The Resident Evil franchise cycles through main characters fairly often. Frankly, it's a major part of the series' appeal at this point – and certainly to be expected. The games have been playing around with their protagonists since the very beginning: Resident Evil 1 was Chris and Jill's story, 2 was Claire and Leon's, 3 was just Jill's, and Code: Veronica was Claire's and Chris'. Notably, the transition from Resident Evil 7 to Village marked the first time the main character stayed consistent between two titles.

Needless to say, not every Resident Evil main character gets the same amount of spotlight. Characters like Chris and Leon keep coming back for more, while the likes of Jill and Rebecca are left by the wayside, waiting for inevitable remakes to bring them back into the fold. With Resident Evil 4 (2023) out now, Leon has once again taken his place in the spotlight.

Updated on September 28, 2023 by Ajay Aravind: Resident Evil 4 Remake is out in the world, which has fans reliving some of their favorite thrills and experiencing revitalizing new additions to the popular franchise. Whether through immersive details, or non-stop on-edge gaming, the Resident Evil franchise remains a fan favorite, and has proven itself capable of updating for the times. As such, we've updated this article with more information about every Resident Evil main character.

15 Rosemary Winters

1 Game

Rose appears in:

• Resident Evil Village (2021)

Rosemary, better known as Rose, is Ethan Winters' daughter. Ethan risks leg and limb putting himself in danger to save an infant Rose during the events of Resident Evil Village. Sadly, this means that Rose grows up without a father and is seemingly estranged from her mother Mia. The closest thing she has to a parent is Chris. Rose's first (and so far only) playable appearance was in Resident Evil Village's story DLC, Shadows of Rose. Her play style is a blend of classic Resident Evil (slow, no dodge or block, few weapons) mixed with her more outlandish Mold-based powers.

14 Sheva Alomar

1 Game

Sheva appears in:

• Resident Evil 5 (2009)

Sheva partnered with Chris Redfield as part of the BSAA in West Africa after Los Plagas ravaged the area. While just as talented as her partner, Sheva's playstyle is relatively more versatile than Redfield's. She functions as the co-lead throughout Resident Evil 5 and is the secondary playable character when playing co-op mode. Sheva has yet to return after her sole appearance in RE5, making her something of an anomaly as far as Resident Evil's main characters go. Only time will tell if she'll be seen again, let alone in a playable form.

13 Jake Muller

2 Games

Jake appears in:

• Resident Evil 6 (2012)
• Umbrella Corps (2016)

Originally from Eastern Europe, Jake Muller is a mercenary who was dragged into the series when his group was tasked with launching the C-Virus. He's one of four main characters in Resident Evil 6 and is revealed to be the son of Albert Wesker, whose existence he hadn't known about for the longest time. After the events of RE6, Jake decides to forge a new, better path. Given the series' recent focus on the Winters family, it's unlikely Jake will become a Resident Evil protagonist any time soon.

12 Billy Coen

2 Games

Billy appears in:

• Resident Evil 0 (2002)
• Umbrella Chronicles (2007)

Billy Coen has quite an interesting backstory. Although a member of the Marines, he later becomes a death row inmate on the run from martial law. Billy made his first appearance in Resident Evil 0, teaming up with Rebecca Chambers before the events of RE1. As an escaped convict and ex-marine, he teams up with Chambers to try to escape the horrors of Spencer Mansion. While the two make it out successfully, Billy hasn't been seen or heard from since, and he realistically would have died somewhere in the Arklay Mountains.

11 Ethan Winters

2 Games

Ethan appears in:

• Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (2017)
• Reisdent Evil Village (2021)

Another Mold-empowered Resident Evil main character, Ethan Winters made his debut searching for his love interest, Mia, at the Baker House. Little did he know, his wife's history with bioweapons would come to take over his life and was linked to her presence at the Baker House. While Ethan and Mia tried to settle down after the events of RE7, Village brought them right back into the fray. Ethan's daughter, Rosemary, is the main character of Shadows of Rose, which sets up Village's epilogue.

