References to Resident Evil in popular culture

Due to its popularity and status as one of the original survival horror video games, the Resident Evil series has found itself referenced and shown in many other sources of popular culture.

Anime and manga

• In the fourth episode of the Pokémon anime, "Challenge of the Samurai", Ash, Misty, and Samurai are fleeing from a swarm of Beedrill in Viridian Forest, with Samurai yelling "Quick, run towards that cabin," mirroring the opening of Resident Evil.
• In the manga adaptation for Rockman Zero 3, Omega was revealed to be fearful of zombies and related creatures. He claims his reason for his fear is because he "wasn't good at Resident Evil."

Comic books

• The Archie Comics serial for the Sonic the Hedgehog-related anime Sonic X featured a character named Captain Westwood who bore several similarities to Albert Wesker in both physical appearance as well as overall personality and characteristics. Specifically, both were captains of a paramilitary force, and often operated with a hidden agenda for their own personal benefit at the expense of others (in Westwood's case, getting promoted, often by attempting to make Topaz and Rouge the Bat look incompetent).

Video Games

• Action-horror title The Last of Us from Naughty Dog has an achievement titled Master of Unlocking, a reference to what Barry Burton says about Jill Valentine in Resident Evil.

The "Infection" weapon from Borderlands 2

• Borderlands 2 has a challenge for spending enough money in shops entitled Waddaya Buyin'?, a reference to the same line (including its pronunciation emphasis) from the Merchant in Resident Evil 4.
• Also in Borderlands 2, a special pistol named "Infection" has the flavor text of Itchy. Tasty., referencing the Keeper's Diary from the first game.
• Several characters in online game Guild Wars are parodies of characters from Resident Evil. Examples: Chance Redding (Chris Redfield), Sergeant Weststar (Albert Wesker), and Jenn Valefield (Jill Valentine).
• Fur Fighters on the Dreamcast features a poster for a fictional game called President Evil.
• Bayonetta features a merchant named Rodin who at one point says, "Hey, check this out. Whadya buyin!?" Afterwards he remarks, "Heard that in a game once."
  • Also in Bayonetta, when Luka believes Bayonetta is about to kill him, he lists off a number of "young ladies" that he believes will be heartbroken at his death: Claire, Trish, Silvia, and Ammy. (These are references to females from previous games by Hideki Kamiya - Ammy from Ōkami, Silvia from Viewtiful Joe, Trish from Devil May Cry, and Claire from Resident Evil 2).
• In Dead Island, on the first area, a beach resort, all of the beach umbrellas present bare the same design as the Umbrella logo.
• Also in Dead Island, upon completing Act 2 in which the characters leave the city, an achievement unlocks titled No raccoons in here.
• Dead Rising, another game from Capcom, features a store named Jill's Sandwiches, referencing Barry's line when he rescues her from the room with the falling ceiling. Inside the restaurant, advertising also says, "Jill is the master of sandwich-making."
• In Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, the scene where Big Boss first meets the FSLN at the boatshed has the door upstairs being opened in a manner reminiscient of the door/ladder transition scenes from Resident Evil up to Resident Evil 3/Resident Evil CODE: Veronica.
• When inputting a certain code at the title screen of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, Raiden will be heard saying the title of the game in a manner reminiscent to the title screen for the Resident Evil series. The company that partly made the game, Platinum Games, Inc., included three people who previously worked at Capcom, including Shinji Mikami, the creator of the Resident Evil series.

Television

• In the show Smallville, third episode of the ninth season entitled Rabid, Oliver remarks how the "whole place turned Resident Evil" in reference to the presence of zombies.
• In popular claymation television show Robot Chicken, Yoshi has to choose between going to Vice City (referencing Grand Theft Auto: Vice City) or Raccoon City. He chooses to go to Raccoon City, resulting in his demise by zombies.
• Simon Pegg's character, Tim, in the British sit-com Spaced is seen playing Resident Evil 2 several times, as well as quoting dialogue from it. He is also shown acting out part of the game at the start of the episode. In another episode, the same character can also be heard playing the first game.
• Season 1 of independent horror-comedy show Holliston mentions Resident Evil as being the only game roommates Adam Green and Joe Lynch own, though it's never stated which one (it is stated to be on Playstation however). In the end of Season 2, Adam meets a woman at a wedding who remarks that her "game of choice" is Resident Evil (however she also states she plays on XBox).
• Veronica Mars' fifth episode of the third season is titled President Evil.
• The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, Mandy plays a game entitled President Evil and the episode also enlists the use of zombies as a plot device.
• In Breaking Bad, two characters argue over which is the better zombie game - Left 4 Dead or Resident Evil 4.
• In episode 158 of The Simpsons, Bart After Dark, there is a mansion in Springfield (that is really a burlesque house) that Milhouse claims belongs to an evil scientist who is using it to create a race of super zombies.

Film

The GameInformer cover for Resident Evil 4 is featured on the wall in the film Grandma's Boy

• 2009 film Grandma's Boy takes place in part in the offices of a video game development team. A number of video game posters, magazine covers, and other memorabilia are present - this includes an enlarged copy of the GameInformer cover for Resident Evil 4.
• In Night at the Museum, the character of Larry remarks that Snap Time Industries is the "Umbrella Corporation" for his invention, the Snapper.
• A DVD case for Resident Evil can be seen on a shelf.
• In the German horror-comedy Die Nacht der lebenden Loser (Night of the Living Dorks), the character of Philip has a poster for Resident Evil 2 on his bedroom door.
• 2011 horror film Fang has a reference to Barry's "Master of Unlocking" line.
• In Z-Lister, a comedy short from 2012, the main character wears a t-shirt with the quote, "I hope this isn't Chris' blood."

Music

2-D's shirt referencing the t-Virus in the music video for Clint Eastwood

• The music video for the song Clint Eastwood by Gorillaz features one of the band members, 2-D, wearing a t-shirt that reads T-Virus. The video also takes place in a graveyard, in which zombified gorillas rise from the graves.
• Psychabilly/punk band Mister Monster has a song titled Resident Evil which is directly related to the game, including lines such as, "T-Virus T-Virus!! / The broken mansion calls" and "T-Virus T-Virus!! / A foaming zombie hound".

Web Animation

• In Episode 4 of the Zelda parody series 4 Swords Misadventures, after Red Link ended up being beaten up by both the Super Cucco and the flock of Cuccos he had summoned, Green, Purple, and Blue Link ended up fleeing, with Green then yelling "Quick, run towards that house!" in a similar manner to the opening scene from the first Resident Evil as well as it's remake. According to the series creator, Hadouken Dude, the reference to Resident Evil was unintentional.
• In the seventh episode of Super Mario Bros. Z, the view used for entering the pipe to the Pipe Maze was taken directly from the transition shots from the Resident Evil games up to Resident Evil 4.