To the surprise of many players, Animal Crossing: New Horizons' The free 3.0 update did not arrive on the scheduled day. It fell early. Overnight, longtime NPCs quietly stepped into brand new roles and re-entered island life as if they never left. Alongside them, for perhaps the first time in years, a horde of players logged in to try out the update's new features.
For series veterans, the suddenness felt appropriate. Animal Crossing it's always been that the routines change when you're not looking. And no two characters embody this better than Kapp'n and Mr. Resetti: characters that once defined travel, consequence, and structure, now reworked for a more nuanced and flexible world. That's all there is to know about who they are, where they came from, and how New Horizons she changed her place in the series.
I haven't touched my Animal Crossing Island in 3 years and this update finally forgives me
Like most Animal Crossing: New Horizons fans, I'm excited to return to my island after conveniently leaving it 3 years ago.
Kapp'n: An Animal Crossing NPC probably older than the island itself
Kapp'n is a green turtle inspired by the kappa, a mischievous river yokai from Japanese folklore. His name is a phonetic play on “captain”, vaguely the way a sailor might say it, and his speech leans heavily on pirate caricature – “yar”, “sprat” and the occasional fish-based player nickname. It first appeared in Dobutsu no Mori+ and since then he has not missed a single generation. At its core, Kapp'n is defined as:
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A deep bond with the sea
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Strong work ethic
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Fond of women, pickles and old shacks
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The belief that travel should take time
This last trait made him feared Animal Crossing NPC, just because his singing was unavoidable. It was rude to interrupt him, and yet it was a little awkward to let him continue. In response, players have created endless memes and content out of his love of sea shacks.
Every job Kapp'n ever took seriously
Kapp'n's defining role has always been passing, but the “how” has changed with each game.
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Ferry operator (animal crossing)
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He rowed the player to the island via the Game Boy Advance connecting cable
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During the journey he sang long sea shanties
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Turned loading screens into character moments
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Taxi Driver (Wild World)
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Exchanged Animal Crossing's Rover as an introductory character
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Determines the appearance, name and city of the player
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He often appeared off-duty at The Roost
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bus driver (City folk)
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He drove players between cities
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If the player was a female villager, it offers gender-specific dialogue and light flirting
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He complained about “modern youngsters” while whistling shacks
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ship captain (New sheet)
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He returned to the sea with a motor boat
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Transported the player to Tortimer's Island
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He introduced his family as permanent NPCs: his wife Leilani, mother Grams, and daughter Leila
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- Island Guide (New Horizons)
Mr. Resetti: Once a terrifying NPC from Animal Crossing
Where Kapp'n represents patience, Mr. Resetti has always represented consequence. Featured in the original Animal CrossingResetti existed to enforce one rule: save your game. If you didn't, he'd show up outside your house to lecture you—sometimes for minutes at a time. The more you reset, the angrier he got. His personality is famously explosive, but outside of work he's actually quite calm, polite and surprisingly thoughtful. He believes life doesn't offer resets and neither should this game.
How Resetti worked before New Horizons
Players who helped establish Animal Crossing an island instead of a semi-populated town may not know the rougher edges of Resetti. These edges made him infamous as kids with GameCubes or Nintendo DS feared his presence. Later records softened its tone but never removed its message. In previous Resetti games:
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They forced players to repeat phrases
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Created fake reset screens
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Break the fourth wall regularly
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Appeared during the events of Groundhog Day
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He ran secret surveillance centers with his brother Don.
Mr. Resetti in New Horizons: Laid Off, Not Gone
Autosave changed everything. With no resets to punish, Mr. Resetti was officially “released” from the Reset Surveillance Center. Instead, he now runs an ambulance service, helping stranded players get back to safety. At first it wasn't entirely clear that he was the one running the show, but some context clues led to it still being him, including occasional self-directed conversations when you don't have Nook Miles.
After the 2.0 update, Resetti physically returned:
In update 3.0, it now offers a cleaning service that cleans items or flowers from selected areas. In a sense, he still enforces order, only more politely.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
9/10
- Released
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March 20, 2020
- ESRB
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All / Comic book mischief, mild fantasy violence, user interaction, in-game purchases
- Developers
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Nintendo EPD
- Publishers
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Nintendo
