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Article · Collector picks

THE BEST AMIIBO: COLLECTOR TIER LIST AND USEFUL UNLOCKS

"Best amiibo" is a fight that gets re-litigated every Christmas and every Smash announcement. The honest answer changes depending on what you mean (best in-game function, best sculpt, best for kids, best as a collectible). The list below leans on consensus across about a dozen sources that have argued the question publicly, ranked by how often a given figure shows up across them.

Sources synthesized: Gamepur's all-time ranking, TheGamer's 2024 list, Nintendo Life's reviewed picks, ScreenRant's BotW coverage, SVG, BossLevelGamer, Underlevelled, plus the long running r/amiibo and ResetEra threads where collectors actually argue this stuff. A figure earns a spot below if it appears in at least three of those independently and the reasoning lines up.

Wolf Link is on every list because he does something none of the other figures do. Tap him in Breath of the Wild and a wolf companion shows up next to Link, fights enemies, hunts wildlife, and persists across reloads. Players who finished Twilight Princess HD first carry the save data over and Wolf Link arrives with up to 20 hearts. Tap him in Tears of the Kingdom and the same companion shows up there.

The figure itself is also a different size from the standard amiibo line, with rough texture work that looks more like a soft-vinyl collectible than a base-line amiibo. ScreenRant outright calls him "BotW's best amiibo" and the BossLevelGamer, Gamepur, Nintendo Life, and iMore lists all agree. There is no other amiibo whose in-game payoff is this useful for this many hours of gameplay. If you only buy one amiibo, this is still the one. Browse the full classic Zelda lineup for context.

2. Yarn Yoshi trio + Mega Yarn Yoshi

Made of real yarn, not painted plastic. The construction alone makes them the only amiibo of their kind, which is why they keep showing up on "best looking" and "most unique" lists from SVG, Underlevelled, BossLevelGamer, and Nintendo Life. The trade-off is they degrade. Yarn pills, the head-stuffing settles, and the polybag tape yellows over a decade. Clean ones get scarcer every year, which puts them on the most-expensive list too. The Mega is a Toys "R" Us exclusive in North America, so any clean boxed copy at this point is a small miracle.

3. Zelda & Loftwing (Skyward Sword)

Frequently named the best-sculpted amiibo Nintendo has produced. The Loftwing's feather detail is tactile in a way that the baseline figures are not, and the two-figure pose gives the piece more presence than the single-character amiibo around it. Nintendo Life's most-detailed thread, Gamepur, and the wider collector consensus point to this one when the question is purely "best sculpt." (Mine is on the front of the shelf. Reader, the box is wrecked but I do not care, look at it.)

4. Joker (Smash Bros. Ultimate)

Joker has translucent blue plastic flame effects lifted from Persona 5's Smash artwork, integrated into the base. Nintendo rarely commits to effect pieces on amiibo. When they do, the figure stands out against the rest of the Smash lineup, which is mostly painted plastic on a hexagonal stand. TheGamer's 2024 list and Gamepur both put Joker near the top of the "best-looking Smash amiibo" pile. The Persona crossover also signals to collectors that Nintendo was willing to do third-party sculpts at full effort, which set the tone for the late-Smash third-party run.

5. Metroid & E.M.M.I. two-pack (Metroid Dread)

The Metroid figure is made of soft, squeezable material instead of painted hard plastic. It is the only one in the line. Coupled with E.M.M.I., which Gamepur calls "a terrific recreation of a phenomenal enemy," the two-pack is the rare amiibo that earns praise both from collectors (the materials) and players (the in-game energy and missile tank unlocks in Metroid Dread).

6. Kirby (Smash Bros. series)

The simple answer to "best looking amiibo" if you ask SVG or the long-running Nintendo Life forum thread on the topic. Kirby's character design translates to figurine form better than almost anyone else in the Smash roster because the shape is already most of the appeal. Compatible with 25+ games. Cheap to find. A surprisingly common pick for "first amiibo to buy."

7. Shovel Knight (Shovel Knight series)

The first non-Nintendo amiibo. Yacht Club Games negotiated the license in 2015 and the figure was the only way to unlock co-op in Shovel Knight on Wii U at launch. That historical context is most of why it lands on lists from Destructoid and TheGamer. Shovel Knight opened the door for the third-party amiibo run that ended up including Bayonetta, Sonic, Mega Man, Cloud, Solaire, Joker, and Sora. Without him the Smash roster gets about 20 fewer figures.

