# Chris Redfield > Chris Redfield is a 2009 character meme from *Resident Evil 5*, defined by his iconic boulder-punching scene and "Chrisposting" copypastas where he desperately tries to get Leon Kennedy to marry his sister Claire. Chris Redfield is a long-running internet meme built around the constantly changing appearance and absurd moments of the *Resident Evil* protagonist, most famously his boulder-punching scene in *Resident Evil 5* (2009). The character's dramatic physical transformations across games and the fan-created "Chrisposting" joke format, where Chris desperately tries to get Leon Kennedy to marry his sister Claire, have made him one of gaming's most memed characters. ## Origin Chris Redfield debuted as one of two playable protagonists (alongside Jill Valentine) in Capcom's *Resident Evil* for PlayStation on March 22, 1996[5]. Created by director Shinji Mikami and designer Isao Ohishi, Chris was described by designer Hideki Kamiya as a "blunt, tough-guy type"[5]. In that first game, he was a standard-issue action hero with no particularly meme-worthy qualities. The meme origin traces to *Resident Evil 5* (2009), where Capcom gave Chris a massive muscular redesign. Modeler Yosuke Yamagata explained the increased muscle mass was meant to show Chris had trained to fight the villain Albert Wesker bare-handed[5]. The result was so extreme that GameSpot gave Chris the dubious honor of "Character Most Likely to Fail a Performance-Enhancing Drug Test" in their 2009 awards[3]. IGN's reader poll placed him on a "Top 10 Most Overrated Videogame Characters" list that same year, with editors writing "Somebody obviously fed Chris a few too many steroids"[2]. The boulder-punching scene from *RE5* quickly became the meme's signature moment, with the KYM entry noting it as "one of the most well known and joked about" scenes in the entire franchise[4]. - **Platform:** Gaming forums, 4chan - **Creator:** Unknown (community-created from Capcom's Resident Evil series) - **Date:** 2009 ## Overview Chris Redfield first appeared in *Resident Evil* (1996) as a relatively normal-looking special operations officer fighting zombies and bioweapons[5]. Over the following decades, Capcom redesigned him so many times that tracking his appearance became a joke in itself. He went from an average guy in the GameCube remake to a freakishly muscular action hero in *RE5*, then to a completely unrecognizable figure in *RE7*, and finally to a wide, jowl-heavy brick of a man in *RE Village*[1]. The meme has two main pillars. The first is the boulder punch: a scene in *Resident Evil 5* where Chris literally punches a massive boulder out of his way, which became one of the most joked-about moments in the series[4]. The second is Chrisposting, a 4chan-born copypasta format where Chris obsessively schemes to get Leon Kennedy to impregnate his sister Claire and "continue the Redfield bloodline"[4]. ## How It Spread After *RE5* made Chris a punchline, each new game appearance added fuel. In *Resident Evil 7* (2017), Chris showed up looking like a completely different person. Producer Masachika Kawata acknowledged moving away from the "macho superhero" design, while director Kōshi Nakanishi felt the previous look wouldn't suit the new game's engine[5]. Fans were confused not just by the visual overhaul but by Chris's apparent affiliation with the Umbrella Corporation, longtime villains of the series[6]. Modders then discovered a hidden Chris Redfield character model inside the *Resident Evil 2* remake's PC files in early 2019. The model used his *RE7* appearance and replaced Leon's Noir costume slot, suggesting Capcom used it for internal testing[6]. This discovery fed into the growing joke that Chris was stalking Leon across games. **Chrisposting** exploded on 4chan following the *Resident Evil 2* remake's release in January 2019. Fans noticed Claire's flirting with Leon in the game, which within a week spawned the "Continue the Redfield Bloodline" copypasta format[4]. The joke imagines Chris desperately plotting to get Leon to date and impregnate Claire, complete with photoshopped in-game documents. One popular example mimics an *RE2* file: "Leon. This is Chris. I have an important mission for you. Do not contact Ada. I have broken her cellphone and destroyed her car with a boulder"[1]. When the *Resident Evil Village* trailer dropped in June 2020, Chris appeared yet again with an entirely new look. Polygon described him as having turned into "an absolute brick of a man" with a "jowl-y, wider, much more intimidating" build and an "extremely well-fitted coat"[1]. The trailer showed Chris shooting protagonist Ethan Winters' wife Mia, prompting fans to fold the scene into Chrisposting lore. The joke became that Chris was tracking down another male protagonist, this time to ruin his life rather than matchmake[1]. Director Morimasa Sato said Chris's morally ambiguous actions in *Village* were intentional, designed to showcase the character's progression for longtime fans[5]. ## How to Use Chris Redfield memes take several common forms: **Boulder Punching Format:** Take any situation involving an obstacle or problem. Apply Chris's solution: just punch it. Often paired with screenshots or GIFs of the actual boulder scene from *RE5*. Works well for "when someone says violence doesn't solve anything" setups. **Chrisposting / Redfield Bloodline:** Write an increasingly unhinged message from Chris to Leon (or another male character), pleading with them to date Claire. The funnier versions include absurd escalation, like Chris destroying property, threatening rivals, or offering bizarre incentives. The format typically mimics in-game document styling or letter formatting. **Design Comparison:** Place Chris's wildly different appearances from each game side by side. The joke writes itself, given he looks like a different person in nearly every entry. Comparisons often emphasize the contrast