Animal Crossing is a series that prides itself on being cute, loveable, relaxing, and family-friendly. But, like all cheery games, it does have its darker moments that are fun to analyze.
There are hundreds of animal villagers in the series, each with a distinct design and personality. Most of them are adorable or kind, with good-natured personalities and fun, Nintendo-style appearances. But, there are a few that are on the creepier side. Here are the scariest and creepiest Animal Crossing villagers.
Updated on July 14, 2023 by Casey Foot: Although a lot of Animal Crossing villagers are cute, there are some villagers who may be up to no good. As there are hundreds of villagers, there’s no shortage of scary ones too. These villagers add a little… strangeness to island life because of their designs and the inspirations behind them.
18 Petri
Snooty villager Petri is a scientist who seems to be performing experiments within her house. She appears to be studying a Lucky Cat that she keeps within a Science Pod, but it’s unclear exactly what the purpose of her research is. You can be sure it isn’t a regular scientific study, though.
Petri’s appearance might, in fact, be a reference to lab rats. Perhaps Petri is hoping to get revenge on humans for using rats in their experiments. Whatever the case, Petri’s intelligence and mysterious practices mean that you wouldn’t want to find yourself being the subject of her experiments.
17 Rasher
Being a pig villager called Rasher is already a red flag, especially when his favorite saying used to be, “Stop looking at me with those hungry eyes! I'm not a pork chop!”
Rasher appears to be a villager who can handle himself though, as he has a Cranky personality and a scar above his eye. Presumably, he got it from fighting someone who confused him with a pork chop…
His house interior isn’t the most welcoming either, as it resembles a garage. Where’s his sense of home comfort?
16 Roswell
Roswell shares a name with Roswell, New Mexico, which is said to be the crash site of a UFO. Roswell’s Pocket Camp profile mentions that he looks to the skies, hoping to “catch a glimpse of a UFO,” but he needn’t look further than a mirror to see alien life.
His poster in New Horizons definitely implies that he has an alien connection, depicting him with his arms outstretched to the sky in front of a strange, otherworldly pattern. If that wasn’t enough, his eyes imitate rotating screws, while also being reminiscent of snake-like slits. Roswell either appears to be unaware of what he is or is trying to blend in, as his house interior has no reference to UFOs. I'm not sure which of these options is scarier.
15 Rodeo
Few things are as frightening as a potential harbinger of death and destruction from the depths of Hell. Okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration for this poor character, but if you saw a dark gray or black bull with large horns and deep red eyes, you'd probably think that's what was coming toward you.
That's exactly what Rodeo is. This Lazy bull villager is a large gray bull with red dots for eyes. Sure, he's just as nice and kind as the other animals in the game, but he sure doesn't appear that way.
14 Hamphrey
This little hamster might not size up to be much of a threat, but the stare will remain with you longer than you'd like. Hamphrey, a Cranky villager, likes to complain about things and stare down anyone who so much as looks in his general direction.
He's by no means the scariest villager out there, but to have him on your island would be unsettling to say the least. We're supposed to feel relaxed on our island paradise, not slightly uncomfortable and wary whenever he's nearby.
13 Jitters
Jitters is a Jock personality type who likes sports, but you wouldn't think it from his appearance other than his football shirt. This villager looks haunted, as if he's seen a few things he shouldn't have. In turn, this can be a little disconcerting for some.
Even his name "Jitters" and his catchphrase of "bzzert" allude to the fact this guy is jittery, but what is he so scared of? Does he know something that we don't? Perhaps there's some hidden horror in the franchise that only Jitters may have witnessed and he now lives in fear.
12 Hopkins
At first glance, Hopkins seems like a cute little blue rabbit with no terribly dark secrets to hide. Unfortunately, once he turns around, it's another story. On the back of his head is a small air-hole plug, implying that he is in some way inflatable.
In Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, his profile states that he's "full of hot air" and "a light breeze could blow him away." Is this blue rabbit a blow-up doll? How awful. Looks like he's joining Zipper T. Bunny on the list of rabbits that may just be costumes.
11 Ribbot
One of these days, the robots of the world will rise up and outsmart humans, killing us all and taking the Earth for themselves. It seems this is in the early phases in the Animal Crossing world, where there are not one, but three mechanical robot animals with sentience and personalities in New Horizons.
Ribbot, the Jock frog villager, is the more frightening of the three, with his glowing empty eyes and a horrible mouth that opens like a hatch in a machine. As a Jock, Ribbot probably has the strength to overthrow the world - what is he training for, exactly?
