Animal Crossing: New Horizons had 488 villagers in total, more than any other game in the series so far. It’s an impressive roster by any metric, but surprisingly, Nintendo still left a few villagers on the table. Several Animal Crossing villagers weren’t included in New Horizons, and some characters have been absent from the series for decades.

Nintendo has a lot to consider for the next Animal Crossing game, but they might want to think about bringing a few old villagers back. Now that the Switch 2 is on the horizon, a new Animal Crossing game can’t be far off, and now would be the perfect time to bring these forgotten villagers back.

10

Twirp Could Bring Attitude Back to Animal Crossing

Last Appearance: Animal Forest e+

Longtime Animal Crossing fans know that the series has lost its edge over the years. There was a time when villagers weren’t afraid to brutally roast players, but now, even cranky and snooty villagers tend to be pretty nice. Twirp, a cranky bird who’s clearly bursting with attitude, could be exactly what the series needs.

Related

10 Ways Animal Crossing: New Horizons is Still a Blast in 2025

Even five years later, Animal Crossing: New Horizons offers endless amounts of fun.

Even though Twirp was one of 216 villagers who appeared in the original Animal Crossing game, Animal Forest, he’s been absent from the series since 2003. Many Animal Crossing players have never had the chance to get to know Twirp, and if he was brought back, he would quickly become a fan favorite.

9

Animal Crossing Could Use More Octopus Villagers Like Inkwell

Last Appearance: Animal Crossing: New Leaf

There are only five octopus villagers in Animal Crossing, making it the rarest species represented in the game. That makes it all the more frustrating that one octopus villager, Inkwell, wasn’t included in New Horizons. Inkwell was added to New Leaf as part of the Welcome amiibo update, and like many amiibo villagers, he was completely forgotten in the next game.

While Inkwell is modeled after the Inklings and Octolings in Splatoon, the reference isn’t that obvious, and he could easily work as a standalone character. There’s never been an Animal Crossing game that included all five octopus villagers, and bringing back Inkwell would give the game some much-needed cephalopod representation.

8

Animal Crossing Players Would Fall In Love With Kit

Last Appearance: Animal Forest e+

Some of the best Animal Crossing villagers are squirrels, but one of the cutest squirrels in the series has been absent from the franchise for more than twenty years. Kit, a tiny jock squirrel who gets his name from baby squirrels, has only appeared in one game, Animal Forest e+, and has been completely ignored since.

Related

Animal Crossing Has a Secret Romance That’s Hiding Right Under Players’ Noses

Tom Nook may love his money, but there are hints he’s also fond of a certain hedgehog seamstress in town…

A tiny jock squirrel is already an adorable concept, but Kit was even cuter thanks to his house, which was decorated in fruit furniture. Originally, Animal Crossing players could only obtain Kit by scanning his e-Card, but there’s no reason that Nintendo can’t bring the squirrel back and let him move in the old-fashioned way.

7

Carrot Would Join the Ranks of Other Animal Crossing Villagers Based On Food

Last Appearance: Animal Forest e+

Animal Crossing has never shied away from designing villagers that look delicious. Merengue, a rhinoceros villager, resembles cake, and cat villager Tangy is modeled after an orange. One of the earliest food villagers in the series was Carrot, a cow villager that looks like the vegetable she’s named for, but the character has since been abandoned.

Like Kit, Carrot was an Animal Forest e+ villager who required an e-Card to move in. Other e-Card villagers, like Marina, are still a part of the Animal Crossing series, so there’s no reason for Carrot to be neglected. Lots of Animal Crossing players would love to create a town filled with villagers who look suspiciously tasty.

6

Felyne Could Capitalize On the Monster Hunter Craze

Last Appearance: Animal Crossing: New Leaf

The Monster Hunter series is bigger than ever thanks to Monster Hunter Wilds, which is breaking Steam records and selling millions of copies. Unfortunately, Animal Crossing’s Monster Hunter-inspired villager isn’t a part of New Horizons. Felyne, a lazy cat villager modeled after Monster Hunter’s kitty helpers, was introduced in Happy Home Designer and added to New Leaf in the Welcome amiibo update, but was completely absent from the last game.

Since Monster Hunter is owned by Capcom, it’s possible that a rights issue is keeping Felyne out of Animal Crossing, but the two companies should be able to work something out. Animal Crossing is filled with interesting Easter eggs, and cameo characters like Felyne make the series more fun.

