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Grace Ashcroft and Leon S. Kennedy are the two protagonists of Resident Evil Requiem. Grace is a newly introduced FBI intelligence analyst investigating deaths at the abandoned Wrenwood Hotel, where her mother was murdered eight years earlier. Leon is a veteran DSO agent, Raccoon City survivor, and returning series lead following a related string of deaths in the Midwest. Their cases converge around the city where the franchise’s bioterror history began.
Alyssa Ashcroft, Grace’s mother, is the key established link to earlier games. The official character material reviewed for this guide profiles Grace, Leon, and Alyssa, but it does not confirm a complete roster of returning characters or spoiler-sensitive cameos. This guide separates confirmed information from anything that remains unannounced.
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Who are the main characters in Resident Evil Requiem?
The confirmed central cast has two playable protagonists and one crucial backstory character:
- Grace Ashcroft: an FBI intelligence analyst investigating deaths linked to a mysterious disease at Wrenwood Hotel.
- Leon S. Kennedy: a seasoned DSO agent and Raccoon City survivor investigating the latest deaths in the Midwest.
- Alyssa Ashcroft: Grace’s mother, a reporter who survived the original Raccoon City outbreak and continued investigating Umbrella before her death.
PlayStation’s official character page presents Grace and Leon as the game’s two protagonists and Alyssa as Grace’s mother. The page is not a promise that these are every character in the finished game, so a complete returning-cast list cannot be responsibly given from the confirmed material available.
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- Grace Ashcroft, an FBI intelligence analyst who is introverted and easily scared, representing a new type of character for the Resident Evil series. Grace will experience horror from the same perspective as the player as she learns to overcome her fears throughout the course of the story.
- For the first time ever in Resident Evil history, players will be able to freely switch between both first- and third-person perspectives throughout the game.
- An Anniversary to Remember: With March 2026 marking the Resident Evil series’ 30-year anniversary, Resident Evil Requiem marks its own milestone in the franchise.
- Pre-orders for Resident Evil Requiem are now open, with the bonus of Grace’s costume: Apocalypse. Please note that the picture weapon does not come with the costume, but it can be obtained in-game.
The game is the ninth mainline installment announced by Capcom. The franchise had sold more than 170 million units worldwide as of March 31, 2025; that figure covers the series, not Requiem specifically. You can verify the installment and sales context in Capcom’s 2025 integrated report.
Grace Ashcroft: the new investigator at the center of the horror
Her profession and personality
Grace is an FBI intelligence analyst whose strengths are deduction, analysis, and sustained attention. She is not introduced as a trained action hero. PlayStation describes her as an intensely focused analyst, while producer Masato Kumazawa characterizes her as a relatable new protagonist with a low tolerance for fear.
That vulnerability is deliberate. Grace begins as an introvert who immersed herself in work after her mother’s death. Her investigation therefore has two layers: she is identifying the cause of a new series of deaths, and she is returning to the place associated with the family tragedy that shaped her life.
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Why Wrenwood Hotel matters
The abandoned Wrenwood Hotel is where Grace’s mother was murdered eight years before the events of the game. Grace is sent there while investigating deaths connected to a mysterious disease. The hotel is not simply a generic haunted location; it is the physical point where her professional case and family history overlap.
Capcom producer Masato Kumazawa explained the creative logic behind that connection: “When creating a story set in the ruins of Raccoon City, we felt it was fitting to have a character with a personal connection to the city itself.” The statement appears in his June 26, 2025 PlayStation.Blog Q&A.
Grace’s gameplay pressure
Grace’s sections emphasize vulnerability and decisions under scarcity. Her established gameplay characteristics include:
- Limited supplies that make every expenditure consequential.
- Analysis of enemies before committing to a fight.
- A choice between confronting threats and avoiding them.
- Crafting items and ammunition from infected blood.
This design makes Grace’s route investigative survival horror rather than a conventional combat power fantasy. The question is often not whether she can defeat an enemy, but whether a fight is worth the ammunition, time, and risk. Her analytical background is reflected in how the player studies a threat and chooses a response.
Grace’s character arc
Kumazawa says Grace gradually confronts horrors with courage. That wording describes an emotional progression, not a promise that she becomes an unstoppable action character. The tension comes from watching a frightened, highly capable analyst apply her skills in circumstances that those skills were never designed to handle.