10 Biskit
Rodeo and Ribbot are not the only villagers who have horrifying eyes that probably originally belonged to a paranormal monster. Biskit, a Lazy dog villager introduced in the original game, is another example of this.
This otherwise cute dog has two ghostly white circles for eyes, making him look like he is being possessed or saw something in a UFO that he perhaps shouldn't have. On his E-Reader card scan, it states that he likes to frighten people and calls himself "Phantom of the Kennel."
9 Hopper
Hopper is a Cranky villager who is modeled after the Macaroni Penguin species, yet for some reason, the penguin's red eyes have been emphasized, making them more horrifying and demonic. Despite looking a bit disconcerting, this lucky penguin has appeared in all of the Animal Crossing titles, as well as the animated film.
In addition to his bloodshot eyes, because Hopper is a crested penguin, it appears as though he is constantly looking angry and frowning. This doesn't make him the friendliest-appearing villager choice for your island.
8 Lucky
There exists some debate over whether Lucky is actually an undead mummy or just a truly clumsy dog. This bandage-wrapped Lazy villager certainly seems like a monster, with his yellow glowing eye and entirely-wrapped body and face.
His houses in the past have had Egyptian themes to them, implying that he is in some way undead. According to some fan theories, he's the undead version of Walker. The two are visually similar, and the numbers on their shirts in New Leaf differ by 44, which is a number relating to death in some Asian cultures.
7 Ruby
While Ruby may be a peppy villager, her appearance is still a little offputting to see on a daily basis - and that might be exactly what you're after. Her somewhat soulless eyes will be glancing at you from the shadowy corners of the island, even when you don't know it. Or at least, that's how it feels.
While her design isn't that extravagant or unique, and she mostly looks like a pretty standard bunny, the blunt features and lack of art style makes it just a little spooky. Just a little.
6 Peaches
A pink horse might seem like the perfect cute-looking villager to add to your island life until you realize she has crosses for eyes. This actually makes it look as though poor Peaches has had her eyes gouged out, perhaps now she wanders from island to island looking for her eyes like some morbid urban legend.
The upside to New Horizons is that the villagers sometimes wear glasses, so if you do get stuck with Peaches, you can live in hope that she'll hide her eyes behind some shades.
5 Pietro
Sure, not everyone in the world is afraid of clowns, but that doesn't mean they aren't super frightening a lot of the time. If you are afraid of clowns, try to avoid having Pietro move into your town. This Smug sheep villager is a large clown with rainbow hair, swirly horns, and typical clown makeup
His profile in Pocket Camp says that many are creeped out by him. Also, he has a blue tear under his eye. Don't teardrop tattoos imply that someone has murdered in the past? He probably has, and he probably will again. Watch out.
4 Stitches
What's more frightening than a clown? A creepy possessed doll, of course. Despite being a bit of a fan-favorite, that's basically what Stitches is. This Lazy cub villager looks like a well-loved stuffed animal made out of a series of patches.
His initial phrase is "stuffin'," which is probably what he'll do to you if you aren't careful, so it would be best to play nice with this patchwork bear. Nintendo could have really toned down the creep factor by not giving him X eyes.
3 Raddle
Raddle is not the first frog on this list, but he is the first real frog, considering Ribbot is a sentient robot that's come to kill us all. If you're not careful, Raddle could lead you to the same fate. This Lazy villager is a poison dart frog — those frogs that are super poisonous to humans.
What's even more terrifying is that he seems to be sick, with his initial phrase being the beginning of a sneeze. Also, he's always shown wearing a large surgical mask and talking about health. It's probably best to play it safe and avoid Raddle.
2 Muffy
Muffy simultaneously looks like a kind-enough lady, and a terrifying apparition that has returned from some other plane. And, if you're looking for a spooky aesthetic, that could be exactly what you want.
Her Lolita-style appearance is reminiscent of a porcelain Victorian doll and it wouldn’t be surprising if she had a secret collection of them. This Sisterly villager will be a good friend to you if you decide to have her move onto your island, but whatever lurks behind those striking eyes... well, nobody knows. Just watch this one.
1 Coco
Most fans can agree that Coco is extremely unsettling and intentionally terrifying. This Normal-personality rabbit villager has long been considered a frightening monster. She somewhat resembles the texture of a cookie, while the three holes for her face and her name might imply something related to the word 'coconut'.
Not only is her face already scary, but her expression never changes. It's just a blank, hollow stare at all times with mouth agape. Her in-game skill is "writing backward," which is terrifying behavior typically reserved for paranormal horror movies. Her appearance may be intended to resemble haniwa, figurines in Japanese culture that symbolize death.