8. Cloud (Smash Bros. series)

Two distinct outfit variants (the FF7 default and Cloud Player 2's Advent Children look). Strong sculpt, recognizable nostalgia draw, frequently cited by BossLevelGamer and Nintendo Wire as one of the best Smash third-party amiibo. The Player 2 variant in particular gets pointed to as one of the better paint jobs in the line.

9. Mewtwo (Smash Bros. series)

Pose, posture, and supply. Mewtwo's Smash amiibo had a tight first-print run because of the same wave-1 / wave-2 shortage that hit Marth and Villager. Unlike those two, Mewtwo never flooded back into retail at the same scale. Collector forums consistently rank it as one of the best Pokémon-line amiibo regardless of price, and 1st-print boxes still command a secondary-market premium per the PriceCharting feed.

10. Sora (Smash Bros. Ultimate)

Sora is the closing piece of the Smash Ultimate roster, the last Smash fighter Nintendo will produce. That fact alone elevates the figure for collectors who care about endings. The Tetsuya Nomura sculpt is detailed, the licensing was apparently a year-long ordeal, and the amiibo released in late 2023 to a small print run. It hits collector lists because of what it represents, not because it is mechanically rare. Yet.

The most recent flagship Link sculpt and the must-buy Switch-era Link variant by consensus. Tap him in TotK to unlock the Hero of the Sky paraglider fabric (a one-shot drop, not a recurring unlock, so know what you are getting). Tap in BotW for a Champion-tier loot drop. The figure is the standard hex-base pose but the paint detail on the Master Sword and tunic is cleaner than the original Smash-era Link. See the full Tears of the Kingdom lineup for the rest of the wave.

12. Banjo & Kazooie (Smash Bros. Ultimate)

Two characters, one figure, decades of fan demand. Banjo & Kazooie's amiibo is the closest the Banjo IP got to a Nintendo revival, which is the kind of meaning collectors weight more than sculpt quality. TheGamer's 2024 list cites the emotional weight directly. The pose itself is also genuinely good. The bird is mid-squawk on top of the bear's backpack and the whole thing reads as one cohesive piece rather than two figures glued together.

13. Inkling Girl + Octoling (Splatoon)

Splatoon amiibo are the line's best showcase for paint quality. The ink colors hit a particular saturation that does not exist on any of the Smash or Mario figures, and Splatoon's own rotating-color releases mean any given variant ages quickly. TheGamer, Underlevelled, and iMore consistently call out the Inkling Girl as the Splatoon line's high point. The Lime Green Inkling Girl variant is genuinely scarce. See the full Splatoon lineup for the Splatoon 1 originals or the new Splatoon 3 sub-lineup for Deep Cut.

14. Solaire of Astora (Dark Souls)

Solaire crosses more cultural distance than any other amiibo on this list. A FromSoftware character on a Nintendo platform with a custom Switch sculpt, sold through GameStop only, tied to a single game (Dark Souls: Remastered) that does not even have meaningful in-game payoff for the scan. Collector consensus puts it on best-of lists for what it represents rather than what it does. Loose copies still trade at $65; sealed runs $94 to $120 by the latest Observer.games figures.

15. 8-bit Mario (30th Anniversary)

The pixel sprite, three-dimensionalized. Sounds gimmicky, ends up working. Compatible with about 38 games (one of the broader unlock counts in the line) and the silhouette is unmistakable from across a room. SVG and Nintendo Life both flag it as the line's best novelty piece.

Honorable mentions

The figures that just barely missed but show up across two sources each: Bowser (sculpt scale), Donkey Kong (broad compatibility), Peach (12-game compatibility, multiple variants), Rosalina (paint detail), Revali (BotW companion ability), Hero / Erdrick (paint quality on the Dragon Quest outfit), Pac-Man (geometry / paint), Marth (rarity from the Smash wave-1 shortage), and the Sheik amiibo from the same wave. The Detective Pikachu jumbo amiibo also deserves a mention purely on novelty value.

