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Plot twist: The merchant kidnapped Ashley just to sell weapons to Leon.

Idk why but every time I find the merchant I feel safe

when he says "hehehehe thank you" i always thought that he is scamming me

What kind of a monster kills the merchant

The merchant is just a smart zombie trying to make a living instead of biting people. Be smart, be like the merchant.

"faking his own death" *gets shot in the head with an RPG* "HAHA TRICKED U"

Leon: "I'm the iconic character in Resident evil game history" Merchant: "hold my beer, stranger"

When you start another round in RE4 & you're buying/upgrading all your weapons at the beginning: Merchant: "What are ya buyin'? Is that all- Is that all- Is that all- Is that all- Is that all- Is that all- Is that all- Is that all- Is that all- Is that all- **5 Hours Later** Is that all- Is that all- Is that all- Is that all- Is that all- *HEUHEUHEUHEU, THANK YA"*

“He...he....he....... thank you” “comeback anytime” the merchant is definitely not infected he’s too nice and not always cussing you out in spanish

The most important question that remains is still "What are you buying?"

The Merchant should have been a playable character after beating the game on pro where you buy and sell from Leon.

Plagas: "attack Leon." Merchant: "no" Plagas: "why not?" Merchant: *in Mr Krabs voice* "CAUSE MONEY!"

legend say the merchant still selling to the stranger

WHAT ARE YOU BUYING?. WHAT ARE YOU SELLING?. AHH...NOW THAT'S A WEAPON?. STRANGER, STRANGER, NOW THATS A WEAPON?. AHH..ILL BUY IT AT A HIGH PRICE?. HEHEHE..THANK YOU.

The merchant calls Leon stranger but when you play as Ada, he never calls her stranger.

I think the merchant being related to Luis has the most evidence. Remember how in love with the red9 he is? And it's the only gun Luis is seen using.

Fun fact:The one who made the merchant voice is the same guy who did leon's...Paul mercier 🙂

Saddler even mentions that he needs to choose hosts for the plagas carefully as they may be hard to control

Merchant was a good lad back in them days. Would'nt mind dealing with him again in RE8.

Me and my bff pretty much bonded over playing RE4 in our teen years and to this day 10 years later we still quote the merchant at each other. Great video dude

Merchant is running a highly complex game in which Saddler, Leon, Ashley, Salazar and all the rest are merely players. He is not selling arms, as he is responsible for distributing the gold and treasures throughout the areas Leon visits. These are then 'sold' back to him as a form of credit which can be used to purchase various goods. The merchant is also responsible for distributing ammunition and grenades throughout the areas, as these are items which have no good reason to be present (none of the regular enemies are capable of using them). The Merchant is one man. Killing him is non-canon. The whole story is an elaborate game staged with real actors who do not know they are part of it. Just consider the following: The Merchant has to be responsible for planting the ammo, items, gold and treasures throughout the game's many areas. He never sells you ammo (only guns), but he clearly has tons of it (would be too easy for Leon if he could just buy bullets). He sells you maps showing the location of all the valuable treasure, so he must know where they are; ergo he planted them. A lot of the treasures are picked up multiple times (the jewels and jewelry); it is conceivable the Merchant reuses them as Leon progresses through the various areas. Ditto with the gold, which is obviously in short supply. You turn it in to the Merchant, he counts it up, keeps a running tab on your current worth, and then recycles the gold bars and coins for later use. He shows up everywhere. It is not possible to get ahead of him, because he knows exactly where Leon is going (and must go). He interacts with no one else besides Leon. He arranges to conveniently have the surgery chair free and ready to use. The Las Plagas infection might even be an elaborate ruse as far as Leon and Ashley are concerned. He sets up numerous little challenges for Leon, like the blue medallions and the multi-piece treasures. It's all an elaborate show, put on for the entertainment of this one Merchant. The dog that Leon finds is his trained pet. That is how it is able to avoid El Gigante's attacks. It has been trained to do so. The Ganados do not attack him or go near him. In fact, they won't even appear in his general area. That's because he is in charge of all of it. He is the real cult leader and the master of Las Plagas. Everyone else Leon encounters in his adventure apart from Luis and Ada are pawns in his game.

