Garradors are among the most powerful hosts of recessive-species Plagas and rare but dangerous antagonists in Resident Evil 4.
Behavior[]
| “ | I was awoken in the middle of the night once again. It's those awful noises coming from the basement: the sounds of nails clawing at the stone walls and the writhing moan of curses. That man harbors enough hate to ruin this world. He once served the lord of the castle as the torturer, like his father and grandfather before him. It's one of the more unsightly legacies left by Salazar family. Even among his family, he was "special." He enjoyed his work wholeheartedly and had a talent for it. He was gifted at tormenting others. His ability soon attracted the master's interest. And when he took him to the dungeon — No, I can't write anymore. I won't. I don't want to recall what happened down there. My mind can't take it. It will break me. I was ordered to attend to him: to feed him, dispose of the filth—all while listening to that wretched voice every night. I can't take it anymore. I've had enough. I will not tolerate one more night in this castle. I shall leave tomorrow. Go far away, where that voice cannot reach my ears. |
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| ~ Caretaker's note from remake version of Resident Evil 4, which reveals a staff worker's traumatic ordeal with the original Garrador. |
Though they attained inhuman strength and durability far beyond those of regular hosts, Garradors could not be controlled in any shape or form save Dominant Plagas. Plaga augmentation which created them came at the cost of the hosts becoming almost completely feral beasts with uncontrollable rage and aggression, surpassing the likes of even Doctor Salvador who could still behave as a Ganado. Even one particular Garrador who used to be the sadistic torturer eventually lost his sense of self as with his successors. Not surprisingly, Garradors were normally locked away and only deployed in dire, desperate circumstances.
History[]
While Osmund Saddler was pleased with the vast forces he was able to amass with Las Plagas, creating the Ganado, his Cultists, and his private army, these were still for all intents and purposes still normal human bodies. Granted, they had durability normal humans did not, but their strength was still limited to what the human body could achieve on its own. Not to mention he must carefully choose would-be bearers of Dominant-species Plaga as they both able to retain their sense of self and major threat to the cult's cause should they betray him and the rest of Los Illuminados. To this end, he commissioned experiments to create Plaga hosts with greatly increased physical strength. Among byproducts of such experiments were Garradors which deemed failure due to their uncontrollable behavior and endless rage; sewing their eyes shut and exploiting their enhanced hearing in addition of subdued by bearers of Dominant-species Plagas only circumvent such setbacks slightly that they ultimately locked away and only released as desperate measure against enemies.
In the remake, one Garrador in particular was given a backstory. Coming from a family that had served the Salazars for generations, this man was a third generation torturer in service to the castle. Unlike his father and grandfather before him however, he was an extreme sadist who wholly enjoyed the pain and misery he was tasked with inflicting. It was these traits that would attract Saddler's attention, and he was the first to undergo the process of becoming a Garrador. Unlike the ones that followed him, this man was able to keep his identity intact for a time, but he was filled with monstrous, endless rage and hatred for everyone and everything around him. One member of the castle staff was tasked with feeding and cleaning his cell, but as he watched the man slowly succumb and turn into ferocious beast, for his own sanity he decided to leave the castle and never return. This Garrador would remain imprisoned until Leon's arrival to Salazar Castle, where it would break free but ultimately be slain by him.
Abilities[]
Garradores possess incredible strength, stamina and toughness, able to completely ignore gunfire from smaller firearms (though they still take damage). Armed with a set of battle claws several feet long, these wicked sharp blades coupled with the Garrador's great power are able to rip people apart instantly with gruesome results. They are so strong and their weapons so sharp that they can even imbed their claws over a foot deep into solid stone, and then, with some difficulty, break free of said stone. Being driven entirely by rage and a desire for violence, this has both given Garradores their primary weakness, but also greatly enhanced another aspect as well.
Completely uncontrollable by anyone other than dominant Plaga carriers, Garradores would slaughter anyone and anything in sight without hesitation. Because of this, Saddler has their eyes sown shut, rendering the berserkers blind. While this cost them their vision, this only made their sense of hearing superhumanly acute, able to detect the faintest of sounds with incredible precision. As they are nigh mindless, this can be used against them, as they will instantly charge the location of any sound, which in turn leaves their other major weakness vulnerable; Their Plagas are imbedded into their back and exposed.
Trivia[]
- Garrador translates loosely in spanish to "Clawer".
