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Animal Crossing: New Horizons villagers guide

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is chalk full of villagers. Although we only really hear about 30ish characters, both the most loved and hated, there are just shy of 400 villagers players can run into. When you think about it, that’s a crazy number of personality combinations and possibilities.

Each island representative can decide for themselves what makes a villager worthwhile, but there are a few villagers who people seem to collectively enjoy. With eight personality types for villagers, there can be quite a variety of who people like and who they don’t. Whether it’s because of their versatility as island décor or because of some rare condition they have, each villager can stand out to an island rep. And it’s important to have a variety of villagers. Each personality type will have different do-it-yourself (DIY) items that they’ll craft. So, if you want to collect all the DIYs, you’ll need every personality’s help!

We have put together a list of the top and bottom villagers who people are Dreamie Hunting for. Additionally, we have a list of each villager personality. This way, you can find out what type of villager you have on your island (do a quick search for your villager to see which category they fall under). This will help in creating a diverse island with different attitudes to help you keep going throughout your daily Animal Crossing rituals!

Villagers guide at a glance

 Most wanted villagers

There are a few characters that players are collectively searching for. Everyone seems to want these villagers on their island, maybe because of their personality or maybe because they’re adorable. Either way, there are different reasons for players wanting these characters more than  any other.

Animal Crossing New horizons Raymond
IGN

Raymond

Bar none, Raymond is the most sought after character. There are even players out there who are paying real money to get their hands on this adorable cat. So many people are willing to pay for Raymond that there is even a theory that he has broken the Animal Crossing Black Market, with Island Representatives paying as much as 1 million bells or 400 Nook Miles Tickets just to get a chance at having this cat living with them.

This adorable cat is a bit full of himself and knows that everyone wants him to live on their island. This stylish gray and white cat has two different colored eyes, making him pretty unique to the game. His popularity may stem from his adorable nature, or perhaps even the rarity of his character. The Smug personality type was first introduced in Animal Crossing: New Leaf, so for him to take on interesting looks as well as a rare personality may contribute to players desire for host him.

Marina acnh
IGN

Marina

Marina is one of three adorable octopus characters in the game, and she’s the only girl octopus currently in existence. She’s an adorable normal-personality character, making her one of the most agreeable villagers in the game. She’s been rising in popularity, although diehard Marina fans have always loved her sweet pink self. Marina’s first Animal Crossing appearance was in Animal Forest e+, and she later came back in Wild World. Those of us who had her as a villager in Wild Worlds love to have her for nostalgic reasons.

She’s the perfect combination of hard-to-get villagers. She’s a rare species with a unique color scheme and a bubbly personality, which is surprisingly difficult to come by. She’s been named Best Normal Villager by a few different websites and individuals, making her an ideal candidate to move onto your island!

Marshal ACNH
IGN

Marshal

Looking for the right smug villager? Why not try out Marshal! He’s been gaining on Raymond as far as popularity goes, and it makes sense why. He’s an adorable white squirrel who can be quite expressive. He always looks a little put-off, but when he smiles, his character lights up! It’s absolutely adorable.

He’s also ideal for players who are working on a theme for their island getaway. Because he’s a squirrel, he can fit into any design you put your mind to! Players who want their island more foresty will love having Marshal join their island getaway. Honestly, it also helps that he definitely brings up memories of emo kids back in high school. That haircut and his resting angry face are key to any emo look or island.

Most despised villagers

Just like there are loved villagers, there are also villagers that everyone seems to hate. These villagers are part of the reason that players are looking for ways to kick villagers off their islands. Whether the reasons is the animals looks or their personality, people want these animals gone the most.

