Garrus’ Hidden History Made Him Shepard's Best Squadmate Ever

[@paragonseven]

Had this question a few times so I'll answer here: I'll be doing separate character breakdowns from romance breakdowns. Can't wait to analyze the tango with Garrus later on hehe

[@WrathOfGrapesN7]

"I couldn't do this without you, Garrus." "Sure you could. Not as stylishly, of course."

[@TheSoundita]

Best teammate. Best bro. Best romance.

[@Blimbus-Blombo]

@@TheSoundita Alexander the Great and Hephaestion.

[@UmisTsukishiro00]

It’s the fact Garrus is Shepard’s best bro that makes their romance feel so genuine and natural. He’s her guy in every way, including the guy she wants to wake up to.

[@bad-knight]

I love how in mass effect 2 every time you take him into the field he’s always yelling “ONE LESS TO WORRY ABOUT” but when you talk to him on the Normandy he’s super chill

[@otacon8790]

Yea... That is usually how snipers are.

[@sakisaotome6753]

Spacer Shepards gets an interaction with Garrus that proved to me his friendship and loyalty beyond pretty much any other companion. but the thing is it wasn't really anything big but it is something that only Garrus does. just after you rescue him on Menae when you go see him he will ask you about your family and if they made out safely. no one else in the entire game does this, just Garrus and its such a tense moment because you have no idea and you wont know for a long time afterwards. but being able to look out a window and see his world on fire while his sister is missing and one of the first things garrus thinks to ask you is did your family make it out. you on the other hand can ask just about everyone about their family but only garrus will return the favor.

[@dweeb892]

I liked that too! Showed how dimensional he is. He understands that Shepard is just as stressed as everyone else about their family. I'm glad that Shepard responds and is honest to Garrus, as a Spacer their mom is obviously on another Alliance cruiser, also in the fight. Imagine the kind of stress that Shepard has to have their parent on a ship fighting the same enemies that Shepard does. Except their parent doesn't have the same knowledge and firepower that Shepard does. It must be terrifying!

[@thirdcoastfirebird]

Garrus is the ultimate bro in gaming. Period. I can't play this game without him.

[@ashtonsomethingsomething9940]

I like to imagine if you didn't romance Garrus or your BroShep, then Garrus will be a cool uncle or Shep's kids' godfather or something.

[@IronWolf_345]

There’s no Batman without Robin. There’s no Goku without Vegeta. *There’s no Shepard without Vakarian.*

[@iOnlySignIn]

Never realized Turian parenting is so similar to Korean or Chinese parenting. :D

[@mayapilkey3577]

@@iOnlySignIn but extremely military based

[@tilltronje1623]

Aka abusive?

[@mayapilkey3577]

@tilltronje1623 very very very strict and the state is HEAVILY involved in raising kids

[@JessFromMead]

In the next game "Garrus? Wha...what the hell are you doing here?" "Like you once said commander, there is no shepard without Vakarian. Now on your feet. We got work to do"

[@treasurehunter3369]

Garrus and fem shep are the 2 constants in every playthrough

[@sakisaotome6753]

(and tali)

[@singularm5923]

@@sakisaotome6753 overrated

[@Credemis]

Garrus has been my favourite squad mate since I first played Mass effect 1 16 years ago

[@sakisaotome6753]

i misread what you wrote and i thought you said since you first played mass effect 116 years ago! =)

[@DrJLearning]

Wonderful to have you back. Hope you feeling well.

[@DutchXFangirl]

Garrus has always been my Bff. Even though I always play as a sniper as well, I always bring Garrus with me.

[@BlacknessInTheLight]

@@DutchXFangirl same here! My headcanon is that they have a competition going on; one point for a kill, two for a headshot and, in the third game, three points for every cerberus guardian shot through that slot in their shield 😄

[@DutchXFangirl]

@@BlacknessInTheLight Lol! Who's the winner?

