Resident Evil - Ada Wong / Characters

Ada Wong (real name unknown)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ada_wong_re4r_model_webp_nobg.png

Ada in Resident Evil 4 (2023).

^{Ada in Resident Evil 2 (2019).}

^{Ada in Resident Evil 2 (1998).}

^{Ada in Resident Evil 4.}

^{Ada in Resident Evil 6.}

Voiced by: Sally Cahill (2 (1998), 4 (2005), The Darkside Chronicles), Megan Hollingshead (The Umbrella Chronicles), Courtenay Taylor (Operation Raccoon City, Damnation, 6, TEPPEN), Jolene Andersen (2 2019), Lily Gao (4 2023), Vicky Psarakis (Dead by Daylight); Junko Minagawa (JP, since Operation Raccoon City)^{Additional VAs}

Appearances: 2 (and 2019 remake), 3, 4 (and 2023 remake), Umbrella Chronicles, Darkside Chronicles, 6, Operation Raccoon City, Damnation, Ada's Report, Las Plagas: Organisms of War

Mentioned: Resident Evil (and 2002 remake), 5, Wesker's Report I & II

"A woman looks at herself in the mirror. She used to be called Ada Wong...But this morning, she will say goodbye to the name. "I'm not Ada Wong anymore..." She feels her ab and thinks, "This is Ada's scar, not mine." And as she says goodbye to Ada Wong, she can't stop her tears. However, there isn't much time left before her next mission..."

An enigmatic Femme Fatale Spy whose true allegiances and identity are still unknown to this day. What's known of Ada is she has long worked against the Umbrella Corporation's interests, mostly through an unnamed rival organization, to steal their work. Her jobs often have her working closely with Albert Wesker, yet she always has her own motives. Although her occupation and morals are at odds with Leon, and despite her duping him in Raccoon City, she grew to genuinely love him. Despite attempting to discard the identity of Ada Wong after the Raccoon City Incident, she ultimately kept it and has continued to be referred to as such by other characters. Her immense popularity has made her one of the most recurring supporting characters in the series, never too far behind Leon's widespread appearances.

