Barry Burton is a character in ''

Resident Evil ''Resident Evil'', known as in Japan, is a Japanese horror game series and media franchise created by Capcom. It consists of survival horror, third-person shooter and first-person shooter games, with players typically surviving in environments ...

'' (''Biohazard'' in Japan), a

survival horror Survival horror is a Video game genre, subgenre of horror games. Although combat can be part of the gameplay, the player is made to feel less in control than in typical action games through limited ammunition or weapons, health, speed, and visio ...

series created by the Japanese company

Capcom is a Japanese video game company. It has created a number of critically acclaimed and List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being ''Resident Evil'', ''Monster ...

. He was first introduced as a

supporting character A supporting character is a character in a narrative that is not the focus of the primary storyline, but is important to the plot/protagonist, and appears or is mentioned in the story enough to be more than just a minor character or a cameo a ...

in the original ''Resident Evil'' (1996) and became a

player character A player character (also known as a playable character or PC) is a fictional Character (arts), character in a video game or tabletop role-playing game whose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters tha ...

in '' Resident Evil: Revelations 2'' (2015). Created by director

Shinji Mikami is a Japanese video game designer, director, and video game producer, producer. Starting his career at Capcom in 1990, he has worked on many of the company's most successful games. He directed the Resident Evil (1996 video game), first installme ...

and

designer A designer is a person who plans the form or structure of something before it is made, by preparing drawings or plans. In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, products, processes, laws, games, graphics, services, or exper ...

Isao Ohishi, Barry Burton was added to the first ''Resident Evil'' game late in development. They originally envisioned a muscular

cyborg A cyborg (, a portmanteau of ''cybernetics, cybernetic'' and ''organism'') is a being with both Organic matter, organic and biomechatronic body parts. The term was coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline.horror instead of

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

. Burton re-used some of Gelzer's design and story elements, such as his massive stature, military background, and status as a member of the Special Tactics And Rescue Service (STARS). Video game publications have described Barry as among the best and most likable characters in the ''Resident Evil'' franchise. Several publications also praised the character's writing, and he has gained popularity due to his awkward dialogue in the original ''Resident Evil'' game.

Concept and design

Barry Burton was created by director

and

Isao Ohishi, and first introduced in

's 1996

video game ''

''. Unlike mainstay characters

Chris Redfield is a character in ''Resident Evil'' (''Biohazard'' in Japan), a survival horror series created by the Japanese company Capcom. He was introduced as one of the two player character, playable characters of the original Resident Evil (1996 vide ...

and Jill Valentine, Burton was not included in the original game design. According to writer Kenichi Iwao, he had initially designed a cyborg character named Gelzer, before deciding that his science fiction elements were inappropriate for the game's horror aesthetic. Some of Gelzer's design elements were recycled for Burton, including his large stature and military experience. Burton also took on some of the story elements previously intended for Gelzer, such as rescuing Valentine from being crushed in a locked room with a descending ceiling. Iwao wanted a name that was easy to remember, so he chose the alliterative name Barry Burton. Initially, Iwao wanted Burton to be a

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character, but his final design became white after opposition from designer

Hideki Kamiya is a Japanese video game designer and director. He began his career in 1994 with Capcom, where he directed '' Resident Evil 2'' (1998), ''Devil May Cry'' (2001), '' Viewtiful Joe'' (2003), and '' Ōkami'' (2006). From 2004 to 2006, he worked ...

. For the first ''Resident Evil'', designer Jun Takeuchi helped create the in-game character model. He suggested giving Burton a red vest to help differentiate him from the other characters. Mikami thought Burton's model was too slim, so he made him a little heftier, but not so much that the character became unrealistic.

