Summary
- Billy Coen is one of the strongest main characters, dealing most damage and surviving many attacks.
- Sherry Birkin's combat skills see her take down enemies with weapons and physical attacks.
- Barry Burton is durable and a hard hitter, defeating powerful monsters and standing up against dangerous foes.
While every protagonist in the Resident Evil series has proven themselves more than capable of taking down a zombie or two, some are clearly a lot stronger than others when it comes to their overall abilities. Considering how big and menacing a lot of the mutants and creatures can be in this universe, it helps to have someone who can overpower them as quickly as possible to avoid them spreading any more chaos and suffering to innocent civilians.
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While physical strength is definitely a part of this, it also relates to a person's durability and willingness to stand against the odds, no matter what is thrown their way. Being fast on their feet also goes a long way in making a character more effective in battle, especially when mutants, like the Lickers, for example, can attack the player in the blink of an eye. When taking all this into account, these are the strongest main protagonists of the Resident Evil franchise ranked according to overall strength and reliability in battle.
This list contains spoilers!
9 Billy Coen
Rebecca's Unlikely Companion Pulls His Weight In Resident Evil 0
- Protagonist: Resident Evil 0 (2002)
After Rebecca stumbles upon a zombie-infested train, she eventually runs into the criminal she had been looking for, Billy Coen. Though Rebecca does manage to hold her own against the zombies and leech monsters, the game makes it clear that Billy is the one who can not only dish out the most damage of the two but also survive more attacks.
A rule that players always keep in mind when running through Resident Evil 0 is to send Billy into the more dangerous areas, and that's because it takes so many hits for him to finally give up, at least on the lower difficulties. Billy doesn't seem like too much of a hand-to-hand fighter, but he's still stronger than the average civilian.
8 Sherry Birkin
Sherry Has Deadly Combat Skills And Inherits A Special Skill
- Protagonist: Resident Evil 6 (2012)
This entry contains spoilers for Resident Evil 6.
Though Sherry was only a child in Resident Evil 2, by the time she reappears in the sixth game, she's all grown up and a federal agent under the command of Simmons. While she admittedly does have the superhuman Jake to help her, Sherry still manages to take down swarms of weapon-wielding J'avo with not only her weapons but also her physical attacks, which seem a little inspired by her longtime friend Leon.
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At about the midpoint of Jake and Sherry's story, it's revealed that Birkin's daughter possesses a rapid healing ability due to her lineage. Though it doesn't make her invincible, it's definitely handy to have in case of an emergency. Considering most Resident Evil protagonists are absolute powerhouses, though, Sherry still has a long way to go if she wants to reach their level.
7 Barry Burton
Barry Is As Durable As They Come And A Real Hard-Hitter
- Protagonist: Resident Evil Revelations 2 (2019)
Barry doesn't appear quite as often in the series as many of his fellow protagonists, but he's still made it crystal clear that he's not someone to get on the wrong side of. The former S.T.A.R.S. Member has defeated a handful of powerful monsters in both Resident Evil and Revelations 2, the latter of which saw him bravely stand up against the immensely powerful Alex Wesker.
Perhaps the clearest indication of his underlying strength, though, is in Resident Evil 5, or more specifically, the Mercenaries United mode. Barry can unleash massive AOE attacks to flatten entire groups of enemies at once, but his accuracy leaves a bit to be desired. He can easily crack a few skulls with his headbutts, though Barry still definitely has weaknesses that can limit his full potential.
6 Claire Redfield
The Legendary Redfield Has Come A Long Way Since Her Debut As A Naive College Student
- Protagonist: Resident Evil Revelations 2 (2019)
Claire made her debut in Resident Evil 2, where she was looking for her brother, Chris, who had suddenly gone missing. After hitching a ride with Leon, the two find themselves in a nightmarish scenario, surrounded by zombies with seemingly no way to escape. Claire actually had some level of combat experience before the Raccoon City incident, thanks to Chris, who taught her how to hold her own against a common thug.
Still, nothing could have prepared her for the likes of William Birkin or Nosferatu, who are just some of the terrifying mutants Claire has been able to take down in her adventures. Claire has made it clear she's someone people can depend on, which is exactly why she decided to use her strength and skills to act as a lead figure in TerraSave.
