamite being more of an attack familiar and the Mermite being geared more towards support and defense. What tips the scale in favor of the Dynamite, for this list anyway, is the fact that its final trick is the physical attack Super Slash. The Mermite's last trick is Smoke Bomb.
In terms of stats the Dynamite is a little outclassed among the other familiars on this list. That doesn't mean it can't keep up with the familiars on this list - Dynamite is a scrappy little fighter with some surprisingly strong attacks.
19 Gobforsaken
Gobforsaken is one of the two metamorphose forms for Gobfather. What sets this familiar apart from most others is its high attack rating and accuracy. This familiar hits hard and doesn't miss much; though, its magic attack rating isn't the best. The alternate metamorphose form, Gobspeed, has just a low a magic attack and worse physical attacks than Gobforsaken.
In addition to some good attack tricks, Gobforsaken gets some great support and Dark-type tricks that cause crippling status ailments on opponents (along with some damage).
18 Hurlcules
Hurlcules starts as a Hurly, then metamorphoses into the Burly Hurly. The Burly Hurly can metamorphose into one of two final stages - the Hurlabaloo and Hurlcules. The Hurlabaloo is one of the best familiars in Ni No Kuni, but there are a few factors that make the Hurlcules a better choice when the time comes to metamorphose your Burly Hurly.
This familiar may be a bit slow, but it doesn't need to be fast with its high attack rating and an excellent list of powerful tricks. Among the best are Time to Shine, Earsplitter, and Phantom Fangs. Hurlcules isn't highly vulnerable to anything and is resistant to Poison and Curse.
17 Wimpeafowl
This Sleepeafowl family of bird familiars are great support familiars. Wimpeafowl is one of the final forms and comes with some good magic attacks to go with its sky-high magic attack rating. The only real problem with Wimpeafowl is the fact it doesn't get an attack trick until level 23.
After level 23 Wimpeafowl gets three attack tricks, and all of them are strong Water or Storm tricks. Waterspout and Whirly Whirlies can both hit multiple enemies for serious damage. Sand Blast, Slow Poke, and Drowsy Drops are its support tricks; they only affect a single target, but cause status effects that can easily tip a fight in the player's favor.
16 Snaptrap
There are only a few familiars that make better a tank than Snaptrap. This venus fly trap-inspired familiar is not only a stout defender, but it has a pretty decent attack rating as well. Snaptrap also has a list of tricks that's a good balance of physical attacks, support, healing, and fire attacks.
Sanptrap is the third metamorphose form of Whippersnapper, with Trapper Snapper being in between. The alternate third form, Claptrap, has a higher defense but a much lower attack. The balance of attack and defense in Snaptrap is a much more favorable ratio.
15 Cogdenser
Cogdenser is a fantastic choice for one of Swaine's familiars. It has a very strong defense - very tank-ish. Cogdenser doesn't have to sacrifice too much in the attack department for this good defense either. In fact, its Magical Attack rating is quite high; which is good considering it only has magical attacks (rather than physical).
Cogdenser has access to a great trick-list. Like a lot of the familiars on this list, its trick-list has a nice blend of support and attack tricks. It can learn the Soulshield trick; this makes Cogdenser nigh impervious to magical attacks. The Cogdenser begins as a Cogger. The Cogger metamorphoses into a Hot Cog, and then can become either a Cogdenser or Supercogductor.
14 Tokotocold
Tokotocold's trick-list is primarily support and healing tricks. It does get a couple of attack moves, but attacking is not why a player should be bringing this familiar along to a fight. Tokotocold gets healing tricks that can heal the whole group, as well as a trick that greatly heals one target.
This familiar also gets support tricks that put opponents to sleep and prevent them from casting. Tokotocold is an extremely handy familiar to have in a fight - just make sure to bring some other familiar to do the actual fighting. This is one of the best support familiars in Ni No Kuni.
13 Scrapdragon
Scrapdragon is a fantastic all-around familiar that is very tank-ish. Most tanks have somewhat low attack ratings to offset their defensive capabilities - Scrapdragon doesn't have this weakness. This familiar can deal as much damage as it can take. If the player has some healing familiars with Scrapdragon then it's capable of taking on enemy groups by itself without much problem.
This is the final metamorphose form of Sapdragon (then Flapdragon). The alternate third metamorphose form is Napdragon. This familiar gets better magical attacks than Scrapdragon, whereas Scrapdragon gets some devastating physical attacks. Both Napdragon and Scrapdragon fast growth rates and will have their best tricks before level 25.
12 Baddy-Daddy
The Fuddy-Daddy is a weak familiar that's not worth much in a fight. Its third metamorphose form, Baddy-Daddy, is an absolute beast on the battlefield though. For starters, the Baddy-Daddy has great stats. The only stat that could be considered below average is Accuracy, and it's not low enough to really be a problem.
The trick-list available to Baddy-Daddy has some of the best attack moves available. Thunderstorm and Wallup both hit multiple enemies for significant damage - Thunderstorm also has a chance to Confuse the targets. Baddy-Daddy is resistant to Sleep, Poison, and Confusion, while only being weak against Stun and Nix.
11 Purrloiner
The members of the Purrloiner family are classic examples of a glass cannon. For starters, Purrloiner has a very fast attack and movement speed. This gives it an advantage during battle. The evolved version - specifically the Puss in Boats - has an excellent attack rating. This familiar is not Highly Vulnerable to anything and is only Vulnerable to unconsciousness and confusion.
