Once I tackled the top villains of Resident Evil, it was only a matter of time before I took a walk on the less wild side by paying homage to the franchise’s heroes, as well.

It seemed like it would be an easy enough task, until I considered that the protagonists often have more lastability than their wicked contemporaries. With more disparate interpretations to consider, it became a mental juggling act as I attempted to balance their highs with their lows. The only rules I set are that their playthrough had to be canonical (bad luck, Tofu stans), and obviously, they had to not be evil themselves (I’m looking at you, Hunk).

As always, it won’t be to everyone’s satisfaction, and no doubt there are some who may feel slighted by my judgement. If so, please feel free to comment with your possible rationale for why Jake Muller isn’t an absolute dropkick spud.

I’m sure there’s something to like about him, after all.

27. Natalia Korda

Resident Evil: Revelations 2

“She’s so scary. I can’t stand her.”

It’s really hard trying to come up with an interesting way to summate Natalia Korda, because she herself is distinctly uninteresting. She’s a lost, mysterious child whose inclusion in Revelations 2 makes Barry’s campaign vastly inferior to Claire’s. She can point at things, and she can huck bricks. I’d imagine a staff member at Bunnings Warehouse could achieve the same.

We eventually learn that she’s an engineered superhuman incapable of feeling fear, making her the perfect candidate for Alex Wesker’s body snatching program. You might have surmised this at some point yourself, when she shrugged off jagged spinning blades and direct explosions without so much as a scratch. It certainly doesn’t trigger a personality, however.

She’s simply a part of the furniture, and one of the few characters I would be perfectly happy never to see again. If you count her Wesker-influenced Dark Natalia alter ego and the Little Miss DLC campaign, she is technically the only character to have ever had two simultaneous playable roles, so she’s got that going for her.

26. Evgeny Rebic

Resident Evil: Revelations 2

“Whatever bad things happening now, do not ask me help.”

Considering he only makes a brief appearance in the main game, Evgeny Rebic is one of the most peripheral characters you’ll find in Resident Evil. He receives a promotion to playable partner in Moira Burton’s DLC campaign, The Struggle, where he proves exceedingly useful with his powerful sniper rifle.

But what about him as a man? Do we care much about him, or feel any particular sadness for his death? As you may have anticipated by his bottom tier ranking, not especially. He is a flimsily written trope of the stern older Eastern European man, whose dialogue consists chiefly of tongue clacking towards his fiery young charge.

It’s a nice touch for a forgotten fella like him to actually be so significant to the narrative, having rescued Moira from the tower. Beyond that, he hardly moves the needle at all. The fact that his only featured role is in a particularly frustrating side-campaign doesn’t help matters much, either.

25. Jake Muller

Resident Evil 6

“Fair’s fair, kid.”

It may not sit well with some for Jake Muller, likely the most memorable new character from Resident Evil 6, to dwell here in the basement of protagonists. To his credit, his backstory is interesting enough, and the odd couple of himself and Sherry Birkin might appeal to some, but I just cannot find anything particularly likeable about his personality.

He is a true distillation of RE6; full of self-confidence and bluster, spouting pithy one-liners and treating his newfound partner with surly, misogynistic snark. Not only is it unappealing to watch unfold, but it feels like a rehash of the Rebecca Chambers/Billy Coen dynamic from Resident Evil Zero.

Jake does soften his stance by the end, and the intimate final blow he and Sherry deal to the Ustanak in their campaign’s closing battle makes them an attractive pairing for ravenous shippers. Me personally, I’d rather ship Sherry with no one at all, instead of lumping her with this try-hard rebel without a cause (beyond apples).

24. Keith Lumley

Resident Evil: Revelations

“Snow hates you.”

The other half of the BSAA’s B-Team alongside his partner Quint Cetcham, Keith Lumley tends to catch strays on account of his comrade’s constant dumbassery. Yes, dumbassery. While you may question its legitimacy as a word, I question Quint’s legitimacy as a BSAA member, so there.

