Claire Redfield | |
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First appearance | Resident Evil 2 (1998) |
Created by | |
Designed by |
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Voiced by | |
Motion capture | Various
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Portrayed by | Various
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In-universe information | |
Family | Chris Redfield (brother) |
Claire Redfield [a] is a character in Resident Evil (Biohazard in Japan), a survival horror video game series created by the Japanese company Capcom. She was first introduced as one of two player characters in Resident Evil 2 (1998) alongside Leon S. Kennedy. The character was initially conceived as a blonde motorcyclist named "Elza Walker" for the prototype of the game, but her name and role were changed for the final build to connect its story to that of the original. During the events of Resident Evil 2, Claire arrives in the Midwestern United States town of Raccoon City, which has been overrun by zombies, to find her missing brother Chris.
Claire is the protagonist of several Resident Evil games, novels, and films, and has appeared in other franchises, including Monster Hunter and Teppen . Several actresses have portrayed Claire. In her initial video game appearance, she is voiced by Canadian actress Alyson Court, whose features were also later used for the character. In the 2019 remake of Resident Evil 2, she is voiced by Stephanie Panisello and modeled after Canadian model Jordan McEwen. In the live-action Resident Evil films, Claire has been portrayed by Ali Larter and Kaya Scodelario.
Critics have positively responded to Claire's personality and her role as a strong female lead character. Several journalists considered Claire significantly less sexualized than other female game characters. She was cited as an example of a female character who was as competent and skilled as her male counterparts, though she was criticized for being a "sexless object", as well as for her alternate costume in Resident Evil: Revelations 2 (2015).
Claire was introduced as one of two playable protagonists, alongside police officer Leon S. Kennedy, in Capcom's 1998 survival horror video game Resident Evil 2 . [15] [16] She was developed out of an earlier character named Elza Walker, the original female lead during its first prototype, [15] [17] who was intended to be a blonde motorcyclist who crashed her bike into the front entrance of the Raccoon Police Station, having fled there for safety. [17] Creative director Hideki Kamiya created unique and expanded circumstances for characters such as Leon and Elza, similar to those that distinguished protagonists Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield in the original Resident Evil (1996). [15] However, following the game's development, storywriter Noboru Sugimura, felt the story lacked conceptual coherence and depth; he also took issue with Kamiya crafting a narrative that had no connection to the original game. Producer Shinji Mikami and Kamiya agreed with Sugimura's criticism, [15] and as a result the development was scrapped and recreated by Sugimura, who replaced Elza with Chris's sister, Claire. [15] She was designed by artists Isao Ohishi and Ryoji Shimogama. [1] To avoid the sexual objectification of women in video games, Mikami refused to eroticize or portray women as submissive in Resident Evil; instead, Claire was characterized as independent. [18] Mikami explained, "I don't know if I've put more emphasis on women characters, but when I do introduce them, it is never as objects[.] In [other] games, they will be peripheral characters with ridiculous breast physics. I avoid that sort of obvious eroticism." [18]
Claire continued to be redesigned over the course of the series. [19] She was given a tougher appearance in Resident Evil – Code: Veronica (2000), the reason being her experiences in Resident Evil 2 built her toughness and confidence to handle any situation. [20] For Resident Evil: Revelations 2 (2015), Claire was written as practical and aggressive to contrast with her partner: the young, immature, and easily scared Moira Burton. Producer Michiteru Okabe reflected that they had not reduced the two characters to their gender and had instead given them unique personalities, which he felt reflected positively on the direction of the video game industry at the time. [21] [22] According to Okabe, director Morimasa Sato is a big fan of Claire, which was why he felt obligated to bring her back into the game. [23]
In the 2019 remake of Resident Evil 2, Claire was redesigned and modeled after Canadian model Jordan McEwen. [24] She was given a new wardrobe, with her original hotpants and bike shorts replaced by jeans and a long-sleeved jacket. [25]
