Highlights
- Ashley from Resident Evil 4 is considered one of the weakest characters in the series, as she is often in danger and difficult to control. However, her role as a protagonist in the Remake has improved, with new gameplay elements and more engaging moments.
- Katherine Warren, from the "what if" scenario in Resident Evil 2 Remake , is a vulnerable yet capable character who must escape the clutches of the evil police chief Brian Irons. She is determined to rescue her imprisoned boyfriend and is armed with a weapon, making her somewhat formidable in a crisis.
- Robert Kendo, a gunshop owner in Racoon City, is physically strong and knowledgeable about weaponry, making him a formidable protagonist in the Resident Evil series. While he ultimately sacrifices himself to stay with his daughter in the original storyline, he survives in the "No Time To Mourn" scenario and escapes with his friend on a helicopter.
Since the first title's release in 1996, Resident Evil has seen memorable and iconic characters. From Leon S. Kennedy, the rookie cop from Racoon City, to Chris Redfield, the legend of BSAA, the Resident Evil universe has seen them all. Together, these protagonists do their best to protect their city from the unforgiving threats of biochemical terrorism.
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Thanks to the warm reception for Resident Evil Village and the remakes of Resident Evil 2, 3, and 4, there has never been a better time to look at the best playable Resident Evil characters.
Updated October 18, 2023, by Michael Llewellyn: Resident Evil is one of the most recognizable franchises in the gaming industry. It set the bar for survival and action horror with animated and live-action movies and a short-lived Netflix TV show. The Resident Evil 4 Remake sits proudly among the best games in a tremendous year for gaming in 2023. With the RE4 Remake's expansion fleshing out Ada Wong's character, it is a good idea to update this list of the best playable characters in the Resident Evil series.
23 Ashley
- Canon game appearances: Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 4 Remake
Ashley is arguably the weakest character in the Resident Evil series. She was perpetually in danger during Resident Evil 4. Leon always needs to defend her in escort missions, and the sequences where she is playable are more frustrating.
Within these moments, Ashley is awkward to control and a chore to handle, meaning she is less than engaging as a character to play. Her role as a protagonist in the Resident Evil 4 Remake has significantly improved. While stealth still plays a part, Ashley must solve environmental puzzles and avoid enemies in some nai-biting moments.
22 Katherine Warren
- Canonical Appearance: Resident Evil 2 Remake
Katherine Warren is the kidnapped daughter of the Racoon City mayor. She was taken by the evil police chief Brian Irons, who planned on turning her into one of his taxidermy trophies. In the real story, Katherine does not survive her ordeal, but players who completed the Resident Evil 2 Remake get to play as her in a "what if" scenario where she makes her escape.
In this scenario, Katherine kills the police chief and escapes. She is determined to leave Racoon City and rescue her imprisoned boyfriend. She is vulnerable and not as quick as Claire or Leon, but she can handle a weapon, making her somewhat formidable in a crisis.
21 Robert Kendo
- Canonical Appearance: Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 2 Remake, and Resident Evil 3 Remake.
Robert Kendo is a gunshop owner in Racoon City and friends with Barry Burton and Jill Kennedy. During the outbreak in Racoon City, Robert had already lost his wife to the virus, and he had to watch his daughter slowly succumb to a zombie bite while hiding out in his gunshop.
Opting to stay with his daughter, Kendo took his own life after she was lost to the virus. It is an impactful scene that stays with Leon Kennedy for the rest of his life after hearing the gunshots. However, in the No Time To Mourn scenario, Kendo escapes with his friend on a helicopter. Skilled and armed with a unique shotgun, Kendo is physically strong and capable of defending himself. He is slower than Leon and Claire, but his knowledge of weaponry makes him a formidable protagonist.
20 Ghost
- Canonical Appearance: Resident Evil 2 Remake
J. Martinez, AKA Ghost, is a special forces soldier who works for the Umbrella Security Service. In the canon story, Ghost dies after William Birkin deliberately infected himself with the virus and attacked. In the Forgotten Soldier scenario, Ghost escapes and gets his hands on the G-Virus sample after Ada Wong falls down a shaft.
Unfortunately for Ghost, his escape fails because Ada survives her fall and appears behind him to take back the sample. Despite being a special forces soldier, it seems that even in the what-if scenario. Ghost is destined to lose. Despite his skills with weaponry, Ghost is not a survivor.
