The Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster has had a positive reception, with many appreciating a revamped return to what is arguably the series’ strongest entry. Protagonist Frank West may be a fan favorite, but he’s not the only personality that stands out in Dead Rising.
Throughout the games, the antagonistic “Psychopaths” are some of the most memorable characters and designs that stand out in players’ minds. Their encounters and roles in the games’ stories are varied, with some Psychopaths being major recurring characters and others serving as minor diversions. Here are some of the best characters and encounters among them.
10 Cletus Samson
Gunshop Owner
- Games: Dead Rising, Dead Rising: Chop til You Drop
- Location: Huntin’ Shack
- Rewards: 20,000 PP, Vendor (Chop til You Drop)
Cletus is one of the less insane “psychopaths” in Dead Rising, his main failing being that he’s a little too paranoid. As the owner of the Willamette mall’s gun shop, he assumes that any survivors will head for the shop to stock up on guns, and be happy to kill him to get them.
This leads him to attack both Frank and fellow survivor James Ramsey, killing James before battling Frank. After the battle, he runs in fear of retribution, only to be killed by the zombified version of James.
Interestingly, in the re-designed Wii port of the game Chop til You Drop, Cletus becomes a friendly NPC after his defeat, selling and repairing weapons for Frank.
9 Steven Chapman
Dedicated Manager
- Games: Dead Rising, Dead Rising: Chop til You Drop
- Location: Seon’s Food & Stuff
- Rewards: 30,000 PP, Weapons Cart
Many players will remember Chapman as one of the early psychopath encounters in the first Dead Rising game. His design is memorable as it has an eerie touch of reality to it. He’s an exasperated manager of a convenience store, desperately trying to keep his store together despite the zombie outbreak.
As such, he’s decided anyone coming to the store for supplies must be looters and vandals, attacking Frank as well as numerous other survivors. The other notable aspect of Chapman’s design is his self-customized weapons cart, a shopping cart strapped with blades and a pitchfork. Players can take it for a spin themselves once Chapman is defeated.
8 Kent Swanson
Rival Photographer
- Games: Dead Rising
- Location: Paradise Plaza
- Rewards: 30,000 PP, Camera 2 book
Initially, Kent appears as a friendly NPC who challenges Frank West to take better photos than him in a couple of contests. Eventually, though, his actions escalate. When Frank stops him from zombifying another survivor for a photo, his jealousy of Frank’s abilities turns to rage and he attacks.
Kent’s multistep side story is interesting and one of the many missable side mission events in Dead Rising. Even though he appears friendly at first, Kent proves to be totally deranged. His commitment to the ultimate photo remains even after his defeat, as he appeals to Frank to take a photo of his death and save it “for his mantle.”
7 Brent “Slappy” Ernst
Mascot Madness
- Games: Dead Rising 2, Dead Rising 2: Off The Record
- Location: Kid’s Choice Clothing
- Rewards: 20,000 PP, Flamethrower
Brent is a store mascot with a tragic story. When the zombie outbreak hit, he had been due to go on his first date with fellow mascot worker Louise. Unfortunately, zombies got to her before he ever got a chance.
With Chuck Greene being set up as the fall guy for the outbreak, Brent sees him as responsible for Louise’s death. This leads him to attack Chuck in full Slappy costume, skating around while wielding dual flamethrowers.
It’s a memorable Dead Rising 2 moment. Brent may be gone, but Slappy’s design was well-loved enough that the character is referenced several times in Dead Rising 3.
6 Randall Tugman
Randy Randall
- Games: Dead Rising 2, Dead Rising 2: Off The Record
- Location: Swept Away
- Rewards: 20,000 PP, Pink Chainsaw
Randall might be the most memorable psychopath design in Dead Rising 2, thanks to his fetish costume, piggy silhouette, and giant pink chainsaw. The setting for his encounter only enhances the weirdness.