[@BlacknessInTheLight]

@@DutchXFangirl on the battlefield they're pretty much tied, but their banter in the 3rd game's shooting contest when you don't let Garrus win is so great that I just can't not shoot that bottle. So I guess she's winning by one point 😄

[@DutchXFangirl]

@@BlacknessInTheLight Same! 😂

[@winterrose747]

God, I miss them. I love this relationship both romantic and not. One of best written frienship from emotional point of view.

[@bfedezl2018]

True, Garrus is best bro and Tali best romance for MShep. The original trio.

[@robrockstar9648]

The best squad

[@d1l4te43]

I used to bring Garrus and Tali with me on nearly every mission. I always loved Garrus’s snarky and sarcastic attitude, and always being a badass. As a male Shepard, I loved Tali for her interesting culture, technological knowledge, and overall cuteness. I need to replay Mass Effect someday. Loved these games.

[@davewhitfield2553]

I can never bring myself to romance Tali. It feels like I am taking my best friend’s girl. I like seeing them together too much at the end.

[@dweeb892]

Garrus is by far one of my favorite characters in gaming, and by extension one of my favorite romances as well. He is such a well written character, with two paths to go down. Of course, as a Paragon, he was always also a Paragon. There was always a reason to choose the blue path, as it didn't seem right for him to kill Sidonis. Revenge just leads to more revenge, as well as Sidonis probably had a justifiable reason for doing what he did (it was a hard choice, either he died and the squad was safe for another day until the next teammate gets kidnapped with the same choice put on them, or he lived by selling out his squad). Teaching Garrus that revenge and murder is the only way to fix things didn't sit right with me. Mercy and reasoning always felt more just. Anyways, I could ramble about him for hours, I love Garrus :3

[@bartekes8852]

This is freaking quality writing and quality character arc. I miss things like this in modern games and tv shows.

[@christiannyblom5727]

It’s there. It’s just harder to find.

[@hecller22]

I was very lonely growing up, but Mass Effect and the love between Shepard and Garrus kept me afloat. I even learned to lucid dream just to meet Shepard and Garrus. I became her or him, sometimes I was on my own with them and we fought side by side. This emotional bond between soldiers when you cover each other with fire in game or in a lucid dream is so strong to me that I doubt anyone will ever create something stronger in the future, or continue the story with these two characters in other Mass Effect titles.

[@KritoSkywaker]

My Paragon MaleShep: Valued his friendship with Garrus, beaten him in the shooting contest. My Renegon FemShep: Joked about his scars, let him win on purpose in the shooting contest.

[@demonman0273]

I love that BioWare didn’t think people would like Garrus too much, and then they ended up getting a much better response than they thought they would, going so far as to say people wanted to romance him in the first game. And that’s why we have the Shakarian romance now.

[@ghostkiller1406]

You should do all of the comics that mass effect released and do a narration on it.

[@paragonseven]

Planning to cover the comics in multiple character breakdowns and other content. I find it funner doing it this way instead of just narrating, but maybe I'll do a narration in a stream or something. :)

[@psykit]

Brilliant video. Adore your breakdown. Garrus, romance or not, is the best. I'll be so disappointed if there's not even a hint of a Vakarian in ME5.

[@gbuster8167]

I absolutely loved Garrus! Dude was the epitome of what “good story writing” was in the prime era of BioWare!

[@MysticFL1-Beth]

I'm so ready for the new Mass Effect 5!!!!

[@shepardren8006]

I really love that the only Only Reason Garrus didn't turn into the things he hunted down. Was because he never let go of the good in him. Plus it's really not like he'll go rogue like Seren. You write it like that with any other character and you get at the very least an equivalent to Jon Bernthal's Punisher. Or Benicio Del Toro's Sicario. Characters so driven with self hatred they become their enemies just to get it done. When I play as Fem Shep It's either Garrus or Thane.

