The Knife (sometimes called the Combat Knife) is a melee weapon featured in every Resident Evil game except Survivor and Dead Aim. Due to its short range and low damage, it is often seen as a weapon of last resort, used when players have no ammunition left. However, skilled players can use the Knife as an effective tool for conserving ammo, and the Knife itself has become a more effective weapon as the series goes on.
Initially, the Knife was a standalone item; it takes up a space of the inventory and can be discarded in an Item Box. In Resident Evil 4, however, the Knife becomes a part of the character's permanent equipment rather than being a standalone item; players only need to hold down a button to draw it. Resident Evil 5 and Operation Raccoon City follow this mechanic, but in the latter game, the Knife is incorporated into a character' default melee attacks instead of being drawn. In Resident Evil 6, the feature of holding down a button to draw the Knife was discarded, but the Knife is still a permanent piece of equipment. Almost every character in the series begins the game with a Knife in their inventory.
Although the Knife is weak against most enemies, some enemies receive a great deal of more damage from it. In some games (such as Code: Veronica), the Knife can also deal multiple hits if swung at a precise moment, greatly increasing its effectiveness.
Comparison
| Game | Display Title | Description | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resident Evil 0 | |||
In Resident Evil games
Resident Evil Zero
The Knife that is featured resembles a KA-BAR. The knife attacking animations for Rebecca and Billy are the same ones used by Jill and Chris from the Gamecube release of Resident Evil.
Billy starts with one in his inventory and another can be found in the Second Class private room B. The knife is very weak and should only be used when zombies are down to conserve ammo.
Two knives can be found in Leech Hunter. Both can be found on both item patterns. One is in the Cafeteria and the other is by the typewritter in the Meeting place.
- Examine: Knife
"A knife designed for self-defense." |
Resident Evil (1996)
"This doesn't seem to be enough for this mission." |
Both Jill and Chris starts off with the COMBAT KNIFE in their inventory. Chris uses his knife with a normal stance while Jill carries hers upside down and swipes when she uses it.
The knife is the weakest weapon in the game and shouldn't be used to take on enemies directly. It's best for the very beginning of the game when player starts with nearly no ammunition. The knife can be stored in the item box once the player reaches the first save room.
Resident Evil: Deadly Silence
The knife has been updated to work as it does in Resident Evil 4 (see below). It no longer takes up inventory space and but can be used at any time. When playing on rebirth mode, the player can wiggle the stylus on the touch screen to stab zombies in the face when being grabbed. This leads to instant death for the enemy.
The game also features its own minigame where players use the knife in first-person perspective while in Rebirth Mode called "Master of Knifing".
In her alternate costume, Rebecca's knife will be replaced by a yellow pom-pom.
Resident Evil (2002)
Similar to the Original, both characters start off with a knife in their inventory and an extra one can be found in the room with the Black Tiger. Jill and Chris use different knives, and the extra one will appear identical to their unique knife, however all the knives have the display name "Survival knife".
Jill uses a smaller knife than Chris. When Jill uses her knife, she swings it vertically when aiming straight ahead, a horizontal swing when aiming up, and a leaning in stab when aiming downward.
"A mid-size lightweight survival knife. Jill's personal protection knife used for close encounters." |
Chris uses his own knife from his days in the Air-Force. It is noticeably bigger than Jill's and does more damage. When Chris uses his knife, he swing outward when aimed forward, swinged inward when aimed up, and uses the same step in and stab when aimed down.
"Carbon-reinforced alloy blade with serrated edges. Chris has been using it since his days in the Air Force." |
The extra knife uses the description;
"It's a survival knife. Comes in handy in desperate situations." |
While not used like the Survival knife, both characters have access to Daggers which are defense items. However these items cannot be used again so the player will have to find more scattered around the mansion.
Resident Evil 2
"A combat knife. It could come in handy..." |
Called just Knife. Leon and Claire both start with one in their inventories in the main game and Tofu starts with one as his only weapon in The Tofu Survivor minigame. It retains its properties from the original Resident Evil but is now even weaker.