The main drawback to the Purrloiner, Puss in Bouts, and Puss in Boats is that toward the end of the game it may be a bit outclassed - but is still a viable choice. In the early part of the game, however, it is an excellent choice for Oliver.
10 Deecee or Acee
These electric familiars are the final metamorphose form of Sparkee. It's hard to choose between these two, so they've both been included in this entry. Acee's tricks are more attack oriented, and Deecee is more of a support familiar. That's not to say that Deecee doesn;t have some good attacks, because it does.
Deecee has two healing tricks, one heals the target completely and the other only heals Deecee. Acee has attacks that hit all enemies for decent damage. Deecee has tricks that inflict a status ailment on all enemies. In the end, Deecee's healing tricks might make it more useful to most players.
9 Shonky-Honker
This is a familiar that is not on many "best familiar” lists. Why it's left out is a good question, because the Metamorphose version called Honky-Tonker is incredibly versatile in battle. Honky-Tonker has some of the best all-around stats in the game; its Magic Attack rating is arguably the best in the game, and its Accuracy is also quite high. The problem with this family of familiars is that they are late-bloomers - meaning they don't get really powerful until later in the game.
This familiar has a good selection of tricks to choose from as well. The Body Blast physical attack is fast and cheap to use. The Trumpy-Pumper is the other Metamorphose version of Shonky-Honker. It is needed for one of Derwin's tasks.
8 Thumbelemur
This little monkey familiar is a great companion for Swaine. It's not the best fighter, but it's not bad in a fight either. It's not a tank, but that doesn't mean it can't hang in battle. The Metamorphose versions have some good all-around stats and a good mix of tricks. The best attacker for Swaine is the #3 entry on this list, but until you get that familiar the Thumbelemur is a safe choice.
Okay, here's why this familiar is on this list - the Metamorphosed version, the Aye-Aye Catcher, gets the Upsy-Daisy trick. This revives an unconscious ally - that trick is beyond useful.
7 Hooray
The Hooray is a manta ray familiar that’s a great choice as an attacker for Esther; maybe the best attacker for her. Granted, once you get the #2 entry for Esther there isn't a need to use any other familiar for her. That being said the Hooray's Metamorphose version, Grimray, is a very capable combatant. All of Grimray's stats are pretty high, and it has a fast movement and attack speed.
The Grimray has some great tricks - a good mix of physical and dark attacks, and support tricks. Many of these tricks have a decent range.
6 Monolith
When picking a tank for Swaine, the Monolith and its Metamorphose forms are easily the best pick. This familiar's defense is so high it can take hit after hit without taking much damage. This familiar is also resistant to physical damage, Confusion, Sleep, and Poison.
The third Metamorphose forms of Monolith are the Paleolith and Neolith. The Neolith has tricks that deal fire damage, while the Paleolith deals storm damage. The Paleolith is usually the better choice given that it gets the Upsy-Daisy Trick for reviving unconscious allies.
5 Oroboros
This snake familiar is constantly trying to eat its tail - it is also a great spellcasting familiar for Oliver. This familiar gets powerful early, and unlike Purrloiner it stays powerful later in the game. The Oroboros' third forms also give you a choice between an offensive spellcaster and a healer. This makes it adaptable to any party of familiars.
The Obscuroboros is the offensive spellcasting form, and it gets some incredibly powerful tricks. Petrifying Puff and Demon's Fury are particularly useful in battle. Fluoroboros is the healing third form of Oroboros, but there are better healers.
4 Napcap
Upon first glance, Napcap doesn't look like a good familiar. It has three Support Tricks, and other than a good Evasion its stats are pretty low. To make matters worse, this familiar is most compatible with Esther, and the #2 entry on this list should be her main familiar. The Napcap's third Metamorphose form, the Madcap, is an excellent all-around caster - and very much resembles many of the mushroom Pokemon.
The Madcap has some of the best stats in the game - it doesn't really have any really low stats. Though, where the Madcap truly shines is its choice of tricks. It has Healing Rain for healing, and Firewall and Towering Inferno for damaging the enemy.
3 Bonehead
The Bonehead family of familiar are particularly good attackers. The Metamorphose version called Bone Baron is close to being overpowered. Most players consider the Dinoceros family to be the only family of familiars that are better attackers than Bonehead's. This isn't a glass cannon either; the Bonehead family has fairly good stats.
The drawback to Bone Baron is that it's a late-bloomer; it won't reach its full potential until later in the game. Other than that, this is easily the best familiar for Swaine for those wanting to pair him with a strong physical attacker.
2 Lumberwood
A tank, in gaming, is a nickname given to characters that can withstand brutal attacks and continue fighting. In Ni No Kuni, the Lumberwood, and its Metamorphose forms are probably the toughest tanks in the game. This genus of familiars has the defense to shrug off damage, and good enough attacks to bring enemies down.
The Metamorphosed forms are Wildwood and Umberwood. Both are great - it just depends on what tricks you would prefer. Many players consider the Umberwood and Wildwood to be the most over-powered familiars in the game, and an easy pick for Esther's main familiar.
1 Dinoceros
This familiar is so good that many players refuse to use it because it makes the game too easy. This is one of the best physical attackers in the game, and it’s a decent tank as well. Seriously, the Metamorphosed version called the Catastroceros is so powerful it makes fights a little boring.
Catastroceros has some devastating attack tricks - its Earsplitter Trick does a ridiculous amount of damage. Its only Vulnerability is to Poison, and it resists Unconsciousness. This is a safe and reliable familiar for Oliver; who isn't exactly lacking in choices for good attackers. Most players consider this the best familiar in Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch.
Ni No Kuni is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, and mobile devices.