5

Quetzal’s Design Makes Him Stand Out from Other Animal Crossing Villagers

Last Appearance: Animal Forest e+

There are eleven eagle villagers in Animal Crossing, and only one of them is currently absent from the series: Quetzal. It’s a shame that this bird has been a no-show for so long, because he has one of the most interesting designs of any Animal Crossing villager. Even though he’s an eagle, Quetzal is inspired by a colorful bird of the rainforest, and his bright clothing and war paint really make him stand out.

While some Animal Forest e+ villagers were exclusive to that game, Quetzal has appeared in several other titles, including Animal Crossing on the GameCube, which was the first game in the series that made it out of Japan. He’s a truly memorable villager, and it would be great to see him come back after so many years away.

4

Shinabiru Is An Animal Crossing Villager Designed By a Manga Artist

Last Appearance: Animal Forest e+

Most Animal Crossing villagers were created by character designers at Nintendo, but at least one was the work of an outside artist. Shinabiru, a jock duck, was designed by Takayuki Mizushina, the creator of manga series like Lovely Muco. He was only available via a promotional card bundled with Weekly Famitsu, making him one of the rarest villagers in Animal Crossing series.

Related

The Best Cozy Games Like Animal Crossing

From MySims to Critter Cove, these cozy games can fill the Animal Crossing-shaped hole in players’ hearts.

Mizushina has said that he intended for the duck to be a self-portrait, so it’s easy to understand why Nintendo never brought the villager back. If Nintendo can’t include Shinabiru in future Animal Crossing games, maybe they can persuade other manga artists to design a villager or two.

3

Holden Is An Adorable Hamster Villager Who’s Exclusive to Japan

Last Appearance: Animal Crossing: New Leaf

In the early days of Animal Crossing, there were plenty of villagers who never made it outside Japan. Holden, a hamster villager added in New Leaf’s Welcome amiibo update, is one of only a few modern Animal Crossing villagers that most players have never had the chance to meet. While players could visit Holden’s RV at the campground, they couldn’t invite him to live in their village.

Why is this hamster villager so rare? Holden was added to Animal Crossing as a part of a collaboration with the brand Fueki, which makes everything from glue to stationery to cosmetics. Since he was essentially product placement, it’s unlikely that Holden will ever be added back to the game, but it’s a shame to see such a cute design go to waste.

2

Meow and Bow Were Inspired By Animal-to-Human Translators

Last Appearance: Animal Forest e+

In 2002, Takara released the BowLingual, a device that claimed to translate dog barks so that humans could understand them. One year later, they followed that up with the Meowlingual, a cat-to-human translator. These products were already bizarre, but what’s even stranger is that they inspired two Animal Crossing villagers: Meow and Bow.

Related

How Animal Crossing Tricked Us All Into Learning Things

The term “edutainment” usually brings games like “Putt-Putt Goes to the Zoo” or “Super Solvers” to mind. But is Animal Crossing edutainment too?

Meow and Bow are cat and dog villagers, respectively, but they stand out thanks to their faces, which are designed to look like LCD screens. There are thirty cat villagers and twenty-eight dog villagers in Animal Crossing, but none of them look anything like these characters. It would be fantastic if Nintendo could find a way to bring Meow and Bow back.

1

The Legend of Zelda Villagers Belong In Animal Crossing

Last Appearance: Animal Crossing: New Leaf

Nintendo created quite a few amiibo villagers for Animal Crossing: New Leaf, but the most welcome additions were probably the Zelda villagers, of which there were four in total. There was Wolf Link, a smug wolf inspired by Twilight Princess, Epona, a peppy horse based on Link’s trusty steed from Ocarina of Time, Medli, a normal bird villager who looked like the Wind Waker character of the same name, and Ganon, a cranky pig who resembled early versions of the iconic villain.

The Legend of Zelda has been a part of the Animal Crossing series from the very beginning. The original game, Animal Forest, included a replica of the Master Sword and other Zelda-themed items, and there have been Zelda items in every game since, except for New Horizons. The last Animal Crossing game inexplicably removed Zelda furniture, along with these four villagers, and the next game in the series should bring all of them back.

Released

March 20, 2020

ESRB

E for Everyone: Comic Mischief