Isabelle

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Isabelle first appeared in 2012 alongside her twin brother Digby in Animal Crossing: New Leaf. In that game, she acts as the secretary to the player character, who becomes the town mayor, assisting with various tasks. The development team created her after deciding the mayor needed an assistant, focusing on making a "very affectionate" character who was loyal and helpful. They chose to make a female dog who was "a little bit clumsy... but still very cute." Animal Crossing designers wanted players to reject Isabelle's offer of a ceremony for accomplishments at least once so they would feel bad about doing so. Director Katsuya Eguchi and producer Aya Kyogoku both enjoyed Isabelle; Eguchi appreciated her for her smile, friendliness, and clumsiness. Her appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is based on fellow Animal Crossing character Villager, but series director Masahiro Sakurai chose not to make her an "Echo Fighter" because of her different animations and proportions being based on New Leaf character models.

In Their Own Story

Morning light filters through the windows of the town hall as Isabelle arranges papers on her desk, her tail wagging gently. She straightens her blue dress and offers a polite bow before looking up expectantly. The quiet hum of the village contrasts with the gentle rustling of documents in her paws. She waits for the player to arrive, ready to discuss new infrastructure or simply share a kind word about the weather. Her dedication is absolute; she will become flustered if the player chooses to try and delete the town, bringing up the residents and the town's history in a way that may cause distress.

Reader's Guide

Isabelle functions as the administrative heart of every community in which she appears. In Animal Crossing: New Leaf, she assists the player mayor with various tasks. Her role expanded across subsequent titles including Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer, Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Outside the Animal Crossing franchise, she appears in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U as an assist trophy before becoming a playable fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. As a playable fighter, multiple of her moves reference commonly used items in the Animal Crossing series, such as a fishing rod and a net. She also appears in Mario Kart 8 as a downloadable racer, as well as in its Nintendo Switch port Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Player costumes based on Isabelle appear in Super Mario Maker and Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate.

Did You Know?

• Isabelle's Japanese name is Shizue (しずえ).
• She has a twin brother named Digby, who debuted alongside her in Animal Crossing: New Leaf.
• The Isabelle amiibo sold out immediately upon release, surprising writer Chris Carter due to otherwise low sales of Animal Crossing amiibo.
• In 2019, 15-year-old player "Bocchi" won an upset victory using Isabelle (a low-tier character) against top player "Ally" using Solid Snake in a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournament.
• When Animal Crossing: New Horizons released on the same day as Doom Eternal, fans created art of Isabelle and Doomguy as friends, which trended on social media and was acknowledged by both Aya Kyogoku and Bethesda.

Origins and Character Design

Isabelle, originally named Shizue in Japanese, is a golden-coloured Shih Tzu. The development team of New Leaf created her after deciding that the player-controlled mayor needed an assistant. They focused on making a "very affectionate" character who was loyal and helpful, and thus chose to make a female dog who was "a little bit clumsy... but still very cute." Animal Crossing designers wanted players to reject Isabelle's offer of a ceremony for various accomplishments as mayor at least once so that they feel bad about having done so. Animal Crossing director Katsuya Eguchi and New Leaf producer Aya Kyogoku both enjoyed Isabelle; Eguchi appreciated her for her smile, friendliness, and clumsiness. Her appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is based on fellow Animal Crossing character Villager. However, Super Smash Bros. series director Masahiro Sakurai chose not to make Isabelle an "Echo Fighter" of Villager because of her different animations and her proportions being based on character models in Animal Crossing: New Leaf, as opposed to earlier Animal Crossing character models.

Role Across the Franchise

Isabelle first appeared in the 2012 video game Animal Crossing: New Leaf along with her twin brother Digby. In the game, she acts as the secretary to the player character, who becomes the town mayor, and assists them with various tasks. She has appeared in several Animal Crossing games since, including Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer, Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Outside of the Animal Crossing franchise, Isabelle has also appeared in the Super Smash Bros. series, first appearing as an assist trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U before becoming a playable fighter in the Nintendo Switch sequel Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. As a playable fighter, multiple of Isabelle's moves reference commonly used items in the Animal Crossing series, for example, a fishing rod, and a net. Isabelle also appears in the Wii U video game Mario Kart 8 as a downloadable racer, as well as in its Nintendo Switch port Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Player costumes based on Isabelle appear in Super Mario Maker and Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate.

