Summary
- Clair Redfield is always prepared to defend the defenseless.
- Rebecca Chambers is honest and stands up for what she believes, letting others know where they stand with her immediately.
- Ethan Winters, despite lacking experience, is loyal and desperate to save his family from danger.
Resident Evil has no shortage of heroes, as the franchise spans decades, bringing numerous main-line games and spin-off titles to the hands of eager fans. Though there is a dedicated line-up of legacy characters who have returned time and time again, their roster of good guys is still rather impressive.
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But just how trustworthy are these Resident Evil characters? Does being a hero automatically make someone trustworthy, and does a character's status as a villain instantly disqualify them? Here are the most notable Resident Evil characters who can be counted on to be honest or even to have someone's back in the middle of something as drastic as a zombie apocalypse.
8 Lady Dimitrescu
At Least Ethan Knows Where He Stands With Her
- First Appearance: Resident Evil Village
It might be surprising to see a villain even considered to be trustworthy at all, as they are the bad guy, so nothing they say can truly be believed. But have the stalker enemies in Resident Evil ever really been dishonest?
It's true, players can't exactly trust that they won't disembowel them at the first given opportunity, but to be fair to them, most describe in pretty gruesome detail exactly what they intend on doing should they catch up to the player character, so it's really the protagonist's own fault if they allow them to get that close. And the internet's favorite vampire matriarch is no different, as she makes it pretty clear what she wants to do to Ethan, especially after he starts killing her three daughters during his exploration of the castle.
7 Sherry Birkin
Sherry's Troubled Childhood Did Not Taint Her Good Nature
- First Appearance: Resident Evil 2
Sherry is by far one of the characters who had it the hardest in Resident Evil 2. She was just a child when all hell broke loose in Raccoon City, and she saw her own father transform into a monster, who now sees her as a suitable host to infect with the same virus. Her mother Annette does not take too much of an interest in her daughter's welfare either, being too busy cataloging William Birkin's activities to even check if she is still even alive.
Through the kindness of Claire, Sherry survived and grew up to be an earnest and honest woman, wanting to do what is right, despite all the horrors she witnessed and lived through. She is loyal to her friends Claire and Leon, intent on joining the fight against all the wrongdoings in the world.
6 Rebecca Chambers
One of the Most Earnest Characters in the Series
- First Appearance: Resident Evil
Rebecca formed part of S.T.A.R.S. Bravo team as a rookie officer and team medic, joining the team as they investigated the Arklay forest after receiving reports of animal attacks and supposed cannibalism in the area. The helicopter crashed, the team scattered, and Rebecca was found onboard Umbrella's private train sitting quiet and still on the tracks, upon which she meets convicted murderer Billy Coen.
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As a stand-up officer and law-abiding citizen, Rebecca has an immediate distrust towards Billy, and she lets her opinion be known of him immediately. Though she does agree to partner up with him in order to help get them out of the sticky situation they are in, everyone knows it's just about as much as her wanting to keep an eye on him as it is out of necessity. Everyone, innocent or guilty, knows where they stand with Rebecca.
5 Jill Valentine
A Reliable Partner
- First Appearance: Resident Evil
Appearing as one of the playable protagonists in the first game, Jill has been a long-time staple character, appearing in numerous games and other media such as movies. As a protagonist, Jill is strong, a little stubborn, brave, resourceful, and loyal to friends and allies. One might be quick to point out her stint as Wesker's attack dog in Resident Evil 5, but since Jill was being mind-controlled by a device implanted in her chest, her betrayal of Chris was not purposeful.
Even taking this into account, Jill is still one of the most trustworthy and reliable partners one could ever have in Resident Evil, as she makes it clear that she would risk life and limb for others. This is evident through her leading Nemesis away from their escape train in Resident Evil 3 and her immediate worry over Chris's whereabouts in the first game.
4 Ethan Winters
Ethan Just Wanted a Normal Life
- First Appearance: Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
Out of all the Resident Evil protagonists, Ethan is probably one of the most grounded ones, as he was a husband and then a father before he was ever a fighter. In his debut title, Resident Evil 7, he was simply an ordinary man thrust into extraordinary circumstances. He traveled to the Baker's lands in search of his wife Mia, who had gone missing three years prior. He does find her, but it is far from a happy reunion; Mia is different now, dangerous, just like the rest of her new family.
He has at least had some training in Village, but he still finds himself a little out of his depth trying to rescue his daughter Rose from Miranda and her Four Lords, who each hold a separate part of her. In these games, it's more about Ethan scrambling for answers rather than having any to give himself. He does prove his loyalty, at least, via his desperation to save his family from whatever danger they find themselves in.
3 Chris Redfield
Chris is Always Fighting the Good Fight
- First Appearance: Resident Evil
Chris is the character with the most roles throughout the series, even appearing in titles that he is not the main character of, such as the Ethan Winters saga. But no matter where or when he appears, players can rest assured that he is continuing his work to put an end to BOWs, effectively trying to save the world time and time again.
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Though his allegiances have changed over time, going from a S.T.A.R.S. Officer to a BSAA agent, for example, Chris can always be trusted to be a good guy. Even in Village, when he absolutely does not elaborate on why he shot Mia and took Rosemary, players have known Chris long enough by now to trust he had a good reason for what he did, and, lo and behold, he did. His career throughout Resident Evil speaks to the levels of how much one can trust Chris.
2 Claire Redfield
Always Willing to Help Those in Need
- First Appearance: Resident Evil 2
One of the most trustworthy characters in the Resident Evil franchise has to be Claire Redfield. First appearing in Resident Evil 2, Claire traveled to Raccoon City in search of her older brother, where she met Leon and a whole host of undead and other monstrosities. Her caring nature immediately made her protective of Sherry Bikrin, who was being hunted by her father and all but ignored by her mother, who cared more about studying the effects of the G-virus.
Her capacity to care is shown once more in Code: Veronica and again in Revelations 2 with Steve and Moira respectively. Each game just proves more and more how much Claire can be relied upon and trusted by anyone who is lucky enough to meet her, even in these dire circumstances.
1 Leon Kennedy
Even Older, Jaded Leon Hardly Lies
- First Appearance: Resident Evil 2
Out of all the Resident Evil characters, Leon is the one who fans would want to have watching their back the most, as he was deemed the man for the job to save the President's beloved daughter. Not only that, but he takes his job very seriously, as evidenced in Resident Evil 2, as he starts his first shift on the job contending with zombies and other monsters, wishing he arrived earlier to help rather than handing in his resignation.
The events of Raccoon City shake Leon so much that his character becomes progressively darker and more jaded as the franchise continues, yet he never loses that honest part of himself. He is rather open with people he knows he can trust, and he only closes himself off around villains and other unscrupulous sorts.