Why is K.K. Slider the only fully nude animal in Animal Crossing: New Horizons?

K.K. Slider performed at my island on Saturday. It was great! My Animal Crossing: New Horizons villagers — Bob, Lionel, and Rosie included — hovered around the Resident Services venue, some in chairs sipping beverages and others just wandering around. I requested a few songs, including my favorite, “Bubblegum K.K.”

I docked my Nintendo Switch and had K.K. Slider’s tunes playing idly on the television. And then I had a thought: Is K.K. Slider naked? My husband responded: Yes, and you had this realization last weekend, too. Please stop. Indeed, K.K. Slider is fully nude, unlike the other animals that live on my island. I’ve only seen him wearing the guitar, and only the guitar. The thing is, K.K. Slider has always been naked; I don’t know a K.K. Slider that has worn clothes. And yet, it still shocks me.

I’m not alone, either. Others on social media are searching for answers. Why is it OK that K.K. Slider shows up on our islands fully nude each week?

Even some villagers have noticed it, too.

K.K. Slider does, though, have a long history of wearing clothes, a history that spans across decades of Animal Crossing games. In Animal Crossing: New Leaf, where he occasionally wears a hat. He also briefly wears a black shirt emblazoned with “K.K.” while doing DJ sets at the K.K. Beat Booth in Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp. K.K. Slider also, for some reason, wears clothes on plenty of his album covers, which somehow makes things worse. K.K. Slider can (and should) wear clothes, but he just chooses not to.

K.K. Slider’s got a lot of good clothing options. He looks fine in plenty of outfits. In Only Me, K.K. Slider wears a suit with his collar largely unbuttoned. Much better than nude. On the Rockin’ K.K. cover, he’s got ripped jeans and a studded belt. Yep, also better than nude. For the K.K. March cover, he’s got a band uniform. On K.K. Milonga, K.K. Slider is wearing a mustache and a suit jacket — you guessed it, still better than nude.

And then there’s Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival, where K.K. Slider has so many clothing options to chill in during his free time. He’s got a blue striped shirt, a suit, and even a tuxedo.

My first theory was that K.K. Slider is a dog, and dogs don’t wear clothes. But I’ve since debunked that theory: There are plenty of dog villagers in New Horizons, and all of them wear shirts. Isabelle, also a dog, wears a skirt! My next theory is that K.K. Slider is so famous that he can do anything he wants. There are no rules when you’re so widely beloved. Why would he wear clothes when he can just ... not? He likes to feel free. Natural. It’s really the only logical explanation for this.

I’ve reached out to Nintendo for clarification.

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