Favorite companions have to be Bri and Gia, I just love the dynamic between the two making a champion sandwich. Azzy comes in third if you ignore her dragon quest ruination. SubArona could tie for third if you could dedick her but since Savin is an ass she's a distant fourth and the rest are meh. Kiyoko was good initially but the fox shit eventuality ruins her. Oh right Viv, I keep forgetting she's a companion now. I like the character but never have seen a reason to bring her along, I'll have to try her one of these days to see what she's worth but doubt she holds up to Bri's firey goodness. Some of the NPC's are actually really great. Vatia, Clementine, the cat harem, Elthara, and Aileh stand out. Daliza is good as long as you keep Jael'yn at the frost hound.
Its really ridiculous how much they/tobs dropped the ball on kiyoko. Imo the time compression, jump and proceeding content was one of the biggest fumbles they've made so far in the game, because it happened to one of the poster children for marketing, and pre orb release was brienne hype before going straight off the edge.
She could have been great, but just listing issues with her, rant I guess 1. Entry requires doing annoying puzzles that take time, even with a walkthrough, every single playthrough (tobs does this an annoying amount, like convocation of mirrors, and they all feature an item or ability near mandatory) 2. Weirdly kinky with threesomes like the preggo exclusives or being a cuckquean but her own scenes feel like 10 variations of specifically impreg doggy. They're supposed to be turbo horny but for some reason foxes 90% either want procreation or tails, gets boring. Not even "surprise" stuff first like with harpies 3. Once kinu is born, your and kiyokos arcs both end and you simply become supporting parent cameo side characters, kiyoko becoming an abusive mother 4. She's in a zone outside of time, her and PC could have been together for years, tens or hundreds even, but the games put on a mandatory time limit so canon wise you basically popped in a few times, had kinu, maybe did 2 meaningful moments with her, hime kinu acts like you went for cigarettes and farmer kinu gets abused more so only remembers love from you lmao 5. After you successfully(?) fight through a hostile zone and are about to free your waifu and children after some time, oops! Fox man did a little spagett on ya! Made her and her kids alone for years and years. Haha pranked ya! 6. Here you basically become the "Yes honey" meme and a doormat that is loved. Maybe. Who knows tm. Friggin super long term soul mate-ish kitsune romance is apparently crap compared to any minotaur, or tetsuya, or aileh, or drifa Bonus points: Keros is a complete and total piece of garbage that pulls pranks, acts full of himself, but let's his supposed chosen descendants, under his own domain and protection, get attacked and razed, multiple friggin times, by what is/was at one point of development an opposing gods forces. Doesn't warn you, doesn't create defending entities, doesn't even appear to tell his shrine maidens himself. Friggin mallach had to, and did, help kinu the second time, before which she was protected BY FRIGGIN FARMERS AND KOHAKU WHO HAD TO FLEE. Shocker! Nakano? Glory seeking swordsman? Possible FIANCE of her? Lmao she can take care of herself he has to do paperwork. Friggin FARMER husband 1v1s one in the novella. Nakano is objectively written wrong, like if Naruto just stayed home doing paperwork whining and complaining but everyone talked about how much potential he had