The enemies in Resident Evil 5 are people and animals that have been infected by a mysterious virus that turns living beings into animalistic, rabid creatures. Over the course of the game, protagonist Chris Redfield and his partner Sheva will encounter a variety of these foes, including a monstrous bat that can break through steel, hyenas, giant crocodiles and infected villagers. There are also a number of minibosses, including a villager with a chainsaw and a burlap sack on his head similar to the enemy in Resident Evil 4 and a cloaked and hooded man with a gigantic axe-hammer referred to as The Executioner.

Hyenas: Hyenas will leave you alone if you keep your distance, only letting loose a few warning howls as they prowl. If you get to close, however, prepare for one of these rabid canines to pounce on you and take a bite of your arm.

Bats: This creature, which has the head, upper torso and wings of a bat but the lower torso of some kind of insect, is extremely powerful. When Chris and Sheva encounter it, it bursts out of an armored truck. It appears fearsome, but may have a weakspot: a fleshy underside.

Giant Crocodile: Crocodiles in RE5 have mutated to gigantic sizes. The creature that Chris and Sheva encounter in a village is used to kill hostages, and is more than 16 feet long. It can easily hold Chris in its massive jaws, so be careful.

Executioner: This miniboss wears a black cloak and hood, hiding its face. More noticeably, it wields a gigantic axe that has a hammer-like blunt end that is covered in spikes. The Executioner is slow, though. He'll charge at you and swing its weapon, which may help by killing any surrounding villagers. Running and stopping to shoot occasionally is the best way to take down this enemy.

Villagers: The most common enemy in the game, villagers who have been infected are less human than animal, attacking you without caution. Some of them are armed, some possess gruesome tentacles that will come out of their throats as they try to kill you. They attack in numbers, but are easily disposed of if you have a basic mastery of pointing and shooting.