The Resident Evil franchise boasts a vast collection of games, movies, and other content, however where in the timeline do the animated films reside?
Summary
- The Resident Evil animated films have their own chronological order that doesn't align with their release dates, so they shouldn't be watched in order of release.
- The first film to watch in the Resident Evil animated timeline is Biohazard 4D-Executer, which takes place in 1998 during the Raccoon City outbreak.
- Resident Evil: Death Island is the most recent animated film in the series, set in 2015 and featuring various characters from the games in a search for a kidnapped engineer.
With a franchise as far-reaching as Resident Evil, it isn't hard to become lost in the varying timelines and stories, and in particular, the chronology of the Resident Evil animated films is not what you might expect. Resident Evil, also known as Biohazard, is a horror franchise that began in 1996 and has since produced nearly 30 games and a variety of live-action films, television series, novels, and animated movies. Although the story has expanded to include many different characters and situations, the main premise of Resident Evil is the conflict between the Umbrella Corporation, which infects humans with zombie viruses, and the fictional Raccoon City.
So far, there have been seven animated films based on the world and concept of Resident Evil. While the earlier films are much shorter in length and are somewhat removed from the basic plot and cast of the video games, the later films are much more integrated with the games, and typically, take place in between them. However, these animated films weren't always released in the chronology of the Resident Evil timeline. In particular, the release order of the animated films doesn't align with the timeline, therefore, they shouldn't necessarily be watched in order of release date. The chronological way to watch the Resident Evil animated films is as follows:
7 Biohazard 4D-Executer (2000)
The first ever Resident Evil animated film is in fact the first movie to watch in terms of chronological order. The film, made in 2000, is a Japanese biopunk horror film with a running time of approximately 20 minutes. It was created by Capcom, the same video game company that is at the head of Resident Evil, and is the first ever film adaptation of the game. Though far from a large-scale, feature length film, Biohazard 4-D-Executer has been the inspiration of many Japanese theme parks and stands out for being the earliest iteration of a Resident Evil animated movie. The film is currently available to watch on Youtube.
Biohazard 4-D-Executer follows a military squad of four men sent on a mission to track down Dr. Cameron, a female scientist researching a new type of virus. However, in order to find Cameron, the group must traverse through Resident Evil's Raccoon City, which is zombie-infested. Even with its short run time, this film is full of interesting twists and turns, and is heavily rooted in the Resident Evil world, despite lacking the characters included in the games. The movie is the first to watch because it takes place in 1998, in the midst of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3, wherein the Raccoon City outbreak is in full swing.
6 Biohazard 4: Incubate (2006)
The second Resident Evil animated film to watch is also the next to be released: Biohazard 4: Incubate. This film was released in 2006, between the release of the games Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5. Like its predecessor, this is a relatively short movie, with a run time of only 97 minutes. Furthermore, this film lacks its own original story. In actuality, Biohazard 4: Incubate is an amalgamation of cutscenes and moments from Resident Evil 4. In this way, it acts as a sort of summary of the previous game without a player working through it.
Resident Evil 4 and Biohazard 4: Incubate take place in 2004 and follow government agent Leon Kennedy as he travels to a remote village in Spain to rescue Ashley Graham, the kidnapped daughter of the President of the United States. While there, Leon discovers that the village has been indoctrinated with a virus called Las Plagas, and that the leader of a local cult, Osmund Saddler wants Ashley to inject her father with the virus to jumpstart Saddler's invasion of the world. Because Biohazard 4: Incubate is simply a retelling of Resident Evil 4, it is the second animated film in the Resident Evil timeline.
5 Degeneration (2008)
Two years later, Resident Evil: Degeneration was released and became the first feature length Resident Evil animated movie made by Capcom. Additionally, it was the first in a resulting series of Resident Evil animated films and was the first to be set both in the Resident Evil world and to include the characters and storylines of the video games. In particular, Resident Evil: Degeneration follows Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield. Notably, the characters hadn't been seen together in the franchise since 1998's Resident Evil 2.
