Established Japanese developers just don't care about canon. MGS, Kingdom Hearts, heck older Capcom series like Mega Man and Street Fighter. A lot of these franchise games were started in the 90s when the concern for coherent storylines were reserved for RPGs or novel games. The teams were made up of a rotating door of talent many of whom have left the industry or even passed since they contributed. Games have a different mindset from their inception now that we live in an age of unending sequels if your game is successful. I'm totally cool with changing the canon just give us some new nuance or events that flesh out the world instead of rushing from one remake to the next. We could have gotten some good new dlc for RE2R/3R but Capcom just doesn't think that deeply outside of what's established.

This was an issue with re 3 remake, they removed the players choices along with some areas and basically removed nemesis as a creature that could chase you everywhere in exchange for that linear story

I always felt like RE stories are more like History than Story in a way. To me is as if the events happened and Capcom made a game out of it, but they need to fill the blanks, just as if you make a WW2 game. Imagine if Raccoon City was a real event in history. We would know the facts: the city was destroyed, there was an outbreak, etc etc. But the specifics we would need to relay on survivors. Now imagine a Journalist going to Jill and asking her what happened. Of course, she will tell the events the best she can but there would be a lot of blanks. Now imagine Capcom (or hollywood) picks up the story and make a game out of what happened. That's how the RE games feel to me.

Capcom has never given a shit about continuity. Towards the end of Dead Rising, Isabela says that she can synthesize the pheromone to suppress zombification--except it's not possible, when she doesn't have access to a lab and reagents, etc. So, extracting it from wasps is supposed to be a stop gap, jerry rigged, on the spot solution. Except, in DR2 and subsequent games, they say that it's not possible to make the suppressor synthetically at all, and the _only_ way to make it is by extracting it from wasps. In DR1, Carlito's list of orphans is completely different from the one in DR3.

It probably didn't help that both RE1 and RE2 both went through radical changes during development. RE1 started life as a co-op game with super soldiers and a cyborg character. RE2 famously was scrapped at 70% completion and started development over from scratch. I mean Capcom did try and somewhat fix the Canon in Umbrella/Darkside Chronicles, having both Chris&Jill and Leon&Claire stay together.

04:05 = "Barry doesn't quite say the same in Remake, so which Barry are we playing?" The dialogue between Clair and Moira in Revelations 2 is plausible for Barry's quips in BOTH versions of RE1. If we use the classic RE1 game, then the chat between the gals in Revelations 2 is practically a one-to-one reference. Easy. If we use the RE1 Remake game, then the chat between the gals in Revelations 2 can be due to the Mandela Effect.* Moira asked, "Does Barry tell everyone that story?" This means that not only did Barry tell his daughter about the Mansion Incident, but has told many other people over the years. The tale has become like an old war story that Barry will tell to anyone that will listen (and many that don't want to). Just like any story that gets relayed vocally instead of recited, Barry could have started saying, "Jill Sandwich," like an intentional corny punchline. He was the perfect age for Dad Jokes. Barry also might have not remembered the exact thing he said during the Mansion ordeal. He clearly had much more on his mind that night than remembering silly quips. He remembered telling Jill something about "a sandwich", so he started saying "Jill Sandwich," instead of the actual dialogue. Even if Barry always said the exact quote from the Remake, then another possibility is that his social circle could have dubbed tale, The Jill Sandwich Story. As in, "Hey look. Barry is talking to the new recruit. Do you think he's told him The Jill Sandwich Story yet?" Okay. That was my two cents. Thank you for reading. * For those that don't know, the Mandela Effect is when a type of false memory that occurs when many different people incorrectly remember the same thing. The origin comes from the widespread false belief of many people during the 1980s who thought Nelson Mandela died in prison. (I was among them back then.) Here are some Mandela Effect examples. "Beam me up, Scotty." - Captain Kirk never said that in the original Star Trek series. "Luke, I am your father." - The line is actually, "No, I am your father." People subconsciously started saying "Luke" because the name tied the statement to Star Wars more effectively.

