A recent survey has revealed the 10 most popular Resident Evil series characters ahead of the Resident Evil 4 remake's launch on March 24. The Resident Evil franchise is one of the longest-running and most successful video game franchises in history, starting in 1996 and releasing new entries regularly ever since. There have been numerous main series Resident Evil games, spin-offs, films, and more, so the franchise has introduced plenty of memorable characters over the years.
The original Resident Evil game featured a memorable cast of characters that remain popular to this day, and each new entry has added even more characters to the mix. While many fans are partial to the Resident Evil protagonists, there's a lot to be said for the franchise's villains as well. Many would argue that Lady Dimitrescu stole the show in Resident Evil Village, for instance.
Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu recently conducted a poll to figure out the most popular Resident Evil characters and ranked them by popularity. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Leon S. Kennedy took the top spot. Leon was one of the main protagonists of Resident Evil 2 and the sole main protagonist of Resident Evil 4, two of the most popular games in the series. Leon has also been featured regularly in the Resident Evil animated films, so it's not that surprising to see him take the top spot.
Most Popular Resident Evil Characters
- Leon S. Kennedy
- Jill Valentine
- Chris Redfield
- Ada Wong
- Claire Redfield
- Albert Wesker
- Ethan Winters
- Rebecca Chambers
- Piers Nivans
- HUNK
In second place was Jill Valentine, who similarly shared the spotlight in her debut (the original Resident Evil) before getting a solo run (Resident Evil 3: Nemesis). Jill's partner from the original Resident Evil game, Chris Redfield, took third place. Chris has similarly had a consistent presence in the Resident Evil franchise and was even one of the stars of Resident Evil 5, one of the most financially successful games in the survival-horror series.
Ada Wong took the 4th place position, which may come as a surprise to some fans since she beat out Claire Redfield and the villainous Albert Wesker. The rest of the list was made up of Ethan Winters from Resident Evil 7 and Resident Evil Village, STARS medic Rebecca Chambers, Piers Nievans, and HUNK. Since Piers Nivans was in the divisive Resident Evil 6, it's surprising to see him make the cut at all, though it should be noted that only receive 355 votes in Famitsu's poll.
It would be interesting to see what the results of this poll would be if using a larger sample size and if it were conducted in regions outside Japan. Future Resident Evil games, like the upcoming Resident Evil 4 remake, could potentially change the results or have different characters pop up as well. Regardless, it seems safe to say that Leon would still take the top spot.
Source: Famitsu (via Go Nintendo)