Voice-over and live-action actors

Barry Gjerde voiced Barry Burton in his initial appearance in the American release of the original ''Resident Evil''. Barry is played in the game's live-action cinematics by a retired principal, Greg Smith. Smith recalls earning the role due to his resemblance to the character design, as well as his ability to act as a "rudimentary character that stifles around, stiff-legged. ..It was close to 2,000 dollars American a day or something. It was good money back in 1995." The character was later voiced by Ed Smaron in the remake of ''Resident Evil'', Michael McConnohie in '' Resident Evil: Revelations 2'', and Jamieson Price in both ''

Resident Evil 5 ''Resident Evil 5'' is a 2009 third-person shooter video game developed and published by Capcom. It is a major installment in the ''Resident Evil'' series, and was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles in March 2009 and for Window ...

'' and '' Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D.'' In Japan, he was voiced by Yusaku Yara for both the original ''Resident Evil'' and its remake, as well as ''Resident Evil: Revelations 2''. For the live-action film '' Resident Evil: Retribution,'' Burton was played by

Kevin Durand Kevin Serge Durand (born January 14, 1974) is a Canadian actor. He is known for his work in numerous film and television roles, including portraying Vasiliy Fet in ''The Strain'', Joshua in '' Dark Angel'', Martin Keamy in '' Lost'', Fred J. D ...

Appearances

In the ''Resident Evil'' series

In the ''Resident Evil'' series of games, Barry Burton appears as a member of the Special Tactics and Rescue Service (S.T.A.R.S.) alpha team. He makes his debut in the first ''Resident Evil'' game, which is set in a mansion near the fictional town of Raccoon City in 1998. Burton and his team search the mansion for their colleagues, where he is the secondary protagonist in a Jill Valentine campaign. Burton helps discover that the property is a façade for a

biological warfare Biological warfare, also known as germ warfare, is the use of biological toxins or Pathogen, infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, insects, and Fungus, fungi with the intent to kill, harm or incapacitate humans, animals or plants as an ...

laboratory operated by the Umbrella Corporation, and its

undead The undead are beings in mythology, legend, or fiction that are deceased but behave as if they were alive. A common example of an undead being is a cadaver, corpse reanimated by supernatural forces, by the application of either the deceased's o ...

occupants are the scientists who developed the T-virus

mutagen In genetics, a mutagen is a physical or chemical agent that permanently changes genetic material, usually DNA, in an organism and thus increases the frequency of mutations above the natural background level. As many mutations can cause cancer in ...

. Their commander, Albert Wesker, is revealed to be a

double agent In the field of counterintelligence, a double agent is an employee of a secret intelligence service for one country, whose primary purpose is to spy on a target organization of another country, but who is now spying on their own country's organi ...

for Umbrella. Burton, Valentine, and Chris Redfield are among the five survivors of the incident, who form a strong relationship around their shared opposition to

bioterrorism Bioterrorism is terrorism involving the intentional release or dissemination of biological agents. These agents include bacteria, viruses, insects, fungi, and/or their toxins, and may be in a naturally occurring or a human-modified form, in mu ...

. Burton returns in '' Resident Evil 3: Nemesis'' (1999); depending on the player's decisions, he may appear to help Valentine and Carlos Oliveira escape from Raccoon City as it is destroyed. Burton becomes a playable character in the spinoff game ''Resident Evil: Revelations 2'' (2015). While making '' Resident Evil: Revelations 2'', Michiteru Okabe responded to Burton's popularity by adding his daughter, Moira, as a playable character. Set in 2011, Burton travels to an island after receiving a distress call from his estranged daughter, Moira, who is trapped with Redfield's sister, Claire. Soon after arriving, Barry meets a young girl called Natalia Korda, with whom he searches for Moira and Claire among the island's monsters. Natalia had met the two women, but was separated from them by antagonist Alex Wesker. Burton arrives in time to interrupt Wesker's efforts to transfer her soul into Natalia. Burton initially believes that Alex killed Moira, and eventually defeats her with the help of Moira and Claire. It is revealed in the "good ending" that Alex succeeded in transferring her soul into Natalia so she may live on.