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A-F

Action Girl: No matter which side you think she's on, there's no doubting her effectiveness. The main storyline's enemies are nothing compared to the obstacles she has to face in her story modes. Aside from her Unexplained Recovery in Resident Evil 2, Umbrella Chronicles has her fighting her way out of Raccoon City covered in wounds and defeating a Tyrant on her own. She's also pitted against an entire battleship and its heavy artillery, along with several waves of soldiers in Separate Ways and succeeds. In 6, Ada goes toe-to-toe with the Ubistvo, and races through the battleship being flooded and encompassed by the mutated Carla.
Adaptational Angst Upgrade: A downplayed and justified variant in the 2019 remake, as she is not as confident and witty as she was in the original due to her being less experienced as a spy in her younger years, while also showing more subtle signs of fear and distress when injured or in danger. Even then, she's still much more stoic than Leon, Claire, and Sherry; Ada doesn't externally display anywhere the amount of fear the other three show throughout the game.
Adaptational Angst Downgrade: In the original 2, she tells Leon she came to Raccoon City to look for her boyfriend John, and Annette Birkin confirms his death to her. After that, she quietly mourns by herself. In the remake of 2, this is changed to her pretending to be an FBI agent, but Leon is rightfully suspicious of her.
Adaptational Backstory Change: Well, not backstory so much as a cover story. In the original Resident Evil 2, she was just an average woman looking for her missing boyfriend. In the 2019 remake, she pretends to be an FBI agent investigating Annette Birkin and Umbrella.
Adaptational Modesty: Zigzagged in the remake of 4. In 4 she struts around in a sleeveless quipao, but in the remake she is now wearing a long sleeved sweater dress with thigh-high heeled boots. However, the outfit is more form fitting than her dress in the original game, which shows off her body more, which the camera takes notice of at least once.
Adaptational Nice Guy:
- Ada herself receives this treatment in the remake of 2. Whereas she quietly ignored Leon after he took a bullet for her in the original, and only returned later to patch him up after dealing with Annette, Remake!Ada elected to bandage him up first before going after her target. While mildly annoyed, she appears to genuinely care for him this time around and also has the extra decency to leave him with her trench coat as a rudimentary blanket. Compared to her debut in the original Resident Evil 2, Ada is also notably more conflicted with using Leon to acquire the sample and even gives him several opportunities to back out.
- In the original 4, she forces Leon to give her the Plagas sample at gunpoint, tells him she'll "take good care of it", and promptly flees in an awaiting chopper, but had the decency to give him the key to the jet ski she left behind for him. In the remake, she doesn't hold Leon at gunpoint and simply takes the sample while he's still winded from his fight with Saddler, tells him Luis promised to give her a plagas sample, and instead of fleeing from him in the chopper, actually offers to let him come along, but Leon refuses. She still gives him the keys to the jet ski so he can escape.
- The ending of 2023's Separate Ways remake also clarifies her stance on Wesker's plan. While the original version of 4 implies at worst her complicity in Wesker's final solution, the remake version makes it clear that she does have standards and ultimately refuses to hand over the Las Plagas amber to Wesker to try and stop him from eradicating billions of human lives.
Adaptational Wimp: Ada is less of the master spy in the 2019 remake than she is in the original game, being presented as younger, less experienced, and more vulnerable.
Adaptation Personality Change: A variant, in that both versions are in the same medium. In the original Resident Evil 2, Ada is coy, flirtatious, and manipulative, in an effort to reinforce her cover. In the 2019 remake of that game, she is cold, curt, professional, and doesn't really try to hide what she is.
A Day in the Limelight: Ada is the focus of Separate Ways and Assignment Ada/Ada The Spy in Resident Evil 4, Death's Door in Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, and her very own scenario in Resident Evil 6.
Affably Evil: Again, no matter which side you think she's on, she can be quite polite and affable when it suits her purposes.
Aloof Ally: She'll help the protagonists out if she can, but they expect her to be gone the very second she's finished.
Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: She's a beautiful, unapproachable Asian woman. Considering her line of work, it's unsurprising she carries herself in such a manner.
Anti-Hero: Zig-zags between this and Anti-Villain. She's a professional spy and has committed questionable actions, such as trying to acquire samples of the G-Virus and Las Plagas for various shady organizations who intend to control the world through bioweapons, but she balks when these intentions devolve towards bioterrorism, and will then turn against these organizations. The Umbrella Chronicles showed her worrying over the damage the G-virus could cause if it got out, refused to give Wesker the Plagas sample in Resident Evil 4 (Remake) upon hearing his genocidal plan with it, and grows disgusted with the actions of the two main villains of Resident Evil 6 and helps defeat them both (albeit with self-preservation in mind, given how Carla Radames and Derek Simmons are direct threats to Ada's own life and reputation). When it comes to acts of altruism, the only person Ada shows genuine concern for is Leon, and even this is mired by the fact that it partially stems from her seeing him as a useful pawn, but she does go out of her way to help others in Leon's care, if nothing else than to help him do his job so he can then focus his energies into eliminating their mutual enemies and make her own job easier.
Ascended Extra: She started out as a password clue in the first game, before getting a proper introduction and characterization in the sequel.
Badass Boast: In 6 after she calls out Carla on her impersonating of Simmons as well as her intentions of destroying the world.
Ada: If it's a game she wants, she'll get one. With the real Ada Wong.
Badass Longcoat: Is shown dressed in a trench coat in the trailer for Resident Evil 2's remake, which is based on concept art for the scrapped Resident Evil 1.5.
Badass Normal: In a world of bioweapons, Ada is by all accounts a normal human with exceptional skills that allow her to survive against all odds. She's gone up against several B.O.W.s and enhanced humans, yet she always manages to get the upper hand over her enemies using nothing but her own cunning, reflexes, and standard weaponry.
Battle Couple: While she and Leon's workplace loyalties often put them on opposing sides, their loyalty to each other often trumps that as they'll team up against whatever enemy, B.O.W. or not, threatens them and fight together to take it down.
Because You Were Nice to Me:
- Leon's kindness and compassion towards her is the reason she becomes so attached to and protective of him. Especially after he took a bullet in the shoulder for her in Raccoon City.
