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| “ | I'm gonna scrub this virus from the face of the earth. | „ |
| ~ Leon to Claire, after the Harvardville outbreak. |
| “ | Get down! | „ |
| ~ Leon's catchphrase to Claire. |
| “ | September 30th, 1998. It's a day I'll never forget. The cop inside me died that day. And that night, Raccoon City was wiped out, thanks to the bioweapons created by Umbrella. Somehow, I made it out. But too many others... weren't so lucky. I was "asked" later to join a top-secret government program. Not that I had a choice. The training, the punishing missions nearly killed me. But at least they kept my mind off everything. If I could just forget what happened that night, the pain — even for a second. This time, it can be different. It has to. | „ |
| ~ Leon at the beginning of Resident Evil 4 Remake, reminiscing his time in Raccoon City and giving a brief overview of what happened after. |
Leon Scott Kennedy (レオン・スコット・ケネディ, Reon Sukotto Kenedi) is one of the main protagonists of the Resident Evil franchise.
He was a former R.P.D officer, who teamed up with Chris Redfield' sister, Claire, to survive against the outbreak in Raccoon City, while protecting a young girl named Sherry Birkin. He was later trained and hired by the American government to find the president's daughter. In Resident Evil 6, he survived the C-Virus outbreak in Tall Oaks along with agent Helena Harper. He was framed with the murder of the president, and traveled to China to put a stop of Derek Simmons' scheme and clear his name.
Leon was voiced by the late Paul Haddad (RE2), Paul Mercier (RE4; Degeneration; Darkside Chronicles), Christian Lanz (Op Raccoon City), Matthew Mercer (RE6; Damnation; Vendetta), and Nick Apostolides (RE2 Remake; RE4 Remake; Infinite Darkness).
In Japanese, he was voiced by Jin Yamanoi and Toshiyuki Morikawa.
Other Media[]
Project X Zone 2[]
Leon makes an appearance in Project X Zone 2. He is a supporting character for any of the playable characters.
Dead by Daylight[]
Leon, alongside Jill and The Nemesis appeared in the Resident Evil chapter for Dead by Daylight.
Super Smash Bros.[]
Leon appears in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as a spirit first appearing in the "Oust Resident Evil!" event, he is a advanced primary shield spirit that increases the user's power on item throw. His spirit battle is a stamina battle on the Gerudo Valley stage against Fox McCloud who favors neutral specials and Villagers with only Fox has to be defeated to win.
Personality[]
| “ | It is a part of me that I cannot abandon. Let's leave it that way. | „ |
| ~ Leon S. Kennedy to Ashley Graham on Ada Wong |
At first, Leon was apparently a somewhat naïve rookie police officer, with a strong sense of justice and duty. As his actions during the Raccoon City incident were curiously discovered, Leon was recruited and later became a Special Expert Agent due to the training he acquired under the hands of the US government. He is able to maintain his composure in most circumstances, making him more confident yet arrogant and cocky at times, Leon is very compassionate and objective.
Leon's friendly nature makes him quick to make friends. He immediately struck up a friendship with Claire Redfield in Raccoon, despite what happened. Leon also respects Jack Krauser, both as a soldier and a friend (or in remake's case, mentor), prior to his betrayal. Leon was very quick to make friends with Luis Sera and Mike, then becomes deeply saddened by their deaths. Also, despite the fact that Helena Harper has told him that she is the culprit of the President's death, they quickly grow in confidence to the point of caring enormously for the welfare of each other. At the same time, Leon is very quick to stand up to people who endanger others. He is also quick to deduce riddles that are presented to him.
Leon has shown that he flirts with some of the women he meets, including Ingrid Hunnigan, who jokingly rejected his words on his mission to Spain saying that she is still "at work." They seem to be attracted to each other with Angela Miller. When Haley Peters almost fell next to a collapsed stairs in the presidential palace, Leon grabs her breasts by accident, she jokingly asked if he liked them and he replied "It's not a crime is it?" Also in the Tall Oaks incident, Leon holds Helena's arm when they fall into the sewers and stare into each other's eyes, but she looks away and tells him that she's fine. Later, he tells her that one of the reasons why he hadn't turned her over to the law was because "he had begun to like her", with the looks that each one gives each other could indicate some emotional affection between them.
Leon's relationship with Ada is very complicated, even though there is some kind of bond between the two and they both help each other every time the other needs it, Ada has no problem using Leon to achieve her own goals, however, Leon does not hold this against her. He mentions that Ada will always be "a part of him that he can't let go". Since the beginning of the incident in Raccoon City, Leon goes out of his way to try to protect Ada and repeatedly asking her if she's alright, to the point that Claire comes to suspect some sort of crush or simply that Leon is trying to impress Ada. Leon showed that he would give up his life to protect her, as when he hugs her to save her from the projectiles fired by Simmons's mutation, receiving them in the back.
