In the Animal Crossing series, you are welcomed to a new place that you must cultivate and personalize, transforming your new home into whatever you want. 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, 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 is no wrong choice when picking your favorite villager, as each one offers something different.
Updated by Kyle Chamaillard on May 20, 2023: It has been a couple of years since Animal Crossing: New Horizons introduced new villagers to the series, but there are so many great candidates when looking for a new resident to join your community. With so many excellent choices, we have updated this list to include more of the best Animal Crossing villagers to invite to your town.
25 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 immediately.
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 kindhearted goat to live on your island (and Nan too).
24 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 also fit in well with a food or sweet-themed island.
23 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, but she also decorates her home with furniture modeled after fruits as well.
Her appearance is somewhat ironic considering citrus fruits are toxic to cats in real life. Her picture quote in Animal Crossing: Wild World refers 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.
22 A Dear Sweetheart: Beau
As a lazy villager, Beau is perfect for anyone who wants to relax and have a good time. Introduced in Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Beau is classified as a deer though his horns make him look more like an antelope.
You can tell he loves camping because the interior of his house in New Horizons features a picnic, sleeping bag, and more, and the exterior has a log cabin appearance. Beau's laid-back lifestyle is perfect for island living, and he will always be around whenever you feel like taking a break from your chores and errands.
21 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.
20 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 may be a Smug villager, but he's pretty nice once you get to know him.
He joins the likes of other robot villagers such as Sprocket and Ribbot, with a shiny metallic exterior and yellow, glowing eyes. His house in New Horizons pays homage to his robot theme, as it’s decorated to look like the inside of a spaceship.
19 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 be the quintessential wolf villager, as his name literally 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.
18 Don't Judge Her: Judy
Judy is one of the newest villagers to grace the Animal Crossing series after making her debut in Pocket Camp, the free-to-play mobile game. She is a Snooty villager, which means she's always down to discuss the latest gossip about her neighbors.
Don't let her sparkling eyes deceive you, because she can be fairly rude to you until she gets to know you more.
Aside from spreading rumors, this cub villager adores music and can often be found singing a tune while walking around town. Her catchphrase, "Myohmy", and her anime-like eyes make Judy seem innocent, but she's more mischievous and fun than meets the eye.
17 Your Best B-B-Buddy: Roald
There are plenty of cool penguin villagers you could invite to your town, but few are as charming and endearing as Roald. He is a Jock villager with spirit and charisma to spare, and he always seems to be motivating himself and anyone else around him.
Roald has been around since the very first Animal Crossing and has never missed an opportunity to become your neighbor. Even if you don't like sports, hearing Roald talk about his latest basketball game or brag about his abs will put a smile on your face because of his infectious energy.
16 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.
15 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 villager, Mira is someone 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.
14 It's Boring Being The Same: Flora
If you want to fill your town with unique villagers, few stand out like Flora. Introduced in Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Flora is classified as being an ostrich, though everything about her appearance makes her look like a pink flamingo.
She loves being different, and often reminds people that "pink is the new black".
Flora is incredibly friendly and as a Peppy villager, she will be keen to become friends with you when you first meet. She dreams of becoming a famous pop star one day, and she loves sharing her goals and new song ideas with you.
It's hard to ever feel bad when Flora is around to lift you back up.
13 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.
12 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.
11 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.
10 Bear-ly An Animal: Stitches
Stitches is a Lazy villager introduced in Animal Crossing: 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. This cuddly-looking cub makes a great addition to any island, and his unique look will warm your heart whenever you see him.
9 Not Your Average Joe: Bob
There are plenty of adorable cat villagers you could invite to your community, but there is something about Bob that makes him stand out from the others in the litter. He seems like he would be the kind of neighbor that a sitcom audience would cheer for every time he barges into your house unannounced in the best way possible.
Bob has been around since the very first Animal Crossing, and some speculate that he might have been one of the first villagers due to his plain name and appearance, and because his birthday is on January 1st. Despite his standard appearance, this lazy villager will quickly win you over with his chill demeanor and friendliness.
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 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. Her simple design is perfect for any bear lover, and her sweet demeanor will always put a smile on your face.
6 Is Napping A Sport?: Sasha
At first glance, Sasha might look like a Jock villager because of his varsity jacket; however, he’s 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.
Just don't be surprised when he starts telling you about all the bugs he's made friends with.