Over a long enough timeline, any story is bound to have its fair share of plot holes and details that don't add quite up. Some of these little bumps in the road are inconsequential but others pose a bit more of a problem in regards to the overarching lore. Resident Evil isn't immune to this issue and despite it being such a popular and well-received series, it still has its fair share of inconsistencies.
With the release of the revamped remakes came a whole set of new minor details that, for the most part, don't interfere too much with the overall story of each game. However, aside from these smaller changes, Resident Evil still manages to find itself weaving some convoluted plot points that eventually contradict one another. Here are some of the most curious inconsistencies in the Resident Evil lore.
7 Leon And Jill Not Knowing About The Outbreak (RE2 & 3)
Upon arrival in Raccoon City, Leon is blissfully unaware of the true horrors that were unfolding. On Jill's side of the events, she also wasn't aware of the situation just outside her apartment until a rude awakening by Nemesis. The Resident Evil 3 Remake begins with a live-action cutscene of a news report of the horrible outbreak and even features footage of a press conference.
The addition of this cutscene puts Jill and Leon in a bit of a strange position. How could they both have been clueless about the events going on in Raccoon City with the amount of press coverage that was present? Jill had her TV on in her apartment and surely would have caught wind of the situation and Leon must have had some form of phone or walkie-talkie that could have warned him about the dangers in the city.
6 Multiple Canon/True Endings And Timelines
Resident Evil 1 and 2 both present the choice of which protagonist to choose at the beginning of the game. Picking one specific character will ultimately tell the same overarching story but with variations on smaller details like weapons, unlockable areas, and interactable NPCs. However, there are specific plot points that create inconsistencies in the timeline.
A prime example is the Resident Evil 2 Remake. Leon and Claire's walkthroughs ultimately lead to the same ending but depict very deaths for the two main antagonists, Mr. X and Dr. Birkin. These may be small details within each playable character route, but in the scope of the overall Resident Evil lore, the personal stories of each playable protagonist can vary and lead to some troublesome inconsistencies.
5 Each Protagonist's Resiliency To Zombie Bites
Much like other forms of media that revolve around a zombie apocalypse, Resident Evil operates on the logic that a good chomp from a zombie is enough of an opening to get oneself infected. However, each Resident Evil protagonist has been bitten at least once during a playthrough and always comes out of every sticky situation just fine thanks to a handy herb or first-aid spray.
Of course, it can be assumed it's simply due to each main protagonist being well-equipped plot armor but it does make a rather strange deviation from the normal zombie universe rules.
Perhaps Claire and friends were truly born to be heroes in their world.
(Sorry, Brad)
4 Ethan Experiencing Mold-Induced Hallucinations
It was only nearing the end of Resident Evil 8 that players discovered the heartbreaking twist about Ethan Winter's true fate. While he was the main protagonist of Resident Evil 7 and 8, it was revealed that he was technically dead for most of the 7th game and was essentially a mass of sentient mold by the end of his journey in Louisiana.
However, before finally facing off against Eveline, Ethan experiences hallucinations of both Eveline and his wife, Mia. Ethan may be a fully functioning ersatz human being but it seems strange that the mold that he essentially consists of inside and out, affected him in the form of mold-induced hallucinations.
Ethan, being a product of the mold itself, seems like he should be completely immune to the harsh effects it gives off to those that come near it.
3 Leon And Claire's Easy Access To Raccoon City
At the beginning of RE2, a very clueless Leon arrives in a now torn apart Raccoon City after a terrifying encounter at the local Mizoil gas station during a routine gas stop. It may seem a simple detail in the story, but the lack of obstacles, military officers, or signs seems a bit strange.
The cutscene at the beginning of RE3 (which events occur around the same time as RE2) depicts a news broadcast of the city in a state of emergency with hoards of SWAT teams roaming the streets to fight off any zombies. It would seem that either the Raccoon City authorities or even Umbrella themselves would have some sort of interest in barricading the city. Whether it be to warn outsiders from danger or from preventing or stopping any runaway witnesses, it seems like the trip to Raccoon City should have been more difficult for Leon and Claire.
2 The True Fate Of Clancy Jarvis
Every Resident Evil fan knows of the tragedy of Ethan Winters, but the tragedy of Clancy Jarvis is a tale just as harrowing. Clancy was the main star of the Sewer Gators section of the game and was playable throughout both the VHS tapes and also some of the RE7 DLC.
Between the terrible fate of being burned alive from Lucas' "Happy Birthday" puzzle room and escaping the horrors of Marguerite's stomach-churning home cooking, Clancy has suffered a handful of hardships.
However, in these DLC misadventures, Clancy is seen making a successful escape from the Baker house, yet it is canon that Ethan discovers Clancy's torched corpse.Not only this, but some have even pointed out that a few of the time/date stamps on the Sewer Gator documents/videos found don't actually coincide. Clancy's true fate will forever be a mystery.
1 Chris Redfield's Ever-Changing Appearance
Perhaps one of the least consequential inconsistencies of the entire Resident Evil series, the subject of Chris Redfield's numerous makeovers also happens to be one of the most controversial topics among fans. Chris Redfield is by far one of the most prolific characters from the RE series. However, how is Chris to be the face of the franchise if even die-hard fans have trouble recognizing him?
Chris has undergone a handful of redesigns over the years. The first time fans saw the buff, boulder-punching Chris in RE5, they were skeptical but still accepted that perhaps he just decided to work out a bit more. But once Chris made his mini cameo appearance at the end of RE7, fans finally drew the line and refused to believe the man that rescued them was in fact the same Chris Redfield they've known all these years. Chris eventually reverted to a much more recognizable version of himself for his appearance in RE8 but who knows what the series has in store for Chris in future titles.