The Nintendo Switch 2 will, at some point, eventually get an Animal Crossing game, and it's fair to say that fans are excited. While Animal Crossing: New Horizons proved to be an enjoyable experience for most, it is very much old news now - aside from those who've invested 2000 or perhaps even 3000 hours into it - so it is definitely time for a fresh new entry into the beloved franchise. Fans have even begun sharing ideas of features they want to see in the game, from more social sim elements to returning villagers.

However, while many are hoping that a new Animal Crossing game will end up becoming one of the Switch 2's first-party launch titles, there are a few things that need to be changed about the series' formula. Specifically, there are a handful of villagers that need to be removed completely, as not only are they often upsetting to look at, but they can taint a village and ruin the fun. While some of these villagers may have their diehard fans, Nintendo definitely needs to avoid them for the benefit of everyone else.

10 Al Ruins The Good Gorilla's Name

His Eyes Are Shifty

Al is a relatively disliked villager in Animal Crossing, having appeared in each entry since City Folk. Despite his generally jock-like demeanor and choice of furniture, Al actually has the lazy personality. Surprisingly, this actually makes him far more endearing than a lot of other gorillas in Animal Crossing. That's what makes his appearance all the more frustrating, as it ruins what would be an otherwise great villager.

The consensus around Al is that his eyes are very offputting. They make him look like he's taken something he really shouldn't have, being far too wide and beady for anyone's liking. While this doesn't make him Animal Crossing's worst villager, it is enough to warrant his exclusion from future titles. Perhaps a redesign could be in order, especially as, in some fan art that reimagines him, he manages to look quite appealing.

9 Phoebe Ruins Everyone's Island

You Just Want To Get Rid Of Her

Phoebe isn't the worst villager in Animal Crossing, but she is definitely one players will want to kick from their village. While she can be likable thanks to her big sister personality, her house is a visual nightmare. Of course, if players don't get her as a starter villager, then she'll have a different house. However, stepping one foot into her over-the-top volcano-inspired house is enough to bully her into leaving.

It is obviously in keeping with her phoenix design, but it can often feel like too much and makes visiting her a frustrating endeavor. She's not the worst villager by far, but many players have serious gripes with her, with several posting online whenever she finally leaves their village. The next Animal Crossing will definitely be a lot better without Phoebe in it.

8 Diva's Design Can Be Offputting

She's Great Other Than Her Design

Diva has a cult following in Animal Crossing, largely thanks to her big sister personality. She can be blunt, but she's often kind to the player, with her upbeat and slightly eccentric attitude making her appealing to some. However, much like Al, Diva is ruined thanks to her incredibly bizarre design. From the odd choice of color to her upsettingly large lips and eyes, Diva can come across as a little terrifying.

It's not all her fault, as this design philosophy applies to a lot of the frog villagers in Animal Crossing. While she will definitely be missed in future Animal Crossing games by some players, her absence is probably for the best. Nintendo needs to slowly start phasing out the more badly designed characters and perhaps even replace them with newer and more interesting villagers.

7 Pietro's Clown Look Is Too Much

It's Unfortunate He Looks So Bad

Pietro is a terrifying clown. There are no two ways about it. The garish color scheme, haunting make up, perpetual smile, and sad eyes, make him a nightmare to have around. While it could be fun to have a clown-based villager - and there are surprisingly a few - Pietro is a bad example of how to pull it off thanks to being perhaps the worst-designed villager in all of Animal Crossing.

Thankfully, Pietro is a rare Animal Crossing villager, which is a blessing for those who aren't fond of him. However, removing him from Animal Crossing altogether would be the best course of action. There simply isn't a place for a villager quite as garish as Pietro. Not only does he not fit in aesthetically - even ACNH's clean art style couldn't make him work - but his smug personality makes him a pain to be around.

6 Coco Haunts Players' Nightmares

Her Design Is Enough To Kick Her Out

Coco is a lovely villager and one that could be fascinating if Animal Crossing was a horror game and not a life sim with a largely younger demographic. However, that isn't the case, and so Coco is the scariest villager in Animal Crossing who is as disturbing to look at as she is a curse on a village. Her gaping wide eyes make her appear like an empty husk, one without a soul, just waiting to creep into the player's nightmares and haunt their waking moments.