Merchandise and Cultural Presence

Isabelle appears as part of Nintendo's amiibo line of toys-to-life figures. She has two figures from the Animal Crossing line, one from the Smash Bros. line, and five Animal Crossing amiibo cards. Two Animal Crossing-brand Isabelle amiibo, each wearing a different outfit, were produced in conjunction with the release of Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival. A Super Smash Bros. amiibo based on her appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was announced for 2019. The Isabelle amiibo sold out immediately, which caused writer Chris Carter surprise due to otherwise low sales of Animal Crossing amiibo. Swappable faceplates featuring Isabelle were made for the New Nintendo 3DS. A Nendoroid figurine of Isabelle was released by Good Smile. In 2016, a crossover promotion between Sanrio and Animal Crossing led to a 3DS menu theme depicting Hello Kitty and Isabelle in a truck. Isabelle appeared in a one-off gag manga in the magazine CoroCoro. Multiple Line digital stickers featuring Isabelle were released on the app. The official Animal Crossing Twitter account is designed to appear as if it is Isabelle's, though from after the release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, until July 2020, it was made to appear as though it were run by Tom Nook.

Critical Acclaim and Legacy

Isabelle has received generally positive reception since her debut, to the point that she has become the mascot of the Animal Crossing series. She was ranked as one of the best video game characters of the 2010s by Polygon staff; writer Nicole Carpenter called her a "pure, helpful pal" and a "very real icon." Writer Amy Valens explains that her popularity was due to her being "wholesome, positive, and adorable." Writer Nadia Oxford praised her for her intelligence and selflessness, stating that she is "guaranteed to turn your heart into a crimson puddle of pulsating goo." Kotaku's Patricia Hernandez called Isabelle adorable and her "beloved," while expressing sadness at how difficult it was to obtain her amiibo card. Nadia Oxford of USGamer has named Isabelle as her "best new Nintendo character of the past decade." TheGamer also included Isabelle on their "Iconic Video Game Characters," stating that "Canonically the Shih Tzu breed, Isabelle quickly won over every player's heart with her officious nature and killer style." GamesRadar's Henry Gilbert called her his favorite resident in Animal Crossing due to her cute appearance and reliability. Writer Brittany Vincent called Isabelle one of the most adorable Animal Crossing characters. Writer Jaime Carrillo called her the best helper in video games. Author Ashley Brown discussed Isabelle's dialogue in particular, where she will become flustered if the player chooses to try and delete the town, bringing up the residents and the town's history, which Brown says is a novel concept but one that may cause distress. Isabelle has been a popular suggestion for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate among fans. Electronic Gaming Monthly writer Mollie L. Patterson praised her inclusion in Mario Kart 8, calling her adorable and stating her infatuation with the character. Nadia Oxford considered Isabelle as part of one of the best downloadable content packs in 2015, calling her adorable. Writer Gita Jackson called Isabelle her "precious angel" and that Isabelle appearing in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate constituted a birthday gift to her. Game Informer's Jeff Cork noted that Isabelle was a particular favorite for him among Ultimate's newcomers. Writer Jeremy Parish ranked Isabelle as his 11th best character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, calling her the "most lovable, loyal, hard-working character" Nintendo has. She is also his favorite character in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Paste magazine writer Holly Green ranked her as her least favorite of the newcomers in Ultimate, noting her dislike of some of her moves while praising her Fishing Rod attack. Fellow Paste writer Natalie Flores called her the cutest character in Super Smash Bros. IGN's Tom Marks called her "fantastic" and "charming," but lamented her as being similar to Villager. Jeremy Parish of Polygon ranked 73 fighters from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate "from garbage to glorious," listing Isabelle as 11th and claiming the character as "The most lovable, loyal, hard-working character in the Nintendo pantheon, Isabelle can't be defeated." Gavin Jasper of Den of Geek ranked Isabelle as 41st of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate characters, calling her an adorable dog version of Leslie Knope. In 2019, 15-year-old female player "Bocchi" was noted for pulling off an upset victory with Isabelle, a low-tier character, over top-ranking player "Ally" using top-tier character Solid Snake during a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournament. When Animal Crossing: New Horizons was delayed and ultimately released on the same day as Doom Eternal, fans of both games began creating and sharing fan art depicting Isabelle and Doomguy together as friends, which eventually trended on social media in 2020. Commentators responded positively towards the fan-made pairing, including acknowledgments from Aya Kyogoku, director of New Horizons, as well as Doom franchise owners Bethesda. The Isabelle and Doomguy friendship pairing has also been subject to other forms of fan labor, including fan videos and cosplay, also including Metroid character Samus Aran. In October 2021, after the addition of Doomguy as a Mii Fighter costume in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, together with Isabelle on the roster, the final update of the game was dubbed "friendship" and "love story" by video game publications.