The Resident Evil franchise is over 25 years old, and within that time it has featured a large number of protagonists. The list of featured characters in the franchise continues to grow by the year and may do so later in 2022 with the expected Resident Evil: Village DLC. Unfortunately, not every character can stand on the same footing as some of the series' more engaging, seemingly bulletproof (and bite-proof) heroes.
[Warning: The following article contains spoilers for the RE franchise.]
Resident Evil has been a mainstay of the industry for over two decades now, being arguably the biggest horror franchise in the medium. Boasting a blend of action and horror-focused gameplay - with some of the later entries erring more toward the former than the latter - Resident Evil positions players against powerful supernatural and genre staples, starting first with the t-virus-infected zombies and mutated creatures of Raccoon City, before eventually spotlighting werewolves and vampires in its most recent entry, Resident Evil Village. Players have stepped into the shoes of a number of protagonists as the series has progressed, with some ranking among the most iconic in the medium.
Nearly every character in the franchise has been playable at some point, be it DLC, raid mode, mercenaries mode, or other variants. To reign in this unruly cast, this ranking will only cover the mainline canon series, from Resident Evil 0 up to the recent Resident Evil: Village, including the two Revelations titles as they are canon entries. Characters that have never been playable in the primary campaigns of the series will also be excluded. Unfortunately, this means some of the best Resident Evil DLC characters like Joe Baker from Resident Evil 7: Biohazard will be cut from this group. This list will consider each character's journey, personality, combat skill, and story prevalence from game to game, focusing mainly on their modern incarnations and recent appearances, like Resident Evil 2 Remake.
#17 - Natalia Korda (Resident Evil: Revelations 2)
Natalia Korda is by no means a terrible character. But unfortunately, she has very little to offer the series. A child born to be a powerful bioweapon that cannot feel fear and a vessel for the villainous Alex Wesker, Natalia is a character who fills the role of plot device with the gameplay equivalent of being a living heartbeat sensor. She shares her mind with a dark twin, and the door is left open for Natalia to return in the future as a potential villain. However, considering both Alex and Resident Evil villain Albert Wesker have yet to return, it seems more likely that Capcom may want to leave Natalia in the care of the Burton family and move on.
#16 - Jake Muller (Resident Evil 6)
Son of the series' penultimate villain, Albert Wesker, Jake served as a co-lead alongside an adult Sherry Berkin in their Resident Evil 6 campaign. Jake is a mercenary with the expected chip-on-the-shoulder attitude one would expect from a child whose father was responsible for some of the most heinous atrocities the world has ever known. Unfortunately, Jake felt like a strange, clunky attempt to make a Wesker playable, giving him a significant emphasis on hand-to-hand combat in a game meant more for gunplay.
Jake's problem was how generic he and his gameplay were. His character growth was by the numbers, and his combat skill seemed to be a pale imitation of his father's. At the end of it all, Jake was part of one of Resident Evil's worst, or best, depending on who you ask, entries.
#15 - Piers Nivan (Resident Evil 6)
BSAA agent Piers Nivan was designed to fill a character slot. Resident Evil 6 had a significant focus on co-op, so Piers (not Jill) was created to snap Chris Redfield back into shape. Fitting the military-minded self-sacrificing hero archetype, Piers wasn't given a chance to develop in any meaningful way. Instead, he served as a second body to shoot with and a narrative vehicle to reinvigorate Chris. The writers may have felt the same way, too, as he died saving Chris at the end of the sixth entry.
#14 - Helena Harper (Resident Evil 6)
Helena Harper is yet another character from the Resident Evil 6 game with little to offer to the overall world of the franchise, but at least what she does is less offensive than previous characters on this list. A former CIA agent with a record of misconduct and violence, Helena was scouted by the antagonist of the game, Derek Simmons. While working in the NSA, Derek successfully manipulated Helena to further his goals. Though Helena's arc with her sister isn't as earth-shattering or heart-breaking as the game wants you to believe it is, she's still a sympathetic character that fits in well enough with the cast with a solid performance by Laura Bailey. As Resident Evil 6 is unlikely to get a remake, it seems Helena will stay bound to this title.
#13 - Sherry Birkin (Resident Evil 2, RE 2: Remake, RE 6)
Sherry started as a playable segment in Resident Evil 2 that evolved in the remake as a slightly more terrifying sequence that saw the young heroine running and hiding for her life from Brian Irons, a side-antagonist of Claire Redfield's story. For those unfamiliar, remake Sherry was based on Newt from the film Aliens. Sherry's growth from a smart but timid young girl to a federal agent in Resident Evil 6, all while showing the (positive) repercussions of her exposure to and subsequent cure of the G-Virus, was intriguing.
