Ganado

Los Ganados, from the Spanish term for 'herd' or the cattle, are the primary enemies in the game. Ganados are humans who have become infested by the mind-controlling Las Plagas parasites.

Humans infected with the Las Plagas parasites can be controlled by the person in control of the Queen Egg; in this case, Lord Saddler. In one of Ada's reports, she suggests that it is possible that the Queen issues commands through high pitched sound waves.

There are three main types of Ganados found in the game (by order of appearance): Villagers (Los Ganados), Zealots (Los Illuminados) and Militia (Soldiers). Each sub-type of Ganado has his or her individual name, featured in a figure-collecting minigame. An official Capcom walk-through book states that the weapon merchant is also a Ganado. Evidence for this is that his eyes also glow red at night like other Ganados. Strangely, however, he does not attack the player and still serves in his usual manner.

Villagers


The villagers were once peaceful residents of a rural community until they were exposed to the parasites. From that point, they became ruthless savages under Osmund Saddler's control. They continue to carry out farming duties, although their living conditions have deteriorated somewhat. When Leon first arrives at the village, he is immediately attacked by one of the villagers after questioning him about Ashley's whereabouts.

The Ganados' arsenal is comprised mostly of farming tools, and includes pitchforks, hatchets, sickles, knives, torches and dynamite. Upon completion of the game, a series of sketches posing as the background for the credits serves as a flashback to the earlier days of the village. What was once a community distanced from the modern world, populated with farmers and their children, became corrupt as Osmund Saddler arrived, and the workers were infected with spores during the Plaga excavation, causing families to become savage and turn against one another. Ada is seen reading a book about this in the Separate Ways mission in the beginning of the second mission. According to the booklet included with the Biohazard 4: Incubate DVD, the children of the villagers died after they were injected with the Plaga parasites.

Though the Plaga parasites control the hosts' bodies, they induce no obvious alteration of the host body aside from the glowing red eyes.

Zealots
The zealots are members of the Los Illuminados cult and appear in Ramon Salazar's castle. They are dressed in clerical robes bearing the cult's insignia. The color of their robe indicates their rank: black is for the lowest rank, purple for the intermediate rank, and red for the highest rank. The zealots are better equipped than the villagers, using a variety of medieval armaments and some high-ranking zealots wearing bullet-proof masks that make head shots ineffective, and Leader Zealots wearing goat skull masks. They wield weapons such as scythes, flails, crossbows and wooden shields. Smaller numbers carry dynamite or RPGs. They look and behave significantly less human than the village peasants; unlike the villagers who can walk, run, speak and carry out daily tasks normally, the Zealots seem more detached from the world, shuffling around, mumbling "Muere, muere, muere" (Die, die, die), "Morir es vivir" (To die is to live) and "Matalo" (Kill him). Their skin is much paler than that of the villagers, and all of them appear to be bald. Some have crimson lesions or ritual scarification on their faces while others appear to have tattoos covering their faces.

Militia
These soldiers are members of Saddler's mercenary organization, assigned to protect his island complex. They are generally better equipped than other Ganados and can run faster. They can be seen carrying stun rods, flails, wooden shields, RPGs, dynamite, crossbows, and bullet-proof helmets. A few burly soldiers carry massive hammers and thick, bullet-proof metal armor, as well as thick pieces of metal literally welded to their faces. With the exception of J.J., no soldier carries a firearm.

Notable Ganados

 * Dr. Salvador (Chainsaw Man in the Japanese version) Salvador meaning savior, is a villager who wears overalls and a potato sack mask who chases after intruders with his chainsaw. He is far more durable than a regular Ganado, and is capable of decapitating his prey with a single strike. There is also a shorter incarnation of Dr. Salvador, of which there are several of in the mines below Salazar's castle. Unlike most other Ganados, Dr. Salvador's body does not disintegrate after he is killed, a trait he shares with some of the zealots in Salazar's castle. A variation of Dr. Salvador, dubbed Super Salvador in the official guide, also appears in "The Mercenaries" minigame as a sub-boss in the "Waterworld" stage. This variant brandishes a double-bladed flaming chainsaw, is significantly larger and faster, and causes instant decapitation or death upon contact, depending on release version.




 * J.J. is a giant Ganado who wields a minigun and fires it in long bursts, with brief pauses in between. He wears a red beret and an eye patch over his right eye. J.J. also appears in the Mercenaries minigame, as a mini-boss. Like Dr. Salvador, his body does not disintegrate after he is defeated.


 * The Bella Sisters, bella meaning beautiful, are a pair of female chainsaw-wielding Ganados. They wear bandages covering their faces, but are otherwise clothed in the same way as other female Ganados. They appear as an optional boss enemy on Leon's path as well as a mini-boss enemy in The Mercenaries minigame, and Separate Ways of the PlayStation 2, PC, and Wii port of the game.