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis
"Dagger knife for self-defense." |
Unlike most of the games, the player does not start with the knife on either difficulty. The player can find it in the upstairs save room of the Warehouse. This weapon will be the weakest of all, but it's good to deal with knocked down enemies, such as zombies or zombie dogs. Carlos can also find this weapon in an item box. Nikolai will sport this weapon, along a Handgun in the Operation: Mad Jackal minigame. However, this weapon will be rather more useful than in the main game as it will give the player more TIME and POINTS for a foe's death. Killing every enemy, Nikolai will gain x8 of original time that can be gained by the using guns. Also, to gain this extra bonus time, player can just stab the last hit.
Resident Evil CODE:Veronica
"This weapon is a veteran survivor's first choice." |
In Resident Evil CODE:Veronica, the Combat Knife would see a boost to its efficiency. Properly timed swipes at enemy zombie's legs could result in causing the zombie to collapse to the ground, buying either Chris or Claire Redfield time to either use their firearm on a less mobile enemy, or continue to stab at them. Additionally, properly placed swipes of the knife could result in multiple strikes on an enemy in a single attack, allowing for the possibility of killing zombies before they can get back to their feet. It is interesting to note that the knife in this game is a S.T.A.R.S. knife. When you examine it closely (its easier in the HD version) you can see that STARS is written on the blade. All characters use horizontal swings with the knife.
One knife can be found in the first room of the game on the desk next to Rodrigo. When you start the section where you play as Chris, he will have a knife in his inventory. Another knife can be found when playing as Chris in the mansion where Claire is being held to allow you to cut her free. Every character in the Battle Game minigame start with start with a knife in their inventory with the it being Wesker's only weapon (however the player can still find the magnum in the casino room mid-game).
Rodrigo Raval will only be equipped with this weapon in Survivor 2.
Outbreak series
Resident Evil Outbreak and File #2 feature three kinds of knives. They function like the previous games. The weapon is used by upper cutting, stabbing, or slashing across but most of the enemies don't react to the attack, and thus it is a very ineffective weapon that should only be used as a last resort against zombies. Although everyone can use it the only one who can make it effective is David because he has a unique three hit combo in the first title and a fourth hit in the second title.
An experienced player can use David's knife combo effectively which will make it a viable weapon against monsters, especially the Zombies and also it is harder to do so but hitting birds and other flying enemies will be made easier. Also a good player can make knives effective with Cindy Lennox thanks to her moderate hit rate, and her special duck action which can avoid any attack.
While the knife is weak to most normal enemies, some boss type enemies take extra damage from knives such as Nyx and the Dorothy plant who take 150% damage.
Butcher Knife
The Butcher Knife is a strong, dangerous knife used by Butchers. It can be found in several scenarios such Outbreak and Wild things. David King can create a Spear using combining this knife with a Long Pole and piece of his Vinyl Tape.
Folding Knife
The Folding Knife can be also found in several scenarios and it's the weakest of all by only doing a damage of 40HP to foes. David always carries one on his Toolbox and if he (or other David character types) don't have a weapon, they'll use it as a main weapon.
Survival Knife
The Survival Knife is found only in the Below Freezing Point and Desperate Times scenarios. It can also be found in File #2's showdown minigames. It is the most powerful knife available to the player as it does 90HP of damage to any foe, and since it doesn't break (like a melee weapon) it is recommended to be used once it is found. This weapon is especially useful against Thanatos in Showdown because it will deal five times more damage to it.
Resident Evil 4
Leon holding his knife in Resident Evil 4.
In Resident Evil 4, Leon Kennedy uses his knife quite frequently throughout the entire game. The knife is always present, does not take up any space in his inventory, and is mapped to a different button than Leon's currently equipped firearm. Through normal gameplay it is used against Los Ganados, as well as to break open boxes that may contain useful items (or snakes). The player can automatically use the knife by swinging the Wii remote, prepping it by holding the L button or holding down the L1 button. The knife is also used in major battles such as the El Gigante fights, the cutscene fight with Jack Krauser, and the final encounter with Osmund Saddler. After Ada Wong saves Leon from Krauser by shooting his (Krauser's) knife from his hand, Leon keeps it, and Krauser replaces it with an identical one. After finding Ada captured by Saddler, Leon uses Krauser's knife to cut Ada down.
When Leon is equipped with his Mobster Costume, Leon uses a silver switchblade with some jewels set in it. This knife is a double edge stiletto. Leon, Krauser and Ada are the only characters to use a knife in The Main Game, and The Mercenaries. In the Mercenaries, Krauser wields his knife differently, he holds the grip with the blade facing the opposite direction. His knife attack also has wide range, giving him advantage of hitting enemies around him.