Beyond the comic relief association, Keith himself is largely the same as the rest of the Revelations cast, taking constant snipes at Quint’s ineptitude. He also features, without a doubt, the most badass melee strike in franchise history. My man literally brandishes a pair of kukri blades to chop his targets in twain. I’m convinced that, were this given to a more significant protagonist, it would be spoken of more highly amongst the community.

Where he loses points, however, is with his womanising tendencies. Like, his codename is literally “Grinder” due to his attitude on dating, and I have no idea what that fucking means. Is he mashing his junk against unwilling ladies in the club? Or does he just grossly misunderstand the intended demographic for Grindr? For the sake of his reputation, I really hope it’s the second one.

23. Clancy Jarvis

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard

“Ugh, got to love home cooking.”

Poor old Clancy Jarvis is, without a doubt, the most tormented playable character in Resident Evil’s long history. Despite the fact that we never see his face, we witness first-hand the kind of torment the sadistic Baker family puts him through.

Although you really feel for this humble cameraman, there isn’t a lot to glean about his personality traits. He’s clearly adept at puzzle solving, as seen in both the bedroom and 21 DLC content, as well as Lucas’ birthday prank that ultimately brings his life to a painful end.

Without much else to go on, however, it’s disingenuous to rank him much higher than this. He’s just some guy who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. That being said, I did feel more genuine sympathy for him than I did for practically any other hero in the franchise.

22. Helena Harper

Resident Evil 6

“No more tears. Not until I avenge your death.”

Of all the nothing characters introduced in Resident Evil 6 — aside from the Agent in Ada’s co-op campaign, of course — Helena Harper is perhaps the most nothing. A US agent with a hidden agenda, she strings Leon Kennedy along through the initial stages of his campaign.

Her reason for doing so is fair enough; she wants to save her sister Deborah, who is in the enemy’s clutches. The way she goes about it, however, is beyond baffling, as she insists Leon see firsthand what her tricksy little secret is. As a lifelong simp, he goes along with it, but it doesn’t make for good storytelling.

Beyond that, there isn’t much to her character. She doesn’t have any memorable lines or moments, and feels more like a necessity for the two-player gameplay than a standalone figure of her own. Too many ladies in RE fall under one of two categories; helpless and whiny, or standoffish and quiet. Helena is the latter, seemingly not allowed to be much more than that.

Also, she totally should have gone to fucking jail. That ending was bullshit.

21. Billy Coen

Resident Evil 0

“So, you seem to know me. Been fantasising about me, have you?”

Likely owing to his only appearance being in the disappointing Resident Evil Zero, Billy Coen is largely forgotten in the pantheon of RE protagonists. Considering it takes place one day before the mansion incident, he’s technically the original hero, having fought the zombie hordes before Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield. Not the most convincing argument, I’ll admit.

Much like Jake Muller in RE6, Billy is a hard pill to swallow. He embodies the toxic masculinity and bad boy sensibilities of early 2000s action stars, treating co-star Rebecca Chambers without an ounce of respect when they first meet. And like Jake, he comes around before it’s all said and done. Whether he has earned your forgiveness for his preceding antics is ultimately up to you.

I feel as though he would have been an excellent candidate for a protagonist who gets killed off in the final battle, as it seems a waste to retroactively introduce a character who survives, only to never be seen again. As Jake basically now occupies his archetype, he’s less likely to resurface than Wesker’s hellspawn — though it would be pretty fun to see them both be brought back and bump heads with one another.

And no, I’m not much fonder of the Rebecca/Billy shipping than Jake/Sherry. Please stop arbitrarily forcing partners to be romantic interests (unless its Sheva/Chris, which I very much have time for).

20. Josh Stone

Resident Evil 5

“There’s always room for a beautiful lady.”

