The Unluckiest Resident Evil Characters

Key Takeaways

• Salazar fails to slow down Leon despite numerous traps and schemes in Resident Evil.
• Chris Redfield loses squadmates consistently in various games, facing tragic outcomes.
• Ethan Winters faces cruel twists of fate in Resident Evil 7 and Village, experiencing heartbreaking losses.

When living in a world where zombie and B.O.W outbreaks are a weekly occurrence, having a little bit of luck can go a long way to surviving the nightmare that many characters face in the Resident Evil series. The likes of Leon and Jill have certainly had some luck in their many adventures, but not every character has shared this character trait.

In fact, several individuals within the Resident Evil games have had some downright rotten luck, making their lives harder than they already would be when coming up against bloodthirsty zombies and mutants. These characters really should have sought out a good luck charm of some kind before making an appearance in their respective games.

7 Ramon Salazar

None Of Salazar’s Traps Or Schemes Succeed In Slowing Down Leon

• Game Appearances: Resident Evil 4 / Resident Evil 4 Remake

When Leon first steps into Salazar’s castle at about the midpoint of Resident Evil 4, the noble comes across as extremely cocky and arrogant, believing that the special agent will have no chance of making it through alive. Despite the entire castle being littered with an unbelievable number of booby traps, including a walking statue, collapsing ceilings, and even a lava room, Leon manages to take down each and every one of them single-handedly.

It’s clear through Salazar’s radio calls in the original game that his lack of luck is clearly starting to test his patience, as Leon trumps every single card up his sleeve. Even during his final transformation, Salazar doesn’t stand a chance against the wise-cracking special agent; if only he had a different protagonist to face off against instead.

6 Chris Redfield

It’s Hard To Recall The Number Of Squadmates Chris Has Lost Along His Many Adventures

• Game Appearances: Resident Evil / Resident Evil: Code Veronica / Resident Evil 5 / Resident Evil 6 / Resident Evil 7 / Resident Evil: Village

Chris Redfield just cannot catch a break. It’s almost become a running meme in the community by this point that any time Chris tries to get back on his feet and rally together a team, he inevitably will lose just about all of them in some sort of accident. Nowhere is this more evident than in Resident Evil 6 where, one by one, each of his team members is taken from him, causing Chris to lash out and question why exactly this keeps happening to him.

By the time fans see Chris return in Village, he’s a worn down, solemn shadow of his former self who is still desperately trying to do what’s right, even knowing that those around him tend to be the ones who bite the dust. He even fails to rescue Ethan at the end of that game, and while this wasn’t his own fault, it’s bizarre that Chris gets struck with such bad luck so often.

5 Steve Burnside

The Sins Of Steve’s Father Ultimately Ruins The Young Man’s Life

• Game Appearance: Resident Evil: Code Veronica

It’s hard to find many longtime Resident Evil fans out there who hold any amount of admiration for Steve; Claire’s unlikely ally for much of Code Veronica’s story. However, no matter how much some people may dislike him, watching him face setback after setback can honestly make him somewhat easy to sympathize with, since luck really doesn’t seem to be on his side at all.

After being thrown into Rockfort prison after his father was caught selling Umbrella’s data, Steve is then forced to gun down his zombified father and is constantly being mocked by Claire, who it is implied he has feelings for. Unlucky for Steve though, he isn’t even able to live out his dreams of getting with Claire since he mutates late in the story and ends up losing his life, all because of his dad’s misdeeds.

4 Ricardo Irving

Transforming Into A B.O.W Is Always A Gamble, But Irving May Have Gotten The Worst Draw of Them All

• Game Appearance: Resident Evil 5

Ricardo Irving is an arms dealer who makes a few brief appearances throughout the story of Resident Evil 5. While he is continuously mocked and berated by a mysterious figure who would later be revealed as Jill, where Irving’s luck really runs out is during his transformation sequence.

Becoming a large aquatic creature can be pretty dangerous for a protagonist to deal with, and Del Lago in Resident Evil 4 is a prime example of this. However, Irving just so happens to gain a form that has large exposed sacks on its surface, and also swims right next door to a cruise ship that has multiple gatling guns, making for an easy target. If the Resident Evil gods had been a little fairer to this guy, maybe he could have had a fighting chance, but not in this reality.

3 Sherry Birkin

Ever Since The Raccoon City Incident, Sherry Has Been Plagued With Bad Luck

• Game Appearances: Resident Evil 2 / Resident Evil 2 Remake / Resident Evil 6

Sherry experienced some truly horrific events as a child. As soon as Raccoon City became infested with zombies, both of her parents essentially abandoned her, causing her to fend for herself until Claire arrived. Despite barely making it out of that scenario in one piece, Sherry’s life didn’t get any easier as an adult where she was hunted down due to her rare genetic abilities.

As a result, Sherry constantly has a target on her back and has had a pretty abysmal level of luck throughout her life. Even when she seems to have finally found her purpose as a federal agent, she then comes to learn that her guardian, Simmons, was an evil mastermind all along; as if things couldn’t get any worse.

2 Bitores Mendez

Mendez’s Dreams Were Crushed Due To One Unlucky Encounter

• Game Appearances: Resident Evil 4 / Resident Evil 4 Remake

At first glance, Mendez can seem like little more than a stock villain whose only characteristic is being a mean and stern chief for Leon to overcome. However, there are documents scattered around Resident Evil 4 Remake that reveal the tragic backstory of this villain, unveiling how everything went wrong for him over the course of just a few days.

After becoming the head of the village, things looked promising for Mendez as he reported how the village was thriving. Singing and dancing were a common sight, and education was being introduced into the area to benefit the children. Soon after though, a mysterious group of hooded figures entered the village, eventually turning everyone, including Mendez, into mindless Ganado. Just when everything looked hopeful, Mendez’s dreams became tarnished by one simple unlucky encounter.

1 Ethan Winters

It’s Almost Like Capcom Just Enjoys Playing Cruel And Twisted Jokes On Ethan

• Game Appearances: Resident Evil 7 / Resident Evil: Village

Ethan might honestly be one of the most unlucky horror protagonists ever seen in a game. This random civilian is first thrust into the horrific Baker Mansion where he gets beaten, injected, and thrust into an unforgettable nightmare. Just as he manages to escape with his wife Mia, she is then taken from him again after being exposed as nothing more than a clone of Mother Miranda.

Already down on his luck, Ethan wanders into a creepy lycan-infested village to rescue his daughter, Rose. Just moments before reuniting with her though, Ethan learns the haunting reality that he is, in fact, dead. The mold that infested his body had been keeping him going this entire time, but whenever Ethan managed to get close to finally being at peace and seeing his family again, it was all ripped from him time and time again, completely outside of his control.