You've finally seen it. Redd’s boat is docked at the secret beach, the hazy smoke is billowing from the funnel, and you walk inside hoping this is the day your museum collection actually grows. Then you see it: the Wild Painting Right Half ACNH players have been hunting for months. It looks glorious. It looks expensive. But is it real? Honestly, if you rush the purchase, you’re probably going to end up with a very expensive piece of haunted wallpaper that Blathers won't touch with a ten-foot pole.
The struggle is real.
In Animal Crossing: New Horizons, completing the art gallery is arguably the most tedious task in the game. Unlike bugs or fish, you can't just grind for art. You’re at the mercy of a shady fox who shows up once every couple of weeks with a gallery full of forgeries. The Wild Painting (both the Left and Right halves) represents the pinnacle of this frustration because it’s one of the few pieces where the "fake" is incredibly convincing if you don't know exactly where to look.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Wild Painting Right Half
Basically, this isn't just one painting. It’s half of a pair. The original work is the Fujin and Raijin-zu by Tawaraya Sōtatsu, a Japanese masterpiece from the 17th century. It depicts two gods: the god of wind (Fujin) and the god of thunder (Raijin). When you’re looking at the Wild Painting Right Half ACNH version, you are looking specifically at Raijin, the Thunder God.
Here is the kicker.
Most players assume that a fake painting will have some massive, glaring error. Maybe the colors are bright neon? Maybe the character is wearing sunglasses? Not here. The difference between a genuine Raijin and a fake one is a subtle color shift on the deity’s skin. If the god is green, you’ve been scammed. If the god is white (or a very light, creamy beige), you’ve found the genuine article.
It sounds simple. It isn't.
Because of the lighting inside Redd’s Treasure Trawler—which is notoriously dim and yellowish—it’s remarkably easy to mistake the pale green of the fake for the off-white of the real one. I’ve seen seasoned players stare at their Switch screens for ten minutes, tilting the console back and forth, trying to figure out if that’s "Mint Green" or "Antique White."
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The Visual Checklist for Raijin
Let’s get specific. When you zoom in on the Wild Painting Right Half ACNH offering, ignore the clouds. Ignore the drum kit he’s carrying. Focus entirely on the skin tone of the creature.
- The Real Deal: The figure has white skin. It looks like traditional Japanese Washi paper—slightly aged, but definitely white.
- The Forgery: The figure has a distinct green cast. It looks like he’s feeling a bit seasick.
Why does this matter so much? Because the Wild Painting halves are among the rarest spawns in the game. Data miners who looked into the spawn rates for New Horizons' art found that certain "large" works appear with significantly less frequency than the smaller portraits or statues. If you miss the real one, you might not see it again for another six months of real-time play. That’s a long time to wait for a golden shovel or a completed museum.
Blathers and the Screen of Shame
We’ve all been there. You buy the painting, wait a day for the mail, and sprint to the museum. You hand it to Blathers. He does the little "Hoo-hoo!" dance, inspects it, and then... the soul-crushing disappointment.
"I'm afraid this is a masterpiece of deception!"
If you accidentally donate the fake Wild Painting Right Half ACNH, you're stuck with a piece of junk. You can't sell it to Tommy and Timmy at Nook's Cranny. They won't take "unauthenticated" goods. You can't even bin it in some cases without feeling like you've wasted 4,980 Bells.
Actually, some people prefer the fakes. There’s a whole subculture of ACNH decorators who use the "fake" art because, let's be honest, a green thunder god looks kinda cool in a basement bar or a supernatural-themed forest. But if you're aiming for that museum stamp, the green guy is your enemy.
The Tawaraya Sōtatsu Connection
Understanding the real-world history helps you appreciate why Nintendo chose this piece. The Folding Screens of Wind and Thunder Gods are a national treasure in Japan. They are housed in the Kennin-ji Temple in Kyoto. The original work is ink and color on gold-foiled paper.
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In the game, the "Left Half" features Fujin, the Wind God, who is green in the real-world painting. This is where the confusion starts! In the real painting, the Right Half (Raijin) is white and the Left Half (Fujin) is green.
The scammers at Nintendo’s dev team knew exactly what they were doing.
By making the fake version of the Right Half green, they are playing on your memory of the real Left Half. It’s a psychological trick. You think, "Wait, wasn't one of them green?" and you convince yourself that the green one is the authentic one. It’s brilliant, evil, and effective.
Tips for the Hunt
If you’re tired of being fooled, there are a few "pro" moves you can make.
First, use the camera app on your NookPhone. When you’re in Redd’s shop, you can’t get a great angle just by standing there. Open the camera, zoom all the way in, and shift the perspective. This bypasses some of the "atmosphere" lighting of the boat and gives you a clearer look at the pixels.
Second, if you’re playing in 2026, you probably have access to Haru’s Island. If Redd isn't at your secret beach, go to his stall at the open-air market. The art he displays there follows the same rules, but the lighting is much better because it’s outdoors. You can see the skin color way more clearly under the overhead sun than in that dingy boat.
Third, don't forget the "swap" trick. Redd’s inventory at the market changes every Monday. However, if you buy a piece of art (even a fake one), he will replace it with a new piece the very next day. If you have the Bells to burn, buy the junk art just to cycle his inventory faster. This increases your mathematical chances of seeing the Wild Painting Right Half ACNH more than once a year.
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Is There a Haunted Version?
Many players wonder if the Wild Painting is one of the "haunted" fakes—the ones that move at night or have glowing eyes. Unfortunately (or fortunately), neither half of the Wild Painting is haunted. The fake Ancient Statue floats, and the fake Wistful Painting closes its eyes at night, but the green Raijin just sits there being green.
It’s just a standard forgery. No ghosts here.
Why the Museum Grind is Worth It
Completing the art wing is the final boss of Animal Crossing. When you finally place that last piece, the museum feels "finished" in a way the bug and fish wings don't. The Wild Painting is usually the final hurdle because it requires two separate purchases.
Finding the Wild Painting Right Half ACNH is a test of patience. It’s about more than just Bells; it’s about the attention to detail. It’s about looking at a screen and deciding if "white" is actually "white."
Next time you see that fox, don't let him rush you. Take the camera out. Look at the skin. If he's white, buy it. If he's green, walk away—unless you really need a sick-looking god for your haunted mansion build.
Immediate Next Steps for the Art Collector:
- Check Your Gallery: Go to the museum right now. Check if you have the Left Half already. If you have the Left, the Right is your priority.
- Clear Some Inventory: Make sure you have the Bells and the space.
- Visit Harv's Island: If Redd isn't at your beach today, head to the island. If he's selling two fakes, buy the cheapest one anyway. This forces his inventory to reset tomorrow morning, giving you another roll of the dice for the genuine Right Half.