All Playable Partner Characters in Hello Kitty Party Land

How many partner characters are in Hello Kitty Party Land?

You control a custom avatar, not Hello Kitty herself—but you team up with one Sanrio partner for Hometown exploration, board games, and minigames. Official English store pages (Bandai Namco US, Nintendo US Switch 2 listing) consistently advertise 16 playable partner characters and over 145 characters to meet while collecting stickers. The Nintendo Direct segment (June 9, 2026) uses on-screen text “16 partner characters” and, elsewhere in the same beat, “Over 140 characters”—slightly different wording, same idea: a small partner roster inside a much larger cast.

Source: Nintendo Direct 6.9.2026 (Hello Kitty Party Land segment), 0:31 (video).

Trailers clearly show some names on partner cards or group shots—Hello Kitty, Pompompurin, Chococat, Cinnamoroll, My Melody, Kuromi, Pochacco, Badtz-Maru, and others— but they do not scroll a complete official roster with unlock rules for every slot.

Source: Hello Kitty Party Land Guided Tour (Bandai Namco), 0:16 (video).

Source: Hello Kitty Party Land Guided Tour (Bandai Namco), 0:28 (video).

What names are publicly listed outside the manual?

Bandai Namco’s manual confirms partner systems (selection, friendship, outfits) but does not print all sixteen names in the excerpt we rely on. A third-party article that does enumerate names—useful, but not primary—is GameTyrant’s overview (verified 2026-10-30). It lists 15 partner names:

Hello Kitty, Cinnamoroll, Hangyodon, Kerokerokeroppi, My Melody, Kuromi, Pompompurin, Bad Badtz-Maru, Little Twin Stars, U-SA-HA-NA, Pochacco, Hanamaruobake, Ahirunopekkle, Tuxedo Sam, and Chococat.

That leaves one slot unnamed in GameTyrant’s list while official copy still says 16. A common fan inference—not confirmed by an official name drop we can cite—is that Little Twin Stars counts as one partner entry representing Kiki and Lala, which would reconcile “16 partners” with fifteen distinct lines on lists that treat LTS as a single row. Treat that as speculation until Sanrio or Bandai Namco publishes an explicit sixteenth name or splits Kiki/Lala on an official chart.

How do you pick or change a partner?

Before play: After player count, choose Difficulty, dress-up, then Partner Selection—the manual’s “Before You Play” flow. Online hosts still lead menu choices; see how to play online with friends.

After you start: Visit the Partner Room in the Photo Studio to change partners. Appearance changes remain at the Make-Up Salon (Shopping Mall, 3rd floor)—also from the manual.

Source: Hello Kitty Party Land Launch Trailer (Nintendo), 0:17 (video).

Source: Hello Kitty Party Land Launch Trailer (Nintendo), 0:44 (video).

What about friendship levels and outfits?

Open the Game Pad (Top Button / X in Hometown) and choose Partner Menu to see available partners. Star icons above each character show friendship level, which rises slightly when you play or chat with them. High friendship can grant special clothing, equipped from the same menu when you own those outfits.

The manual also mentions special clothing sets tied to becoming “good friends,” accessed via Partner Menu → Friends, and notes some special clothing appears in a cave—without a public checklist of which partner grants which set.

Partner characters vs everyone else in town

Partners run with you through board games and co-op minigames. The wider cast—the 145+ / “over 140” figures—shows up across Party Land for dialogue, shopping scenes, and stickers when you talk or play content tied to them. Collecting stickers does not automatically add someone as a partner; partners are the curated sixteen in official copy.

Unlock note (manual): After you play Blooming Flower Festival, you can choose Badtz-Maru as a partner. That is the only partner unlock condition spelled out in the manual excerpt; we are not listing other unlock rules without primary sources.

Source: Hello Kitty Party Land Guided Tour (Bandai Namco), 2:56 (video).

For sticker mechanics and the Character T-Shirt bonus, read sticker book and Character T-Shirt. For difficulty tiers when meeting new faces in the Minigame Corner, see difficulty settings and crown challenges.