- Zigzagged in Resident Evil 6: she invokes it by claiming to only be helping Jake Muller and Sherry Birkin out because of "their parents' kindness to her". She subverts it in that this is a lie, as anyone familiar with previous games will know — Jake's dad Wesker employed her, but almost left her for dead in Raccoon City, and both of Sherry's parents took turns trying to kill her — and instead, she's just making an excuse for why she's helping.
Becoming the Mask: Ada was initially just pretending to be a sultry Damsel in Distress to Leon in 2 but after he took a bullet for her she began to develop genuine feelings for him in spite of it all. It's particularly noticeable in her Separate Ways campaign in 4 when Ada's thoughts are shown, as she frequently worries for Leon's safety and ignores direct orders from Wesker to kill him. In 6 Ada helps out Sherry, Jake, and some helpless civilians showing that Leon's heroism has rubbed off on her to some degree.
Been There, Shaped History:
- In Resident Evil 4, she's responsible for the way some of the puzzles are orchestrated (such as the ringing of the church bells that placated the Ganados and closed the gates to Ashley at the beginning of the game, and how she singlehandedly toppled Saddler's military firepower mentioned in a file).
- This trend returns in Resident Evil 6 wherein she causes even more events for the central protagonists such as the bolted gates Jake and Sherry come across in China, how she's the one who knocked Ubistvo off the train and it landed in front of the duo, or why the passcode-carrying goons in Chris and Piers' campaign are dead).
Big Damn Heroes: In the original Resident Evil 2, she will occasionally save Leon, and in the B scenarios, she will throw a rocket launcher to Leon or Claire. In the remake of 2, she will save Leon from a zombie dog, Mr. X, and throws a rocket launcher to him.
Breakout Character: Since her debut in 2, Ada has proven to be an immensely popular character. The number of appearances she's made since in-series and out far eclipses even that of many other heroines, and she could be said to be one of the most recognizable characters from the franchise.
Bring My Red Jacket:
- The Leon B route of 2 ends with her being thrown around like a ragdoll and slammed into a control unit. Her injuries are so grevious she nearly ends up dead. Umbrella Chronicles shows just how extensive her injuries from 2 are. Most of her body is covered in bandages, including an eyepatch, her dress is torn in multiple places, and she has a noticeable limp the entire game. She starts the level in Danger health too.
- She wears a trench coat for the first half of 2's remake, but it doesn't take more than five minutes after she sheds it, showing her red cocktail dress, for her to end up with a piece of metal in her leg. Then she's shot. Then she falls down a Bottomless Pit.
Butterfly of Death and Rebirth:
- Her signature red dress in 4 is adorned with golden butterflies and one is present on the outfit she wears in "Assignment: Ada/Ada The Spy" of the same game. They represent her symbolic death from the events of 2 and her epilogue in 3 and rebirth by the time of 4.
- Her makeup compact shown in 6 also has butterflies inscribed on it, this time representing the death of Simmons and all the ties of her time spent working for him.
Cannot Kill Their Loved Ones: Ada is incapable of killing Leon, despite having been put in that position multiple times.
- In RE2, the gun she uses to threaten him actually has no bullets in it, since she removed them beforehand.
- The 2 remake changes the situation slightly, in that now it's unknown whether or not Ada's gun is loaded. Regardless she is still unable to shoot Leon, even after he provokes her.
- At one point in 4 Leon begins choking her due to succumbing to the Plaga parasite in him. She struggles against him and only stabs him as a last resort. Even then, she stabbed him in the leg when she could've gotten him in the chest.
- Separate Ways shows that Wesker ordered her to kill Leon. Ada responded by completely ignoring those orders and going so far as to avoid Leon so Wesker couldn't force her to do it.
Character Catchphrase: "See you around" or any variation thereof. Usually addressed to Leon.
Chekhov's Gunman: Since that introduction, Ada has gone on to be a major player in the franchise. She's often playing behind the scenes, setting things in motion for Leon or being the trigger for the entire plot of 6.
Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Has betrayed Leon, Umbrella, Wesker, and possibly her bosses at the "Agency". Unlike Wesker, however, she rarely kills those she's suckered.
Cold Sniper: Aloof, cold and (tries to be) detached, Ada can potentially use sniper rifles in the Separate Ways campaign for the 4 remake.
Colour-Coded Characters: She's consistently shown wearing crimson red, to the point that Krauser refers to her as "the bitch in the red dress", and some form of black.
Combat Parkour: She likes to perform somersaults, backflips and one-handed cartwheels in combat. This is a way for her to get an advantage in fights since she isn't as well armed as everyone else. She also has a Grappling-Hook Pistol to help her perform other parkour stunts either defensively to avoid enemies or offensively to trip them up.
Combat Stilettos: From 4 onwards, as well as in the remake of 2. 6 has her wearing heeled boots as well.
Conspicuous Trenchcoat: As part of the "realism" shift in the 2019 remake of Resident Evil 2, she dresses in a dark trenchcoat and a set of shades instead of her original Chinese dress. The effect makes her look a lot like a Femme Fatale taking the role of a Noir detective. Although, she still wears the dress underneath the coat.
Crazy-Prepared:
- In Damnation, she is captured by the bad guys and suspended from the ceiling by her wrists... only to reveal a hidden blade inside one of the high heels that she had ready for just such an occasion.
- In 6, she anticipates that Simmons will come back for more and leaves behind a rocket launcher for Leon and Helena to finish him off.
Criminally Attractive: Every time she encounters Leon, he is trying to destroy the same thing she's there to steal for her employers. Still, they can't seem to rid themselves of each other. Understandably, their relationship is... complicated.
Damsel out of Distress:
- Subverted in 4. There she's captured by Mendez and his crew and nearly used as a ritual sacrifice… only to come to just in time, easily dodge the axe, and kick their asses. Then she's captured by Saddler and suspended by a rope. She only escapes with Leon's help.
- Played straight in Damnation, when she's captured and tied up by Svetlana and her mooks, she calmly reveals a hidden blade in one of her heels and cuts herself free.
  Ada: "Amateurs. They didn't even give me a pat-down."
Dark and Troubled Past:
- In the manhua adaptation of RE2, she grew up in a war-torn Asian country. She also was shown to have the I Did What I Had to Do type of mindset that she does now; when a boy had stolen a loaf of bread that she was planning to take, she took a shotgun and chased him to find that he had stolen it to care for his bedridden mother. She had briefly considered letting them live, but in the end, had chosen to kill them both and take the bread for herself. However, this adaptation is non-canon, and her canon backstory is still unrevealed, other than hints she was involved with a Chinese criminal syndicate.
