Sheva Alomar
Encyclopedia
is a fictional character in the Resident Evil survival horror series by Capcom
. She was introduced in 2008 as an operative of the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (BSAA) and the new partner of Chris Redfield
.
Production designer Yasuhiro Anpo revealed that "The designing of a female character is a killer assignment. We had to change and modify Sheva considerably to combine two qualities, feminine attraction and the strength of a fighting woman." Modeler Yosuke Yamagata added, "Sheva is a character who symbolizes one of the themes of RE5 – the 'bond of partnership'. Her existence is very important in characterizing RE5. She is a new major protagonist, so we tested ideas repeatedly for a long period to decide what kind of portrait was right for her. Sheva already existed at the early development phase, but we discussed many ideas for her background. Sometimes she was a civilian or a guerrilla, sometimes she was a commander of a military corps. In fact, we made in-game models of Sheva for some of these ideas. But there were certain desired constants in all iterations: beauty at a heroine, ferocity and determination as a fighter. Finally, we chose the current design which is contemporary, as with Chris, mixed with a wild look appropriate for the assignment in Africa. We took great care in creating her face, sometimes starting from scratch just after we had finished. We then had to adjust the modeling several times after she appeared in-game until we got positive feedback on her appeal. Our visuals staff even suggested an adjustment to her in-game lighting so that she looks more charming."
Sheva made her first appearance in Resident Evil 5
working with Chris Redfield
as his new partner. At the age of eight, Sheva's parents died in what appeared to be a factory accident, she was taken in by her uncle to live with him and seven other children. Eventually, Sheva ran away from her uncle's home and was found by a truck driver who took her in and looked after her, but unknown to Sheva, he was part of a guerrilla group. Sheva later joined the group, and soon learned that what happened to her parents was much more than just an accident, the factory was the location of a final test of one of Umbrella Corporation's bio-organic weapons (BOWs). With the help of the local government, Umbrella destroyed Sheva's village and all inhabitants after the test was complete. Sheva remained with the guerrillas through her childhood. When she reached the age of 15, she was contacted by American operatives to stop Umbrella selling a BOW to the guerrillas. With Sheva's help, the operatives stopped the deal and apprehended the Umbrella salesman. The man who initially contacted Sheva offered her a chance to start her life again in America. Sheva accepted, within months, Sheva was speaking English like a native and enrolled in a university two years later. After graduation, her benefactor suggested she join the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance, an organization formed by the U.S. federal government
, United Nations Security Council
and the fictitious Global Pharmaceutical Consortium to combat biohazardous threats around the world. While Umbrella had dissolved years before this, Sheva's hatred of Umbrella and all others like them led her to join the BSAA. Sheva was assigned to Josh Stone's unit for eight months for training in which she excelled. Upon completion of her training, she was chosen to become an operative agent and was assigned to the BSAA's West Africa
n department soon after. She was put alongside Chris Redfield at the start of the Kijuju mission as his new partner, after the loss of his previous partner, Jill Valentine
.
in 2009.
In the Resident Evil 5 viral advertising videos, Sheva was played by Naja Hill. Sheva's voice and motion actress Karen Dyer also posed for the 2009 calendar while dressed as the character in her various costumes.
featured her in their Babe of the Week galleries "Brunettes" (describing her as both gorgeous and tough) and "Babes We're Thankful For". In 2010, Complex ranked her as the eighth "hottest woman in video games". That same year, GamesRadar
included her and Chris among the gaming's seven "most violent double acts".
PlayStation: The Official Magazine
stated "Sheva isn't just beautiful, she's smart and tough (...) [but her addition] is probably the highlight of the Resident Evil 5 experience", while GamesRadar found her attire to be one of the most practical in the series, stating "The absolute antithesis of vulnerable, Sheva is a walking fortress that is equal parts kick-ass and intimidating feminine sexuality." On the other hand, IGN
called Sheva a "walking bag of useless" while stating their preference for the comeback of Rebecca Chambers
and "just dumb as a rock when it comes to fighting zombies" when asking for a greater role for Jill.
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
. She was introduced in 2008 as an operative of the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (BSAA) and the new partner of Chris Redfield
Chris Redfield
is a fictional character from Capcom's Resident Evil series.Chris is one of the two main protagonists in the first Resident Evil game, the other being Jill Valentine. Redfield returned as a playable character in Resident Evil Code: Veronica, where he must search for, and ultimately rescue, his...
.
Character design
Sheva's character model was based on Australian actress Michelle Van Der Water, with her voice and motions performed by Karen Dyer. In the RE5 viral campaign she was played by Naja Hill.Production designer Yasuhiro Anpo revealed that "The designing of a female character is a killer assignment. We had to change and modify Sheva considerably to combine two qualities, feminine attraction and the strength of a fighting woman." Modeler Yosuke Yamagata added, "Sheva is a character who symbolizes one of the themes of RE5 – the 'bond of partnership'. Her existence is very important in characterizing RE5. She is a new major protagonist, so we tested ideas repeatedly for a long period to decide what kind of portrait was right for her. Sheva already existed at the early development phase, but we discussed many ideas for her background. Sometimes she was a civilian or a guerrilla, sometimes she was a commander of a military corps. In fact, we made in-game models of Sheva for some of these ideas. But there were certain desired constants in all iterations: beauty at a heroine, ferocity and determination as a fighter. Finally, we chose the current design which is contemporary, as with Chris, mixed with a wild look appropriate for the assignment in Africa. We took great care in creating her face, sometimes starting from scratch just after we had finished. We then had to adjust the modeling several times after she appeared in-game until we got positive feedback on her appeal. Our visuals staff even suggested an adjustment to her in-game lighting so that she looks more charming."
