The protagonist controlled by players in Resident Evil 7: Biohazard is Ethan Winters. Ethan is an ordinary civilian searching for his missing wife, Mia, when the game begins in rural Louisiana.
Unlike many earlier Resident Evil protagonists, Ethan is not introduced as a trained police officer or elite soldier. The game uses a first-person perspective, placing players directly in his investigation of the derelict Baker estate. His search brings him into conflict with the Baker family and the Mold-based infection spreading through the region.
Ethan later becomes central to the Winters family storyline in Resident Evil Village. A common mix-up is confusing Ethan with Chris Redfield, who also appears in Resident Evil 7, but Chris is not the player character for the main campaign. Ethan’s first-person viewpoint was one of the major changes introduced by the seventh main entry.