Chuck meets Randall in the Swept Away wedding chapel. He’s holding a young woman dressed as his bride as a hostage, along with his own father. Through his dialogue, it seems Randy’s father wanted him to wait until marriage for sex. Thus, Randy is forcing him to complete a wedding ceremony with his hostage so he doesn’t have to wait.
It’s a visually and thematically unique Psychopath fight, and the reward is Randy’s big pink chainsaw. That makes Randy one of the best and most iconic psychos in the series.
5 Amber & Crystal Bailey
Glamour Girls
- Games: Dead Rising 2, Dead Rising 2: Off The Record
- Location: Shoal Nightclub
- Rewards: Katanas, Story progression
They’re not quite the big bad guys of Dead Rising 2, but the Bailey twins are formidable early antagonists for Chuck. Across the Terror is Reality mode and the campaign of Dead Rising 2, the reality show hostesses act as TK’s right-hand women.
The sisters are provocative, teasing viewers, contestants, and especially Chuck with innuendo and suggestive body language. They also make for a tough early fight in Dead Rising 2, as players have to take on both sisters at once.
When Chuck defeats one of the sisters in their battle, the other sister takes her own life, saying that she can’t live without her twin. It’s a final moment that suggests there was more to these characters than is revealed in the game.
4 Tyrone King
Terror Is Reality
- Games: Dead Rising 2, Dead Rising 2: Off The Record
- Location: Various
- Rewards: Story progression, Alternate endings
Former cutthroat music producer Tyrone “TK” King makes his first appearance in Dead Rising 2 as the host, producer, and director of the death game show Terror is Reality. As the story progresses, protagonist Chuck realizes that it was TK that helped cause the zombie outbreak and set him up as the fall guy.
He might be an uncomplicated, greed-motivated, pure bad guy, but he later becomes a vital information provider for Chuck. The moral choice of having to save his life to get one of the game’s alternate endings is also a stand-out moment in Dead Rising 2.
3 Raymond Sullivan
Hidden Mastermind
- Games: Dead Rising 2, Dead Rising 2: Off The Record
- Location: Yucatan Casino
- Rewards: Story progression
Raymond Sullivan’s heel turn is one of Dead Rising 2‘s best twists. The character comes across as the gruff but well-meaning leader of the survivors when Chuck first meets him. The bluff is played well, Sullivan even feigns a lack of belief in Chuck’s innocence, when he knows the truth from the start.
Eventually, Sullivan betrays Chuck at a key moment, revealing that he is another key player behind the zombie outbreak. He’s been a Phenotrans agent all along, even working above TK in the background, and planting the bomb that Chuck was blamed for himself. His grisly death is also a highlight.
2 Carlito Keyes
Terrible Vengeance
- Games: Dead Rising
- Location: Various
- Rewards: Story progression
The main antagonist of the first Dead Rising game, Carlito Keyes, takes some beating when it comes to Psychopath credentials. His trauma started when his hometown of Santa Cabeza was destroyed by a zombie outbreak at a research facility and the subsequent cleanup operation there.
This sets him and his sister on a twisted path of revenge, eventually culminating in them triggering the Willamette zombie outbreak. It’s a two-pronged attack designed to take revenge and attract media attention to the crimes of Phenotrans and the US government.
Sacrificing an entire town to make a point is a true Psychopath move, even if Carlito gets his comeuppance in the end.
1 Isabela Keyes
Redemption Arc
- Games: Dead Rising, Dead Rising 2: Case West, Dead Rising 3
- Location: Various
- Rewards: Story progression
Isabela might start out just as much of a Psychopath as her brother Carlito, but her guilt over the Willamette incident eventually leads her to the survivors’ side. This turn leads to her becoming an important recurring character in the series.
In the first game in the series, Frank has to confront Isabela before she eventually agrees to help him by filling him in on her brother’s plan. She’s one of the few survivors of the first game, reappearing in Dead Rising 2: Case West as Frank’s contact, and again in Dead Rising 3 as a key character searching for a cure to the zombie outbreak.
