TheAnimal Crossingfranchise has a huge roster of lovable characters. From beloved villagers to series staples like Blathers the owl and Tom Nook the tanunki, there’s no shortage of well-known faces in the series.
Not everyAnimal Crossingcharacter has made it all the way to the most recent title, though.Several NPCs have been left behind over time,dropped from the series, and nearly forgotten by its fans. And I got to meet one of them again, thanks toAnimal Crossing: Pocket Camp.
Animal Crossing’s Nat Was Excluded From New Horizons
He Appeared In Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp
I still playAnimal Crossing: Pocket Camp Complete, the formerly live-service mobile game thatwent fully one-time fee last November. Every month, a new character shows up to lead the monthly gardening event, and,so far, I’ve recognized every new appearance. Previous events have been held by Celeste, Daisy Mae, Gulliver, Isabelle, and other well-known names.
When I openedAC: Pocket Campon August 1st, I found myself staring into theunfamiliar bulging eyes of a green chameleon named Nat. A bit of research reveals that Nat has been in the series for a while, appearing inAnimal Crossing: City FolkandNew Leafas the lead of the Bug-Off competition.
I played both those previous games, and somehowI had completely forgotten about this adorable chameleon, who speaks in outdated Britishisms and, it’s heavily implied, eats all the bugs players give him as part of the Bug-Off. It’s not that surprising that I had forgotten Nat, though, since he’s been replaced by his son inAnimal Crossing: New Horizons.
Animal Crossing Keeps Things Fresh By Retiring “Old” Characters
I Hope They Keep Coming Back In Future Installments
Animal Crossinghas come a long way, and while it’s kept a lot of what has made it as popular as it is,the franchise has been changing and evolving. One of the ways in whichNew Horizonsappealed to the next generation of gamers was byshaking up some of the characters.
Of course, all the most beloved NPCs, like Nook, Isabelle, and the Able sisters, have remained in the game. But older residents ofNew Leaf
like Nat, Mayor Tortimer, and Chip (the host of the seasonal fishing events), were left in the past. Instead,Nat’s son Flick and Chip’s son C.J. replace their respective dadsas tourney hosts inNew Horizons.Even the turnip seller Joan has been replaced by her young granddaughter Daisy Mae inNew Horizons.
I’m sure part of the reason for these changes was to suggest the passage of time in theAnimal Crossingseries. After all, fans who playedWild Worldin 2025 had also grown up quite a bit by the time ofNew Horizons’release in 2020. But another, probably more important reason, was tokeep the game feeling freshand to appeal to a new, younger audience.
I’m sure we canexpect the nextAnimal Crossinggameto do something similar and let some of the older characters retire, with new and younger NPCs taking their place. But I hope they also keep bringing the classic old faces back (as more than just Amiibo extras).
I enjoyed meeting Nat the chameleon again—even if I didn’t remember him from thepreviousAnimalCrossingtitles, it still felt like seeing an old friend.
