Ada Wong

Ada Wongis a character inResident Evil(Biohazardin Japan), asurvival horrorvideo game series created by the Japanese companyCapcom. Ada was first mentioned in the originalResident Evil(1996), before being introduced as asupporting characterandantiheroineinResident Evil 2(1998). The character was initially conceived as a researcher named Linda for theprototypeof the second game, but her name was changed to Ada and she was rewritten as a spy andmercenaryfor the finalbuildto connect its story to that of the original. Over the course of the series, Ada is often hired to stealbiological weaponsfor various organizations, although she betrays her employers on numerous occasions to save protagonistLeon S. Kennedyfrom dire situations.
Ada is featured in severalResident Evilgames, novelizations, and films, and has also appeared in other game franchises such asProject X Zone,Teppen, andDead by Daylight. Several actresses have portrayed the character. Sally Cahill,Courtenay Taylor, Jolene Andersen, andLily Gao, among others, have provided Ada's voice for her video game and animated appearances, whileLi Bingbingand Gao have played her in thelive-actionResident Evilfilms.
Critics have positively responded to Ada as a character, highlighting her intelligence and resourcefulness as her key personality traits. Several journalists have praised Ada's portrayal as afemme fatale, and cited her as an example of a female character who is as competent and skilled as her male counterparts. Due to Ada'sAsianethnicity, however, concerns that the character perpetuates theOrientalisttrope of the "Dragon Lady" have also been raised. Ada's outfits—particularly her red dress fromResident Evil 4(2005)—have been brought up in discussions pertaining to themale gazeand criticized for being overtlysexualized. Gao's performance as Ada in the2023 remake ofResident Evil 4received unfavorable reviews.
Ada Wong is thepseudonymof a Chinese-American spy andmercenarywho recurs as anantiheroineinCapcom'ssurvival horrorvideo game seriesResident Evil.Her real name and background before working in espionage remain unknown.Introduced as asupporting characterinResident Evil 2(1998),Ada is hired by an unnamed organization to steal the G-virusmutagendeveloped by theUmbrella Corporation, a pharmaceutical company responsible for azombieoutbreak in the fictional American metropolitan area ofRaccoon City.Ada meets and allies with rookie police officerLeon S. Kennedyto access Umbrella's undergroundbiological warfarelaboratory, where she is outed as a mercenary by scientistAnnette Birkin.Despite being severely wounded, Ada helps Leon destroy theT-103 Tyrantand escapes from Raccoon City before its destruction by anuclear strikeas part of aU.S. governmentcover-up.
Ada returns inResident Evil 4(2005).She is sent to a rural Spanish village byAlbert Weskerto retrieve a sample of the mind-controlling "Las Plagas"parasitefrom the Los Iluminados cult.During her mission, Ada encounters Leon as he attempts to rescue the U.S. president's daughter,Ashley Graham, who has been abducted by the cult.After helping Leon kill the cult's leader,Osmund Saddler, Ada steals the sample from Leon and makes her escape in a helicopter.LaterportsofResident Evil 4, beginning with thePlayStation 2version, include a new scenario featuring Ada as theplayable character. Entitled "Separate Ways", it depicts the events of the main game from her perspective and highlights her relationship with Leon.
InResident Evil 6(2012), Ada investigatesNational Security AdvisorDerek C. Simmons, a former associate who is obsessed with her, and discovers that Simmons has transformed his assistant Carla Radames into herdoppelgänger.After killing Carla and helping Leon defeat Simmons, Ada destroys the lab where her clone was created and accepts a new assignment.
Ada features in severalResident Evilfilms. She appears in the adult animated filmResident Evil: Damnation(2012), in which she poses as a Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance agent to infiltrate theEastern SlavRepublic and obtain a sample of the "Las Plagas" parasite used in the country's civil war.Ada made her live-action debut inResident Evil: Retribution(2012), the fifth installment in directorPaul W. S. Anderson'sResident Evilfilm series, as a former agent of Umbrella who teams up with Alice, an original protagonist created specifically for the films, to escape from an underwater Umbrella facility.Ada also appears in themid-credits sceneof the live-action reboot filmResident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City(2021). She was originally intended to have a larger role, but directorJohannes Robertsbelieved that there were too many characters in the film.
