Highlights
- Animal Crossing offers players a blank check to develop their dream world, with 400+ characters to populate it.
- Characters like Pietro, Cephalobot, and Lucky bring charm and personality to the franchise, with unique traits and backstories.
- Popular villagers like Raymond and Audie have interesting backstories, adding depth and intrigue to the game's world.
The simple but effective premise of the Animal Crossing series gives players a blank check with which to develop the virtual world of their dreams. This development bonanza is facilitated by the tanuki mogul Tom Nook, who offers suspiciously reasonable loans to fund the island's expansion.
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But a perfect island is nothing without characters to populate it. The Animal Crossing franchise has introduced gamers to over 400 villagers since it was first released in Japan in 2001. Many of these characters have transcended the video games, appearing in discourse, art, and memes, and inspiring legions of fans.
Updated on May 23, 2024, by Ashely Claudino: There are eight personality types in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which doesn't sound like a lot when fans take into consideration how there are over 400 villager options in the game. Thankfully, even though their dialogue doesn't change all that much, they're all visually different, and this led to some favoritism among fans.
This list includes a few of the villagers that a major part of the community would consider "dreamies" or some of the most sought-after villagers. It article has been updated with two new entries, namely Sherb and Audie.
15 Pietro
- Birthday: April 19
- Personality: Smug
It is often said that laughter is the best medicine. This being the case, any town visited by the ovine Pietro can count on quality healthcare. Pietro certainly dresses the part, although the stereotypical makeup and clothes are as likely to terrify players as they are to amuse them. Indeed, the villager's clown aesthetic makes him one of the franchise's more divisive characters.
Despite Pietro's jovial nature, the sheep is prone to smugness. This can bring him into conflict with cranky villagers, and this is hardly shocking - his outfit is bound to trigger headaches.
14 Cephalobot
- Birthday: April 1
- Personality: Smug
The robotic Cephalobot brings a touch of science fiction to any player's paradise. Although his metallic, rivet-studded body may at first appear intimidating to players, Cephalobot is anything but. He is something of a gentleman - despite his smug personality.
Cephalobot is a relatively recent addition to the villager pool, having been introduced to New Horizons in late 2021. Despite his newcomer status, the play-loving robot has already built up a following within the Animal Crossing fan base, due in part to his unique appearance.
13 Lucky
- Birthday: November 4
- Personality: Lazy
It is a testament to Animal Crossing's visual design that a mummified dog is such an enduringly cute character. The accident-prone (and presumably ironically named) Lucky has appeared throughout the franchise, although his state of permanent injury suggests that he never gets any less clumsy.
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Lucky is one of the most sinister and popular villagers in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, with a dark and tragic background to match.
Lucky's propensity for trouble might be due in part to his lazy personality, although his laid-back nature also makes him easy to befriend. However, he struggles to interact with jocks, as the chilled-out canine cannot understand their active lives. Perhaps future games will see Lucky's fortunes improve enough to lose the full-body cast, letting players finally get a good look at this underdog.
12 Goldie
- Birthday: December 27
- Personality: Normal
Goldie is what some could consider an OG villager, as she has in every single Animal Crossing game so far. She is a dog villager, which makes her automatically lovable for many, and her name alludes to her breed, a Golden Retriever. Since Goldie has a normal personality type, she enjoys reading and is often very kind to the player as well as her fellow neighbors.
11 Ankha
- Birthday: September 22
- Personality: Snooty
Video games are no stranger to unexpectedly attractive characters, from Resident Evil's towering Lady Dimitrescu to Sonic the Hedgehog's Rouge the Bat. It should be unsurprising, then, that Animal Crossing's Ankha also earned this dubious accolade after blowing up on social media in 2021.
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In-game, the Egyptian mythology-inspired villager is haughtier than her online reputation suggests. As a villager with the snooty personality type, she is frequently dismissive of her fellow villagers. However, despite her apparent vanity, Ankha also loves nature and dreams of being an astronaut.
10 Kabuki
- Birthday: November 29
- Personality: Cranky
The colorful Kabuki may have first appeared way back in the original Animal Crossing, but his roots actually extend far further. The grumpy animal's markings are reminiscent of designs used in Japan's Kabuki theater style, which fuses dance and drama. This art form is thought to have originated early in Japan's Edo Period, over 400 years ago.
This heritage is further enhanced by Kabuki's love for music and his preference for Japanese-style interior design. The snarky cat may not be the franchise's most personable character, but he can serve as an introduction to an interesting aspect of real-world history for gamers who wish to learn.
9 Roald
- Birthday: January 5
- Personality: Jock
Although the concept of a penguin jock sounds surreal on paper, Roald has become a prolific and popular villager in Animal Crossing. The penguin bodybuilder comes from a frosty climate, and must presumably do a lot of warming up before his frequent exercising. It is also likely that Roald's physical strength contributes to his prowess as a fisherman and bug collector.
