History PutOnABus / VideoGames

* A number of playable characters in past ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'' games are absent from ''Xrd'''s roster. While most of them make returned in later releases or at least made minor appearances in the game's Story Mode, the most notable totally absent characters are Bridget, who's sole post-''XX'' appearance has been in the ''Vastedge'' pachinko game, and A.B.A., who disappeared completely just after ''XX Accent Core Plus'' finally gave her her own Story Mode route.
** Testament, who was an important character in the first two ''Guilty Gear'' games as Justice's [[TheDragon right-hand man]], had been out of the picture since ''Xrd''. Aside from a very brief cameo prior, it wasn't until ''-STRIVE-'' where Testament returned as the last Season 1 DLC character.

** Dizzy, Johnny, Jam, and Slayer are put a bus for ''Guilty Gear Strive'' despite most of the other ''Xrd'' cast returning. Anji [[TheBusCameBack gets off the bus]], and is playable for first time since ''Guilty Gear XX'' making this the first time he’s appeared without his partner Baiken (until she was added as DLC, at least).

* Grant [=DaNasty=] from ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaIIIDraculasCurse'' and the [=DaNasty=] family line beside brief mentions and a doppelganger boss of him through out the series no one ever talks of him or his family before or after Dracula's Curse. No character has tried to take his place and in other games where Alucard and family members of the other two meet. One of the saddest video game examples as this is now over 20 years since the release of Dracula's Curse. He's not even present for the [[WesternAnimation/Castlevania2017 Castlevania Netflix series]], which is an adaptation of ''Castlevania III'' [[note]] Season 3 does have Trevor and Sypha mention a “Pirate of the Roads” which Creator/WarrenEllis confirmed was a throwaway reference to Grant, a gesture that did little to appease fans [[/note]].

** Although he's often considered the most popular character Leon S. Kennedy was PutOnABus after ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvil2 RE2]]'' (1998) and didn't appear in a mainline Resident Evil game until ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvil4 RE4]]'' (2004).... since the game was actually released in 2005 Leon was technically absent from the franchise for a total of six years and only mentioned once by Claire in ''Code Veronica''. Ironic since he's one of the most beloved characters nowadays. Leon’s prominence in the CG content has made up for his lack of appearances in the games after ''[=RE6=]'' (barring the ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvil2Remake RE2make]]'' of course)

** Carlos Oliveira from ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvil3Nemesis RE3]]'' is Jill's partner who helped defeat the eponymous Nemesis, is one of the few people to survive [[ZombieApocalypse the Raccoon City Incident]] and also seen in Jill's win screen. ''However'' post Raccoon City, Carlos is '''never''' seen again and Jill doesn't mention him. In the epilogue, Carlos apparently shared a drink with Jill at bar before they bid each other farewell.

** Sherry Birkin first appeared in ''[=RE2=]'' as a little girl taken in by Leon and Claire, only to be taken away by TheGovernment after the events of ''[=RE2=]''. Sherry only reappeared in ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvil6 RE6]]'' as a grown woman ''13 years later'', she reunites with Leon (who’s [[AdultFear horrified]] that she's been raised by [[BigBad Simmons]] all this time). Sherry hasn't appeared with Claire in the games canonically since 1998, which considering their [[ParentalSubstitute relationship]] is upsetting. ''[=RE6=]'' has some files reveal that Claire got see Sherry in the between years, but fans unmoved had the ShowDontTell response.

