Characters in the Animal Crossing series can largely be sorted into two categories: villagers or special characters. Villagers serve as the player's neighbors, moving into town and acting as citizens there, often requesting favors from the player or talking to other villagers throughout the game. Special characters are encountered more rarely and only appear during certain holidays or events, though some also live in town and run the stores found there. One of the best-known recurring special characters in Animal Crossing is Tom Nook, and he also happens also to have one of the most fleshed-out backstories of the series.
The latest Animal Crossing game, New Horizons, brings back many special characters who were introduced in earlier games. Rover, Cyrus and Reese, Blathers and Celeste, and Saharah are just a few familiar faces that have been reintroduced to the series thanks to New Horizons. Others, though, are still missing. For example, Brewster and Dr. Shrunk, two popular characters that have frequently been the subject of fan campaigns to return them to the series, have yet to make an appearance. Tom Nook seems to get top billing over all of these, being a far more consistent face in the series, and while Nintendo's recent announcement that major content updates are coming to New Horizons in the future could mean that other characters will show up, it's more or less inarguable that Tom Nook outranks them all.
Tom Nook is a major staple of the series, appearing in every mainline Animal Crossing game in some form or another. Usually, he's in charge of business or other management campaigns across town, either taking care of housing or running Nook's Cranny and subsequent shop upgrades. He even has the player work for him in some games, allowing them to learn the game's mechanics and earn Bells to pay off their housing loans. Because he's returned so frequently, there's been plenty of time for the series' developers to explore his backstory, especially as it pertains to other Animal Crossing characters who either work for Tom Nook such as Isabelle or have a history with him. Here's what there is to know thus far about Tom Nook and how he fits into the franchise.
What The Animal Crossing Games Reveal About Tom Nook's Backstory
Much of Tom Nook's history is revealed by talking to other characters in the Animal Crossing series, although not all NPCs can be considered relatable narrators given how an Animal Crossing villagers' personalities and hobbies may color their perception. New Leaf in particular has a lot to say about Tom Nook and where he found his start. He evidently grew up in the town that players move to, dreaming of finding success and fame in the big city. He's noted to have been very work-driven, even arguably prioritizing that over his relationships at times. He eventually left town to pursue his ambitions, leaving behind most of his friends, particularly Sable.
Sable and Tom Nook's relationship is something that newer Animal Crossing fans may not be aware of, given that New Horizons has yet to properly explore their history together despite hinting towards it, but it's been brought up several times in previous Animal Crossing games. They're even close enough that Sable regularly calls him by just his first name rather than his full one. If players manage to befriend the quiet and aloof Sable in Animal Crossing: Wild World, she explains how she and Tom Nook were childhood friends, and that she worried for him extensively when he left their rural home to pursue his dreams in the big city.
Although his absence was stressful for Sable, it didn't seem to put too much of a strain on their friendship. She mentions to the player that her orange scissors, apparently the best pair she's ever had, were a gift sent from Tom Nook. Given that Sable also describes that she often forgot her own birthday due to the strain of raising Mabel on her own following the loss of their parents and her disagreements with their other sister Label, the sentiment behind the gift was clearly important to Sable.
However, starting out in Animal Crossing's big city didn't go particularly well for Tom Nook. The harsh life there resulted in him not only giving up on his dreams of making a living there, but also going through a change in personality. While Sable says in Wild World that he was once optimistic and pure of spirit, many Animal Crossing players have come to know him as single-mindedly focused on work and Bells. It's implied that his move to the big city played a large role in changing this. This also seemed to lead to the two of them drifting apart, which could explain why they aren't typically seen interacting directly with one another in Animal Crossing.
Despite that, however, Tom Nook and Sable still make mention of one another in other games such as New Leaf. Sable even claims he has a nice singing voice, something that could additionally explain why Tom Nook is a fan of K.K. Slider. In New Horizons, Tom Nook is the one who encourages players to get the island's rating to 3 stars in order to convince superstar K.K. Slider to come visit and play for them. He may also admire K.K. Slider because of his own humble beginnings; in New Horizons, it's revealed that he started out as a pup with a shoebox guitar and dreams of travelling the world and playing music.
Fortunately, Tom Nook seems to have recovered from his own past just fine, given how successful he is in the Animal Crossing series as a whole. He often runs his own store, even if he lets his nephews take control of direct sales. Other games put him in charge of real estate, loaning the player Bells to build or expand their housing options. Animal Crossing: New Horizons goes even further, with Nook Inc. being the company behind the entire island renovation project. Although it's possible that the next Animal Crossing game could replace Tom Nook or at least make him less important to the narrative, if he returns it's probable that more of his history and relationships could be revealed to players.