However, this version of Sherry was also attached to the weakest of the campaigns alongside Jake Muller. Character development within the game was pretty minimal for her too. Still, Sherry remains essential to the series' history, primarily due to her being the daughter of William Birkin, the creator of Umbrella's G-Virus in Resident Evil.
#12 - Moira Burton (Resident Evil: Revelations 2)
Daughter of Barry Burton, Moira Burton was another short-tempered character with a good heart but lack-luster gameplay. Moira, however, deserves credit for her growth in Resident Evil: Revelations 2 due to her past trauma regarding guns. The character evolves from being unable to handle weapons to becoming a survivalist alone on an island for six months while finally confronting her fears. Her initial gameplay was reasonably straightforward with melee attacks and providing flashlight support for Claire, but her story beats make her journey worthwhile. Seeing Moira's total transformation at the end of Revelations 2 is a fantastic culmination of the five-episode build-up.
#11 - Billy Coen (Resident Evil 0)
Framed for the execution of an entire village and sentenced to death, former marine Billy Coen has had a rough go of things. In his first and only appearance in the also remade Resident Evil Zero, Billy, along with Rebecca Chambers, goes against some of the more terrifying foes in the franchise, including Queen Leech and James Marcus, one of the founders of Umbrella Pharmaceuticals. However, Billy proved himself a hardened warrior and a trustworthy ally, and his character arc remains one of the more memorable ones.
#10 - Rebecca Chambers (Resident Evil 0, RE 1, RE 1 Remake)
Rebecca Chambers is always high on the list of characters who went through it. A recent recruit of S.T.A.R.S., this medical prodigy joined the team and was quickly assigned to the cases in the Arklay Mountains. Despite her limited combat experience, Rebecca proves herself a capable survivor and a valuable asset.
Rebecca survives the events of Resident Evil 0 and the circumstances of Resident Evil 1, which occur immediately afterward. The fact that she remains as composed as she does by the end of the two titles is nothing short of a miracle. Athleticism is another talent, as a hidden photo of Rebecca in Resident Evil 2 as a basketball player can be found in the S.T.A.R.S office.
#9 - Sheva Alomar (Resident Evil 5)
An agent of the BSAA West Africa branch, Sheva Alomar is a skilled markswoman and an expert in hand-to-hand combat in Resident Evil 5. Sheva has a tragic backstory - she was a survivor of a bio-terror attack and taken in by a group of guerillas that saved her from the ensuing aftermath. By joining Chris Redfield, Sheva can overcome the Kijuju incident and assists him in putting down the series' greatest foe, Albert Wesker, for good. Sheva is a courageous, intelligent woman that deserves another entry in the series.
#8 - Carlos Olivera (Resident Evil 3, RE 3 Remake)
In his original incarnation for the PlayStation classic, Carlos Olivera was more of a supporting character. However, in Resident Evil 3's remake, Carlos shares the spotlight with the series veteran Jill Valentine in the remake. Yet another survivor of tragedy who survived in rebel groups, Carlos' was spared from execution by his country's government via his new employer, Umbrella. In the Resident Evil 3 Remake, Carlos has a strong moral compass and a light-hearted attitude with the ability to tap into his military training instantly. This new persona for Carlos is one that, like Sheva, needs more time in the series - if not his own game.
#7 - Ethan Winters (Resident Evil 7, RE Village)
Ethan Winters is the living embodiment of the phrase "kick someone when they're down." He's been stabbed, had his leg and hand chopped off (twice), and had his heart removed from his chest. Yet still, despite every terrible thing that's happened to him, Ethan doesn't know when to quit.
Even the worst deaths for Ethan in Resident Evil Village won't dissuade him. Though he isn't nearly as capable as the other protagonists, Ethan's resilience, love for his family, and perseverance make him a surprisingly stand-out character. On top of his qualities, Ethan's face may never even have been revealed if not for modders.
#6 - Barry Burton (Resident Evil 1, RE 1 Remake, Revelations 2)
Barry Burton is the mother of all fathers. Unfortunately, Barry played a duplicitous role in the original Resident Evil, betraying Jill to keep his daughters safe from Wesker and Umbrella. Thankfully, Barry comes around before it's too late and joins the team back up to stop Wesker's plans. A weapons expert, hardened commander, and grizzled survivalist, Barry finally takes the stage in Resident Evil: Revelations 2 in search of his daughter, Moira. Barry's raw strength is visible in his depiction in Resident Evil: Revelations 2's Raid Mode and Resident Evil 5's mercenaries mode, and very few would want to be caught in his patented "Hurricane" melee attack.
