Animal Crossing is a charming game about befriending the mismatched animals that happen to move to your town, or it was. Like most things Animal Crossing, players have industrialized and gamed the villager system. Many players operate with a list of ‘most-wanted villagers’. Manipulating the game to the most aesthetically pleasing bunch! This has led to a strange situation where some ‘rare’ animal crossing villagers are big names. The rarest Animal Crossing villagers fetch an astronomical price in bells.
This articles is about how rarity actually works in the game. Then we cover which villagers have defied these odds to become the most popular.
Overview
How Does Villager Rarity Really Work?
Technically, all 397 Villagers in New Horizons in the game have fairly even odds of showing up. So why do some seem rarer than others? There are a few factors that push the odds in some villagers’ favour.
The first of these factors is their species. There are 35 villager species in the game. Species are taken into account when searching Mystery Tour Islands for a new resident. First, a species is selected at random and then a villager in that species. So villagers who come from a large species like cats have a low chance of appearing. There’s only a 1 in 35 chance of that species being selected then a 1 in 30 chance of each cat being picked. Whereas small species have higher odds. There is the same chance for that species to be picked, but there are only 3 octopuses in the game.
There are other factors too, like the Amibo cards for older villagers that you can scan. Your starting villagers are always an ‘uchi’ or ‘jock’ personality type. So these tend to be more represented on players’ islands too.
The Rarest Animal Crossing Villagers
That’s how rarity actually works in the game. Despite those odds, some villagers still feel rarer than others. This is down to the player base liking these villages more! The popular villagers feel harder to get since everybody is after them. Many are also statistically less likely to appear. These are the most wanted and rarest villagers in Animal Crossing:
Audie – The Rarest Wolf (#10)
Audie is by far the most sought after wolf on this list. A lot of players think her English name comes from the ‘Animal Crossing Grandma’. She logged 3,500 hours into New Leaf under the name Audie. This isn’t confirmed, but it has made Audie one of the rarest Animal Crossing villagers.
Stitches (#9)
Stitches’ rarity is pretty simple to understand; he’s a cute teddy bear. He’s been one of the rarest Animal Crossing villagers for more than one game now. His popularity is down to his aesthetic, although his value has dropped since New Leaf.
Bob (#8)
Most Animal Crossing fans are probably familiar with this particular cat. Bob has been the star of a lot of popular memes, which has made him recognisable. Being a breakout star is definitely what has driven Bob’s rarity up. He is also widely believed to be the original Animal Crossing villager. He has the first ID number in the original Nintendo 64 game and a birthday on January 1st.
Coco – The Rarest Rabbit (#7)
Coco’s soulless eyes can be particularly spooky, and this makes her stand out from the crowd. She’s definitely the most wanted rabbit in the game. Many have speculated that Coco is based on a gyroid. She resembles the empty stare from the Gyroid face glitch and has a catchphrase to match. Coco’s theme is death. She is styled after old burial traditions and has a funeral match for a favourite song. This strong personality has made her popular.
Lucky – The Rarest Dog (#6)
Continuing the spooky theme from Coco is Lucky, the rarest Animal Crossing dog. He is in a full-body cast after an unfortunate fishing accident, the horrific details of which have never been revealed. Players have speculated over if Lucky is very injured or slightly un-dead. It’s this kind of unique story that makes Lucky one of the rarest Animal Crossing villagers.
Ankha (#5)
Ankha is the next cat to make an appearance on this list since they’re harder to grind for on islands. This cat is a unique case though; in that, her popularity seems to be rising pretty fast. She might even overtake Raymond one day. Ankha is another highly stylised and unique villager, themed after Ancient Egypt.
Sherb – The Rarest Goat (#4)
Sherb is the only goat to crack the higher echelons of Animal Crossing villagers. He is actually a brand new villager, having only appeared in New Horizons and Pocket Camp. Sherb’s popularity and asking price online is a little harder to wrap your head around. He doesn’t seem to have any gimmick beyond being kind of into sleeping.
Marshall – Rarest Squirrel (#3)
Marshall’s place as one of the rarest Animal Crossing villagers is down to viral moments. His appearance and ‘smug’ personality have made him pretty funny in isolation.
Judy – The Rarest Bear (#2)
Judy has amassed a high asking price online. Her snooty personality and sparkly appearance have made her popular. The bear’s unique eyes particularly are a focal point for players. They match the aesthetics a lot of devoted players are looking for.
Raymond – The Rarest Cat (#1)
Raymond was the villager that took the world by storm upon the release of New Horizons. Soon, this smug smart cat had players charging exuberant fees for a trade. Raymond’s popularity faded once the joke got old, but he’s still the most expensive villager. Although, for a slightly better price than in May.
If we’re looking at pure statistical rarity, Raymond takes the top spot there too. He isn’t a starting villager personality. He comes from the largest villager group so is rarest on islands, and he is the only cat with no ammibo card. In both asking price and in-game chance, Raymond is the rarest Animal Crossing villager.
Why Are Some Villagers Rarer Than Others?
Those are the rarest and most wanted Animal Crossing villagers at the moment. They are rare due to the low chance of them appearing and their high asking price in trades. Animal Crossing is pretty fair with the way it divides up villagers. The game definitely pushes you against trying to game the system to get your perfect choices. There’s nothing wrong with trying to seek out the coolest villagers to fit your town. Although, these guys are going to set you back a lot of bells if you want to skip the grinding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Animal Crossing villagers can you start with?
In the beginning of Animal Crossing, you are introduced to a pair of villagers: one with a jock personality and one who is like a sister to you. The species of these initial villagers is determined randomly from 35 potential species.
What to gift Animal Crossing villagers?
When selecting gifts for the villagers of Animal Crossing, it’s recommended to consider their individual characteristics such as their style, color preference, hobbies, or favored season. For instance, an upbeat villager may enjoy receiving a trendy pink outfit, whereas a laid-back villager might prefer a basket of fruit. Other appreciated gifts include fossils, fish, bugs, or flowers that they have not collected yet.
How old are Animal Crossing villagers?
The villagers in Animal Crossing don’t have stated ages, but clues from their dialogue, looks, and behavior offer hints. Cranky villagers often reminisce about their past, snooty villagers behave in a refined and adult-like manner, and smug villagers tend to flirt with the player. Some villagers even celebrate their birthdays on the same dates as real-world celebrities or historical figures who share their names or themes. Based on these observations, it is speculated by some fans that the villagers’ average age is likely between 20 and 30 years old.
How many Animal Crossing villagers are there?
As of the 2.0 update of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the Animal Crossing series has a total of 488 villagers. These villagers represent 35 different species and 8 unique personalities across all the games in the series.
