Ramon Salazar (Resident Evil)

Ramon Salazar
Resident Evil series character
Salazar with his Verdugos. A render of Salazar (flanked by the Verdugos), as he appears in Resident Evil 4
First game	Resident Evil 4
Created by	Shinji Mikami

Ramon Salazar is a fictional character in the video game, Resident Evil 4. He is the castellan of a nearby castle in the village, which is controlled by a religious cult, "Los Illuminados". He stands about four feet tall, and speaks in a high, childlike voice, contrasting to his prematurely aged and wrinkled face (a portrait of Salazar as a healthy youth hangs above a fireplace in the dais room, meaning his aged appearance is directly connected to his assimilation with Las Plagas). This is assumed to be a mutation brought on by his infection with Las Plagas. In the PS2 Minigame, Separate Ways, Ada Wong hypothesises that he has some kind of innate ability to control Plagas and Ganados, and this is how he attracted Saddler's attention. He also appears to be a raving egomaniac, since he feels secure enough to repeatedly 'test' the incredibly dangerous Leon instead of finishing him off-- as well as the fact that he has a three-story mechanical statue of himself in a room of his castle.

Background

File:Salazar's Statue.JPG

Salazar's statue chased Leon

Centuries ago, the first Salazar castellan sealed off a breed of parasites known as "Las Plagas", which were used by Los Illuminados to take control of people and recruit new members.

However, Ramon, the eighth castellan, lived alone with his butler and had no immediate family since childhood. This left him vulnerable to Osmund Saddler's persuasion, who used Salazar's faith in his ancestors to his advantage, convincing Salazar to undo the seal of his ancestors in order to atone for the "sins" of his ancestors. He was also given two mutated bodyguards known as Verdugos. Eventually, he was completely taken over by the power of Las Plagas. Salazar found himself a recluse in his castle close to the village, as he no longer cared for anything but the survival and domination of Las Plagas, which led to his assistance in the capture of the U.S. President's daughter, Ashley Graham. Only his butler knew the truth of his full spiritual incapacitation (aside from Saddler).

File:Ramon Salazar Monster.JPG

Ramon Salazar became a monstrosity after merging with Las Plagas and one of the Verdugos.

In 2004, when U.S. agent Leon S. Kennedy and the president's daughter, Ashley Graham, were escaping from Los Ganados, they found themselves within Salazar's Castle, which was heavily guarded with all sorts of creatures and Ganados. Leon, after overcoming all of Salazar's obstacles and killing one of the Verdugos, came face-to-face with Salazar himself, who mutated with his remaining Verdugo and a massive, unexplained plant-like structure. Whatever reaction took place here created a monster that filled the entire wall of a room, had the Verdugo's face on a long, snakelike neck, Salazar's voice, and two massive tentacles. Attacking the head repeatedly gave Leon access to the rear of the creature, where Salazar himself lay, fused to the creature and encased in an armoured pod. Eventually, the creature was thought to be killed, but not before Salazar's men took the captive Ashley out of Leon's reach once more,he still broke out of the monster he was bonded to,he survived when Leon thought he killed him and Salazar went back to the castle.

His diminuative stature, egomania, and style of dress draws a comparison to the stereotypical view of Napoleon Bonaparte (though incorrect, as Napoleon was taller than most Europeans and certainly most Frenchmen for his time).