The unluckiest characters in Resident Evil

Key points

• Salazar is unable to slow down Leon despite the numerous traps and plans present in Resident Evil.
• Chris Redfield constantly loses teammates in various matches, facing tragic outcomes.
• Ethan Winters faces cruel twists of fate in Resident Evil 7 and Village, suffering heartbreaking losses.

When you live in a world where zombie and BOW outbreaks are a weekly occurrence, having a little luck can go a long way in surviving the nightmare that many characters face in the world. Resident Evil series. People like Leon and Jill certainly had some luck in their many adventures, but not all characters shared this character trait.

In fact, several individuals within the Resident Evil games have had some real bad luck, making their lives more difficult than they already would be when they clash with bloodthirsty zombies and mutants. These characters really should have looked for a good luck charm of some kind before appearing in their respective games.

7 Ramon Salazar

None of Salazar's traps or plans can slow Leon down

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

When Leon first enters Salazar Castle about halfway through Resident Evil 4the nobleman comes across as extremely presumptuous and arrogant, convinced that the special agent will have no chance of surviving alive. Despite the entire castle being littered with an incredible number of booby traps, including a walking statue, collapsing ceilings, and even a lava room, Leon manages to take them all down single-handedly.

It's clear from Salazar's radio calls in the original game that his lack of luck is clearly starting to test his patience, as Leon triumphs over every single card up his sleeve. Even during his final transformation, Salazar stands no chance against the wisecracking special agent; if only he had a different protagonist to deal with instead.

6 Chris Redfield

It's hard to remember the number of teammates Chris has lost during 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 can't catch a break. It's almost become a running meme in the community at this point that every time Chris tries to get back on his feet and gather a team, he will inevitably lose almost 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 away from him, causing Chris to lash out and wonder why exactly this keeps happening to him.

The moment fans see Chris return Villagehe's a worn, solemn shadow of his former self who's still desperately trying to do what's right, even knowing that those around him tend to be the ones who bite the dust. He doesn't even manage to save Ethan at the end of the game, and while it wasn't his fault, it's bizarre that Chris gets hit with such bad luck so often.

5 Steve Burnside

Steve's father's sins ultimately ruin the young man's life

• Game Appearance: Resident Evil: Code Veronica

It's been hard to find many for a long time Resident Evil the fans out there who have a certain admiration for Steve; Claire's unlikely ally much of the time Code Veronica history. However, no matter how much some people may dislike him, watching him deal with one setback after another can honestly make him somewhat easy to sympathize with, since luck doesn't seem to be on his side at all.

After being thrown into Rockfort Prison after his father is caught selling Umbrella data, Steve is forced to kill his Zombified father and is constantly taunted by Claire, for whom it is implied he has feelings. Unfortunately for Steve, however, he is not even able to realize his dream of being with Claire as she mutates towards the end of the story and ends up losing her life, all because of her father's wrongdoings.

4 Ricardo Irving

Turning into a BOW is always a gamble, but Irving may have had the worst draw of 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 continually taunted and berated by a mysterious figure who would later be revealed as Jill, the moment Irving's luck truly runs out is during the transformation sequence.

Becoming a large aquatic creature can be quite dangerous for a protagonist to deal with, and Del Lago is that Resident Evil 4 is a great example of this. However, Irving acquires a form that has large sacs exposed on its surface and also swims right next to a cruise ship that has multiple Gatling guns, making it an easy target. If the Resident Evil had the gods been a little fairer to this boy, maybe he could have had a fighting chance, but not in this reality.

3 Sherry Birkin

Ever since the incident in Raccoon City, Sherry has been plagued by bad luck

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

As a child, Sherry experienced some truly horrific events. As soon as Raccoon City became infested with walkers, both of her parents abandoned her, forcing 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 due to her rare genetic abilities.

As a result, Sherry constantly has a target on her back and has had a pretty scary level of luck her entire life. Even when he seems to have finally found his purpose as a federal agent, he learns that his guardian, Simmons, has been an evil mastermind all along; as if things couldn't get any worse.

2 Bitores Mendez

Mendez's dreams were shattered due to an unfortunate encounter

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

At first glance, Mendez may seem like little more than a stock villain whose only characteristic is being a mean, stern boss that Leon must overcome. However, there are documents scattered around Resident Evil 4 Remake which reveal this villain's tragic backstory, revealing how everything went wrong for him over the course of a few days.

After becoming the village chief, things looked promising for Mendez as he reported how the village was thriving. Singing and dancing were a common sight, and education was introduced in the area for the benefit of children. Shortly thereafter, however, a mysterious group of hooded figures entered the village, eventually transforming everyone, including Mendez, into mindless Ganados. Just when everything seemed promising, Mendez's dreams were overshadowed by a simple unfortunate encounter.

1 Ethan Winters

It's almost as if Capcom enjoys making cruel and twisted jokes about Ethan

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

Ethan might honestly be one of the unluckiest horror protagonists ever seen in a game. This random civilian is first thrust into the horrific Baker Mansion where he is beaten, injected and thrown into an unforgettable nightmare. Just as he manages to escape with his wife Mia, she is taken away 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 werewolf-infested village to save his daughter Rose. Moments before reuniting with her, however, Ethan discovers the disturbing reality that he is, in fact, dead. The mold infesting his body had kept him going the entire time, but every time Ethan finally got closer to peace and seeing his family again, it was all ripped away from him over and over again, completely out of his control.