[@jittercritter]

I chose the Sole Survivor backstory, so Garrus’ relationship with Shep hit extra hard. They could understand each other perfectly well. They weren’t too similar though, because I picked Earthborn for the backstory, meaning my Shep was a street kid. I play a mostly Paragon (not entirely tho) Shep so this means they basically turned out how each other’s upbringing would typically turn out. Garrus was raised on the straight and narrow yet he rebelled and turned out morally ambiguous at first, whereas Shepard was raised in a life of crime and turned away from it as much as possible. They both had the emotional intelligence to identify the worst in each of their vastly different upbringings, and overcorrected to the opposite as a result. So they learned to balance out from each other; meeting Garrus caused Shepard to be more fast and loose with the rules in ME2 for me (that was one of my reasons anyways, because let’s be real even if you play Paragon, Shep is still more rebellious in ME2), while Garrus learned how to be more careful, especially about collateral damage. He also may have thought about Shep a bit while he cleaned up the crime ridden streets Basically, my Garrus romance ended up being the most insanely satisfying storyline I’ve ever experienced in gaming

[@no-onespecial5818]

Shepard: There's only so much fight in a person, only so much death you can take before... Garrus: Before your friend picks you up, dusts you off and tells you, you're the best damn soldier he's ever met.

[@LinayatIlyas]

The point about Garrus being the only one telling Shepard to get some sleep, i never noticed it. I mean i did but not in that context. Garrus truly is the Space bro

[@kfavis0210]

Throughout the entire franchise Garrus is ALWAYS present in my party 🙌🏽👏🏽

[@samuelchambers4036]

So glad to have you back!!! How are you feeling!!!!

[@paragonseven]

Healing up and getting better each day. :)

[@literalsarcasm1830]

Shepard and Garrus aren't just friends. They're brothers.

[@dorottyapapp]

Yay! You're back! I hope your shoulder is doing great! I can't bring myself to romance him because I feel like Garrus is my little brother. He needs some guidance at the beginning, then follows the older sibling's footsteps, and by the end you proudly realize, he grew up. Brother from another mother.

[@paragonseven]

It's doing much better, thanks! I've never romanced Garrus before, and part of me just loves that he ends up with Tali if you don't romance him, but doing this breakdown makes me MUCH more likely to give it a shot one of these days.

[@Da1337Man]

@@paragonseven Do. it. This might be out of pocket, but i love this two legged bird-dinosaur more than my own family. No one else can put a smile on my face the way this man does. I've been gaming for close to 30 years now ever since i was a wee lad, and no other game could ever hope to reach the peak of a romantic relationship the way it is portrayed between Shepard and Garrus. The downside is, that now every other game that has romance options just fall flat, simply because they aren't Garrus. One time as i was playing Call of Duty with my bro, i got so enraged to the point where it was no longer funny for him, he knew i was BIG MAD. But then without warning, all he did was send me a picture of Garrus on whatsapp with no context. Within 2.7 seconds i had the most content smile ever on my face as i felt all that toxic rage just melt away out of my system. I swear i am not making this up. If i sound obsessed, i want to emphasize that im holding back, if anything. Have i mentioned that i love Garrus?

[@dorottyapapp]

@@paragonseven I'm happy to hear! 💪🏻 I'm like never say never. Maybe one day I'll try his romance just to see how it is with a Shepard with whom they are a good fit, but it is not my priority.

[@Kawkawcrow]

I loved this break down, regardless of the romance, they are the best of friends. Truly, they have such an amazing friendship. And if we played the female Shepard, they have a beautiful love.

[@lordpsymon]

I would love a small Mass Effect game based on Garrus's time as Archangel. I rarely ever go on a mission without him. He's my bro in every play through.

[@willfanofmanyii3751]

Their first meeting in each game involves them both being in a similar situation to each other.

[@no-vw2of]

Is there truly any other game out there that has a bro like garrus?

[@larbearskitchen3990]

I love that he went to Omega and basically became the Turian Batman.

[@lite20]

bro is a real one

[@mikeyjones618]

If anyone looked at the new N7 jacket from the non N7 page, the company page making the jackets. There is another page on the website showing the new Garrus, jacket both male and female versions, it would make sense that garrus will be back in the new mass effect game.

[@cavatica11]

Garrus turned femshep into a decent dancer, and that's enough of a miracle to make him the best companion, but everything in this video seals it.