Rodney acnh
IGN

Rodney

This is, by far, the most publicly despised villager. Rodney is a cub, but he isn’t one of the cuter ones. In fact, he sort of looks like a hamster more than a cub. His lazy personality could have saved him, but after looking into his eyes, maybe not. Rodney’s color scheme makes him a bit of an eyesore. Paired with his weird haircut, this character seems to be one of the most disliked in the game. And, to be fair, some lazy villagers can get a little annoying. It’s hard not to want to punch them as they talk about the bugs in their house or their love of doing nothing. Especially when it’s Rodney.

In fact, he’s so disliked that there is a whole subreddit dedicated to the disdain of Rodney. And it’s not a completely unpopular group. With almost 6K people, it’s clear that this terrible little hamster-cub hybrid has definitely made the most disliked list.

animal crossing new horizons violet
IGN

Gorillas

This isn’t a stab at Violet directly. Instead, we wanted to point out that Gorilla villagers are commonly despised by players of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. There are a few reasons these characters make the bottom of the list. The first is that they are huge. Normally, that isn’t a problem. However, the problem shows up when you’re trying to walk around them in narrow areas. It’s easier to push them and make them mad unintentionally. Or, even worse, they decide to sit, and you’re trapped for a few seconds until they decide to move. It’s frustrating to work around these characters sometimes.

More importantly, these characters make the list for most disliked because of their ample bottoms. No matter what clothes you give them, the Gorilla characters always have their butts hanging out. Some players enjoy it because, well, it’s pretty funny. But most players don’t particularly like seeing butt cheeks wandering around their island getaway.

Barold Acnh
IGN

Barold

Barold is a hit-or-miss villager. Although he has a dedicated following, that following is a bit narrow. And for good reason. Barold is sort of a creep. Have you seen his house? He has a bunch of security cameras everywhere, just watching. Like, why are you watching our village like this? It’s really pretty creepy.

On top of that, this bear cub (we think?) definitely missed the mark on cuteness. He never really opens his eyes and has one of those weird beard things. One player who has Barold on their island says he reminds her of a failed journalist who now hides cameras in girls’ bathrooms and sells them on the darknet. Oddly specific, but one of the reasons Barold isn’t much liked on dream islands.

Villager personality types

Animal Crossing New Horizons Get Together
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Although there are a lot of most wanted and least wanted villagers, every one is reliant on what you as the player thinks of them. All physical traits of the villagers comes down to whether or not you personally like the way they look. However, in order to have a well-rounded island, it is important you bring together different personality types to your island.

There are eight categories of personalities in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Each personality type will bring a different level of understanding and perspective of your island. They’ll also have different jokes, different furniture, and different DIYs for you to gather, so it’s important to have a diverse island. The  personality types are divided by gender. While Cranky, Smug, Jock, and Lazy are personalities given to male characters, Normal, Peppy, Sisterly (or Uchi) and Snooty personalities are assigned to female characters.

These personalities play a key role in how your characters will interact with you and each other.

Cranky

These cranky villagers have deeper voices, droopy faces, and overall do not seem satisfied with anything when you first meet them. However, the more you interact with cranky villagers, the more open and welcoming they become towards you and your ideas. Sometimes, it’s hard to get to know these characters but once you earn their trust, their relationship becomes worth it. Cranky villagers love to gossip about others villagers and will sometimes spout hard truths about the characters around them.

Cranky villagers do not often make the top lists of most wanted characters. Their personalities and pettiness can come across to players poorly, but that doesn’t mean they’re not wanted. Personally, Cranky villagers are my favorite. Although there is a lot of working in gaining their friendship, it’s ultimately rewarding when these difficult characters all of a sudden want to tell you about their out-of-touch perspectives, which can be funny.

Cranky characters work well with Normal or Lazy villagers, but will get offended if the Normal character says the wrong thing. However, Cranky villagers do outright clash with Sisterly characters because both personalities are stubborn and opinionated.

There are a total of 55 characters with the cranky personality. Characters such as Apollo, Dobie, Chief, and Fang manage to break the top 100 list only because we can collectively agree that they’re adorable. But there are so many more Cranky villagers to look for.

