I've only done a few quests involving Thancred, but I agree he was pretty smooth

As far as dynamic duos go though, Yda and Papylymo are easily my favorite!

But this is all irrelevant when comparing to an NPC on a calibur of Mimidoa.
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b8...0-51-47-42.jpg
Mimidoa=women want me, men want to be me, and animals want to learn how to talk so they can hang out with me

Also, I strongly agree that I would love some more interactions with these colorful characters. Even if it is just some optional mini-quests with some flavor text along the way