Blathers has been a part of the Animal Crossing series since the beginning. The owl character has been in the series for almost as long as Tom Nook, and he has a rather extensive backstory when compared to the other characters. He and Celeste grew up in the city, and he has a number of degrees. Because of his professor's recommendation, he became the director of his first museum.
Blathers has gone through a lot of changes throughout the years, with six core Animal Crossing games and three spin-offs. He's gone through voice changes, different PhD degrees, and he's even changed the way he speaks to the player. About course, there are still some aspects of him that haven't changed. His dread of bugs, for example, has been constant, as has his overall design and museum position.
From the Original Games to the Wild World Source code for an early version of Blathers' design from the Animal Forest Japan-exclusive game was leaked in 2020 by fans. Blathers' early concepts offered him pure black eyes and a blue bow tie instead of green, as shown in the photograph. His bright cheeks are also missing in the early design. However, in the proper games, his design has remained consistent.
Blathers can identify bugs, paintings, and fish in the original Animal Crossing, but he can't legally speak for fossils. Players were required to transmit fossils to another museum for identification. Blathers, on the other hand, is granted a permission to identify fossils by Wild World. Blathers really speaks with the player about his personal life in this game, including why he is frightened of bugs, how he grew up, and what his university life was like. Blathers was given a lot of development in Wild World. It was also under this title that his sister Celeste and his friend Brewster were introduced.
From the City to the Countryside
Blathers doesn't alter much in City Folk, but fans have noticed that when fossils and paintings are brought in to him, he starts to talk less about them than fish, fossils, and bugs. He also has a penchant for making jokes about bugs and fish. Celeste runs an observatory in the Animal Crossing museum, and Brewster manages a cafe, just like in Wild World.
Blathers undergoes more subtle alterations in New Leaf. Nintendo condenses his academic vocabulary and simplifies most of what he says while still forcing him to talk in a formal manner. Blathers also acknowledges wants to start his own private collection outside of the institution. Celeste and Brewster, two of his connections, are still alive, albeit Brewster now has his own cafe apart from the museum.
New Frontiers and Spin-Off Titles
Blathers has a lot of bias for various types of gifts in New Horizons. Fossils excite him the most, fish excite him a little, and bugs terrify him completely. His voice also changes, as he had a sluggish villager's voice in New Leaf and a smug villager's voice in New Horizons. Brewster, his friend, decides to open a cafe within the museum rather than outside.
Blathers has also made appearances in spin-off games. He has six distinct costumes in the amiibo Festival, which is odd because his design in the games has always been the same. A Greek attire, pajamas, and a top hat are among the costumes. Kappei Yamaguchi, the voice actor for L in Deathnote and Usopp in Once Piece, also voiced him in the Doubutsu no Mori film.