Ada is a playable character in severalnon-canonicalResident Evilgames.She features in the "Heroes Mode" of thethird-person shootergameResident Evil: Operation Raccoon City(2012),and theonline multiplayergameResident Evil Re:Verse(2022).She is a playable character in theasymmetric multiplayergameDead by Daylight(2016),the competitivepuzzle gamePuzzle Fighter(2017),thedigital collectible card gameTeppen(2019),and the mobile gamesPuzzles & SurvivalandState of Survival(both 2023).She is analternate skinin thefighting gameStreet Fighter V(2016)andadventure gameKnives Out(2017).She has anon-playablecameo in the browser-basedhack and slashgameOnimusha Soul(2013),andtactical role-playing gameProject X Zone 2(2015).
Ada features in novelizations of the films and games.Capcom screenwriters created a series ofResident Evil 2radio dramas, including one titledIkiteita Onna Spy Ada(The Female Spy Ada Lives). The dramas were broadcast onRadio Osakain 1999, withSuleputerlater releasing the collection on two CDs asBiohazard 2 Drama Album.Set after the events ofResident Evil 2, they follow Ada's mission to retrieveSherry Birkin's pendant with the G-virus sample from Umbrella enforcerHUNK.Comic books based on the game series have also been released, and Ada appears inResident Evil: The Official Comic Magazine.She features inBandai'sResident Evil Deck Building Card Game(2011).Other merchandise featuring Ada include action figures, figurines, statues, plushies, and t-shirts.
Ada was initially conceived as Linda, an Umbrella researcher tasked with retrieving the G-virus, for anearly prototypeofResident Evil 2.The name "Ada" was conceived by Capcom designer Kazunori Kadoi and first mentioned in the originalResident Evil(1996).After the prototype was discarded and development forResident Evil 2was restarted, directorHideki Kamiyadecided to turn Ada into a full character and invited Kadoi for a meeting, during which Kadoi said that he proposed Ada's name randomly and without much thought.WriterNoboru Sugimuragave Linda's role from the discarded prototype to Ada and reinterpreted her as an enigmatic corporate spy for the finalbuildofResident Evil 2to connect its story to that of the first game.Artists Isao Ohishi and Ryoji Shimogama designed Ada's appearance.
InResident Evil 2, Ada develops an ambiguous romance with Leon as they save each other's lives throughout the game.In the2019 remake ofResident Evil 2, more time was spent developing Ada and Leon's relationship, as the creative team felt that it had progressed too quickly in the original game.Executive producerJun Takeuchisuggested that the kiss between Ada and Leon occur earlier in the remake, which Kamiya believed "makes Ada feel more manipulative of Leon".Ada's red dress from the original version of the game is initially covered by a beigetrench coatin the remake, which Kadoi said was a more "realistic" and "believable" look for a spy.
Ada and Leon's relationship is further explored inResident Evil 4and its "Separate Ways"minigame.As development of the PlayStation 2 release of the main game took longer than expected, it was decided that instead of simply porting the game from theGameCube, additional material would be added.Producer Masachika Kawata believed that Ada deserved "to really stand out" beyond her minimal screen time in the main campaign ofResident Evil 4, and developed "Separate Ways" as a means of further exploring the character.For the title screen of "Separate Ways", Ada strikes a pose inspired by the poster of the 1990 filmLa Femme Nikita.In the2023 remake ofResident Evil 4, Ada's red side-split dress and choker from the original version of the game are replaced by a red woolly jumper and leather harness.
Ada can be unlocked as a playable character inResident Evil 6after completing the game's three main campaigns. Executive producerHiroyuki Kobayashibelieved this enhanced Ada's ambiguity and made her scenario "more enjoyable" because "one of the themes of Ada's story is a lone spy working in secret".Ada's outfit, which was designed by Yōsuke Yamagata and included a red blouse and black leather pants, was inspired by a previously rejected design for the character forResident Evil 4.Ada was intended to appear inResident Evil Village(2021) as a mysterious masked figure in aplague doctoroutfit who helps protagonistEthan Winters, but she was ultimately cut from the game due to "conflicting scenarios".