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Roald dreams of becoming a professional golfer, but he is not shy about showing off his other talent: belly dancing. If the Olympics ever come to Animal Crossing, other entrants better be ready—Roald is sure to go for gold no matter which event he tries.
8 Sherb
- Birthday: January 18
- Personality: Lazy
Sherb is an adorable light-blue goat villager who dresses in winter clothes and whose name will remind anyone of delicious ice cream. This villager became part of the Animal Crossing franchise when New Horizons was released, and he quickly became a favorite among the community.
He will suit just about any island, but gamers who have built winter wonderland-themed creations simply need to invite him to live on their island, as he will fit right in.
7 Chai
- Birthday: March 6
- Personality: Peppy
Chai wasn't available in Animal Crossing: New Horizons right away; she was added to the game when Update 1.9.0 came out. In order to get Chai to move in, players will have to invite her to the island by scanning a Sanrio amiibo card. Chai's character references Cinnamoroll, and it is quite obvious as the character is portrayed on her shirt.
This adorable elephant villager will walk around players' islands with a teacup on her head at all times, and she has a beautifully designed room riddled with adorable Sanrio items.
6 Coco
- Birthday: March 1
- Personality: Normal
There is some debate about the origin of Coco's English name, as it may be a reference to chocolate Easter bunnies or coconuts, which her face resembles. In Japanese, however, the villager's name (Yayoi) refers to a period in Japanese history lasting between 300 AD and 300 BC. This historical tidbit is appropriate, as Coco has the education hobby.
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Coco's vacant, unchanging expression shows that it's important not to judge a book by its cover. The rabbit is actually very amiable, no doubt due to her normal personality.
5 Marshal
- Birthday: September 29
- Personality: Smug
The brooding Marshal may exhibit a semi-permanent case of side-eye, but the squirrel villager is actually fairly easy to get along with. This is because of his smug personality, which makes it easy to befriend a wide range of other villagers (although cranky ones, like the red-eyed Hopper, may find his ego-stroking annoying).
Yet Marshal's smugness conceals a deep sense of ennui. Questions about Marshal's place in the universe leave him feeling grouchy and sulky, sentiments which surely inform the squirrel's music hobby.
4 Stitches
- Birthday: September 29
- Personality: Smug
As a Frankenstein's monster of fabric, the name Stitches perfectly suits this villager. It's unsurprising that Stitches has the lazy personality type, as excessive exercise seems likely to rupture a seam. The colorful cub prefers to indulge in more relaxing and childlike pastimes, as evidenced by the villager's play hobby.
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This theme is continued through Stiches' sense of interior design. Although the inside of the villager's house has somewhat changed over the course of the franchise, there is a constant focus on kid-friendly and comforting furniture. However, Stiches' ambitions are anything but childlike, as the bear aspires to become a lawyer.
3 Julian
- Birthday: March 15
- Personality: Smug
Celeste isn't the only Animal Crossing character who loves astrology. Gamers who have Julian on their island will find his home a delight, as it is filled with beautiful pieces from the astrology set. As if this wasn't enough to love him, he is a bright blue unicorn with pink eyeshadow and a smug personality. To go with his stars-aficionado vibe, he rocks a galaxy pattern coat when you first get him on your island.
2 Raymond
- Birthday: October 1
- Personality: Smug
Animal Crossing may be a cozy casual game, but this does not prevent players from engaging in heinous crimes to get the villagers they want for their town. Indeed, popular cat Raymond found himself at the center of a feline trafficking ring as players traded extortionate sums for access to the villager.
Demand for Raymond was no doubt fueled by his suave attire and refined behavior. While the villager has a smug personality, this was not enough to dissuade thousands of fans from acquiring the cat, no matter the cost. This Raymond-mania cements the character, first introduced in New Horizons, as a standout character not just in that game but in the franchise as a whole.
1 Audie
- Birthday: August 31
- Personality: Peppy
Audie has one of the most interesting backstories in Animal Crossing history, which is why she a great villager to have around. Many fans speculate that she is based on a gamer grandmother named Audrey, who became known in the community for logging 3,500 hours into Animal Crossing: New Leaf back in 2019.
Her grandson, phubans, uploaded a video on Youtube showcasing her island, and her in-game name at the time was set as Audie, just like the wolf villager introduced in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. This video became immensely popular in the community, which is why it is believed this village was added as a tribute to the awesome grandma.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Franchise
- Animal Crossing
- Platform(s)
- Switch
- Released
- March 20, 2020
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo EPD
- Genre(s)
- Simulation
