Leon Scott Kennedy[a] is a character inResident Evil, asurvival horror video game series created by Japanese companyCapcom. Leon was introduced alongsideClaire Redfield as one of the twoplayer characters inResident Evil 2 (1998). The character was initially conceived as a veteran police officer in the game'sprototype, butNoboru Sugimura redesigned him as a young, newly recruited officer. InResident Evil 2, Leon arrives late for his first day at work in the doomedRaccoon City and azombie outbreak confronts him.
Video-game publications have described Leon as one of the most popular and iconic video-game characters, with critics lauding his personality inResident Evil 4 (2005). Starting with theResident Evil 2 (2019) remake, praise has also been afforded to Leon's characterization in modernResident Evil games and for enhancing hissex appeal.
Leon Scott Kennedy, an American of Italian descent,[14] was introduced as one of twoplayable protagonists inCapcom's 1998survival horror video gameResident Evil 2.[15][16] Although the game's creative directorHideki Kamiya preferred "blunt, tough-guy type[s]", he created Leon as "someone with weaknesses" to differentiate him fromChris Redfield and move away from thefirst game's approach.[17] In thefirst prototype ofResident Evil 2 (often calledResident Evil 1.5), Leon is depicted as a veteran Raccoon City police officer.[18][19]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.[15][18] According to the game's manual, Leon arrives late to his first day of work due to a fight with his girlfriend, a detail Kamiya said was inspired by his own experience during development.[20] The artists Isao Ohishi and Ryoji Shimogama designed Leon's final in-game appearance.[21]
In the 2019 remake ofResident 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.[22] During the originalResident Evil 2, Leon develops an ambiguous romance with the mercenary and spyAda Wong, and they repeatedly save each other's lives.[23][24] 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.[25] Executive producerJun Takeuchi suggested their kiss should occur earlier in the story to make Ada seem more manipulative of Leon.[26]
Ada's and Leon's relationship is further explored inResident Evil 4 (2005) and itsminigame "Separate Ways".[24][27][28] Writer Yasuhisa Kawamura refined the world through several iterations; Kawamura told Brenna Hillier ofVG247: "Leon usually infiltratesOswell 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."[29] They initially thought it would be costly to develop and the many obstacles would be difficult to overcome.[29] Hideki Kamiya was surprised by Leon's popularity and enjoyed his evolution into a "really cool looking guy" forResident Evil 4, saying he "fell in love all over again".[17] In a documentary about the game's characters, it was stated Leon was intended to "look tougher, but also cool".[30]
The designer Masaki Yamanaka said the change was due to the experience he gained sinceResident Evil 2. Leon kept his "coolness" but Yamanaka did not want him to be "too buffed out".[30] Leon's design in the remake ofResident Evil 4 (2023) was modified to emphasize his experience and ability, and to show he had changed between games.[31] The developers also aimed to expand Leon's characterization and relationship with the president's daughterAshley Graham.[32][33] Capcom released a promotional anime titledResident Evil Masterpiece Theater, which depicts the story of this relationship.[34]
Resident Evil 5's (2009) producer Takeuchi said due to the characters' popularity, fans of the series want a video game featuring both Leon and Chris as protagonists, further explaining that it would be "pretty dramatic" if Leon and Chris never met during the series;[35] they meet inResident Evil 6 (2012).[36]Resident Evil 6's producerHiroyuki Kobayashi liked Leon and decided to include him because "he is central to the story".[37] 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.[38]
Resident Evil Requiem features an older and more mature Leon, described by Nakanishi as a "seasoned veteran".[39]
ForResident Evil Requiem (2026), Leon was designed as an "ikeoji" (a cool/attractive older guy) figure.[39] Director Koshi Nakanishi stated the developers initially considered making Leon the sole protagonist ofRequiem 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.[40] Nakanishi stated that one of the main focus ofRequiem 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.[41] The dual-protagonist structure ofRequiem, 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.[39] According to Nakanashi, Leon's sequences could give players a sense of release following Grace's chapters.[39]
Jason Faunt performed Leon'smotion capture inResident Evil 6,[13] while Nick Apostolides performed the voice and motion capture in the remakes ofResident Evil 2 (2019) andResident Evil 4 (2023),[7][8] and in the animated filmResident Evil: Infinite Darkness.[9] Leon's facial features inResident Evil 2 (2019) andResident Evil 4 (2023) are based on those of the Romanian model Eduard Badaluta.[2][3] In Japanese,Toshiyuki Morikawa voiced Leon inResident Evil: Infinite Darkness,Damnation,Resident Evil 6,Project X Zone 2,Resident Evil 2 (2019) andResident Evil 4 (2023).[9][11]
Resident Evil 2 takes place in 1998 in the fictional American locationRaccoon City.[33][43] Leon Scott Kennedy is a newly recruited police officer who arrives in the city just after the beginning of azombie outbreak, for which the pharmaceutical companyUmbrella Corporation is responsible.[33] Leon meetsClaire Redfield and they flee toward theRaccoon City Police Department building but get separated.[33] As he explores the building, Leon meetsAda Wong, an FBI agent who wants to obtain a sample of the G-virus.[33] While searching for the virus, Leon and Ada find an underground laboratory,[33] where they meet the Umbrella scientistAnnette Birkin, who reveals Ada is a mercenary. Ada claims the G-virus but Birkin shoots her in the ensuing struggle and Ada seemingly falls to her death.[33] The facility is then primed to self-destruct; Leon quickly escapes but encountersT-103 Tyrant. During the confrontation, Ada, who survived the fall, tosses Leon a rocket launcher to destroy T-103 Tyrant.[44] Leon rejoins Claire, who has secured a train that leads to the surface and they, along with Birkin's young daughterSherry,[33][44] escape before anuclear strike destroys Raccoon City as part of a U.S. government cover-up.[43]