* Since ''Wild World'' was for a system that was much less powerful than the system the last game was on, roughly half of the 318 villagers from the original ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'' had to be cut. Even some special characters didn't make a return to ''Wild World''.
** Wisp actually had this trope happen to him twice. After he didn't return in ''Wild World'', he returned in ''City Folk'', only to not return again in ''New Leaf''. However, he was added back in for the ''Welcome Amiibo'' update.
** Even characters introduced after the original game aren't safe from this trope.
*** Kaitlin doesn't appear in New Leaf since her daughter, Katie, is now old enough to travel on her own.
*** Since the Acorn Festival was a one-off holiday like many holidays introduced in Wild World, Cornimer has only ever appeared in Wild World. (Though it's possible that he's just Tortimer wearing an acorn mask. Plus, there is a machine modeled after him in a minigame in New Leaf)
*** Champ is the only villager not from the original game or its updates to ever be cut, being absent from ''New Leaf''.
*** Frillard, Dr. Shrunk's mentor, has only ever appeared in ''City Folk''. Dr. Shrunk sometimes says in New Leaf that he misses him, implying that he may have passed away after ''City Folk''.
*** A lot of staple [=NPCs=] of the series suffered from this trope for a long time, as they don't appear in ''New Horizons'', although some of these are somewhat understandable. However, more characters initially absent in ''New Horizons'' eventually returned in some of the game's updates, meaning that it's possible that many of the currently absent characters may return sooner or later. The 2.0. update eventually brought back all of them in some form.
** Fortunately, 42 villagers would later return for ''City Folk'' and all (but 2) absent special characters return. 24 villagers would also return in ''New Leaf''. 4 villagers would also return in the spin-off game, ''Happy Home Designer'', 3 of which were DLC exclusives.
*** More villagers exclusive to the original game and e+ were found in the data of ''Happy Home Designer'', but they have not returned yet.
*** The 2.0. update for ''New Horizons'' not only introduced eight brand new villagers, but also brought back four villagers that only appeared in the original ''Animal Crossing'' and other four that only showed up in the Japan-exclusive ''Dobutsu No Mori e+'', giving them proper localized names too.

** Testament, who was an important character in the first two ''Guilty Gear'' games as Justice's [[TheDragon right-hand man]], has been out of the picture since ''Xrd''. Aside from a BlinkAndYouMissIt cameo, it wasn't until ''-STRIVE-'' where Testament returned as the last Season 1 DLC character.

** Testament, who was an important character in the first two ''Guilty Gear'' games as Justice's [[TheDragon right-hand man]], has been out of the picture since ''Xrd''. He gets a very brief cameo in ''Strive'''s epilogue.

* A number of playable characters in past ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'' games are absent from ''Xrd'''s roster. While most of them make minor appearances in the game's Story Mode, the most notable total absences are Bridget, who's sole post-''XX'' appearance has been in the ''Vastedge'' pachinko game, and A.B.A., who disappeared completely just after ''XX Accent Core Plus'' finally gave her her own Story Mode route.
** Testament, who was an important character in the first two ''Guilty Gear'' games as Justice's [[TheDragon right-hand man]], has been out of the picture since ''Xrd''. He gets a very brief cameo in ''Strive'''s epilogue.
** Everyone who's not Sol, Ky, That Man or, to a certain extent, Dizzy is completely absent from ''Guilty Gear 2: Overture'', which is part of what made it such a ContestedSequel (along with the GenreShift into a strategy game).
** Dizzy, Johnny, Jam, and Slayer are put a bus for ''Guilty Gear Strive'' despite most of the other ''Xrd'' cast returning. Anji [[TheBusCameBack gets off the bus]], and is playable for first time since ''Guilty Gear XX'' making this the first time he’s appeared without his partner Baiken (until she was added as DLC, at least).

* A number of playable characters in past ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'' games are absent from ''Xrd'''s roster. While most of them make minor appearances in the game's Story Mode, the most notable absences are Bridget, who's sole post-''XX'' appearance has been in the ''Vastedge'' pachinko game, and A.B.A., who disappeared completely just after ''XX Accent Core Plus'' finally gave her her own Story Mode route.

** Dizzy, Johnny, Jam, Slayer and Baiken are put a bus for ''Guilty Gear Strive'' despite most of the other ''Xrd'' cast returning. Anji [[TheBusCameBack gets off the bus]], and is playable for first time since ''Guilty Gear XX'' making this the first time he’s appeared without his partner Baiken.

** Jill is considered the franchise main ActionGirl appearing in more games than Claire, Ada and Rebecca combined so it's quite disconcerting that after ''[=RE5=]'' (where she spent most of the game BrainwashedAndCrazy and her role taken by Sheva) Jill drops off the face of the earth for the rest of the games. The last we hear of her whereabouts is when Barry in ''Revelations 2'' gets a email from Jill where she says she's bored being stuck in a [=BSAA=] lab undergoing treatment and observation for all BioAugmentation she went through under Wesker's hand. Fans were quite upset that Jill is ''[[OutOfFocus still missing]]'' in both ''Village'' and ''Infinite Darkness'' while her costars are returning (although the latter at least has the excuse of being a prequel).