Alyson Court voiced Claire Redfield in her initial appearance in Resident Evil 2 [1] and reprised the role in Resident Evil – Code: Veronica, Resident Evil: Degeneration , and Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City . [2] [3] [4] In Resident Evil: Revelations 2, the character was voiced by an actress using the pseudonym James Baker, [5] while Ananda Jacobs performed her motion capture. [8] Stephanie Panisello performed motion capture and voiced her in the remake of Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness , and Resident Evil: Death Island . [6] [9] [10]
Claire is played by Adrienne Frantz in a commercial of Resident Evil 2 directed by George A. Romero. [11] In the live action Resident Evil film, Ali Larter played Claire in Resident Evil: Extinction , Resident Evil: Afterlife , and Resident Evil: The Final Chapter . [12] [13] Kaya Scodelario portrayed her in Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City . [14]
1998 | Resident Evil 2 |
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1999 | |
2000 | Resident Evil – Code: Veronica |
2001 | Resident Evil: Zombie Busters |
Resident Evil Survivor 2 – Code: Veronica | |
2002 | |
2003 | |
2004 | |
2005 | |
2006 | |
2007 | |
2008 | |
2009 | Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles |
Resident Evil Uprising | |
2010 | |
2011 | Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D |
2012 | Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City |
2013 | |
2014 | |
2015 | Resident Evil: Revelations 2 |
2016 | |
2017 | |
2018 | |
2019 | Resident Evil 2 (remake) |
2020 | |
2021 | |
2022 | Resident Evil Re:Verse |
Resident Evil 2 takes place in 1998 in the fictional American metropolitan area of Raccoon City. [26] [27] Claire searches for her missing brother Chris, a member of the Special Tactics And Rescue Service (S.T.A.R.S.) team. She is a college student who arrives in the town of Raccoon City to find it overrun by zombies, for which the Umbrella Corporation, a pharmaceutical company, is responsible. [26] [28] She meets up with police officer Leon S. Kennedy, but is later separated from him. [26] In the Raccoon Police Department building, she also encounters a young girl named Sherry Birkin, who is being pursued by her father, the mutated scientist William Birkin. [26] [28] [29] After defeating William Birkin, Claire later arrives at the Umbrella underground facility called NEST and finds a vaccine to cure Sherry, who has become infected by the G-virus. Claire gives Sherry's scientist mother Annette Birkin the cure so she can cure Sherry, but Annette dies from her injuries that were inflicted by William. [26] [29] Claire escapes on a train out of the facility along with Leon and Sherry before Raccoon City is destroyed by a nuclear strike as part of a U.S. government cover-up. [26] [27]
Mikami – the lead producer of both Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (1999) and the concurrently-produced Code: Veronica – wanted each game to highlight a female character who had previously appeared in the series; Jill is the protagonist in Nemesis, while Claire is the lead character in Code: Veronica. [30] Commentators suggested these decisions were made as a result of the success of the Tomb Raider series, which featured Lara Croft as the protagonist. [31] Code: Veronica is set three months after Claire escaped Raccoon City. She attempts to raid a European Umbrella facility in pursuit of her brother Chris, only to be apprehended. [26] She is sent to an island prison under the command of the antagonist, Alfred Ashford, a descendant of one of the Umbrella Corporation's founders. There is an outbreak, and Claire sets out to find Chris and leave the island as soon as she is set free; she also meets prisoner Steve Burnside. [26] [32] After discovering Chris is nowhere to be found, Claire escapes on a plane. Ashford takes remote control of the aircraft and crashes it into another Umbrella facility in Antarctica. [26] Later, Chris defeats the main antagonist, Alexia Ashford, and escapes with Claire before the Antarctic facility self-destructs. [26] After that, they vow to put an end to the Umbrella Corporation. [26] In the PlayStation 2 and GameCube version, Veronica X, Claire also has a brief encounter with the series' main villain, Albert Wesker. [32]
In Resident Evil: Revelations 2 (2015), Claire is a member of the counter-bioterrorism group TerraSave. [33] The game follows her and Barry Burton's daughter Moira as they get kidnapped and infected with the T-Phobos virus before they are trapped on a mysterious abandoned prison island. [34] [35] They defeat Alex Wesker and the monsters. [33] [35] In the end, both of them survive, along with Barry, who arrived to look for them, and a little girl named Natalia Korda. [33] [35]
Claire features in several Paul W. S. Anderson's Resident Evil films. In Resident Evil: Extinction (2007), Claire is the leader of a convoy of zombie apocalypse survivors who, at the end of the film, go to Alaska in search of a safe haven. [28] She reprises her role in the fourth film Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010). [12] She does not appear in the fifth film, Resident Evil: Retribution (2012), in which she is presumed dead, [36] but she returns in the sixth and final film of the original film series, Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016). Claire teams up with Alice before Red Queen attempts to destroy the humanity. [37] [38] She also appears in the reboot film Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021). [14]
