Few recurring Resident Evil heroes are as important as Jill Valentine. Not only is Jill a a rare example of a capable and compelling female protagonist during a time where such a thing was hard to come by in a video game, she also is undoubtedly the main character most players remember from the original Resident Evil. Thanks to her greater inventory space and starting with a pistol (compared to Chris needing to find one within the mansion), playing as Jill would end up being much more forgiving than playing as her male counterpart and fellow S.T.A.R.S. member Chris Redfield. In fact, the Japanese version of the game (Biohazard) even goes so far as to label Chris’ campaign as “HARD” and Jill’s as “EASY”. Thanks to Jill Valentine’s importance to Resident Evil‘s success, it makes sense she appears again and again throughout the franchise.
As the Resident Evil franchise would continue to evolve, though, its main cast of characters would continue to evolve with it, and Jill is no exception. Jill survives the initial Arklay Mountains incident only to quit S.T.A.R.S. and need to quickly escape Raccoon City as it’s in the grip of a full-blown zombie outbreak. Then, after joining the new anti-BOW organization the B.S.A.A., Jill’s apparent death gives way to a surprising return not as a friend, but instead as an enemy to both Chris and the world at large. Jill’s saga is one of the more exciting threads in the larger Resident Evil narrative, and following her appearance in Resident Evil 5 it will be interesting to see if the character makes a return in the next mainline entry.
Resident Evil (1996)
Along with other prominent recurring series hero Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine makes her first appearance as one of the two main protagonists of Resident Evil. In contrast to Chris’ 6 inventory slots, Jill has a total of 8, and she also receives more prominent help from her companion character. While Chris will occasionally have Rebecca Chambers show up to get him out of a pinch (learning to play “Moonlight Sonata” on the piano, mixing the V-JOLT solution to use on Plant-42, etc.), Barry Burton routinely gives Jill assistance through regular ammo dumps, and even saves her life outright a couple of times in the campaign. As a result, Jill’s campaign is much more forgiving than Chris’, resulting in many players beating the game as Jill long before completing it as the other protagonist.
Jill’s appearance in the original Resident Evil sees her donning a military-style uniform similar to the dress blues worn by the United States Air Force, complete with her trademark beret. Players can unlock an alternate costume for Jill after beating the game once, and this change of attire more closely resembles the streetwear that players see Jill in the next time she shows up in the series. According to the canon ending of the first game, Jill, Barry, Chris, and Rebecca all survive the Arklay Mountains incident and subsequently quit the S.T.A.R.S. unit and the RPD following the revelation that S.T.A.R.S. is under control by the nefarious Umbrella Corporation.
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (1999)
Weeks after escaping the Spencer Mansion, Jill Valentine prepares to leave Raccoon City right as it finds itself in the midst of a cataclysmic t-Virus outbreak. However, as part of the cover-up to prevent evidence emerging of Umbrella’s involvement in the disaster, the company sends a new Tyrant model with the sole mission to hunt down and eliminate any remaining members of the S.T.A.R.S. unit. The aptly named Nemesis tracks Jill down and pursues her through the streets of Raccoon City, forcing the player to make split-second decisions regarding whether to fight or flee from the creature. Eventually, Jill teams up with members of the Umbrella BOW response team, and together they’re able to escape the city right before its evaporated off the map courtesy of a nuclear strike.
Since the S.T.A.R.S. unit is no more, Jill appears in regular street clothes similar to her alternate costume in the original Resident Evil. Additionally, players have some more mobility options such as being able to execute a quick 180-degree turn and having their aiming slightly track targets. Even though Jill partners with Carlos Oliveira for a significant part of the campaign, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis is still Jill’s show and the last game in the series to feature the protagonist in a starring role for more than a decade.
Resident Evil (2002)
The remake of the original Resident Evil largely succeeds because of how faithful it is to its source material, until it isn’t. 2002’s Resident Evil subverts and toys with players’ nostalgia, both allowing them to benefit from it while simultaneously using it against them to upend expectations. Jill is once again one of the two main protagonists in the game, and she remains largely the same as in the original except she has the benefit of having more competent voice acting and better characterization. She still acts as a no-nonsense and capable hero who finds themselves in an impossible scenario, but the ways that she vocalizes her reaction to the events unfolding around her come off as more natural and believable than in the original.
Appearance-wise, Jill still wears heer iconic S.T.A.R.S. uniform, though there are several alternate costumes players can unlock as rewards for completing the game with various rankings. One of the new wrinkles to the story is the addition of the previously-cut Lisa Trevor section, which culminates in Jill and Barry tackling the tragic villain together in the catacombs underneath the Spencer Mansion.
Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles (2007)
Even though players don’t actually get to see their on-screen avatar when playing as Jill in The Umbrella Chronicles, the character features prominently in the game’s important custscenes and endings. In fact, the events that unfold in The Umbrella Chronicles have a large bearing on the future of the Resident Evil story and the fates of Chris and Jill thanks to the downfall of the Umbrella Corporation. Jill, having worked together with Chris in his efforts to bring down Umbrella and expose their involvement in the Raccoon City incident, joins her partner on an expedition to a Russian Umbrella facility where they can retrieve damning data against the evil corporation. The Umbrella Chronicles utilizes a different design for Jill that persists throughout several games in the franchise, and the events that unfold in the course of the campaign lead to both she and Chris joining the B.S.A.A.
Resident Evil 5 (2009)
Following several successful missions with the B.S.A.A., Chris and Jill respond to a tip regarding Albert Wesker’s whereabouts that leads them directly to a raid on the mansion of Umbrella founder Oswell E. Spencer. When they arrive, they discover that Spencer is dead, with Wesker being the primary suspect. The two try to take down Wesker and bring him in, but he escapes and Jill appears to die while giving pursuit. Years later, Chris is on a mission in a remote region of Africa responding to reports of BOWs, and he comes across a mysterious hooded figure that continually attempts to thwart his investigation. Eventually, it is revealed that the figure is none other than Jill, who is under Albert Wesker’s control. In a climactic battle, Chris removes the control device from Jill’s chest, and she returns to her rightful self and helps Chris and his new partner, Sheva.
Contrary to other series appearances, Jill Valentine has blonde hair in Resident Evil 5, and she acts as an enemy for most of the game until players free her from Wesker’s control. She shows up again throughout the remainder of the campaign to help Chris afterward, and players even get to control Jill outright in one of Resident Evil 5‘s DLC campaigns.
Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D (2011)
The popular Mercenaries mode from Resident Evil 4 would get its own standalone title in 2011 via the Nintendo 3DS-exclusive Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D. The title features several prominent heroes and villains from throughout the series for players to choose from, so of course Jill Valentine is one of the playable characters. Instead of appearing in her traditional costume from the original Resident Evil, Jill wears her B.S.A.A. uniform from the flashbacks in Resident Evil 5 and players can also unlock her casual wear from Resident Evil 3.
Resident Evil: Revelations (2012)
Jill Valentine’s next appearance in the series takes the player back to one of Chris and Jill’s earliest missions with the B.S.A.A. where the pair find themselves as central players in the Il Veltro incident. Following the BOW attack on the city of Terragrigia, Jill and her B.S.A.A. partner Parker Luciani head to investigate the site of the attack but soon discover that their transport vessel, the Queen Zenobia, is infested with t-Virus BOWs. Jill eventually uncovers both her fellow agents’ and her boss’ involvement in the attack, which results in the B.S.A.A. falling under UN jurisdiction and becoming the world’s premier anti-bioterrorism agency. Jill appears largely similar to her previous series appearances, sporting brunette hair and a tactical combat suit not too different from her outfit in Resident Evil 5.
Resident Evil: Revelations 2 (2015)
Jill shows up in Resident Evil: Revelations 2 not as a protagonist but instead as a playable character in the game’s Raid Mode. She isn’t one of the default characters, though, with players needing to earn 10 Completion Medals in Episode 1 in order to unlock her for use. Like all characters in Raid Mode, players can max out Jill’s character profile in order to use her signature Skills with other characters. Additionally, players can unlock alternate costumes for Jill, including her attire from the first Resident Evil: Revelations.
Resident Evil 3 (2020)
The remake of Resident Evil 3 sees Jill Valentine get her first major redesign in years thanks to Capcom using a new face capture model and voice actress. Further, her casual attire that she wears in the Resident Evil 3 remake is much more practical than the outfit from the original, with Jill now clad in jeans, boots, and a tank top instead of a skirt and tube top. Aside from the redesign, Jill is still the same capable hero that players remember from the original RE3, and her actions in the game’s campaign see her and Carlos safely escape Raccoon City before it gets completely destroyed by the US government.
Resident Evil: Resistance (2020)
The free multiplayer component releasing with Resident Evil 3, RE Resistance includes Jill Valentine as one of the playable survivors in the game’s asynchronous matches. She retains her appearance from the main game and still wears her trademark blue tanktop and dark jeans, but her skills and loadout change to better fit the mutiplayer-centric gameplay of Resident Evil Resistance.
Resident Evil RE:Verse (2022)
The last and most recent appearance of Jill Valentine in Resident Evil comes courtesy of the multiplayer component releasing alongside Resident Evil Village, Resident Evil RE:Verse. Similar to her appearance as a playable character in Resident Evil Resistance, RE:Verse‘s version of Jill Valentine retains her new look that players are introduced to in the Resident Evil 3 remake. However, players can also unlock other costumes for the character, such as her iconic battle suit from Resident Evil 5. Jill’s specialty as a character in RE:Verse is her skill power, which is much higher than other characters and allows her signature skills (such as the quick melee attack Hot Dogger) to deal massive damage.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Gameplay screenshot.