One usually doesn't expect to see cops running around in high fashion catwalk attire in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. However, Resident Evil actually exists to combat this very notion of practicality. Because out of all of the zombie media protagonists out there, the ones in Resident Evil don't just take the cake; they buy the whole patisserie.
Of course, it's a fun video game franchise that mainly focuses on entertainment value, so a suspension of disbelief is expected from the beholders. Still, one can't help but feel the perceived embarrassment of these Resident Evil protagonists as they're forced to fight off zombies wearing inappropriate and impractical outfits.
8 Ada Wong's Red Dress - Resident Evil 2
Ada Wong is one of the most slippery spies in the Resident Evil mythos, but not if Leon Kennedy can help it. That probably explains her default choice of clothing in both Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 4. Her most iconic look is that red dress styled as a hybrid cheongsam.
It's great because it explains how much Ada values her cultural heritage but does any of that really matter when the world's ending? There are a thousand and one ways that those dress flaps could snag on something that could end Ada's tenure as a mercenary, not to mention the lack of mobility the dress offers.
7 Pirate Jill - Resident Evil 3
It's low-hanging fruit, but Jill Valentine has a wardrobe that's begging to be scrutinized in terms of survivalist logic. Her original casual costume with the skirt and the blue tube top put her on top of gaming's best girl next door heroine, but even that doesn't make sense in a zombie apocalypse. An even worse piece of unlockable attire is the Pirate Jill outfit.
It exposes about the same amount of scratchable and bite-able skin as her original casual outfit, except it looks like it takes an hour to put on with all the pieces. Not exactly the best emergency response outfit. Oh, and who could forget about the prop parrot on the shoulders? It looks good as a warning device, but that's about it.
6 Clubbin' Sheva - Resident Evil 5
Players who thought Jill's casual costume exposes too much likely haven't seen Clubbin' Sheva. She looks like she was plucked straight out of a cyberpunk club right into the middle of a zombie apocalypse. At least the original Sheva costume was still practical; it even gave her some Lara Croft vibes.
Then there's this thing, which is best summed up as a golden pair of loincloths. To be fair, Sheva has a bolder outfit than this in the form of the tribal costume, but at least that one looks more serviceable when it comes to mobility. This one is just Beyonce's Goldmember stage attire from the movie, Austine Powers In Goldmember.
5 Rebecca's Nurse Costume - Resident Evil 0
Rebecca is similar to Jill when it comes to wardrobe. They shouldn't have bothered with the mini-clothing and could have gone full bikini like Sheva. That's why the existence of Rebecca's Nurse Costume is quite the headscratcher. It's even more ironic than Pirate Jill; a nurse who kills zombies instead of finding a cure for them is quite the cruel joke.
What's worse is that the outfit comes in all-white. Whoever picked this outfit probably doesn't know what happens when blood seeps into white fabric. Rebbecca couldn't have picked more inappropriate attire while being surrounded by blood and guts. It wouldn't be as bad if it was actually a proper nurse's outfit; this thing can't make up its mind whether it's for a maid or a nurse.
4 Billy's Cody Costume - Resident Evil 0
The women might have taken the brunt of questionable outfit design choices, but that doesn't mean the men of Resident Evil are exempt from the same woes. Take Billy's Cody Costume in Resident Evil 0, for example. The whole outfit covers a lot of skin and is pretty respectable as far as an imitation from Cody of Street Fighter.
The Cody Costume has one fatal flaw, however. What happens if Billy needs to empty his bladder or his bowels? There don't seem to be any visible buttoned flaps or openings. While Billy won't die from the Umbrella Virus or a zombie's teeth, his bladder and bowels will do him in first. Besides, how does he even wear this onesie?
3 Knight Ashley - Resident Evil 4
When it comes to protection against mauling, Ashley from Resident Evil 4 took it to the extreme with one of her outfits. The Knight Ashley is available as an unlockable piece, and it's a good answer to all the questionable impractical armor of the female characters in Resident Evil. It also looks dumb.
While these things do protect, they don't give the best visibility. Moreover, plate armor has this habit of pinning down its wearer if they ever land on their back. That explains why Leon can't pick her up if she's wearing this. Still, the Knight Ashley armor makes Ashley invulnerable, so that's one less president's daughter to babysit.
2 Sailor Chris - Resident Evil: Revelations
The developers probably thought it was unfair that the women got all the eye-candy costumes. The Men deserve some skin revelations as well, so out came the Sailor Chris outfit. Normally, sailor outfits for men consist of pants and a shirt with which they can breathe. Sailor Chris is the antithesis of sailor outfit practicality.
He can forget about functioning on the high seas while wearing this. The whole thing looks ten sizes too small for his body frame. They're most likely made for kids, and Chris Redfield just forced into them as much as he could, just as he keeps forcing his sister Claire on Leon Kennedy.
1 High Heels
It's not illegal to run in stilettos and high heels during life-threatening situations, but good luck doing anything productive or effective during that ordeal. Even famed heroines like Lara Croft opt for more conservative heel heights (pre-and post-reboot).
It doesn't matter whether they're running on rocky terrain or traversing on top of grates; those heels don't get stuck and they also don't roll ankles. Then again, the superhuman women of Resident Evil with their steel skeletal system and otherworldly balancing skills manage just fine with five-inchers.