Resident Evil’s environments perfectly captured in real life in… Japanese aquariums? 

According to X and comments from employees, Japanese aquariums are giving some people Resident Evil flashbacks. In particular, the jellyfish area of Kyoto Aquarium has been gathering attention for its uncanny resemblance to Umbrella Corporation laboratories, particularly those in Resident Evil 3.  

This Resident Evil resemblance was highlighted in the above post made on March 30, which has garnered over 2.6 million views. The last photo shows a blackboard on which aquarium staff appear to have written a list of the top 3 things they have overheard customers saying. Number 1 is “This place is like Resident Evil!” Apparently, visitors were also reminded of Contact, the 1997 alien sci-fi film starring Jodie Foster. A note at the end of the ranking amusingly notes that all customer comments have been translated into Kansai dialect because the staff are from the Kansai area of Japan (which encompasses major cities like Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe). 

According to the original poster, who seems to be a fan of both aquariums and the Resident Evil series, there are other aquariums in Japan that also give off Umbrella Corporation lab vibes- but without the risk of being set upon by zombie experiments. 

Many commenters on the original post agreed that the jellyfish area of Kyoto Aquarium seemed like something they would find in a Resident Evil game. Several Resident Evil players seemed to be getting a sense of deja vu- saying that the photos reminded them of the first boss battle area or that they thought it would be possible to obtain a rare item by interacting with a device in the area. The post also inspired some people to go and check it out for themselves. 

Resident Evil 3 (remake of Resident Evil 3: Nemesis) is available on PS4/PS5, Nintendo Switch (Cloud version), Xbox One/Series S|X and PC (Steam).