Highlights
- Resident Evil is known for its unique selection of weapons, with both new and classic choices becoming iconic.
- The Red 9 is a popular handgun in Resident Evil 4, boasting strength and a stylish antique-like design.
- The rocket launcher is the most iconic weapon in the franchise, capable of taking down any boss with ease.
Besides the horrific monsters and lovable characters, Resident Evil is a series also well known for its unique selection of weapons. While there have been plenty of new weapons introduced in the more recent titles that have made an impression on fans, there are also a handful of classic weapons that have now become synonymous with the franchise as a whole.
While the strength of a weapon can certainly play a big role in making it memorable and iconic among fans, there are also many other factors to take into account including its design, the role it plays in the story, and how hard it is to obtain, with some only being acquired after completing a plethora of grueling challenges and tasks set out by the game.
9 Red 9
Many of the weapons that fans remember most fondly from the Resident Evil games are unlockables that can only be retrieved under special circumstances, but this isn't the case with the Red 9, which is a standard handgun that Leon can pick up after retrieving Ashley from the church in Resident Evil 4.
The truth is, the Red 9 blows all other handguns out of the water when it comes to sheer strength, and the antique-like design also helps it stand out from its competition, looking like it should be stored in a display case. The way Leon flicks the gun while reloading makes it even more stylish, and considering one of the most exciting parts of the Resident Evil 4 Remake trailer for many fans was a still shot of the gun, it just goes to show how immensely popular it is.
8 LZ Answerer
It might not officially be called a Lightsaber, but it's clear just by looking at the LZ Answerer in Resident Evil: Village that the weapon is clearly an homage to the Star Wars universe, and while it's incredibly hard to acquire, requiring the player to complete all Mercenaries stages with an SS rank, it's so worth it to be able to slice apart lycans and ghoulish corpses with a double-sided blade.
The weapon gets even better when playing in the third-person mode, which was added as part of the Winter's Expansion where players will be able to see Ethan flipping the sword around like a true Jedi, hacking and slashing at anyone who gets between him and Rose.
7 Pale Rider
Magnums and revolvers have always been featured in Resident Evil games as far back as the classic titles, but the Pale Rider, which made its first appearance in Resident Evil: Revelations 2 is far from a simple re-hash of what came before. Its design features a hilariously long barrel that looks extremely impractical, but this is why it has become so memorable.
Looks can definitely be deceiving though since the Pale Rider is actually the strongest magnum in the game, and while anyone can use the gun, it's best suited for Wesker, who can use the Evade Cancel skill, which makes the low rate of fire far less of a problem since he can dodge to skip the animation.
6 Matilda
The Matilda is a weapon that has served Leon extremely well not only during his escape from Raccoon City but also in his mission to save Ashley from the Los Illuminados since it also makes an appearance as a three-fire burst unlockable handgun in both the original Resident Evil 4 and the remake.
While this trusty sidearm isn't specifically referred to as the Matilda in the original Resident Evil 2, this was retconned in the remake where it is called the Matilda from the very beginning, with the name most likely being a reference to the young girl Mathilda who is featured in the movie Leon: The Professional, which was supposedly a big inspiration for Leon's design and personality.
5 PRL 412
Secret weapons are designed to make the game a lot easier so that players can casually run through at their own pace on future playthroughs, but the PRL 412 is utterly game-breaking and is a weapon capable of exterminating multiple enemies with a single blast due to its incredible range.
The alien-like weapon emits high-powered energy blasts which not only hit enemies on impact but destroys the Las Plagas that reside within them, meaning it will take down nearly every Ganado and even a few bosses with a single shot. The PRL 412 has a notably futuristic design that leaned heavily into the sillier side of the universe, but no fan of the original Resident Evil 4 can ever forget using this weapon for the first time and how much fun it was to complete the village section in mere seconds when having it equipped.
4 Barry's .44 Magnum
Ever since Barry blasted away the very first zombie seen in the series, his prized .44 magnum has become somewhat of a mythical weapon to the fanbase, with many people theorizing that it might be a lot more powerful than Barry was initially letting on. This was seemingly confirmed in Resident Evil 5 where Barry, who is playable in Mercenaries Unites mode, uses his magnum for certain attacks, with it always killing enemies in a single shot.
In fact, Barry's magnum is the only weapon in Resident Evil Remake that is able to take down the Tyrant's first form with a single bullet, and even when it reappears in Revelations 2, it is still portrayed as an unstoppable killing machine that has become synonymous with one of the series' most beloved characters.
3 Handcannon
The Handcannon made its first appearance in Resident Evil 4, but since then, it has been unlockable in nearly every single game due to just how popular and iconic it became, becoming the go-to weapon for speed runs and boss fights. The cannon-like sound that emanates from the barrel when firing the gun makes is enough to shake anyone's eardrums, and of course, the immense amount of damage it's capable of dealing makes it so much fun to experiment with on future playthroughs.
The weapon became so popular that it even came back in the Resident Evil 4 Remake where it can be unlocked by achieving an S rank on each Mercenaries stage, making it incredibly easy to obtain, but still just as powerful as every longtime fan remembers it being.
2 Samurai Edge
Not only has the Samurai Edge become iconic for its stylish design and rarity in the games it's featured in, but also because it plays a fairly big role in the Resident Evil lore, being manufactured by Joseph Kendo in Raccoon City, who then gave them to STARS members, including Chris and Jill to use on their missions.
This is why nearly every member of the original crew in the first game can be seen using the Samurai Edge during their exploration of the Spencer Mansion, and while most of them were presumably destroyed or lost after the Mansion Incident, it's revealed in Resident Evil 5 that Wesker actually kept his so that he could kill his old rival Chris with it. The weapon is a heavily modified version of a Beretta 92, so while it still retains that signature handgun aesthetic, it's still very unique in its design.
1 Rocket Launcher
Undoubtedly the most iconic weapon in the entire franchise, and the one that ends off nearly every game in the series, the rocket launcher in many ways is what the player is working towards when playing through each game, being the ultimate one-hit-kill weapon that is capable of taking down any boss, no matter how powerful or unstoppable they may seem.
The rocket launcher is a recurring weapon, and while they come in all types of shapes and sizes, veteran fans of the series always know that once they have one in their hands, there's no hope for the enemies that await them. To make this iconic weapon even more fun, many of the games feature an infinite rocket launcher, which can make a playthrough so much easier, so long as the player doesn't accidentally blow themselves up.