10 Carlos Oliveira

3 Games

Carlos appears in:

• Resident Evil 3 (Nemesis: 1999 / Remake: 2020)
• Umbrella Chronicles (2007)
• Operation Raccoon City (2012)

Hired by the Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service, Carlos Oliveira was a mercenary who worked with Jill Valentine during the fall of Raccoon City. As a Resident Evil main character, he helped her survive Nemesis' many attacks and ultimately escaped the city with her via helicopter. Like Billy Coen, Carlos Oliveira hasn't been seen or heard from since his main appearance. Unlike Billy, however, Carlos is more than likely still alive and kicking. Whether he's kept up with Jill is another matter entirely.

9 Ada Wong

6 Games

Ada appears in:

• Resident Evil 2 (Original: 1998 / Remake: 2019)
• Resident Evil 4 (2005 & 2023)
• Umbrella Chronicles (2007)
• Darkside Chronicles (2009)
• Operation Raccoon City (2012)
• Resident Evil 6 (2012)

Ada Wong is a spy and perpetual double agent whose real identity is one of the biggest Resident Evil mysteries. Her appearances tend to line up with Leon S. Kennedy's. In addition to playing the Resident Evil main character, Ada has also been involved in several covert operations. While Ada's last major appearance was in Resident Evil 6, concept art for Resident Evil Village shows that she was supposed to be part of the plot at some point. Notably, Ada Wong is back in Resident Evil 4 (2023).

8 Albert Wesker

6 Games

Wesker appears in:

• Resident Evil (Original: 1996 / Remake: 2002)
• Code: Veronica (200)
• Umbrella Chronicles (2007)
• Resident Evil 5 (2009)
• Darkside Chronicles (2009)
• The Mercenaries 3D (2011)

Albert Wesker is a former member of S.T.A.R.S. and the closest thing Resident Evil had to a main villain between RE1 and 5. He spends countless years researching the t-Virus project, making him seminal to the events of Resident Evil. Although Wesker hasn't been seen since his defeat in Resident Evil 5, it's only a matter of time until the remakes finally reintroduce him into the story. The Resident Evil 4 remake stays faithful, and Wesker shows up in the game's post-credits scene.

7 Rebecca Chambers

7 Games

Rebecca appears in:

• Resident Evil (Original: 1996 / Remake: 2002)
• Resident Evil 2 (Original: 1998 / Remake: 2019)
• Resident Evil 0 (2002)
• Umbrella Chronicles (2007)
• Resident Evil 5 (2009)
• The Mercenaries 3D (2011)

Initially serving under B.S.A.A. and S.T.A.R.S., Rebecca Chambers is a medic for Bravo Team and the sole survivor from her unit. While she and Billy work together to get through Resident Evil 0 in one piece, she's clearly running on fumes by the time she meets Chris in RE1. Most of Rebecca's appearances are either non-canon (RE5 and The Mercenaries), easter eggs (RE2), or just versions of the Arklay Mountain/Spencer Mansion incident (RE1, 0, and Umbrella Chronicles).

6 Barry Burton

7 Games

Barry appears in:

• Resident Evil (Original: 1996 / Remake: 2002)
• Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (1999)
• Resident Evil Gaiden (2001)
• Resident Evil 5 (2009)
• The Mercenaries 3D (2011)
• Revelations 2 (2015)
• Umbrella Corps (2016)

A highly skilled weapons specialist and consultant, Resident Evil main character Barry Burton has known Chris Redfield since their stint in the United States Air Force. Barry later helps Jill Valentine survive the events at the Spencer Mansion in the original Resident Evil despite working alongside Wesker for most of the game. Even though Barry has appeared in more Resident Evil games than most members of the cast, Revelations 2 was the first time he actually got to be a main playable character.

5 Claire Redfield

8 Games

Claire appears in:

• Resident Evil 2 (Original: 1998 / Remake: 2020)
• Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (1999)
• Code: Veronica (2000)
• Survivor 2 – Code: Veronica (2001)
• Darkside Chronicles (2009)
• The Mercenaries 3D (2011)
• Operation Raccoon City (2012)
• Revelations 2 (2015)

Presently working for TerraSave, Claire Redfield arrives in Raccoon City during the outbreak while looking for her brother, Chris. There, she met Leon S. Kennedy, and the two have been entwined in Umbrella drama ever since. Claire is the co-lead for both Resident Evil 2 and Code: Veronica, sharing the spotlight with Leon and Chris, respectively. While Capcom is skipping Code: Veronica in favor of Resident Evil 4 for the time being, a remake could give Claire the spotlight she's always deserved.