“You were almost a Jill sandwich“ is the most important line of dialogue spoken in the entire series

I kinda like the idea that the games are almost a sort of "version" of the true stories. When you play through as Chris, Jill, Leon or Claire it feels like you are reliving their experiences as if they are the ones who are narrating it to you. The only real issue is Rebecca in RE1 - she really should have appeared in the final part of the game along with Barry although this may have been more of a graphical limitation of the original which then was just never changed. Personally i do appreciate the thought that im not experiencing the story as an omnipotent being who knows all (as often happens in a novel) and the plot holes can often be filed under "this character didnt experience it or doesnt feel it was important"

to be honest , I like to see the RE-verse as a mishmash of timelines and converging/diverging plots, almost like Lothric in dark souls 3 , wherein the same world tells many different stories from many different time periods and perspectives, I feel the only things that really need to stay "concrete" are key events, such as the raccoon city incident, the terragrigia panic, the basic events of re4, etc and events that directly follow off each other such as how 8 builds off of 7 as those 2 are more like direct sequels than any of the other games, each game sort of exists in its own bubble wherein the rest of the franchise becomes more like background lore/scene setting , rather than directly preceding events , idk if that makes sense? I hope so haha, but yeah great vid as always!

Thanks for the shout-out! I think you did a really good job addressing this subject, and hopefully it at least lays to rest a few of the debates regarding the minutiae of Resident Evil’s canon. Looking forward to seeing more videos from you!

Head canon is the best canon. The ambiguity and inconsistencies in the story leave room for the players imagination to fill in the blanks. This allows it to become more personal and increases fandom.

I think ita cool how everyone can choose their own canon!! And i agree with the comment mentioned at the end!!

I can respect an appreciation for the way Capcom has done things. I do think that since Resident Evil started with ambiguous canon, they probably should've stuck to that for every entry. Having a mix of ambiguous and non-ambiguous just feels so messy to me. Personally, for any story in fictional mediums, a lack of coherence in canon bugs me. I'd rather have one official story that we can all agree on, rather than a bunch of mixed possibilities that all feel like they don't truly matter until mentioned in future works. And even then, how those different things would've happened together in the same timeline doesn't really make sense. It gives the developers more flexibility with writing, but gives users less understanding of what actually happened, which I struggle to enjoy. I wish Capcom would take this more seriously and either embrace ambiguity, or embrace a defined canon.

Here is something to think about: How does S.D Perry’s novels affect the story?

What's funny about Resident Evil 1 canon is the book Resident Evil The Umbrella Conspiracy based on the first game is closer to Resident Evil 1's canon timeline but the book series is considered not canon.

New watcher and huge fan of the franchise. Thank you for your hard work and content! :)

It worked! I love that line :)

I am really sorry but my attention Span ended around minute 5, super solid video tho. Loved it and will watch all of it soon so keep it up Mate

Man I be poopin my pants on gangsta

My canon for Resident Evil is: You could choose the original RE2 and RE3N after RE1 remake or You could RE2 and 3 remakes after RE1 remake. Heck I could play OG RE4 after the 2&3 remakes. Like that comment you showed in the video, it's a 'choose your own adventure " with Resident Evil. You can choose which version of the RE games you want to play. I think I made myself clear but I want to add more. The OG 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 (Capcom will probably remake 5 and 6) still fits in the modern canon with RE7, 8, and the future games and CGI movies. P.S. I'm not forgetting about OG RE1, (you could play that if you want) I love the game but I prefer the 2002 remake, lol.

How about all Resident Evil fans unite and create an online project to establish a Community Canon?

I will say even though i am Late to this vid. Capcom Does care. But are willing to play loose with it. Or Keep enough gap to allow them to work out anything they deem important. Like for example the MAIN CHARACTER Who's story has been consistent has been Hunk and any game he does show up in. In the remake and the originals. They never changed how his events worked. Plus in the remake they do Have FULL what if stories in it. We seen characters either die on screen or be implied they died or offed themselves. But in the Extra what if stories they are given a second chance and what if things changed for them. That there says a lot. Plus not all the movies are canon form what I HEARD. The games themselves are because its capcom in full control and they refer to events of all the games in someway either words written or documents found in game. Again they care a little loose with it and thats ok. But its not true to say that we should't care about the canon. Because By that logic Capcom had every right to make Hunk's crew survive in 1 ending or be mentioned But they don't because it would conflict with Hunk's established lore as the Grim Reaper. The side story of the Ghost survivor would also be canon or possibly But its not. The list goes on.

i prefer a coherent story, i can't think of a time where vague or choose it yourself were better. those feel lazy and unsatisfying to me. it is no longer their story the moment i decide what happens. and i don't like that.