Trying to work out where to slot Josh Stone in these rankings is a bit tricky. He has a lot less airtime than nearly every other character here, by virtue of being an NPC in the main campaign. It wasn’t until the introduction of the Desperate Escape DLC that Josh stepped into the spotlight, and even then, it’s really Jill’s moment, and you have to play through as her first before you can even take Josh for a spin.

But he’s pleasant enough. Capcom didn’t really take many apparent risks with Josh, presenting him as a competent and soft spoken ally who pops his head in here and there to assist. He would have made an excellent candidate to be a surprise villain, though his motives probably wouldn’t have been very believable.

Without much to go on, there isn’t a lot that can be said about Josh. He’s one character I’d like to see return, and allow his personality to flourish. He does deserve praise as one of the few helicopter pilots in this series who doesn’t die horribly.

…On an unrelated note, let’s pour one out for Doug.

19. Parker Luciani

Resident Evil: Revelations

“Straight into the depths of hell.”

Parker Luciani, for all intents and purposes, is there. His literal role in Resident Evil: Revelations is to serve as Jill Valentine’s BSAA partner while she scours the abandoned cruise liner, the Queen Zenobia. If you’d like to look a bit beyond that, however, he is more so a convenient plot element that allows a connection between our heroes and the overcooked FBC backstory that permeates throughout the game’s runtime.

And he’s mostly competent in both roles. He has a tendency to be a more active version of Navi from Ocarina of Time, directing our attention towards the next task and offering words of advice to keep things proceeding smoothly. In all honesty, I would rather have had the sense of isolation that would have come from Jill being alone on this mission, but as far as AI partners go, Parker is fairly inoffensive.

I actually prefer his chemistry with Jessica and Raymond, where he steps into the principal role and has a bit more agency. So his occasional playable flashbacks are a welcome change of pace, even if the world building is a bit shoehorned.

Much like Revelations itself, Parker is a middle-of-the-road hero in my mind. He’s just a chill guy who clotheslines his opponents like an Italian John Bradshaw Layfield. On the note of his nationality, however, is Parker really the best they could come up with? It’s so distinctly un-Italian, they may as well have called him Bob.

18. Piers Nivans

Resident Evil 6

“Nobody’s expendable.”

What do you get if you take Josh Stone from Resident Evil 5, and give him a more central role? You likely end up with someone akin to Piers Nivans, Chris Redfield’s new partner in the gargantuan mega-adventure known as Resident Evil 6.

Piers lands better than Jake or Helena, as his characterisation provides a mirror to a younger, more optimistic version of Chris, the latter of whom is wallowing in self-pity when they meet. He’s forceful and calls Redfield out on his bullshit, which is a nice touch to what is otherwise a standard jarhead archetype.

He’ll likely grow on you a little, which is why it’s hilarious that he is one of the few major protagonists who gets killed off. Yep, by the conclusion of Chris’ campaign, Piers is heavily infected — turning into some kind of powerful lobster — and pulls a Richard Aiken by sacrificing himself for the greater good.

So yeah, Piers’ story is a one-and-done. Aside from the unattractive proposition of an RE6 remake, it is highly unlikely we’ll ever see him again, or even hear him mentioned in passing. Bad luck, pretty boy.

17. Sherry Birkin

Resident Evil 2

“Thank you for being so nice to me… For helping me. I’m really glad I met you.”

As one of the only characters we see grow from a child into an adult, ranking Sherry Birkin has to take some very different interpretations into consideration. Were we talking about 1998’s Resident Evil 2, for example, she would rank much lower. She was a pesky little brat who keeps running off. Worse still, her helplessness made her the worst character to play as.

When next we see her as a young woman in RE6, she has followed the path of those who rescued her all those years ago, rising to the rank of federal agent. Which would be nice, were her characterisation not limited to a facsimile of Rebecca Chambers. She has more confidence than the rookie S.T.A.R.S. member, alongside regenerative abilities thanks to her previous infection with the G-Virus. But beyond that? She just doesn’t impress, having to basically be a sounding board for Jake’s “biting wit”.

