Why does Blathers hate bugs in Animal Crossing: New Horizons?

Blathers is one of the most beloved villagers in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. He works as a curator at the Museum on every player's New Horizons island and loves collecting all the different kinds of items that players have to offer to him.

However, he is quite terrified of bugs and becomes visibly uncomfortable whenever a player offers him a bug to donate at the Museum. While he does his job despite his immense fear of bugs, players have often wondered what led to this entomophobia in Blathers.

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Animal Crossing had revealed the history behind Blathers' phobia of bugs

While New Horizons players have often wondered what led to Blathers' immense phobia of bugs, the story was revealed in a previous Animal Crossing title, Wild World.

The story dates back to when Blathers was a child, and a mantis egg had hatched on his desk. As a result, thousands of mantis bugs flew out and swarmed the young Blathers.

This incident was quite traumatic for the little owl in his formative years, and he evidently is not completely over the trauma of having thousands of bugs swarming him.

This is a discomfort that most New Horizons players can relate to since they often face the risk of being swarmed by a bunch of wasps, which can lead to a terribly swollen face due to wasp stings.

However, Blather's trauma has not stopped him from doing his job well. Even though he is deathly afraid of bugs and cannot form complete words when he sees them, he still keeps them safe and sound in the Museum, which is a very commendable quality of the owl villager.

Incorporating phobias and fears into the various villagers of Animal Crossing highlights how Nintendo creates relatable and human-like characters. With the franchise growing in popularity, players can look forward to more such quirky characters with intricate backstories.