Claire also appears in the animated Resident Evil films. She plays a major role in Resident Evil: Degeneration (2008), where she is reunited with Leon. The film is set seven years after the events of the game Resident Evil 2, and Claire has become a prominent TerraSave member. [39] Claire has also appeared alongside Leon in the Netflix series Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness (2021). [40] She returns in the sequel, Resident Evil: Death Island (2023). [41] Claire's youthful appearance in the film was said to be a result of the T-Phobos virus slowing her aging. [42]
Claire is a playable character in several non-canonical Resident Evil games. [43] She features in numerous Resident Evil mobile games, and is the protagonist of Resident Evil: Zombie Busters (2001) and Resident Evil Uprising (2009). [44] She is a playable character in action role-playing game Monster Hunter: World (2018), [45] the digital collectible card game Teppen (2019), [46] and in a mobile game Puzzle & Survival (2023). [47] She has a cameo appearance in the sports game Trick'N Snowboarder (1999), [48] the browser-based hack and slash game Onimusha Soul (2013), [49] asymmetric online multiplayer game Dead by Daylight (2016) as an alternate skin, [50] battle royale game Fortnite Battle Royale (2017) as an alternate skin, [51] and a robot dressed as Claire in the Astro Bot (2024). [52]
Claire features in novelizations of the films and games, [53] [54] [55] and plays a main role in the third novel in a series by S. D. Perry, Resident Evil: City of the Dead (1999). [54] Several comic books based on the games were released. [56] She is one of the main characters in Naoki Serizawa's manga Biohazard: heavenly island, serialized in Weekly Shōnen Champion magazine in 2015, in which she is a TerraSave investigator on an isolated South American island. [57] In printed trading card media, she appears as a card in Bandai's Resident Evil Deck Building Card Game (2011). [58] The character was featured in a Resident Evil-themed attraction at Universal Studios Japan's Halloween Horror Nights. [59] Merchandise featuring Claire includes figurines, plushies, keychains, vests, and standees. [60]
Claire has received positive reviews from critics for her personality and characteristics. She has been described by GamesRadar+ as one of the best Capcom characters. [61] IGN editors and Kimberly Wallace of Game Informer both praised Claire, with Wallace stating that she is her favorite Resident Evil character, "caring, strong-willed, and a total badass". [62] [63] Critic Scott Rogers, writing from Level Up!: The Guide to Great Video Game Design has cited Claire as a perfect example of the theme "opposites attract" in Resident Evil 2 as a companion character, as Claire is "capable" of anything, while Sherry is a "defenseless little girl". [64] Other critics also praised her role as a strong female lead character, [65] [66] [67] such as Syfy 's Brittany Vincent, who described her as a "strong-willed young woman who's tough as nails and ready to take on any challenge". [66]
Critics have commented that Claire was not oversexualized in her initial appearances, [68] [69] and she has been used as an example of a female character from the series who is not evaluated exclusively on the basis of her gender. [68] Digital media scholar Esther MacCallum-Stewart said that Resident Evil's female characters possess unique qualities making them viable choices for players to select over their male counterparts, and that their combat attire helps avoid criticism of pandering to the male gaze. [70] Conversely, feminist media critic Anita Sarkeesian of Tropes vs. Women in Video Games criticized the trend in the Resident Evil series of "rewarding" the male players with unlockable outfits that reduce the oft-capable women into sexual objects, with Claire's rodeo outfit from Revelations 2 being an example, [71] while academic writer Jenny Platz opined that women in video games are generally not shown with any gender fluidity, including Claire who is reduced to a "sexless object" comparable to the "typical trope" of "a virgin or tomboy". [72]
Resident Evil, known as Biohazard in Japan, is a Japanese horror game series and media franchise created by Capcom. It consists of survival horror, third-person shooter and first-person shooter games, with players typically surviving in environments inhabited by zombies and other mutated creatures. The franchise has expanded into other media, including a live-action film series, animated films, television series, comic books, novels, audiobooks, and merchandise. Resident Evil is the highest-grossing horror franchise.
