This week, Polygon released its list of the 100 greatest video game quotes. If you read it, I’m positive you’ll walk away wondering why a specific line you loved didn’t make the cut because we had the same arguments behind the scenes. There were weeks of debating to make a list that was representative of a wide array of games that accomplish different things with their writing. Sometimes that meant having to limit ourselves to only one or two lines from one series that had the same flavor. That made the task of picking the very best Resident Evil quotes nearly impossible.
More than any series aside from Final Fantasy, Resident Evil is a wealth of memorable lines. Originally pulled from a horror game loaded with strange translations and laughable voice acting, Capcom has leaned into the corniness over the years to great effect. One-liners have now become a back-of-the-box feature, and players are just as eager to hear the next Jill Valentine zinger as they are to see how the ongoing zombie saga unfolds.
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The 100 greatest video game quotes of all time
It has been spoken
For our list, we gave credit to one of Leon S. Kennedy’s most iconic gags: “Where’s everyone going? Bingo?” Delivered directly after Resident Evil 4’s most tense moment, it’s a line that encapsulates what makes the series’ writing so damn fun. Only Resident Evil can have you struggling to catch your breath as you dodge chainsaw-wielding maniacs and then leave you on the floor laughing when it’s over. Horror and comedy have a similar structure that hinges on build up and payoff, and Resident Evil expertly mixes those setups and punchlines together.
That’s our favorite line, but what about Leon S. Kennedy himself? In a recent video interview with Nick Apostolides, the voice of Leon in Resident Evil Requiem and Capcom’s recent remakes, I asked the actor for his own pick. His answer wasn’t one I expected.
“One of my favorites is a line from the original Resident Evil 4, which I also got to say in the remake, and that line is: ‘Hasta luego!’” Apostolides told Polygon. “I’m also a Terminator fan and at the time, it reminded me of the ‘hasta la vista, baby’ line. That moment was so badass when I was watching it as my younger self. And then when I got to say it, it blew my mind, because 20 years ago I was loving this and here we are.”
I have to admit that “Hasta luego,” a line delivered as Leon shoots at an explosive barrel, wasn’t on our (very long) shortlist of Resident Evil one-liners. If anything, that speaks to the density of good gags packed into this series. In the modern games especially, Leon has a quip for every occasion. They’re more plentiful than ammo. Every time he meets a new form of zombie, it’s another excuse to dunk on the poor bastard after lopping its head clean off. Apostolides believes that those lines aren’t just fun asides, but a major part of what makes Leon such an enduring action hero.
“I think it’s part of the reason why he’s so beloved,” he said. “He’s not just one-dimensional. He’s not this stoic badass. It’s hard to put him in any one box, because he’s multifaceted.”
You could say the same thing about the bulk of Resident Evil’s cast, each of whom has their own great lines to their name. Jill Valentine has always been a personal favorite of mine, a woman who knows how to keep her cool amid unspeakable horrors while also being absolutely too fed up to have any remaining chill left. My favorite moment of hers comes from a throwaway gag in the Resident Evil 3 remake, where she watches a burning Nemesis flop into a lake. “Bitch can’t even swim,” she spits out before walking away from the aftermath without a care in the world. She’s so over this monster’s bullshit and just wants to get out of town. It’s a tiny moment that says so much about her character with just four annoyed words.
I’m sure that everyone reading this has their own favorite line from the series. “It might be handy if you, the Master of Unlocking, take it with you.” “I’m going to murder that boulder-punching asshole.” “What are ya buying?” The fact that it’s something that can fuel a debate at all is a testament to the series’ eternally endearing corniness.
