Resident Evil 2: 10 Secrets & Weapons Everyone Totally Missed
5. Resident Evil 1.5
For those of you that plumped for the Deluxe DLC content, or have splashed out on some of the extra costumes individually, may be wondering why Claire has some racing leathers as one.
The obvious connection would be, "Oh, she's got a motorbike, I get it" and whilst understandable, it's actually a reference with more history.
Back in the early development of RE2 (the first time around), Claire wasn't initially in the story. Whilst Leon was in there, the other character was Elza Walker. Elza was a bike-riding uni student that got caught up in the mayhem, and was planned to have a separate story path from Leon. She meets Sherry, and the two escape without Leon's help.
As this build was scrapped, and dubbed the infamous "Resident Evil 1.5", Claire was introduced as a link to the first game and carries most of Elza's story elements. The costume inclusion is a tribute to the fallen Elza, which Claire models well.