The merchant is actually claire redfield

Fun Fact : We always felt safe when we see that blue flame or just seeing this hooded figure of a man who always greets you with, "Welcome!"

I once “*accidentally*” shot the merchant before the Salvador boss fight. I wanted to die after that 🙃

It's kinda suck they didn't bring this character back, I freaking love The Merchant

This guy obviously never played the game on Professional mode. If you play on Professional, then he won't come back if you shoot him. Once he dies, he is gone for good.

Louis Sera died literally 1 room over from where a merchant was standing. No way is he the grandfather imo.

When they do a RE4 remake, i want the Merchant to make a return, and be explained this time.

Your task is to save the president's daughter. You are sent to battle with a pistol and 18 bullets....Don't mind the 40,000 US Special Forces, one guy with a pistol and 18 bullets is enough.

“Not Enough Cash!” The only thing that irritated me the most whenever I needed something.

The merchant is likely someone infected with a dominant strain plaga (Hence why he doesnt work for saddler). Also, Leon never kills the merchant in canon, you as a player may, but Leon never did.

Honestly the merchant is my best friend. He's always there. I literally couldn't believe he gave me a Punisher for free. So happy :'D

No merchant in RE5 or 6, clearly this guy is Leon related only... remember when he first shows up, after and only after Leon is first injected with Las Plagas while captured with Sera. perhaps the merchant is just a drug side effect and Leon hallucinates him which explains the dying and coming back to life cant kill what never existed

I don't care who he is. I don't care where he came from. I don't care if he's the demon spawn of Hitler and Stalin and drowns puppies and babies in his spare time. At the end of the day he's my homie ride or die. Nothing brings me more joy than seeing him skulking around the corner.

Me: *Goes outside for a walk* Drug Merchant: *"I got something that might interest ya"*

The Wesker connection makes sense given their accent. Maybe the Merchant is helping generate field data about which weapons are most effective at countering mobs and bio weapons. This also explains why there is a rewards point system every time you kill a ganado. The Merchant collects data about weapons that are resistant to the bio weapons. Wesker benefits from this data, as he can then develop even stronger bio weapons.

Luis Sera uses the Red 9. When you buy the Red 9 from the merchant he says something different than usual, showing his appreciation for the Red 9. This may be a link to the luis grandfather theory

I don't think that Capcom put that much thought into the character, but it's an interesting video though...Stranger.

I also found the Merchant as a swell guy too. He gives you an easy challenge and if you complete it he gives you a gun free of charge. Also in some locations, he leaves ammo on his set up for Leon to take, also free of charge. His prices are also quite reasonable and he buys treasures at a great price. Idk, I just get an overall friendly vibe from him that just likes to do business

To answer the question that I'm sure you've all asked yourselves...The answer is "No". Women dont find it exciting when you look at their body, open your hoodie and say "ahhhh.... I'll buy it at a high price!"

All i know is that without him,this game would have been harder and less fun to play

Any theory of him being connected to a family of immediate Hispanic descent makes no sense when you consider The Merchant has a clear-as-day Australian accent. I like the idea of him being a really powerful character who had a different reaction to the virus, and could indeed resist Sadler's control. If anything, no matter how you look at it, there isn't enough evidence to make a theory that isn't convoluted as shit.

*One of Resident Evil 4's most iconic characters* Isn't he one of the ONLY characters in the game?

i always thought the red eyes mean something new is in the shop.

maybe the merchant is the president himself and he is filming leon trying to save his ashley but it's all a prankgame show

He served me at The Ammunation near Downtown Los Santos last week.

My theory on the merchant is sometime before the Las plagas incident he went to Spain to trade and sell arms and goods he learned of all the secret passages from Louis sera's grandfather however when the incident broke out he tried to escape. Captured and made a deal with Sadler he would sell his Wares to Sandler at a reasonable price if he got a master plaga instead of a regular one at the time Sadlier needed office supplies and help he could get so he agreed and the merchant never really agreed with Sadler's views and was very upset that Sadler infected him so that's why Leon meets him in Secret locations because the merchant is getting his revenge through Leon. Also interesting fact not related to Resident Evil 4 but to the series there are technically bow weapons, people working for the bsaa I would not be surprised if the merchant was one of them

Something I find interesting about the theory that the merchant is Luis grandfather is that right before the first time you meet the merchant there is that cutscene with Leon and Luis trapped in that small building and after Luis departs, the merchant immediately starts to greet you. Making it seem almost as if the merchant had been watching over Luis and was following him. It would also make sense that the merchant would be helping Leon after finding out he and Luis have similar goals

one of the best games EVER

he's like the United States 😂 selling weapons for the both sides

The merchant is a manifestation of Leon’s imagination. Ashley never mentions him when Leon does business with him. This means Leon did it all on his own. Imagining this mysterious person was just a means to give self confidence to an agent who is way in over his head.

