Nintendo has always been a video game company that’s gotten creative and ambitious with their peripherals and console add-ons. Not all of these risky ideas have paid off or lasted, but they tend to have a good barometer on these extra ways to play games. One of the best examples of this are the Amiibo, which double as both toys (or cards) and a way to unlock new in-game content.
Amiibo have been applicable to many series, but they’ve made a considerable impact on the Animal Crossing games. Accordingly, here are the 10 best Amiibo for Animal Crossing: New Leaf.
10 K.K.
Animal Crossing offers up plenty of different ways to unwind, but K.K. Slider is a considerate member of the community that tries to apply his musical skills for the greater good. Lots of Animal Crossing characters have unique personalities or their own quirks, but K.K.’s music is a true selling point.
The use of a K.K. Amiibo will bring him by the campsite, as well as a number of perks as well. It’s hard to be that discouraged by anything in the community when K.K. is there to make things right.
9 Tom Nook
There may not be an official character to the Animal Crossing franchise, but Tom Nook has done a good job as becoming one of the friendlier faces of the franchise. There are lots of fun visitors that add flavor to one’s respective campsite, but the Tom Nook Amiibo brings the infamous villager into the swing of things.
Nook is a busy individual and so it’s a nice perk to be able to have him temporarily come by. He’ll offer up a number of attractive pieces of clothing and furniture and continues to prove why he’s such a reliable individual.
8 Isabelle
Isabelle has really gained popularity over the years and she’s slowly become one of Animal Crossing’s most popular characters and the unofficial mascot for more recent titles. As a result, it’s not exactly surprising that there are several Isabelle Amiibo that are available. All of them have the same effect, but the use of the Super Smash Bros. Isabelle Amiibo will also work. What’s interesting about this is that because Isabelle has a job in the community, she’ll actually become occupied when she’s called over and have to neglect her duties.
7 Villager
This may be somewhat paradoxical, but some of the most satisfying surprises in video games are from trying out things that shouldn’t necessarily work. There’s a Super Smash Bros. Amiibo that’s based off of the Villager from Animal Crossing. This Amiibo will actually work on New Leaf. Since it doesn’t exactly make sense to have a blank slate of a character show up, this move will instead have Wisp visit the RV campsite and offer up exclusive items for sale. Wisp is the genie-like entity that helps explain the Amiibo concept in New Leaf, making this whole procedure quite reflexive.
6 Inkling
Many of the various Amiibo figures and cards correspond to villagers from the Animal Crossing series stopping by or offering perks to the player. However, with such a large library of Amiibo out there, it’s exciting to see that New Leaf is compatible with other Amiibo, too. For instance, using any Inkling related Amiibo will result in Inkwell the Octopus joining in his own Splatoon-themed RV with franchise-specific items up for grabs. It’s a fun way to honor one of Nintendo’s newest properties and maybe it will lead to some Animal Crossing folks migrating over to Splatoon.
5 Toon Link
There are plenty of Amiibo from different Nintendo franchises that will produce fun results in Animal Crossing: New Leaf, but the Legend of Zelda series really embraces some synergy. Wind Waker is a very beloved entry in the Zelda canon and if players use any of the related Amiibo figures, like Toon Link, Medli from the game will become a villager and offer up exclusive clothing and items. This is quite the fun surprise as Medli is often overlooked, but she’s a perfect fit for Animal Crossing. It’s not Zelda, but it’s the next best thing.
4 Rilla
Many of the Amiibo figures are compatible with Animal Crossing: New Leaf, but a number of Amiibo cards were also specifically released to take advantage of the game’s function. Many of these Amiibo cards just allow regular villagers to join the part or offer up exclusive items. However, a rare six-pack of Sanrio crossover cards was released where six villagers can come join the RV park and offer up Sanrio branded clothes and furniture. They’re all a lot of fun, but Rilla’s card is the most Hello Kitty-centric of the lot and sure to induce jealousy.
3 Sheik
The Legend of Zelda franchise invites all sorts of fun crossover shenanigans with Animal Crossing: New Leaf. Many of these surprises result in popular characters from the Zelda games making unexpected RV park appearances. A lot of these visitors correspond to their respective Amiibo, but a real treat occurs when the Sheik Amiibo is used. Rather than Sheik coming by to visit, it’s instead Epona, Link’s lovable horse from Ocarina of Time. A tiny Animal Crossing version of Epona is very adorable and it’s a nice way to put the companion in the spotlight.
2 Ganondorf
Animal Crossing is a series that features its share of stresses every now and then, but for the most part it’s a relaxing game with no major villains to cause game over’s for players. Accordingly, it’s an interesting idea to try and inject a classic Nintendo villain into the Animal Crossing universe and see how they respond. If a Ganondorf Amiibo is used with New Leaf, a cute version of Ganon will visit the RV park and offer exclusive Zelda-based items. It’s perhaps the most accommodating that Ganon will ever be.
1 Wolf Link
The Legend of Zelda’s Link has gotten lots of mileage as a crossover character and even found his way into games like Soul Calibur and Mario Kart. As a result it doesn’t seem like a major stretch to have Link as an Animal Crossing visitor. However, New Leaf does something much cooler instead. Rather than regular Link showing up, the game allows Twilight Princess’ Wolf Link to be a visitor if players use the Wolf Link Amiibo. It’s a fun twist and definitely makes for the strangest visitor in the game.