Summary
- Experienced characters like Barry, Ethan, and Ada have fought and survived numerous biohazard threats over the years.
- Key figures like HUNK, Claire, Jill, Leon, and Chris have faced countless mutants and zombies, becoming seasoned veterans.
- Characters like HUNK, Chris, and Claire have endured loss and dedicated their lives to combating bioterror threats.
Considering the Resident Evil series has been ongoing for over two decades by this point, several recurring characters have a ton of experience fighting zombies and grizzly mutants. In fact, it's gotten to the point where these individuals often swoop in to save the day, considering the average citizen within this universe is severely unprepared to take on any B.O.W. They may run into on the street.
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While fighting off a variety of monsters is definitely one way to gain more experience in the field, at the same time, losing a few people along the way can also make a person more aware of the risks that come with fighting bioterror. While there have also been a few Resident Evil villains who have been on their fair share of adventures throughout the series, there are thankfully plenty of heroes who have more than enough experience in saving the world from disaster.
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8 Barry Burton
Barry Is Fully Aware Of The Grotesque Monsters That Occupy The World
- First Appearance: Resident Evil (1996)
Barry was part of the unlucky S.T.A.R.S. Team sent into the Spencer Mansion in the first Resident Evil game. Like his comrades, he encountered plenty of grotesque monsters and test subjects while navigating the building, but that wouldn't be the last fans saw of him. Barry comes back in Revelations 2, where he takes down entire hordes of new enemies and faces off against Albert Wesker, another well-known member of the Wesker Plan, also known as Project W.
Though Barry may not be considered a main protagonist in the same vein as Leon, Chris, or Jill, he has still appeared in enough games to make him well aware of how dangerous the world truly is. Pair his experience with his firearm skills, and Barry is an incredibly reliable hero who is more than willing to help out anyone in need.
7 Ethan Winters
Ethan Has Faced Off Against An Army's Worth Of Monsters In His Time
- First Appearance: Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (2017)
While Ethan is clearly designed to be an everyman who acts as a self-insert for the player, when looking back at his two mainline games, he's still taken down more than his fair share of mutants. Not only did Ethan overcome most of the Baker family on his own, alongside several horrific Mold mutants, but he also managed to defeat all four of Miranda's Lords before eventually taking down the leader herself.
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Though Ethan did admittedly meet his end in Resident Evil Village, he was still one of the most experienced individuals out there and was forced to go up against all kinds of weird and wacky enemies in his time. Needless to say, he's far more aware of the dangers posed by the spread of bioterror compared to the average citizen.
6 Ada Wong
A Spy Who Has Been Involved In Plenty Of Highly Dangerous Missions
- First Appearance: Resident Evil 2 (1998)
As a spy, Ada has been on plenty of highly dangerous and life-threatening missions, though she always manages to come out in one piece, despite how dire the situation may become. Not only was Ada involved in the Raccoon City incident, where she first met Leon, but she also shows up again in Resident Evil 4, where she was tasked with receiving a sample of Las Plagas under Wesker's orders.
Since then, she's been involved in many other interesting escapades which have improved her skills not only as a spy, but also as a combatant. While she played a key role in stopping the malicious Svetlana in the Damnation CG movie, she would also be instrumental in taking down Simmons during Resident Evil 6. At this point in time, Ada is undoubtedly one of the most experienced survivors out there, though whether she can be trusted or not is a different matter entirely.
5 HUNK
The Grim Reaper Has Embarked On, And Survived, Muktiple Suicide Missions
- First Appearance: Resident Evil 2 (1998)
HUNK is often seen as somewhat of a bogeyman within the Resident Evil universe. While the highly-skilled Umbrella agent is mentioned quite often, he is very rarely seen, though what is known about him is that he earned the nickname "Grim Reaper" because of his tendency to survive literally any mission he is sent on, even if it seems likely he won't make it out alive. HUNK is one of the few who made it out of Raccoon City alive, which is far from an easy feat.
While he's a master at using firearms, HUNK also excels at taking down his opponents at close range, so much so that he even invented his own fighting style called CQBZ (Close Quarter Quarantined Battle Zone). When it comes to taking down zombies, Hunters, or any kind of dangerous mutant, few can do it quite as effortlessly as HUNK can.
4 Claire Redfield
From Lickers To Bandersnatchers, Claire Has Seen It All
- First Appearance: Resident Evil 2 (1998)
When Clare rocked up to Raccoon City at the beginning of Resident Evil 2, she had no idea that she was throwing herself into the most nightmarish scenario possible. With the entire city infested with zombies, Claire barely manages to make it out of the RPD, the sewers, and eventually the secret laboratory alive, considering she's being harassed by enemies the entire way.
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After the Raccoon City Incident, Claire decided to join TerraSave, where she put her experience to use rescuing and helping those who had been affected by a bioterror incident in the same way that she was. It's not just zombies that Claire has taken down, though. In CODE: Veronica, she also defeated giant worms, long-ranged Bandersnatchers, and even a dangerous mutant known as Nosferatu.
3 Jill Valentine
Jill's Experiences In The Spencer Mansion And Raccoon City Have Made Her Into A Veteran
- First Appearance: Resident Evil (1996)
Of all the main protagonists in the Resident Evil series, Jill is the only one involved in both the Spencer Mansion and Raccoon City Incidents. As a result of facing off against such a staggering number of zombies and mutants, including the giant behemoth stalker called Nemesis, it didn't take long before Jill was considered a veteran after all she had been through.
In Resident Evil 5, where Wesker controls Jill, she easily outmaneuvers both Chris and Sheva with her speed and mobility, emphasizing how far she's come since her days in S.T.A.R.S. As seen in the Death Island CG movie, the most recent canon installment in the franchise, Jill has become a highly skilled and reliable fighter that all bioterrorists should be afraid of.
2 Leon S. Kennedy
The Rookie Cop Turned Special Agent Has Been On More Than A Few Hellish Adventures
- First Appearance: Resident Evil 2 (1998)
Though Leon was only a rookie cop when he got caught up in the Raccoon City Incident, after surviving and barely escaping along with Claire and Sherry, he was soon made a special agent working under the President. Though he wasn't exactly pleased about being forced into this position, the brutal training essentially turned Leon into a super-soldier, which is why he was able to embark on a solo mission to save Ashley from an entire army of vicious Ganado.
Throughout Resident Evil 4, Leon encounters an array of enemy types, from scythe-wielding cultists to massive trolls to a giant infected salamander. Because Leon himself has also been infected with Las Plagas, he has had first-hand experience of what it's like to have his body slowly taken over by an external force. This rookie cop has acquired a ton of experience on his adventures, though there's one man who has been through just as much, if not more, than Leon S. Kennedy.
1 Chris Redfield
Chris Has Been Fighting Against Bioterror For Most Of His Life
- First Appearance: Resident Evil (1996)
It's hard to know where to even start when looking back at Chris' achievements in the series. Not only did he manage to survive the Spencer Mansion, he also helped take down Alexia Ashford in CODE: Veronica, stopped Wesker from destroying the world in Resident Evil 5, and even wiped out a horde of werewolves and giant monsters in Village. In fact, Chris even comments near the end of Village on how long he's been fighting, indicating that he's getting a little worn down from everything he has experienced.
Chris has also lost many people in the line of duty, to the point where he essentially knows it's a guarantee someone will end up biting the bullet anytime he steps into a new conflict. Simply put, Chris has dedicated much of his life to keeping the world safe and will continue doing so, presumably until he's taken down for good, which hopefully isn't any time soon.
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