While many of the Resident Evil game's stories are known for being outlandish and nonsensical at times, there are also many moments throughout the series that have been much more emotional and heartfelt, whether it's from a beloved character meeting their end, or even just a file that reveals a little more about the enemies the player has been killing.
Each and every Resident Evil title, no matter how out-there its plot is, will always incorporate a few smaller segments that aim to pull at the players' heartstrings, and while some of them come off as a little flat or unimportant, when the moment is built up correctly, it can result in a massive emotional impact that can be very hard to forget once the game is finally over.
10 Piers Saving Chris
Piers approaches a disillusioned Chris Redfield at the beginning of Resident Evil 6, convincing the weathered agent to rejoin the BSAA so that the two can capture Carla, the person who killed Chris' previous squad members.
Near the end of Chris' campaign, the duo comes up against a giant octopus-like B.O.W called Haos in an underwater base which almost kills Piers with a single attack. Realizing he couldn't let his captain die, and wanting to prove his own worth as a BSAA member, Piers valiantly injects himself with the C-Virus, protecting Chris until he can reach the escape pod, making for a truly emotional sacrifice.
9 Jill Reveal
Throughout most of Resident Evil 5, Chris and Sheva continuously run into a mysterious masked figure who seems to be working with Irving, an arms dealer whom the agents are trying to track down. As the plot expands though, and the protagonists finally come face to face with Albert Wesker, it is soon revealed that the hooded figure has actually been Jill Valentine all this time, who has been brainwashed by a device planted on her chest.
The fight that ensues is a very distressing encounter as Chris tries to talk sense into his old partner while the delicate tune of Sad and True plays in the background, with this reveal being especially gut-wrenching for veterans of the series who remember the comradery shared between the two in the first game.
8 Steve Shooting His Father
Steve isn't exactly a beloved character among the Resident Evil fanbase since he spends most of Code Veronica whining and getting himself trapped in rooms, but he actually has a very tragic backstory that led to a surprisingly emotional moment where Steve is forced to shoot his zombified father.
After planting a bullet in his father's head and falling to his knees, Steve reveals that his father had been spying on Umbrella which actually got his whole family imprisoned on Rockfort Island which at least helps to explain some of his random outbursts that occur throughout the story.
7 Vision Of Jack Baker
During the first few hours of Resident Evil 7, Jack Baker was portrayed as a terrifyingly violent and manic individual who desired nothing more than to kill Ethan for sneaking into his house, but players soon realize that Jack actually used to be a completely normal and very kindhearted man once they reach the ship section of the game.
Due to the connection made by the Hive Mind controlled by Eveline, Ethan is able to sit down and talk with Jack through a vision where the man begs Ethan to avenge his family and end the suffering caused by the girl. Since this section is after Ethan has killed Jack and Margarite, it's a truly devastating moment that really puts into perspective just how cruel Eveline is as a character.
6 Marvin's Demise
Upon reaching the zombie-infested RPD in Resident Evil 2, Marvin is the only character Leon or Claire can rely on to help them figure out where to go, and how to take on the undead who roam around each corner of the police station, but since he has already been bitten, it's clear he won't last very long.
The sadness of his death though is how sudden it is. In the remake, Marvin is constantly chatting with the protagonist via radio, but the calls suddenly become much less frequent until eventually, players return to the main hall to find he has succumbed to his infection. The sight is just as saddening in the original game where players can find him wandering around the East Office, leaving the player to decide whether to pull the trigger or not.
5 Final Kiss With Ada
Despite not actually dying here since she returns in Resident Evil 4 years later, Ada Wong's supposed death in Resident Evil 2 is a moment that no diehard Resident Evil fans can ever forget, but it's in the Leon B scenario where it really hits the hardest, with the rookie cop sharing a final kiss after she is thrown against a machine by the Tyrant.
What really drives this moment home though is the track One More Kiss which is a hauntingly beautiful ballad that really sums up Leon's feeling of helplessness as he cradles Ada in his arms, screaming out her name after believing she is truly dead.
4 Resident Evil 4 Credits
When players finally manage to reach the jet ski with Ashley on board at the very end of Resident Evil 4, they aren't met a black credit screen, but instead, a scene that looks at pictures of the villagers' lives before they became the terrifying Ganado enemies Leon fights throughout the game.
Seeing families singing in the street, children fishing in the nearby lake, and Chief Mendez teaching the locales from his church is one of the most heartbreaking sights in the entire series, especially since the fast-paced nature of the game doesn't give the player much time to reflect on who these people actually were before they were forced into the Los Illuminados.
3 Death Of Luis
While Luis's death in the original Resident Evil 4 was an extremely sad moment, it felt like the character needed a little more time to develop for the death to be as impactful as it could have been, and that's exactly what happened in the remake where we get to learn much more about Luis' time working for Umbrella and the Los Illuminados.
The fact Luis could never truly make amends and see Saddler's plan go down in flames is incredibly unfortunate, and his final line makes this all the more depressing when he asks Leon "People can change, right?" before taking a last puff of his cigarette.
2 Ethan's Sacrifice
After witnessing his wife being shot by his own friend, losing his own daughter in a crazed kidnapping, and finding out that he actually died back in the Baker Estate and is simply a mold monster waiting to turn, Ethan decides to make the biggest sacrifice at the end of Resident Evil 8 by rushing into the Megamycete and detonating a bomb to destroy the village and its horrifying monsters once and for all.
What makes this moment so sad is that Ethan has truly had everything stacked against him ever since the events that took place in Resident Evil 7, so to see him go through such an amount of hardship only to see his daughter for a few brief moments near the end is truly a moment that had many players weeping.
1 Finding Lisa Trevor
Jessica and her daughter Lisa were both experimented on over the course of many years in an underground cavern below the Spencer Mansion, but while Jessica was killed due to her poor reaction to the Progenitor Virus, Lisa reacted very well to it, gaining regenerative powers that would see her be the subject of further experimentation for another twenty-eight years.
By the time players actually encounter Lisa in the Spencer Mansion, she is a shell of her former self and is completely obsessed with finding her parents. The story of Lisa Trevor really demonstrates just how immoral and horrific the experiments that take place in the Resident Evil world really are, and seeing her in person creates a deep sense of empathy and sadness that stands out from any other moment in the series.