Cranky villagers include: Admiral, Agnus, Apollo, Avery, Boris, Boyd, Bruce, Butch, Buzz, Camofrog, Cesar, Chief, Chow, Croque, Curt, Cyd, Cyrano, Del, Dobie, Elvis, Fang, Frank, Gaston, Gonzo, Grizzly, Gruff, Hamphrey, Harry, Hopper, Ike, Kabuki, Knox, Limberg, Lobo, Monty, Murphy, Octavian, Peewee, Rasher, Ricky, Rizzo, Rocco, Rolf, Rooney, Roscoe, Spike, Static, Tom, T-Bone, Vladimir, Cic, Wart Jr., Walt, and Wolfgang.

Jock

There are only 55 jock villagers in the entire game, bringing immense energy to your island. However, these characters will also come off as being a bit full of themselves. They’re often lifting weights, talking about sports, and worried about their physical appearance. They tend to focus on themselves and don’t really talk about the other villagers on the island, making them a little more agreeable than the Cranky personality types.

These characters function as a sort of big brother on the island, letting other villagers come to them for advice and help. Jocks will also give you advice and try to get closer to you as a friend, which is a nice change of pace from the Cranky villagers. This personality type is one of the most common personality types in the series, popping up since the very first Animal Crossing game.

Jock personality types get along well with characters that are peppy, matching their hyper personalities and energy levels. Jock characters also get along well with Normal characters. However, these personality types may clash with villagers who are Lazy or Snooty personalities. Lazy characters do not understand the Jock’s energy, and Snooty villagers can be outright offended when the Jock asks the Snooty villager about their fitness.

Because of their personality and commonality, Jock personalities are well sought after. Some of the more popular Jock characters are Dom, Jay, Bill, and Kid Cat, but there are plenty to choose from.

Jock villagers include: Antonio, Axel, Bam, Biff, Bill (Duck), Billy (Goat), Boone, Boots, Buck, Bud, Coach, Cobb, Cousteau, Curly, Dom, Drift, Flip, Frobert, Genji, Goose, Hamlet, Iggly, Jay, Jitters, Mac, Mott, Kevin, Kid Cat, Kody, Louie, Lyman, Moose, Peck, Pierce, Poncho, Ribbot, Roald, Rod, Rory, Rowan, Rudy, Samson, Scoot, Sheldon, Sterling, Stinky, Sparro, Sprocket, Sly, Snake, Tad, Tank, Teddy, and Tybalt.

Lazy

Lazy personality types are some of the more relatable characters in the game. These characters’ interests include food and sitting around. These characters are the easiest for you to get along with and befriend because they’re laid-back and more relaxed than some of the other personality types in the game. What’s more, they are more confident in themselves and their laid-back lifestyle.

Lazy characters make up about 60 characters in the game, outpacing Cranky and Jock personality types in availability. These characters are easy to identify because they’ll mention seeing you in a dream or telling you a story that’s definitely made up.

These villagers will get along best with other Lazy characters as well as Peppy and Normal villagers. Jock characters tend to annoy the Lazy characters because of their high energy and constant need to do things. Lazy characters don’t need that.

Because of their abundance, Lazy characters make up a good number of most searched for villagers. Characters such as Punchy, Lucky, Zucker, and Sherb make up some of the most popular Lazy villagers that players want. But since this is a very common personality type, there are other Lazy animals you can search for.

Lazy villagers include: Al, Alfonso, Anchovy, Barold, Beau, Benedict, Benjamin, Big Top, Biskit, Bob, Bones, Boomer, Broccolo, Chester, Claude, Clay, Clyde, Cloe, Cranston, Cube, Deli, Derwin, Dizzy, Doc, Drago, Drake, Erik, Egbert, Elmer, Filbert, Hornsby, Hopkins, Hugh, Jacob, Jeremiah, Joey, Lucky, Marcel, Marty, Moe, Nate, Ozzie, Paolo, Papi, Prince, Puck, Pudge, Punchy, Raddle, Rex, Rodeo, Sherb, Simon, Spork, Stitches, Stu ,Tucker, Wade, Walker, Weber, and Zucker.