- Heavily implied in the Separate Ways campaign for the remake, Ada makes a passing comment while examining a burnt corpse caused by Pesanta. It's ambiguous whether she's referring to the Racoon City outbreak or another undisclosed event.
  Ada: "Burnt flesh. I thought I'd left that life behind."
Dark Is Not Evil: Despite her amorality, Ada does have a conscience and has been shown trying to help people on the side.
Dating Catwoman: The Catwoman to Leon's Batman. Leon is a rookie cop turned government agent whose priority is survival and stopping bio-terror outbreaks. Ada is a spy-for-hire who is often engaged in industrial espionage for companies interested in the bioweapon market.
Deadly Scratch: In Separate Ways of the remake, Ada is injured by one of Pesanta's projectiles. Though initially dismiss it as a minor injury, the projectile actually carries a Las Plagas payload in it, infecting Ada with the parasite.
Deadpan Snarker: She's mostly serious, but can be flippant and dispense catty quips against her enemies. Her witty side is more pronounced through the 4 remake's Separate Ways.
Death Glare: Shoots one to the Ganado who nearly made her a ritual sacrifice and gave her a clean cut on her thigh after she barely escaped it in Resident Evil 4. He's even visibly taken aback by it.
Declaration of Protection: She has more goals than just taking care of Leon, but that seems to be her most consistent motivation, and she's never really let him down. Lampshaded in 6 where she calls herself Leon's personal bodyguard.
Decoy Backstory: Chapter 4 of the novelization of The Umbrella Chronicles begins with Ada retelling her childhood to Leon shortly after meeting him. According to her, she was born in Saigon during the Vietnam War to a wealthy Chinese family. Her family had to flee to the United States when she was three and were cheated out of their fortunes by the man who smuggled them into the country. What she doesn't tell him is that the entire story is a fabrication she told to test how gullible he was. Her true backstory remains unknown.
Defrosting Ice Queen: Resident Evil 2 has Ada not caring too much for Leon's well-being and will ditch him whenever she can. Being sent to recover the G-Virus may also be a part of it. However, after Leon takes the bullet that was meant for Ada, she starts to warm up to him and she tosses down a rocket launcher while he's fighting a mutated Mr. X. The remake has her acting a lot harsher towards Leon as she complains about saving him after she told him to get out of the city. She does eventually warm up to him and compared to the original game, she's a bit nicer overall.
Double Reverse Quadruple Agent: Aside from a fondness for Leon that she doesn't generally let get in the way of her own objectives, Ada's loyalties fluctuate wildly, with her seemingly working for a new organization with every new release.
Dragon Lady: She's a seductive, coy, intelligent, and highly manipulative Chinese woman.
Dragon with an Agenda: Whilst she's officially always an employee in all of her appearances other than Resident Evil 6, she always seems to be working her own angle.
The Dreaded: Not a straight-up villainous example, but she was considered this by Annette in Darkside Chronicles when it comes to stealing the G-virus.
Establishing Character Moment: Ada's introduction in 2's remake has her shooting the zombified dog that was attacking Leon and then refusing to explain anything about the situation in Raccoon or why she was there. This establishes Ada's character as a Mysterious Woman and marks the beginning of her tendency of protecting and saving Leon (or giving him the means to save himself).
Even Evil Has Loved Ones:
- Morally ambiguous at best than a villain, but Ada appeared to have genuinely mourned for John after Annette told her John became a zombie.
- Ada also genuinely cares for Leon, despite their conflicting outside loyalties. Ada will go against her employers' orders or delay her own mission if it means helping or keeping Leon out of trouble.
Everyone Has Standards:
- Overlapping with Moral Myopia, Ada is left horrified pondering about what a G-Virus outbreak could entail if a mere t-Virus outbreak caused so much chaos in Raccoon City… then delivers the virus straight into Wesker's hands. Fortunately, little particularly came out of this concern. Although to be fair 1) this is her ticket to getting him in helping her out of the city. 2) the next time Wesker asks for a dangerous viral agent, she gives him a dud (which ironically worked out for him regardless).
- in the remake of 4, when Ada succeeds in retrieving the Las Plagas sample from Leon, she makes a call to Wesker and finds out that his Uroboros plan could exterminate billions. She promptly forces her helicopter pilot to change course at gunpoint rather than giving Wesker the plagas sample.
- Ada is a professional spy who has worked with a number of shady individuals and groups and has no qualms about killing or manipulating people as part of her job. However, even Ada is disgusted the actions of the Big Bad Duumvirate in Resident Evil 6, going so far as putting Carla out of her misery, attempting to do the same to Simmons, and putting a final stop to Carla's experiments by torching her lab at the end of her scenario. Files in 6 also reveal that Ada took issue with Simmons and the Family authorizing the extermination of Raccoon City, cutting all ties and affiliations with them.
Fanservice Pack: Compare Ada's design in the original version of Resident Evil 2 to how she looks in the rest of the franchise. Hell, RE2 and Operation Raccoon City remain the only two games in the entire franchise where Ada doesn't wear heels. Even the remake has her wearing heels.
Femme Fatale: Ada is not above using her beauty and feminine wiles to accomplish her goal, having seduced an Umbrella scientist named John in hopes of using him to steal corporate secrets. She also seems to enjoy keeping Leon on his toes, rarely giving him a straight answer and calling his confusion "cute".
Femme Fatale Spy: Ada is well aware of her looks and is not beyond using them to help her get whatever virus her employer is after. She first had a fake relationship with an Umbrella researcher named John to get information on the B.O.W research he was leading. Then, in the 1998 incident in Racoon City, she played upon Leon's affections in order to get a sample of the G-Virus. That ended up becoming more complicated than she'd planned.
Flanderization: Two counts. First, Ada's Femme Fatale and sexy superspy aspects had increased in every subsequent entry before being toned back down in the remake of RE2. Second, a rare clothing-based example. Ada's red dress went from a fairly conservative sleeveless cocktail dress with black tights in 2 to an ornate, Stripperiffic halter dress that shows off her cleavage, legs, and would be wholly impractical in a mission in RE4. This was also toned down in later entries.
Fragile Speedster: She's the fastest Resident Evil 4 mercenary, but she has the smallest health bar.

