Part ofResident Evil’smagic 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.
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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 less-celebrated titles. Later on, it starts 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 it talk about spin-offs likeOutbreak.
Updated on August 04, 2025, by Jason Wojnar:Resident Evilnever stops chugging along. At the moment, fans are unsure where the future of the gaming franchise is heading. There will be single-player DLC for Resident Evil: Village, but no one knows what it will include. Resident Evil: Village’s ending leaves the franchise open for an interesting future, however. Until that day, fans can spend their days continuing to debate overthe best playable protagonists in Resident Evil. This list has been updated to continue this argument and even adds someone from the Resident Evil 7 DLC.
15Jake Muller
2012’sResident Evil 6has four different campaignsthat 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 players of all theseries lost after Wesker’s death.
14Piers Nivan
Piers is Chris’s partner inResident Evil 6. As a personality, there is nothing standout about him. Furthermore, the action inResident Evil 6is constantly turned up to the highest degree, so players never have a moment of respite to learn about him. Players who do like Piers shouldn’t get too attached. He does not make it through the one game in which he is featured.
13Natalia Korda
The distaste for Natalia has nothing to do with her as a person. She is a child after all. Anybody who played throughResident Evil 5and6with a friend will be disappointed to see how simple Natalia’s gameplay is. It works when playing with someone inexperienced with the medium, but it is boring for anyResident Evilveteran.
12Helena Harper
Of the player 2 characters inResident 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 beingoverwhelmed by zombies.She also has a real impact on the story, with some serious drama revolving around saving her sister’s life.
11Moira Burton
Having aResident Evilprotagonist who is afraid of guns is an interesting angle, but most just wish the gameplay was more satisfying.
There’s definitely a great idea for a survival horror game with just melee combat, but inRevelations 2her attacks serve more of a support role to Claire Redfield. Her development in the story and relationship with her dad is a saving grace, especially with the irony of her being afraid of guns.
10Sheva Alomar
When it comes to co-op partners inResident Evil, it is hard to get better than Sheva Alomar. While Chris is the star of the show inResident Evil 5, Sheva has a great design and has just as much dialogue in cutscenes.
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The gameplay inResident Evil 5also has a great blend of asymmetrical gameplay and timeswhen players are side by side with their partner.
9Sherry Birkin
Sherry Birkin gets ranked higher than the other co-op partners not because she is inResident Evil 6, but becauseher involvement in the series goes all the way back toResident 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. It’s cool for a game to show how characters grow up, as even video game heroes grow old. Even thoughResident Evil 6was poorly received, Sherry should return eventually.
8Joe Baker
There are several DLC stories inResident Evil 7: Biohazard, but theEnd of Zoeis the longest of them. In it, players control Joe Baker, the only member of the family who did not come under Eveline’s control. He goes into the Baker estate to try and save Zoe.
Joe’s story reminds us that the Bakers were wholesome people before Eveline turned them into murderous psychopaths. This unexpected hero gives Zoe a happy ending to her story where the main game sees her doomed without hope.
7Ada Wong
Ada Wongwould probably be higher on the list if she was the playable character in a better game. However, she does get a separate campaign inre-releases ofResident Evil 4that saw plenty of praise. However, her part inResident Evil 6is completely forgettable.
Ada was planned to be included inResident Evil Villageandthere is concept artof her, but it was ultimately decided to leave her out of the final product.
6Barry Burton
Barry is one of the coolest members of S.T.A.R.S. and most 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 ofResident Evil: Revelations 2. This title was slower and more horrific than its contemporary mainline entries.
