Characters in Resident Evil 4
Leon S. Kennedy
Ashley Graham
Ashley Graham (voiced by Carolyn Lawrence) is the 20-year-old daughter of the newly-elected President, taken captive by Los Illuminados during her trip home from Massachusetts and held in a Spanish village. It is Leon's initial objective in the game to ascertain her whereabouts and retrieve her. After meeting her, it is revealed that she has been implanted with a Plaga parasite, so that the cult could gain control of her before returning her to the US. The rest of the game then becomes a quest for Leon and Ashley to find a way to remove the parasites inside their bodies before they fall under Saddler's control. When Ashley is with Leon, it is the player's duty to protect her. As with previous Resident Evil games that feature short sections in which the player takes control of a supporting character, the player takes control of Ashley in a chapter of the game.
Ada Wong
Luis Sera
Luis Sera (voiced by Rino Romano) is a 28-year-old Spaniard who befriends Leon early in the game. He turns up to aid Leon and Ashley in various locations. He is eventually killed by Saddler shortly after retrieving the Plaga sample. Dying, Luis hands Leon a drug which suppresses the effects of Las Plagas, and with his last breath tells him to retrieve the sample.
The "Separate Ways" scenario and "Ada's Report" documentary added to the PS2, PC and Wii version of the game expands on Luis's role in the game, depicting him as in league with Ada Wong and the organization she works with (a connection that was only implied in the main game). He leaves notes and files in various locations throughout the game.
Ingrid Hunnigan
Ingrid Hunnigan (voiced by Salli Saffioti) is Leon's primary radio contact and his only link to headquarters. She provides the player with general gameplay tips and hints between chapters early in the game. Leon loses contact with her after he first enters Ramon Salazar's castle in which the communication line is hijacked by Los Illuminados. Salazar (and later Saddler) takes over the transmission to taunt Leon between missions. Leon does not regain contact with Hunnigan until after the end credits. He lightly flirts with her after seeing her without her glasses, and she rebukes him, reminding him hes still on duty.
Jack Krauser
Jack Krauser (voiced by Jim Ward) is a mercenary hired by Lord Saddler and is the one responsible for Ashley's kidnapping. A former U.S. agent, he was once a close friend of Leon until he was presumed dead two years before the events of the game and disappeared. In reality, he infiltrated the cult in order to procure the sample of "Las Plagas" and is actually working for Albert Wesker. In addition to being a skilled knife fighter and archer, Krauser possesses superhuman speed and strength, can jump great distances, and is also endowed with the ability to transform his left arm into a giant mutated claw. Leon fights him twice during the course of the game: first in an interactive cut-scene which depicts a knife fight between the two, and later in an in-game battle across a set of ruins on the island. At the end of this battle, Krauser is assumed to be dead. However, in the 'Separate Ways' mini-game he battles Ada along the prison yard rooftops, while Leon is fighting the soldiers on ground level. Ada makes short work of Krauser, and he finally dies.
Krauser appears as the end boss in the "Assignment: Ada" mini-game. He is also a playable character in the "The Mercenaries" mini-game, in which his claw can be used as a special attack by the player. In addition, the "Ada's Report" documentary expands on Krauser's role in the storyline.
Osmund Saddler
Osmund Saddler (voiced by Michael Gough) is the main antagonist of Resident Evil 4. He is the leader of a cult known as Los Illuminados, which seeks to control the world. He has converted the local population into Ganados and now controls them due to the Plaga parasites in their bodies. His plan for Ashley was to put the parasite into her and send her back to the US to infect the President and his advisors, allowing Saddler to begin his conquest of the world with the United States as his puppet.
Saddler encounters Leon and Ashley frequently, first setting his minions on them, then using his growing power over their Plaga-infected bodies to control them.
Finally, Leon confronts Saddler on a platform high above the island, and after freeing Ada, watches as Saddler transforms himself into a massive, multi-legged monstrosity with a giant eye protruding from Saddler's mouth. Despite Saddler's considerable strength in this form, Leon manages to defeat him with a specialized RPG-7.
Bitores Mendez
Bitores Mendez (The Big Cheese) lived happily with his fellow townsfolk (including Luis Sera) in a small farming village in Europe. Made village chief, Mendez promised to make the tranquil village even better than it ever had been. Working improved, and the village prospered. Mendez increased farming capacity, and with the extra money, was able to build a giant mansion for himself, which he shared with his loyal citizens. The village's way of life, however, would not last long.