[@indigo4afbry701]

Cerberus may have named Miranda as my second in command, but Garrus was always my real 2IC. I picked him to lead every team in the suicide mission. There was no one else I would trust my crew to.

[@MajorHickE]

Its funny. Ive played LE probably a half dozen times, and im just now seeing why Garrus became so popular among the fans. I think my first playthrough glitched, because it wasnt until this most recent run that i found out Garrus has his own entire arc in ME1; I'd gotten stuck on his first dialogue loop and wrote him off from that point. Not to say that i sidelined Garrus or ignored him in 2 or 3, but missing out on that entire ability to teach him the right way to fight for people really messes with how crucial Garrus is to the story. Makes it fitting that i started the current playthrough with the intent of seeing why his romance arc is so highly regarded.

[@RosiedaRascal]

Loved the video, Paragon! Mad at youtube as it did not notify it was live despite it being up 4 days now....grrrr. If I had not seen in related list I would have missed out and Garrus is and will forever be my Shep's BFF. It was wonderful to get extra filler from the comics! I have seen videos with Liara comic content so this is wonderful. I do hope you will do the same for the other beloved characters too.

[@meredithwhite5790]

Garrus has always been my most used squad mate and I bring him on pretty much every mission in ME2.

[@N7SwatWolf]

Glad to have you back

[@SharkWolf-lz3ov]

I could see Garrus being a cameo in the Mass Effect, but that's about it.

[@Galantus1964]

This is so good, and yes Garrus is exactly ALL THAT

[@LordFoxxyFoxington]

Garrus and Tali will always be my best Squadmates.

[@darthlazurus4382]

I play male Shep (Paragon/Sentinel/Colony/Sole Survivor) and along with Tali, Garrus is my core teammate. The three of us are unstoppable, Heavy Pistol, Shotgun and Sniper Rifle we take down all enemies. Garrus goes with me tae every final challenge.

[@maxpayne930]

Garrus the GOAT

[@senpairaijin7079]

I hope youre right, I need to see both Shephard and Garrus with some sweet 4k next gen graphics

[@spaceghostohio7989]

Well done

[@Lastbourne]

Garrus definitely has one of the best narratives however in Mass Effect 2 he always dies when I bring him on a mission lol

[@mihan2d]

Ok I am sold: if we can't play as Shepard in ME5 then we better play as Vakarian

[@dariuswolfgamer]

Garrus vs vetra who is Best shooter?

[@ezusopp6036]

i believe that MA4 will be centuries in the future personally. Now how would Shepard have their Vakarian? heres my two best guess 1. Garrus survived the reapers war and had a talk with javik about The prothean stasis pods. he placed himself in one with a lock that can open under only two conditions. 1 the reapers re-activation. 2 Shepards specter ID going back from MIA. 2th Garrus died and we get to meet one of his descendent. Not the best scenario. But heres a potentially great scene - Garrus descendent *awkwardly* "c-commander Shepard? well there an old saying pass down my family that's a bit arrogant... *head scratch*" - Shepard "what is it?" - ??? " that theirs no commander Shepard without an Vakarian... now the 3 dialogues options should be variation of "damn right" i would be happy with this.

[@NorthernThedas]

Great video even as I disagree. But that’s the joy of having a wide roster, there’s something for everyone! I’ve always found Garrus dull and one note compared to Liara or Tali. There’s little substance to me. Too much of a follower. Honestly, I prefer Kaidan and Garrus stays on the Normandy during most missions. To each their own, but Garrus and his father in the comics lacked the pathos of Tali and her father, especially when that's overlayed with the cultural contexts. To some extent, i felt like the game made Garrus my Shepard's best companion without my say. But then again, Liara is my favorite and people make the same complaint, so its all good. But at the same time, I get it, and respect why many feel otherwise. Not trying to be argumentative at all, I think your content is great!

