The latest installment of Animal Crossing released on the Nintendo Switch on March 20 and along with it came a colorful cast of characters. While fan favorites including Tom Nook, Isabelle, and K.K. Slider are back, other popular special characters remain absent. That being said, Nintendo made sure to fill in the vacancies with a few new animals. We’re here to look at some of the fresh faces introduced in New Horizons as well as a handful of characters that are missing.
It’s worth noting that some of the currently absent NPCs could return to Animal Crossing in a future update. However, no official word on when or if they will appear has been released. It’s time to say hello (and goodbye) to some of the friendliest faces around; Here are five new special characters who appear in New Horizons and five who are noticeably absent.
Missing: Rover
While Rover’s role has varied throughout the Animal Crossing games, he most commonly helps players set up their characters. In doing this, he asks questions that help determine a player's gender, name, town name, and time zone.
Though Rover is easy to converse with, New Horizons players are yet to get the opportunity. The Nooklings help the player customize their character and town in lieu of this crazy cat.
New: Daisy Mae
In the previous Animal Crossing installments, Joan sold players turnips every Sunday morning. However, in New Horizons, her granddaughter Daisy Mae takes over the job.
Daisy Mae is a little orange boar who wears a bunch of turnips on top of her head. She continues to visit the island early on Sunday, offering players the opportunity to play the in-game stock market.
Missing: Tortimer
In early Animal Crossing games, Tortimer headed up the town as mayor. In New Leaf, Tortmier decides to retire and can instead be seen enjoying life on Tortimer Island. Unfortunately in New Horizons, he seems to be missing.
While some fans have theorized that Tortimer has passed, this hasn’t been confirmed by Nintendo. Nevertheless, there aren’t many roles left for him to fulfill.
New: C.J.
Like Daisy Mae, C.J. is taking over the duties of a relative. C.J.’s father, Chip, used to host the Fishing Tourneys. Now, it’s this little beaver’s job to reel 'em in.
Though C.J. is most often found running the Fishing Tourneys, he can be occasionally spotted wandering the island in hopes of finding talent for his live-streams.
Missing: Pelly
The Animal Crossing Post Office was run by a cute pelican named Pelly in the original Game Cube installment and New Leaf. In Wild World and City Folk, she worked as a clerk at Town Hall. While Pelly found a way to stay busy in all these games, she doesn’t much of a job left in New Horizons.
Postcard-sending is now possible at the airport, eliminating the need for a Post Office. Additionally, Isabelle and Tom Nook are the ones who stay busy running Town Hall. Also noticeably absent is Pelly’s sister, Phyllis, and her love interest, Pete.
New: Orville
Animal Crossing features two new dodo characters. The first of these, Orville, is the receptionist at the Dodo Airlines in every player’s town.
Orville is professionally dressed and wears a headset in order to talk with his brother, the pilot. He keeps busy on his computer and is always eager to send the player to their next destination.
Missing: Kapp’n
Kapp’n is known for offering various transportation services throughout the Animal Crossing series. While he is most often found rowing a boat, he has also been spotted acting as a taxi driver and a bus driver. However, this singing sea turtle is yet to make an appearance in New Horizons.
Because Orville and Wilbur have replaced water transportation with Dodo Airlines, Kapp’n is no longer required in order to travel between destinations.
New: Wilbur
If you think this dodo looks like Orville, you're correct; He’s Orville’s pilot brother that we mentioned earlier.
Orville’s defining physical characteristic is his giant aviator sunglasses. He likes to speak in pilot jargon and assures that the player’s flights are as efficient as possible.
Missing: Brewster
Brewster first appeared in Wild World, where he opened up and ran a coffee shop known as The Roost. He continued to do this in the other installments, however, he is nowhere to be found in New Horizons.
Some fans have discovered villager dialogue that hints at the popular pigeon, prompting fans to speculate that Brewster could be added in an update. This is yet to be confirmed.
New: Flick
Cranky chameleon Nat has been replaced by the younger, cooler Flick. While no direct mention has been made of his relation to Nat yet, the aforementioned C.J. has hinted that Flik might be Nat's son.
Though Flik is most often found hosting the Bug-Off, he can also be spotted collecting critters around the island at random.