Shortly after Mendez's promotion to chief of the village, he befriended a man called Osmund Saddler, who lived on an island beyond the famed Salazar family castle. Saddler knew that Mendez was a most trusted friend of Ramon Salazar, castellan of the castle, and Saddler convinced Mendez to speak with Salazar about allowing the mining of Las Plagas, which resided beneath the keep of the great castle. Saddler explained that the mining would be of much use to the village, and would put a great many people to work. Mendez succeeded convincing Salazar, and promised to pay the citizens high wages for the work. But, alas, that was not to be.
After weeks of mining, the villagers and other miners finally reached the chamber which contained the Plagas. They continued through the chamber, successfully mining many samples from the underground caves of Salazar's castle. Before long, the mining began to have terrible effects on the villagers. Many villagers became cannibalistic due to their exposure to the parasites, and soon enough, the entire village was infected with the parasites and went mad. Outraged, Mendez ordered Saddler to stop the project immediately, but was met with much hostility. Meanwhile, Salazar, whose own denizens became infected, blamed Mendez for convincing him to allow the mining of the samples. Salazar was so outraged that he openly attacked Mendez with a sword, gouging out Mendez's right eye. That eye socket was eventually outfitted with a glass eye. Mendez, meanwhile, kicked Salazar violently onto the marble floor and left him for dead. After their fight, the insidious effects of the Plagas, which had infected both, took over, and both were brainwashed with the parasite. Salazar was revived since the parasites allowed their hosts to heal with amazing speed. But even after he was under control of the parasite, Salazar would never forgive Mendez, and degraded Mendez's men at every opportunity.
Mendez, being a giant man (almost 8ft), was an excellent host for a queen parasite, and adding insult to injury, Saddler implanted Mendez with such a parasite after a long incubation period. Mendez was cursed with the ability to infect whomever he wanted, and now had absolute control over his villagers, who viewed him as God. In addition, the parasite bestowed him resistance to small arms fire.
Shortly after, Saddler, Mendez, and mercenary Jack Krauser were involved in the planning to kidnap first daughter Ashley Graham. It was decided to hold the First Daughter in a church in the outskirts of the village, and eventually Mendez discovered that an American agent named Leon Kennedy had been sent to track her down. He captured Kennedy and Saddler infected him with the deadly parasite, expecting nothing more than another follower to the Los Illuminados cause. He spared Leon twice before their final encounter, when Bitores finally realized that he, along with Saddler had underestimated Leon's abilities. Kennedy located Graham, and Mendez prepared a lethal snare. Using notes scattered across the area, Mendez led Leon to a barn, where he planned to kill him in secret and end of the hostility caused by Kennedy's arrival.
When encountered by Kennedy, he was set ablaze by an explosive barrel of gasoline located in the barn, and the Plaga inside him turned him to a fierce beast, a strange mix between a centipede, a human, and a scorpion. After the loss of his legs in the battle, he still resisted and instead hung from the ceiling as he attacked the interfering agent. He was conquered, however, as Leon aimed, shot, and killed. Mendez, dead long ago and controlled by the Plagas, was destroyed. Kennedy took only his glass eye, necessary to open the gates leading to Salazar's castle.
It should be noted that Mendez bears a strong resemblance to Mr. X Tyrant from Resident Evil 2.
Ramon Salazar
Ramon Salazar (voiced by Rene Mujica) is the eighth castellan of the castle which serves as the setting for part of the game. Ramon's ancestor, the first castellan, was responsible for sealing the Las Plagas parasites in his castle centuries ago and dissolving the cult which worshipped them. Despite his diminutive stature, grey hair and wrinkled face, he claims to be only 20 years old. He is protected by two cloaked bodyguards known as Verdugos.
Leon and Ashley encounter Salazar at many points as they make their way through his castle. He uses various means to capture Ashley and neutralize Leon, usually involving his minions, the Ganados, but during the last confrontation, where Leon finally catches up to Salazar and the remaining Verdugo, Salazar elects to stand and fight. He and his Verdugo merge with an enormous Plaga and emerge bonded into one huge tentacled entity. Leon manages to defeat him.
The Merchant
The Merchant assists Leon by selling and upgrading nearly all of the game's weapons. He is a mysterious man in a long hooded cloak and a blue mask. He carries a large selection of firearms and equipment. He speaks with a distinctive Australian accent, and appears to be infected with a Plaga, as evidenced by his glowing eyes at night, but he remains immune to its effects. He somehow manages to avoid being attacked by other Ganados and monsters, adding evidence he is infected with a Plaga.