Why Don‘t Leon and Claire Ever Get Infected in Resident Evil? An Expert Fan Analysis
As a huge lifelong Resident Evil fanatic, I‘ve always been impressed by how protagonists like Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield fight through hordes of viral abominations across numerous games, yet somehow emerge unscathed each time. Especially compared to sadly expendable NPCs.
So what gives Leon and Claire their virally-immune plot armor? As a Resident Evil superfan, I‘ve done deep dives into this from every angle. Here‘s my take!
Healing Items – More Than Just HP Recovery
Aside from skills, there‘s strong evidence that healing items like herbs and first aid sprays don‘t just recover health – they protect against viral infection!
These items clearly cauterize wounds, preventing viral spread to the body. But reports also show that test subjects given herbs were later immune to Viral infection. Too much coincidence if you ask me!
The games hint at this by showing most named NPCs dying shortly after major wounds even with no visible infection. Yet our heroes take brutal gore damage and keep on trucking! Gotta be more to those healers.
Table: Healing Items and Possible Infection Prevention
| Item | Infection Prevention | Other Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Green Herb | Low | Minor heal |
| Green + Red Herb Mix | High | Major heal |
| First Aid Spray | Medium | Rapid heal |
So don‘t underestimate those herbs and sprays! They probably save our heroes from viral fates worse than death on the regular!
Training and Skills Pay Off
Don‘t forget – Leon and Claire aren‘t just average joes! Claire‘s been trained by her S.T.A.R.S. brother Chris while Leon has serious police self-defense skills. Health items or not, avoiding infection starts with not getting hit!
And our heroes get pretty elite here as the games go on. Just look at how Leon dazzles in Resident Evil 4, pulling off insane acrobatics to avoid plague zombie contact. And all while delivering sick one-liners! Legendary stuff.
Table: Character Training and Infection Avoidance Ability
| Character | Training | Skill Level |
|---|---|---|
| Leon S Kennedy | Police self-defense/D.S.O. training | Extremely High |
| Claire Redfield | S.T.A.R.S. training from Chris | Very High |
| Average Umbrella Guard | Basic Security Training | Very Low |
So credit where it‘s due – Leon and Claire‘s pure skill plays a huge part in infection avoidance. Their combat prowess and evasion abilities are just worlds beyond run-of-the-mill schmoes, even the CLIFFY TYPES 🙂
But it runs deeper than outrunning shamblers…
Caution Sets Heroes Apart
Here‘s an underrated aspect – caution and crisis response. Our heroes keep their cool and avoid panic even when the undead literally burst from the walls! While average joes totally lose it and get sloppy.
So really, so many NPC deaths boil down to panicking and taking risks. Reckless shooting that wastes ammo. Rashly engaging enemies in melee without skill. Fleeing into further danger. Losing situational awareness. Rookie stuff!
Meanwhile, Leon memorably rescues civilians and even injured cops while methodically dispatching threats. And Claire shows similar poise rescuing Sherry despite only searching initially for her brother.
Their discipline and level heads give them an infection-fighting edge over those who panic. And over some shockingly careless named characters…
Recognizable Characters Who Got Infected – And How
It‘s wild to me when recognizable Resident Evil characters you‘d expect to have plot armor get infected. Really shows what NOT to do! Let‘s look:
- Forest Speyer – S.T.A.R.S. marksman but breaks from team to recklessly fight zombies solo. Gets overwhelmed.
- Richard Aiken – Saves Chris but then separates from Jill, gets bitten from behind. Come on Rich!
- Brad Vickers – Hapless chopper pilot tries to rescue civilians solo but gets zombie mobbed.
- Murphy Seeker – Tries to sneak past Las Plagas zombies to avoid noise. Fails miserably.
See the running theme here? Recklessness and overconfidence! These guys lack the caution, skill and discipline of Leon and Claire. And pay a gruesome price. Not enough herbs in the world to save them either!
So while luck plays a role, arguably Leon and Claire‘s minds save them as much as their skills and Virus-B-Gone sprays. Brains over brawn against biohazards!
Plot Armor – Not Always Enough!
Now surely as beloved main characters, Leon and Claire benefit from some plot protection, right? To a point I‘d agree. But canonical media shows key counterexamples!
For one, Leon himself does get infected in Resident Evil 4 by Las Plagas parasites, showing he‘s not fully immune. It takes emergency surgery from the one guy on Earth who knows the treatment to cure it! Talk about last second.
Same for Claire‘s badass brother Chris – he nearly becomes an evil Wesker mutant‘s slave thanks to T-virus remnants in his body. Takes a full-on volcano lava bath to purge it! Sheesh.
So while important to Capcom, even flagship Resident Evil characters can and do get infected if they slip up. Their skills, caution, and combat prowess has saved them more than pure importance and luck in my view. Little bit of both.
But for those who think they 100% should have been infected in certain moments…fair point! Let‘s examine!
3 Key Moments Skill Saved Them
While they benefit from some luck in tight squeezes, Leon and Claire‘s skill pulls them through places that would devour most anybody else. Three standout examples:
Raccoon City Streets – We‘re talking full chaos here. Mutations everywhere. Yet rookie Leon navigates it mostly unscathed while helping civilians! Insane showing of skill and composure under literal fire.
Nest Escape – Self-destruct countdown. Super Tyrant Mutant hounding them. Claire and Sherry somehow endure against the odds and again…not even a sniffle!
Leon Chapter 3-1 – Two words my friends. Chainsaw sisters. Leon faces not one BUT TWO motorghouls back to back with barely a cut! Even zombies know better than to crowd that party.
So say what you will about plot luck, but skill goes a long way! Especially with some hard-earned herbs and FIRST AID SPRAY backing it up!
The numbers tell the story – by my estimates Leon and Claire have just a 1.2% bite rate per mission compared to 29% for the average operative. They are certified viral vanishing maestros!
The Takeaway – Caution, Skill and Preparation
So after breaking this virus immunity riddle down every which way, what actually protects our intrepid heroes? The secret sauce is…
Caution – Keeping composure and awareness to avoid panic or overconfident risk. Assessing threats calmly.
Skill – Training and experience leveraged reliably in combat and traversal. Exercising great agility.
Preparation – Bringing healing items, weapons and gear to counter surprise threats. Utilizing environment.
Combine this formula with a bit of protagonist luck sprinkled in and you‘ve got a recipe for virally-unscathed survival horror success!
So while we can jokingly tout "plot armor," the evidence shows Leon and Claire‘s true protection comes from within. And from green herbs of course! But with smarts and skill like that, not even a G-Virus Godzilla could take them down!
Except maybe in RE6 but let‘s not talk about that one…
