There are over 400 villagers inAnimal Crossing: New Horizons, from lazy pups to athletic alligators. Many of these characters are beloved by the community, while others appeal to more niche tastes.
That said, with so many different designs, some were bound to be deemed as theleast likable of the bunch. I was “unlucky” enough to get one of the most disliked characters in the game as my starter villager:the pink-masked, lipstick-wearing gorilla, Rocket.
I thought I’d be thrilled to kick her out as soon as I could, but over time, she’s grown on me, andI now love having her on my island. How exactly did that happen?
Why Rocket Is One Of The Most Disliked Animal Crossing Villagers
Her Design Isn’t Popular With Many Players
When you first arrive on your island inAnimal Crossing: New Horizons,you’re accompanied by two random villagers:one jock and one big sister personality. There areonly 26 big sister characters inACNH, making it the least common personality type in the game. This narrows the pool of characters and makes it more likely that you’ll get Rocket as one of your starters.
TheAnimal Crossingcommunity has a generally agreed-upon “most hated” character list, with the gorilla characters generallyscraping the very bottom of the barrel. Rocket’s high chance of encounter as a starter makes hereven more disliked than the rarer gorillas,so she gets a disproportionate amount of hate.
Rocket wears all pink, down to her lipstick, and has heavy-lidded eyes hidden behind goggles. The mask and red “4” emblazoned across her shirt and helmet identify her asone of the “Super Sentai” charactersof the series, alongside more popular options like Kid Cat (No. 1) and Big Top (No. 3).
That’s the other issue many players have with Rocket’s design. While you can replace the hat and face accessories in other villagers by gifting them something else to put on, Rocket’s helmet is basically fused with her head. No matter what shirt or outfit she’s wearing,that helmet is there to stay, causing frustration for many.
How Rocket Won Me Over In Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Now, I Can’t Let Her Go
I was definitely in the Rocket hate camp when I first got her as my starter. The more I saw her around, though, the moreI grew to appreciate her as a character and a design.
I generally don’t like sporty characters, but Rocket has such apositive, infectiously energetic personalitythat it’s hard not to like her when youinteract with her daily. The gorilla characters are large and bulky, so it makes sense for at least one to be a “sporty” big sister character. I love that Rocket isn’t a chad, but is rather a powerful female character whodoesn’t let being swole get in the way of having style.
Rocket’s character has more depth the more you look into her description in other games. InHappy Home Designer,her home is meant to be a respite for heroes becauseheroes need a rest, too.She also loves art and doesn’t shy away from pizza, even as she works hard to stay fit by lifting dumbbells.
I’ve come to appreciate Rocket inAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsas a wonderful juxtaposition of industrial steel and strength with cutesy pink and style. She’s now a permanent fixture on my island, and seeing her always brings a smile to my face. Call it Stockholm Syndrome, but I prefer to think that it’s worth giving everyone a chance.
