It’s safe to say that Animal Crossing is home to a colossal spectrum of species. Of course, there is a humanoid equivalent of most people’s favorite animals, whether a stargazing owl or an insect-loving chameleon. But there are a few critters that no one expects to see roaming the land.
One species that immediately comes to mind when I think about things I wouldn’t expect to see is the octopus villagers. There’s something a bit off about seeing octopuses roaming around a town when usually they dwell so deeply in the sea. I find it even more unsettling when I think about the fact you can catch an octopus in the game – let alone have one as a friend!
But while I don’t particularly like their design, I know a few people who love how unique their appearances are. Unfortunately, there are only a few octopus villagers to explore, but Octavian is arguably the most recognizable of the lot! His miserable, sulky outlook is charming yet intimidating, but maybe after delving further into what makes him so wonderful, I’ll have a change of heart!
Introduction to Octavian
Octavian was the first octopus villager to appear in an Animal Crossing game. His appearance in Animal Forest made him unique to the species until Marina joined Animal Forest e+. I find octopus villagers jarring at first, with their giant puckered mouths, but after befriending Zucker in New Horizons, I feel warmer to the species.
But this red octopus, in particular, is best known for his ‘can’t do attitude and pessimistic outlook on life. He’s not the most chipper of the bunch, but within that comes a certain charm unmatched by any other cranky villagers, even with the furrowed brow.
The name “Octavian” is derived from “Gaius Octavius” – the first emperor of Ancient Rome. Also, “Oct” is a heavy reference to his species. Plus, it just suits him! All octopus villagers have some sort of marine-based humor behind their names.
Here are some general facts about Octavian to start:
- Gender: Male
- Species: Octopus
- Birthday: September 20th
- Star sign: Virgo
- First Appearance: Animal Forest
- Personality: Cranky
- Catchphrase: Sucker
Octavian’s Appearance
As you’d expect from any humanoid-octopus villager, Octavian’s features are otherworldly when you first meet him. He looks dangerously similar to the catchable octopus within the Animal Crossing franchise, meaning he is based on a Pacific Red Octopus. This is where he gets his recognizable coloring from. On the back of his head, he has two bandages forming an ‘X.’ I make myself laugh when I think about this, and I’ve persuaded myself it was some form of fishing accident.
Due to his species, he has six tentacle legs and two tentacle arms, all adorned with red suckers. He also has a large, puckered mouth to mimic the jet of an actual octopus, which is the most unsettling part of his design.
We have seen a lot of questionable mouths in Animal Crossing, but the protruding, gaping mouth of octopus villagers just doesn’t sit well with a vast number of people. It’s such a distinctive feature, I don’t know how I’d feel if they removed it, but I don’t love it by any stretch of the imagination!
Octopus villagers are also known for their incredibly rounded heads. Octavian’s facial features are one of the reasons he is such a recognizable crank. He has angry-looking, squinted eyes with a strong brow bone which constantly makes him look unimpressed. In addition, he has puffy cheeks with light orange blush marks. Initially, Octavian was seen to wear a Big Star Shirt, but as of New Horizons, he upgraded to a Gold Print Tee.
There are currently only five octopus villagers across Animal Crossing games, but only four in New Horizons. Because of their small numbers, they are considered the rarest villager species. Octavian is the only octopus villager to appear in every Animal Crossing game, so his age might be why he’s so grumpy!
Octavian’s Personality
As I’ve already mentioned, Octavian is an incredibly grumpy character. He is the dictionary definition of a cranky villager. There are sixty-six cranky villagers in Animal Crossing, and Octavian is the only ill-tempered octopus.
Typically, cranky villagers are easily irritated and annoyed by their fellow islanders or townsfolk. They consistently admit to feeling out-of-touch with social trends and will look down on peppy villagers’ positive outlooks in particular. Further, cranky villagers are considered the male counterpart of snooty villagers due to their somewhat rude attitudes toward the behaviors of other villagers. But rather than explicitly degrading the lifestyles of others, cranky villagers appear confused rather than disappointed.
I always find cranky villagers harder to approach than others in the game.
