Let’s be honest. That feeling after you finished Resident Evil Village and its Shadows of Rose DLC was… complicated, wasn’t it? On one hand, there was a sense of beautiful, tragic closure. The Winters’ family saga, the story that rebooted and revitalised the entire franchise, was definitively over. We poured one out for Ethan, the unluckiest man in video game history, and saw his legacy secured.
But then, the dust settles. And a question starts to creep in, quiet at first, then deafening.
What now?
That’s the real conversation happening around Resident Evil 9 . It’s not just about which spooky castle we’ll explore next or what flavour of bioweapon will be chasing us down a corridor. The discussion around RE9 is about the very soul of the series. After two games that completely changed the formula (again), Capcom is at a massive crossroads. Every rumour, every leak, every shred of information isn’t just a detail it’s a clue to where one of the most iconic franchises in gaming is heading for the next decade. And that, my friend, is infinitely more exciting than just another monster reveal.
So, Where Did We Leave Off? The End of the Winters’ Saga
Before we can even talk about the future, we need to understand precisely where the story closed. The Shadows of Rose DLC was more than just an epilogue; it was a full stop. It hammered home the point: this chapter is done. Rose’s control over her powers, her acceptance of her father’s sacrifice… it was a clean narrative break.
Why does this matter so much? Because it liberates Resident Evil 9 from any obligation to continue that specific story. For the first time since 2017, the stage is completely clear. Capcom isn’t tied to a specific character’s journey. This gives them a terrifying amount of freedom. They could do anything. Go anywhere. And that’s why the rumour mill is churning with such intensity.
This clean break also signals a major shift. The first-person, intimate, family-focused horror of RE7 and Village was a specific, deliberate choice to make the series scary again after the action-heavy RE6. Now that the experiment has been a resounding success, does Capcom double down or pivot once more? The end of the Winters’ story isn’t just a plot point; it’s a strategic decision. It’s Capcom telling us, “Okay, that was great. Get ready for something new.”
The Great Debate | New Protagonist or a Returning Legend?
Here’s the million-rupee question, the one that causes endless arguments on Reddit threads and Discord servers: Who is taking the lead in RE9 ?
Let’s break down the candidates, because the choice of protagonist tells us everything about the kind of game it will be.
- The Fan Favourite (Leon/Jill): Bringing back Leon S. Kennedy or Jill Valentine would be a shot of pure, unadulterated fan service. After the incredible success of the RE2 and RE4 remakes, Leon is arguably the most popular character in the franchise right now. A game with him in the lead would guarantee massive sales. But here’s the thing—it would also feel a bit… safe. It would signal a return to third-person, action-horror, and might feel more like a continuation of the remakes than a true, mainline evolution.
- The New Blood: Starting with a completely new character, just like they did with Ethan Winters, would be a bold move. It would allow Capcom to create a new sense of vulnerability and mystery. We wouldn’t be playing as a super-cop who can roundhouse-kick zombies; we’d be an ordinary person in an extraordinary situation again. This approach would suggest a focus on pure survival horror, but it carries the risk of not having the immediate star power of a legacy character.
- The Most Likely Candidate (Chris Redfield): If you ask me where the smart money is, it’s on Chris. Think about it. The final shot of Village shows a tormented, older Chris Redfield heading to BSAA Europe headquarters, seemingly on a mission to expose the corruption within the organisation he once served. This is a massive, unresolved plot thread. A Chris Redfield Resident Evil 9 story could bridge the gap between the old lore (
