What order is canon?

[NoobsAlwaysWin]

I've seen people say it is Claire A Leon B but I think CAPCOM has announced Resident Evil 2 original non-canon. I'm still confused.

[talgaby]

Claire A and Leon B form the original. In this one, there is no difference here apart from the person who finally kills Birkin. Canonically, it was Leon but it is a detail that is not really important.

[Kismette]

It might still be 'Claire A and then Leon B'. I've not gone through the 2nd run yet but if you do the first run with Leon, there was no police car in the cutscene when you reach the gas station yet suddenly appearing when you escape with Claire.... minor detail though yet suggests that it should've been Claire's story first. *shrugs*

[Bansheebutt]

The Original Resident Evil 2 is still canon, as long as you counter-intuitively play Disc 2 (Claire) first. Otherwise Sherry doesn't get infected by the G-Virus.

None of the other plot details really mattered.

[Lanzagranadas]

There's no canon order, just scenarios taking place in alternate realities. CA+LB was the established canon for the original, for this one it doesn't matter.

[Terra]

Until another game comes out, we won't know for sure.

That said, RE2make honestly makes even less sense than the original game. If CALB is to be believed, G3 smashes Annette into the ground, gets shot twice, Annette falls unconscious in the guard station on the North end of the lab after treating Sherry, apparently wakes up and heads back to the West End where G3 smashes through the roof AGAIN and gets shot ANOTHER two times, after which she finally dies after she shoots Ada.

Also, Tyrant gets disemboweled by G2 and shows up later completely fine, despite being a T-type and not having anywhere near the regenerative capabilities necessary to survive the attempt, let alone possessing the tailoring skills needed to repair his coat.

[Bansheebutt]

1st and 2nd Run are not concurrent.
This has been said repeatedly by Capcom themselves.
The stories were made with gameplay and drama in mind first.

Since they probably don't want to rob either character of too many "big moments" though, what will have to be canon is a mix of events. Meaning neither character actually experienced everything that happens in their respective campaigns, 1st run or otherwise.

Claire is probably the one who reached the Police Station first and is "ahead" in the timeline of events. (Which is already implied with the safe being open in the G Lab in Leon's game.)

Canonically she likely never encounters the Tyrant.
At the very least it obviously doesn't pursue her to the orphanage.

[UncleRamen]

Neither of the scenarios in RE2R can be canon because of this file from RE6:

https://residentevil.fandom.com/wiki/Leon_and_the_Raccoon_City_Incident

Leon does not meet Sherry in any scenario until the final train car. Canonically I think he is supposed to have met Sherry mid way and did his part to help her at some point at least.

Even the original may not be fully canon, RE1 and RE2 both have the same issue of characters doing similar things and are not fully canon. It's likely just a mixture of the original, the remake and the chronicles jumbled up. But the gist of the stories remains the same that these people are the survivors of the incident. The happenings in between is just up to fans' interpretation.

[Lanzagranadas]

RE2 ('98) and RE1 don't have the same issue. RE2 has both characters doing repeated puzzles, finding the same keys and unlocking mostly the same doors, but those are just gameplay elements. Story elements, such as who fights each important enemy, or how/when X character dies, is consistent between A and B scenarios.

[Humpenstilzchen]

Originally posted by Lanzagranadas:

Story elements, such as who fights each important enemy, or how/when X character dies, is consistent between A and B scenarios.

Wait what? What is with the first fight against Birkin? And who put the locker back?
What is with Mr X dying when you play Claire and Leon still has to fight it later on?
Why do both characters have to do all the same bossfights?
What is with Ada who got shot down by Anette Birkin and fell down in an incredibly deep pit just to be back again like nothing happened and support Leon by giving him a rocket launcher?
What is with all the walls Mr X broke through? Who fixes those walls up for the b scenario?
Why does Leon and Claire never meet up except at the gate in the beginning?

Did I maybe just missunderstand you? I can´t believe you state that the story is consistent between a and b scenario.

I don´t know, but in my humble opinion there is nothing consistent at all. To me nothing makes sense between a and b scenario.

I can only enjoy it by imagining that the character you play is the only one who does something and the other one probably sits around in a hidden corner up until the last moment were he decides to also jump on the train.

[James.Havoc]

Originally posted by Humpenstilzchen:

Originally posted by Lanzagranadas:

Story elements, such as who fights each important enemy, or how/when X character dies, is consistent between A and B scenarios.

Wait what? What is with the first fight against Birkin? And who put the locker back?
What is with Mr X dying when you play Claire and Leon still has to fight it later on?
Why do both characters have to do all the same bossfights?
What is with Ada who got shot down by Anette Birkin and fell down in an incredibly deep pit just to be back again like nothing happened and support Leon by giving him a rocket launcher?

Did I maybe just missunderstand you? I can´t believe you state that the story is consistent between a and b scenario.

I don´t know, but in my humble opinion there is nothing consistent at all.

I can only enjoy it by imagining that the character you play is the only one who does something and the other one probably sits around in a hidden corner up until the last moment were he decides to also jump on the train.

He's referring to RE2 from 1998, not the Remake.

[Humpenstilzchen]

Originally posted by James.Havoc:

Originally posted by Humpenstilzchen:

Wait what? What is with the first fight against Birkin? And who put the locker back?
What is with Mr X dying when you play Claire and Leon still has to fight it later on?
Why do both characters have to do all the same bossfights?
What is with Ada who got shot down by Anette Birkin and fell down in an incredibly deep pit just to be back again like nothing happened and support Leon by giving him a rocket launcher?

Did I maybe just missunderstand you? I can´t believe you state that the story is consistent between a and b scenario.

I don´t know, but in my humble opinion there is nothing consistent at all.

I can only enjoy it by imagining that the character you play is the only one who does something and the other one probably sits around in a hidden corner up until the last moment were he decides to also jump on the train.

He's referring to RE2 from 1998, not the Remake.

Oh damit, my bad..lol

[Bullett00th]

Originally posted by Kismette:

It might still be 'Claire A and then Leon B'. I've not gone through the 2nd run yet but if you do the first run with Leon, there was no police car in the cutscene when you reach the gas station yet suddenly appearing when you escape with Claire.... minor detail though yet suggests that it should've been Claire's story first. *shrugs*

hmm interesting observation. I always assumed it just was there

[Cursed Hawkins]

Originally posted by talgaby:

Claire A and Leon B form the original. In this one, there is no difference here apart from the person who finally kills Birkin. Canonically, it was Leon but it is a detail that is not really important.

No Leon never fought Birkin he fought with Mr.X, in the original the scenarios were to give each character their Nemesis for Claire it was Birkin and for Leon it was Mr.X.

[Cursed Hawkins]

Originally posted by Kismette:

It might still be 'Claire A and then Leon B'. I've not gone through the 2nd run yet but if you do the first run with Leon, there was no police car in the cutscene when you reach the gas station yet suddenly appearing when you escape with Claire.... minor detail though yet suggests that it should've been Claire's story first. *shrugs*

You might not have paid attention because that cruiser IS there when you start the A scenario in fact its not that hard to miss because its literally to your left.

[UncleRamen]

Originally posted by Cursed Hawkins:

No Leon never fought Birkin he fought with Mr.X, in the original the scenarios were to give each character their Nemesis for Claire it was Birkin and for Leon it was Mr.X.

RE : Degeneration states that Leon indeed saw Birkin and was familiar with the G virus. There is definitely no solid canon. It should be a mixture of the original, remake and the chronicles.