G-Z

Girly Bruiser: She prides herself on looking her best, yet she is quite capable of making her punches count. She gives Simmons one hell of a beating in 6.
Girly Run: Part of showing off her femininity, it's especially noticeable in 4. Ada keeps her arms very low and does minimal movement.
Good Scars, Evil Scars: Her epilogue in 3 shows her with a very prominent scar stretching along the right side of her ribcage, a memento of her harrowing experiences in Raccoon City. In one of her only emotionally vulnerable moments, it's a permanent reminder of Ada Wong as she casts off the name.
Grappling-Hook Pistol: Ever since 4, part of Ada's kit is her grappling pistol, which has helped her navigate both quickly and efficiently and gets her out of tight spots. She's also capable of using it offensively to trip up enemies. In the remake of 4, she can use the grapple to close the distance between her and a stunned enemy to deliver a flying kick, and a charm she can buy from the Merchant lets her use it to rip away enemy shields. Chronologically, Wesker first gifted it to her as her only means of escaping Raccoon City, which could explain her fondness for it since.
Guest Fighter: In 2022, she was added to Dead by Daylight as a Survivor along with Rebecca Chambers.
Had to Be Sharp: Her non-canonical backstory in the BIOHAZARD 2 manhua shows that she grew up in an unnamed war-torn nation. To survive, she had to scavenge for food and supplies off of corpses and even killed a kid for some bread.
Handicapped Badass: As shown in Umbrella Chronicles, she's covered in wounds and hasty bandages. All Wesker could do to support her escape from Raccoon City is provide her a grappling hook and coordinates to her only means of escape. For the rest, she single-handedly fought through streets now infested with monsters in a race against the clock.
Heel–Face Revolving Door: While her true motives are shrouded in mystery and she has done immoral deeds, such as her actions in Resident Evil 2, she genuinely seems to be against bioterrorism and wishes to fight it in her own way. Nobody, not even Wesker, knows whose side she's on, and it's even lampshaded in 6.
Helena: "So, this Ada? Can we trust her?"
Leon: "That's... Not an easy question to answer."
Hero Antagonist: Though the term "hero" is debatable, she is a boss character in Operation: Raccoon City to the overtly villainous Wolfpack squad.
Heroic Sacrifice: Subverted in the Leon B scenario in Resident Evil 2. She distracts Mr. X to lure it away from Leon, only to get critically wounded for her efforts. She "dies" in Leon's arms, but she actually passes out from her wounds. Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles reveals that Ada barely escapes the city while still bearing her wounds from Mr. X, but she recovers and eventually meets Leon again in Resident Evil 4.
Hidden Depths: She seems to be just a manipulative and ruthless individual with a streak of self-absorption at first glance, but stories that have allowed for more of a look into her head have shown that she does have her own sense of morals.
Hidden Heart of Gold: Ada might seem like a ruthless gun for hire, but she has been shown to have a compassionate side that she’s very good at hiding from others. She definitely gave Leon the cold shoulder during their reunion in 4, but only because exhibiting any warmth towards him would have raised suspicion with Wesker, who gave Ada the order to kill Leon should she run into him again. She also takes the time to save some civilians in Lanshiang, China from zombies in 6, showing she won’t let innocents die if she can help it.
High-Heel Power: In almost every appearance, she dons high heels to accomplish her goals. Notably present in the 2019 remake of Resident Evil 2, where she wears Louboutin heels, despite wearing flats in the original version.
Impersonating an Officer:
- Her introduction in the 2019 remake of 2 has her pretending to be an FBI agent investigating Umbrella through the aid of Ben Bertolucci.
- Her cover for infiltrating the Eastern Slav Republic in Resident Evil: Damnation is to pretend she's a BSAA agent.
I Work Alone: Just as much as Leon, if not more so, with her being a freelance spy working for various contractors and organizations.
- What may be the only time she was officially partnered with someone was when she was working with Krauser in Resident Evil 4, and that relationship dissolved within about 30 seconds of its introduction.
- Her campaign in 6 was the only one to not have a co-op option until developers patched in a second player named "Agent". He cannot talk or interact in any way with Ada or the environment, has no role in the story, and doesn't appear if the player is in single-player mode or an online co-op partner hasn't been found. For all intents and purposes, Ada is working alone.
Kick Chick: Most of her physical feats are with her legs, her signature melee move since 4 being a "Fan Kick".
Kicking Ass in All Her Finery:
- In 4 she wears a red, floor length halter dress with butterfly embroidery. This doesn't stop her from performing parkour or killing enemies. Her default costume in the remake doesn't qualify, but you can also unlock her original costume's modern updated version which does, as it doesn't do anything to hinder her capability.
- In 6, where her alternate costumes are a white and gold qipao.
- The remake for 2 updated her outfit to a fancier red cocktail dress. Despite favoring more passive routes, Ada is just as capable of killing zombies as Leon or Claire.
Lady in Red: The titular "Bitch in the red dress" per Krauser, her signature color even when on covert missions.
Lady of War: Ada is the most consistently elegant woman in the entire franchise and an incredibly skilled mercenary. Her fighting style is equally elegant, using speed and acrobatics in order to take on much larger and tougher opponents. And in 4 and optionally its remake, you can have her dressed in an elegant dress that accentuates this trait.
Leg Focus: Ada's long and sensual legs have been a focus of her character design since she first appeared in Resident Evil 2.
Leitmotif: Ada's Theme from 2. It's back in 6 and appears once again in her Separate Ways campaign for 4's remake.