Sally CahillvoicedAda for her initial appearance inResident Evil 2, and reprised the role inResident Evil 4andResident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles.Ada has also been voiced byMegan HollingsheadinResident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles,andCourtenay TaylorinResident Evil: Operation Raccoon City,Resident Evil 6, andResident Evil: Damnation.
Michelle Leeprovided themotion captureperformance for Ada inResident Evil 6,while Jolene Andersen provided the voice and motion capture for Ada in the 2019 remake ofResident Evil 2.Lily Gao, who portrayed Ada in the live-action filmResident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City,provided the character's voice and motion capture in the 2023 remake ofResident Evil 4.Chinese actressLi Bingbingplayed Ada in the live-action filmResident Evil: Retribution, and wasdubbedby Cahill in English andJunko Minagawain Japanese.Li took part in promoting the movie locally for their various audiences, as well as attending premiere screenings and conducting interviews for media coverage.
Ada has received positive reviews from critics for her personality traits and defying gender conventions. Journalists fromThe Guardianand Larry Hester ofComplexhave praised her beauty, intelligence, and her tendency to be "numerous steps ahead of everyone else".Academic writer Jenny Platz opined that Ada fulfillsgender fluidityas she possessed traits typically associated with males, such as "strength and intelligence", as well as female traits, such as "beauty and poise".Other critics have praised Ada as afemme fatale,such asThe Escapist's Lara Crigger, who described her a "strong feminist role model".Scholar Andrei Nae noted thatResident Evil 4is heavily influenced byfilm noir, a genre in which female characters are either "submissive" – such as Ashley Graham – orfemmes fatalesthat challenge male authority and patriarchal conventions. According to Nae, in contrast to most examples offemmes fatalesin film noir that eventually cease challenging male authority and submit to the male hero of the story—in the case ofResident Evil 4, Leon—Ada manages to remain out of the "ambit of the male protagonist's authority". In doing so, Ada challenges both gender and genre conventions of noir fiction.
Ada's characterization has received some criticism, owing to her status as an Asian woman. Praising her as challenging of noir conventions and independence, Nae felt that Ada's identity as a Chinese-American makes her accentuated sexuality as afemme fataleconform toOrientalistclichés ofEast-Asianerotic femininity.Similarly, althoughPolygon's Harri Chan praised Ada for complimenting the "schlocky action-movie energy" ofResident Evil 4, she criticized the character's portrayal for adhering to the stereotypical "Dragon Lady" trope and not providing Ada with any other path for character growth.
Ada'ssexualizationhas repeatedly been brought into broader analyses of the character in video games.Critics have argued that the in-game cinematics inResident Evil 4focused on Ada's slit dress – noted as unrealistic and unsuitable for a combat role – and body, holding that her appearance was intended to appeal to male audiences.InTropes vs. Women in Video Games, feminist media criticAnita Sarkeesiancriticized Ada's outfit, particularly her use of high heels in combat roles, and argued that the attire was designed to attract men.Conversely,digital mediascholarEsther MacCallum-Stewartstated thatResident Evil's female characters possess unique qualities that make them viable choices for players to select over their male counterparts, with alternate combat attire that helps avoid pandering to themale gaze.Researcher Stephanie Jennings argued inFeminism In Playthat Ada's sexualization is reframed to enhance meaning in play, with her chapter inResident Evil 6offering a "transgressive gender performance that effectively critiques and condemns traditional patriarchal power structures". She suggested that Ada's presence as one of the series' few multiracial characters demonstrates the intersectional potential of thefeminine gaze, albeit undermined by the limited exploration of the character's racial identity.
Lily Gao's vocal performance as Ada in the 2023 remake ofResident Evil 4was criticized by fans, resulting in the game beingreview bombed.Jade King ofTheGamercriticized the vocal performance of Ada and considered her to be the worst part of the game.Michael McWhertor ofPolygoncriticized the dialogue as unnatural, speculating whether Gao was given improper direction in an attempt to generate a "cool" personality that set Ada apart from Leon.Gao deleted herInstagramposts after she was harassed online,later responding to critics with: "My Ada is a survivor. She is unpredictable, resilient, and absolutely not a stereotype."