Resident Evil Village has yet to release but its character Lady Dimitrescu already has quite a fan base. Capcom previously said that it’s “extremely happy” with the unexpected reception her reveal got, and even jumped into the conversation about her height. However, art director Tomonori Takano was a little surprised by the thirsty memes and comments she spurred.
“I don’t think anyone could have predicted how wonderfully fans have reacted to Lady Dimitrescu,” Takano told IGN. “Personally, I was particularly struck by comments like, ‘I want to be chased by her.'”
IGN revealed that Lady Dimitrescu’s design is inspired by 16th-century Hungarian noblewoman and serial killer Elizabeth Báthory, Japanese urban legend Hashaku-sama, and Anjelica Huston as Morticia Addams.
“In the early stages of planning, we decided on going with castle and vampires motifs,” Takano explained. “However, we did not want to be constrained by how vampires have been portrayed in various forms of popular entertainment. The very first piece of concept art I drew was the scene in the trailer where Lady Dimitrescu ducks down to walk through the doorway. From that moment, I knew I had to do that scene.”
Lady Dimitrescu is part of Capcom’s push to create new types of characters in the Resident Evil franchise because its developers believe that players have become accustomed to stereotypical designs, and as a result, characters lose their effectiveness.
“What we’ve shown so far — Lady Dimitrescu, the village, and the castle — encompass just a section of Resident Evil Village,” Takano continued. “We have prepared many other elements that created a much bigger experience than Resident Evil 7 Biohazard.”
[Source: IGN]
