Villagers that went from "who?" to "don't leave EVER!!!"

For me it was Mac! He was ok at first, I had overlooked him in nl and ww but when I had him as a starter... I soon realised that he was one of the coolest villagers and decided I could never have an animal crossing game without him in it (on my island for nh, town for nl etc)
 
For me Flora, I didn't really care for her before NH, but after she moved in, I ended up liking her and I will keep her as a permanent villager.
 
Beau!! He was one of my first starting villagers (part of the first 5!) and at first I just took him in because I like his design. But after a while, I think I've grown attached to him and I'm not really keen on letting him go anytime soon.
 
Tasha! I found her on a mystery island before I knew what personalities were, I just thought she looked good but she is the sweetest, loveliest squirrel/skunk ever and she’s never leaving my island!
 
Cherry and Snake. They were my starters and I was thinking of moving them out at first, since I haven't really cared much for either uchi or jock.

The more I got to know them, though, the more they grew on me. Cherry is really sweet, although she can be a bit brusque, and Snake is (in my head) really a lazy posing as a jock. I couldn't imagine the island without them, so I'm glad I kept them and got to know them.
 
zucker! i’ve known about him since new leaf but was never super fond of him; i didn’t hate him or anything, he was just one of those villagers who never appealed to me aha. so when i found him while island hopping, i invited him solely for the fact that i knew a lot of people were looking for him and he’d be a fairly easy way to profit,, but my plan backfired when i grew attached to him and now he’s a permanent resident on my island :P
 
For me it was Hazel. I remember fencing her in because I didn't want to see her. Then she kind of grew on me, and now I got her picture and we're good friends. It was a coming-of-age friendship.
 
I'd never heard of Billy or Plucky before starting NH. When I met them, I was like "eh?" about them, but have since grown to value them as treasured members of the island founding squad.

Other shout-outs to Admiral and Miranda. I had never heard of either of them, and both were random move-ins before my island was full (I think Admiral was the tenth). I looked them up and again went "meh" but now I love them. Idk about "keep around for eternity" love, but they just both work so well with their personalities and have appropriate houses and right now I just can't see them leaving.
 
Caroline.

She just randomly appeared in my campsite once, and I let her move in because she wanted to replace a villager who I wanted gone.

I love her color scheme and her house. She is fantastic.
 
Nan. I had never heard of her before as I hadn't had her before. But I found this little black goat with candy cane like horns on an island and decided to invite her and see. Her house is gorgeous and she's just adorable. I may have gotten Chevre specifically because of Nan.
 
Rudy and Lily - I never paid much attention to them before (or at all). Rudy was my starter and Lily was one of my first four villagers; I found her on a mystery island. Initially I wasn’t thrilled about Rudy because he’s a jock and I was kinda iffy about his design, but now I love him and his design so much (in spite of the muscle talk that I hate). I thought Lily was cute right away but saw her only as a temporary resident. She still is only on my island temporarily, but the choice is tough since I still want to have Ankha and Marshal on my island. I did want Lolly, but finding Sherb might have messed up that plan.
 
Gonzo. He is a close neighbor and his weird grumpy grandpa schtick really grew on me. I love him.
 
For me it was Hippeaux. He really grew on me. Though, Diana kicked him out so rip.
 
Pashmina for me. I had her once in New Leaf but HATED where she moved (in front of Town Hall...) so I just tried to get her to move out the whole time. But I saw her again in NH and wanted to give her another chance... and I really like her! I'm planning on getting her amiibo so I can get her again~
 
Katt was that villager for me back in New Leaf. I ran a cycling town for a bit and she was one that got cycled through and voided bc no one wanted her...after voiding her I realized I missed her goofy face and she's been my baby ever since. One of the first I scanned in via amiibo once I unlocked it in New Horizon.

For New Horizon, I would say Tabby was the character. Normally my go to peppy would have been Wendy...but I saw Tabby on a ticket island run (with katt's influence for loving unique and quirky faces) I just couldn't pass her up and she's been in my town ever since.
 
For me it's my two peppies - Audie and Tangy.
  • Audie was the first NMT island villager I found and other than the fact she was a newbie I didn't know much about her. I only found out later how sought after she was! I also have 3 wolves on my island who I want to keep forever (send help)
  • I also got Tangy from an island after burning through something like 20 tickets I was just glad to get a cat (my fave animal) and unique design. Now I love her and they will both be staying forever..
edit: oop I forgot Genji! he was my starter and i've always hated jocks but he is super cute and was my first to reach best friend status. I let him (and his ugly basic house go) but i've got his amiibo card waiting!
 
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