Lightning Bruiser: In addition to her many other skills, Ada is a martial arts master capable of going toe to toe with a special government agent like Leon — even though she's never tried to genuinely kill him in these instances of fighting. She also appeared to have gotten physically stronger in Damnation, rushing Leon with great swiftness and him actually struggling a bit as he tries to hold Ada off. Later, after being found out by Svetlana, Ada punted a table at her and then rushed down Svetlana's guard before sending him flying with a kick to the stomach.
Love-Interest Traitor: Ada starts out as one in Resident Evil 2, manipulating Leon to assist in her mission to steal a sample of the G-Virus but claims to have fallen in love with him somehow before apparently dying in his arms (she actually faked it). The remake heavily downplays the "love interest" part by making it clear that Ada is using seduction to get on Leon's good side, and while genuinely fond of him to an extent, is much more keen on taking advantage of his rookie cop naivete to further her own agenda. Since then, their relationship has taken a sour note.
Living Legend: In the "Report About Ada" short story it's revealed that her survival of Raccoon City, along with the retrieval of the G-Virus sample, made her a legend in the world of espionage. At one point, she's noted to be the "best of the best" and her reputation is what allows her to find work so easily, despite her shaky allegiance and mysterious past.
Made of Iron: As per Resident Evil protagonist tradition, Ada is one tough girl to kill. She has canonically suffered gunshot wounds, falls, and explosions that could easily kill a normal person, yet she comes back kicking. Best shown in Umbrella Chronicles which takes place 2 days after the end of 2 where after all of the aforementioned events she's still capable of fighting her way out of Racoon City.
Makeup Weapon: She has a single shot miniature RPG that is disguised in the shape of lipstick in her arsenal.
Manipulative Bitch: She is a master spy, after all. She deceives and manipulates just about every single person she encounters.
Meaningful Name: In Hebrew, the name Ada means "adornment", an accessory or ornament worn to enhance the beauty or status of the wearer. Quite fitting, given Ada's beauty.
Mini-Boss: In Operation: Raccoon City, she's one of the infiltrators the Delta Unit has to take out. She is able to escape them.
More Deadly Than the Male: Ada is perhaps the most dangerous woman in the franchise, a ruthless and cunning mercenary that has outlasted every villain that has sought to use her. She relies as much upon seduction and misdirection as she does her formidable skills as a fighter. While other protagonists are squarely in the heroic category, Ada is more than willing to get her hands dirty to succeed in her missions or protect Leon.
Ms. Fanservice: Ada has often been nominated for the sexiest female character in video game history. Besides being plain gorgeous, the outfits she wears leave little to the imagination, and she is a sultry Femme Fatale who shares very flirty banter with Leon. The camera also loves to focus on her butt in Resident Evil 6. Her dress in Resident Evil 4 also shows off her beautiful legs and while the remake covers her up more with her sweater dress, it’s tighter around her body than the dress and the camera loves to focus on her body, especially when she’s about to fly off the boat she drove for Leon.
Murderous Thighs: Ada will jump on enemies and put them in a chokehold with her legs. Alternatively, she can also perform a couple of wrestling-esque moves from the thigh hold to kill enemies.
Mysterious Past: Nothing is known about her life before she's a spy, not even her real name.
Mysterious Protector: For Leon in 4 and 6.
- In 4 she saves him five times, although Leon is only aware of two of those saves. Her story in Separate Ways shows how, with additional help such as leaving him a shotgun in the village.
- 6 has her supporting him via a helicopter on several occasions, and although Leon is more aware of her presence, he's never quite sure it's her that's helping him; especially after Chris tells him Ada is dead.
Neat Freak: Downplayed, but Ada in the remake of Separate Ways would prefer getting the job done without having to get her hands literally dirty.
- When inspecting the toilet in the village manor, Ada's response is that it could use a cleaning.
- If Ada shoots down a hanging treasure into a pit of manure in the farm, she re-evaluates just how much she needs the treasure and refuses to pick it up. This contrast with Leon in the main story that can do the same thing but will still pick up the dirty (and less valuable) treasure.
- In the underground waterways, Ada would also refuse to swim through the murky water to follow Luis, opting to find a way to drain the entire waterway to walk through it.
Nerves of Steel: One of her most inspiring traits is her strength of will; Ada is not a woman easily shaken. It's most noticeable in the remake of 2 when compared to Leon and Claire, even as a new spy, not once does she ever show external fear of the zombies lunging at her or Mr. X chasing her down the hallway, only exasperatedly replying how much of a persistent bastard he is. It's only ever really subverted in her ending in 6 when she emotionally breaks down while destroying Carla's laboratory.
No Sympathy:
- In 2's remake, upon encountering Robert Kendo and Emma, his daughter who is slowly succumbing to the infection, Ada's first response is to tell him to move so she can kill her.
  Ada: Step aside. We need to terminate her before she turns.
  Robert: "Terminate"? That's my fucking daughter!
- Similarly, her sympathies for Helena being forced to fight and kill her mutated sister leave something to be desired.
  Ada: You should put her down... if you have any sympathy left for her.
  Helena: Just stop it, Deborah! This isn't you!
  Ada: Don't tell me you're still crying. She's trying to kill you.
  Helena: Don't you think I know that?
- The remake of 4 has Ada start out like this, dismissing Ashley as a lost cause during her first meeting with Leon and telling him to abandon her to Las Plagas. She does point him towards her in later parts, however, and distracts Saddler long enough that Leon can cure himself and Ashley.
