Summary
TheResident Evilseries doesn’t exactly have one main protagonist who represents the franchise. Instead, there’s a small pool of key characters who have come to be recognized as the leading figures in this immensely popular survival horror series, and while all of them are devoted to stopping the spread of bioterror, they’ve all still had vastly different experiences from one another throughout their personal journeys.
This has resulted in some games being particularly important for these individualswhen it comes to character development and relevance to the widerResident Evilstory. While theResident Evilprotagonists will always learn something new during each of their adventures, there have definitely been a select few which ended up having the biggest impact on each of them respectively. With that said, these arethe most importantResident Eviltitles for each of the major protagonists seen throughout the series.
WhenLeon Kennedyfirst booted up his car to head over to his new job atRaccoon CityPD after sleeping in late, he had no idea he would be heading straight into the depths of hell itself. After finding himself stranded in Raccoon City alongside his new friend, Claire Redfield, Leon is forced to try and assume the responsibilities of still being a police officer while also keeping himself alive in the process, which is shown in how protective he acts around Ada, with whom he also forms a close bond.
Resident Evil 2would also mark the start of Leon’s involvement in the effort to prevent bioterror from becoming an international threat, since it was his heroic efforts in Raccoon City that caught the eye of the government, who eventually made him a special agent. If it wasn’t for his nightmarish adventure through Raccoon City, Leon would never have gone on to be the badass, wise-cracking protagonist fans know him as today.
Though the second game is also hugely important forClaire Redfield, considering it was her first introduction tozombies and B.O.Ws,Resident Evil CODE: Veronicawould see her play a bigger role where she becomes a lot more involved with the overarching storyline. While the game kicks off with Claire infiltrating an Umbrella base in the hopes of finding her brother, Chris, it’s when she finds herself locked up on Rockfort Island that Claire’s story truly begins.
Throughout the game, Claire not only confronts a mentally unstable Alfred, which results in all of Rockfort Island being blown to smithereens, but she also takes out numerous dangerous foes along the way, including the terrifying Nosferatu.CODE: Veronicawould also see Claire build her relationship with Chris, since the two are barely ever seen on screen together outside this title. All in all, while it was far from an easy journey, Claire still got the opportunity to prove what she was truly made of inCODE: Veronica.AlthoughResident Evil 2andRevelations 2are still important to Claire’s story, they’re just not quite as relevant as this game.
Jill Valentinemade her debut in the firstResident Evilgame, and while she definitely stood apart from Chris due to her personality and unique skillset, she did ultimately feel a little barebones as a character. With Jill assuming the role of main protagonist inResident Evil 3and its remake, thebeloved horror heroinewas able to really come into her own after being dropped into Raccoon City. Seeing Jill essentially go rogue as she attempts to investigate Umbrella’s schemes without the assistance of S.T.A.R.S. highlights just how passionate she became about putting an end to corporation’s schemes once and for all. Of course, this also attracts the attention of Jill’s stalker, and in many ways her arch rival, Nemesis.
Jill may have faced off against a plethora of intimidating and highly dangerous mutants in her time, but to this day, none have been as relentless as Nemesis. Jill would also become infected for the first time in the series duringResident Evil 3, forcing her to put her pride aside so that she could be saved by someone else for once. Overall, the harrowing events ofResident Evil 3had a massive impact on Jill going forward, especially after witnessing the bombs obliterating the entire city in the game’s harrowing final scene.
When it comes tocharacter development,Chris Redfieldis someone who has grown a lot over the course of the series, primarily because he’s featured in so many of the mainline titles. However,Resident Evil 5stands out a lot for him because it essentially wraps up a ton of loose ends that were connected to his character. Chris' obsession with finding Jill, which often clouds his judgment and jeopardizes his mission, is a clever way to dissect one of Chris' biggest flaws: the way he struggles to cope with losing people around him.
More importantly, though, this is the game where Chris finally squashed his beef with Wesker, which had been ongoing since the very firstResident Evilgame back in 1996. In the final scene, Chris admits that he’s constantly been asking himself if all this fighting against bioterror is even worth it, but he eventually concludes that, to bring about a world where people can live without fear, it’s a sacrifice he’s willing to make. ThoughResident Evil 6does also do a fantastic job at building Chris' character,Resident Evil 5is a game that feels specifically designed to provide closure for this fan-favorite protagonist.
When most people think aboutResident Evilprotagonists,Rebecca Chambersisn’t usually the first person who springs to mind. However, with her becoming such a beloved character, and appearing in numerous games—and even theDeath IslandCG moviealongside the other classic protagonists—it only feels right to include her here. The prequel to the first game,Resident Evil 0, is without a doubt Rebecca’s most crucial game in the series, as this is where she really gets the most time to shine as a character.
Rebecca doesn’t seem all that combat-savvy in the first game, which implies that she can’t fight at all, but inResident Evil0, it’s shown that she can still hold her own when her life is on the line, even if she’s up against a Hunter or two. Being stuck with an ex-convict for the entire game also helps Rebecca break out of her naive mindset when she comes to realize that the world isn’t as black and white when mutants, zombies, and evil masterminds are constantly on the loose.
After escaping the Baker Estate inResident Evil 7, it seemed as thoughEthan Winterswould finally be able to live a happy life with Mia and their new baby daughter, Rose. Sadly, his dreams are crushed when Chris barges into his house, shoots Ethan’s wife, and steals away his daughter. In an attempt to rescue Rose and uncover the truth, Ethan, despite being very ill-prepared for the adventure ahead, takes onfour deadly LordsinResident Evil Villagejust to bring his daughter back.
Ethan’s willingness to go above and beyond to rescue Rose shows just how determined he is to be a good father, and that’s also why it’s such an emotional gut-punch when his body starts breaking apart after it’s revealed that it’s being held together by the Mold parasite. In the end, it’s Ethan who pulls the trigger to kill the Megamycete for good, so not only does the game emphasize his close relationship with his family, it also paints him as a martyr who saved countless lives through his heroic personal sacrifice.