between his normal GameCube remake look, his steroid-era *RE5* build, and his everyman *RE7* redesign[1]. **Stalker Chris:** Photoshop Chris into other games, movies, or situations where he's lurking in the background, watching a male character. This format grew after the *Village* trailer made him look more like the pursuing Mr. X from *RE2* than a hero[1]. ## Cultural Impact Chris Redfield's meme status has bled into how Capcom itself handles the character. The company's designers have openly discussed the fan reaction to his changing appearance, with *RE7*'s Nakanishi acknowledging that players found the new Chris "unrecognizable"[5]. Producer Jun Takeuchi noted that fans had long wanted a game featuring both Leon and Chris together due to their popularity, a wish granted in *Resident Evil 6*[5]. The steroid jokes became so widespread that multiple gaming publications ran with them. IGN readers voted Chris onto their most overrated characters list[2], and GameSpot's tongue-in-cheek drug test award captured the general sentiment around his *RE5* design[3]. Urban Dictionary entries lean heavily into the boulder-punching identity, defining him as "The boulderpuncher himself" and joking that he's "responsible for gay awakenings"[7]. The character's meme presence also affected how fans interpreted new *Resident Evil* marketing. When the *Village* trailer showed Chris shooting Mia, the dominant fan response wasn't shock at the plot twist but jokes extending the Chrisposting lore[1]. Polygon noted that while the modern perception of Leon Kennedy is as "a sex symbol and overall smooth operator," Chris feels more like "an over-the-top version of the macho man who gets the job done, no matter the cost"[1]. ## Fun Facts - Chris's *RE7* character model was hidden inside the *Resident Evil 2* remake's PC files, replacing Leon's Noir costume slot. Capcom likely used it for testing and forgot to remove it[6]. - In *Resident Evil Village*, Chris's facial features were based on New Zealand model Geordie Dandy[5]. - The character has been portrayed by actors Wentworth Miller and Robbie Amell in live-action *Resident Evil* films[5]. - Multiple voice actors have played Chris across the franchise, including Roger Craig Smith (*RE5*, *RE6*), David Vaughn (*RE7*), and Jeff Schine (*RE Village*)[5]. - The original 1996 *Resident Evil* used live-action cinematics where Chris was played by Charlie Kraslavsky[5]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is the Chris Redfield meme? Chris Redfield is a *Resident Evil* character who became a meme due to his constantly changing appearance across games, his absurd boulder-punching scene in *RE5*, and the fan-created "Chrisposting" format where he desperately tries to get Leon Kennedy to marry his sister[4]. ### Where did the Chris Redfield meme come from? The meme originated with *Resident Evil 5* in 2009, when Chris's extreme muscular redesign and boulder-punching scene drew widespread mockery from fans and gaming publications[3][4]. ### What does the Chris Redfield meme mean? Depending on the format, it can mock over-the-top masculinity, absurd game design choices, or the running joke that Chris is obsessed with "continuing the Redfield bloodline" by getting Leon to date his sister Claire[1]. ### How do you use the Chris Redfield meme? The most common format is Chrisposting: writing fake messages from Chris to Leon begging him to marry Claire. Other uses include boulder punch reaction images and side-by-side comparisons of his wildly different designs[4]. ### Is the Chris Redfield meme still popular? As of the *Resident Evil Village* trailer in 2020, Chris memes saw a resurgence, with Chrisposting and design comparison formats still circulating on gaming communities and social media[1]. ### Why does Chris Redfield look different in every game? Capcom has redesigned Chris for each major entry. The *RE5* team bulked him up to justify fighting Wesker bare-handed, while *RE7*'s team wanted a more "photorealistic" look, and *Village* changed him yet again[5]. ### What is Chrisposting? Chrisposting is a 4chan meme format that started after the *RE2* remake (January 2019) where fans noticed Claire flirting with Leon. It involves fake messages from Chris scheming to get Leon to impregnate Claire[4]. ### Why did Chris punch a boulder? In *Resident Evil 5*, a boulder blocks the player's path in a volcanic area. Chris punches it repeatedly to move it, a scene that became iconic for its absurdity given it's meant to be a survival horror game[4]. ### Was Chris Redfield hidden in the RE2 Remake? Yes. Modders discovered a fully functional Chris character model based on his *RE7* appearance in the *RE2* remake's PC files. It replaced Leon's Noir costume slot and was likely a testing asset Capcom forgot to remove[6]. ### Why do fans ship Leon and Claire? The *Resident Evil 2* remake included flirtatious dialogue between Leon and Claire, which 4chan users ran with to create the "Redfield Bloodline" joke where Chris aggressively pushes the pairing[4]. ### What is the "Continue the Redfield Bloodline" meme? It's the core Chrisposting joke where Chris Redfield writes desperate, increasingly unhinged letters to Leon Kennedy demanding he marry Claire to produce Redfield heirs. Variations include Chris sabotaging Leon's other love interests[1][4]. ## References 1. [Resident Evil 2 Has a Hidden Chris Redfield Character Model]() 2. [Top 10 Most Overrated Videogame Characters - IGN]() 3. [IGN Presents the History of Resident Evil - IGN]() 4. [Chris Redfield - Know Your Meme]() 5. [Chris Redfield]() 6. [Chris Redfield - Urban Dictionary]() 7. [Character Most Likely to Fail a Performance-Enhancing Drug Test - GameSpot's Best Games of 2009]() 8. [Resident Evil fans can’t help but notice Village’s big Chris Redfield]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/chris-redfield Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library