Leon S. Kennedy: the veteran returning to Raccoon City
His role in the investigation
Leon is a Raccoon City survivor and seasoned DSO agent who combats bioterrorism. His assignment is to investigate the latest string of deaths in the Midwest. Nintendo’s synopsis adds a specific trigger: Leon is dispatched after a police officer goes missing at the hotel where Grace is working.
That setup places Leon on a parallel investigative path rather than making him a simple supporting cameo. Grace is examining the hotel through an analyst’s eyes and a personal connection; Leon arrives with field experience and a mandate tied to a wider bioterror investigation.
Why his return is significant
Director Koshi Nakanishi describes Requiem as Leon’s first mainline return since Resident Evil 6 and says Leon’s development is a central theme. His return also takes him back to the setting that defined his early career. Nakanishi put it this way: “Leon’s back in Raccoon City – the place where his bioterror nightmare began and caused his early struggles and losses.” The quote comes from the director’s January 29, 2026 PlayStation.Blog interview.
Leon’s history matters because the location is not neutral for him. Raccoon City is where his bioterror nightmare began, so his investigation carries professional responsibility as well as personal memory.
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Leon’s gameplay toolkit
Leon’s established mechanics give him considerably more combat flexibility than Grace:
- Firearms for controlled ranged attacks.
- A hatchet and other melee options.
- Parries that can interrupt or counter threats.
- The ability to use enemy weapons.
- An attaché-case inventory for organizing equipment.
- Customizable weapon parts that expand his equipment options.
These tools create a different kind of pressure. Leon can still be overwhelmed, but he has more ways to solve a dangerous encounter and more opportunities to adapt his loadout. His route provides action-oriented relief without removing the horror setting.
Grace and Leon compared
The two campaigns are designed around contrasting forms of pressure rather than two identical versions of the same character.
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|---|---|---|---|
| Grace Ashcroft | FBI analyst investigating disease-linked deaths at the hotel where her mother was murdered | Scarce supplies, enemy analysis, crafting from infected blood, and deciding when to fight or flee | Vulnerability, investigation, and sustained survival-horror tension |
| Leon S. Kennedy | Veteran DSO agent investigating Midwest deaths and returning to Raccoon City | Firearms, hatchet and melee attacks, parries, enemy weapons, attaché-case inventory, and weapon-part customization | Experience, combat flexibility, and more action-oriented problem solving |
Both protagonists can be played from first-person or third-person perspective. The developers included both views so players with different preferences can experience either character’s story without changing the underlying contrast between Grace’s scarcity and Leon’s broader combat options. PlayStation’s official game page describes the character mechanics and perspective choices.
How Grace and Leon’s stories connect
Two investigations, one chain of deaths
Grace begins with the deaths tied to a mysterious disease and follows the trail to Wrenwood Hotel. Leon is assigned to the latest deaths in the Midwest after a police officer disappears at that same hotel. Their investigations therefore start from different institutional positions but point toward the same location and incident.
The Raccoon City connection
Grace’s connection is familial: Alyssa survived the original outbreak, reported on it, and continued investigating Umbrella. Leon’s connection is lived experience: he survived the outbreak and built his career fighting the bioterrorism that followed. The city links a family investigation to a veteran agent’s unresolved history.
What the setup does not reveal
The confirmed synopsis does not disclose the full sequence of events, the identity of every person involved, or the precise way the two playable perspectives intersect. Keeping those details undisclosed preserves the game’s mystery. The safe conclusion is that Grace and Leon are pursuing related deaths and that their stories converge; a more specific account would go beyond the announced information.
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Alyssa Ashcroft and the Resident Evil Outbreak connection
Who Alyssa is
Alyssa Ashcroft is identified as Grace’s mother, a Raccoon City survivor, and a reporter during the original outbreak. Afterward, she continued investigating Umbrella until her death. Her work explains why Grace has both a personal and historical connection to Raccoon City despite being a new protagonist.
Why longtime players recognize the name
Capcom’s producer interview connects the Ashcroft family to Resident Evil Outbreak. That link gives returning players context without requiring Grace to be a previously playable lead. Grace inherits a family history of reporting and investigation, while Leon embodies the perspective of someone who directly survived the disaster.
Alyssa’s established role is therefore important even when she is not one of the two present-day protagonists. Her reporting, survival, and death are the facts that motivate Grace’s case and tie the new story to the older one.
Can new players follow the story?