The reason she ranks as highly as she does is thanks to her most recent appearance, with her childhood reimagined in the Resident Evil 2 remake. She’s so nervous, awkward, and polite here; not only does it make her more palatable than previously, but it also stands to reason that a neglected daughter of two shut-in scientists would be all these things.

Her dynamic with Claire is incredibly sweet, and her inability to fight back in the hide-and-seek segment with Chief Irons suits her better. They just did such a fabulous job with her, I wonder what elements could be retained if she ever makes her return.

16. Zoe Baker

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard

“You really shouldn’t have come here.”

We have an interesting case here with Zoe Baker. The last remaining member of the Baker brood yet to be consumed by Eveline’s influence, she only has a short playable stint during the Daughters DLC. And there, she is completely incapable of fighting back, instead forced to play hide-and-seek with her crazed family.

Based on that, she wouldn’t necessarily rank highly. But in the main campaign, where she guides Ethan Winters towards the serum that could cure the infected, she’s quite compelling. Years of torment in the household have made her weary and jaded; a shell of a human being whose only chance at freedom is a long shot.

She’s an excellent character, but not necessarily shown to be lead role material. Like a great many of the fabulous cast introduced in Resident Evil 7, she is just begging for a return to the limelight in a future entry. We could use a protagonist who isn’t so witty and upbeat.

15. Ashley Graham

Resident Evil 4

“Leon, HELP!”

Ashley Graham was one of many characters who received a massive glow-up in the remake transition, with her original interpretation feeling dated, demeaning, and problematic. She was there to be mocked and ogled, lending Resident Evil 4 a haze of chauvinism that it really did not need.

There really wasn’t anything to like about the president’s bratty daughter at the time, with her constant wailing and infuriating tendency to run headlong into the next trap. It was a cheesy, eye-rolling affair, and about the only positive was in the rare moment you triggered the glitch that allowed her to pull off Leon’s trademark suplexes.

As of 2023, Ashley has become a much more layered character. She’s equally as scared, of course, but she should be — it’s a scary situation. Despite that, she doesn’t whine and cause issues anymore, gradually becoming more confident as the game progresses. Her previous boneheaded moments are now explained as the result of her Plagas infection, and considering this also caused Leon to have violent fits of mind controlled madness in the original, it’s kinda baffling they hadn’t always done the same for her, too.

In much the same way Jake is a microcosm for everything that was wrong with RE6, Ashley could be considered a microcosm for everything that was right with the RE4 remake. Its tonal shift is greatly appreciated, as I’ve spoken of extensively in the past.

14. Moira Burton

Resident Evil: REvelations 2

“Fuck it right up the ass!”

Moira Burton is yet another one of those Resident Evil characters who has potential to be much better. As a foul mouthed young lady with major daddy issues, she might not be to everyone’s liking, and some of her quips don’t quite land. That could be said of any RE hero, however — Leon included — so let’s not be too harsh on Moira.

Outside of her contempt for her father Barry, Capcom wisely made Moira respectable towards others, and her companionship with Claire Redfield across Revelations 2 makes for a good blend of personalities. By the end, you’ll really care about swear child to the point where her presumed death (or actual death if you fucked up in the decision-making process) actually means something.

Her aversion for guns, as a result of a childhood mishap that led to the accidental shooting of her younger sister, makes her in-game inability to handle firearms quite logical. I also like how it creates tension between her and Barry for a completely-non-zombie reason. In many ways, this game’s narrative outperforms its gameplay, and the dynamic of the Burtons is a big reason for this.

Really, Moira is just different from what we’ve had before or since, running rings around Natalia in every aspect. Handled a little more tactfully, she could be a stand out amongst the later additions to the cast.

13. Rosemary Winters

Resident Evil Village

“Duty calls. I love you.”