Their general distaste towards the behaviors of other villagers is off-putting to me and reminds me of how villagers would treat you in the Gamecube title. Yet, as hard as I try to break through their negativity and befriend the chipper personality beneath, I just can’t seem to face the initial upset!
Despite this, cranky villagers get on well with sisterly, snooty, jock, and smug villagers. They will discuss trivial things in conversation and agree on many things, such as food. But, as I’ve already said, they don’t get along with peppy villagers and claim they are constantly “mucking around.” So if a cranky villager is talking with a peppy villager, it’ll usually end up with one of the participants leaving feeling upset and the other feeling irate.
Surprisingly, cranky villagers also get along with lazy and normal villagers, but these two personality types get upset quickly if something wrong is said. It’s relatively common for a cranky villager to upset a lazy villager by criticizing their lifestyle. The daily routine of a crank is almost the opposite of a lazy villager, which may be why they unintentionally clash.
While lazy villagers spend a lot of time in their homes, cranky villagers spend very little time on their own. Instead, they follow a strict routine of going to bed at 3:30 AM and waking up at 9 AM. Throughout the day, it’s unlikely you’ll find a cranky villager enjoying their own company in their homes rather than exploring either island or town life. Octavian, in particular, will spend his day either playing on the plaza or fishing around rivers and ponds.
Octavian’s Preferences
Since Octavian has been in every Animal Crossing/Animal Forest game to date, his style and personality have had a lot of time developing and cementing him into Animal Crossing lore. Octavian is one of those villagers with a particular style and interior design, making you go “I see…” as soon as you walk into their house.
Octavian’s preferences remained the same in every game until New Horizons was released. He was one of many villagers to get a well-deserved refurb in their houses and designs. There aren’t many drastic changes, but some things to note. To match his unique design, Octavian also has peculiar preferences. For example, he’s one of the only cranky villagers to have the play hobby! Which I find a rather charming juxtaposition.
Octavian’s Preferences in New Leaf
- Default clothing: Big-Star Tee
- Favorite song: K.K. D&B
- Coffee Preference: Blend, no milk, no sugar
- Life goal: Fisherman
- Skill: Trivia
- Hobby: Play
I find Octavian’s life goal pretty amusing every time I come across it. But, of course, isn’t an octopus who wishes to be a fisherman somewhat contradicting? But I guess that’s half the humor of Animal Crossing. I can only imagine Octavian’s reaction when he catches an identical octopus to him!
As for his preferences in New Horizons, the only changes are his clothing. He even listens to the same song he has done since Animal Forest. He’s a creature of consistency!
Octavian’s Preferences in New Horizons
- Default clothing: Gold-Print Tee
- Favorite song: K.K. D&B
- Default Umbrella: Melon Umbrella
- Life goal: Fisherman
- Skill: Trivia
- Hobby: Play
Gift Guide for Octavian
Befriending a cranky villager can be intimidating since they don’t take new people lightly. However, once you get in their good books, these grumps are more than friendly to anyone who shows them some kindness. Of course, the best way to break the ice is to give some gifts, and I’m sure Octavian would be more than happy to be on the receiving end!
In terms of clothing gifts, which is the cheapest and more accessible gift approach, Octavian has two specific styles he likes to fashion; Cool and Simple. Alongside these themes, he loves anything black or white – so it’s essential to get him something you know he will love!
Here are a few items of clothing to suit Octavian’s style:
- Collarless Shirt (Black) – 960 bells
- Short Peacoat (Black) – 1,680 bells
- Pocket Tee (Black) – 560 bells
- Faux-Hair Sweater (Black and White) – 1,200 bells
- Printed Sleeve Sweater (Black) – 560 bells
If you wanted to shake things up, or you just love the item Octavian is wearing so much, so you don’t want to change it, then he also appreciates furniture from time to time. If you’ve visited his house in any Animal Crossing game, you’ll know it has a particular theme. However, if you haven’t had the chance to swing by, his favorite concepts for interior design are space and sci-fi.