This is the type of guy i love to see everytime i see him

I always looked at the merchant as someone who broke free from control but lacked the ability to fight a entire city worth of ganados, then enter leon someone with that ability and all he needs is the tools...

I love how capcom, when producing the game, probably thought "we need to create some way to the player to buy stuff" then came up with the merchant idea and then thought "OK, now the player has a way to buy things" but was never thinking of a side story about him or whatever. Yet we're here speculating shit

4 is one of my fav games ever. The upgrades and re run through make it replay worthy

"Whata ya buyin'? Sorry to starle you, Mister Winters. Just something an old friend used to say."

I don't know why would you want to kill such an awesome guy

"Heh heh heh what are ya buying?"

I wanna thank this man for being there for me whenever I was close to dying, this man is the mvp, my ride or die, my lord and savior , thank you dear merchant

Legend part 2. The MERCHANT lives long after the resident evil biohazard incidents. Now well into the future. The MERCHANT still sells weapons to the Guardians in Destiny.

I loved the line "Aah, I'll buy it at a high price!"

Not enough cash stranger

There's a note in the game from Salazar's Butler, talking about how he's served the family for generations. However, we never actually see him in the game. The merchant seems to know the area well, has the virus, but also has his own free will. The only characters we see like that are high ranking members of the cult, and so it would make sense for Salazar to allow his trusted butler to keep his free will. Him knowing the area well would also explain how he's able to get around so quickly, and his identity would explain why none of the enemies attack him.

Don’t forget the fact Luis was a scientist that helped with the los plagues

Well, I deduced a theory that MAY explain the Merchant. The Merchant is an outsider. He travels around alot dealing to those who can afford what he has to offer. During RE4, however, he comes across Saddler. Interested in arming the Ganodos, Saddler purchases many things from the Merchant and he stays around in case Saddler wants to deal some more. Then you, as Leon, come across him. He only sees you as a way to make money so he welcomes you. His eyes would glow red like the Ganodos because he probably intereacted with Saddler in a way. Perhaps Saddler didn't pay the Merchant in money, but instead in a power of some kind. That's all I could think of.

Ahh! i'll buy it at high price

I love this game , and have never actually even thought about the merchant, he's just there at just the right time , just like the typewriters that are conveniently located close by to him on most occasions, when you see the merchant, you generally know you can save your progress and call it a night , after being caught addicted to wanting to play on , especially when it's all hours of the night and know you need to go to bed lol

Not to shoot down an idea, but you can only kill the merchant repeatedly on normal mode. If you kill him on professional mode( which is obviously a very unprofessional choice considering the increased difficulty level and how the merchant provides your items), he will not come back. We could say that professional mode is the more realistic mode of the game, where your actions have more of an impact than on normal mode in which case the death of the merchant has now gone from something funny to a decision you will regret. With this said and considering how he will not show up after you kill him, it is not possible that there is more than one merchant. Unless of course the merchants heard word about a buyer killing one of them for no reason and then decided they were done trading with this guy so hid away, then that multiple merchants theory would make sense. Then again he could just be placed about for our benefit so that when things get rough or you just escaped a battle on low health, used up all your items, and have no ammunition left he would be there for you. Personally I never intentionally shot the merchant( I was afraid it would initiate one of the hidden instant death sequences and he would pull a gun on me), but isn't it common sense to not want to try and kill the guy who provides you with weapons? Just saying.

Just who is this legendary salesman? And why isn’t he trying to sell me OxiClean?

You did a great job of making the merchant seem just as mysterious as he actually is.

