Barry Burton

Barry Burton (バリー・バートン) is a character in Resident Evil (Biohazard in Japan), a survival horror video game series created by the Japanese company Capcom. He was first introduced as a supporting character in the original Resident Evil (1996) and became a player character in Resident Evil: Revelations 2 (2015).

Created by director Shinji Mikami and designer Isao Ohishi, Billy Burton was added to the first Resident Evil game later in development. They originally designed a muscular cyborg named Gelzer, before deciding that the game should emphasize horror instead of science fiction. Burton re-used some of Gelzer's design and story elements, such as his massive stature, military background, and status as a member of Special Tactics and Rescue Service.

Video game publications have described Barry as among the best and most likable characters in the Resident Evil franchise. Several publications also praised the character's writing, and he has gained popularity due to his awkward dialogue in the original Resident Evil game.

Concept and design
Barry Burton was introduced in Capcom's 1996 survival horror video game Resident Evil. The character was originally created by director Shinji Mikami and designer Isao Ohishi. Unlike mainstay characters Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine, Burton was not included in the original game design. According to writer Kenichi Iwao, he had designed a cyborg character named Gelzer, before deciding that his science fiction elements were inappropriate for the game's horror aesthetic. Some of Gelzer's design elements were recycled into Burton, including his large stature and military experience. Burton also took on some of the story elements previously intended for Gelzer, such as supporting the ceiling in the shotgun trap area to save the player from being crushed.

Iwao wanted a name that was easy to remember, so he chose the alliterative name Barry Burton. Initially, Iwao wanted Burton to be a black character, but his final design became white after opposition from designer Hideki Kamiya. For the first Resident Evil, designer Jun Takeuchi helped create Burton's in-game character model. He suggested giving Barry a red vest to help differentiate him from the other characters. Mikami thought Burton's model data was too slim, so he made him a little fatter, but not so much that the character became unrealistic. Then they "made him look tough outside, and motion is "old man" to make balance." While making Resident Evil: Revelations 2, Michiteru Okabe responded to Burton's popularity by adding his daughter, Moira, as a playable character.

Voice-over and live-action actors
Barry Gjerde voiced Barry Burton in his initial appearance in the American release of the original Resident Evil. In the original Resident Evil, which uses live-action cinematics, Barry is played by a retired principal, Greg Smith. Smith recalls earning the role due to his resemblance to the character design, as well as his ability to act as a "rudimentary character that stifles around, stiff-legged. [...] It was close to 2000 dollars American a day or something. It was good money back in 1995."

The character was later voiced by Ed Smaron in the remake of Resident Evil, Michael McConnohie in Resident Evil: Revelations 2, and Jamieson Pric in both Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D. In Japan, he was voiced by Yusaku Yara for both the original Resident Evil and its remake, as well as Resident Evil: Revelations 2. For the animated film Resident Evil: Retribution, Burton was voiced by Kevin Durand.

In the Resident Evil series
In the Resident Evil series of games, Barry Burton appears as a member of the Special Tactics and Rescue Service (S.T.A.R.S.) alpha team. He makes his first appearance in the first Resident Evil game, which is set in a mansion near the fictional town of Raccoon City in 1998. Burton and his team search the mansion for their colleagues, working more closely with the player character if they select Jill Valentine. Burton helps discover that the property is a façade for a biological warfare laboratory operated by the Umbrella Corporation, and its undead occupants are the scientists who developed the T-virus mutagen. Their commander, Albert Wesker, is revealed to be a double agent for Umbrella. Burton, Valentine, and Chris Redfield are among the five survivors of the incident, who form a strong relationship around their shared opposition to bioterrorism. Burton returns in Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (1999), where he helps Valentine and Carlos Oliveira escape from Raccoon City as it is destroyed.

Burton becomes a playable character in the spinoff game Resident Evil: Revelations 2 (2015). Set in 2013, Burton travels to an island after receiving a distress call from his estranged daughter, Moira, who is trapped with Redfield's sister, Claire. Soon after arriving, Barry meets a young girl called Natalia Korda, who search for Moira and Claire among many monsters. Natalia had met the two women, but was separated from them by antagonist Alex Wesker. Burton arrives in time to interrupt Wesker's efforts to transfer her soul into Natalie, and leading to the game's main conflict. As Burton begins to believe that Wesker killed Moira, he eventually kills Alex with the help of Moira and Claire. It is revealed in the "good ending" that Alex succeeded in transferring her soul into Natalia so she may live on.

Burton appears as a playable character in the mobile game Resident Evil: Genesis (2001), the Game Boy Color game Resident Evil Gaiden (2001), and Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D (2011). There is also a Mercenaries Reunion minigame in Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition (2015), where Burton is also a playable character.

Other media
Barry appears in the non-canon live-action Resident Evil film Resident Evil: Retribution (2012). Several comic books based on the games were released, and he is a character in Bandai's Resident Evil Deck Building Card Game (2011). Capcom's themed restaurant Biohazard Cafe & Grill S.T.A.R.S., which opened in Shibuya, Tokyo, in 2012, sold a noodle dish named after him.

Reception
Barry has received mostly positive reviews. Barry has been called as one of the greatest Resident Evil characters by Zac Thompsons of Bloody Disgusting. He claimed to have taken on the role of Jill in his first Resident Evil game; a decision that gave his encounter a majestic aspect that he would not have otherwise had. The majesty manifested in Barry Burton's "flowing red beard, flawed logic, compulsive confusion, tactical prowess, and eloquence encapsulated." No other character in the series, according to Zac, arouses as much anticipation with just their appearance. Zac also referred him to be the Adam West of the Resident Evil universe, and claimed that "his memory still burns in the minds of his many fans". Barry is among the most loved characters in the history of the franchise, according to Aoife Wilson of Eurogamer. In the end, Wilson referred to him as a "big confused cult-wielding teddy bear" and said that he is incredibly quotable, has always been there for Jill when she needs him, and frequently shows up at the right times. According to Melissa Sarnowski of Screen Rant, Barry Burton's debut in the first Resident Evil made him the best non-player character. She went on to say that Barry's clever one-liners and well-rounded biography helped him establish himself as Resident Evil's greatest non-player character very fast. Maxwell McGee of GamesRadar+ called Barry a "comedy goldmine." He added that Barry "has always been a fan-favorite among Resident Evil fans, most notably for his voice actor's amazing work in the original Resident Evil. IGN staffs described Barry as one of the best playable Resident Evil characters, saying that "he’s a charismatic buffoon with a heart of gold, and out of all the characters you’ll meet playing Resident Evil, he’s the most likeable."

The first Resident Evil game, according to digital media scholar Esther MacCallum-Stewart, gained notoriety for its "very clunky dialogue and voice acting, an element which lent the otherwise suspenseful game an element of charm that endeared it to players." Although she explains that the weak dialogue might be attributed to poor translation of the original Japanese text, she said this inadvertently helped differentiate the series from its rivals. Several lines from the game achieved enduring popularity: "You were almost a Jill sandwich", a remark made by Barry in an unnatural voiceover after a falling ceiling trap nearly crushes Jill, was brought back to life as an Internet meme ten years after the game's debut. Multiple sources have also noted that line. Capcom referenced the line in several of their later games, including Dead Rising (2006), Resident Evil: Uprising (2009), and Resident Evil: Revelations 2 (2015). Another piece of dialogue spoken by Barry – "Jill, here's a lock pick. It might be handy if you, the master of unlocking, take it with you" – also gained notoriety. The quote has been also parodied for containing an excessive amount of silence between words. It was removed from later editions.