I know I pile on with jibes towards particular entries, but I find it telling that the 16 year old Rosemary Winters is written with more bite and intrigue in Village’s Shadows of Rose DLC than the 26 year old Sherry Birkin had in Resident Evil 6.

Rose is a great character who really captures the spirit of being a teenager in a world of monsters. Although she feels isolated and resentful due to her unwanted powers, she’s an otherwise good-natured kid who comes across as assertive, but not overbearing.

I have to admit, watching her fall victim to some of the potential deaths that awaited her was a little jarring, as I didn’t expect Capcom to go all-in on murdering a kid. Some were a little more fantastical than others (such was the nature of the DLC), but she’s definitely taken her lumps and earned her stripes as a card-carrying, blood-soaked RE protag.

Should she ever claim the limelight as the ongoing face of the franchise, we’re in safe hands, though it does beg the question whether there will always have to be some kind of Mold element involved. That’s kinda her thing, you know. Messing with Mold.

12. Ada Wong

Resident Evil 2

“A job, huh? Sure, my schedule just cleared.”

The enduring and alluring Ada Wong is quite the notorious figure in the echelons of Resident Evil. Typically cast as an enigmatic ally across from Leon Kennedy, her role in a game will often see her string him along until she has achieved her specific goals.

This would continue on, up until Resident Evil 6 where, amusingly, the Ada we see playing everyone for fools was actually the cloned Carla Radames. The real Ada’s campaign revolves around her attempts to unravel this faux Ada mystery, while popping her head in here and there to assist the other protagonists.

What we do know about Ada goes as far as what she willingly presents. She will liberally employ her feminine wiles, not only in the case of Mr. Kennedy but in order to deceive the Umbrella scientist, Dr. John Clemens. Underneath this, she does have a moral code that guides her, even undermining her employers as she does with Albert Wesker at the conclusion of Resident Evil 4.

I’ve just never been entirely attached to her, and I think it’s because she always exists in the periphery (and besides, I opted for Claire’s campaign in RE2 anyway). Were she to receive top billing in a game, I’d daresay she would handily leapfrog some of the other characters ahead of her… but would it be at the cost of the abstruseness that made her famous in the first place?

11. Sheva Alomar

Resident Evil 5

“You need to be careful!”

Another of the many computer controlled partners that plagued the 2000s era of Resident Evil, Sheva Alomar has an interesting reputation of contrasts. She is often pointed to as the most egregious example of poor AI, routinely wasting first aid sprays at the slightest hint of contact, and rifling through the shared pool of ammunition within seconds.

As far as her in-game portrayal goes, however, there’s a lot to like. Sure, her origins as a character may have come from Capcom recognising that a white American man murdering the population of Africa by himself wasn’t a good look, but Sheva just seems genuine and determined.

Her backstory is serviceable enough; her home was wiped out by Umbrella to prevent an outbreak, and she grew up learning combat from a guerrilla outfit. That being said, the signs of this torment are never really explored, and her upbeat personality kinda betrays the turmoil she’s gone through. I would like for the inevitable remake to give her a little more edge, if possible, unless it’s at the cost of her charm.

Really, Sheva is just a well executed character for the most part. She pipes in with enough banter to maintain the narrative thread, and her pairing with Chris Redfield feels much more natural than, say, Jill and Parker — or, god forgive me, Chris and Jessica.

She’s tied for my most sought-after return with a curly haired boy toy who will be making his appearance on this list before too long, as I really think there’s a lot more to explore with this diligent soldier.

10. Joe Baker

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard

“Die, motherfucker!”

What if: elderly hermit like Evgeny Rebic, but American redneck?

This is how Joe Baker happens, and we should all be thankful, because Joe Baker is the fucking man. He’s the Resident Evil equivalent of a drunk old man busting into an operating theatre, demanding answers, and then taking over the surgery himself when he is dissatisfied with the response.

