Resident Evil – The Top VIII Enemies

To celebrate the release of Resident Evil Village this month, the team at VGamingNews are looking back at some of our favourite parts of the Resident Evil franchise, beginning with the most memorable aspect of the series – the enemies. Below are our rankings of the Top VIII Enemies in the Resident Evil franchise. Whether they made the list by being the most formidable, or simply the most iconic, these eight antagonists certainly left a lasting impression!

VIII. Giant Majini (Resident Evil 5 – 2009)

We’re kicking off the list with an enemy that’s perhaps a little out of left field. Not the most dangerous or memorable foe from the series, but certainly one of the most characterful, the Giant Majini adds some much needed African flair to Resident Evil 5. Super-sized majini, these mutated tribal leaders patrol the wetlands villages and worship areas, threatening Chris and Sheva with a huge bone club should they get too close. They’re most notable for their awesome gold masks that not only protect them from headshots, but make them a stand-out enemy in one of the most action-focused games in the series.

VII. Forest Speyer (Resident Evil – 1996)

Discovered on the balcony having been pecked to death by crows in the original Resident Evil, Forest isn’t a particularly formidable enemy but he’s certainly significant to the experience. The spooky lead-in and his Forrest’s bespoke character model makes this a pretty shocking moment on your first play-through, and sets the tone for how your search and rescue mission is going to go. Having your former S.T.A.R.S. teammate lurch back to life lets you know that you’re in for a grisly ride from there on in – no-one is safe and nothing is off limits. 

VI. Lickers (Resident Evil 2 – 1998)

Some people will be unhappy we’ve placed Lickers so low on this list. During their first appearance in Resident Evil 2, they were horrifically gruesome wall crawlers that dropped down in front of Leon and Claire before swishing their tongues in that general direction. If one got you, there was no coming back. Unlike other enemies on this list, Lickers are slow enough for you to plot an escape. It’s only when you get up close and shoot at them do they react. Most of the time they’re on a wall or ceiling, which in our eyes is a pretty notable weakness. In the 2019 Resident Evil 2 remake, they retained much of their gory appearance and the size was adjusted to be more menacing. Are they iconic? Absolutely. Lickers have one of the best enemy designs in the series. Do they scare the bejesus out of you? Not so much.

V. “Bag Head” (Resident Evil 4 – 2005)

Dr Salvador, or as “Bag Head”, as he’s lovingly known in the VGN offices, was one of the earliest enemies that gave us a bad time in Resident Evil 4. When you hear the revving of a chainsaw throughout the game, you know you’re in for a bad time. Bag Head looks like a knock-off Leatherface, but he’s certainly formidable. Like all of the larger enemies in the series, his story is tragic.His face was used to host the Palaga virus, causing a massive mutation, so horrific, that his face was bagged. He’s understandably not too happy about this and takes his aggression out on poor Leon. If you get pinned into a small space, his bulk means he’s hard to manoeuvre around, and if that chainsaw makes contact then it’s the “You are dead” screen for you as he expertly separates Leon’s head from his body. 

IV. Lisa Trevor (Resident Evil – 2002)

A new addition since PS1 original, the frightening yet tragic Lisa Trevor updated the tone of the GameCube remake entirely. After being injected with the Progenitor Virus as a child, she spent much of her life chained beneath the mansion, mourning the loss of her family. With superhuman strength and near impervious to damage, Lisa is a misunderstood but significant threat throughout the game, who can quickly bludgeon Chris or Jill to death with her shackles if you get too close. Inspired by the macabre style of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Lisa Trevor helped upgrade the B-Movie theatrics of the original into a legitimate horror blockbuster.

III. Mr X (Resident Evil 2 – 2019)

An absolute powerhouse, T-00, or Mr X as he’s known by fans, is a lumbering, fear factory. Dropped into the RPD station by Umbrella Inc. with a mission to eradicate any survivors, he’s relentless in pursuit of Claire and Leon in order to achieve his goal. Appearing when you least want him to, Mr X brings scares a plenty and just eats ammunition, putting you on edge as an ever present threat. We’d be remiss not to give a nod to his appearance in the original Resident Evil 2 ‘B’ missions, where him bursting through the wall came as a huge shock having not seen him at all in the ‘A’ missions. We’ve also got to appreciate the modding community out there who have given us some hilarious alternatives too (careful – there’s some strong language in the linked video).

II. Crimson Head (Resident Evil – 2002)

Joe vividly remembers the first encounter with Crimson Head. 2002 was a time where He’s learned the position of all the bumbling, groaning zombies infesting the original mansion, so taken aback by an unusual bloodied corpse on a set of stairs in the remake of Resident Evil released on the GameCube. After investigating it for a few moments, Joe shrugged off as a background change and proceeded through the door at the top. Little did he know that it wasn’t just an aesthetic change, but a new type of enemy; a zombie that could not only sprint after you, but open doors. There is little more terrifying than a zombie running at you  full pelt having just passed through a door where you thought you’d be safe! What’s worse is that a Crimson Head was unrelenting – unless dealt with, he would chase Chris or Jill around until his head was removed or he consumed your flesh. A truly eject-your-bowels monster of the highest calibre.

I. Hunter (Resident Evil – 1996)

This decision was unanimous in the VGN office. Hunters are often forgotten as one of Resident Evil’s truly terrifying monsters, but they’ve been there from the very beginning. Spliced with reptile DNA, these creatures are fast, powerful and hard to handle one-on-one, let alone when facing two or three of them in a confined corridor. They are the series equivalent of the Xenomorph from Alien. Hunters take their time with you; they jump out when there’s little hope of escape and when they do, you better pray you have some shotgun shells as they can tear you apart in just a few hits. Much like the Xenomorph, a few variations of the menace have been found throughout the series; there’s the Gamma Hunter from Resi 3 and the Hunter B.O.W. found in Revelations, but we kept coming back to the OG entry that inhabits the Spencer Mansion for their methodical, impressive, and creative ways of causing you to throw your controller in rage and terror.  

Honourable Mentions:

•  Neptune (Resident Evil – 1996)

In rural America you can find reptiles, spiders and even snakes just by opening up your toilet bowl. But you’d be hard pushed to find a Great White shark in the bath. Somebody at Umbrella Inc. not only took the time to go into the ocean and catch one of the greatest hunters on the planet, but felt the need to infect it with the T-Virus too! They caught a shark to conduct horrific experiments on, in a pokey, unsecure mansion in the mountains. A shark.

• Tyrant (Resident Evil – 1996)

The final boss of the original Resident Evil, Tyrant is such a memorable enemy that he had to make this list in some capacity. With his enormous sickly-white frame, exposed heart and huge mutated claw-arm, Tyrant is easily the most horrific looking enemy in the original game, and the two encounters with him are fantastic. Watching him kill Albert Wesker before turning on you in the tank room, and the tense helipad finale are truly iconic moments that helped launch the franchise.

• Ooze (Resident Evil Revelations)

After years of action shooting, Capcom took Resident Evil Revelations on the Nintendo 3DS back to it’s horror roots. While they were at it, they binned off one of the series staples –  the humble zombie and introduced creatures known as ‘Ooze’ as their default enemy. Sliming their way through the vents of the cruise ship and moving in an utterly inhuman way, the faceless suckers were uncomfortable to look at, required a different approach to attack them, and generally mixed up the formula for basic enemy number one. 

Think we missed something, or don’t agree with where an enemy ranked? Let us know which enemies made your Top VIII in the comments section.