5 Ada Wong
As A Spy, Ada Needs To Be Prepared For Anything
- Protagonist: Resident Evil 6 (2012)
Ada may be most accustomed to taking on espionage missions, but in a world where freakish monsters and zombies are lurking around every corner, being prepared to deal with them in close combat is a necessity. As a result, Ada is able to easily outmaneuver most opponents she comes across. The expanded Separate Ways expansion for Resident Evil 4 Remake is Ada's best showing as a fighter, though she also keeps up with Leon and the others in Resident Evil 6, too.
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Some of the CG movies, which are considered canon, also include a few thrilling fight scenes where Ada gets to take center stage, including her fiery battle with Svetlana in Damnation. Ada is more comfortable sneaking around and extracting information, but she can still get her hands dirty every now and again if she needs to.
4 Jake Muller
Wesker's Son Is Powerful Enough To Take Down Even The Biggest Of Mutants
- Protagonist: Resident Evil 6 (2012)
Jake may not technically be a superhuman like his father, but it doesn't take long for an onlooker to realize this guy is Wesker's son, considering his fighting style is the same. Wesker was known for using a lot of stiff strikes, such as the Panther Fang and Jaguar Kick, to concentrate all of his power into a single attack, and Jake is no different.
He's the only protagonist in the series who seems to prefer fighting hand-to-hand rather than using firearms, making him a true force to be reckoned with on the battlefield because of his speed and overwhelming physical strength. He's still young and needs a lot more time to refine his powers, but Jake still took down some insanely big mutants, including the Ustanak.
3 Jill Valentine
Jill Has More Than Enough Experience To Take Down Anything Thrown Her Way
- Protagonist: Resident Evil 3 (1999) / Resident Evil Revelations (2012)
There aren't many who can say they've been through as many horrific scenarios as Jill Valentine. All the fighting has turned Jill into a hardened warrior, as demonstrated in her standalone game, Resident Evil 3. Jill survives being hounded by the relentless B.O.W. Known as Nemesis, all while blasting apart several zombies and mutants along the way.
In the fifth game, after being brainwashed by Wesker, Jill almost managed to overpower both Chris and Sheva thanks to her strength and agility, though admittedly she was being boosted by the device on her chest. It does still demonstrate how strong Jilly truly is, though, and how much she can take before going down for good.
2 Leon S. Kennedy
Leon Was Trained To Be An Agent That The Government Can Rely On To Keep Peace
- Protagonist: Resident Evil 2 (1998) / Resident Evil 4 (2005)
Leon already started Resident Evil 2 as a fully trained cop, but after his very first day, he's "promoted" to the position of special agent under the direct command of the president. As Leon makes clear at the beginning of Resident Evil 4, the training he endured during this period was intense, to put it mildly, but it's nonetheless turned him into an absurdly strong soldier who has achieved some frankly staggering feats in the series.
Whether it's his old comrade Krauser, the lightning-fast assassin known as Verdugo, or the multi-form beast of Simmons, Leon has cleaned up more than a few monsters in his time. He's also just an excellent all-around fighter, as shown in a knife fight partway through Resident Evil 4, or how he annihilates an entire corridor of zombies in Vendetta without even getting a scratch on him, but there's one familiar face that stops him from taking the top spot.
1 Chris Redfield
It's Hard To Believe Chris Is Even Human With All That He's Achieved
- Protagonist: Resident Evil (1996) / Resident Evil 5 (2009)
This entry contains major spoilers for Resident Evil 5 and minor spoilers for Resident Evil 6 and Village.
Admittedly, there's not much between Leon and Chris in terms of fighting skill and general strength, but the reason Chris takes the top spot is because of his raw physical power. It's not an exaggeration to say Chris' strength seems superhuman, and while many people will point to the boulder-punching scene in 5 as proof of this, that's just one example of how much damage the legendary protagonist can cause when he gets heated.
In Village, Chris is casually punching Lycans out of the sky and toppling giants like it was just another day in the office. It's also hard to ignore the fact that Chris was able to take down none other than Albert Wesker in his final Uroboros form, and while Sheva was there to help, it's still an incredible feat nonetheless. Chris would have a brief physical encounter with Leon in Resident Evil 6, and while Leon was definitely more mobile, it was clear Chris had the strength advantage.
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