Resident Evil 2’s Tofu and mutant gator will return for the remake

When Resident Evil 2 was released in 1998 for the original PlayStation, its story leaned into the fantastical. Not only were zombies infected by a virus taking over Raccoon City, but there were other surprises that made the game the perfect blend of schlock-y and memorable.

So when Capcom finally showed off its Resident Evil 2 remake at E3 this year, which took on a more realistic tone, fans quickly wondered if its more ridiculous, fantastic elements could fit into that re-imagined world.

Elements like a giant, mutant alligator, for example.

This fight is one of the games most surprising, memorable experiences, and according to Resident Evil 2 producer Yoshiaki “H” Hirabayashi, something they are working hard to include in the new game — but maybe not in the same way.

“I really like the alligator character and want to have it in there,“ he told Polygon during an interview at E3 2018. “I think it’s part of Resident Evil 2’s history, and people have lots of great memories of it.”

Hirabayashi said he went back and forth with his team, who originally had concerns that the alligator couldn’t fit into the game, and iterated several times on its design “until we were finally able to make it work in this world.”

“That’s not just applying to the alligator boss,“ he said. “We had to start off with something that doesn’t look like it’s going to fit with how the game looks today, but if you keep having lots of discussions, and get to the crux of what makes each element what it is, you can dig down and find the core idea and find a way to implement that in a new game.”

That same logic also applies to Tofu and Hunk, hidden characters in the original game that could be unlocked through completing specific requirements. Tofu is just like his name implies: a living block of tofu with a knife.

Hirabayashi confirmed Tofu and Hunk will return to Resident Evil 2 as well. He didn’t get into the specifics of how, but said they would not be downloadable content.

“They will be on the disc,” he said.

Resident Evil 2 is coming to PlayStation 4, Windows PC and Xbox One on Jan. 25, 2019.