It seems that Leon cares deeply about the people he rescues. He does his best to protect all of them despite not knowing them. He became Sherry Birkin's temporary guardian before being taken into the custody of the US government. During Operation Javier Leon he had a similar relationship with Manuela Hidalgo, doing everything possible to try to protect her. During his mission to save Ashley Graham, Leon took great personal risks multiple times to ensure her safety. Leon has shown that he comes and goes from being cold and focused to passionate in his missions.
During the beginning of the incident in El Pueblo, Leon is dismissive of his police escorts for the most part and shows little consideration for anything except finding Ashley, however when the two officers' car falls down a ravine near Leaving the village, Leon says "No ...", then goes on saying "I hope the two officers are okay." when he investigates the scene of the incident, as well as when he finds one of the corpses and investigates it, he says that he should have gone with him. In the Harvardville incident, he acts in the same way, his main concern being the mission he was given. In the incident at Tall Oaks when his partner, Agent Helena Harper is attacked by the zombified President, Leon helps her, but scolds when she says she still can't believe what's going on, saying, "Well get used to that. They're them or us ... and they don't doubt it. ", although most likely he said this to keep Helena focused on what is happening and not let the crisis get in the way of her survival.
However, Leon also has a selective form of emotional attachment to the people he meets on these missions. During his mission in Spain, Leon becomes a little attached to Luis Sera and the helicopter pilot Mike, possibly because they were one of the few healthy people he could trust in his mission, to the point of greatly regretting their deaths. While at Harvardville, he acts flirtatiously towards Angela Miller, creating some tension. Leon dares to shoot the US President and longtime friend Adam Benford after he transforms into a zombie, and he only does so when Benford attacks Helena. This is no doubt because Benford has had a substantial impact on Leon, being the one that brought him to the DSO to begin with. It is evident that they were close friends, with Benford telling Leon that he values their friendship, a few days before giving the speech. Seeing the evidence in the helicopter to get out of Lanshiang, Helena tells him she will prove her innocence, to which Leon responds by looking at her "Our innocence". Minutes later when they start to take off, Helena looks at Leon with a smile and he smiles back.
Leon cares about normal people and is willing to help even when in danger. After shooting the president, Leon and Helena find a man searching for his missing daughter. He asks Leon to help him find his daughter, and he agrees with no doubt, even after Helena tells Leon that there is not enough time, to which Leon quickly replies that they will find the time to search for her. When Leon and Helena desperately see two people holding "help" signs somewhere at Ivy University via security cameras, Leon quickly tells Helena to go with him to rescue the innocent, however Helena tells him that It's too late, Leon looks at the camera to see the two people killed by the zombies, though he looks away in frustration and pain. Also, during his fight with Chris, he tells Leon that he lost all his men because of the mysterious woman, however an angry Leon tells Chris that he lost more than 70,000 people, showing that he cares more for all the citizens who have lost their lives in Tall Oaks.
If his opening narration in remake version of Resident Evil 4 is to be believed, Leon's admirable traits being stemmed from desire to help people who trapped in situations not unlike his during Raccoon City Incident seriously. The ordeal became his drive to soldier on over the course of his training and early missions as U.S. Government agent seriously despite their apparent risks. Contrary to Dylan Blake's accusation on him in Death Island, he is also not always agree with his superiors' approach in dealing bioweapon threats, notably taking matters regarding East Slavic Civil War in his own hands against their lack of faith knowing better dangers Plaga Type 4 pose to everyone involved in such conflict.
Powers and Abilities[]
- Peak Human Condition: Thanks to his training regime from joining Special Expert Agent, Leon attained top physical condition which served him well in combating bioterrorism.
- Peak-Level Durability: Leon has repeatedly demonstrated phenomenal durability in the face of damage that a normal human could not have survived; his bone and muscle tissues are 10 times denser and more durable than those of normal humans, enabling him to survive countless encounters with zombie monsters, aggressive humans harbored by parasites and their leaders, and complete numerous missions without fail. He can withstand more physical trauma before collapsing or being knocked out than normal humans. For example, falls from high altitudes, high-velocity impacts against walls, bullets, knives, heat & cold, etc.
- Peak-Level Strength: Throughout his appearances, Leon has demonstrated numerous extraordinary physical feats that no ordinary human being can accomplish, and displayed strength unattainable by any training method. These include shattering armored glass, knocking out multiple people at once, defeating giant monsters and others capable of regenerating their cells, and breaking armored doors. And defeating a super-soldier armed only with a knife. Leon's strength is astonishingly great: he can propel a person several meters, and demolish the window of a Humvee with nothing but his elbow, these windows being made to withstand attacks from anti-tank ammunition. Leon is also able to effectively combat Chris Redfield, who is strong enough to drive a very large boulder numerous meters into the ground.