Not So Stoic:
- She quietly mourns for her boyfriend John after Annette told her John became a zombie in the first game. Her tone of voice speaks volumes about what she's thinking.
- It's a bit subtle in 6; however, one can actually notice her struggling to maintain her composure from the events of the game. Then all of it comes to a head at the end of the game where Ada, fed up with all of the chaos and horror the Big Bad Duumvirate has caused, furiously destroys Carla's lab stationed in China by unloading clip after clip of her gun, setting the place ablaze.
- In Damnation, she is also visibly irritated in her fight with Svetlana, considering that for once her adversary had the upper hand on her.
- In Separate Ways for the 4 remake, she's visibly trying to keep her composure while struggling through the Plagas infection.
On the Rebound: Subverted. She fell for Leon hours after learning that her boyfriend was dead, but this was of course merely her cover story. John was long dead by then, and Ada used the excuse of looking for him to cover up her actual mission. While she genuinely came to care for Leon, it's unknown whether she ever cared about John at all.
One-Woman Army: She's practically the female counterpart to Leon in this regard. Some of her most impressive feats include: escaping Raccoon City on her own half-dead, tearing through the undead hordes, loose B.O.W.S., and a Tyrant R; fighting off the last stand of Saddler's armada composed of hundreds of men and a warship, obliterating them all. Then in 6, she's the only protagonist without a partner yet went through an army of undead and powerful B.O.W.S. with ease.
Only Known by Their Nickname: It's stated in her epilogue card in Resident Evil 3 that "Ada Wong" is not her true name, as she appears to be casting off the name/identity after the events of 2. However, she is still using the name in subsequent games. Files in 6 illustrate that "Ada Wong" is indeed a pseudonym, and that her true name is still a mystery.
Overt Operative:
- Ada is a spy and infiltrator specializing in stealth, but usually runs around in vibrantly colored red dresses and high heels. Even her most practical outfit ever in 6 still involves high-heeled boots and a crimson blouse while she's sneaking around.
- In the 2019 remake of Resident Evil 2, Ada doesn't even pretend that she's an ordinary civilian, instead declaring that she's a government agent; in the 2nd story trailer, she even dismisses Leon's question by claiming that it's "classified". Though, of course, that's just a cover for what she really is.
Parental Abandonment: Her backstory in the RE2 manhua states that she didn't have parents growing up, but whether it was because they abandoned her or they died is unclear.
Passive Rescue: Her preferred method of getting Leon out of whatever trouble he's found himself in is to give him something that gives him an edge in the situation. However, she has also put herself on the line to help him.
Physical Scars, Psychological Scars: The epilogue of Nemesis shows that she escaped Raccoon City with a large scar on her right side. Although it notes that she would drop the "Ada" identity, she starts crying and ultimately keeps the identity. She's unable to shed "Ada", just like she's unable to get rid of the scar or forget the events that she went through.
Plague Doctor: Concept art◊ of her in Village has her dressed as a Plague Doctor in order to fit in with the locals while she investigated the area.
Play-Along Prisoner: In Damnation, she is captured and taken to a secret government laboratory. This was her goal all along, and she's amused at how easy it was to get brought there.
Proper Tights with a Skirt: Her outfit in RE2make is a cocktail dress with black pantyhose, giving her a mature and elegant look that shows she cares about her appearance, even in a Zombie Apocalypse.
Protagonist Without a Past: Capcom has given her no canon past for anything prior to 1998. There is no information on where she was born, what her childhood was like, and even her birth name remains unknown.
Red and Black and Evil All Over: Subverted. Although those are Ada's colors, she's far from being evil.
Red Is Heroic: She's often shown wearing red shirts or dresses and serves as a morally ambiguous Anti-Hero.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: The Red to Carla's Blue in 6, which is technically an inversion, since they're those colors in dress only. If anything, Ada's temperament better fits the description of the Blue Oni than her counterpart.
Second Love: Though they're aware that their relationship is complicated, Leon pines for her after his breakup with his first girlfriend in the original games.
Sexy Slit Dress: Ada wears a long dress with a thigh-high slit in Resident Evil 4, continuing her trend of looking her best no matter her situation. The slit is functional too, as her entire inventory is strapped to her leg, and the length of the slit allows her to run, flip, and kick without being restricted by the dress.
She-Fu: Her fighting style is primarily acrobatics and feints, using her speed and grace to bring down what are usually larger and stronger enemies.
Ship Tease: She and Leon have this, though with widely differing portrayals between the original games and CGI movies versus the later Darker and Edgier remakes.
- Originally, they were depicted as having "complicated" but mutual feelings of attraction, particularly in Damnation, where a commentary by the staff revealed that her and Leon's dialogue was designed to imply the pair might actually have met in-between the events of 4 and 6 and gone on a normal date.
- The remakes of 2 and 4, however, opt to heavily downplay their attraction and even deconstruct it, instead putting more emphasis on the toxic nature of a Femme Fatale using seduction to get a (then) naïve person to do what she wants, regardless of any genuine affections she may or may not secretly have for him, which results in Leon growing to distrust Ada and preferring to avoid having anything more to do with her unless no other option is given.
Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Downplayed. Ada is drawn towards Leon's kindness and incorruptible sense of heroism, causing her to go out of her way to do right by him even if it risks jeopardizing her own mission. But in true Femme Fatale fashion, she never expresses any real desire to enter a serious or committed relationship with him, and is shown to be more interested in the "thrill" of their semi-adversarial encounters as well as how to keep using him to her advantage.
Signature Move: In all of her appearances since 4, Ada has favored performing Fan Kicks in combat.
Simple, yet Opulent: Her dress in 4 has little decoration other than the butterfly embroidery.
Stealth Expert: As a professional spy and industrial saboteur, Ada excels at slipping around unnoticed.
The Straight and Arrow Path: The crossbow is a recurring weapon for Ada in some of her playable appearances. She uses it in the Extreme Battle minigame in 2, the Separate Ways side game in 4, and again as her starting weapon in 6. Concept art for Village have also depicted her with the weapon.
Street Urchin: The non-canon manhua shows that her childhood was spent on the street scavenging for food from dead soldiers and civilians.
Sugar-and-Ice Personality: As a professional spy, Ada maintains an aloof, calm, and collected composure in any situation, and more often than not it seems that she is simply stringing Leon along to further her agenda. However, it becomes increasingly clear over the series that not only does she genuinely care for Leon's well-being (going out of her way to help and save him, even with orders of his execution or when she really doesn't have to), but she is also quite capable of compassion. This is easily demonstrated in her personal game scenarios, especially in Resident Evil 6 wherein she has numerous Pet the Dog moments.
Sunglasses at Night: Ada wears sunglasses in both 2's remake and 4, which take place during the night. Justified as she uses them to conceal her identity.
Sympathy for the Devil: For Carla Radames in Resident Evil 6 after learning what Simmons did to her. She even says she would have gladly helped her take revenge on Simmons if Carla hadn't also been trying to destroy the world.
Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: The remake version of Separate Ways makes it clear this is the case between her and Wesker. Wesker only sees her as a valuable asset to obtain the Master Plagas and nothing more, and Ada doesn't even enjoy working with him despite giving her equipment to use to obtain it. He even threatens her several times, but doesn't go through with it because he needs her for the plagas. Eventually, she decides to make a break for it when she finds out Wesker needing the plagas could kill millions.
Tender Tomboyishness, Foul Femininity: Ada is the feminine to Claire's tomboy. While Ada is more girly in appearance; wearing dresses, high heels, and obvious makeup, she is also more cold and standoffish to those around her and has much more combat training than Claire. Claire, on the other hand, is a motorcycle-riding tomboy who generally dresses in shirts and jeans and is extremely protective of children, with a soft, maternal side, and is overall a nice person until someone gives her a reason not to be.
Thinking Out Loud: Ada has a habit of speaking her thoughts out loud regardless of what she's thinking about. It's especially prevalent in 6 where she spends most of the game by herself.
Tranquil Fury: How she normally expresses anger, as she is always trying her darnedest to remain collected and composed during her missions. The end of her scenario in 6 spectacularly shows us what happens when she takes out the "Tranquil" part of this trope.
Trickster Mentor: She's usually the one that really knows what is going on, giving Leon the information or subtle guidance he needs to survive. However, she enjoys messing with him far too much to just explain things to him. By the time of RE6, he's learned to just go with Ada's lead and accept that it will work out in his favor at some point.
Villain Killer: Separate Ways, Ada's playable sub-scenario in 4, has her taking on an entire battleship of 400-500 soldiers and killing them all. She also slays Krauser for good after he barely survived his fights with Leon. In 6, it is Ada who kills Carla Radames, the Big Bad of the game.
Villainesses Want Heroes: Ada is an amoral Femme Fatale Spy who will happily hurt, manipulate and backstab anyone including Leon himself sometimes, but her one redeeming trait and weakness is that, beneath the mountain of lies and betrayals, a part of her does genuinely care about Leon and will help him out even to the point of potentially jeopardizing her own safety. Downplayed, however, given the fact that she also sees him as a valuable pawn who's much more useful to her alive rather than dead.
Waif-Fu: While Ada relies on Combat Parkour to get an edge over most enemies, her kicks are very powerful for a woman her size, allowing her to deal with enemies larger and stronger than her. She's even able to give Simmons a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown with her fists.
What You Are in the Dark: Despite working for people willing to use bioterror for profit or to take over the world and her Chronic Backstabbing Disorder, every time Ada is truly alone, she does something that makes it clear she is against the worst evils of bioterrorism.
Wild Card: Ada is basically a free agent who works for people only when convenient and always to further her own goals. Although she does seem to be against bioterrorism, she'd rather fight it on her own terms than permanently ally herself with the heroes. While she does show some degree of genuine concern towards Leon, even he's been on the business end of her gun several times.
The Worf Effect: Being one of the strongest Badass Normals in the series, the only time she was bested in a fight was against Svetlana in Damnation, which proved why she was the nation's president.
Wrestler in All of Us: In 6, she has both a hurricanrana and a brainbuster as melee moves despite being a Lightning Bruiser.

"A job huh? Sure, my schedule just cleared."

Characters / Resident Evil - Ada Wong

Ada Wong (real name unknown)

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Characters / Resident Evil - Ada Wong

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Ada Wong (real name unknown)

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