Leon S. Kennedy

Paul Haddad (Resident Evil 2) Japanese Toshiyuki Morikawa (Operation Raccoon City, Resident Evil 6, Damnation, Revelations 2, Project X Zone 2, remakes of Resident Evil 2 and 4, Infinite Darkness, Death Island)Sources that cite what Toshiyuki Morikawa voiced:

Yuki Kaji (Welcome to Raccoon City)}}

is a character in Resident Evil (Biohazard in Japan), a survival horror video game series created by Japanese company Capcom. Leon was introduced alongside Claire Redfield as one of the two player characters in Resident Evil 2 (1998). The character was initially conceived as a veteran police officer in the game's prototype, but Noboru Sugimura redesigned him as a young, newly recruited officer. In Resident Evil 2, Leon arrives late for his first day at work in the doomed Raccoon City and a zombie outbreak confronts him.

Leon is the protagonist of several Resident Evil games, novelizations, and films, and has appeared in other game franchises, such as Project X Zone and Dead by Daylight. He also appears in computer-generated imagery (CGI)-animated films and an animated miniseries. In later games, such as Resident Evil 2 (2019) and Resident Evil 4 (2023), Leon's facial features are based on those of the Romanian model Eduard Badaluta. Several actors have portrayed Leon; Paul Haddad, Paul Mercier, Matthew Mercer, Nick Apostolides, and Toshiyuki Morikawa have provided his voice for video games and animations, while Johann Urb and Avan Jogia have played him in the live-action Resident Evil films.

Video-game publications have described Leon as one of the most popular and iconic video-game characters, with critics lauding his personality in Resident Evil 4 (2005). Starting with the Resident Evil 2 (2019) remake, praise has also been afforded to Leon's characterization in modern Resident Evil games and for enhancing his sex appeal.

Concept and design

Leon Scott Kennedy, an American of Italian descent, was introduced as one of two playable protagonists in Capcom's 1998 survival horror video game Resident Evil 2. Although the game's creative director Hideki Kamiya preferred "blunt, tough-guy type[s]", he created Leon as "someone with weaknesses" to differentiate him from Chris Redfield and move away from the first game's approach. In the first prototype of Resident Evil 2 (often called Resident Evil 1.5), Leon is depicted as a veteran Raccoon City police officer. Noboru Sugimura, who was brought in to rewrite the story, reconceptualized Leon as a young, newly recruited officer, believing the existing character lacked depth and coherence. The artists Isao Ohishi and Ryoji Shimogama designed Leon's final in-game appearance.

In the 2019 remake of Resident Evil 2, Leon was redesigned to better match the game's more-photorealistic setting. For example, his large shoulder pads—originally used to visually emphasize his low‑polygon model—were removed. During the original Resident Evil 2, Leon develops an ambiguous romance with the mercenary and spy Ada Wong, and they repeatedly save each other's lives. For the remake, the creative team decided to spend more time on the two characters' interactions, because they felt the relationship in the 1998 original game progresses too quickly. Executive producer Jun Takeuchi suggested their kiss should occur earlier in the story to make Ada seem more manipulative of Leon.

Ada's and Leon's relationship is further explored in Resident Evil 4 (2005) and its minigame "Separate Ways". Writer Yasuhisa Kawamura refined the world through several iterations; Kawamura told Brenna Hillier of VG247: "Leon usually infiltrates Oswell E. Spencer's castle in search of the truth, while a young girl wakes up inside a laboratory deep within. With a Bio Organic Weapon (BOW) dog by their side, the two make their way up the castle." They initially thought it would be costly to develop and the many obstacles would be difficult to overcome. Hideki Kamiya was surprised by Leon's popularity and enjoyed his evolution into a "really cool looking guy" for Resident Evil 4, saying he "fell in love all over again". In a documentary about the game's characters, it was stated Leon was intended to "look tougher, but also cool".

The designer Masaki Yamanaka said the change was due to the experience he gained since Resident Evil 2. Leon kept his "coolness" but Yamanaka did not want him to be "too buffed out". Leon's design in the remake of Resident Evil 4 (2023) was modified to emphasize his experience and ability, and to show he had changed between games. The developers also aimed to expand Leon's characterization and relationship with the president's daughter Ashley Graham.

Resident Evil 5s (2009) producer Jun Takeuchi said due to the characters' popularity, fans of the series want a video game featuring both Leon and Chris as protagonists. Takeuchi said it would be "pretty dramatic" if Leon and Chris never met during the series; they meet in Resident Evil 6 (2012). Resident Evil 6s producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi liked Leon and decided to include him because "he is central to the story". Leon was originally intended to be a civilian; his Chinese outfit is blue and is intended to look stylish and to contrast with Chris's military equipment.