*** Champ is the only villager not from the original game or its updates to ever be cut, being absent from New Leaf.
*** Frillard, Dr. Shrunk's mentor, has only ever appeared in ''City Folk''. Dr. Shrunk sometimes says in New Leaf that he misses him, implying that he may have passed away after City Folk.
*** A lot of staple [=NPCs=] of the series have suffered from this trope, as they don't appear in ''New Horizons'', although some of these are somewhat understandable[[labelnote:*]]Chip and Nat have been replaced by C.J. and Flick, their respective sons, Harriet is a redundant character to add as you can freely change your hair any time with a mirror in ''New Horizons'', and Joan has seemingly retired in the time between ''New Leaf'' and ''New Horizons'', causing her grandaughter Daisy Mae to take up her old role[[/labelnote]]. However, more characters initially absent in ''New Horizons'' eventually returned in some of the game's updates[[labelnote:*]]these so far being Redd, Leif, Pascal and Luna[[/labelnote]], meaning that it's possible that many of the currently absent characters may return sooner or later.

** Even Ada has been PutOnTheBus now as despite being an integral character in ''[=RE6=]'', she vanishes completely in the following titles. Even in ''Anime/ResidentEvilVendetta'' Leon (who’s smitten with her) makes no mention of her, despite Ada's prominence in the [[Anime/ResidentEvilDamnation previous]] CG movie. Ada isn’t returning to join Leon and Claire for the ''Infinite Darkness'' series either, with newcomer [[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute Shen May]] seemly filling her role. Ada’s fans might be further miffed to learn she was originally going to [[https://www.google.com.au/amp/s/screenrant.com/resident-evil-village-dlc-ada-wong/amp/ appear]] in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilVillage'' but was cut due to “conflicting scenarios”.

** Claire Redfield (Leon's partner) was lucky enough to get [[VideoGame/ResidentEvilCodeVeronica a game]] fairly soon after ''[=RE2=]''... however she then vanished for 7 years until her appearance in ''Anime/ResidentEvilDegeneration'' then Claire was then put on a bus for another 6 years until ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilRevelations2''. What’s most painful is the [[WordOfGod knowledge]] that [[WhatCouldHaveBeen Claire was actually supposed to Leon’s partner in]] ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvil6 RE6]]'' but she was pulled out late into development and replaced with Helena so she could be in the aforementioned ''Revelations 2'' two years later meaning Claire’s bus trip got prolonged. Six years laters Claire returns in Creator/{{Netflix}}’s ''Anime/ResidentEvilInfinite Darkness'' alongside Leon, the last time they stared together being ''Degeneration'' which was 13 years ago, although InUniverse it’s only one year later.

** Everyone who's not Sol, Ky, That Man or, to a certain extent, Dizzy is completely absent from ''Guilty Gear 2: Overture'', which is part of what made it such a ContestedSequel (along with the GenreShift into a strategy game.)

** Carlos Oliveira from ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvil3Nemesis RE3]]'' is Jill's partner who helped defeat the eponymous Nemesis, is one of the few people to survive [[ZombieApocalypse the Raccoon City Incident]] and also seen in Jill's win screen. ''However'' post Raccoon City, Carlos is '''never''' seen again and Jill doesn't mention him.

** Claire Redfield (Leon's partner) was lucky enough to get [[VideoGame/ResidentEvilCodeVeronica a game]] fairly soon after ''[=RE2=]''... however she then vanished for 7 years until her appearance in ''Anime/ResidentEvilDegeneration'' then Claire was then put on a bus for another 6 years until ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilRevelations2''. What’s most painful is the [[WordOfGod knowledge]] that [[WhatCouldHaveBeen Claire was actually supposed to Leon’s partner in]] ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvil6 RE6]]'' but she was pulled out late into development and replaced with Helena so she could be in the aforementioned ''Revelations 2'' two years later meaning Claire’s bus trip got prolonged. Six years laters Claire returns in Creator/{{Netflix}}’s ''Resident Evil Infinite Darkness'' alongside Leon, the last time they stared together being ''Degeneration'' which was 13 years ago, although InUniverse it’s only one year later.