In video games
Sheva made her first appearance in Resident Evil 5
Resident Evil 5
Resident Evil 5, known in Japan as , is a survival horror third-person shooter video game developed and published by Capcom. The game is the seventh installment in the Resident Evil survival horror series, and was released on March 5, 2009 in Japan and on March 13, 2009 in North America and Europe...
working with Chris Redfield
Chris Redfield
is a fictional character from Capcom's Resident Evil series.Chris is one of the two main protagonists in the first Resident Evil game, the other being Jill Valentine. Redfield returned as a playable character in Resident Evil Code: Veronica, where he must search for, and ultimately rescue, his...
as his new partner. At the age of eight, Sheva's parents died in what appeared to be a factory accident, she was taken in by her uncle to live with him and seven other children. Eventually, Sheva ran away from her uncle's home and was found by a truck driver who took her in and looked after her, but unknown to Sheva, he was part of a guerrilla group. Sheva later joined the group, and soon learned that what happened to her parents was much more than just an accident, the factory was the location of a final test of one of Umbrella Corporation's bio-organic weapons (BOWs). With the help of the local government, Umbrella destroyed Sheva's village and all inhabitants after the test was complete. Sheva remained with the guerrillas through her childhood. When she reached the age of 15, she was contacted by American operatives to stop Umbrella selling a BOW to the guerrillas. With Sheva's help, the operatives stopped the deal and apprehended the Umbrella salesman. The man who initially contacted Sheva offered her a chance to start her life again in America. Sheva accepted, within months, Sheva was speaking English like a native and enrolled in a university two years later. After graduation, her benefactor suggested she join the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance, an organization formed by the U.S. federal government
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
, United Nations Security Council
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
and the fictitious Global Pharmaceutical Consortium to combat biohazardous threats around the world. While Umbrella had dissolved years before this, Sheva's hatred of Umbrella and all others like them led her to join the BSAA. Sheva was assigned to Josh Stone's unit for eight months for training in which she excelled. Upon completion of her training, she was chosen to become an operative agent and was assigned to the BSAA's West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
n department soon after. She was put alongside Chris Redfield at the start of the Kijuju mission as his new partner, after the loss of his previous partner, Jill Valentine
Jill Valentine
is a fictional character in the Resident Evil survival horror series by Capcom.Jill is one of the two protagonists of the original Resident Evil game, where she was introduced as a member of the Raccoon Police Department's Special Tactics And Rescue Service , trapped in a secret research complex of...
.
In merchandise and promotion
A Sheva action figure was released by Hot ToysHot Toys
Hot Toys is a Hong Kong based production house for designing, developing, and manufacturing highly detailed collectible merchandise to worldwide markets. Established in 2000, the company initially focused on producing 1/6 military special force gear set before extending to producing toys based on...
in 2009.
In the Resident Evil 5 viral advertising videos, Sheva was played by Naja Hill. Sheva's voice and motion actress Karen Dyer also posed for the 2009 calendar while dressed as the character in her various costumes.
Reception
Sheva was met with a largely positive critical reception, especially for a relative newcomer. Already in 2007, UGO.com ranked Sheva as the seventh "videogame hottie" of all time, declaring that "RE5 may not be out yet, but we've seen enough of Sheva to know that she's got some serious acrobatic chops to go with all the zombie-slaying she'll be dishing out next year." In 2009, GameDailyGameDaily
GameDaily was a video game journalism website based in the United States. Launched in 1995 by entrepreneur Mark Friedler under the name Gigex and focused on free game demo downloads, The site changed its business model from a flat fee per download CDN distributed service network to an...
featured her in their Babe of the Week galleries "Brunettes" (describing her as both gorgeous and tough) and "Babes We're Thankful For". In 2010, Complex ranked her as the eighth "hottest woman in video games". That same year, GamesRadar
GamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
included her and Chris among the gaming's seven "most violent double acts".
PlayStation: The Official Magazine
PlayStation: The Official Magazine
PlayStation: The Official Magazine is a magazine originally known as PlayStation Magazine . After Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine was canceled, Sony Computer Entertainment announced on October 1, 2007 that PSM would become "PlayStation: The Official Magazine"...
stated "Sheva isn't just beautiful, she's smart and tough (...) [but her addition] is probably the highlight of the Resident Evil 5 experience", while GamesRadar found her attire to be one of the most practical in the series, stating "The absolute antithesis of vulnerable, Sheva is a walking fortress that is equal parts kick-ass and intimidating feminine sexuality." On the other hand, IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
called Sheva a "walking bag of useless" while stating their preference for the comeback of Rebecca Chambers
Rebecca Chambers (character)
is a player character in the Resident Evil survival horror video games, first introduced in the first game in the series in 1996. She is also one of the main characters in the Resident Evil novels.-Character design:...
and "just dumb as a rock when it comes to fighting zombies" when asking for a greater role for Jill.