Resident Evil 4 Remake Explains Why Luis Asks Everyone For A Smoke

The Resident Evil 4 remake surprisingly has an explanation for why Luis Sera asks everyone that he runs into if they have a smoke – and no, it’s not just because he wants a ciggy.

One of the best things about the original Resident Evil 4 is how quotable and memey it is. From Leon asking about bingo to replying “way” to Ashley’s “no way”, it’s a masterpiece of cringe that makes up a huge part of the game’s identity and legacy. Although some lines were cut from the remake, Capcom thankfully kept a few around, including Luis Sera’s love of cigarettes. Not only did it keep the “got a smoke?” line, but it also gave it some surprising context.

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As pointed out by Redditor KeeganTenno and shared in the Resident Evil subreddit, a letter that can be found in Luis’ lab in the remake reveals that Luis asking people if they have a smoke is actually a code to figure out whether the person he’s talking to is working with him or not. If he asks “hey, got a smoke?” and they reply with, “the kind you like”, then he knows they’re friendly.

This is confirmed in a letter that can be found in Luis’ lab that shows him corresponding with “AW (which is likely Ada Wong but could also be Albert Wesker) and setting up the code, since Luis doesn’t know what they look like and will need to use it to confirm who Ada is when he runs into her.

Knowing this, it suddenly makes a lot more sense why some of Luis’ first words to Leon are asking him if he has a smoke, even though he’s tied up and in trouble. A later cutscene in the game shows Luis’ first meeting with Ada and shows them both using the codeword. Initially, it probably seems like the two know each other since they use one another’s names, but it turns out that they’re meeting for the first time. It’s a great little detail that adds a surprising amount of depth to a silly line.

Of course, Luis was also working with Umbrella in the original game, but it seems like his “got a smoke” line there was literally just him asking for a cigarette and nothing more. Luis and Ada are only shown meeting in the Separate Ways mode and while Luis does ask Ada if she’s got a lighter to go along with his cigarettes, she doesn’t respond with a codeword and instantly asks him where the Plagas is, showing that they’re working together but suggesting Luis was really just asking for a smoke.

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