Resident Evil: Degeneration takes place in 2005, in between Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5. However, unlike Biohazard 4: Incubate, this film maintains its own original plot. The film follows TerraSave worker Claire as she is trapped in an infected airport. After being rescued by Leon, who has presumably just returned from his mission to Spain, the two must work together to stop a terrorist from infecting the entire country with the T-virus. Ultimately, this is the third movie to watch of the Resident Evil animated films because it comes after the events of Biohazard 4: Incubate.
4 Infinite Darkness (2021)
Despite the fact that Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness was released in 2021, it is actually the next chronological installment in the Resident Evil animated content. In terms of plot, Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness takes place in 2006. This means that, for the second time, this animated television series occurs in the timeframe between Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5. Also like Resident Evil: Degeneration, Infinite Darkness follows Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield is yet another mission to save the world from Umbrella Corporation's zombies and viruses.
The series consists of four episodes and follows Leon Kennedy as a zombie attack hits the White House in the midst of a hacking investigation. In the series, he meets up with Claire Redfield, who is taking part in her own investigation of a child refugee who has created a strange drawing. Although Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness is the second most recent Resident Evil animated release, it falls into the fourth spot in the Resident Evil timeline.
3 Damnation (2012)
Returning to 2012, the next Resident Evil animated film to watch is Resident Evil: Damnation. This is the second Capcom feature length film in the Resident Evil series following Resident Evil: Degeneration. Released in the same year as Resident Evil 6, this film takes place in 2011 and its plot occurs just a few months before the events of Resident Evil 6. Unsurprisingly, the film returns to the life of Leon Kennedy, although this time, he is joined on-screen by spy Ada Wong.
Resident Evil: Damnation follows Leon as he travels to an Eastern Slav Republic against orders to investigate whether they are using Bio-Organic Weapons in their civil war. During his investigation, he becomes involved with a former teacher named Buddy who has a dangerous vendetta against the government for killing his fiancée and former students. Meanwhile, Ada attempts to collect samples of Las Plagas while undercover as a BSAA agent. Her relationship with the president quickly turns sour. This is the fifth submission in the Resident Evil timeline.
2 Vendetta (2017)
Next up is Resident Evil: Vendetta. This film was released in 2017, which was the same year as the release of the video game, Resident Evil 7, although the movie takes place in the year 2014 while the game catches up to real time in 2017. This is the third film in Capcom's series and the third to present Leon Kennedy as its star. This time around, Leon is joined by Chris Redfield and Rebecca Chambers of the original Resident Evil video game.
Resident Evil: Vendetta begins with Chris as he tracks down Glenn Arias, a former CIA operative and terrorist intent on getting revenge against the U.S. government for setting a drone strike on his wedding. Chris soon meets up with Rebecca, who has discovered a new kind of virus that has connections to Las Plagas. From there, the two connect with Leon and the group works together to take down Arias, his associates, and his new virus. As this film takes place in 2014, it is the sixth installment in the Resident Evil timeline.
1 Death Island (2023)
The final animated film to watch as part of the Resident Evil franchise is Resident Evil: Death Island. Along with being the fourth film in the Capcom Resident Evil film franchise, this is also the most recent release in terms of Resident Evil animated content and coincides with the release of the Resident Evil 4 remake. Resident Evil: Death Island takes place in 2015, meaning it occurs after Resident Evil 6 and Resident Evil: Vendetta, but before the events of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard.
Resident Evil: Death Island seems to be the biggest production yet, bringing in elements of previous Resident Evil films and characters not yet seen from the video games. The film follows Leon Kennedy and Ingrid Hunnigan as they search for a kidnapped robotics engineer, meanwhile Chris Redfield and Rebecca Chambers delve into an advanced strain of the T-virus. Jill Valentine and Claire Redfield also make appearances. At this time, Resident Evil: Death Island is the most recent Resident Evil animated film.