In terms of color, Octavian will happily accept and appreciate the following items in white, gray, blue, or black. He’s pretty easygoing in furniture, but if you want a few extra brownie points to boost your friendship, something that suits his theme and features his favorite colors is a win. Additionally, Celeste DIY items go down a treat, such as a moon or a space shuttle, but they’re rarer than items you can just buy in Nooks Cranny.
Here are some furniture items Octavian would happily receive and that can be bought from Nooks Cranny:
- Telescope – 5,600 bells
- Gong – 5,100 bells
- Tourist telescope (black) – 10,000 bells
- Rocket Lamp (Green or Yellow) – 1,500 bells
- Anatomical Model – 3,500 bells
Octavian’s House
As I’ve mentioned a few times, Octavian has a recognizable theme within his house. This theme has been carried across every game he’s been in and is also used in New Horizons – which I found surprising as most villagers had a refresh on their interior design.
I love visiting my villagers in their homes, especially if they’re new and I don’t know what to expect. There is something particularly wonderful about walking into a home and realizing it’s staged after a location as far away from a house as possible. Of course, I don’t mean something as simple as a campsite like Beau’s; I’m talking about something random, like Eunice’s laundrette house. Octavian’s home is similar in this sense, as it doesn’t feel like a home at all.
Throughout every game, there has always been a mirror of Octavian’s red color somewhere on the exterior of his home. In New Leaf, his roof was red and had a basic home design, which continued in New Horizon with an entirely red house with an accompanying front door. In addition, however, he had a yellow ochre shingled roof.
There has to be some separation from the red somewhere! New Horizons also stripped Octavian of the basic house design. Instead, they gave him something more zen and Japanese styled, which suits his personality to a T. Zucker, the lazy octopus villager, also has the Zen home design – and it fits him just as well!
However, the natural appeal of Octavian’s humble abode is the space station that lies within. In his gift guide, multiple pieces of space-themed furniture make him extremely happy – so it can only be expected that this passion is kept within the confines of his home.
When I first entered Octavian’s home in New Leaf – I didn’t expect a beautiful depiction of life on the moon. Instead, I thought Octavian’s house would be somewhat mundane and unimpressive since his personality doesn’t let on any idea of his passions. But much like Ribbot, a robotic frog, he adores everything space-themed, which has been part of his design since his home in Animal Crossing Gamecube.
In every game, Octavian’s house has featured the following items from the space furniture series:
- Lunar Horizon wallpaper
- Lunar Surface floor
- Rocket
- Space Shuttle
- Spaceman Sam
- Sattelite
Depending on which game you’re playing, Octavian’s house may also feature asteroids, a space rover, and a few items from the robot furniture series. The textures and sounds of all the things combined in Octavian’s house make me feel like I’m on a space mission every time I visit. Which is sometimes a stressful experience!
Before Celeste handed out furniture recipes in previous titles, the moon was only gifted by Tortimer during the Harvest Moon Festival. Alongside Ribbot and Dotty, Octavian has the most space-themed items in his house, but several other villagers find the moon appealing.
Octavian in Pocket Camp
Octavian was added to Pocket Camp in February 2018. Rather than being part of Blathers Treasure Trekking or Gulliver’s Cargo Ship, Octavian is one of the villagers that randomly appear on the islands surrounding your campsite. He’s not a very popular villager, so I wouldn’t expect him to be part of the treasure trekking. However, if you are desperate to meet Octavian in Pocket Camp – you can call him to Breezy Hollow via Calling Card for thirty leaf tickets.
Calling him to Breezy Hollow will let you speak to him and fulfill his needs for three hours. However, this won’t be enough to invite him to your campsite immediately. You’ll need to spend a few more leaf tickets to receive more requests to raise Octavian’s friendship level – as you need to be at least Level Seven friendship with him before you can invite him over!
Alongside reaching level seven friendship, you’ll need to craft the following items:
- Earth Rug
- Octopus Chair
- Red Cone
- Asteroid
- Lunar rover
Crafting all Octavian’s requests will set you back sixty pieces of cotton, 270 steel, and six cool essences. These items will cost a total of 7,120 bells and will take a whopping twenty-five hours! I always find myself frustrated at how long crafting takes when I go to invite a new villager to my campsite. I don’t have enough leaf tickets to buy a single fortune cookie! Let alone spend them on speeding up crafting times.
