All Villager Personality Changes In Animal Crossing

In the Animal Crossing series, a villager’s personality determines what they say and how they act around your town or island. It also influences how they get along with other villagers. Cranky villagers, for example, are uptight and old-fashioned, and they struggle to get along with Peppy villagers.

It’s rare for a villager’s personality to change between games, but there have been a number of villagers over the years who have had a change in disposition. The majority were the result of the introduction of the Smug and Big Sister personalities in New Leaf, but there are a few that were changed to help diversify the roster a bit more.

18

Charlise

Peppy – Big Sister

Originally appearing in the Japanese-exclusive Doubutsu no Mori e+ for the GameCube, Charlise is a bright green bear with yellow cheeks and brown bangs. When Charlise was reintroduced in New Leaf, her personality was changed from the original Peppy to the new Big Sister personality type.

Charlise’s appearance is definitely befitting of the Big Sister personality, especially considering she is taller than your character as a bear. You just know she’d give you a big sisterly bear hug.

17

Curlos

Cranky – Smug

Curlos debuted in Doubutsu no Mori e+ as a Cranky villager, but didn’t appear again until New Leaf, where he reappeared with a new Smug personality type. Despite this change, the Cranky personality in the original Animal Crossing and Doubutsu no Mori e+ was actually more like the Smug personality, being suave and romantic, so it’s not as big of a change as you might think.

Considering the similarities between the original Cranky personality and the introduction of the Smug type, it makes sense that Curlos was changed into a Smug villager instead. He even has a smug look on his face.

16

Dobie

Lazy – Cranky

Dobie, a villager who was absent since Doubutsu no Mori+, was added to New Leaf as part of the Welcome amiibo update, where he could be invited through an amiibo card. As part of this reintroduction to the series, he was changed from Lazy to Cranky, which is quite the change.

Dobie has a unique appearance as the only villager who shows signs of age. His personality was likely changed to better align him with the cranky old man stereotype, though if you have ever had him in your town or on your island, you know he’s a softie beneath the gruff exterior.

15

Ed

Jock – Smug

Ed, a horse villager, has been in every Animal Crossing game to date; however, his personality was changed with the introduction of the Smug personality in New Leaf, when he was originally a Jock villager.

Smug certainly fits Ed’s appearance better than the Jock personality, as his well-kept mane suggests he cares a lot about his appearance. New Leaf further leaned into this personality change, with his favorite saying being “beauty is pain”.

14

Faith

Normal – Big Sister

Faith was introduced in Doubutsu no Mori+ as a Normal villager, but wasn’t seen in the series for almost 20 years until she returned in the 2.0 update of New Horizons. Upon her return, Faith was changed into a Big Sister villager.

With the Big Sister personality type having the least villagers and Normal villagers being very common, this change was likely to add some variety to New Horizons’ roster. Faith’s friendly demeanor makes her a great candidate for a Big Sister.

13

Harry

Jock – Cranky

Harry the hippo originally appeared in Doubutsu no Mori e+ as a Jock villager, and though he didn’t appear in Wild World, he came back in City Folk with a new personality – Cranky.

He didn’t look like much of a Jock originally, as he was wearing a camo t-shirt, and his house interior didn’t suggest he liked sports at all. New Horizons calls back to his original personality, though, as he wears a sports jersey in his poster and seems to be playing basketball in front of a crowd.

12

Huck

Lazy – Smug

In Doubutsu no Mori, Huck was a Lazy villager, having a friendly and food-oriented personality. He returned in New Leaf’s Welcome amiibo update with the Smug personality, having a gentlemanly and confident demeanor.

The Smug personality certainly fits his appearance, as Huck has always had a smug grin on his face. His half-closed eyes also give the impression that he’s looking at you smugly. In New Horizons, he also has the fitness hobby, so perhaps he’s smug about how many more reps he can get in than you.

11

Kidd

Lazy – Smug

Originally a Lazy villager in Doubutsu no Mori e+, Kidd returned in New Leaf as a Smug villager. He also came donning a new outfit – a waistcoat that suits the new Smug personality perfectly.

Kidd also received a revamped house in New Horizons, where his fanciful tastes are put on full display. As a Smug villager, he likely listens to music on his phonograph and thinks himself the music connoisseur of the island.

Interestingly, his e-Reader card profile for Doubutsu no Mori e+ describes Kidd as having an “overburning passion” that’s “incomprehensible to ordinary people,” which is very Smug-like.

10

Leopold

Jock – Smug

Leopold is a lion villager who first appeared as a Jock villager in Doubutsu no Mori. However, he returned in New Leaf’s Welcome amiibo update as a Smug villager, perhaps to better fit the reference to him being the king of the jungle and wearing the Noble Shirt.

