Part of Resident Evil's magic is the soap opera-esque storyline following numerous narrative threads and a large handful of characters. It also deserves commendation for never rebooting the story and always pushing forward. At any one time during the franchise, numerous characters are up to various activities.
Related: 10 Games That Defined The Survival Horror Genre And Where You Can Play Them
Because of this, the series has put players into the shoes of various protagonists. The following list ranks them from worst to best. At the start of this list many of the characters are truly lackluster or are the supporting character in some of the less-celebrated titles. Later on we start talking about heavy hitters who have been a part of the franchise since almost day one. Additionally, this deals with protagonists who are playable throughout an entire game or campaign, so small playable parts like Carlos Oliveira are not mentioned. Nor will we talk about spin-offs like Outbreak.
14 Jake Muller
Resident Evil 6 has four different campaigns that each follow two characters. Jake Muller's is not only the weakest of them, but fans cannot help but give this character a thumbs down for being Wesker's son. Wesker is one of the finest villains in gaming, and this shadow just reminds us of all the series lost after Wesker's death.
13 Piers Nivan
Piers is Chris's partner in Resident Evil 6. As a personality there is nothing standout about him. Furthermore, the action in Resident Evil 6 is constantly turned up to the highest degree so players never have a moment of respite to learn about him. If you do like Piers, don't get too attached. He does not make it through Resident Evil 6.
12 Natalia Korda
Our distaste of Natalia has nothing to do with her as a person. She is a child after all. Anybody who played through Resident Evil 5 and 6 with their buddy will be disappointed to see how simple Natalia's gameplay is. It works great to play it with someone inexperienced with the medium, but it is boring for any Resident Evil veteran.
11 Helena Harper
Of the player 2 characters in Resident Evil 6, Helena Harper is the best for two reasons. For one, her campaign in the game with Leon is easily the most exciting and comes the closest to capturing the feeling of being overwhelmed by Zombies. She also has a real impact on the story, with some serious drama revolving around saving her sister's life.
10 Moira Burton
Having a Resident Evil protagonist who is afraid of guns is an interesting angle, we just wish the gameplay was more satisfying. There's definitely a great idea for a survival horror game with just melee combat, but in Revelations 2 her combat is more of a support role to Claire Redfield. Her development in the story and relationship with her dad is a saving grace.
9 Sheva Alomar
When it comes to co-op partners in Resident Evil, it is hard to get better than Sheva Alomar. While Chris is the star of the show in Resident Evil 5, Sheva has a great design and has just as much dialogue in cutscenes.
Related: 10 Incredibly Fun Action Games With Co-Op To Play If You Love Resident Evil 5
The gameplay in Resident Evil 5 also has a great blend of asymmetrical gameplay and times when players are side by side with their partner.
8 Sherry Birkin
Sherry Birkin get ranked higher than the other co-op partners not because she is in Resident Evil 6, but because her involvement in the series goes all the way back to Resident Evil 2. It is cool to see her as an adult in the sixth game, even if it is considered the worst in the series. For a video game series to let us see characters grow up is cool. Even video game heroes grow old.
7 Ada Wong
Ada would probably be higher on the list if she was the playable character in a better game. However, she does get a separate campaign in re-releases of Resident Evil 4 that saw plenty of praise. However, her part in Resident Evil 6 is completely forgettable.
6 Barry Burton
Barry is one of the coolest members of S.T.A.R.S. and we can even forgive him for betraying Chris and Jill in the first game. He was just trying to protect his family, after all. Players were pumped when he became one of the playable protagonists of Resident Evil: Revelations 2. This title was slower and more horrific than its contemporary mainline entries.
5 Ethan Winters
Some theorize Ethan Winters from Resident Evil 7 and the upcoming Village to be a character fans already know. More likely, however, is that Capcom just wanted a new face to be inexperienced in dealing with the horrors awaiting players in a Resident Evil title. This is what makes playing as him so thrilling. Being in his shoes brings back to horror players felt playing the first game way back in 1996, when they did not know what to expect behind the next door.
4 Chris Redfield
One of the two protagonists of the debut entry, Chris shows up or is mentioned in almost every Resident Evil story. The only thing we don't like are the constant redesigns.
Related: 10 Hilarious Chris Redfield Memes That Make Us Excited To See Him In Resident Evil: Village
He is barely recognizable as the Chris Redfield from Code Veronica in Resident Evil 5. Then he looks completely different in the seventh game, only to change once again in Village.
3 Claire Redfield
Claire is Chris Redfield's sister, though the two rarely appear on screen together. Claire is playable in four major releases, including Revelations 2 and the recent Resident Evil 2 remake. Interestingly enough, Claire was played by the same voice actress for over ten years, an impressive record for a series that switches actors so frequently.
2 Leon Kennedy
Leon Kennedy has the virtue of being the playable character in two of the greatest games in the franchise, Resident Evil 2 and 4. In the first he is a rookie on the first day of the job. In the latter he is tougher, meaner, and cracks some of the worst one-liners in the history of language. Resident Evil 2's remake reminds us of his vulnerability from the Raccoon City incident, however.
1 Jill Valentine
Along with Chris, Jill was one of the first two playable characters in the franchise. She goes through a lot during the series, including brainwashing by Wesker. Her recent appearance in the Resident Evil 3 remake gives her a whole new style and vibe while remaining faithful to the character created all the way back in 1996. We want to play as her in a new mainline entry someday.