10 Best Resident Evil Protagonists

The Resident Evil series has become one of the most sprawling universes in video games. Between nine mainline games, more than a dozen spin-offs, several well-received remakes, and a few film franchises, the team at Capcom has created decades of characters to pull from. And while Resident Evil has had several great villains over the years, the heroes are the stars of the show. Here are our favorite protagonists in Resident Evil history.

10) Carlos Oliveira

For the tenth spot, we went back and forth between Carlos and Jake Muller. Both guys are battle-hardened warriors, but there’s something about Carlos’ punch in the Resident Evil 3 remake that really makes him stand out. It’s a simple change from Jill’s dodge role, but it turns him into a memorable powerhouse.

Unfortunately, Carlos hasn’t come back in any of the mainline games, but seeing him get a larger role in the RE3 remake gives fans hope that he might pop up in the future. After all, if Chris Redfield and his team are going to storm Umbrella as hinted in Village, he’s going to need some help.

9) Ada Wong

Ada has long been the main side character in Leon S. Kennedy’s story, but when she’s given time in the spotlight, the trained spy always impresses. Technically, she’s first mentioned in the original Resident Evil, but she first appeared as a supporting character in Resident Evil 2, and she was given a playable section in that game’s remake.

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She broke out in the Separate Ways DLC for Resident Evil 4 and featured as one of the many protagonists in Resident Evil 6. Throughout the series, she’s been a fan favorite for her quick wit, tremendous intelligence, and cunning guile on the battlefield.

8) Barry Burton

Barry stole our hearts and minds with his unintentionally hilarious lines in the English version of the original Resident Evil. In the years since, Resident Evil’s dad has become even more of a fan favorite.

He plays a starring role in Resident Evil: Revelations 2, where he journeys to a mysterious island to rescue his daughter, Moira, and Claire Redfield. After saving them and a young girl named Natalia Korda from Alex Wesker, he takes Natalia in as family. Unfortunately, she might house Alex Wesker’s soul, so the Burton family might have a few future issues to deal with if we see Barry pop up again in Resident Evil 9.

7) Billy Coen

Billy’s lone appearance in the mainline series is in Resident Evil 0, where he helps Rebecca Chambers stop James Marcus, one of the founders of the Umbrella Corporation. At the end of the game, Billy runs off into the woods, and we never see him again.

Maybe it’s that mystery that leaves us wanting to know more about Billy. The former Marine is certainly a capable fighter, and the backstory leading to his being on death row is suitably tragic. That said, Capcom has never gone back to the Coen well. Hopefully, it will change that soon.

6) Ethan Winters

Ethan Winters has become a polarizing figure among the Resident Evil community. On one hand, his personality is much more understated compared to previous heroes because Capcom wanted him to feel like more of the vessel for players as the series moved to first-person.

On the other hand, the moldman is the ultimate survivor. Unlike everyone else on this list, he has no real combat experience or training. He’s just a husband and father who wants to save his family from untold nightmares. Love him or hate him, you have to respect Ethan.

5) Rebecca Chambers

Rebecca is one of the smartest characters in the Resident Evil franchise. She is a child prodigy who earned a degree in chemistry at 18 before joining the S.T.A.R.S. unit. On top of her chemistry experience, she quickly proved herself more than adept in the field.

She hasn’t been directly involved in many games since Resident Evil 0, but she often shows up in the animated films, helping the BSAA from her lab and on the battlefield. And, while it’s not canon, we do have to point out that she’s essentially the main character of the S.D. Perry novels, where she proves to be an accomplished team leader.

4) Leon S. Kennedy

Leon’s brooding energy isn’t for everybody, but it’s impossible to deny that he’s one of the best combatants in Resident Evil history. The guy was sent on a solo mission to save the President’s daughter in RE4. You don’t get those jobs if you aren’t a killing machine.

He’s also not afraid to bring some levity to a fight, as Leon’s become well-known for his groan-inducing one-liners. In many ways, he is Resident Evil’s version of a classic ’80s action movie hero, just without the steroid-infused muscles. Capcom saved those for Chris.

3) Claire Redfield

Claire started her Resident Evil story as simply the younger brother of the series’ star, Chris Redfield. Like Ethan Winters, she didn’t have formal combat training, though Chris did teach her hand-to-hand combat and firearms while she was in college.

Despite the lack of experience, she impressively survived the Raccoon City Incident in RE2 and went in search of her brother, leading her to Rockfort Island and the events of Resident Evil: Code Veronica. She’s since carved out her own path by joining TerraSave, providing an alternative way to approach the growing threat of viral outbreaks.

2) Chris Redfield

Speaking of the Redfields, there’s probably not a more capable fighter in the Resident Evil universe than Chris. Not only is he a former Air Force fighter pilot and S.T.A.R.S. team member, but the dude absolutely decimated that boulder with his fists in Resident Evil 5.

The captain of the Hound Wolf Squad is essentially the main character for Resident Evil, appearing in more games than anybody. The only thing holding him back from the top spot is that he’s kind of boring. Granted, that’s on purpose, but the no-nonsense soldier gimmick limits him as a character at times.

1) Jill Valentine

Like Chris, Jill is a more than qualified fighter. Not only was she recruited to S.T.A.R.S. after serving in the Army, but she is skilled at lock-picking and bomb disposal after being one of the only women in the world with Delta Force training.

Unlike Chris, Jill is willing to let the gruff mask of a hardened combatant drop and show fans how affected she is by the horrors happening around her. Despite that, she’s always willing to dive back into the fray to help save her friends and humanity.

For whatever reason, Capcom hasn’t made her as big of a focus as Chris over the years, but we think that’s to the series’ detriment. Here’s hoping Jill makes her return as a playable character in Resident Evil 9.