Pig

Best: Kevin

This is stripes done right in the land of Animal Crossing! I’d have loved the tigers much more if they used similar striping on them. Kevin is a little ray of sunshine, and he looks really adventurous. This works well with his jock personality. This guy seems very friendly, and I’d love to see him trotting around my island one day.

Worst: Lucy

Lucy is the temu version of Gala. She looks like a creepy porcelain doll that you’d find in a charity shop, which is not something I want on my island. She has the issue of her eyes being huge and soulless, which, as we know by now, is something I can’t cope with. She’s a normal villager, which, as we’ve discussed, is boring as all hell.

Rabbit

Best: Sasha

News just in: Baby Saja’s design was based on Sasha. Okay, okay, I’m joking, but don’t you see the similarities? This sweetie pie is a lazy villager, which means he’s a male! I admit that when I first saw him, I thought he was a female villager, but being a male shoots his ranking way higher. I’m a sucker for a more feminine design on male characters. He’s the only male islander whose hobby is fashion to boot, which makes Sasha all the better. I love the light yellow contrasting against his minty fur. Whoever designed Sasha clearly has a love for character design and is great at their passion.

Worst: Carmen

I love gap teeth, and I love Carmen’s gap tooth. Her hair, however, is another story. I currently have a similar hairstyle to Carmen. To get this style, girlies, shave your head, wait a year, and then don’t wash it for a couple of days (it’s hair wash day today). Her little nose looks like a tiny mouth, which is quite fun to look at if you cover her actual mouth. This look, alongside her peppy personality, reminds me of someone in school I hated.

Rhino

Best: Hornsby

Hornsby is an adorable villager. His blue tone is very childlike, which pairs well with his lazy personality. The gradient of his horns is really sweet, making a nice contrast between the texture of his horns and the flat colour of his skin. Hornsby reminds me of a small child who’s really excited to tell you about his new Hot Wheels car.

Worst: Merengue

I’m scared to write the reasons that I dislike Merengue, as she has such a huge fanbase, but here goes! I usually love food-themed villagers… Zucker, Tangy, Ketchup, and even Chadder! Merengue, though, she’s just ugly to me. She’s a rhino, but her horn is a strawberry? I don’t like it, I want to see real rhinos with real horns. She could’ve had a whole meringue vibe without the giant fruit on her nose. Merengue also just looks worried all the time. Girl, tell us what’s bothering you.

Sheep

Best: Vesta

I usually find normal villagers so boring, but let me tell you, when Vesta moved onto my island, I fell in love with her. Vesta is one of my favourite villagers who currently lives on my island, and whenever I see her wandering around, I have to run over to her to talk to her. She is my New Horizons bestie, and if she ever asked to leave, I’d be so upset before telling her not to. She’s a plain sheep, and that’s how I like her. To make things better, she gets along well with her neighbours. I love Vesta.

Worst: Pietro

Aaaaahhhhhhhh! The scariest villager to ever cross my Switch screen! So there I was, going on my daily hunt for one of my favourite villagers to join my island. Ticket number 24, and I run up to the campfire, and there’s this colourful blob standing there, facing the horizon. So, I think “Cool, that’s quite colourful, not my vibe, but I tend to like the sheep.” I go to talk to him, and THIS FACE TURNS AROUND. What theee fuuudgeeee?! I noped out of there real fast, and gave up my hunt for the day. To make things worse, people really love him on the internet, so I couldn’t escape this wretched thing.

Squirrel

Best: Static

I’d imagine Static as a jock, and I did when I first saw him in my New Leaf town. When I first spoke to Static, my jaw dropped, and the loudest laugh came from my chest. Someone tell me why this man has the deepest voice of all the possible villagers. I instantly fell in love with Static, and thus, he is one of my favourite grumpies. I also love his colourway, purple and yellow are always a good combo. Well done to whoever came up with the design and personality of Static. You deserve all of the awards.

Worst: Ricky

Oh, Ricky, you poor unfortunate soul. Here’s the thing: Ricky isn’t the worst. However, his eyes connected to each other, alongside the monobrow, is a very unfortunate circumstance for him to find himself in. It’s no wonder he’s a cranky villager.

Tiger

Best: Tybalt

Other than Rowan, Tybalt is the tiger-est tiger in Animal Crossing. On top of this, he’s named after the character in Romeo & Juliet, which is my favourite of Shakespeare’s plays. I’m not too fond of his stripes, but the colours look lovely on his model, especially the gradient of brown into yellow on his ears. His big nose is too cute, and his being a jock makes for a fun visual when he runs around the island.

Worst: Bangle

I know what you’re thinking: Bangle is just Tybalt but reversed. Why is she here? And that, my friends, is the issue. The yellow stripes on her brown fur look off to me. As the yellow is fading into the brown on the edges of the stripes, they look kind of green, which I’m sure isn’t the vibe the designer was going for. If the stripes were a paler yellow, I believe Bangle would look much better than she does currently. Her being a peppy villager doesn’t bother me as much as the other peppy villagers, though. She’s toned down enough for the personality to fit.

Wolf

Best: Dobie

You know, when your childhood dog starts to get old, they struggle to stand up, but when you look into their eyes, you see the puppy you remember coming home to after school and playing with in the garden? Dobie gives me the exact same vibe. He’s a cranky villager, but he just makes me cry when I look at him. I love him so much, and he’s the perfect representation of an old pet living out their twilight years on your island.

Worst: Audie

Audie is the valley girl of Animal Crossing. She’s peppy, bright, fashionable, and someone who just would not fit on my island. That is the only reason she places here. I love the belief that she is named after Audrey Buchanan, a lovely grandma who has played Animal Crossing since New Leaf. And that is the only thing that appeals to me about Audie. Sorry, girl. I’m sure plenty of people love you.

As you can see, a lot of this article relies on Nintendo’s design team’s skills. If you’re a fan of The Legend of Zelda series, check out this article where I ranked Zelda’s outfits throughout the series. If Zelda isn’t your thing, check out this collaborative article where Riley philosophises the theories of design in the Pokémon world.

Which characters are your favourite? Let me know in the comments below! Do you hate my choices? Do you love some of my least favourite? Either way, I’m sure your island is beautiful, and if you’re so inclined, you can always join our Discord and share your dream address with me!

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