The Resident Evil Character Even Its Creator Hated
Video games, the narratives they weave and the characters that help bring it all together have come a long way from the initial escapades of an Italian plumber or that yellow circle who's always hungry, Pacman. Many players now liken the video game industry to Hollywood, delivering cinematic experiences and building characters up beyond their visual design. In the advent of a video game industry where players can see the characters grow, voice their inner thoughts or emotions and even surprise players with M. Night Shyamalan-style twists, there are bound to be fan-favorites and characters that can't live up to the rest of their cast. As it turns out, that's been the case for Shinji Mikami, the creator of "Resident Evil."
While there has been no shortage of new "Resident Evil" content for fans to sink their teeth into, including 2021's critically praised "Resident Evil Village" among TV and film adaptations like "Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City" and Netflix's "Resident Evil" adaptation, series creator Shinji Mikami can't help but look back at some of the older games and one character in particular that left the godfather of modern horror games unsatisfied. Here's the one "Resident Evil" character even the series creator hated.
Rebecca Chambers is not a strong female character
Speaking with The Guardian back in 2014, Mikami outlined what traits make a good female character, and explained why Rebecca Chambers goes against it all. First off, Mikami hates the idea of weak or submissive characters that require male counterparts to function. Mikami said, "I also don't like female characters who are submissive to male characters, or to the situation they're in. I won't portray women in that way. I write women characters who discover their independence as the game progresses, or who already know they are independent but have that tested against a series of challenges."
With that said, Mikami went on to detail the female character he's liked the least while creating horror games. Mikami goes on to say, "If I had to name the woman character I most disliked in my games it would be Rebecca Chambers. She's submissive, she's not independent. I didn't want to include her but the staff wanted that kind of character in the game." Despite Mikami's personal feelings about Rebecca Chambers, the creator went on to say that Chambers was actually quite popular with Japanese players.
To Mikami's point, however, the first time players encountered Rebecca Chambers, she's the last surviving member of the S.T.A.R.S. Alpha team and embattled with the feeling that the team's situation is hopeless. It's a far cry from the behaviors of other "Resident Evil" characters like Claire Redfield and Jill Valentine, who've proven consistently that they can take care of themselves.