The first game of the Resident Evil franchise introduced many unforgettable characters; Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, Albert Wesker, and Barry Burton were just the beginning. Despite the infamously egregious voice acting, those characters somehow became classics along with the game itself.
Now with nine main entries in the long-running Capcom game series, Resident Evil boasts as many heroes and villains to create an Avengers-level cast. After the first game, Capcom introduced many characters who were just as good, if not better than those characters.
Billy Coen
Resident Evil 0, the game that takes place before and during the first game, was a divisive game. A part of that was due to the characters, including a hilariously out-of-place villain. Rebecca Chambers was an irritating lead for some but her reluctant partner throughout was definitely the superior one.
Billy Coen is a criminal who is sort of thrust right into the situation along with Rebecca. The two don't care for each other at all but have to work together to survive. Similar to Snake Plissken from Escape From New York, he puts on a tough guy act but he has a good heart in the end. While nothing great, he was a more welcome addition to the lore than Rebecca.
Ethan Winters
The playable character of the most recent Resident Evil games. When Ethan first debuted in Resident Evil VII: Biohazard, he was mocked for how bland and casual he was in every situation. Some would argue he was a terrible lead character in comparison to Mia or any of the creative villains.
That is until the most recent game, Resident Evil: Village. In it, Ethan Winters is upgraded immensely from a wooden character to a mysterious and engaging character. More of Ethan's mind and emotion is showcased in Resident Evil: Village, enhancing what is already a great game.
Nemesis
Mr. X from Resident Evil 2 was a scary threat but Nemesis took it to another level. Nemesis is the mutated tyrant from Resident Evil 3 who can best be described as the T-800 from The Terminator mixed with a Cenobite from Hellraiser. Nemesis will not stop until all of S.T.A.R.S. are eliminated.
As a result, he is chasing the player through Resident Evil 3, growling out "S.T.A.R.S." like a monster. His speed, ferocity, and relentlessness make Nemesis an unforgettable villain that rivals the likes of Albert Wesker.
Ada Wong
Secret agent Ada Wong is the recurring side character who appears throughout the campaigns of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 4. However, in both of those games, Ada is also playable in her own story chapters that further flesh out the story.
What makes Ada Wong is her personality; while everyone is so serious and stressed about the zombie threat, Ada keeps her cool. Ada fits the secret agent type: calm, cool, and ready to kill lots of zombies and monsters while helping out the main characters, even if likely for her own benefit.
Sheva Alomar
Ignoring the annoying AI of Sheva during single-player, Sheva still provides a solid female lead for Resident Evil 5. Despite being late to the whole zombies and Bio-Organic Weapons, Sheva is a determined fighter.
Even when everything goes wrong and it's just her and Chris Redfield, she continues to have her new partner's back. During co-op, Sheva holds her own alongside iconic characters such as Chris and Wesker. The problem is that fans were frustrated by her AI so much that she garnered unfair hate.
Mia Winters
Mia Winters is Ethan's wife, captured by the Baker family and mind-controlled by the mysterious Eveline. Mia's struggle against Eveline and the Baker family is easily one of the more engaging parts of the story. The segments that allowed the player to control Mia were arguably superior to Ethan.
Eveline wants nothing more than Mia to be her mother and she'll kill anyone to get it to happen. This alone shows that Mia should have been the main character all along. Add some twists and turns about Mia's backstory, she ends up being a memorable hero and antagonist of Resident Evil VII.
Jack Baker
Jack Baker is the secondary villain of Resident Evil VII, he was a normal family man until Eveline and her bio-engineered mold turned him into an indestructible psychopath. Emulating the likes of Mr. X combined with William Birkin, every time Ethan seemingly kills Jack, he mutates into something worse.
Typically, Jack is spewing psychotic one-liners or growing into a giant monster. As a result, he becomes a character Ethan fights multiple times throughout. However, it turns out that Jack is just as much of a victim as Ethan and Mia are, making the boss fights in Resident Evil VII tragic in a way as well as terrifying.
Lady Dimitrescu
By now, the memes and parodies of Lady Dimitrescu and her unique figure have become as famous as Resident Evil: Village itself. She is a ten-foot-tall, voluptuous woman with immense strength due to her being a vampire. While her design is undeniably meant for sex appeal, that hides a deadly and ruthless monster that will crush Ethan or stab him with her massive claws.
Maggie Robertson's motion-capture performance is easily one of the best character performances in the whole series. Despite the jokes, Lady Dimitrescu proved to be a worthy addition as a villain that even Albert Wesker would be jealous of.
Claire Redfield
Everyone knows that Chris Redfield is a classic character but some would argue that his sister is even better. Introduced in Resident Evil 2, Claire Redfield is to the games what Alice should have been in the much-maligned movies. Strong, fierce, and not afraid to take on a herd of zombies to protect a child.
In a way, she's similar to Ellen Ripley from Aliens. Fans loved this character so much that she would return as the star in the Code: Veronica series and Revelations 2.
Leon S. Kennedy
Of course, the best thing about Resident Evil 2 was Leon S. Kennedy, the rookie cop who becomes the most beloved action hero of the series. He would be the main star again in Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil 6, get his own series of 3D-animated movies, and a series on Netflix.
Leon is so awesome, he somehow keeps the emo-hairstyle alive despite being completely dated. In Resident Evil 2, his story was simple: a good cop on his first day to work at the Raccoon City Police Department when the zombie pandemic hits. Now he'll stop at nothing to save the day and destroy Umbrella from causing more chaos with their B.O.Ws.