For Resident Evil Requiem (2026), Leon was designed as an "ikeoji" (a cool/attractive older guy) figure. Director Koshi Nakanishi stated that Leon's design have taken a lot of effort to refine. Among Capcom employees, Leon has a lot of admirers, and women in particular were rather critical of his design. He also said that even the smallest things, such as the creases on his neck, would be noted and commented upon. A female fan once said, "The women developers at Capcom did a really good job."" Nakanishi stated the developers initially considered making Leon the sole protagonist of Requiem but rejected this idea after realizing "making a horror game based around him [would be] difficult", given Leon's vast experience with various horrors in previous games. Nakanishi also noted fans of the franchise would be opposed to Leon's depiction as constantly afraid of his surroundings. Nakanishi stated that one of the main focus of Requiem is undoubtedly Leon in his current state. He noted that Leon is more experienced and seasoned than ever. The blood and guts was intended to underline his ability, whether using the hatchet or other strikes, and how natural fighting has become for him. The dual-protagonist structure of Requiem, in which players alternate between Leon and FBI Agent Grace Ashcroft, was conceived to ensure the game would include slow-paced, horror-focused sections alongside faster-paced action sequences; this allowed the developers to show the differences in experience between Leon and Grace. According to Nakanashi, Leon's sequences could give players a sense of release following Grace's chapters.

Voice-over and live-action actors

Paul Haddad voiced Leon for his initial appearance in Resident Evil 2. and Matthew Mercer in Resident Evil 6, Resident Evil: Damnation, Resident Evil: Revelations 2, Resident Evil: Vendetta and Resident Evil: Death Island.

Jason Faunt performed Leon's motion capture in Resident Evil 6, and in the animated film Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness. Leon's facial features in Resident Evil 2 (2019) and Resident Evil 4 (2023) are based on those of the Romanian model Eduard Badaluta. In Japanese, Toshiyuki Morikawa voiced Leon in Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness, Damnation, Resident Evil 6, Project X Zone 2, Resident Evil 2 (2019) and Resident Evil 4 (2023).

In the live-action films, Leon is portrayed by Johann Urb in Resident Evil: Retribution and by Avan Jogia in Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City.

Appearances

In the ''Resident Evil'' series

Resident Evil 2 takes place in 1998 in the fictional American location Raccoon City. Leon Scott Kennedy is a newly recruited police officer who arrives in the city just after the beginning of a zombie outbreak, for which the pharmaceutical company Umbrella Corporation is responsible. Leon rejoins Claire, who has secured a train that leads to the surface and they, along with Birkin's young daughter Sherry, escape before a nuclear strike destroys Raccoon City as part of a U.S. government cover-up.

Leon returns in Resident Evil 4, which is set in 2004. Now a special agent, he is tasked with rescuing the U.S. president's daughter Ashley Graham, who has been abducted in Spain. Upon his arrival, Leon discovers Ashley's abductors are a mysterious cult known as Los Illuminados, which has taken control of villagers using parasites known as "Las Plagas". During the rescue mission, Leon runs into Ada, whom he had not seen since Raccoon City, and Jack Krauser, his former special-operations partner whom he believed was dead. At the game's climax, Leon kills the cult leader Osmund Saddler but is forced to give Ada a sample of the parasite. Ada escapes in a helicopter, leaving Leon and Ashley to escape on a jet ski.

Leon's history with Krauser is explored in Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles (2009). Two years before the events of Resident Evil 4, Leon and Krauser undertake "Operation Javier", a mission to a South American rainforest to apprehend the drug lord Javier Hidalgo, who is working with Umbrella. Leon and Krauser locate and kill Javier but during the operation, Krauser grows jealous and resentful of Leon's professional success.

Leon is also a protagonist in Resident Evil 6 (2012) alongside Chris, Jake Muller and Ada. The game has four player characters with different storylines, but Kobayashi described Leon was described as the main character. In 2013, Leon is providing security for the President of the United States, who is preparing to publicly announce the events in Raccoon City. Before he can begin, the President is attacked by a bioweapon that turns him into a zombie, and Leon is forced to kill him. Leon is accused of orchestrating the attack and assassinating the President. Ada arrives to reveal the culprit is National Security Advisor Derek C. Simmons, who created the new C-virus. To clear his name, Leon teams up with the secret service agent Helena Harper, and they pursue Simmons to China.

Other appearances

Leon S. Kennedy appears in several of the Resident Evil live-action film series. In a 2010 interview, the director Paul W. S. Anderson said if Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010) succeeds, he would direct a fifth film and would like Leon to appear in it. Leon is a major character in Resident Evil: Retribution (2012), in which he leads the Resistance and teams up with Alice to battle Umbrella. Anderson said he felt a lot of pressure to find an actor who was a convincing action hero and had a similar hairstyle. Leon does not appear in the final film in the series, Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016), having apparently died off-screen. Leon also appears in the live-action reboot film Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021).