19 Natalia Korda
- Canon Game Appearances: Resident Evil: Revelation 2
Natalia Korda is a young girl who appears in the episodic Resident Evil Revelations 2. She is a survivor of the Terragrigia panic. She travels with Claire and Moira until she eventually aids the returning character Barry Burton in later episodes.
Natalia works with Barry as a dual protagonist by using her small frame to climb through tight spaces and detect monsters. However, she can only defend herself by throwing bricks and hiding, making her a vulnerable protagonist.
18 Moira Burton
- Canon Game Appearances: Resident Evil: Revelations 2
Moira Burton is a dual protagonist with Claire Redfield in Resident Evil: Revelations 2. She is the estranged daughter of Barry Burton and works with Claire in the opening episodes of the game. She aids Claire by using a torch to highlight hidden items.
Moira's not a strong character and chooses not to wield a gun due to past traumas that involved her sister. She's not defenseless, however, as she uses a crowbar to attack monsters and defend herself. Moira is a survivor, but she's not trained for combat and is a vulnerable protagonist.
17 Ethan Winters
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- Canon Game Appearances: Resident Evil 7 and Resident Evil 8
Ethan Winter is a survivor and an everyman character who manages to fight through and escape the horrific incidents in Resident Evil 7 and Resident Village. However - unlike the other characters in the series - Ethan has no combat experience or training.
Doing away with most of the action, Resident Evil 7 is more of a hide-and-seek horror game. Ethan has a better chance of survival if he runs away or hides from his enemies. Ethan is a good and relatable protagonist but certainly not the strongest.
16 Rose Winters
- Canon game appearances: Resident Evil Village - Shadows of Rose
Rose Winters is the daughter of Ethan, the protagonist of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard and Resident Evil Village. She is the protagonist of the Shadows of Rose expansion for RE Village. Set several years after the events of Village, Rose is a teenager struggling to come to terms with her powers and the need to find out about family history.
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Rose must return to the Eastern European village from the first game to get answers. She's a capable fighter who can handle weapons and escape dangerous scenarios by using her powers to freeze monsters and enemies.
15 Carlos
- Canon Game Appearances: Resident Evil 3 and Resident Evil 3 Remake.
A friendly guy in general who made for good company, Carlos was a survivor from childhood who had to struggle his entire life, and events forced him to go along with Umbrella.
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Carlos is a supporting protagonist in Resident Evil 3 and does a fair job lending a hand to Jill, defending her from a horde of zombies trying to break into the hospital. Carlos received a few playable missions himself, and instead of dodging like Jill, he would punch his foes in the face. He was fun to use, a fair contrast to Jill, but his only appearance in RE3 prevents him from climbing the rankings.
14 Billy
- Canon Game Appearances: Resident Evil Zero
As the co-protagonist of Resident Evil Zero, Billy's storyline was the mystery behind his supposed role in massacring dozens of people, which slowly unraveled during the game to reveal his innocence.
While a character of stoic nature, his ambiguous background made him an interesting person to follow. Of course, it also made him somewhat one-dimensional since the reveal of his innocence comes to light at the end, but there is no doubt that Billy still left a lasting memory.
13 Sheva
- Canon Game Appearances: Resident Evil 5
Although criticized by many as an unnecessary addition to Resident Evil 5, Sheva was significant during the story. Having been the latest supporting protagonist after Ashley's turn in the previous game, control of Sheva is empowering since she has skills.
Unfortunately, Sheva has little to no backstory, which reduced her to a side character in Resident Evil 5. Sheva is a strong fighter who emerged as an equal to Chris in battle.
12 Helena Harper
- Canon Game Appearances: Resident Evil 6
Featured for the first time in Resident Evil 6, Secret Service and former CIA agent Helena Harper teamed up with Leon Kennedy to solve the murder of the US President, Adam Benford. Helena's temperament gets the best of her. As a result, the CIA nearly fired her before transferring her to the Secret Service.
Helena is never afraid to go the extra mile to protect her loved ones, even helping Derek Simmons assassinate the President in exchange for her sister's freedom.
11 Sherry Birkin
- Canon Game Appearances: Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 2 Remake, and Resident Evil 6.
Before becoming a DSO agent on Resident Evil 6, Sherry Birkin was a child unfortunate enough to be born in a family of two virologists working for Umbrella. Her parents, Annette and William Birkin, had a massive impact on the T-virus research that cost millions of lives.
