Animal Crossing: New Horizonshad a wide variety of villagers you could invite to your island and befriend. However, not every villager who was in the previous game,Animal Crossing: New Leaf, or its Welcome Amiibo update, was able to make it into the game and enjoy island life, instead resigned to their small houses or campers in the 3DS game.
That isn’t to say we’ve forgotten these villagers. We still miss them dearly and would love to see them return in the next installment of the Animal Crossing series. With the Switch’s predecessor on the horizon, we hope to see a comeback of some of our favorite villagers.
10Filly
The 7-Eleven Heroine
Filly is a normal horse villager who was introduced as part of a crossover with 7-Eleven in Happy Home Designer. She later appeared as one of the RV-driving villagers you could invite to your campground in New Leaf if you used the Wi-Fi option near participating 7-Eleven stores, offering fun convenience store items for your house in the game.
Sadly, no matter how hard you try, Filly can never move into your town, being one of only two villagers who can’t. Still, it would be exciting to pair her with the other hero-themed villagers like Kid Cat and Agent S to form a superhero squad to protect your new town, wherever Nintendo deems the Animal Crossing series will go next.
9Felyne
The Laziest Hunter
Felyne is a lazy cat villageradded as a crossover with the Monster Hunter series. He shares his name with the bipedal cat-like companions from the series who help make your dangerous life a little easier.
Felyne may want to become a monster hunter like the series that inspired him, but his skills state he’s better at befriending cats. His house may seem intimidating with Monster Hunter-themed furniture, but it’s hard not to like this laidback feline. Hopefully, in the next game, he’ll be befriending more than just fellow cats. Hopefully, he’ll be our friend too.
8Holden
The Fueki Hamster
Holden is a jock hamster added as part of a collaboration with the Japanese company Fueki. Like Filly, Holden can never move to your town, but he can offer you Fueki-themed items from his camper.
The hamster never returned for a glue-loving life on the island, but you can’t help but admit the little guy would be perfect for a kidcore town with his flashy red and yellow color scheme, provided Fueki was willing to participate in another collab.
7Cece
Keeping It Fresh
Cece is a peppy squirrel designed to look like the Squid Sister Callie from the Splatoon series, so it makes sense that she can only visit your campground when Callie’s amiibo is scanned.
With her older sister Viche, Cece makes two parts of one whole - cosplaying the Inkopolis-famous Squid Sisters. With the four octopus villagers who made it into New Horizons and the fifth who was left out, Cece could make your new town “stay fresh” if you went for a Splatoon-inspired look.
6Viche
The Tide Goes Out
Viche is a normal squirrel villager who makes up the other half of the famous Squid Sisters. Cosplaying Marie from the Splatoon series, she visits your campground in New Leaf when Marie’s amiibo is scanned.
Together with her sister Cece, Viche’s name forms a play on the seafood dish “ceviche”, just like how the Squid Sisters Callie and Marie’s names are a play on the dish “calamari”. Together with her sister, she could turn your new Animal Crossing town into the next stage for the Squid - or Squirrel - Sisters.
5Inkwell
Time For A Splatfest
Inkwell is a jock octopus villager, and the only octopus who never made it into New Horizons' island life. He can move to your New Leaf town from your campground if you scan one of three Inkling amiibos.
This jock villager is raring for a Splatfest competition, with his catchphrase being “splat”, and would fit perfectly alongside the other four octopus villagers and the Squirrel Sisters in a Splatoon-themed town if he were to make his return. Nintendo could surely create some more Splatoon-themed villagers if they wanted to support a totally fresh look in their next installment.
4Wolf Link
The Hero Of Twilight
Wolf Link - also known as W. Link - is a smug wolf villagerbased off of the Hero of Twilight from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. He could join your town from your campsite in New Leaf if certain Legend of Zelda amiibos were scanned.
His house in New Leaf resembles the prison cell where he first became playable, and Wolf Link wasn’t free to enjoy island life, unlike many other wolves in the series. A new game could be his chance to play the leading role on aZelda-themed island or town, paying homage to one of Nintendo’s most iconic series. His specific Zelda-themed furniture could definitely help spruce up the place.
3Ganon
The King Of Evil
No hero is complete without a proper villain, and this cranky pig villager makes sure of that. He could move to your town in New Leaf if certain Legend of Zelda amiibos were scanned.
Ganon’s house in New Leaf pays homage to the original Legend of Zelda where he first appeared, with additional twin thrones and two golden screens to show his status as the rightful king of the Gerudo. If you wanted to make a Zelda-themed town in a future Animal Crossing game, no Hyrule would be complete without its greatest antagonist.
2Epona
Free-Spirited Steed
Link’s trusty steed galloped her way into New Leaf as a peppy horse villager. She could move to your town if certain Zelda amiibos were scanned.
This kindly horse’s home was a reference to her original home in Lon Lon Ranch in Ocarina of Time, complete with a bottle of Lon Lon Milk and a Cucco ornament. Horse lovers and Zelda fans alike would be more than happy to have this long-time friend in their new town, and she’d serve as a good companion to Wolf Link were you to ever create a Zelda-themed island or town.
1Medli
Wingless Bird
What’s a bird without wings? A young Rito from Wind Waker, of course! However, in terms of Animal Crossing, Medli was a normal bird villager who could move to your New Leaf town if certain amiibo were scanned.
Since Medli’s first appearance in Wind Waker, the Rito have become far more prominent in the Legend of Zelda series, appearing in Breath of the Wild, Age of Calamity, and Tears of the Kingdom. If you can place houses high on cliffs in the next Animal Crossing game, Medli could keep a careful watch on a Zelda-themed town from high above, even if she hasn’t gotten her wings yet. Even if only in your head, you could imagine her working alongside Pelly and Phyllis to help deliver mail, just like the Rito postal workers before her.