Interestingly, Coco is designed around Haniwa, or Gyroids as they're known in the English version of Animal Crossing. These were clay figures with similarly hollow eyes and mouths that were placed around graves to honor the dead. That doesn't really feel in keeping with Animal Crossing's cozy life sim vibes, as interesting as it is. In order to spare children future nightmares, Coco should definitely be removed.

5 Limberg Is A Smelly Rat

He's Too Cranky

Limberg is a cranky rat with a weirdly unpleasant appearance. He's one of many villagers inexplicably with facial hair, that seems endlessly grumpy whenever the player talks to them, no matter how trivial the conversation is. His cranky nature makes him a pain to be around, one that makes any village he enters a worse place as a result. Animal Crossing would be significantly better without him.

This is made all the more true by the fact that he's stinky. It's a strange trait for an Animal Crossing villager to have, but it's literally true. In English he's named after Limburger cheese, which is famously very smelly, and in Japanese he's named after rakkyō, which is a smelly vegetable that translates to cheese onion. His catchphrase is also "squinky", which is obviously a combination of squeaky - as he is a mouse - and stinky. There is simply no place for smelly villagers in Animal Crossing.

4 Chops Is A Little Creepy

His Pretentious Flirting Is Too Much

Chops is perhaps one of the most offputting villagers, but not quite for his appearance. Sure, Chops isn't a great-looking villager, although he is somewhat reminiscent of the pilot pig Porco Rosso from the Studio Ghibli film of the same name, but that isn't the biggest of his problems. Rather, Chops is a little too flirty, which seems, once again, out of place in Animal Crossing.

It's an interesting concept, especially as not that many villagers have the same trait, but it does feel somewhat inappropriate in a game aimed at all ages, including children. Even were he not flirty, Chops is far too smug, often coming across as a pretentious know-it-all who is really, really obsessed with trains. Chops should definitely be removed from Animal Crossing if only to spare people from his unwanted advances.

3 Hippeux Is Too Pompous

His Smug Attitude Is Not Appreciated

Just like Chops, Hippeux is far too pompous for his own good. He's got the smug personality, which can rarely be pulled off by any villager, but is especially annoying with Hippeux. This is largely due to his design, which makes him look like a smug businessman with a bad haircut. His long snout doesn't help either, although that isn't exactly his fault thanks to being a hippo.

Animal Crossing should be mean at times, as it helps to give character arcs to each of the villagers while also adding some much-needed diversity to the huge roster of villagers. This is evidenced by Animal Crossing New Horizons' rather placid villagers who placate the player at every possible turn. However, what it doesn't need is exclusively rude and awful villagers like Hippeux, which is why he needs to go in the next Animal Crossing game.

2 Barold Doesn't Belong In Animal Crossing

His Beard Makes Him Offputting

Barold does not belong in Animal Crossing. He is a weirdly designed villager - looking like someone applied a gray filter to a somber-looking Mii - with a five o'clock shadow and a mopey face that makes being around him feel like a drag. He also has a very creepy house full of security cameras and screens displaying what looks like security camera footage.

It isn't clear if Barold is spying on his fellow villagers, but his house absolutely gives him that vibe and has earned him the title of Animal Crossing's most controversial villager. His bad design coupled with his weird house makes him a villager that no one wants around and an easy one to remove in the next Animal Crossing game.

1 Everyone Hates Rodney

He Has His Own Subreddit

Rodney is so hated there is even a subreddit dedicated to just how much people don't like him. There are so many reasons why Rodney is a terrible Animal Crossing villager, from his unpleasant design that makes him look like a spoiled child, to his excruciatingly annoying smug personality that makes being around him a consistently terrible experience.

Rodney needs to be removed from Animal Crossing as soon as possible, especially as he's been around for far too long, being first introduced in New Leaf. If the next Animal Crossing game is to get rid of just one villager, then it has to be Rodney. It's hard to believe that anyone could like him, as he makes Animal Crossing somehow worse, something that seems impossible considering just how good it is.

Source: TrickiWoo/YouTube, Reddit