Leon returns inResident Evil 4, which is set in 2004. Now aspecial 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".[33][45] During the rescue mission, Leon runs into Ada, whom he had not seen since Raccoon City,[33] andJack Krauser, his former special-operations partner whom he believed was dead.[46] At the game's climax, Leon kills the cult leaderOsmund 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.[33][45]
Leon's history with Krauser is explored inResident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles (2009). Two years before the events ofResident 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.[46]
Leon is also a protagonist inResident Evil 6 (2012) alongside Chris,Jake Muller and Ada.[47] The game has four player characters with different storylines, but Kobayashi described Leon as the main character.[37] In 2013, Leon is providing security for thePresident of the United States, who is preparing to publicly announce the events in Raccoon City. Before he can begin, the President is attacked by abioweapon that turns him into a zombie, and Leon is forced to kill him.[33][48] Leon is accused of orchestrating the attack and assassinating the President. Ada arrives to reveal the culprit isNational Security AdvisorDerek C. Simmons, who created the new C-virus.[33][48] To clear his name, Leon teams up with the secret service agentHelena Harper,[48] and they pursue Simmons to China.[33] Ada, Helena, and Leon defeat Simmons.[49][50]
Leon S. Kennedy appears in several of theResident Evil live-action film series. In a 2010 interview, the directorPaul W. S. Anderson said ifResident Evil: Afterlife (2010) succeeds, he would direct a fifth film and would like Leon to appear in it.[51] Leon is a major character inResident Evil: Retribution (2012),[52] in which he leads the Resistance and teams up withAlice to battle Umbrella.[53] Anderson said he felt a lot of pressure to find an actor who was a convincing action hero and had a similar hairstyle.[52] Leon does not appear in the final film in the series,Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016), having apparently died off-screen.[54] Leon also appears in the live-action reboot filmResident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021).[4]
Leon features in novelizations of the films and games.[80] Several comic books based on the games were released.[81][82][83] Leon is a character inBandai'sResident Evil Deck Building Card Game (2011) and Steamforged Games'Resident Evil 2: The Board Game (2017).[84][85] The character was featured inResident Evil-themed attractions atUniversal Studios Japan andUniversal Orlando'sHalloween Horror Nights.[86] Leon's likeness has been used on figurines, outfits, statues, dioramas, gun replicas, standees, keychains, watches, and perfumes.[87]
Guinness World Records and several video game journalists have named Leon S. Kennedy among the most-popular and most-iconic video game characters.[88][89][90] Rachel Weber ofGamesRadar+ described Leon as one of the greatest video game characters, praising his resilience and his ability to handle crises throughout the series.[91][92] Magazines have praised Leon as the most-likableResident Evil character.[93][94][95]IGN editors described him as one of the bestResident Evil protagonists due to hiseveryman persona, and likened him toJohn 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.[95]
Critics have praised Leon's character growth inResident Evil 4.[96][97]Nintendo Power described his change as going from a "glorified meter maid with a bad haircut" to a tough guy,[98] whilePolygon's Harri Chan praised Leon for his "schlocky action-movie energy".[99] Matt Kim ofVG247 praised Leon's relationship with Ada Wong, noting their "spy vs. spy thing" makes for enjoyable and entertaining cutscenes.[100] In the bookImmersion, Narrative, and Gender Crisis in Survival Horror Video Games, the academic Andrei Nae described Leon's persona as ahypermasculine and likened Leon to Ethan Thomas fromCondemned: 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.[101]
Leon's characterization has also been praised: fans lauded his appearance inResident Evil 2 (2019) and Cass Marshall ofPolygon said the remake "revives the sexy side of its star".[102] According to Ana Diaz fromPolygon, inResident Evil 4 (2023), Leon's sex appeal inspired fans to make and share "thirsty" videos of the character on the video-sharing platformTikTok.[103] Ashley Bardhan ofKotaku 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 gameDead by Daylight.[104] Jennifer Culp ofPolygon 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".[105] Fans have also praised his reveal inRequiem.[106][107]
キャスト|バイオハザード ダムネーション [Cast |Resident Evil Damnation] (in Japanese). biohazardcg2.com. Archived fromthe original on May 4, 2013. RetrievedApril 27, 2013.
『バイオハザード6 スペシャルパッケージ』本日発売！ 森川智之さん、東地宏樹さん、浪川大輔さんら日本語ボイス声優陣のコメントを掲載 ["Resident Evil 6 Special Package" released today! Comments from Japanese voice actors such as Tomoyuki Morikawa, Hiroki Higashichi, and Daisuke Namikawa are posted.] (in Japanese).Dengeki Online. August 8, 2013.Archived from the original on January 9, 2025. RetrievedMarch 22, 2019.
"CAPCOM：バイオハザードRE:2 公式サイト - カプコン" [CAPCOM:Resident Evil RE:2 Official Site - Capcom].capcom.co.jp (in Japanese). Archived fromthe original on November 20, 2018. RetrievedNovember 19, 2018.
Jennings, Stephanie (2018). "Women Agents and Double-Agents: Theorizing Feminine Gaze in Video Games". In Gray, Kishonna L.; Vossen, Emma; Voorhees, Gerald (eds.).Feminism In Play.Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 235–249.ISBN978-3319905389. RetrievedJuly 7, 2024.