Smug

The newest personality trait to the Animal Crossing series is the Smug personality type. Because of its novelty, players are searching high and low for characters that are a little bit more full of themselves than others. These personality types will come off as polite, kind, and gentlemanlike but also a bit conceited. The funniest part about this character is how often they’re willing to flirt with you. It can be off-putting to have an animal flirt with you, but it also is definitely worth the joke.

These personality types get along well with Peppy, Normal, Lazy, and other Smug characters, making their interactions a bit more fun. However, these villagers will clash with Sisterly, Jock, and Cranky characters. The Sisterly characters really hate the Smug personality trait because of how Smug characters will flirt with them.

These personality types make up only 36 characters, making them one of the rarest personalities to find. Marshall, Raymond, and Julian are some of the characters with this personality type that players are looking for.

Smug villagers include: Beardo, Chadder, Chops, Colton, Curlos, Ed, Eugene, Graham, Hans, Henry, Hippeux, Huck, Jacques, Julian, Keaton, Ken, Kidd, Klaus, Kyle, Leopold, Lionel, Lopez, Lucha, Marshal, O’Hare, Olaf, Pietro, Phil, Quillson, Raymond, Rodney, Shep, Tex, Toby, and Zell

Normal

One of the original and most common personality types for characters is the Normal personality. These are female characters that are sweet to you and the other villagers of the island.

These characters are a little obsessed with cleanliness and hygiene but do not really show any concern for their physical appearance. Normal personality types can also be a little difficult to listen to, as they are more self-deprecating and appear to have lower self-worth than other characters. This can be seen in how they will be more prone to talking about other villagers rather than themselves.

These villagers will get along easiest with Smug, Lazy, and other Normal villagers on the island. They can even sometimes get along with the difficult Snooty personalities that are on your island, although they can both get miffed after a conversation together. These villagers will disagree with Cranky villagers though because the Normal character will be put off by the Cranky villager’s rude, arrogant, and in general sour nature.

Since there are 61 characters with this personality type, Normal characters are easy to find and are generally pretty cute. They also make up a good portion of the most wanted villagers list, including characters such as Flurry, Chevre, Coco, and Lolly.

Normal villagers include: Alice, Annalisa (Anteater), Aurora, Ava, Bea, Bertha, Bettina, Cally, Caroline, Carrie, Celia, Chelsea, Chevre, Coco, Daisy, Deena, Dora, Ellie, Etoile, Eunice, Fauna, Flurry, Gala, Gayle, Gladys, Goldie, Jambette, June, Kiki, Kitt, Lily, Lolly, Lucy, Maggie, Maple, Margie, Marcie, Marina, Megan, Melba, Merengue, Midge, Mitzi, Molly, Nan, Nana, Norma, Olive, Peaches, Pekoe, Poppy, Rhonda, Sally, Sandy, Savannah, Skye, Stella, Sydney, Sylvana, Tia, and Vesta.

Peppy

Peppy characters are excessively friendly and excitable, making them one of the easiest female personality types to get along with. Although they can be a little annoying because they quickly apologize for anything they regret doing even if they did nothing wrong, these characters are heartwarming and kind to have on any island.

These characters will often contribute their energy levels to eating too much candy, having chipper, bouncy voices, and constantly cheering you on. This makes them one of the easiest personalities to get along with Smug, Normal, Lazy, Sisterly, and Jock characters. Although they will talk to everyone on the island, Peppy characters tend to have a difficult relationship with Snooty and Cranky characters because of their negative attitude.

Some of the more popular Peppy characters are Audie, Cookie, Merry, and Rosie. But there are about 52 Peppy personalities for you to choose from.