#5 - Claire Redfield (Resident Evil 2, RE 2 Remake, Revelations 2)
The second playable female protagonist of the Resident Evil series, Claire Redfield, arrived alongside Leon Kennedy in the Racoon City incident of Resident Evil 2 all the way back in 1998. Claire's list of accomplishments is staggering: she has tangled with the unrelenting Mr. X, destroyed the mutant William Birkin while saving his daughter, survived being kidnapped and stranded on TWO different islands, and slain the foes responsible for the incidents. To call Claire a badass would be an understatement. Claire's campaign in the Resident Evil 2 Remake shows her to be sisterly, have a strong sense of justice, and be more than able to handle herself in a fight. Considering her teacher was her brother, Chris Redfield, it comes as no shock that Claire rises to nearly every challenge that stands in her way.
#4 - Ada Wong (Resident Evil 2, RE 2 Remake, RE 4, RE 6)
An FBI agent, a Chinese criminal syndicate spy, and a mercenary, Ada Wong is a woman whose entire existence is shrouded in mystery. Ada's backstories are fabrications; even Ada Wong's name is suspected to be an alias. First appearing in Resident Evil 2, she worked with Leon Kennedy to secretly secure a sample of the G. Virus for her unnamed client. The organizations Ada works for in Resident Evil are plentiful, but she only works for herself, sabotaging her clients if their goals no longer align mid-mission.
Ada also has a soft spot for Leon, and the two share a complex romantic/adversarial history that pits the two at odds more often than not. However, Ada always finds herself lending a hand to the heroic rookie as discreetly as possible to usher him along. She's cunning, intelligent, and deadly - the perfect recipe for an excellent Resident Evil protagonist.
#3 - Jill Valentine (Resident Evil 1, RE 3, RE 5, Revelations)
Jill Valentine is not only one of the best characters in Resident Evil, she's one of the best characters in gaming. Former army soldier turned S.T.A.R.S. operative, Jill was one of four survivors of the Arklay Mansion incident and entered a crusade to shut down Umbrella and expose what atrocities they had unleashed on the world. She single-handedly beats the relentless Nemesis T-Type bioweapon, helped resolve the T-Abyss incident around Terragrigia, and assisted Chris Redfield and Sheva Alomar in putting Albert Wesker down.
Jill even has T-virus antibodies, rendering pesky zombie bites more minor threats. Jill Valentine is a natural-born survivor with fierce determination, incredible leadership skills, and unparalleled resolve. Thankfully, her recent appearance in Resident Evil 3 Remake gives her character a more lively personality with much-needed snark, bringing her in line with her lore. Here's hoping Jill returns in Resident Evil 9.
#2 - Chris Redfield (RE 1, RE CV, RE 5, Revelations, RE 6, RE 7, RE: Village)
Next to Jill Valentine, one of the characters who will always come to a player's mind when they think of Resident Evil will be Chris Redfield. Chris is the poster child for most titles in the franchise, including the recent Resident Evil: Village. Chris's career history consists of being a former airforce member, the now-defunct S.T.A.R.S. unit, and now a part of the BSAA - a bioterrorism unit created jointly with partner Jill Valentine.
The list of accomplishments is far too exhaustive to list here, but Chris famously defeating Albert Wesker in Resident Evil is easily the highlight. Chris Redfield is easily one of the most potent and capable characters. He's still active and recently has prepared the daughter of Ethan Winters to possibly take on a more central role in future iterations of the franchise post-Resident Evil Village. Anyone who receives training from Chris Redfield, as has been shown, is a force to be reckoned with.
#1 - Leon Kennedy Is The Best Resident Evil Protagonist
Chris may be the poster child of the Resident Evil franchise, but even Capcom is aware of the fan following Leon Kennedy has. A rookie cop turned personal friend/secret service agent of the President of the United States, Leon shot up the ranks in a remarkably short amount of time following the Raccoon City Incident. Leon's most famous excursion as a character came in Resident Evil 4, where he became involved in a journey into the heart of rural Europe to rescue the president's daughter, all while uncovering an entire cult society known as the Los Illuminados. This cult was bent on world domination by utilizing ancient mind-controlling parasites called Las Plagas. Leon survived the infection, fought his way through the island, and dethroned the cultists while completing his mission, successfully documenting information that would be critical to dealing with the Kijuju incident years later.
The recent Resident Evil 2 Remake brought Leon's character in line with the persona fans fell in love with back in Resident Evil 4. He's a cheesy, smooth-talking, calm, and collected action hero with no lack of one-liners ready for deployment. Resident Evil 4, to this day, is still considered to be one of the best games ever made. The rumored Resident Evil 4 Remake should only further cement Leon's place as the best Resident Evil character of all time.