Tomb Raider: Lara Croft's Best Friends, Ranked

Since first exploding onto the gaming scene all the way back in 1996, gun-toting archaeologist Lara Croft has acquired a variety of allies in her pursuit of hidden relics and secret cities. Her best friends, over the course of the games, have served as a diverse group of trusted, loyal allies who have provided both friendship and assistance throughout her adventures.

From clever, knowledgeable guides to tough, resilient comrades-in-arms, many of Lara Croft's most famous allies have played crucial roles in both the Original and Legends timelines. These characters' commendable loyalty and invaluable contributions to the success of Croft's countless, dangerous missions have seen them often presented as essential figures within her inner circles, cementing their places as cherished allies in the classic gaming franchise.

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5 Alister Fletcher: A Human Encyclopedia

First Game Appearance: Tomb Raider Legends

Serving as Lara Croft's supremely knowledgeable research assistant, Alister Fletcher is a goldmine of historical intel. Where Lara Croft treasure-hunts, Fletcher is fully focused on learning, spending much of his time immersed in study.

For 15 years, Fletcher has been working towards a doctorate at Oxford University. His project just keeps growing, as he connects more and more events and pieces of information from over the years. Due to his endless fountain of knowledge, Fletcher frequently fleshes out the mysterious artifacts and locations Croft searches for. In doing so, he provides both the character and the player with intriguing, world-building knowledge. In a harsh reminder of just how dangerous Lara Croft's adventures can get, Fletcher was infamously killed off in Tomb Raider: Underworld. During an attack on Croft Manor, Fletcher is murdered by Croft's sinister Doppelgänger, ending his arc on a dark note.

4 Zip: The Series' No.1 Tech Whiz

First Game Appearance: Tomb Raider Chronicles

This brilliant computer and surveillance genius came in very handy for Lara Croft when she wanted to break into Von Croy Industries. Initially a worker there, Zip was fired for hacking into the FBI's database.

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After his firing, the prodigious hacker starts up his own surveillance company, at which point he comes to Croft's attention. Navigating her through the dangerous area, Zip manages to both get revenge on the company that fired him and strike up a friendly dynamic with Croft herself. In the Legends timeline, Zip has a more prominent role, serving as Croft's eyes and ears out in the field through his tech wizardry. Rather than running his own company, he is depicted as working exclusively for Lara Croft in these games. Along with serving as an important clue-giver and watcher, Zip also adds some lighter fun in the Legends games, dropping witty one-liners through Croft's headset.

3 Winston: Lara Croft's Most Loyal Servant

First Game Appearance: Tomb Raider 2

The butler Winston standing in the bathroom holding a tray in the game Tomb Raider 2

Lara Croft's trusty butler displays great loyalty to her, and also serves as her chauffeur. In the Legends timeline, Winston is the latest in a long line of members of his family to have provided service to the wealthy Croft family.

Serving as the Alfred to Lara Croft's Batman, Winston goes above and beyond in all areas of his work. In the original timeline, Winston is a war veteran who hits it off with Lara's father, Lord Henshingly, and leaves his job as a gamekeeper in Ireland to serve as the Croft family butler. Despite Lara's penchant for adventure alienating her from her wealthy family, Winston remains a trusty servant when needed, and is caring and loyal. When Lara is presumed dead in Egypt, Winston is depicted in a state of somber mourning, reiterating the emotional bond he shared with the gutsy archaeologist.

2 Sam Nishimura: Lara Croft's Best Friend From College

First Game Appearance: Tomb Raider (2013)

The search for the mysterious Yamatai draws in documentary filmmaker Sam Nishimira, whose past is connected to the area. Serving as Lara Croft's main pal in Dark Horse Comics' The Beginning, Nishimura has since crossed over into the game series.

Nishimura and Croft first hit it off in their early days in college. From there, they became travel buddies before the future documentary-maker revealed the mystery of Yamatai to the seminal action heroine. The quest to find the lost Kingdom of Yamatai introduces Sam to the often high-stakes, potentially-fatal treasure-hunting lifestyle of her best friend. Captured, rescued, and everything in between, her respect for Lara Croft never wavers. In one of the more supernatural moments in the series, Sam is possessed by the mystical Sun Queen Himiko, and is once again saved by Croft. While she nearly always gets into trouble along the way, Sam Nishimura's loyalty to her friend never wavers.

1 Jonah Maiava: A Dependable Ally With A Knack For Cooking

First Game Appearance: Tomb Raider (2013)

Lara Croft's trustiest ally is a jack of all trades, serving as a cook and covering a variety of other important, menial tasks when at sea. Sporting something resembling a Spidey sense when it comes to detecting danger ahead, Maiava is frequently depicted as an invaluable travel companion.

Among the survivors of the dangerous Yamatai expedition in 2013's Tomb Raider, he pops up again in Rise of the Tomb Raider. There, he comes in handy when the search for Kitezh, a mythical Siberian city, begins. Rescuing Lara Croft from a murderous mercenary at one point, his second game appearance sees him get put through the wringer, including torture and mortal injury at the hands of the murderous Konstantin. A tough, well-meaning friend to Lara Croft, Jonah's unique blend of life experiences and skills have highlighted what makes him such an important cog in Croft's treasure-hunting machine.