Summary
- Playable characters in Resident Evil games face tragic deaths, with some sacrificing themselves for the greater good.
- Unique gameplay mechanics in Resident Evil Outbreak and Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City add complexity.
- Resident Evil's playable deaths contribute to the narrative depth of the franchise.
Compared to other franchises, most of the main cast of Resident Evil has stayed alive through a lot of harrowing events. It all started with Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine entering the Spencer Mansion in 1996. From there, other characters held prominent reoccurring roles, like Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield, and they are some of the most celebrated characters in Capcom games.
7 Resident Evil Games With The Best Gameplay, Ranked
The gameplay of these Resident Evil games is unmatched thanks to their amazing and unique mechanics, as well as satisfying gameplay loops.
That said, what about the Resident Evil heroes who weren’t so lucky? How many games did they get through before dying tragically? This will explore every Resident Evil hero who died during their campaign, and to keep things interesting, we'll focus on playable characters only, supporting other prominent heroes or going off on their own adventures.
Spoilers Ahead for the Resident Evil series
6 Raccoon City Survivors (Resident Evil Outbreak)
A Co-Op Game Ahead Of Its Time
Resident Evil Outbreak
- Released
- March 31, 2004
WHERE TO PLAY
Resident Evil Outbreak was released for the PS2, and was one of the few games that used the network adapter for the PS2 as well. Players could choose their characters and go through scenarios with others online or offline. The gameplay was similar to most Resident Evil games except that each character had a specific skill, and this gameplay loop transferred over into the sequel, Resident Evil Outbreak: File #2.
If players died offline, that was it: Game Over. However, online, players could turn into zombies and terrify their friends, which would result in different endings depending on who died and who survived. So, technically, Resident Evil Outbreak could kill the playable cast, including Kevin Ryman, a police officer, and Alyssa Ashcroft, a reporter.
5 U.S.S. Forces (Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City)
Save The Heroes
Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City
- Released
- March 20, 2012
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter
Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City was an online game as well, but one that came much later into the first HD generation on the PS3 and Xbox 360. It was about Umbrella sending in their special forces, the U.S.S. Or Umbrella Security Service, to clean up Raccoon City and to hide evidence of the outbreak from the public eye. Players could choose one of six characters to play, including Vector, Lupo, Beltway, Spectre, Bertha, and Four Eyes.
6 Best Resident Evil Trailers, Ranked
These trailers from the Resident Evil franchise were iconic during the time of their release.
There were two endings players could get under the U.S.S. Campaign. The bad ending resulted in the U.S.S. Squad killing Leon, Claire, and Sherry which would mess up the main Resident Evil timeline. If players refused orders, this would result in a fracturing between the characters, and whoever players chose to squad up with would survive while the others died. So, like the Resident Evil Outbreak games, who lived and who died could change from playthrough to playthrough.
4 Moira Burton (Resident Evil: Revelations 2)
Bad Choices Can Be Made
Resident Evil: Revelations 2
- Released
- February 24, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
Resident Evil: Revelations 2 was released episodically at first but was eventually bundled at retail. The game featured two co-op campaigns, with things starting with Claire Redfield and Moira Burton and then switching to Barry Burton and Natalia Korda. Each episode had a playable section of each campaign which would intersect naturally.
There’s a bad ending players could get in the finale which would result in Moira dying. If Moira dies, then Natalia bacome possessed by an evil entity and then escaped from Claire and Barry. It’s not the canon ending, but it is worth mentioning that Moira could die.
3 Piers Nivans (Resident Evil 6)
Going Down With The Ship
Resident Evil 6
- Released
- October 2, 2012
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter
Resident Evil 6 had three separate major campaigns that intersected with each other. Players could play as Leon S. Kennedy and Helena Harper, Jake Muller and Sherry Birkin, and Chris Redfield and Piers Nivans. Of those three campaigns, only one resulted in a death, and it is canonical as there are no hidden endings to achieve.
During the ending conflict with Chris and Piers, Piers makes the bold decision to inject himself with a virus to give himself a boost in strength. If he didn’t, Chris and Piers would have died anyway, so he bit the bullet for the greater good and eventually died in the process. This could explain why Chris became a colder character after this game’s events, in Resident Evil Village especially.
2 Steve Burnside (Resident Evil CODE: Veronica)
I Love You, Claire!
Resident Evil CODE: Veronica X
- Released
- March 21, 2001
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 2, Sega Dreamcast, GameCube, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4
Resident Evil CODE: Veronica mainly starred Claire Redfield, who wound up in a prison colony filled with zombies. On her journey, she met Steve Burnside, who helped her along the way. Steve gets injected with a virus later on, transforming him into a mini-boss that players have to run from. Even though he’s a monster, Steve does help Claire after confessing his love. Claire's brother, Chris, eventually became a playable character too, but in the main campaign, Steve never was.
Every Resident Evil Remake, Ranked
Capcom has generally delivered awesome Resident Evil remakes, but some are better than others.
However, there was a bonus mode attached, Battle Mode, that made Steve playable, but that’s not quite the same thing. That said, there was a light gun adaptation on the PS2 called Resident Evil Survivor 2 - Code: Veronica which made Steve playable in the campaign during co-op. Also, Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles for the Wii went through Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil CODE: Veronica's events, making Steve playable again in co-op. Therefore, no matter how one slices it, Steve is a playable death who should be mourned.
1 Ethan Winters (Resident Evil Village)
A Father’s Love
Resident Evil Village
- Released
- May 7, 2021
WHERE TO PLAY
Ethan Winters became a playable character in Resident Evil 7: Biohazard as he was searching for his wife Mia. He goes through one heck of a trial, losing his arm in the process, only to have it grow back as a mold-like entity. He makes it through that game and escapes with Mia to a remote area in a vague European country, and even has a baby named Rosemary.
Flash forward a bit to the events of the latest mainline game, Resident Evil Village, and Chris Redfield bursts into Ethan’s home, killing Mia and kidnapping Rosemary in the process. Rosemary then gets ripped apart by an evil organization and Ethan has to put her back together, which he does, in a ritual that is still baffling to players years later. As confusing as the process was, Ethan sacrificed his life to save Rosemary, who seemingly now has psychic abilities and can age rapidly.
8 Most Polarizing Resident Evil Characters
Resident Evil has featured many controversial characters that have sparked endless online debates, but only a handful of them are this polarizing.