4 Leon S. Kennedy

8 Games

Leon appears in :

• Resident Evil 2 (Original: 1998 / Remake: 2020)
• Resident Evil 3: Nemsis (1999)
• Resident Evil 4 (2005 & 2023)
• Darkside Chronicles (2009)
• Operation Raccoon City (2012)
• Resident Evil 6 (2012)
• Revelations 2 (2015)
• Umbrella Corps (2016)

Leon S. Kennedy is a fan-favorite Resident Evil main character and arguably the face of the game for a lot of fans — especially those who got their start in the series with RE4. Leon was originally just a rookie cop when he came face to face with Umbrella for the first time, and he's dedicated his life to stopping bio-terrorism ever since. He later becomes an employee for the D.S.O., or the Division of Security Operations. Everyone's favorite Resident Evil protagonist gets a noteworthy update in Resident Evil 4 (2023).

3 Jill Valentine

9 Games

Jill appears in:

• Resident Evil (Original: 1996 / Remake: 2002)
• Resident Evil 3 (Original: 1999 / Remake: 2020)
• Umbrella Chronicles (2007)
• Resident Evil 5 (2009)
• The Mercenaries 3D (2011)
• Revelations (2012)
• Operation Raccoon City (2012)
• Revelations 2 (2015)
• Resistance (2020)

Jill was the original face of the franchise before Leon, and the closest thing to a Resident Evil main character before Chris firmly took that role for himself. She was one of the only survivors of the Spencer Mansion incident and escaped Nemesis during the fall of Raccoon City. While Jill remains an important part of Resident Evil's history, her role has been severely limited since RE5 and Revelations. The Resident Evil 3 Remake was her first real chance to shine in two decades.

2 HUNK

12 Games

HUNK appears in:

• Resident Evil 2 (Original: 1998 / Remake: 2019)
• Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (1999)
• Outbreak (2003)
• Outbreak File #2 (2004)
• Resident Evil 4 (2005 & 2023)
• Umbrella Chronicles (2007)
• Darkside Chronicles (2009)
• The Mercenaries 3D (2011)
• Revelations (2012)
• Operations Raccoon City (2012)
• Revelations 2 (2015)
• Umbrella Corps (2016)

HUNK is a mysterious soldier and arguably the most dangerous person on Umbrella's payroll. None of the main characters have ever met HUNK, but that's probably for the best. There are very few pieces of information pertaining to this character, anyway. More importantly, however, his fellow soldiers call him the "Grim Reaper" because of his survival rate in certain-death missions. While HUNK has never been the protagonist of his own game, he's been playable in more games than any other Resident Evil main character.

1 Chris Redfield

15 Games

Chris appears in:

• Resident Evil (Original: 1996 / Remake: 2002)
• Resident Evil 2 (1998)
• Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (1999)
• Code: Veronica (2000)
• Survivor 2 – Code: Veronica (2001)
• Umbrella Chronicles (2007)
• Resident Evil 5 (2009)
• Darkside Chronicles (2009)
• The Mercenaries 3D (2011)
• Revelations (2012)
• Resident Evil 6 (2012)
• Revelations 2 (2015)
• Umbrella Corps (2016)
• Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (2017)
• Resident Evil Village (2021)

Chris is currently the most popular Resident Evil main character. He first appeared alongside Jill Valentine in the original Resident Evil before mysteriously vanishing in Resident Evil 2. He'd later turn up in Code: Veronica and stop Wesker once and for all in Resident Evil 5. Of the four main protagonists, Chris has been playable more than any other Resident Evil main character. He even functioned as the co-lead for both Resident Evil 7 and Village, taking over as the player character for the action-heavy sequences Ethan wouldn't be able to get through.