Joe is such a rarefied vibe, as a somewhat toned down version of his murderous brother, Jack. He goes into battle equipped only with a pair of fists, whatever crude tools he happens upon, and little to no knowledge whatsoever. I never knew I needed Merle Dixon in my RE games, but now that I have him, I never want to go back.

Alas, it seems certain that he will remain on the fringes of the franchise, or more likely, never be spoken of again, as a bonus character in a bonus mode. But as far as red-hot impact goes, he is in a class all to himself. …He powerbombed a fucking bioweapon, y’all.

9. Claire REdfield

Resident Evil 2

“Still in one piece.”

In the same vein as Sherry Birkin, trying to consolidate Claire Redfield’s overall impression plays real havoc on my mind. It’s arguably worse here, because she is one of the franchise’s “big four”, and as such, has seen a great deal more exposure over the years.

Young, plucky Claire — especially as we see in Resident Evil 2 remake — is fantastic. She is this enticing mix of badass one-woman-army and sentimental softie. Her portrayal in that game is likely my favourite lead character in the entire franchise, and as her most recent appearance, it boosts her stock hugely.

What I’m less a fan of, however, is the older Claire we see in Revelations 2, as well as the cinematic universe. As a member of TerraSave, she has become a grouchy stick-in-the-mud, almost a complete 180 from the person she used to be. Yes, you can explain it as being a result of her awful trauma, but it still feels like a great loss to have sacrificed this fun persona. There’s no more sass, no more whimsy.

Being the serious one? That’s Jill’s thing. Claire was meant to be the fish out of water, doing her best to keep up. All it does is heighten the tension between herself and Leon, and that’s not something I particularly desire from her character.

8. Carlos Oliveira

Resident Evil 3: Nemesis

“I’m not gonna die on you, and leave you in a cold, cruel, Carlos-less world.”

Between Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 4 Remake, Ashley Graham received a glow-up. Between Resident Evil 3 and Resident Evil 3 Remake, Carlos Oliveira received a goddamn glow sensation.

You’d best believe that the original version of this U.B.C.S. meathead would be so far down on these rankings, even Natalia Korda’s wooden spoon would be in jeopardy. He was such an arrogant, insufferable prick, and the only benefit to this was seeing Jill putting him in his place. OG Carlos should have died instead of Tyrell, and I will hear no arguments to the contrary.

Remake Carlos, on the other hand? Holy shit, he is that fucking hotness. He has a boyish charm to him that Jake or Billy could only dream of, feeling much more like the wannabe knight in shining armour he was always supposed to be.

There is nothing I can fault about the souped up Carlos, other than the fact that he’s a fucking liar because he did, in fact, leave us in a cold, cruel, Carlos-less world. Alongside Sheva, he is the character I most want to see return — maybe even just a little bit more, because it would be an even greater shock after decades of in-universe absence.

7. Ethan Winters

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard

“Do me a favor and stay dead.”

Ethan Winters is a very unique example of a protagonist in this series. While many of his contemporaries can feel overwhelmed or powerless at times, each of his roles cast him specifically as a pawn in someone else’s game — be it the Bakers and Miranda’s Four Lords, or even his unforthcoming frenemy, Chris Redfield.

He is often derided for being fairly unspectacular as a character, with a mundane personality that pales in comparison to the big shots of the franchise. To me, however, this is his greatest strength; in the games where he stars, the focus is on you, as the player. Ethan is merely meant as a conduit to take you from place to place.

And beyond that, he’s… just a guy. Not a super cop, not a highly trained combat specialist, not even an absolute babe like Luis. He’s just a man who wants to save his family, and in a stunning turn of events, it costs him his life. I am not exaggerating when I confess that the end of Village brought tears to my eyes, because it really felt as though Ethan had given everything to ensure Rose’s safe escape. His sacrifice meant something.

In a vacuum, Ethan Winters is forgettable. But as a relatable hero, he is absolutely everything.