Resident Evil 2 is a 1998 survival horror video game developed and published by Capcom for the PlayStation. The player controls rookie cop Leon S. Kennedy and college student Claire Redfield, who must escape Raccoon City after its citizens are transformed into zombies by a biological weapon two months after the events of the original Resident Evil. The gameplay focuses on exploration, puzzles, and combat; the main difference from its predecessor are the branching paths, with each player character having unique storylines, partners and obstacles.
Jill Valentine is a character in Resident Evil, a survival horror series created by the Japanese company Capcom. She was introduced as one of two player characters in the original Resident Evil (1996) with her partner, Chris Redfield, as a member of the Raccoon City Police Department's Special Tactics And Rescue Service (STARS) unit. Jill and Chris fight the Umbrella Corporation, a pharmaceutical company whose bioterrorism creates zombies and other bio-organic weapons, and later become founding members of the United Nations' Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (BSAA).
Albert Wesker is a character in the Resident Evil survival horror video game series created by the Japanese company Capcom. He was first introduced in the original Resident Evil (1996) as the captain of the Special Tactics and Rescue Service (S.T.A.R.S.) unit of the Raccoon Police Department. Wesker has been one of the series' main antagonists as a member of the pharmaceutical conglomerate Umbrella Corporation, the primary antagonistic faction, manipulating story events behind the scenes. To further his own plans, Wesker betrays his allies, fakes his death, gains superhuman abilities, and works with both Umbrella's mysterious rival company and their successors in the field of biological weapons development until his ultimate defeat by Chris Redfield and Sheva Alomar in Resident Evil 5 (2009).
Leon Scott Kennedy is a character in the Resident Evil survival horror video game series created by the Japanese company Capcom. He was introduced as one of the two player characters in the video game Resident Evil 2 (1998), alongside Claire Redfield. During the events of Resident Evil 2, Leon is a rookie police officer who arrives in the doomed Raccoon City late for his first day on the job and is confronted by a zombie outbreak.
Chris Redfield is a fictional character in the Resident Evil survival horror video game series created by the Japanese company Capcom. He was introduced as one of the two playable characters of the original Resident Evil (1996), alongside his partner Jill Valentine, as a member of the Raccoon Police Department's Special Tactics and Rescue Service (S.T.A.R.S.) unit. Chris and Jill fight against the Umbrella Corporation, a pharmaceutical company whose bioterrorism creates zombies and other bio-organic weapons, and later become founding members of the United Nations' Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (BSAA).
Barry Burton is a character in the Resident Evil survival horror video game series created by the Japanese company Capcom. He was first introduced as a supporting character in the original Resident Evil (1996) and became a player character in Resident Evil: Revelations 2 (2015).
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis is a 1999 survival horror video game developed and published by Capcom originally for the PlayStation. It is the third game in the Resident Evil series and takes place almost concurrently with the events of Resident Evil 2. The player must control former elite agent Jill Valentine as she escapes from Raccoon City, which has been overrun by zombies. The game uses the same engine as its predecessors and features 3D models over pre-rendered backgrounds with fixed camera angles. Choices through the game affect how the story unfolds and which ending is achieved.
Alyson Stephanie Court is a Canadian actress. Beginning her career as a child actress, her first role was on the series Mr. Dressup (1984–1994) and she made her film debut in Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird (1985). Court continued to appear in educational productions, landing the lead role of Loonette the Clown on the series The Big Comfy Couch (1992–2002).
Resident Evil – Code: Veronica is a survival horror video game developed and published by Capcom and originally released for the Dreamcast in 2000. It is the fourth main installment in the Resident Evil series and the first to debut on a separate platform from the PlayStation. The story takes place three months after the events of Resident Evil 2 (1998) and the concurrent destruction of Raccoon City as seen in Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (1999). It follows Claire Redfield and her brother Chris Redfield in their efforts to survive a viral outbreak at a remote prison island in the Southern Ocean and a research facility in Antarctica. The game retains the traditional survival horror controls and gameplay of previous installments; however, unlike the pre-rendered backgrounds of previous games, Code: Veronica uses real-time 3D environments and dynamic camera movement.
