In the Animal Crossing series, you’re welcomed to a new place that you must cultivate and personalize, transforming your new home. You can also catch bugs and fish to sell or display at the museum and make friends with the local villagers.
Each villager in Animal Crossing is unique, boasting fun and colorful character designs and charming personalities. Befriending your fellow villagers is one of the highlights of the series and will keep you coming back to the game every day. There’s no wrong choice when it comes to picking your favorite villager, as each one offers something different.
Updated by Casey Foot on July 10, 2022:With the release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, many new villagers have been introduced to the series, giving you even more options to choose from when picking island residents.
As there are many new faces, it only felt right to update this ranking to include a few of the new villagers you can meet on Mystery Island Tours.
20 Pen Pal For Life: Chevre
Chevre is a goat villager with a Normal personality type that has appeared in every game in the series, making her a familiar face to many long-time fans. As a Normal villager, Chevre is sweet and supportive and will welcome you as soon as you meet her.
In New Horizons, Chevre has a framed photo of another villager, Nan, in her house, which is most likely a reference to a Japanese children’s song about a white goat and a black goat. With such a cute detail, you might want to consider inviting this kind goat to live on your island (and Nan too).
19 How The Cookie Crumbles: Cookie
This adorable pink dog villager is just as sweet as her name suggests. Cookie is a Peppy villager, meaning she’s easy to befriend and is always willing to have a chat about the latest pop stars.
If you’re going for a pink theme on your island, she’s the perfect villager to invite, as her house is just as vibrant as she is and completely decorated with the pink Cute furniture set. Her name also suggests that her design is taken from pink sugar cookies, so she’d fit in well with a food or sweet-themed island.
18 Very Ap-peeling: Tangy
This Peppy cat villager is designed after either tangerines or oranges, with orange fur and a leaf on her head. Not only does Tangy look like a tangerine or orange, but she also decorates her home with furniture modeled after fruits too.
Her appearance is somewhat ironic considering citrus fruits are toxic to cats in real life. Her picture quote in Animal Crossing: Wild World makes reference to this fact, as she says: “They say cats hate citrus. THAT REALLY HURTS MY FEELINGS!”. Regardless of this, Tangy has a cheery personality and is always there for you when you need her.
17 A Chief Choice: Chief
Appearing in every game in the series, Chief is a Cranky wolf villager who more closely resembles a fox in terms of his appearance. As a Cranky villager, he can be a bit closed off, something that’s mirrored in his catchphrase, “harrumph”.
Although he appears well-dressed, Chief’s house in New Horizons suggests there’s more to this preppy exterior than meets the eye, as his decor resembles a street vendor. Perhaps it’s worth befriending Chief just to find out where he got these goods from and to get a discount on them.
16 Robot Or Octopus?: Cephalobot
Cephalobot is one of the most well-designed octopus villagers in the series with an eye-catching robotic appearance. His name is also a pun on the word ‘cephalopod’, marine animals encompassing creatures such as octopuses and squids.
He joins the likes of other robot villagers such as Sprocket and Ribbot, with a shiny metallic exterior and yellow eyes that glow. His house in New Horizons pays homage to his robot theme, as it’s decorated to look like the inside of a spaceship.
15 What It Says On The Tin: Lobo
Another Cranky wolf villager, Lobo also has a harsh exterior that you’ll need to pry open to befriend him. Although, once you’ve done so, you’ll be friends for life. Lobo is also something of a celebrity, as he appears on the Lucky KK album cover, alongside Lolly, sporting traditional clothing.
Lobo might in fact be the quintessential wolf villager, as his name means “wolf” and his catchphrase, “ah-rooooo” sounds just like a wolf’s howl. You’d be remiss to not include him on an island full of wolf villagers.
14 Pretty In Pink: Marina
A cute octopus villager, Marina is the only female octopus to appear in the series so far. As a Normal villager, she’s easy to befriend, making her a great choice of companion for your island.
Marina’s design is effortlessly endearing, with yellow cheeks that complement her solid pink coloring. True to her adorable look, Marina’s house in New Horizons is also based around the color pink. Her uniqueness as one of the few octopus villagers in the series makes her stand out from the other characters.
13 Sailor Mira: Mira
Introduced in Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Mira is a Sisterly rabbit villager with a superhero-themed design. Her appearance seems to be inspired by Minako Aino (better known as Sailor Venus) in her Sailor V form, a character from the Sailor Moon series.
As a Sisterly, Mira is a villager that you can form a close bond with and can also call on if you’re ever in trouble, thanks to her identity as a superhero. She’d stand up for you if you ever fell victim to one of Redd’s infamous fake artwork scams.
12 World Dom-ination: Dom
Dom is a sheep Jock villager that only cares about hitting the gym and beating his personal record, despite his cute and fluffy appearance. Although he might not look like a Jock villager at first, this makes Dom stand out all the more.
Dom’s cutest design feature is his large, watery black eyes and the adorable face he makes when he’s upset about something - you definitely can’t say no to that, so you might find yourself being recruited for his next 100-mile jog around the island. If you invite Dom to stay, you’re sure to have a gym buddy for life.
11 An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away: Raddle
Raddle is a Lazy villager who was first introduced as an islander in Animal Forest e+, where he could be brought to your private island by scanning his e-reader card. Thankfully, it’s now less complicated to invite Raddle to live on your island, as he can be found on Mystery Island Tours in New Horizons (if you’ve got enough Nook Miles Tickets to search for him).