It is sensible to presume that Capcom does not want an overall canon as it might interfere with their future sales.

Whilst there is discrepancies between the originals, the 2 and 3 remakes butcher it completely.

If the canon doesn't matter, then what's the point in continuing with the story driven structure? It's kind of a waste of time to continue with the story driven structure if they don't care about the story. I've said this once, and I'll say it again, Resident Evil needs new ownership because this series deserves good storytelling, good character development, and good in depth lore, but for that to happen canon has to matter.

Kinda stopped really caring about the canon after RE0... Having Rebecca acting like an absolute rooking in RE1 , then the series retconning her into having experiences probably even more horrors than Jill and Chris before even setting foot in the mansion makes zero sense. Such an odd decision.

I always thought of resident evils two and three remake and the originals as different tellings of the events since the raccoon city disaster was considered classified so no one really understands the true events that happened on Leons or Claire's side except for themselves. In the movies inside content they've laid down hints of what's accurate, but not anything concrete. There's a comment below I don't necessarily agree with. All resident evil games are real resident evil games the problem was gaming trends at the time. You can't fault people for trying to chase what's popular especially in the mid 2000's when survival horror pretty much died After 2005.

Dragon Ball manga writer Akira Toriyama has died. Let's take a moment to remember his influence on Biohazard Resident Evil!♥️

I don't game to game, but Leon is always literally me.

Bio-Hazard Resident Evil 1 was originally REleased 2 decades prior to Covid-19 and that brings me to the next 2 arguments: 1) Capsule Computers' own source material illustrates that the Tyrant-Virus did have _airborne_ contact in Raccoon Forest and by extension, the Arklay Mansion 2) Videogame software and hardware has evolved since then If Bio-Hazard Resident Evil is even worth a canonical REvisitation, Raccoon City Police Department's Special Tactics And Rescue Service Team should wear facemasks!😷

You can play dead space, run around in circles for 10 minutes, tbag kendra, and finish the game, and that will still not be Canon. Canon is important because it connects all our experiences together. It makes the experience as fans authentic. Whoever gave you this advice was barking up the wrong tree

RE is made by some of the same people who also make DMC, a series so wacky, you just need to nod along to all the ridiculous things happening on screen. I think it’s the same case with RE, just go with whatever is happening and you’ll save yourself a lot of headaches

We’re on the age of multiverses. So this is how I see it. RE 1, 2, 3 and Code: Veronica is one universe. The remakes are another universe. RE 5 and 6 are another universe in itself and whatever those vampire and werewolf BS that they’re insisting on now, that’s it’s own universe, too.

I enjoy Resident Evils lack of direct canon

All remakes are clear and the canonity is obvious there are no gaps

Canon changed in re4 technically

Developers don’t want to be enslaved by the canon choices made by their predecessors years ago. They want their own creative vision. Each game should be treated as as a different take on the same story.

Which is exactly why I long ago denounce every game in the series with 4 and onward. Everything before then was indeed a product of their time but at least it was itself. 4 completely missed the mark as a Resident Evil; good of a game as it was and every subsequent game that followed up proves it. Then Remakes 2 and 3 came out and I was utterly DONE with the series. Nostalgia or not - I'll stick with the REAL Resident Evil thank you very much. 0, 1 and it's Remake, 2, 3, Outbreak 1 and 2 and Code Veronica.

Not trying to hate but yeah no terrible take cannon matters in re big time and it’s also pretty clear what’s cannon and what’s not your video was literally not picking weird shit like the Jill sandwich line god forbid it wasn’t word for word. Idk this seems like click bait

If the cannon doesnt matter why did so many of yall get so mad at the movies for not following the story? This is why I cant stand like the hardcore RE fans... theyre toxic af...

dont matter any ways capcom already stated that resident evil 9 will be the last one.