In the animated Resident Evil films, Leon plays a major role in Resident Evil: Degeneration (2008), in which he is reunited with Claire. He returns in the sequel Resident Evil: Damnation (2012). A third animated film, Resident Evil: Vendetta (2017), features Chris, Leon, and Rebecca Chambers. Leon also appears with Claire in the Netflix series Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness (2021); Leon is ordered to investigate an incident in the White House, where he encounters and kills zombies. He returns in the sequel Resident Evil: Death Island (2023).

Leon is a playable character in several non-canonical Resident Evil games.Sources that cite Leon as a playable character in several non-canonical Resident Evil games include:

• He is one of two protagonists in Resident Evil Gaiden (2001) and appears in several Resident Evil mobile games.Sources for Leon appearing in numerous Resident Evil mobile games:
• In Gaiden, Leon is ordered to investigate a cruise ship that is rumored to host Umbrella's latest experiments. He soon disappears and Barry Burton is sent to rescue Leon. He appears as a playable character in other games including Project X Zone 2 (2016), Dead by Daylight (2016), Teppen (2019), Puzzles & Survival (2023), and State of Survival (2023). Leon is an alternate skin for characters in other games, such as Rainbow Six Siege (2015), Knives Out (2017), Fortnite Battle Royale (2017), Monster Hunter: World (2018), PUBG Mobile (2018), Tom Clancy's The Division 2 (2019), and Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster (2024). Leon has a non-player character (NPC) cameo in Trick'N Snowboarder (1999), Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (2011), the Nintendo crossover video game Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018) as a Spirit power-up, Dying Light 2 (2022), and is referenced as a robot dressed as Leon in Astro Bot (2024).

Leon features in novelizations of the films and games.Sources that cite Leon being featured in novelizations include:

• Several comic books based on the games were released. Leon is a character in Bandai's Resident Evil Deck Building Card Game (2011) and Steamforged Games' Resident Evil 2: The Board Game (2017). The character was featured in Resident Evil-themed attractions at Universal Studios Japan and Universal Orlando's Halloween Horror Nights. Leon's likeness has been used on figurines, outfits, statues, dioramas, gun replicas, standees, keychains, watches, and perfumes.Sources that cite merchandises about Leon include:
• {{cite news |last=Blake|first=Vikki |title=Looks like Resident Evil Requiem isn't getting a collector's edition - but why?

Critical reception

Guinness World Records and several video game journalists have named Leon S. Kennedy as among the most-popular and most-iconic video game characters. Rachel Weber of GamesRadar+ described Leon as one of the greatest video game characters, praising his resilience and his ability to handle crises throughout the series. Magazines have praised Leon as the most-likable Resident Evil character. IGN editors described him as one of the best Resident Evil protagonists due to his everyman persona, and likened him to John McClane as "an ordinary guy who becomes extraordinary under adverse circumstances". They also noted Leon is among the most-capable and composed characters in the series.

Critics have praised Leon's character growth in Resident Evil 4. Nintendo Power described his change as going from a "glorified meter maid with a bad haircut" to a tough guy, while Polygon's Harri Chan praised Leon for his "schlocky action-movie energy". Matt Kim of VG247 praised Leon's relationship with Ada Wong, noting their "spy vs. spy thing" makes for enjoyable and entertaining cutscenes. In the book Immersion, Narrative, and Gender Crisis in Survival Horror Video Games, the academic Andrei Nae described Leon's persona as a hypermasculine and likened Leon to Ethan Thomas from Condemned: Criminal Origins, saying both characters are empowered to defeat all of their opponents in direct combat and reassert themselves as white, middle-class males. Nae also stated their hypermasculinity is incomplete because neither of them can fully contain gender and class otherness, which also shows why Leon fails to bring Ada within the ambit of patriarchal control.

Leon's characterization has also been praised: fans lauded his appearance in Resident Evil 2 (2019) and Cass Marshall of Polygon said the remake "revives the sexy side of its star". According to Ana Diaz from Polygon, in Resident Evil 4 (2023), Leon's sex appeal inspired fans to make and share "thirsty" videos of the character on the video-sharing platform TikTok. Ashley Bardhan of Kotaku reported thousands of fans said they purposefully injured Leon during the game to hear his moans of pain, which they interpreted sexually; Bardhan noted a similar phenomenon for Leon in the game Dead by Daylight. Jennifer Culp of Polygon described Leon as attractive and said his "swoon-inducing crush effect" is not about his hair, but his "Boy Scout determination to see the mission safely concluded". Fans have also praised his reveal in Requiem.{{cite news |last=Townsend |first=Verity |title=Leon Kennedy's New Look for Resident Evil Requiem Makes Him a 'Hot Uncle' Heartthrob Among Japanese Fans

Notes

References

Bibliography

References

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   John Patneaude (''State of Survival''){{cite tweet). "Now that's what I call backup In the ''State of Survival'' x ''Resident Evil'' crossover event, I had the honor of voicing Leon Kennedy! The event is LIVE NOW so download the game on your PC/phone so you don't miss out! Thank you @FunPlusGames & @TigerMesa for the opportunity!".
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