This is a monumental occurrence for the series, though. I believe the significance of Frank West as a zombie has been down-played by both the media and the community. For years, many have wondered how he didn't turn into a zombie after consuming food and drink absolutely contaiminated by zombie blood. This was a common concern among fans throughout each subsequent outbreak Frank West lived through. But, it wasn't this that made his zombification so significant. It's the parallell with the turning of of another Capcom character. It's the parallell with another Capcom character who also succumbs to being taken over. That character would be Ryu, who turns evil when he succumbs to the Murderous Intent that lives inside him. In Frank Rising, we see heavy parallells between Frank West and Evil Ryu that don't seem to have ever been addressed in any media (or otherwise).

Throughout the Street Fighter series, Ryu struggles with the Murderous Intent. He's in a constant struggle, fighting for control of his own body. We never truly know if he totally gains supremacy of body, mind, and spirit. Heavy music band Emmure captred this perfectly in their song "Demons With Ryu", in the lines that talk about how "this devil" in him lives, how he's a "walking vagabond", and how "this never-ending conflict" is all Ryu knows. Ultimately, he wonders if he's been "wasting" his time, and how "this conflict never ends". This song is a brilliant summation of the charcater of Ryu and his struggle with suppressing what lies inside to not become the evil version of himself. Looking at the history of the series, the outbreaks have acted as a blessing and a curse, having plagued Frank West just as much as their geographical locales. As such, the lines of this song can be applied to Frank West and the struggles of his character.

His character has always expressed a sort of sentiment toward having to deal with not just one outbreak, but several outbreaks; the miracle of his survival and contribution to the truth, neither of which it seems the world has been thankful for. This is where we see that idea of a "never-ending conflict", and how, like Ryu, it's all Frank West knows. We often see a Frank West who seems to be wracked with concern, and we can see in his expression, "I wonder if I've been wasting my time". Begrudgingly, we see a Frank West in Dead Rising 4 who comes out of hiding to accept Brad's plead for help in the case, no doubt feeling at times that "this conflict never ends, and still I try". It was ultimately coming out of hiding and solitude that led Frank West to the biggest fight of the life of his character. That fight wouldn't be against the hordes of zombies, packs of psychos, or super-soldiers, but against himself.

Dead Rising was always a series more heavy on overall stories of survival, rarely venturing into the minds of its charcaters. Yes, we do see how the outbreaks turn people psycho, turning them into bosses who must be stopped, but not really more than that. We see the effect that zombies have on the human characters, but not much more than that. Frank's banter with the scientist in Frank Rising gives us glimpses of his struggle and the miraculous nature of his survival. Reflecting on the series as a whole, and the sequence of events in his unbelievable life that led him to this point are form that complete picture of his struggle as a "walking vagabond". If you think about it, that particular imagery fits Frank West well because he's always surrounded by people during an outbreak, but not many after. whether in his amatuer photojournalist days, glamorous celebrity days, pro wresling days, or hardened veteran days, he seems to be mostly alone.