Resident Evil: Extinction is a 2007 action horror film directed by Russell Mulcahy and written by Paul W. S. Anderson. A direct sequel to Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004), it is the third installment in the Resident Evil film series, which is loosely based on the Capcom survival horror video game series of the same name. The film follows the heroine Alice, along with a group of survivors from Raccoon City, as they attempt to travel across the Mojave desert wilderness to Alaska and escape a zombie apocalypse.
Resident Evil: Degeneration, known as Biohazard: Degeneration in Japan, is a 2008 Japanese adult animated biopunk action horror film directed by Makoto Kamiya. It is the first full-length motion capture animation feature in Capcom's Resident Evil franchise. The film was made by Capcom in cooperation with Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan. Degeneration made its premiere at the 2008 Tokyo Game Show and was released theatrically on October 17, 2008.
Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles is an on-rails light gun shooter video game for the Wii developed by Capcom and Cavia as part of the Resident Evil series. The game was released for the Wii on November 17, 2009, in North America. It serves as a prequel to Resident Evil 4, set 2 years before its events. It was released in Europe on November 27, 2009, bundled with the Wii Zapper accessory.
Resident Evil is a biopunk action horror film series based on the Japanese video game franchise by Capcom.
Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D is a third-person shooter video game developed by TOSE and published by Capcom for the Nintendo 3DS. It was released on June 2, 2011 in Japan, June 28, 2011 in North America, June 30, 2011 in Australia, and July 1, 2011 in Europe. The game was announced at the 2010 Nintendo conference in Japan. A combination of the "Mercenaries" minigames featured in Resident Evil 4 and 5, players must defeat as many enemies as possible within a set time limit.
Resident Evil Survivor 2 – Code: Veronica is a light gun shooter video game developed and published by Capcom as part of the Resident Evil series. The arcade version was developed in conjunction with Namco for the arcade machines. The game was released for Sega NAOMI and PlayStation 2. It was released on the PlayStation 2 on November 8, 2001 in Japan and in Europe on March 22, 2002. Whilst the Playstation 2 release is a light gun shooter, the NAOMI arcade release features no lightgun technology whatsoever, instead deferring control of each player entirely to a three-axis joystick in the shape of a gun. The game is the second installment in the Gun Survivor series and the sequel to Resident Evil Survivor. The game is adapted from Resident Evil – Code: Veronica and features enemies and characters from that game, and enemies from Resident Evil 2 and 3. It was followed by Dino Stalker which is a spin-off of Dino Crisis, and has no ties to Resident Evil.
Resident Evil: Revelations 2 is an episodic survival horror video game developed and published by Capcom as part of the Resident Evil series. The game is a follow-up to Resident Evil: Revelations and Resident Evil 5. It marks the return of Claire Redfield as the protagonist, and the first time Barry Burton is a playable story character in the main series. It is also the first Resident Evil game to not feature Alyson Court as the long time voice of Claire Redfield. The first installment was released in February 2015.
Resident Evil 2 is a 2019 survival horror game developed and published by Capcom. A remake of the 1998 game Resident Evil 2, it was released for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One in January 2019 and for Amazon Luna, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch in 2022. Versions for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS are scheduled to be released in December 2024. Players control the rookie police officer Leon S. Kennedy and the college student Claire Redfield as they attempt to escape Raccoon City during a zombie outbreak.
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City is a 2021 action horror film written and directed by Johannes Roberts. Adapted from the stories of the first and second games by Capcom, it serves as a reboot of the Resident Evil film series and is the seventh live-action film based on the video game series. The film stars Kaya Scodelario, Hannah John-Kamen, Robbie Amell, Tom Hopper, Avan Jogia, Donal Logue, and Neal McDonough. Set in 1998, it follows a group of survivors during a zombie outbreak in Raccoon City. It is the first live-action film in the series not to feature Milla Jovovich in the lead role or her character Alice.
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