[@dorottyapapp]

Garrus is my younger brother while Tali is my annoying little sister. I prefer Hackett over Anderson as a father figure, also I look at EDI more as a daughter than at Grunt as a son. There'd be uncle Wrex too but Ashley killed him in my 1st playthrough, which I consider my canon one, so rip. Liara became my bff and Kaidan is my space husband. Imagine the complaints, but this is my ME family of misfits. Oh, and I like Andromeda, so maybe I'm the biggest misfit of them all. Considering my preferences I'm definitely in a minority of the fans. I feel some bias towards Garrus and Liara in ME3 too but it is what it is, we all can find great moments with other characters still.

[@NorthernThedas]

@@dorottyapappI enjoy Andromeda too! Especially Peebee, Jaal, and Vetra. So I get it. It’s why having a diverse roster is so great, as we can all find our own favorites.

[@hollandoats5376]

Omg agree 100%. It was wild to me when i got to the final goodbyes and heard "there's no shepard without vakarian" huh??? I decided that? About the guy i brought on maybe 10 missions the whole trilogy?? I don't hate him but he isnt as interesting as the rest of the cast imo. He feels too much like a yes man and like he's just going along with whatever Shepard does. Played these games for the first time this year and was very disappointed in how flat I found his character after seeing people hype him tf up for over a decade 😔

[@willfanofmanyii3751]

@@hollandoats5376 You barely brought him, and was surprised he was flat? You answered your own question.

[@dorottyapapp]

​@@NorthernThedas Exactly, a diverse cast is really important so everyone can find at least 1 or 2 characters to connect to. It helps us to get attached to these games so we come back again and again and... In Andromeda I like Suvi, Lexi, Kandros, Kesh. Jaal too but he became too much for me to romance, maybe one day. I got fond of Vetra in my 2nd playthrough so next time I'll romance her. Peebee annoyed me first, in the 2nd I got used to her.

[@WickedPrince3D]

I agree with you on every point, except that Shepard is coming back. They have said they are tying Andromeda into the next story, that means it's taking place at least the hundreds of years it took to reach Andromeda before the next game, probably twice that so the Andromeda team can come back. Shepard will not live that long. Liara finding the N7 helmet piece is just a shout out to her past with Shepard. I think that Shepard's story is over and it's time for a new hero with a new story. Bringing the Shep back again will be just beating a dead horse.

[@raphaelmagie]

Do you plan to make another whishlsit for the next Mass Effect ?

[@paragonseven]

Probably sometime in December if I have time!

[@LattaHimself]

He is the best turiannn

[@bernienoma]

PLEASE TELL ME YOU'RE DOING MORE VIDS LIKE THIS!!!!!!!! 😭 🙏 Also what comic is this? The art is gorgeous 😍

[@paragonseven]

100%, planning to do one on all the squadmates. And the comics are from the complete Mass Effect comics collection, but (I think) you can buy them each separately!

[@bernienoma]

@@paragonseven YAY!

[@shreyasibiswas1570]

Garrus is the best husband to Femshep ❤❤

[@michaelribeiro5777]

Don't give me hope... (i really want Sheppard back...)

[@Whippets]

Let's get one thing straight, Shepard is the best sniper.

[@purpledragon1945]

imagine they canonize FemShep and Garrus in mass effect 4

[@Xweetke]

I see you are a woman with class. 😎 Garrus for life!

[@bluetwinkiesaregood]

Shepard and Garrus forever ❤ Edit: I never saved Sidonis. No one betrays my space boyfriend!

[@willfanofmanyii3751]

Except he didn't betray Garrus, he was tortured and used against him.

[@CiaraC-hh7rm]

Garrus romance 4 life

[@DalekOfChaos666]

Feel a bit cheated that Garrus, Liara and Tali get to live long lives, meanwhile me who romances Jack will probably never see her again -_-

[@willfanofmanyii3751]

Shepard, Garrus, Tali all have the same lifespans.