Raddle resembles a yellow-banded poison dart frog and wears a doctor’s outfit in New Horizons, complete with a lab coat and surgical mask. His house in New Horizons also resembles a science classroom, with anatomical mannequins and science experiment equipment.
10 Island Dweller: June
June is a Normal villager introduced as an islander in Animal Crossing and Animal Forest e+. She was reintroduced to the series in the Welcome Amiibo update for New Leaf, where she could be scanned into your game using her Amiibo card. In New Horizons, you can find her on Mystery Island Tours by using Nook Miles Tickets.
Strangely, her house in New Leaf resembled a waiting room of some sort; however, in New Horizons, her house interior is much more befitting of her islander appearance, as it’s themed after the Shell furniture set. As a cub, she’s much smaller than you, which only adds to her cute design.
9 Bear-ly An Animal: Stitches
Stitches is a Lazy villager introduced in Wild World. He’s a cub and based on a teddy bear, which is why he’s covered in different colored patches and has the catchphrase “stuffin”. However, his profile in Pocket Camp makes sure to emphasize that he is not a plush toy.
True to the stuffed-bear theme, the interior of Stitches’ house in New Horizons resembles a child’s playroom complete with plush animals, toys and the Baby Chair furniture item.
8 Chef’s Special: Merengue
Merengue is a Normal rhino villager introduced in New Leaf. She’s named after meringue desserts, but her physical appearance is actually based on a strawberry shortcake, as indicated by her initial catchphrase, “shortcake”. Her food theme is only enhanced by her attire, the Chef’s Outfit.
In New Horizons, she has a café theme in her home, featuring furniture items like the Diner Counter Table and Soft-Serve Lamp. In Happy Home Designer, she also requests that you build her a candy house, showing that she has a real love for sweet treats.
7 Your Beary Best Friend: Maple
Maple is a Normal cub villager who has been featured in every game in the Animal Crossing series so far. She takes her name from a maple tree, but it’s also believed that it’s because she’s so sweet, which would make sense since her initial catchphrase is “honey”.
In Happy Home Designer, she requests that you make her a plush bear den, and throughout most of the series, she has always had plushies in her home, including in New Horizons. Her simple design is perfect for any bear lover.
6 Is Napping A Sport?: Sasha
At first glance, Sasha might look like a Jock villager because of his varsity jacket; however, he’s actually a Lazy villager, meaning he’s probably too busy napping to participate in any sports. While he does have skateboards in his house, it’s up for debate whether he uses them or not.
What makes Sasha stand out is his cutesy appearance, with large sparkly eyes, long eyelashes and blond bangs. Sasha’s house interior is just as charming as he is, as it continues his mint green pastel theme.
5 Aristocat: Raymond
This Smug business cat has become infamous in the Animal Crossing community because of his distinct design that led many fans of the game to pay out many Bells and Nook Miles Tickets for a chance to have him on their island.
Raymond’s most striking feature is his heterochromatic eyes and his smart-looking glasses which give him a put-together look. The interior of his house also resembles an office space, showing that he’s dedicated to his profession. Raymond stands out in an already great lineup of cat villagers, thanks to his formal aesthetic.
4 Worthy Of Worship: Ankha
Ankha is a cat villager that has appeared in most games in the series except for Animal Forest and Wild World. Her name is a reference to the Egyptian hieroglyphic character the ankh, which means “life”. She is based on ancient Egyptian culture, where cats were worshipped, so it’s no surprise that in New Horizons she has an Egyptian-inspired room filled with golden furniture, befitting of her high status.
Although, as a Snooty villager, Ankha might take some time to warm up to you, it’s worth befriending this noble cat.
3 Bow-OW: Lucky
Despite being called Lucky, this Lazy dog villager doesn’t live up to his name, as his full-body cast suggests that he’s very prone to accidents. His bandages also make him resemble a mummy, making him a popular villager to invite to islands with a spooky theme or Egyptian, alongside Ankha.
Lucky’s house in New Horizons helps add to his spookiness as his interior is reminiscent of a graveyard. His bandages and glowing yellow eye make him distinct from every other villager and the perfect misfit for a Halloween-themed island.
2 Sweeter Than He Looks: Marshal
Marshal is a squirrel villager introduced in New Leaf who looks like and appears to be named after a marshmallow, with chubby pink cheeks and white, fluffy fur. Marshal’s house in New Horizons is a perfect fit for his personality, and it’s not hard to imagine him brewing a coffee and playing a tune on his piano.
He has a permanent frown on his face and looks cranky and unfriendly, so it makes sense that his phrase is “sulky”. However, he’s actually a Smug villager, meaning he’s suave and acts like a gentleman. His small, grumpy face that contrasts his personality makes Marshal a delightful villager to have on your island.
1 The One And Oni: Shino
A Peppy deer villager, Shino was introduced in New Horizons and immediately stood out from the other villagers because of her one-of-a-kind design. Shino’s appearance is based on an Oni, a demonic yokai from Japanese mythology. Don’t let Shino’s devilish design fool you though, as her Peppy attitude makes her an easy villager to get along with.
Like all Peppy villagers, Shino dreams of becoming a pop star, and with a design so vibrant and distinct, she’s sure to achieve her goal. Her versatile design makes her a great choice for many island themes, whether you prefer something spooky or more traditional.
NEXT: Animal Crossing New Horizons: Dream Addresses You’ll Never Get Tired Of
