Otis Washington

"Don't cut me off like that, it's rude!"

- Otis, after Frank hangs up on him Otis Washington is an elderly mall janitor, dedicated member of the Willamette Patrol, and longtime worker at Willamette Parkview Mall in Dead Rising.

He was one of the only survivors to make it to the refuge of the Security Room. He welds the front entrance after Frank is the last survivor to make it inside to prevent the zombies from breeching the door. While he is not crucial to the case files, he tells Frank West about things happening in the mall through a transceiver, and gives him important information about survivors and also relays to Frank when he should come back to the Security Room.

He never leaves the security room, and is highly trusted by Frank, Brad Garrison, and Jessie McCarney.

Story Mode
Note: To better follow Dead Rising's main story, see 72 Hour Mode and case files for more information.

If Frank West is able to make it to the second floor of the Entrance Plaza, he will show up in the Security Room, where Otis, Brad and Jessie are present. If Frank is unable to make it to the security room and is overwhelmed by zombies, then it is Otis who saves him. Regardless of the situation, Otis is ordered by Brad Garrison to weld the security door room shut after Frank shows up in the security room.

After Brad decides to go back into the Willamette Mall through the air ducts, Frank follows him, much to the disdain of Otis. But he concedes the fact that he cannot stop him, and bestows upon Frank a spare transceiver and an intricately detailed map of the entire mall, from Leisure Park to the Maintenance Tunnels. Throughout the three days Frank spends at the mall, Otis sporadically sends Frank information and the location of survivors and scoops via transceiver.

After the three days are over and Frank West discovers the true origins of the Willamette Incident, Special Forces arrive, aiming to wipe out all life from the mall, zombie and human alike. While Frank is away from the security room, he finds a note on the desk near the security room monitors from Otis: "Frank, while you were out some crazy people snuck in from the rooftop and started snatchin' people. I heard a helluva racket coming from where the monitors are, so I'm taking advantage of the confusion and stealing a helicopter! I might not look the type but I've got a small aircraft pilot's license. I haven't seen Jessie. There's no time to look for her now. I've gotta get out of here while the gettin's good. I hope you don't think I'm a coward. If we meet on the other side, I definitely owe you a drink. Good luck, Frank."

- Otis

On the note, it states that he discovered a way out of the mall using one of the military helicopters the Special Forces left behind. Using the helicopter, he, along with all the survivors Frank has saved thus far are able to escape the mall to safety.

Infinity Mode
Otis appears on the rooftop at 0:00:00 - 0:07:00 and is armed with a frying pan. When killed, he drops raw meat, a bowling ball, a paint can, a mailbox, and a push broom.

Trivia

 * Despite being one of the most talkative characters in the entire game, Otis' voice is never actually heard, except for when he screams when killed in Infinity Mode.
 * Otis appears to find the situation "exciting" and says that he never imagined he'd expierence anything like this at his age.
 * How he managed to fit every single survivor into one helicopter is unknown, but it possible it was a large cargo helicopter. It is also possible that he flew the people to safety in groups.
 * There is a weapon glitch involving Otis' calls. When Otis is calling you, make sure you have a semi-automatic gun, such as the Real Mega Buster one inventory slot away from your current weapon. Answer the call, then switch to that weapon. Make sure that when you answer the call and switch weapons you are running. When you hold down the fire button, your weapon will fire as fast as a machinegun. You have to stay running or the glitch will stop.
 * Otis' uniform can be unlocked in Dead Rising 2 for saving 50 survivors in Fortune City. The description reads "Otis won't miss this, trust us."
 * Otis is the only other primary character other than Isabela Keyes and Frank West to survive the outbreak in the "True" ending.
 * "Otis Washington" is the name of one of the main characters in the book "The Canterville Ghost" written by Oscar Wilde.
 * Although it is said that Otis never leaves the security room, if you are defeated when the zombies break into the mall in the introduction, Otis is the one who apparently saves you.
 * Frank talks to him, in one of his after-match win quotes, in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3.