Yes. Director Koshi Nakanishi says the game was designed to welcome newcomers who have not played earlier entries, and Grace is new to the series. A first-time player can understand the immediate premise through the hotel investigation, the disease-linked deaths, and Leon’s assignment.
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- Intense horror experience with dark narrative
- Improved images and refined game mechanics included
- Players take on the role of Leon S Kennedy
- Mission to save the president's daughter from danger
- Challenging environments and strategic combat scenarios await
- Raccoon City: the city is the setting of the original bioterror disaster that shaped both protagonists in different ways.
- Grace’s family: Alyssa survived that outbreak, reported on it, and pursued the truth about Umbrella.
- Leon’s career: he survived the incident and became a DSO agent fighting bioterrorism.
- The present case: new deaths connected to a mysterious disease lead Grace and Leon toward Wrenwood Hotel.
That is enough to understand the characters’ motives without assuming knowledge of every previous plotline.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Which perspective should you choose?
Choose first-person for closeness and vulnerability
First-person perspective places the player directly inside the characters’ immediate view. It suits Grace’s limited resources and fear-driven decisions, where reading a threat and deciding whether to move past it can matter more than winning a prolonged fight.
Choose third-person for broader spatial awareness
Third-person perspective shows more of the character and surrounding space. It can make movement, melee positioning, and Leon’s wider combat toolkit easier to read while preserving the same story and mechanics.
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Switching is a preference decision, not a character replacement
The perspective options do not turn Grace into Leon or remove the intended gameplay differences. Grace remains the scarcity-focused investigator, and Leon remains the more combat-capable veteran. Pick the view that helps you read spaces and threats comfortably, then use the character-specific tools rather than expecting one perspective to erase the contrast.
What is actually confirmed about the returning cast?
The official character page reviewed for this guide confirms profiles for Grace, Leon, and Alyssa. It does not state that those three names constitute the entire cast, and the available material does not settle every cameo or spoiler-sensitive appearance.
That means the most accurate answer to “Which Resident Evil characters return?” is limited:
- Confirmed central figures: Grace Ashcroft and Leon S. Kennedy.
- Confirmed historical character: Alyssa Ashcroft, Grace’s mother.
- Broader roster: not established by the cited official character page.
Rumors, marketing speculation, and lists assembled without a current official source should not be presented as a complete cast. A guide that names additional returning characters would need a separate, up-to-date official cast source and a clear spoiler label.
Practical character-selection guide
If you prefer investigation and resource management
Start with Grace. Her analytical role, enemy-reading emphasis, crafting system, and fight-or-flee decisions make her the better fit for players who enjoy solving danger through observation and conservation. Expect scarcity to shape the route rather than treating ammunition as an unlimited answer.
If you prefer adaptable combat
Leon is the natural fit. His firearms, hatchet, parries, enemy weapons, inventory management, and customizable weapon parts provide more tactical responses when a fight begins. His sections still take place in a horror scenario, but the player has a broader set of tools.
If you are new to Resident Evil
Use the dual-protagonist structure as your guide. Grace introduces the setting through a personal investigation, while Leon supplies the series perspective of an experienced survivor. You do not need to memorize the entire franchise to understand why the hotel, Raccoon City, Alyssa, and the new deaths matter.
Platforms and official reference points
PlayStation identifies Resident Evil Requiem as a PS5 game, while Nintendo’s official announcement covers its availability on Nintendo Switch 2. Platform availability, editions, and current purchasing details can change, so consult the live official listings rather than relying on an old store description.
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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →For character descriptions, gameplay systems, and perspective options, use the PlayStation game page. For the hotel synopsis and the Grace-Leon setup, see Nintendo’s Resident Evil Requiem announcement. Capcom’s release notice is available at Capcom’s official announcement.
Quick Recap
Bottom line for each character
- Grace Ashcroft: a new FBI analyst whose mother’s murder, family history, and fear make Wrenwood Hotel intensely personal. Her mechanics center on scarcity, analysis, crafting, and choosing when not to fight.
- Leon S. Kennedy: a returning Raccoon City survivor and DSO veteran whose Midwest investigation brings him back to the source of his bioterror nightmare. His mechanics emphasize firearms, melee, parries, enemy weapons, inventory control, and equipment customization.
- Alyssa Ashcroft: the reporter and survivor whose investigation of Umbrella gives Grace her established connection to the earlier games.
- The returning cast: these are the officially profiled characters in the cited material, not a guaranteed complete roster. Additional appearances remain unconfirmed here.
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