“My Ada is a survivor”: Resident Evil 4 remake voice actor Lily Gao speaks out against recent harassment

Resident Evil 4 remake, the latest survival-horror offering, was released recently to overwhelmingly positive reception. However, the game's stellar reception was somewhat tarnished by the awful treatment of Lily Gao, the voice of Ada Wong in the Resident Evil 4 remake by group of fans, who were seemingly displeased with her performance in the game.

After days of silence on the matter, and being basically forced to wipe her entire Instagram account, Lily Gao has finally given her official statements on the matter via a brand new Instagram post. For many fans, Lily Gao's portrayal of Ada Wong wasn't up to par with the character's previous appearances in Resident Evil games, lacking the subtlety the character is known for.

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Lily Gao, voice actor behind Ada Wong in the Resident Evil 4 remake finally spoke out against the harassment and bullying she faced due to her performance

Many fans who complained regarding her performance as Ada Wong stated that her voice lacked the subtlety and "seductiveness" that used to be a key character trait for Ada. Many also said that Gao sounded way less energetic than the rest of the cast and lacked the charisma that is synonymous with the character she was portraying. To such fans, Gao replied,

"It is time we stop only capitalizing on the sexualized, eroticized and mysterious Asian women, and make space to honor every kind of Asian women. My Ada is a survivor. She is kind, just, intelligent and funny. She is unpredictable, resilient, and absolutely not a stereotype."

In her Instagram post, Lily Gao heavily criticized fans who attacked her due to her being of Asian descent and voiced her frustrations with how Asian women are usually portrayed in media like video games. While Ada Wong has been one of the most beloved characters in the Resident Evil series, her oftentimes overs*xualized portrayal has been a point of contention for many Asian communities.

Ada Wong has been voiced by many different actors over the years, with Lily Gao being the latest to get to voice and portray the character in a mainline Resident Evil game. However, this isn't her first time playing the role of Ada Wong, as she also portrayed the character in the live-action adaptation of the series, Resident Evil: Welcome to Racoon City.

After the online bullying and harassment Lily Gao faced following her performance as Ada Wong in the Resident Evil 4 remake, many well-known creators and members of the Resident Evil community, alongside a massive wave of fans, came to her support.

While constructive criticism is always welcome in creative media like video games, books, and movies, harassing and bullying an actor over their performance is not acceptable at all. Regarding the harassment she faced, Lily Gao's recent statement made it abundantly clear that she will continue to portray the character (in a possible Resident Evil 4 remake DLC) is deterred by the incident.