** Sherry Birkin first appeared in ''[=RE2=]'' as little girl taken in by Leon and Claire, only to be taken away by TheGovernment after the events of ''[=RE2=]''. Sherry only reappeared in ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvil6 RE6]]'' as a grown woman ''13 years later'', she reunites with Leon (who’s [[AdultFear horrified]] that she's been raised by [[BigBad Simmons]] all this time). Sherry hasn't appeared with Claire in the games canonically since 1998, which considering their [[ParentalSubstitute relationship]] is upsetting. ''[=RE6=]'' has some files reveal that Claire got see Sherry in the between years, but fans unmoved had the ShowDontTell response.

* In ''Franchise/AngryBirds'', most games that feature the art style of ''WesternAnimation/AngryBirdsToons'' tend to omit Hal, Bubbles and Stella, since Hal and Stella were AdaptedOut and Bubbles had an AdaptationalLateAppearance. The most notorious case was ''VideoGame/AngryBirds2'', as the game was a DolledUpInstallment, these birds where notoriously abscent for 4 years until [[TheBusCameBack they all came back]] as Extra Birds as part of the [[MilestoneCelebration 10th anniversary of the franchise]].

* ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' has the winning distinction putting ''every single one of it's protagonists'' on a bus at some point, though characters do tend to reappear in [=REmakes, Mercenary Mode, Crossovers and the [[VideoGame/ResidentEvilTheUmbrellaChronicles light gun]] [[VideoGame/ResidentEvilTheDarkSideChronicles Wii games]]. The five characters who've chronically had the most games and appearances are Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, Leon S. Kennedy, Claire Redfield and Ada Wong thus all five are considered the series mainstays.

* In the ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'' series, Crash's girlfriend Tawna never appeared in any of the main games after [[VideoGame/CrashBandicoot1996 the first one]], her only reappearance being in a side-game titled ''VideoGame/CrashBoomBang''. Her disappearance was never explained in-game, but in the now-defunct [[WordOfGod official website]] of ''Videogame/CrashBandicoot2CortexStrikesBack'', as well as in the manual for the Japanese version of the same, Tawna left Crash to be with Pinstripe Potoroo. There were also rumors of MoralGuardians not liking Tawna's character design having an influence on children (mostly due to her cleavage and body type), thus the developers made a new character to be more kid friendly; Crash's sister, Coco, who is a genius with technology.

* Dr. Madison Li in ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'' gets this treatment in the ''Broken Steel'' expansion. Once you turn on the purifier, Dr. Li leaves the Capital Wasteland for the Commonwealth, even though she just witnessed a major breakthrough in her work. [[spoiler:''VideoGame/{{Fallout 4}}'' sees her resurfacing as one of the head scientists of the Institute, with an option to have her defect back to the Brotherhood of Steel]].

** .Hack://GU does this with the majority of the characters in the game who are not Morganna factors or turned into Lost Ones. Although all of the characters are still selectable and can be adventured with at any time, none of the majority of them, for example Matsu, will ever have importance in the story again until the end of the 3rd game, and then it's optional.

** Also Captain Shinobu Igarashi from ''Manga/KuroganeNoLinebarrel'' only makes one appearance in chapter 40 against Rouri and Kanamoto.

* ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' has the winning distinction putting ''every single one of it's protagonists'' on a bus at some point, though characters do tend to reappear in remakes, Mercenary Mode, Crossovers and the [[VideoGame/ResidentEvilTheUmbrellaChronicles light gun]] [[VideoGame/ResidentEvilTheDarkSideChronicles Wii games]]. The five characters who've chronically had the most games and appearances are Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, Leon S. Kennedy, Claire Redfield and Ada Wong thus all five are considered the series mainstays.
** Rebecca Chambers story-wise is the first protagonist chronologically but despite being a main character of [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil0 RE0]] and [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil RE1]] she was never seen again after those game, 19 years later she appears in ''Anime/ResidentEvilVendetta''. Rebecca's lack of appearances can be attributed Creator/ShinjiMikami having disdain for her [[AuthorAppeal compared to tougher]] [=RE=] [[ActionGirl heroines]].

** Carlos Oliveira from [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil3Nemesis RE3]] is Jill's partner who helped defeat the eponymous Nemesis, is one of the few people to survive [[ZombieApocalypse the Raccoon City Incident]] and also seen in Jill's win screen. ''However'' post Raccoon City, Carlos is '''never''' seen again and Jill doesn't mention him.

