With the recent release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, gamers can finally live out that island-time lifestyle they've been craving with all of their nearest and dearest animal neighbors. Since the early days of the series, Animal Crossing has provided colorful characters for players to engage with, and the newest entry is no different.
But other than the current roster, a cross-over with different video games would certainly bring a fun, fresh cabal of folks to interact with. From mischievous raccoons to rogue AI to post-apocalyptic saviors, here are ten video game characters that would make great villagers in Animal Crossing.
10 BK (Donut County)
BK, the player's charismatic (and self-involved) best friend in Donut County, doesn't just fit the standards for Animal Crossing because of his mammalian nature. He's got something every good villager needs: spunk.
Even though he was an unwitting pawn of the Raccoon King, this trash panda is rife with personality. And even if his attitude and intentions can sometimes be off, that's just some of that classic Animal Crossing personality that makes its villagers feel memorable and not routine. Who knows? Maybe he'll even share his recipe for a Quadcopter with you.
9 Yoshi (Super Mario Series)
Yoshi fits right into the cartoon wonderscape of Animal Crossing. He's colorful, he's fun, and it's impossible to understand what he's saying without a text box. A perfect fit! Everyone's favorite dinosaur/horse almost always has a smile on his face and would bring a certain joie de vivre to island living.
Not to mention how much he loves fruit! Sending him a card every day with your local (or even exotic!) produce is sure to make him smile and stick around to make your island the best it can be.
8 Wheatley (Portal 2)
He may be a rogue AI bent on taking over Aperture Labs and killing the player, but hey: nobody's perfect. And at his core (pun intended), Wheatley is still a charming ball of robot parts who is always a pleasure to talk to.
Stephen Merchant's voice acting really sells the character, so there might be something lost with the conversion to Animalese, but a pre-murder-spree Wheatley would still be fun to have on the island. Just think of what everything would look like if he was in charge of the Nook Terminal! Actually, on second thought... maybe don't.
7 Venom Snake (Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain)
Venom Snake (not to be confused with Naked, Liquid, Solid, or Solidus Snake) isn't exactly the cuddliest guy out there, nor is he a great conversationalist. He doesn't even seem to send that many presents to Revolve Ocelot or Kaz during their time together. So why is he on this list?
Because he's a genius when it comes to urban development. Throughout MGSV, he's building, recruiting, and shaping Mother Base into its best possible version. Having that level of brainpower on an Animal Crossing island would be a huge help! Just, you know... lay off the nukes.
6 Haru Okumura (Persona 5)
Haru is probably the most "pure" of all the Phantom Thieves, which makes her a perfect candidate for villager-hood. She's a kind and caring person who wants everyone to be doing okay, and she supports her teammates with her penchant for gardening. Planting flowers and trees is a big part of the Animal Crossing loop, so she'd be right at home.
There's not a whole lot of "evil" in the Animal Crossing series, so her talents as a Phantom Thief probably won't be much of a boon. But just in case, there's probably a Metaverse app on the Nook Phone.
5 Chibiterasu (Okamiden)
Chibiterasu is a slam dunk as far as being an Animal Crossing villager. He's a cute little wolf pup with a bad attention span and a love for naps! He's also got a really cool design which would help distinguish him from the other wolves in the game.
It definitely makes more sense to have Chibiterasu as opposed to his mom, Amaterasu. Sure, Amaterasu is probably more likely to be living on her own on a deserted island, but she's also an incredibly powerful celestial being. Chibiterasu isn't weak by any measure, but his puppy status just seems right at home with what Animal Crossing is all about.
4 Aerith Gainsborough (Final Fantasy VII)
We can all agree that it would probably be for the best if Aerith peaced out of Midgar as soon as possible. Why not go to a deserted island? Aerith's kind and has a knack for flowers, and would conceivably get along great with all of the other residents.
She's got potent healing magic abilities, too! While there have never been serious threats of injury or illness in Animal Crossing, anyone willing to take care of those annoying wasp stings for the player is going to be a top-tier villager.
3 Mimikyu (Pokémon Series)
Mimikyu's whole deal is that it just wants to be loved, hence dressing up as a Pikachu. The neat thing about Animal Crossing, though, is that everyone pretty much just accepts you as you are. The island is a place of joy and camaraderie, and Mimikyu would be right at home, surrounded by some good friends.
No more need for the costume! Even if Mimikyu is actually some sort of eldritch horror underneath that can cause minds to degrade on sight, surely that wouldn't matter in a game like Animal Crossing. Right...?
2 Riebeck (Outer Wilds)
The banjo-playing explorer from Outer Wilds is a pretty anxious guy in search of a nice quiet place to camp out while the world literally crumbles and falls apart around him. Animal Crossing hasn't threatened players with the quantum destruction of the universe (yet), but its escapist tendencies go hand-in-hand with Riebeck.
He's also got a good instinct for survival, too, which is invaluable in the early days of the game. Need a campfire? Riebeck's got you. Need ways to travel across the terrain? He's there. Need to get yourself out of a time-loop and figure out why the sun explodes every 22 minutes? He'll... do his best.
1 Sam Porter Bridges (Death Stranding)
Animal Crossing is, at its core, a game about connecting with the residents on your island and with players around the world. If anyone knows a thing or two about connection, it's gonna be Sam Porter Bridges. The protagonist of Death Stranding brings people across America together by delivering them packages and building roads.
Sure, he might be competing with Pete the Pelican for the title of Post Master, but at the end of the day, Sam is going to connect your island and (hopefully) give the other villagers a weird Kojima-esque name. Tom Mogul Nookman, anyone?