Other appearances

Burton appears as a playable character in the

Game Boy Color The (GBC or CGB) is an 8-bit handheld game console developed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on October 21, 1998, and to international markets that November. Compared to the original Game Boy, the Game Boy Color features a color TFT scre ...

game '' Resident Evil Gaiden'' (2001), being sent to locate Leon after he goes missing while investigating a cruise ship that is rumored to host Umbrella's latest experiments. He also appears in the mobile game '' Resident Evil: Genesis'' (2008), as well as ''Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D'' (2011). There is also a Mercenaries Reunion

minigame A minigame (also spelled mini game and mini-game, sometimes called a subgame or microgame) is a short game often contained within another video game. A minigame contains different gameplay elements and is often smaller or more simplistic than th ...

in ''Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition'' (2015), in which Burton is also a playable character. Barry appears in the non-canon live-action ''Resident Evil'' film ''Resident Evil: Retribution'' (2012). He appears in several comic books based on the games, and he is a character in

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's ''Resident Evil Deck Building Card Game'' (2011). Capcom's themed restaurant Biohazard Cafe & Grill S.T.A.R.S., which opened in

Shibuya is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward in Tokyo, Japan. A major commercial center, Shibuya houses one of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shibuya Station. As of January 1, 2024, Shibuya Ward has an estimated population of 230,60 ...

, Tokyo, in 2012, sold a noodle dish named after him.

Reception

Barry has received mostly positive reviews, mainly due to his personality. He was deemed the best ''Resident Evil'' character by Zac Thompson of ''

Bloody Disgusting Bloody Disgusting is an American independent multi-media company, which began as a horror genre-focused news website specializing in information services that covered various horror media. The company expanded into other media including podcast ...

'', who commented, "No other character in the series evokes such a sense of excitement with little more than their presence alone." ''

Eurogamer ''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 alongside parent company Gamer Network. In 2008, it started in the formerly eponymous trade fair EGX (Eurogamer Expo until 2013) organised by its parent company. Fr ...

''s Aoife Wilson posted a video tribute to Barry, describing him a "big confused colt-wielding teddy bear" who "has always been there for Jill when she needs him, and frequently shows up at the right times." According to Melissa Sarnowski of ''

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'', Barry's series debut made him the best non-player character due to his "clever one-liners and well-rounded biography". Maxwell McGee of ''

GamesRadar+ ''GamesRadar+'' (formerly ''GamesRadar'') is an entertainment website for video game-related news, previews, and reviews. It is owned by Future plc. In late 2014, Future Publishing-owned sites ''Total Film'', '' SFX'', '' Edge'' and '' Compute ...

'' called Barry a "comedy goldmine" and "a fan-favorite among ''Resident Evil'' fans, most notably for his voice actor's amazing work" in the original ''Resident Evil'' game. The staff of ''

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

'' described Barry as "a charismatic buffoon with a heart of gold, and out of all the characters you'll meet playing ''Resident Evil'', he's the most likeable." The first ''Resident Evil'' game, according to

digital media In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, viewed, distributed, modified, listened to, an ...

scholar Esther MacCallum-Stewart, gained notoriety for its "very clunky dialogue and voice acting, an element which lent the otherwise suspenseful game an element of charm that endeared it to players." Although the weak dialogue might be attributed to poor translation of the original Japanese text, she argues that it inadvertently helped differentiate the series from its rivals. Several lines from the game achieved enduring popularity: "You were almost a Jill sandwich", a remark made by Barry in an unnatural voiceover after a falling ceiling trap nearly crushes Jill, was brought back to life as an

Internet meme An Internet meme, or meme (, Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''MEEM''), is a cultural item (such as an idea, behavior, or style) that spreads across the Internet, primarily through Social media, social media platforms. Internet memes manif ...

ten years after the game's debut. Multiple sources have also noted the dialogue. Capcom referenced the line in several of their later games, including '' Dead Rising'' (2006), '' Resident Evil: Uprising'' (2009), ''Resident Evil: Revelations 2'' (2015), and ''Resident Evil Re:Verse'' (2022). Another piece of dialogue spoken by Barry – "Jill, here's a lock pick. It might be handy if you, the master of unlocking, take it with you" – also gained notoriety. The quote has been also parodied for containing an excessive amount of silence between words. Both lines were removed from later editions.

Notes

References

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