** Although he's often considered the most popular character Leon S. Kennedy was PutOnABus after [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil2 RE2]] (1998) and didn't appear in a mainline Resident Evil game until [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil4 RE4]] (2004).... since the game was actually released in 2005 Leon was technically absent from the franchise for a total of six years and only mentioned once by Claire in ''Code Veronica''. Ironic since he's one of the most beloved characters nowadays. Leon’s prominence in the CG movies have likely made up for his lack of appearances in games after [=RE6=] (barring the [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil2Remake RE2make]] of course)
** Claire Redfield (Leon's partner) was lucky enough to get [[VideoGame/ResidentEvilCodeVeronica a game]] fairly soon after [=RE2=]... however she then vanished for 7 years until her appearance in ''Anime/ResidentEvilDegeneration'' then Claire was then put on a bus for another 6 years until ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilRevelations2''. What’s most painful is the [[WordOfGod knowledge]] that [[WhatCouldHaveBeen Claire was actually supposed to Leon’s partner in]] [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil6 RE6]] but she was pulled out late into development and replaced with Helena so she could be in the aforementioned ''Revelations 2'' two years later meaning Claire’s bus trip got prolonged. Six years laters Claire is set to return in Creator/{{Netflix}}’s ''Resident Evil Infinite Darkness'' alongside Leon, the last time they stared together being ''Degeneration'' which was 13 years ago.
** Speaking of ''Revelations 2'', that was first time Barry Burton was seen seen since [=RE1=], a whooping 16 years later and it's his only canonically playable appearance.
** Sherry Birkin first appeared in [=RE2=] as little girl taken in by Leon and Claire, only to be taken away by TheGovernment after the events of [=RE2=]. Sherry only reappeared in [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil6 RE6]] as a grown woman ''13 years later'', she reunites with Leon (who’s [[AdultFear horrified]] that she's been raised by [[BigBad Simmons]] all this time). Sherry hasn't appeared with Claire in the games canonically since 1998, which considering their [[ParentalSubstitute relationship]] is upsetting. [=RE6=] has some files reveal that Claire got see Sherry in the between years, but fans unmoved had the ShowDontTell response.
** Technically Chris was put a bus after ''Code Veronica'' since (not counting the light gun Wii Game ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilTheUmbrellaChronicles'') Chris didn't star in a mainline game for 9 years until [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil5 RE5]]. Chris was also absent in both [=RE2=] and [=RE3=] holding out in Paris while his friends and family were in the middle of the ZombieApocalypse. Though after [=RE5=] Chris subsequently appears in [=RE6=], [=RE7=], ''Vendetta'' and the upcoming [=RE8=] which more than makes up for his hiatus in which Leon [[SpotlightStealingSquad ruled]] the Resident Evil games and [=CG=] movies.
** Jill is considered the franchise main ActionGirl appearing in more games than Claire, Ada and Rebecca combined so it's quite disconcerting that after [=RE5=] (where she spent most of the game BrainwashedAndCrazy and her role taken by Sheva) Jill drops off the face of the earth for the rest of the games. The last we hear of her whereabouts is when Barry in ''Revelations 2'' gets a email from Jill where she says she's bored being stuck in a [=BSAA=] lab undergoing treatment and observation for all BioAugmentation she went through under Wesker's hand. Fans were quite upset that Jill is ''still missing'' in the upcoming [=RE8=] and ''Infinite Darkness'' while her costars are returning.
** Even Ada has been Put On The Bus now as despite being an integral character in [=RE6=], she vanishes completely in the following titles. Even in ''Anime/ResidentEvilVendetta'' Leon (who’s smitten with her) makes no mention of her, despite Ada's prominence in the [[Anime/ResidentEvilDamnation previous]] CG movie.
** Being Put On A Bus is the fate of multiple partners in the more recent games e.g [[DamselInDistress Ashley Graham]], [[AmbiguouslyBrown Sheva Alomar]], [[TheBigGuy Parker Luciani]], [[FemmeFataleSpy Jessica Sherawat]] and [[ReplacementScrappy Helena Harper]] and [[LikeFatherUnlikeSon Jake Muller]]. Sheva was meant to appear in ''Vendetta'' but Rebecca took her place.