6. Rebecca Chambers

Resident Evil

“I’ll prove I have what it takes to survive.”

As an admitted Resident Evil Zero apologist, I have such a soft spot for Rebecca Chambers, and it’s likely influencing my opinion here. No shame in admitting that I’m a Becky fanboy, though let’s not sell her own merits short.

In the original Resident Evil, she is an 18-year-old rookie who is completely in over her head. She’s much more timid than the other S.T.A.R.S. members, owing not only to her age but the fact that she’s a medic and, let’s not forget, being attacked by motherfucking zombies.

Her starring turn in Zero would retroactively make her much more confident, which is nice if not a little baffling insomuch it makes her panic in the Spencer Mansion feel out of place. She has since gone on to be a passive member of the squad, often serving as a fragile damsel in distress or lab geek. Which is fine, if not a little underwhelming.

Shinji Mikami famously declared Rebecca to be his least favourite character, explaining that “she’s submissive, she’s not independent”. And though it’s nice that he prefers to empower women, I think he doesn’t give her enough credit; a confident person like Jill fighting off the horde is great, but a terrified kid overcoming her fears to pitch in is equally as compelling.

5. Mia Winters

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard

“And I didn’t care, so long as we were together.”

Hot take: I think that Mia Winters is basically a better executed version of Ada Wong. She presents as a loving wife and caring mother, but she has a hidden agenda that makes her true motives much more sinister.

This is one of the reasons she ranked so highly on my list of villains, serving as a fantastic launching point for Resident Evil 7’s horror, but it makes her equally as compelling as a tortured hero. It’s because of this in-built distrust we have for her, she was so believable as a potential antagonist in Village. We later learn, of course, that it was Mother Miranda in disguise, but up until the very end, I remained suspicious of Mia, regardless.

We get an opportunity to take her for a spin in the latter stages of RE7, where she proves just as capable as Ethan or any other lead character. With this in mind, I am resolute that she would make the perfect protagonist for Resident Evil 9. It would be too bold for the timeline to remain in the future as seen in the Shadows of Rose DLC — and as a result, Rose is still too young to take the lead role herself — but the Winters saga deserves one last entry to make a tidy trilogy.

Mia is owed a bit of redemption as it is, though it could add another layer to the storyline if her true nature is called into question once again, resulting in different endings depending on whether she gives in to dark temptations.

4. Barry Burton

Resident Evil: Revelations 2

“I’ll just go and get some fresh air and be EATEN by a monster.”

Oh Barry, I love you so. The resident oldhead of the crew, Barry Burton’s deception in the original title was a compelling story thread that could go in one of several directions. In my initial playthrough, I forgave him for his trespasses, only to watch him die at the hands of Lisa Trevor. Oopsie.

Needless to say, that was not the canonical ending, and Barry largely went into hibernation from then on. He made a fabulous cameo in one of Resident Evil 3’s endings (his absence from the remake being a particular sore point in my book), but was not given a true playable role until Revelations 2, nearly 20 years after his first appearance.

As I’ve said previously, the tense relationship between himself and Moira makes for great storytelling, but at a base level, the heartbreaking journey of a man who believes his daughter to be dead outweighs nearly everything else in this series. He’s just a warm, familiar figure who you can’t help but gravitate towards.

His dad jokes and goofball personality are the icing on the cake, allowing him to stand alone amongst the more youthful heroes that typify the genre. Last but not least, he relocated to Canada to escape the horrors of the Umbrella Corporation, making him an adopted countryman. So fuck it, y’all, I’m giving one of the top spots to the naturalised Canuck, and you can’t do shit all to stop me.

3. Jill Valentine

Resident Evil

“It’s true that once the wheels of justice begin to turn, nothing can stop them. Nothing.”

Jill Valentine is my absolute favourite Resident Evil character, someone I have felt tethered to from the moment I chose to start with her campaign as opposed to Chris Redfield’s. On a personal level, she’s my #1 pick, and I could probably make a convincing argument for why she’s #2 as well.

