Can Ashley die in the Resident Evil 4 remake?

Gosh, I hope so

During my first playthrough of the Resident Evil 4 remake, I never once saw Ashley die. Considering that saving her is the mission of Leon “Soapyboy” Kennedy, then I’d say I’m a pretty good bodyguard. However, that left me wondering if she could still even die at all. So, I decided to test this, and let me tell you, this brought me no shortage of satisfaction.

She sure can

One thing to note is that the enemies will never directly target Ashley. Their goal is to take her alive, which is what they prioritize. They will focus all their attention on Leon, and while he’s fighting for his life, they’ll just scoop Ashley up and make off with her. However, this doesn’t mean she can’t be hurt. Getting caught in the battle’s crossfire or being near something that explodes will put her in an incapacitated stance.

You can either run up to Ashley and help her recover from incapacitation, or just do what I did: ignore her entirely. Once again, enemies will just grab hold of her and walk away. They’ll never actually try to kill her.

If you’ve snapped, or you’re like me and have contempt for virtual life, you can finish her off yourself. If you want Ashley to die, you can lob a grenade at her or fire at a nearby explosive barrel. Basically, if she takes incapacitation damaged while incapacitated, she’ll just give up the ghost.

However, you probably don’t want this to happen, since it’s an instant game over.

Save me, Prince Charming

Your main concern is going to be enemies simply making off with Ashley. She doesn’t put up much of a fight, so they’ll just grab her and start very slowly walking toward the nearest entrance. You have about a decade to stop them from escaping, and warning signs will pop up all over the screen. To stop her abduction, just shoot the enemy, and they’ll drop her to the floor in an incapacitated state.

Did it ever bother anyone else how Ashley gets re-kidnapped about a half-dozen times throughout the narrative, but her getting taken outside of a cutscene is the end of the world?