Peppy villagers include: Agent S, Anabelle, Anicotti, Apple, Audie, Bangle, Bella, Bianca, Bluebear, Bonbon, Bubbles, Bunnie, Candi, Carmen, Chai, Cheri, Chrissy, Cookie, Dotty, Gabi, Flora, Felicity, Freckles, Ketchup, Maddie, Merry, Nibbles, Pango, Pate, Patty, Peanut, Peggy, Penelope, Pinky, Piper, Pippy, Pompom, Puddles, Rilla, Rosie, Ruby, Sprinkle, Tabby, Tangy, Truffles, Tammi, Twiggy, Tutu, Victoria, Wendy, and Winnie.

Sisterly (uchi)

Much like the Smug personality type, the Sisterly (or Uchi) personality is one of the newer personalities introduced into the series. The introduction of the Sisterly personality came with New Leaf, and New Horizons has added a few new characters to this list. Because this is a newer personality type and there only being 24 of these personalities currently in the game, players of New Horizons will actually start with a Sisterly character on their islands.

This personality type is very caring toward the player. Although they are blunt and straightforward, this personality type is nowhere near as vain than Snooty or Peppy villagers. Once you have managed to establish a relationship with a Sisterly character, they’ll start to give you tips on ways to relax and to fight. These characters will often offer to fight anyone that gives you trouble, give you medicine when you’re stung by bees, and in general show protective and caring tendencies toward you.

These characters get along well with Peppy, Smug, Lazy, Jock, and other Sisterly personalities. However, because of their tough nature, Sisterly characters will often clash with Cranky or Snooty villagers.

Some of the most popular Sisterly characters consist of Muffy, Cherry, and Pashmina. Hopefully, you’ll remember which Sisterly character you started with!

Sisterly villagers include: Agnes, Canberra, Charlise, Cherry, Dierdre, Diva, Flo, Frita, Fuchsia, Hazel, Katt, Mira, Muffy, Pashmina, Paula, Plucky, Phoebe, Reneigh, Renee, Rocket, Sylvia, Tammy, and Ursula.

Snooty

Snooty villagers will often act prideful or dismissive toward you when you first meet, but don’t let that put you off! These mature, level-headed characters can come off as self-centered but, once you get to know them, they often open up and offer players fashion advice, makeup tips, and their kindness in the way only Snooty characters can.

These villagers often appear wearing makeup and high-fashion clothing in an attempt to show themselves as being better than other characters. Honestly, this is one of the main reasons these personalities do not actually get along with other characters. Much like the male counterpart, Cranky personalities, Snooty characters do not get along with most of the other personality types. In fact, these characters may only get along with Peppy and Normal villagers, but even this has its limits. Although Peppy and Normal personalities may admire the Snooty villagers, they can be easily offended by some of the remarks and personality quirks of the Snooty villagers.

Although these characters can be difficult, there are quite a few of them that players really want to nab up. Ankha, Eloise, Freya, and Judy are a few Snoooty personalities that players love to have on their islands. And with about 55 of these characters to choose from, there is bound to be one Snooty personality that’s a match to your island.

Snooty villagers include: Alli, Amelia, Ankha, Annalise (Horse), Astrid, Baabara, Becky, Bitty, Blaire, Blanche, Bree, Broffina, Cashmere, Claudia, Cleo, Diana, Eloise, Ellie, Francine, Freya, Friga, Gloria, Gigi, Greta, Gwen, Judy, Julia, Kitty, Mathlida, Maella, Mallary, Mint, Miranda, Monique, Naomi, Olivia, Opal, Panchetti, Portia, Pecan, Soleil, Snooty, Purrl, Queenie, Robin, Tipper, Tiffany, Timbra, Tasha, Vivian, Violet, Velma, Whitney, Willow, and Yuka.

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Leijah Petelka
Leijah Petelka is a freelance gaming guides writer for Digital Trends. She covers a variety of game types, but she does love…
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