His new personality also came with a goal of being a professor and an enjoyment of debating – it’s easy to picture Leopold being smug when debating a topic that he’s particularly knowledgeable about as a professor.

9

O’Hare

Cranky – Smug

O’Hare the rabbit was a Cranky villager when he was originally introduced in Doubutsu no Mori+, though when he returned to the series in New Leaf, he came in a better mood, now having the Smug personality instead.

O’Hare is smug about his sense of style, as his favorite saying is “It’s not old; it’s vintage.” You can’t blame him though, as he looks particularly adorable in the straw hat that he always wears.

8

Paula

Peppy – Big Sister

With the debut of the Big Sister personality in New Leaf, Paula’s personality was updated from Peppy to Big Sister. Paula hung onto her Peppy roots, as she wears a pep-squad tee in New Leaf. This could be a reference to her pepping you up as an older sister, though.

Paula’s passion for fashion, evidenced by her blue eyeshadow and headband accessory, would make her a great big sister too. She could offer lots of fashion advice when clothes shopping together.

7

Plucky

Peppy – Big Sister

Plucky the chicken first appeared in Doubutsu no Mori+ as a Peppy villager, and after not showing up in a few games in between, she returned as a Big Sister in New Leaf Welcome amiibo. Her favorite saying is, “Keep your crumbs out of the bed” which you could definitely imagine her telling a younger sibling.

As she originally debuted as an islander, Plucky has maintained this characteristic in her theme. In New Leaf and New Horizons, her house interiors mimic the beach – the ideal place to hang out (and avoid getting crumbs in the bed).

6

Roswell

Lazy – Smug

Roswell had a big gap between his first appearance in Doubutsu no Mori e+ and his return in New Horizons’ 2.0 update. He was initially a Lazy villager, but now has the Smug personality. This also makes him the only Smug alligator villager to date.

However, his character theme focuses largely on the fact that he is based on the Roswell UFO incident, with his catchphrase being “spaaace” and his favorite saying being “Keep your eyes on the skies.” Perhaps he’s smug that the other villagers haven’t discovered that he’s an alien yet, going by his cryptic poster.

5

Rowan

Cranky – Jock

Rowan the tiger originally appeared in Doubutsu no Mori+ as a Cranky villager, but was changed to have the Jock personality in Wild World, making him the first villager to have a personality change.

Wild World’s designers leaned into this change, as Rowan’s favorite saying was “Why be junior varsity when you can be VARSITY?,” which has since become “Refuse to lose” in the games after, showing his love for sports and winning. He lost his straw hat after Wild World, too (though he does wear a fedora in his poster) – you can’t exactly wear a straw hat while playing sports and win.

4

Sylvia

Snooty – Big Sister

The purple kangaroo Sylvia first appeared in Doubutsu no Mori e+ with the Snooty personality. When she returned in New Leaf, she came back as a Big Sister villager instead. This is a pretty big change, as Snooty and Big Sister are complete opposite personalities.

As a kangaroo villager, Sylvia always carries around her joey in her pouch and mentions wanting a pool for her and her child in Happy Home Paradise. Since there isn’t a ‘motherly’ personality type, Big Sister fits her caring nature best.

3

T-Bone

Lazy – Cranky

In Doubutsu no Mori, T-Bone is a Lazy villager, but he reappeared in New Leaf as a Cranky villager instead. It’s a surprising change, as he has a friendly face and a big smile, which isn’t what you’d expect from a Cranky villager’s design.

His description in Pocket Camp says he has “habit of making rash judgments when he first encounters people”, so perhaps this is where his crankiness comes from. Or maybe he’s just cranky because he’s a bull named after a steak…

2

Ursala

Snooty – Big Sister

Named after the Latin word for bear ‘ursa’, Ursala debuted in Doubutsu no Mori as a Snooty villager. When she came back in New Leaf’s Welcome amiibo update, she had the Big Sister personality instead. Big Sister fits her much more than Snooty, as she looks very polite.

Her favorite saying is also more like something a big sister would say, with it being “Surround yourself with things you love.” She’s also the eldest of two, so she’s literally a big sister.

1

Violet

Peppy – Snooty

First appearing in Doubutsu no Mori e+ as a Peppy villager, Violet made her comeback in City Folk as a Snooty villager. Her design has always been very Snooty-like from the start, as she wears lipstick, which is a staple trait of many Snooty villagers.

Violet’s favorite saying is “Pearls are a pink gorilla’s best friend,” and she’s wearing a lot of them, so her Snooty personality is showing through her accessory choices too. Interestingly, there was another Snooty gorilla named Jane who looks very similar to Violet, and Jane never returned after Doubutsu no Mori e+, so it seems that Violet has replaced her.