Ada uses a folding knife. Ada's knife is some sort of rotational lock-in knife where the actual knife is tucked inside the grip itself, most notably via the model and in one cutscene where Ada grabs her knife, unlocks it and stabs Leon with it in self-defense.
Ada's knife is usable in Separate Ways only in the PS2/PC 2007 Port, and it's not available in the GameCube version due to the obvious lack of Separate Ways, however starting with the Wii and all later versions it is now usable through the whole game modes, including Assignment Ada and The Mercenaries.
A player could hit projectiles away that were thrown at them with just a knife swing (arrows and scythes). This has to be done in a perfect timing. When fighting Krauser in his mutated form in both the main game and Separate Ways, the knife does a very large amount of damage to him. It only takes a handful of hits to defeat him.
Resident Evil 5
The achievement/trophy icon showing off Chris Redfield's knife in Resident Evil 5.
In Resident Evil 5, the knife retains most of its usefulness from the previous game. Several of the context sensitive "Help" animations depict the characters using their knives to rescue their partners from bad situations, such as being absorbed into Uroboros, impaled by a Licker β's tongue, or latched on to by Bui Kichwa. Each character uses their own knife and they all do the same amount of damage to enemies. Sheva is also the only character who uses the knife in some of her various melee attacks, Impale, Throat Slit, and Double Fang.
Compared to its RE4 counterpart, the knife does very little damage - it's a bit slower than the knife from the previous game and it only deals 50 damage per strike, similar to an un-upgraded VZ61, . The Majini's are also heavily armed with large kukri knives, and axes.
The award "Be The Knife", (Achievement for Xbox 360 and Trophy for PS3) can be earned by hitting away a Bowgun arrow with your knife. There's another achievement/trophy called "A Cut Above" and it's awarded when the player kills five enemies with the knife.
Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D
There is a basic Knife that is part of Jill's default load out that has to be equipped. It is otherwise used the same way as it was in RE5. Krauser's Knife has also become its own equipable item and is part of his default load out. Using either knife counts as a melee kill and will give players the +5 seconds bonus.
Krauser will swing his knife in the same manor as he did in RE4 and regardless of what load out equipped, he will still use his knife for certain melee attacks and during his taunt.
Also, while not an item, HUNK uses retractable blades as part of his melee attacks in this game.
Resident Evil Revelations
The knife is still always available to the player. The knife is a sub-weapon along with grenades. They are used by pressing the X button. Because the knife is not held out, it now auto aims up or down to hit enemies. However, the player can still use the knife in a desired direction by aiming the main weapon pressing X. All the knives are displayed to have ∞ (infinity) as ammo.
There a few different "knife" type sub-weapons used depending on which character and costume you play as.
Large Knife
Large Knife
In Campaign Mode, Jill uses this knife in Chapter 1 in the beach while Chris uses the knife in Chapter 2 during the search for Il Veltro's hideout. Parker also uses this knife during the Terragrigia incident. All characters except Jill uses the swinging motion while Jill stabs quickly at the enemy. In Raid Mode, Jill is equipped with this knife in her Costume 2 while Chris is equipped with this in his Costume 1. Parker uses this knife in both of his Costume 2 and 3. Jessica is equipped with this knife in her Costume 1 and 3. Clive, Morgan, Raymond, Jack Norman, and Quint Costume 2 also uses this type of knife and use the swing motion.
Small Knife
Small Knife
A small knife is used by Jill that she stabs quickly with. The same small knife is used by Chris in his diving outfit but still performs the regular swing. In Raid Mode, Jill is equipped with this knife in her Costume 1 while Chris uses this knife in his Costume 2. Jessica is also equipped with this knife in her Costume 2 but unlike Jill, she uses the swing motion instead of JIll's stabbing motion. Both knives do the same amount of damage.
Parker's Axe
Parker's Axe
Parker in his Diving outfit uses an axe. It is stronger than the knives and is swung with force diagonally. In Raid Mode, he is equipped with his axe in his Costume 1.
Keith's Kukri
Keith's Kukri
Keith uses a pair of kukris that can hit enemies twice with one button press. He swings them downward. He also uses them during his melee attack which is a knife combo. Keith also has the added benefit of doing 100% more knife damage in Raid Mode due to his "CC Mastery" skill.
