Resident Evil: Every Playable Character Ranked | Game Rant
Since the first title's release back in 1996, Resident Evil has seen plenty of memorable and iconic characters. From Leon S. Kennedy, the rookie cop from Racoon City, to Chris Redfield, the legend of BSAA, the Resident Evil universe has seen them all. Together, these protagonists do their best to protect their city from the unforgiving threats of biochemical terrorism.
With the release of Resident Evil Village on the horizon, there has never a better time to look back on the franchise's best playable characters. Don't worry, cause there won't be any major spoilers ahead!
Updated by Saim Cheeda on 28th March 2021: The release of Resident Evil: Village has focused the interest back towards the franchise. With so many characters being playable, the series has had to bring something different within each of their characterizations to keep things interesting. Of course, this has meant that some are considered better heroes than others, which can only be confirmed by doing a full count of the characters that can be used for playthroughs. With Resident Evil: Village continuing along with previous protagonists, they will be fleshed out further for things to come, but that doesn’t mean certain prior characters might not be ranked higher than them.
15 Ashley
Easily the biggest load for every player in the Resident Evil series, Ashley was perpetually in danger during Resident Evil 4. Even more frustrating than constantly defending her were the sequences where she was the playable character.
Within these moments, she had to be navigated around obstacles that were a chore to handle, meaning Ashley just wasn’t an engaging character to play as. Her role as the kidnapped president’s daughter was good enough to begin Resident Evil 4’s events, though.
14 Carlos
A friendly guy in general who made for good company, Carlos’ background was of him being a survivor from childhood who had to struggle his entire life and events forced him to go along with Umbrella.
He’s a supporting protagonist in Resident Evil 3 and does a fair job in being the lending hand toward Jill. Carlos received a few playable missions himself but didn’t stand out as a character as much compared to several others.
13 Billy
Appearing as the co-protagonist of Resident Evil Zero, Billy’s storyline was the mystery behind his supposed role in massacring two dozens of people, which slowly unraveled during the game to reveal his innocence.
While a character of stoic nature, his ambiguous background made him an interesting person to follow. Of course, it also made him somewhat one-dimensional since the reveal of his innocence doesn’t come to light until the end, but there’s no doubt that Billy still left a lasting memory.
12 Sheva
Although criticized by many as an unnecessary addition to Resident Evil 5, Sheva was very useful during the story. Having been the latest supporting protagonist after Ashley’s turn in the previous game, control of Sheva is empowering since she has actual skills.
Unfortunately, Sheva didn’t receive a personal arc of her own, which made her more of a tag-along in terms of the story in Resident Evil 5. That doesn’t mean she wasn’t a strong character, as her constant support meant that Chris was able to get out of his doldrums and rely on someone else.
11 Helena Harper
Featured for the first time in Resident Evil 6, Secret Service and former CIA agent Helena Harper teamed up with Leon Kennedy to solve the murder of the US President, Adam Benford. Sometimes, her over-the-top temperament gets the best of her, proven by the time the CIA nearly fired her for 'repeated misconduct,' before transferring her instead to the Secret Service.
Helena is never afraid to go the extra mile to protect her loved ones, even if it means helping Derek Simmons assassinate the president in exchange for her sister's freedom.
10 Sherry Birkin
Long before becoming a DSO agent on Resident Evil 6, Sherry Birkin was a small-time little kid who was unfortunate enough to be born in a family of two virologists working for Umbrella. Her parents, Annette and William Birkin, had a massive impact on the T-Virus research that would eventually cost millions of lives.
As things went south, young Sherry was taken under US government custody. She eventually joined the DSO and teamed up with Jake Muller to end the terror of Albert Wesker once and for all.
9 Jake Muller
There is no talking about Sherry Birkin without mentioning Jake Muller. Being the only son of international bio-terrorist Albert Wesker must have put a lot of burden on Jake's shoulders. He's never seen his father and spent most of her youth in the Eastern European country of Edona with his mother.
Young Jake turned into a mercenary at a very young age, mostly to support his mother's treatment. Unfortunately, she passed away soon later, leaving Jake on his own.
8 Rebecca
Rebecca has a soft spot in the hearts of Resident Evil fans for being a ray of sunshine in personality and the representation of innocence. She could kick all kinds of butt on her own but carried a sense of optimism few others possessed.
Having been a teenager during the events of both Resident Evil and Resident Evil Zero, Rebecca stood out from the rest of the characters and her general personality made her a positive and striking contrast to the others. It’s a shame the series hasn’t made use of her again as Rebecca is a character who could revitalize the series again.
7 Ada Wong
Unpredictable. Mysterious. Vague. These three words are what represent Ada Wong's character best. Unlike the others, nobody knew precisely who Ada Wong was or what she was like before the Raccoon City Incident in 1998— not even her real name.
For decades, Ada Wong conquered Leon Kennedy's heart, clouding his judgment. Ada might not be the physically strongest character, but she's a good shot and has even better aim with her bowgun. She's a playable character featured in Resident Evil 6 and is unlocked after players complete the three main chapters.
6 Ethan Winters
Ethan Winters is just a small-time engineer with little-to-no combat or weaponry skills, but he had to face the uncompromising nature of the Baker Ranch to find his missing wife. In Resident Evil 7, Ethan had to solve the missing puzzle before discovering the bitter truth about someone he genuinely cared about. He'll break bones and push the limit of physical & psychological boundaries for his loved ones.
The game itself is a departure from the action-oriented Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6; hence his character is unique.
5 Piers Nivans
One of the new characters introduced in Resident Evil 6 is Piers Nivans, a BSAA soldier assigned under Chris Redfield's command. Chris was nearly retiring at that time, drinking at a bar in Edonia and forgetting about the world when Piers stepped up righton time to convince him not to.
Unfortunately, Piers faced no choice but to infect himself with the C-Virus to beat the final boss. If it weren't for Piers Nivans sacrificing his life in the line of fire, Chris would have retired already.
4 Claire Redfield
A survivor of the 1998 Raccoon City Incident, Claire Redfield is a legendary face in the franchise. She grew up close to her brother, Chris Redfield, after their parents' unfortunate deaths in the 1980s.
Claire is a prominent shoot, and even deadlier with her signature grenade launcher. Chris was the one who taught her before she eventually joined her brother in the fight against bioterrorism. She's a playable character on Resident Evil 2, its remake, and Code Veronica.
3 Jill Valentine
There is no talking about the BSAA without mentioning one of its co-founders, Jill Valentine. She survived the Arklay County Outbreak in 1998 and it explains much why her commitment to ending the bioterrorism threats is unquestionable.
As a respected high-ranking operator, Jill is a powerful combatant who always knows how to get the job done. She was at Raccoon City's destruction, the Queen Zenobia cursed cruise liner, the Spencer Estate, and many more. She was also the only female member of Captain Wesker's Alpha Team.
2 Chris Redfield
A familiar face in the BSAA organization, Chris Redfield is a franchise legend. He started his career in the United States Air Force before joining the Special Tactics and Rescue Service in Raccoon City.
With a musical build, Chris Redfield is not the man to cross. It's also confirmed that he will be a significant character on Resident Evil 8, but it's still unclear whether he serves as the villain or not.
1 Leon S. Kennedy
It's no exaggeration to say Resident Evil is the story of Leon S. Kennedy. He always faces unclear & uneven territory and was only a day-old as a police officer when the Raccoon City Incident took place. He was also the sole officer sent to investigate President Graham's missing daughter in 2004 with only limited supplies.
Even though Leon has been AWOL since the event of Resident Evil 6, there's nothing stopping him from making a comeback in Village, right?
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