Resident Evil 1.5 Wiki
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Elza Walker is the lead female protagonist of the Resident Evil 2 prototype.

Biography[]

Resident Evil 2 retail PC and Dreamcast - Data Gallery - Elza Walker 17-60

Elza with her red Ducati bike.

Elza is a young woman who grew up in a big city. She is a motorcycle enthusiast and an avid bike racer. She owns a white bike and a red Ducati bike. Elza is planning to attend Raccoon University in the fall and live on campus in the dormitory.

Unlike Leon Scott Kennedy, Chris Redfield, or Jill Valentine, Elza has no tactical experience.

Raccoon City outbreak[]

Elza leaves her home in the city and rides her bike to Raccoon City, ready to attend Raccoon University. She witnesses the infected citizens of Raccoon and panics. She rides her bike to the Raccoon City Police Department, a safe haven in the center of town, only to find more of the undead. She loses control of her bike and crashes through the front entrance, into the lobby. The security shutters close in time, saving her from the zombies outside.

Gameplay[]

Character stats
HP (standard armor) - approx. 100pts
Costume change: approx. 50pts, approx. 75pts
Damage: approx. 25pts (Caution), approx. 50pts (Caution), approx. 75pts (Danger), 100pts. (Death)

Appearance[]

Development[]

According to artist Isao Ōishi, Elza's appearance was modeled after actresses Liv Tyler and Alicia Silverstone.[3] Although unconfirmed, there is a chance that Isao Ōishi was inspired by Aerosmith's "Crazy" music video from 1994 when creating Elza. The popular video stars Tyler and Silverstone in both leading roles.

Legacy[]

Resident Evil 2 retail PC and Dreamcast - Data Gallery - Claire Redfield 13-60

Claire designed wearing a variation of the suit.

After the prototype had been scrapped and development on the retail game had begun, Elza underwent a series of changes on her journey to becoming Claire Redfield, Chris Redfield's younger sister. The change was decided by Noboru Sugimura to create a further link to the original Resident Evil.

Initially, Claire's designs were deconstructed from Elza's racing suit design, featuring jackets, pants, and skirts with similar patterns and designs as the leather suit. Elza's color scheme of red, white, black, and yellow were kept as the designs progressed. Claire's hair color was changed from blonde to brunette to match Chris.

Elza's inexperience in combat was also changed with her transition to Claire, having been trained by her older brother Chris, a survivor of the Umbrella Incident. In addtion, while Elza's passion for bikes was retained with Claire, her interest in racing them was not.

Resident_Evil_2_Deluxe_Edition_Costume_Showcase

Resident Evil 2 Deluxe Edition Costume Showcase

Resident Evil 2 (2019)[]

In the Resident Evil 2 remake, Elza's racing suit was reimagined as a DLC costume for Claire.

While the suit has many familiar design elements, such as the classic color scheme and suit pattern, there are also a number of changes. This rendition of Elza's suit features a number of sponsored advertisements, similar to a real-world racing suit.

Gallery[]

Conceptual artwork[]

Gameplay screens[]

Models and textures[]

Other[]

Sources[]

References
  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Resident Evil 1.5 (November 1996 build), character selection screen.
  2. Resident Evil Archives, Main Character Comparison Image, p.218
  3. Resident Evil 2 (retail) PC and Dreamcast versions, Data Gallery, Rough Sketch 34/60.
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