Merchant was one of my favorites and I too was always curious about him

Swankybox, you forgot one CRUCIAL detail about killing off the merchant. You mention how you can kill off the merchant, and he will just be there again, but this does not happen on Professional difficulty. He simply dies off, no more buying, no more selling, you're fucked basically. And I think it's safe to say that out of the 2 difficulty levels available in Resident Evil 4, Professional closest emulates the experience Leon has went through, and is probably more 'canon' of the two. Therefore, there is an inconsistency with your theory.

This guy is the best character in video games! Needs to be added to the next smash bros!

he will tell you when you're selling not so precious items "is that old stranger?" if you select "yes" he'll just laugh out loud.... if you're selling precious and rare items, fully upgraded guns he will say " Ahhh... I'll buy it for a high price"

The new Resident Evil makes a reference to him

Well, all I know is he has the same voice actor as Leon.

THE MERCHANT WAS THE TERMINATOR THIS WHOLE TIME.........

Short amswer: the merchant is actually Scorpion from Mortal Kombat

he's just a gameplay mechanic the developers probably figured that having a 'mysterious merchant' figure to provide you with weapons and upgrades would be more interesting to players than a simple menu (like in RE5).

i think the Marchant is the director of this game, he likes to show up every couple of minutes just like how Stan lee shows up in every Marvel movie made xD

One of the most unique and interesting characters in the history of video-games...

Theres a note which explains how an infected's character is based on their actual personality, which is why Luis went against the cult. If i remember correctly, this note was also found right behind the merchant before fighting U3. I assumed this was the game saying that the merchant was a greedy person who then got infected, so they became a merchant who intensely overcharged for items.

I absolutely love videos like this. Resident evil 4 is my favorite game of all time

*Over here, stranger!* *WELCOME!* *Got something that might interest ya! Hehehehe!* *Got a selection of good things on sale stranger!* *Got some rare things on sale, stranger!* *What are you buying?* *What are you selling?* *I see you have an eye for things! Gun's not just about shooting, It's about RELOADING you'll know what I'm talking about.* *A wise choice mate! It's ammo will penetrate just about anything!* *Ahhh a choice of an avid gun collector, It's a nice gun stranger!* *Not only you'll need cash but you'll need GUTS to buy that weapon!* *Stranger HAHA, what are you gonna need that for? Going hunting an elephant?* *Stranger, stranger! Now that's a weapon!* *Ahh.. An awesome choice stranger! It's got a three round rapid fire capability, although it uses up ammo rather quickly!* *Is that all stranger?* *HEHEHEHE thank you!* *NOT ENOUGH CASH STRANGER!* *Aah! I'll buy it a high price!* *Come back anytime!*

NAWT ENUFF CASH!

How can he be Luis Seras grandfather, when Seras is clearly spanish, but the merchant speaks with a cockney accent?!

I find it funny how he's always behind the area you just solved a massive puzzle in, waiting there for you like he already solved it.

I hope Capcom brings him back in Resident Evil 8

"You've got to have guts to buy that weapon." *Buys weapon* "Hehehe THANK YOU!"

Plot twist: He is patient 0 or the First host of Plaga-Parasite…

Even in the og Salazar krauser the chief they were all infected with a dominant plaga. Not the same plaga the small fries uses. The merchant probably had the same dominant plaga and he's more of an errand boy that buys stuff for the main bosses. And also supplies them with weapons. He is probably their own arms dealer.

Resident Evil 4 is like the Friday movie of games u can always go back to it and u remember the lines and scenes lol

the Merchant is just your friendly neighborhood Spiderman 😉

Interesting, that one hit weapon makes me think he's a carry of the T-Virus based on the eyes. Never thought about that before.

I like to think that the Merchant is your classic thief like in those common jRPG games. Which means he's not on your side, but he's not on anybody's side. He's just there doing what he does best. He don't care if you're a good guy or a bad guy.

Personally i think he's an infected dealer who's lust for cash / weapons if far more greater than any other thing controlling him and i like it. Shows you how much passionate he is for his business that he can survive anywhere and even control himself even if he is infected.

The merchant is just Wilford Brimley, early Diabeetus stages.

Part of me always believed that the blue fire he always had with him somehow repelled or discouraged the monsters from coming near him, hence why his shops are almost always in safe zones and why monsters don't tend to chase you into his shops.

These kinda videos makes us realise that it's time to call it a night !!