How Resident Evil 4’s Weirdest Character Led To RE Village’s Tall Lady

If there is one thing about the upcoming Resident Evil Village that has undeniably captured the attention of fans, it’s the game’s creepy and unique antagonists. Characters like the nine-foot-tall vampire woman Lady Dimitrescu have taken the internet by storm, inspiring fan art and cosplay immediately after her reveal in one of the game’s early trailers. Now the character is everywhere, and fans can’t get enough of her in the lead-up to Resident Evil Village‘s official release.

So what all went into Lady Dimitrescu’s creation? As with much of Resident Evil Village, the design of her character and others in the game are heavily inspired by characters from Resident Evil 4, one of the franchise’s most successful games and often regarded as one of the best third-person action games of all time. Capcom has looked to Resident Evil 4’s success, from its more action-focused gameplay all the way to its setting and characters, as a blueprint for Resident Evil Village.

From what fans have seen and played thus far, following in Resident Evil 4’s footsteps certainly seems like it is paying off. But when it comes to Lady Dimitrescu, there is one character from Resident Evil 4 in particular who helped inspired the internet’s favorite tall vampire lady. Here’s how Resident Evil Village’s enemies, and Lady Dimitrescu in particular, were inspired by one of the weirder villains in the Resident Evil franchise.

RE4’s Salazar Inspired Resident Evil Village’s Lady Dimitrescu

In a recent interview with IGN, Resident Evil Village director Morimasa Sato had plenty to say about the game’s inspirations, including how he views Resident Evil Village as a modern reboot of Resident Evil 4. When it comes down to the game’s characters, it’s no surprise Sato also looked to Resident Evil 4 for guidance, saying the following:

Also, when you think of the characters, I think that (Resident Evil 4’s) Ramon Salazar is the kind of character that everyone still remembers. The appeal of a character like that is something very powerful, so we aimed to design characters with the potential to resonate with players like that. Seeing how well Lady Dimitrescu has been received made me confident that this had indeed been the right approach.

For those who don’t remember Ramon Salazar, he’s one of the main antagonists of Resident Evil 4, a short-statured, sickly-looking Spanish nobleman who lives in a castle and attempts to stop hero Leon S. Kennedy’s mission of rescuing the President of the United States’ daughter. Salazar is immediately memorable thanks to his visual design. His size and demeanor make him appear to be a child, but his sickly-white skin simultaneously makes him appear to be an old man as well. In fact, Salazar is only 20-years-old. In true Resident Evil fashion, he also transforms into a giant monster, having been infected with the Los Plagas parasite.

Though Salazar and Lady Dimitrescu are about as different as they come in the size department, there are similarities between the two characters in many other ways. For one, they both rule over castles and are of noble blood, and both have a sickly-pale appearance. Perhaps most importantly, both characters immediately grab player’s attention with their outward appearance. Salazar’s bizarre child-like yet also old man-like appearance makes a lasting impression, while on the opposite end of the spectrum Dimitrescu’s colossal size and refined appearance make her a character that’s hard to forget.

No matter how Resident Evil Village is received, there’s no denying Lady Dimitrescu is here to say, forever burned into the fandom’s collective memory. In that regard, she’s a massive character design success, a fact that is made all the more interesting considering her Salazar-inspired origins – and she’s just one character. If all of Resident Evil Village’s NPCS and enemies are similarly inspired, it should certainly make for a memorable cast of characters.

Resident Evil Village looks like it is learning all the right lessons from Resident Evil 4. From its focus on action and its European village to bringing back the weapons merchant and an improved Mercenaries mode, Resident Evil Village is leaning into its Resident Evil 4 inspirations in ways both big and small, and it might just pay off.

Resident Evil Village arrives May 7 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Google Stadia.

Source: IGN

About The Author

Cameron Koch
(102 Articles Published)

Cameron Koch is a Denver, CO based writer who’s writing on gaming has appeared on sites like Game Informer, Gamepedia, and now Screen Rant. On the rare occasion he’s separated from a keyboard or controller, he enjoys fencing (the sword-fighting kind) and obsessing over the latest kaiju film.

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