Tom Nook is a character from which video game franchise?

Tom Nook is one of the most recognisable characters from the "Animal Crossing" video game franchise. Known in Japanese as Tanukichi, Tom Nook is an anthropomorphic tanuki, or Japanese raccoon dog. In English translation he is usually referred to as a raccoon. He made his debut in the first game in the series, "Dōbutsu no Mori" for the Nintendo 64 console. The game was released in translation as the game "Animal Crossing" for the GameCube in 2001.

Tom Nook functions as a tutorial character in the beginning of the game. He owns the village shop and also manages all local real estate, selling the player their first house. The player works for Tom Nook as part of the game's tutorial. After the tutorial is over, the player is encouraged to earn enough money to pay off their debt to Tom Nook by selling various items found in the game. Although the game "Animal Crossing" never officially ends, paying off the final debt to Tom Nook is the game's primary goal.

Tom Nook appears in all the subsequent games of the franchise. He has become an iconic and controversial figure in video game history. Some of his critics consider him to be the main villain of "Animal Crossing" due to his predatory loan practices and monopoly on the game's economy. Others consider him a helpful mentor to the player. In 2011, GamesRadar included him in their list of the best 25 new video game characters of the decade.