Sherry was arrested by the US government and placed into custody. She eventually joined the DSO and teamed up with Jake Muller to end the terror of Albert Wesker once and for all.
10 Jake Muller
- Canon Game Appearances: Resident Evil 6
There is no talking about Sherry Birkin without mentioning Jake Muller. Being the only son of international bio-terrorist Albert Wesker must have put a heavy burden on his shoulders. Jake has never seen his father and spent most of her youth in the Eastern European country of Edona with his mother.
Young Jake became a mercenary at a young age to support his mother's medical treatment. Unfortunately, she passed away soon later, leaving Jake on his own.
9 Barry Burton
- Canon Game Appearances: Resident Evil and Resident Evil Revelations 2
Barry Burton is one of the original RE characters and the man who uttered the words Jill Sandwich, forever iconizing him with Resident Evil fans. Barry returned for Resident Evil Revelations 2 and worked as a dual protagonist with Natalia.
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Barry is a battle-hardened fighter and veteran who has seen a lot of combat. The oldest member of the original squad in Resident Evil, the likable Barry mentors iconic characters like Chris, Jill, and Rebecca.
8 Rebecca
- Canon Game Appearances: Resident Evil and Resident Evil Zero
Rebecca has a soft spot in the hearts of Resident Evil fans for being a ray of sunshine in personality and the representation of innocence. She could kick all kinds of butt on her own but carried a sense of optimism few others possessed.
Having been a teenager during the events of both Resident Evil and Resident Evil Zero, Rebecca stood out from the other characters because her personality made her a positive and striking contrast to the others.
7 HUNK The Fourth Survivor
- Canon Game appearances: Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 2 Remake, and Umbrella Chronicles.
HUNK is a member of Umbrella's Security Service. His mission as the fourth survivor is unlocked after completing the game in both versions of Resident Evil 2. He is a formidable fighter armed to the teeth with the best weapons and healing items.
Hunk is a survivor and a special forces fighter capable of taking down hordes of zombies by himself. As a leader, he also puts his men first by telling them to escape and even covering Ghost after shooting Dr. Birkin. Aa a man few words, HUNK is a powerful character in the RE Universe.
6 Piers Nivans
- Canon Game Appearances: Resident Evil 6
One of the new characters introduced in Resident Evil 6 is Piers Nivans, a BSAA soldier assigned under the command of Chris Redfield. Chris was considering retirement and drinking at a bar in Edonia, forgetting about the world until Piers convinced him not to.
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Unfortunately, Piers had no choice but to infect himself with the C-Virus to beat the final boss. If not for Piers Nivans sacrificing his life in the line of fire, Chris would have retired already.
5 Ada Wong
- Canon Game Appearances: Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil 4 Remake - Separate Ways, Resident Evil 6, and Resident Evil Darkside Chronicles
Unpredictable. Mysterious. Vague. These three words represent Ada Wong's character best. Unlike the others, nobody knew precisely who Ada Wong was or what she was like before the 1998 Raccoon City Incident.
Ada Wong conquered Leon Kennedy's heart and clouded his judgment. Ada might not be the most physical character, but Wong is a good shot and has even better aim with her bow gun. She is a playable character featured in Resident Evil 6 and is unlocked after players complete the three main chapters.
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Separate Ways is the story expansion for the Resident Evil 4 Remake featuring Ada Wong in a solo adventure. Her story intertwines with Leon's as she is tasked with acquiring a sample of Las Plagus for her contractors. It's a quality campaign that is worthwhile for fans of Ada's character to experience her influence on the main story. Ada is adept at using stealth, can beat enemies with martial arts, and uses a Batman-like grapple gun. She's the most resourceful and one of the most dangerous protagonists in the Resident Evil franchise.
4 Claire Redfield
- Canon Game Appearances: Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil: Code Veronica, Resident Evil Survivor 2, Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles, and Resident Evil: Revelations 2
Claire Redfield is a legendary face in the franchise and a survivor of the 1998 Raccoon City Incident. She grew up close to her brother, Chris Redfield, after the death of their parents in the 1980s.
Claire is a prominent shooter and even deadlier with her signature grenade launcher. Chris was the one who taught her before she eventually joined her brother in the fight against bioterrorism. Claire is a playable character in Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 2 Remake, and Code Veronica.