Ever since he first appeared as one of the unlucky members of Alpha Team in the firstResident Evilgame, Chris Redfield has been a mainstay character throughout the series who has showed up on more than a few occasions, usually as a fully playable character. With that being said though, Chris, just like the other main characters, doesn’t show up in everyResident Eviltitle. While he’s definitely in more of the games than Claire or Leon for example, there have still been a few gaps between his appearances which have given Capcom the opportunity to tinker with his look and personality in a few ways.
For the most part,there’s been a slow and steady development of his characterwhich has been shown through his multiple iterations, but there have also been a few times when Capcom decided to do something drastically different with his character, which hasn’t always been well received by fans. Thankfully, most of Chris' iterations have been joy to watch on screen, but which version of the character really stands as the best among them all? It’s time to find out. It should be noted before jumping that because theResident Evil Remakeversion of Chris simply expands upon his original character without changing too much, then this iteration will be the one that’s considered.
Throughout the majority ofResident Evil 7, fans are led to believe that this is an entirely new story that’s seemingly completely disconnected from the rest of the series, but there is at least one callback that’s presented in the very last cutscene of the game. Just as Ethan destroys thegrossly mutated version of Eveline, a helicopter flies down with a mysterious masked man approaching him, going by the name “Redfield”.
While this was confirmed to be Chris himself through the credits and the Not A Hero DLC, the man himself looks and sounds nothing like the previous versions of the character, and his fairly bland and basic personality seemed like a far-cry from his usual self. He does at least get a little more depth in Not A Hero where he expresses his concern about working for Blue Umbrella, which does tie in nicely with his traumatic past, but it does seem that fans, and even Capcom, are doing their best to forget about this confusing iteration of the character.
The Chris that can be seen inResident Evil Revelationsis very similar to his iteration in the fifth mainline game, but since he’s been stripped of the fearsome determination and passion that he had in that title, it makes him just a little less interesting this time around. With that being said though, Chris' devotion to protecting Jill and getting to the root of the whole Terragrigia Incident perfectly suits the character, but he unfortunately doesn’t get much screentime due tothe sheer number of side-charactersthat are introduced in the game.
It is still very entertaining to watch Chris constantly bicker back and forth with his new partner Jessica though, who tries to flirt with him every chance she gets, and it’s a lot of fun seeing him finally reunite with Jill near the end. If he was gifted just a bit more screentime, there’s no doubt that the Chris seen inRevelationscould have been more of a stand-out character among the game’s gigantic cast.
Similarly toRevelations, Chris doesn’t get given quite as much to do inCode Veronica’sstory since he’s not actually the protagonist of the game, but it’s clear that Capcom still spent a good amount of time trying to build upon the core components of his character that were shown in the first game. As Chris travels through Rockfort Island taking down numerous zombies and B.O.Ws, it becomes apparent just how much he cares for his sister, going to some extreme lengths to save her from the dangerous Ashford twins.
This more compassionate side of Chris where he valiantly tries his best to save people from danger has always been a staple of his character, and it’s remained fully intact for this iteration. Arguably the best scenes of Chris in this game though are when he’s facing Wesker.Despite how immensely strong Wesker has become by this point, Chris still holds his own, promising that he’ll take down Wesker and Umbrella once and for all as soon as he gets the chance.
When Chris is first introduced inResident Evil, he initially seems like little more than a stand-in for the player, but as the game progresses, he becomes much more charismatic and witty as a character, especially when he’s interacting with his allies. When talking to Rebecca for example, he shows a lot of care for her, asking if she’s able to handle a gun by herself, and telling her to “Stay strong” given the situation they find themselves in.
By the end of the game, it’s clear that Chris has become sick of the mansion as a whole, and his growing confidence leads to some of his most iconic lines in the series, one of which being “Come on you test tube freak” as a way to provokethe terrifying Tyrantthat stands before him. While the original game made Chris out to be a brave special agent who wasn’t afraid to let out a few one-liners every now and again, the remake expanded upon this basic template and made him much more lovable as a protagonist.
In the leadup toResident Evil Village, it seemed as though Capcom were actually pulling the trigger on making Chris a full-blown villain, but when the game was finally released, it turned out that they were actually doing something much more interesting with the character. The Chris seen inVillageis quiet, moody, and very cold-hearted, even to his comrades, but this does ultimately make a lot of sense given just how much he’s been through, with him even admitting near the end that he still wonders to himself when this will all end.
The aura of mystery that surrounds Chris for much of the game adds a lot of intrigue to the character, but while he might act dismissive towards Ethan, he still shows that he’s willing to put his own life on the line when necessary to save innocent people who have been caught in the crossfire. His gameplay segment is also an incredibly fun part of the game which does a great job atshowcasing just how powerful Chris has becomeover the course of the series, and while his scenes are only very brief, Capcom still did an excellent job at breathing new life into the character with this game.
Capcom decided to explore a much more vulnerable side of Chris inResident Evil 5, specifically focusing on his relationship with Jill, who is presumed to be dead by the start of the game. While Chris is sent on a mission to investigate the emergence of a new virus in Kijuju by the BSAA, he starts to believe that Jill is actually alive, forcing him andhis new companion Shevato go on their own personal adventure to find her. Wesker’s involvement in the story also brings a lot of emotion out of Chris as he now faces the madman without hesitation and becomes obsessed with taking him down for good.
While Chris is chasing after his old partner for much of the game, he also comes to realize how much he appreciates Sheva by the end, especially since she has valiantly stuck by him the whole time, and often is the one to snap him out of his tunnel-vision. This was also the game where some of the most iconic Chris memes come from, primarily the scene where he manages to topple a boulder with his bare hands. Chris may start the story ofResident Evil 5by asking himself if this is all worth fighting for, but by the end of his personal journey, he manages to find his answer.
The Leon, Jake and Ada campaigns featured inResident Evil 6were quite forgettable and bland in the eyes of many fans, but the one that really stood-out for its excellent story and emotional moments was Chris'. After being mentally and physically worn out from the constant fighting, Chris starts off the game as a drunkard who’s begrudgingly brought back into the BSAA by a plucky young soldier by the name of Piers. Throughout the game, Chris struggles with the immense amount of guilt that comes from losing so many of his comrades, which occasionally causes him to lash out and act irrationally for many parts of the game.
It’s a very realistic and sympathetic iteration of the character which makes total sense when taking into account how many of his missions have gone horribly wrong in the past. Chris' encounters with Jake, Albert Wesker’s son,are also very emotional moments, especially when Chris says that he has every right to shoot him for what he did to Jake’s father. By the end of the game, Chris realizes that he needs to keep fighting to avenge those who got him this far, resulting in an amazing character arc which is without a doubt the highlight ofResident Evil 6’sstory.