Note: Evident from the damage displayed in Raid Mode, each hit of does the same amount of damage as the other knives. Because Keith is described to do "100% more" while in Raid mode, this could mean while in Campaign mode each kukri hit actually does half as much damage as the knives. (Making them total to the same amount of damage if both hits land.)
In the Port versions of Revelations, Keith has a DLC costume that puts him in a ninja outfit which reskins his kukris into ninja swords for his knife and melee attacks.
Resident Evil 6
The knife returns in Resident Evil 6 as Leon and Chris' default load-out in both of their campaigns. Unlike Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5, the player needs to equip the knife as opposed to holding a button to draw the knife. The knife however, will always stun enemies when aiming it on the enemy's head. The knife comes in two different variations, the Survival Knife and the Combat Knife.
The Survival Knife's description.
The Survival Knife is exclusive to Leon in his campaign and inflicts less damage. It is only useful as a last resort when the player has ran out of ammo and should not be used when there are still bullets left unless the player is skilled. Alternatively if the player swing the knife at the foot it will drop the zombies on there back, allowing you to more swings on the zombie and conserve a lot of ammo. It is best to use this when you are on your back. When using the Quick Shot with this weapon, Leon will lunge towards an enemy while swinging it, stunning an enemy and also taking away a bar of stamina. His evasive movement will also change when this weapon is equipped. He will still be able to fall and lie on his back and also perform a forward dive, but he will sidestep to either sides instead of diving.
The Combat Knife, exclusive to Chris, is noticeably larger in comparison with the Survival Knife but still deals minimal damage. However, what sets them apart is the ability of the Quick Shot. While Leon swings the knife once, Chris' ability with this knife is that he is able to swing the knife twice in succession when using the Quick Shot, stunning an enemy who is hit. While he has similar evasive movement to Leon's, he does not fall and lie on his back but instead steps back and swings the knife twice in succession in an attempt to hit an enemy, the same way the Stun Rod's Quick Shot animation works.
Combat Knife's description
In the Mercenaries mode, Jake Muller is equipped with the Survival Knife in his alternate costume while Chris is equipped with the Combat Knife in his default costume as their default load-out. Jake also uses the Combat Knife in his alternate costume load-out alongside the semi-auto rifle in Siege mode.
Chronicles series
Template:Infobox In Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, all playable characters can use a knife. The knife only hits enemies up close.
The knife is usable in the same was in Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles. Both Claire and Krauser's melee attack involves the knife. In Memories of a Lost City, Claire uses Chris' old custom made S.T.A.R.S. combat knife as seen in the first cutscene, her melee is a slash to the throat followed by a snap kick, and Krauser still uses his knife from Resident Evil 4, his melee involves a spinning backhand fist, followed by a slash to the throat from the behind. Wesker also left his custom S.T.A.R.S. knife behind so that Chris would see it and be aware of Wesker's presence at the end of the Code Veronica scenario. He used it to engrave I won this game on a pillar.
Note: Partner characters will also use the knife when they are seen on screen if zombies get to close.
Resident Evil Operation Raccoon City
The knife has become a very powerful melee attack in Operation Raccoon City against zombies and Government Spec Ops troops. Claire seems to be using the same S.T.A.R.S knife in Operation Raccoon City that she was using in the Darkside Chronicles as the handle is exactly the same.
Further notes
- In Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, on Hard mode, takes 14 hits to defeat zombies, 8 hits for the Cerberuses, 1 hit to defeat crows, 19 hits to defeat the Drain Deimos/Brain Sucker, 14 Hits to defeat Hunters (beta and gamma), 12 hits to defeat web spinners, The Graver Digger takes more than 80 hits to be defeated, Nemesis (first/second mutation except in the dead factory that he can be defeated with just around 40 hits, which might take about 4 minutes to do this with out taking any damage) around 90 hits but it takes up to 150 knife hits to defeat him in his final mutation.
- The list of enemies vulnerable to a Knife includes: Lickers (Outbreak onwards), Thanatos, Jack Krauser, Osmund Saddler (Separate Ways boss fight), Suspended, Giant Leech, Dorothy, Nyx, "G" (Outbreak #2), and Giga Bite.
- Claire Redfield during her time at TerraSave was shown to have a combat knife during the events of BIOHAZARD - Heavenly Island, although she was forced to use it early in the story to pin a heavily-mutated fish that had revived itself.
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