The Resident Evil franchise is filled with all sorts of kooky characters. From the faceless Ethan Winters to the eccentric Albert Wesker, Capcom always does its best to fill the world with as many unique personalities as possible. It helps keep the series fresh and the fans on their toes; as no one but the developers know what's coming next.
The Merchant in Resident Evil 4 is one of the franchise's strangest and most iconic characters. Barring protagonist Leon S. Kennedy, the Merchant is arguably the one most players will remember long after their visit to the rural Spanish village. While the Merchant doesn't play a big role in Resident Evil 4's story, his mannerisms, speech, and useful wares are what make him so well-known in the gaming community.
From Stranger To Unlikely Ally
Players first meet the Weapons Merchant behind the house they wake up in the Valley. After a close encounter with a Ganado, Leon finds the Merchant beckoning him to look at his wares. While he may not always have a shop nearby, the Merchant can always be found wearing his long black coat, carrying a big backpack, and standing near a blue torch.
It is in his coat and backpack that the Merchant stores all of his wares. Players can purchase weapons, upgrades, ammunition, essential items, and attache cases with Pesetas - the game's currency. They can also sell their items for some money. In addition to buying and selling, the Merchant owns a couple of shooting ranges found in certain parts of the rural Spanish village. Here, players can partake in shooting galleries to earn high scores and prizes that are awarded by the Merchant himself.
Though the Merchant hides most of his features behind his black coat and purple mask, he is undoubtedly a local Ganado. Despite this, he is never hostile towards Leon and won't fight back even when he is attacked or killed. The Weapons Merchant just respawns after a while on all of Resident Evil 4's difficulties - barring the hardest Professional difficulty - and quickly goes back to peddling his wares to players.
A Man With A Silver Tongue
Capcom could have just created a run-of-the-mill merchant character and called it a day, but instead, the developers went the extra mile and gave the Merchant some of the franchise's most iconic lines. Players can never forget the Merchant's trademark "What're ya buyin'?", which he says whenever Leon asks to browse his inventory. The line is said by the Merchant so often that it has found its way to other Resident Evil titles as well as other video games. To give a few examples, the Duke in Resident Evil: Village mentions the Merchant's iconic line while revealing his relationship with the elusive salesman. "What're ya buyin'?" is also briefly mentioned in the video game Bayonetta, where the barkeep Rodin tells Bayonetta that he heard it from a game once.
Aside from "What're ya buyin'?", the Merchant also has other hits such as "What're ya Sellin'?" (which is said when players attempt to sell items to the Merchant) and "Ah. I'll buy it at a high price!" (the Merchant says this when he finds something of high value in the player's inventory). Thanks to the delivery by voice actor Paul Mercier, the Merchant always seems to be in the highest of spirits whenever a business transaction is taking place. The Merchant may not play that much of an active role in Leon's endeavors to save Ashley Graham, but it's always nice to see him when Leon is running low on supplies.
Considering Resident Evil 4 is full of things that want to kill Leon, the Merchant is the closest thing to a friend that players will have on their journey. He provides them with the things they need to survive and does it with such professionalism and enthusiasm that players can't help but come back for more (that and the fact that he's the only person that will trade with them). Seeing as the Resident Evil 4 remake is shaping up to be bleaker and scarier than the original, letting the Merchant keep his unique personality will undoubtedly help lighten the mood for old and new players alike.
Resident Evil 4 releases on March 24, 2023, on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.