But breaking down her facets a little bit more, she does have some apparent limitations. She’s a no-nonsense, methodical soldier who has sizeable gaps between her mainline appearances. Despite being the preeminent figure in the PS1 era, her disjointed cameos in later games make it a bit harder to ascertain her exact character. Is she the overly trusting, borderline gullible colleague from RE1 remake? The quietly confident operative of Revelations? Or the brash, foulmouthed force to be reckoned with from RE3 remake?

In the same way that Resident Evil’s vibe is fluid depending on what era the games come out in, so too do Jill’s core values ebb and flow somewhat. She is an inspirational figure, regardless, and while I prefer for her to keep her witticisms to a minimum, I did rather enjoy the vulgar turn RE3 took. It was glitzy, I think.

Maybe I’m just making excuses, and would hold anyone else to task for such inconsistency. But I simply cannot see Jill with anything less than adoration, so I’m sure that whatever she does next will be equally as amazing to mine eye.

2. Leon Kennedy

Resident Evil 2

“‘When we get out of here drinks are on me.”

If I were to appoint only one character to be the face of the entire Resident Evil franchise, I would most likely select Leon S. Kennedy. To me, he is the embodiment of the survival horror genre, a stalwart whose deadly talents in combat are offset by the simple fact that he’s an absolute dork.

Those two aspects may seem at odds with one another, but this is supposed to be fun, after all, and there is little that breaks the tension quite as well as a misplaced quip. Coming from someone like Jake — whose constant referrals throughout this article have not gone unnoticed, my apologies to his fanbase — it wouldn’t be endearing. But Leon has earned his leeway through his positive qualities, which are numerous.

He is magnetic in visage and aura, entrenched within this franchise and in the annals of gaming itself. If Chris Redfield is the vanilla hero, then Leon is that sweet, decadent chocolate; he’s got a little bit of bite to him, and even then, he’s been allowed to grow from entry to entry.

By the time Resident Evil 6 rolls along, he’s the same guy, framed a little differently. He’s just as likely to say something silly, but it’s underneath the tired mien of a man who would really love to finally retire. For better or worse, he is Resident Evil, in a way that could only be rivalled by the OG girlboss, Jill Valentine.

1. Chris Redfield

REsident Evil

“The world’s fucked up. No denying it. Destroying it is easy. The hard part’s doing the right thing… regardless.”

Anointing Chris Redfield as the best hero in Resident Evil might seem obvious on the surface, but for me it was quite the admission. I’ve often semi-seriously deemed him the lesser of whomsoever he’s paired up with, especially where the original game and Jill Valentine are concerned.

To my credit, Chris was entirely bland in his inception; a stoic “good Mr. Good Guy” who fights monsters and other such boogeymen with that all-American spirit. The legacy brand of Chris is nothing worth writing home about, but it is exactly because of his tendency to keep resurfacing that he has become so memorable.

Whereas other protagonists have one, two, or maybe three starring roles to their name, Chris has had numerous iterations that have gradually built his lore. He becomes progressively more grizzled and jaded, a reasonable reaction to the decades of bullshit he has been through. By the time we reach the modern era of Resident Evil 7 and 8, he has become something of an unstoppable force who is sick and tired of watching good people die.

His brief playable chapter in Village was so engrossing, because we were allowed to step into his world of invincibility where he effortlessly mowed down hordes of enemies that would have completely dismantled Ethan. His descent from chirpy S.T.A.R.S. member to hardened Hound Wolf Squad commander of today has been extensively explored, both in a comical sense and an analytical one, but the gist of it is that much like Resident Evil itself, Chris Redfield has grown and flourished over the years.

He’s gone from indistinguishable to unmissable in a way that can only come from constant exposure, and has very much earned his spot atop the rankings of RE heroes.