In Animal Crossing: New Horizons, players have the chance to meet a ton of different villagers, and there are a number of things to consider when trying to decide which of these critters a fan wants living on their island. One specific consideration that may be on some players' minds is which Animal Crossing: New Horizons villagers are the rarest, and this guide looks to shine some light on this matter.
Updated May 15, 2023, by Ericka Blye: The Animal Crossing series is no stranger to collabs with Sanrio, the company behind the iconic Hello Kitty and all her friends. There was a collaboration between the two for Animal Crossing: New Leaf, where players could purchase amiibo cards that would bring one of six Sanrio character-inspired villagers to a player's campground. Another collab for Pocket Camp in 2019 featured Sanrio-themed events where players could get Sanrio-themed items like clothing and furniture. And in March 2021, Sanrio and Animal Crossing: New Horizons came out with another set of amiibo cards for players to invite Sanrio-themed villagers to their island's campsite. These rare Animal Crossing villagers cannot be "adopted" from other player's islands; the only way to get them is to have their amiibo cards.
Rarest Types of Villagers in Animal Crossing: New Horizons
To put things simply, players have an equal chance of encountering all the different villagers in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which means that no individual villager is any rarer than any other one. That said, not every species is represented equally across ACNH's villagers, which means that players are less likely to come across certain types of animals during their time with the game.
Thus, it is possible to talk about the rarest species of villager in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and here is a list that ranks all animal types by rarity:
- Octopus (3)
- Cow (4)
- Bull (6)
- Rhino (6)
- Non-Animal Villagers (6)
- Alligator (7)
- Anteater (7)
- Hippo (7)
- Lion (7)
- Tiger (7)
- Hamster (8)
- Kangaroo (8)
- Monkey (8)
- Chicken (9)
- Eagle (9)
- Goat (9)
- Gorilla (9)
- Koala (9)
- Deer (10)
- Ostrich (10)
- Elephant (11)
- Wolf (11)
- Bird (13)
- Penguin (13)
- Sheep (13)
- Horse (15)
- Mice (15)
- Pig (15)
- Bear (16)
- Cub (16)
- Dog (16)
- Duck (17)
- Frog (18)
- Squirrel (18)
- Rabbit (20)
- Cat (23)
Octopuses are the Rarest Villagers in ACNH
As is made clear by this list, octopuses are the rarest species in Animal Crossing: New Horizons with only three representatives: Marina, Octavian, and Zucker. Again, players will come across these individual villagers at the same frequency as every other villager in the game, it is simply less likely that they will encounter an octopus on their islands in ACNH than, for example, a cat that has much greater representation.
All of this said, there is one caveat worth mentioning, and that is that every players begins ACNH with a female villager that has an Uchi personality and male villager that has a Jock personality. This means that Animal Crossing: New Horizons fans will have villagers of these two types living on their islands more often than every other type of villager, making them slightly more common.
Sanrio Amiibo Villagers
The Sanrio Collaboration Pack was sold exclusively at Target and sold out fast, even with an order limit of 2 per customer. Unfortunately, the packs were sold for a limited time and are unavailable on any official Target or Nintendo websites. The only chance of getting these Sanrio villagers on one's island now is to either take a chance buying them through websites like eBay at a heavily marked-up price, or through the generosity of someone who was able to purchase the pack. Because of this, these Sanrio amiibo villagers are some of the rarest ANCH villagers in the game.
Rilla
Rilla is a peppy pink gorilla villager. She first appeared in New Leaf and was brought back for New Horizons in the Version 1.9.0 update. She wears a Hello Kitty-themed shirt, a red bow, and a pair of blue-studded earrings on her ears. Her house is furnished with several Hello Kitty-themed pieces of furniture, wallpaper, and flooring.
Once she is scanned, players can purchase her furniture and Hello Kitty-themed clothing from their catalog through their Nook Stop terminal. Rilla differs from the other gorilla villagers as she has a nature hobby, while the others have a fitness hobby. Her birthday is November 1st; her favorite colors are red and blue, while her favorite styles are cute and elegant.
Marty
Marty is a lazy cub villager themed after Pompoppurin. He wears a Pompoppurin t-shirt and a cute little beret, the same one that Pompoppurin wears. His house is Pompoppurin themed and, all of his furniture, as well as Pompoppurin-themed clothing, can be purchased through a player's catalog after scanning his amiibo card.
His birthday is April 16th and his favorite colors are brown and yellow, while his favorite styles are cute and elegant. He is 1 of 2 male villagers that are a part of the Sanrio collab. Players can create a dream vacation home for Marty in Happy Home Paradise if they have his amiibo card. He will ask for a "Come-and-Go Calorie Castle." His required items will include a Yoga mat, a Milk can, and the Pompompurin pudding item.
Etoile
Etoile is a normal sheep villager, themed after the Little Twin Stars Kiki and Lala. Her wool is purple with flecks of pink and yellow that are made to look like stars. She wears a pink and blue striped star-decorated scarf, as well as a pink and blue star hair accessory. Her name means "star" in French and is a nod to Little Twin Stars.
Her house is furnished with Little Twin Star-themed furniture and has a very dreamy design to it. Players can purchase the furniture in her home and Little Twin Stars-themed clothing through their catalogs after her amiibo card is scanned. She is the only villager in the Sanrio Collaboration pack that unlocks a new wand. It is the only wand in the game that can be purchased. Her birthday is December 25th and her favorite styles are cute and gorgeous, while her favorite colors are aqua and pink.
Chai
Chai is a peppy elephant villager. She's themed after Cinnamoroll and wears a Cinnamoroll-themed top. The pink teacup on her head is a nod to her namesake, Chai tea. Chai's house is furnished with several Cinnamoroll-themed items and is decorated to look like a cute cafe.
Players can purchase her items through their catalog after they scan her amiibo card and invite her to their campsite. She has the play hobby and her birthday is March 6th. Chai's favorite colors are aqua and blue, and her favorite styles are cute and elegant. Players can create a vacation home for her in Happy Home Paradise if they have her amiibo card, and she requests "A Cute Space for Fluffy Stuff."
Chelsea
Chelsea is a normal deer villager with the play hobby, and she's themed after My Melody. She wears a pink top with a pink flower pattern on it, a white flower in her hair, and she also wears a pink rabbit-eared headband. She also has a yellow button nose, similar to the one that My Melody has.
Her house is furnished with My Melody-themed furniture in a very cute and very pink style. Players can buy several of the items in her home and My Melody-themed clothing through their catalog after her amiibo card is scanned. Her starting catchphrase is "pound cake," which is based on My Melody's favorite food. Her birthday is January 18th and her favorite styles are cute and gorgeous, while her favorite colors are pink and white.
Toby
Toby is a smug rabbit villager that first appeared in New Leaf, but was brought back in New Horizons. He is Keroppi themed with a red and white striped top and a Keroppi hair accessory. His house is furnished with Keroppi-themed items and is decorated in a traditional Japanese style.
These items and Keroppi-themed clothing items can be bought through a player's catalog. His favorite style is cute and elegant and his favorite colors are green and red. His birthday is July 10th.
Favorite Villagers
Since it is not technically possible to crown a villager as the rarest, players may need to think about other factors when trying to determine the best villagers in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Fortunately, ACNH allows players quite a bit of flexibility when it comes to rotating the inhabitants of their islands, and thus fans need not be too concerned if they have a villager that they do not find particularly desirable.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available now for Nintendo Switch.
Source: iMore