Best amiibo unlocks by game

The "best amiibo" question changes depending on which game you are playing. Some figures have great sculpts but trivial in-game function. Others are plain figures with one of the more useful amiibo unlocks in the line. The breakdown below is the consensus pick per game across the same sources.

  • Breath of the Wild: Wolf Link (companion), then any of the Champions for their Divine Beast weapons. The Sheik amiibo also has BotW unlocks. Sweep the full BotW sub-lineup.
  • Tears of the Kingdom: Link Tears of the Kingdom for the Hero of the Sky paraglider fabric, plus any Sage for the matching armor unlock. Browse the TotK lineup.
  • Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: any character you actually want to train as a Figure Player. The Smash-line amiibos are all functionally equivalent in Ultimate (each becomes a Figure Player with its own AI), so buy on sculpt preference. Joker, Cloud, and Sora are the standouts visually.
  • Mario Kart 8 Deluxe: any Mario amiibo for the Mii suit unlocks. Mario, Luigi, Bowser, Yoshi, Peach, and Rosalina each unlock a themed driver suit on the Mii.
  • Animal Crossing: New Horizons: the cards. Any villager card invites that villager to your campsite. See the full Animal Crossing amiibo cards landing page for the breakdown across series 1 to 5, Welcome amiibo, and the Sanrio collab.
  • Splatoon 2 and Splatoon 3: the Inkling Girl and Octoling amiibos give gear in both games, with Splatoon 3 supporting the broader Deep Cut and Smallfry roster.
  • Fire Emblem: the Fire Emblem-line amiibos unlock paired-up companion battles in the Switch-era Fire Emblem games. Ike, Marth, and Lucina see the most use.
  • Super Mario Odyssey: the wedding-attire Mario, Peach, and Bowser amiibos unlock matching costumes in-game. Mario Odyssey is the rare case where the amiibos released specifically for the game are the right ones to buy for it.
  • Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury: Bowser's Fury rewards the Bowser Jr. and the Cat Mario amiibos with a small in-game boost.
  • Amiibo Festival: the dedicated Amiibo Festival cards (Wii U, 2015) unlock board-game pieces. Mostly a curiosity in 2026, but the cards still work in the few Switch games that read Animal Crossing card data.

Best Zelda amiibo variants (the long-Link list)

Zelda gets more amiibo coverage than any other Nintendo franchise. Beyond Wolf Link and the Tears of the Kingdom Sages, the classic line of Zelda amiibos includes Link from Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword, Link's Awakening (Switch), and the original 8-bit Link from the NES game. Toon Link covers The Wind Waker. Zelda gets a Loftwing variant from Skyward Sword and a Wind Waker variant of her own. The Zelda 30th anniversary collection added the 8-bit Link variants. For context within the Hyrule timeline, the full classic Zelda lineup is the easiest place to compare them. The Zelda and Loftwing sculpt remains the most-praised in the line, and the Link amiibo from Tears of the Kingdom is the most-bought of the recent variants.

The least useful amiibo (a quick honest tier list)

Not every amiibo earns its $13 to $16 in-game. The figures that consistently land at the bottom of any tier list have one of these problems: ultra-narrow compatibility (the figure works in one game and gives a one-shot unlock), poor sculpt for the character, or an in-game effect that is essentially cosmetic. Amiibo Festival's cards land here for most modern collectors, as does the original Yoshi's Woolly World single Yoshi (the Yarn Yoshi trio is great, the regular plastic one is just another Yoshi). Yoshi's Crafted World tied amiibos to cardboard outfits that nobody asked for. None of these are bad figures. They are just the least-useful amiibo to buy if you are picking by what the figure does in a game.

How to pick yours

If you are buying one amiibo, buy Wolf Link. The in-game payoff across BotW and TotK is more than the figure costs. If you are buying for sculpt and shelf appeal, the Zelda Loftwing or any of the Smash third-party effects pieces (Joker, Sora) hold up for years. If you want the line's weirdest, most material-rich figures, Yarn Yoshi or the soft-plastic Metroid two-pack are the answer. The Splatoon line is where Nintendo's paint quality peaks.

For tracking what you own and what you want, the AMiiPEDIA checklist handles it locally with no account, and the compare tool lets you put two figures side by side before you commit. The full amiibo database sorts by compatibility count if you are optimizing for "most games per figure."

Sources

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