How Many Characters Are in Animal Crossing New Leaf

porter the monkey and Reese the pink alpaca in in animal crossing new leaf

All the characters that could be announced for Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Here are all the characters you almost forgot about

By Oct 14, 2021, 11:05am EDT

The Animal Crossing: New Horizons Direct is coming Friday, and with it, we'll find out what's coming to the game in a long-overdue content update. Although Nintendo has teased Brewster the barista already, the size of this update has fans hoping that even more characters will be joining the game.

Who could that be? Some fan favorites, like Kapp'n the turtle and Dr. Shrunk, the axolotl-turned-psychologist, have yet to make an appearance on the island settlements. So Polygon drew up a list of major characters from previous Animal Crossing games that haven't been announced yet, and analyzed the likelihood that they'll show up in a future update.

This isn't a comprehensive list of Animal Crossing characters who have yet to appear in the latest game. As it turns out, Tom Nook and his accompanying enterprises have cleared out an entire local economy of hardworking artisans and postal workers, so quite a few figures of note haven't made it into New Horizons and possibly won't. As such, this list highlights those who have played major roles in previous games but haven't been seen yet.

Brewster

Let's start with the obvious: Brewster the pigeon. He's practically a lock for Friday's Direct, as Nintendo shared a blurred image of what looks to be his coffee shop in the Nintendo Direct at the end of September. And while he remains unconfirmed, it's very likely he'll make an appearance on Friday.

Police dogs Booker and Copper

These cops may look cute, but don't let your guard down. The aptly named Booker and Copper are two dogs who policed the town in the games through 2013's Animal Crossing: New Leaf. The odds of either of them making an appearance in Animal Crossing: New Horizons seem low, however. This is a peaceful island. There's no need for cops, and there's no jail, even. There's just no use for the two anymore.

Kapp'n

I sure have missed this way this bald-headed sweetie croons. In previous games, Kapp'n the turtle has played a variety of roles, such as taxi driver and boat captain. Regardless of his specific job, he got you where you needed to go, and he sang sweet songs while transporting the villager. He's a great guy and he deserves to be put back into the game. For now, though, it seems like the chance of seeing him in Animal Crossing: New Horizons is low — we have planes now, and he doesn't pilot them. However, maybe if all the fans across the world joined together in a beautiful song, Nintendo would hear us and find him some work so that Kapp'n, and his entire family, could return.

Katrina the fortune teller

It's a pity we haven't gotten Katrina already. The fortune teller would work perfectly on the island, since she already has a tent. Maybe she should be updated — I would love to see her character focus more on horoscopes, since there's such an emphasis on birthdays throughout the game. But she could at least visit the island on specific days. I'd say there's a decent shot we could see her at some point, since she'd be pretty easy to add and would enrich the world of the game.

Pelly, Pete, and Phyllis from the post office

two ducks. one is pink and the other is white. they're wearing cute pink tops with a giant bows on them

Again, very low chance that we will ever see Pelly, Pete, or Phyllis in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. There's just no reason for the post office anymore. We have our phones, the balloons, and the planes. Although sending letters is still a huge part of Animal Crossing, the system has moved beyond a centralized postal service. That's a bummer, because they did more than just deliver mail — their love triangle also provided the island a good deal of drama.

Dr. Shrunk, the comedian and psychologist extraordinaire

Dr. Shrunk is the ugliest axolotl I've ever seen, but that doesn't mean he can't make for a good therapist (and comedian). In previous games, he taught the villager emotes. We no longer need him, since villagers now teach players how to use them. However, it's still possible he'll pop over for a visit and share something new with us. That is, if he's not replaced by a younger, cuter descendant, as we've seen with other axolotls.

Harriet the salon artist

A true vision of beauty and grace, Harriet the poodle is the owner and operator of the salon in each game since Animal Crossing: Wild World. In New Leaf, her establishment let players alter their hairdo using a sliding-scale questionnaire. In New Horizons, though, you can just go to a vanity mirror and change your villager's look for yourself. Alas, I'd say that means we probably won't get her in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

Don Resetti & Mr. Resetti

resettle an animal crossing mole looking very angry while holding a pic ax

No post office? No salon? It seems like there's a bit of a labor crisis in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. If you can't make yourself useful to the new island economy, it's off to the chopping block for you. Resetti, the eternally perturbed mole, took on a new job as a rescuer in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Before that, he lectured players for resetting their consoles (which was really about abusing their save files) in older games. But although New Horizons hints at Resetti's job, we've yet to see either him, or his brother Don Resetti, for that matter. Given his popularity, and the fact that Nintendo EPD already gave him a new job, there's a decent chance we'll see more of him — or at least someone from his family.

Farley the gnome

a gnome that has a giant beard and holds a staff

This is a bit of a deep cut, but I wanted to highlight one of Animal Crossing's weirdest characters, Farley. He is a gnome, and a rare exception to the game's all-animal world (besides the villager, of course). The magical character appeared in the first Animal Crossing, and gave the player a golden ax as a reward for a perfect town. But there is close to zero chance of getting him again, since we already upgrade our items without him. Moreover, he hasn't made an appearance in a North American release since Animal Crossing. He's still a fun, if forgotten, part of Animal Crossing history.

Porter the monkey

With no trains on the island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, we said goodbye to Porter, whose railroad uniform resembles that of a toy soldier. The monkey isn't particularly needed, nor all that popular, so there's a low chance that he'll make a return.

Digby, Isabelle's brother

Digby is the less popular, but no less cute, twin brother of Isabelle. Living up to her reputation is no small task, though. In previous games, Digby worked at the Happy Home Showcase, which allowed players to visit other homes via the Nintendo DS' StreetPass feature. Yet again, no StreetPass on the Nintendo Switch means his job is redundant. Unless Isabelle pulls some strings and creates a new job for him, there's a pretty low chance of his return.

All the parents of the newer, cuter animals

This shout-out is for all those who aged out of the Animal Crossing franchise and were replaced by younger, cuter counterparts. Having a literal replacement means that you likely will not be brought into the new game. This includes Chip (CJ's dad); the aged but wise Joan the boar (Daisy Mae's grandma); and Nat, the old bug catcher.

How Many Characters Are in Animal Crossing New Leaf

Source: https://www.polygon.com/22724327/animal-crossing-new-horizons-nintendo-switch-unannounced-characters