* In ''Franchise/AngryBirds'', most games that feature the art style of ''WesternAnimation/AngryBirdsToons'' tend to omit Hal, Bubbles and Stella, since Hal and Stella were AdaptedOut and Bubbles had an AdaptationalLateAppearance. The most notorious case was ''VideoGame/AngryBirds2'', as the game was a DolledUpInstallment, these birds where notoriously abscent for 4 years until [[TheBusCameBack they all came back]] as Extra Birds as part of the 10th anniversary of the franchise.

* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls''

* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts''

* ''VideoGame/MegaMan''

* In ''Franchise/AngryBirds'', most games that feature the art style of ''WesternAnimation/AngryBirdsToons'' tend to omit Hal, Bubbles and Stella, since Hal and Stella were AdaptedOut and Bubbles had an AdaptationalLateAppearance. The most notorious case was ''VideoGame/AngryBirds2'', as the game was a DolledUpInstallment, these birds where notoriously abscent for 4 years until [[TheBusCameBack they all came back]] as Extra Birds as part of the 10th anniversary.

* In ''Franchise/AngryBirds'', most games that feature the artstlye of ''WesternAnimation/AngryBirdsToons'' tend to omit Hal, Bubbles and Stella, since Hal and Stella were AdaptedOut and Bubbles had an AdaptationalLateAppearance. The most notorious case was ''VideoGame/AngryBirds2'', as the game was a DolledUpInstallment, these birds where notoriously abscent for 4 years until [[TheBusCameBack they all came back]] as Extra Birds as part of the 10th anniversary.

* ''VideoGame/AngryBirds2'' initially did this with Hal, Bubbles, and Stella. The special ability of the new bird Silver incorporates the backwards turning aspect of Hal's ability, and the Pig Inflater spell takes Bubbles' ballooning and uses it on the pigs as a weapon. [[TheBusCameBack Then they all came back as Extra Birds]].

* ''VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield'' saw the removal of the National Dex, meaning that for the first time in series history there would be Pokemon that would not be able to be brought through from other games. Leaks before the release date for the games suggested that the number of bussed Pokemon was ''upwards of 400'', meaning that more than half of existing Pokemon would not be appearing.

* Since Wild World was for a system that was much less powerful than the system the last game was on, roughly half of the 318 villagers from the original ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'' had to be cut. Even some special characters didn't make a return to Wild World.
** Wisp actually had this trope happen to him twice. After he didn't return in Wild World, he returned in City Folk, only to not return again in New Leaf. However, he was added back in for the Amiibo update.

*** Frillard, Dr. Shrunk's mentor, has only ever appeared in City Folk. Dr. Shrunk sometimes says in New Leaf that he misses him, implying that he may have passed away after City Folk.
** Fortunately, 42 villagers would later return for City Folk and all (but 2) absent special characters return. 24 villagers would also return in New Leaf. 4 villagers would also return in the spin-off game, Happy Home Designer, 3 of which were DLC exclusives.
*** More villagers exclusive to the original game and e+ were found in the data of Happy Home Designer, but they have not returned yet.

** Although he's often considered the most popular character Leon S. Kennedy was PutOnABus after [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil2 RE2]] (1998) and didn't appear in a mainline Resident Evil game until [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil4 RE4]] (2004).... since the game was actually released in 2005 Leon was technically absent from the franchise for a total of six years and only mentioned once by Claire in ''Code Veronica''. Ironic since he's one of the most beloved characters nowadays. Leon’s prominence in the CG movies have likely made up for his lack of appearances in games after [=RE6=] (barring the [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil2Remake RE2make]] of course)

** Jill is considered the franchise main ActionGirl appearing in more games than Claire, Ada and Rebecca combined so it's quite disconcerting that after [=RE5=] (where she spent most of the game BrainwashedAndCrazy and her role taken by Sheva) Jill drops off the face of the earth for the rest of the games. The last we hear of her whereabouts is when Barry in ''Revelations 2'' gets a email from Jill where she says she's bored being stuck in a [=BSAA=] lab undergoing treatment and observation for all BioAugmentation she went through under Wesker's hand. Fans were [[InternetBackdraft quite upset]] that Jill is ''still missing'' in the upcoming [=RE8=] and ''Infinite Darkness'' while her costars are returning.