- Primary Subject: Grace Ashcroft
- Key Update: As a civilian FBI desk clerk thrust into field combat, Grace’s character growth is uniquely tied to gameplay mechanics that physically stabilize her aim and increase her resilience over time.
- Status: Confirmed
- Last Verified: March 11, 2026
- Quick Answer: Grace Ashcroft is a dual-protagonist in Resident Evil Requiem whose transformation from a panicked civilian to a hardened agent is told through subtle gameplay upgrades.
Grace Ashcroft is the newest character to be introduced into the Resident Evil franchise. While some are annoyed that she isn't as charming or likable a protagonist as Claire Redfield or Jill Valentine, she is still actually one of the more interesting and well-developed ones. While playing Resident Evil Requiem, you switch between her and Leon Kennedy to progress the story, with the latter being more action-packed and the former focusing on the survival horror aspect.
During Grace's segments, you really feel like a helpless victim of circumstance, as she has little to no way to defend herself from the abominations trying to get her and is easily spooked by them. This makes sense, given that, without spoilers, she's essentially viewed as a normal woman who's suddenly pulled into a terrifying world that no person should be in.
Yet, as you continue to play, she shows that she can push past the horror, developing into a stronger character than the terror-struck mess she was initially introduced as. The game does a good job in showing her growth throughout the story, and you can't help but root for her, even if you find her less charming or as fun compared to other protagonists.
While we clearly get to see fantastic on-screen character development for Grace, it's essential to take note that there is a more subtle way that Resident Evil Requiem shows her growth. Throughout the game, you can provide her with permanent upgrades via Steroids and Stabilizers, with the first increasing her maximum health and the other improving her gun handling and firepower.
Their purpose is to make her stronger and become just as competent as Leon is during his segments, possibly even more. However, if you pay close attention and really look into what the permanent upgrades do, they're actually a nice and subtle way of growing her as a character.
Firstly, with the Steroids, she can now take a couple of bites or hits from enemies before limping or going down for the count. While this is something that should be expected, given that Steroids were meant to do this to her, it's still a great and subtle way of showing that she's growing more and more competent as the game goes on.
Before, it would only take one bite, and she'd be limping and panicking the way you'd expect a normal civilian to. Now that she has continuously injected herself with a rather questionable substance of her own will, she can shrug off a few bites. It still clearly hurts, given that no person would be okay with having their flesh ripped off, but now she can fight back immediately despite the pain, making her a badass similar to the other female protagonists.
Next, with Stabilizers, the main purpose of the item is to ensure that you can aim and shoot with Grace with little to no trouble. It's a fantastic upgrade, and it's the game's best way of nudging the player into seeing that she's growing more and more as a character.
Before using Stabilizers, it's clear that you're going to struggle blowing off zombie heads with the way Grace's hands shake, as that causes the reticle to move constantly. Her shakiness makes sense, as her job position at the FBI had her at the desk rather than in the field, so being thrown into the action must be absolutely terrifying.
This can be infuriating, as it means struggling with enemies and fighting something you're supposed to be in control of simultaneously, which is not something you want in horror games. However, with every Stabilizer injected into her, aiming becomes easier and easier, which offers a great sense of relief. Also, because of that, you'll see her hands shake less and less, to the point where they're steady even during the most dangerous encounters.
Some might not have even noticed that little detail, but those who did likely understood that it's a small and subtle way of Grace slowly becoming more courageous. That little change actually goes a long way in transforming her from a panicked mess to a reliable FBI agent who can hold her own, once you see it, which is telling of how much Capcom put thought into her personal development.
You might even say that the act of obtaining both Stabilizers and Steroids alone is a great way of indirectly indicating growth, given that the inexperienced Grace has to will herself into dealing with threats to get them. The cutscenes still do a better job at showing us that she's becoming a more competent protagonist, but it's those subtle changes that I think are more impactful.
Grace Ashcroft, while not exactly main character material at the beginning, slowly fits into the role the more you play as her, and a huge contributor to that is the effects of her upgrades. If Capcom ever introduces more new characters, whether it's via Resident Evil or another game, it should consider reusing the idea of using upgrades to signify growth, since it's so effective.
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