[@masterdisaster103]

chaddus

[@lieuutenant]

I think this is the first video where I kind of disagree with you...! I love Garrus immensely BUT part of what makes him likeable is that he follows Shepard blindly, which is a great show of loyalty but a terrible, TERRIBLE, character flaw. You're a paragon? He's with you. You're a renegade? He's with you. You kill Sidonis? He's fine with it. You spare Sidonis? He's fine with it. This makes him one of the most "boring" squadmates, especially if you think that his whole character arc is based on his identity and his definition of what is right... There's also a very interesting entry on the Shadow Broker's ship which says that Garrus' ability to lead is greatly hindered by Shepard, so I don't know if they're a great duo on that sense. Sometimes I think Garrus is loved mostly because of his incredible voice acting and humor instead of him as a character per-se. Great video as always though ❤

[@dorottyapapp]

💯 I like Garrus too, but because the character treats you described I think about him as a younger brother who tries to mimic you and not as an equal partner. That's why Kaidan is my no. 1, he knows where he stands and dares to disagree. A lot of the time I bring these 2 with me, one lap dog and one mirror. And yeah, that voice. 🤤

[@willfanofmanyii3751]

@@dorottyapapp Kaidan valued his own feelings over saving the galaxy, he's on the bottom of the list.

[@dorottyapapp]

​@@willfanofmanyii3751 I assume you refer to ME2 Horizon? I don't see it that way. He has integrity, sticks to what he believes. He was working for the Alliance the whole time, saving people you know. Also my Shepard would never work for Cerberus and agreed with Kaidan there, but the game did not let me tell that to him. I wanted to rejoin the Alliance but the game took away player agency. I believe there's always another way and I think Shepard would be able to find it without Cerberus too. I'm glad Kaidan didn't sell his soul.

[@willfanofmanyii3751]

@@dorottyapapp Kaidan did nothing to stop the Collectors, he returned to the Citadel and did nothing, even when Shepard was locked up for 6 months. Shepard repeatedly said she's not working for Cerberus, and Kaidan refused to listen.

[@paragonseven]

Completely fair points, love the added discourse! I personally never saw him as following Shepard blindly, but I can understand why that is an interpretation, especially because there isn't a ton of pushback so it's hard to tell what Garrus himself believes in. That being said, after reading the comics that focused on him, it seemed to me that Garrus was very strong-minded and critically thought through his decisions a lot. So I don't see him as a blind follower because of that added context, which is canon for everyone because our decisions as Shepard didn't influence him in the comics.

[@yuliakuznetsova3185]

GREAT video, thank you!❤🇺🇦

[@wickdaline8668]

Garrus: Best squadmate. Liara: Best romance.

[@shezshezshezshez7001]

Forever space bros. I love Garrus and can’t deny he has a good romance but tbh I rarely use femshep and even if I do. Garrus and Shepard make such a good friend duo j don’t really like romancing him, other romances have done the same angle well enough anyway. But yeah my Shepard dies in synthesis so Garrus won’t meet him for a while.

[@ChildlezzCatlady]

👍🏼

[@MysticFL1-Beth]

Best duo will always be Liara and Femshep cause they are a power couple together

[@paragonseven]

Going to be doing separate character breakdowns from romance breakdowns. :)

[@onetwo757]

Would've been If game one wouldnt force her upon you so hardly. And hell that was annoying.

[@ThumbSipper]

I like Garrus as much as the next guy but isn't it insane how much people are willing to forgive a character like him just because he is cool and a "bro" to Shepard? We are talking about a cop who was notorious for brutalising suspects and beating informations out of criminals, a man who'd rather go on a space station out in pirate central just so he could kill criminals without the bother of a superior telling him he can't just play cowboy with the lives of other people. Garrus is the guy who attempts a murder in a public street in full view of hundreds of civilian, shot a man in the head while said man was holding an hostage and we all LOVE him either for or despite all this. Garrus would absolutely be a villainous corrupt cop in any other story but we are supposed to root for him when he stomps on Harkin's neck while torturing him for intel because Harkin is a bad guy and Garrus is handsome, cool and has a cool voice. Isn't it weird? I think it's weird...

[@Ghost-ql3hl]

he never left my party. He's always the first companion i make sure to get in each game. There is no shepard without varakian

[@Ronin_arts]

My fem shep loves Liara and tali and garrus best boy and gal. Only makes sense they date I mean we do all spend lots of time together 🥹🥹