My least favorite thing about Pocket Camp is how dependent the game is on Leaf Tickets to get things done quickly. When I started playing the game, they were very hard to come by unless you exchanged real money for them through micro-transaction. Which I don’t think anyone likes! But as the years have passed, Leaf Tickets are a more common reward with daily sign-ins now, which is much better.
If you’ve completed the twenty-five-hour slog of crafting for this otherworldly octo, you’ll start reaping the benefits of his rewards!
As your friendship level increases, Octavian will reward you with the following items or requests:
- Level 7: Big Star Tee and 1x Sparkle Stone
- Level 9: 1x Sparkle Stone
- Level 15: Request you to craft a flying saucer
- Level 20: 1x Self Portrait and 1z Sparkle Stone
- Level 25 – 60: 1x Sparkle Stone every five levels
Octavian’s Amiibo Card and e-Card
Since Octavian was in Animal Forest, he has an e-Card for his original debut and an amiibo for the later games. His e-Card, which is only compatible with Animal Forest, is number 239 in the series for anyone looking to complete their collection!
He’s not a very popular villager, so you may be able to find his e-Card for cheap. On the other hand, if you’re like me and have a constantly growing Animal Crossing collection of merch spanning back to the first Animal Crossing game, then e-Cards may be worth searching for!
I’ve had the most luck buying second-hand e-Cards from somewhere like eBay or a retro games shop. They’re pretty challenging to come by since the game is dated now, especially with amiibo cards being the thing people want, but if you come across them – I’d always suggest making an offer if you come across them.
They’re an excellent addition for any die-hard Animal Crossing fan! I’ve never had much luck collecting amiibo cards because there are so many now, and certain villagers cost a considerable amount of money. However, I feel like collecting e-Cards is more manageable!
However, suppose amiibo cards are something you’re more interested in collecting. In that case, Octavian’s card is a member of the first series of cards (which is only appropriate considering he is one of the oldest villagers.) For clarification, he looks just as grumpy in his portrait! He’s number 45 in the collection and is the only octopus in this set. Once again, he’s not too popular, so his amiibo card is always in circulation.
If you’re on the hunt for him and don’t want to buy a card, Octavian is relatively cheap on Nookazon. He has an average price of 290,000 bells or 10 Nook Miles Tickets. However, as much as I think he has a unique design, I don’t think I’ll be inviting him to my island soon! I’m worried he might clash with some of my favorite lazy villagers.
FAQs
Question: How Many Octopus Villagers are There?
Answer: There are technically five octopus villagers, but only four octopus villagers are available in New Horizons. The one octopus left behind is Inkwell, who is available in New Leaf exclusively. He’s an RV-Exclusive villager and is considered a ‘special character’ since he is based on the video game Splatoon.
Question: Is Octavian a Rare Villager?
Answer: Since there are only five octopus villagers in all of Animal Crossing, they are considered the rarest species. If you’re passionate about them, you may consider inviting them as soon as you meet them! I find octopus villagers to be a little bit like Marmite. People either love them or hate them!
Question: Are Cranky Villagers Mean?
Answer: While cranky villagers may initially appear sulky and mean, they open up once you start to befriend them! Once you’ve broken the ice with these grumpy guys, you’ll find their outlook charming. It’s not that they are angry at specific characters; they just don’t understand others’ approaches and perspectives on life! I think I relate to cranky villagers more than I like to admit.
Summary
It’s safe to say Octavian is a very unusual villager. From his space-themed home to his large puckered mouth, I can’t say I adore octopus villagers as much as I do others. But that’s not to say they aren’t for everyone! Animal Crossing does have something for everyone, and I know a few people who are a part of the Octavian fan club. Perhaps in the future, I’ll open my heart to more of this marine life, but for now – I’m pretty content keeping an arm’s length from them!
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