To the surprise of many players, Animal Crossing: New Horizons' The 3.0 free update did not arrive on its scheduled day. It fell quickly. Overnight, longtime NPCs quietly stepped into entirely new roles, reentering island life as if they'd never left. Along with them, hordes of players have logged in for the first time in years to experience the update's new features.
For series veterans, that suddenly felt appropriate. Animal Crossing It's always been about changing routines when you're not looking. And Kapp'n and Mr. No two characters embody that better than Resetti: figures that once defined journeys, outcomes, and structure, now reimagined for a gentler, more flexible world. It is all about knowing who they are, where they came from and how they came New Horizons has changed its position in the series.
I haven't touched my Animal Crossing island in 3 years, and this update finally makes me forgive
Like many fans of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, I'm excited to return to my island after conveniently abandoning it 3 years ago.
Kapp'n: An animal crossing NPC possibly older than the island
Kap'n is a green turtle, inspired by kappa, a mischievous river yokai from Japanese folklore. His name is a phonetic play on “captain,” as a sailor might say it, and his speech leans heavily toward pirate caricature—”dude,” “sprat,” and the occasional fish-based nickname for the player. He first appeared in Dobutsu no Mori+ And since then a generation has not remembered. In his original, Kapp'n defined by:
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A deep connection with the sea
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A strong work ethic
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A fondness for women, cucumbers and old huts
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Belief that travel takes time
That last feature scared him Animal Crossing NPC, simply because her singing felt inevitable. It was rude to cut him off, and yet it was a bit provocative to let him continue. In response, players created endless memes and content from his love for sea shanties.
Every job Kapp'n has ever taken seriously
Kapp'n's defining role has always been transportation, but the “how” has shifted with each game.
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ferry operator (animal crossing)
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Game Boy Advance links roiled players to the island via cable
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During the voyage long sea jays sang
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Loading screens turned into character moments
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Taxi Driver (Wild World)
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was replaced Animal CrossingCo rover as an intro character
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Determine the player's presence, name and city
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Frequent off-duty appearances at roasts
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bus driver (city folk)
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Drive players between cities and towns
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Gender-specific dialogue and light flirting were provided if the player was a rural woman
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Complaining about “modern youth” while playing hut
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boat captainnew leaf)
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Took a motorboat back to sea
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Players were transported to the island of Tortimer
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Introduced his family as permanent NPCs: his wife Leilani, his mother Grams, and his daughter Leela
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- Island Tour Guide (New Horizons)
Mr. Racetti: Animal Crossing's once terrifying NPC
Where Cappan represents patience, Mr. Racetti has always represented results. Presented in the original Animal CrossingResetti exists to enforce one rule: save your game. If you didn't, he showed up outside your house to lecture you—sometimes for minutes at a time. The more you reset, the more angry he gets. His personality is famously explosive, but outside of work, he's actually quite calm, polite, and surprisingly contemplative. He believes that life does not offer resets, and neither should this game.
How Resettlement Worked Before New Horizons
Found players to help Animal Crossing A semi-inhabited town rather than an island may not know about the hard edges of Racetti. Those edges made him infamous as kids with Gamecubes or Nintendo DS feared his presence. Later entries softened his tone, but never took away his message. In earlier games, Racetti:
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The players were forced to repeat the phrase
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Created fake reset screens
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Regularly broke the fourth wall
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Appeared in Groundhog Day events
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Operated secret surveillance centers with his brother Don.
Mr. Riccetti in New Horizons: Left, Not Gone
Autosave changed everything. With no reset for punishment, Mr. Resetti was officially “fired” from the Reset Monitoring Center. Instead, he now operates a rescue service, helping stranded players back to safety. At first, it wasn't entirely clear that he was the one running the show, but some context clues lead to it still being him, including occasional self-directed pep talks when you're short on Nook Miles.
After the 2.0 update, Resetti is back in physical form:
In the 3.0 update, he now offers a cleaning service that clears objects or flowers from selected areas. In a sense, he is still enforcing the order, only more politely.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
9/10
- issued
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March 20, 2020
- ESRB
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Everyone / Comedy pranks, mild fantasy violence, user interaction, in-game purchases
- developer(s)
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Nintendo EPD
- Publisher(s)
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Nintendo
