El Gigante (literally meaning "The Giant" in Spanish) is a giant humanoid B.O.W. that appears in Resident Evil 4. This troll-like creature was created by the Los Illuminados cult using a human subject infected with the Las Plagas parasite, though the method in which the subject's size was increased so dramatically is unknown. Unlike Ganados, El Gigante has no powers of reasoning and minimal intelligence, exhibiting savage, animalistic behaviour. With their mindlessly brutal behaviour and incredible size and strength, Gigantes are difficult to handle and so only four were created.
History[]
Resident Evil 4 (2005)[]
The Illuminados created four Gigantes which were positioned in different locations. US SOCOM agent Leon Kennedy was forced to fight each one of them. The first was brought out from the cult's quarry to kill Leon when he first attempted to free Ashley Graham from her captivity. The beast killed its Ganado handlers and attacked Leon, but Leon recieved unlikely aid in the form of a dog that he had freed from a trap in the woods outside of Valdelobos. The dog leapt down from the hills into the pit where the Gigante was held and distracted the monster so that Leon could open fire on it from behind. After being significantly wounded, the Plaga within the giant's body erupted from its back. Leon fired on the parasite and killed it, which in turn killed the Gigante.
Leon and Ashley would encounter a second Gigante as they attempted to flee the village. This one cornered the pair within a barricaded gorge, but Leon and Ashley were saved by mysterious spy Ada Wong, who killed the monster by damaging a platform holding a large boulder above the Gigante's head.
Leon would encounter two more Gigantes in the mines beneath Castle Salazar and had to battle them both at once inside a chamber filled with lava. The heavy metal grille floor above the lava had a hatch in its centre and Leon was able to kill one of the giants quickly by luring it onto the hatch and shooting out the switch that opened the hatch. With one of the giants dropped into the lava, Leon had only one to fight conventionally and was able to defeat it as he had the first giant he encountered.
Resident Evil 4 (2023)[]
In the remake, Leon confronts the first Gigante in the same manner as in the original game. The wolf he had released from a trap in the woods would arrive in the quarry mid-battle and help Leon by distracting the giant. Leon was able to kill the beast after targeting the Plaga that erupted from its back.
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Later, while exploring the battlements of Castle Salazar, Leon encountered another Gigante clad in makeshift metal armour, making it immune to his weapons. The giant attacked from a distance, smashing up large rocks and hurling the debris in Leon's direction in order to pulverize him. Leon made it to a battlement where a cannon had been installed and used the weapon to kill the armoured giant. However, as Leon progressed away from the battlements, the wounded Gigante suddenly emerged from the gorge and attempted to grab him. Leon was able to avoid the giant's hand and the creature then succumbed to its injury, falling back into the gorge and dying.
Finally, Leon and Luis Serra Nevarro would battle against two Gigantes at once within a smelting pit in the mines beneath the castle. Leon soon killed one of them by stunning it with gunfire and then opening the hatch in the floor, dumping the monster into the lava. The second giant was armoured like the one Leon fought on the battlements, so gunfire was useless against it. However, Luis was able to sneak into an adjacent room while Leon kept the creature distracted and grabbed some dynamite. He returned to the smelting room and leapt from a scaffolding to plant the explosives on the giant's shoulder. After Luis jumped off, Leon shot at the dynamite and set it off, wounding the Gigante and leaving it prone long enough to once again open the hatch in the floor, dumping the beast into the lava beneath.
Abilities[]
El Gigante's skin is very resilient and can take a lot of punishment. It uses its sheer size and strength to crush enemies underfoot, though also picks up objects such as trees and boulders to use as weapons.
Weaknesses[]
Gigantes can be stunned using conventional firepower, though in excessive amounts. It is unwise to attack it from the front and so its back makes the ideal target area. Since Gigantes are rather stupid, they can be easily distracted when there are multiple targets. After taking enough damage, the Gigante will become stunned and the Plaga parasite within its body will erupt from its back. Killing the parasite will kill the giant. Distance is recommended as anyone too close to the creature could be crushed when it keels over.