- Peak-Level Stamina: Leon was able to continue to fight and try to survive at all costs for several days during the events of RE:6, although he was solicited by several opponents multiple times in very close periods, without being once won over by fatigue or exhaustion. Leon is a very athletic man, able to maintain his athletic fitness for several days while maintaining his Olympic fitness, although he runs, jumps, rolls and fights against zombie hordes who have lost the notion of exertion or exhaustion.
- Peak-Level Endurance: Leon is able to withstand extended periods of fatigue and stress, as well as long periods without food or drink without collapsing, and has managed to carry out a high-risk rescue mission in enemy territory, alone. As well as days without food and water, fighting in every direction.
- Peak-Level Speed: But beyond being super-athletic, Leon is able to run much faster than a normal human being, being fast enough to run faster than a chain explosion that caused a whole street to collapse. Leon is fast enough to anticipate and react accordingly to what's happening in real time, such as machine-gun bullets or the collapse of an entire street or building. In addition to being super-athletic, Leon is able to dodge fists from tyrants and super-tyrants, as well as point-blank explosions and machine gun bullets. As well as dodging Krauser's attacks effortlessly.
- Parasite Resistance: Over the course of his career as U.S. Government agent and later, D.S.O. agent, Leon had been exposed to various parasites and viruses such as Las Plagas and modified strain of T-Virus leading to his body developing resistance to them unlike those in similar situations which immediately succumbed, something which attributed to both his determination and rigorous training regiment.
- Master Knife Fighter/Thrower: Leon is also a highly skilled knife wielder, with his style seeming to be a mix of Kali and Systema knife fighting. his skin is great enough to match a master knife fighter like Jack Krauser, even managing to wound him. He is also highly skilled at knife throwing such as when he threw his knife into Salazar's hand before he could even react.
- Master Marksman: Leon is highly skilled with various firearms such as pistols, shotguns, sub-machine guns, rifles, and rocket launchers.
Equipment[]
- Silver Ghost: Leon's personal semi-automatic sidearm which comes equipped with a laser sight.
- Combat Knife: Leon carries a combat knife sheathed on his left clavicle. The knife is sharp and durable enough to cut through a padlock.
- Shotguns: Leon has used many types of shotguns including the Remington M1100/P and a Riot Gun.
- Submachine Guns: Leon has used submachine guns such as the MAC11 and a TMP.
- Assault rifles: Leon has used many assault rifles like the Bolt action M1 and the RN assault rifle.
- Flamethrower: Leon has used a flamethrower to takes out multiple zombies in an area.
- grenade Launchers: Leon has used the M203 grenade launcher and a grenade launcher attachment on his assault rifle.
- Rocket Launcher: Leon has used a modified RPG-7 to take down large foes such as Mr. X and Saddler.
- Level 3 Tactical Body Armor: Leon wears this lightweight vest to protect from magma pistols and some rifles.
Live Portrayals[]
- In a commercial for Resident Evil 2, he was portrayed by Brad Renfro.
- In the Paul W.S. Anderson film, Resident Evil: Retribution, he was portrayed by Johann Urb, who also played Shady in Breach and Toby Baker in American Siege.
- In a commercial for the remake of Resident Evil 2, he was portrayed by Dan Costello.
- In Welcome to Raccoon City, he was portrayed by Avan Jogia, who also played Johnny in Johnny & Clyde.
Quotes[]
| “ | Hey, I'm not going anywhere. I'm the only cop left alive in this building! | „ |
| ~ Leon to Ben Bertolucci in the original Resident Evil 2. |
| “ | What are these things? | „ |
| ~ Leon upon encountering zombies in the original Resident Evil 2. |
| “ | Got it. | „ |
| ~ Leon upon learning that Claire found Sherry at Chief Iron's office and the helicopter wreckage that blocked the way to it is cleared in the original Resident Evil 2. |
| “ | Leon:Are you crazy? The streets are still crawling with zombies. Claire: It will be all right. Trust me. We found a way to the sewer. Follow us later. Leon: Claire! Claire, wait, wait! Man, why does not anyone ever listen to me?! |
„ |
| ~ Leon upon receiving a word from Claire who found a way out of town in the original Resident Evil 2. |
| “ | Freeze! I'll shoot! | „ |
| ~ Leon upon encountering his first zombie. |
| “ | Something tells me he's not a cop... | „ |
| ~ Leon seeing T-00 on a monitor. |
| “ | Jesus Christ! | „ |
| ~ Leon encountering T-00 for the first time. |
| “ | I'll stop this, lieutenant. I promise. | „ |
| ~ Leon if he kills a zombified Marvin. |
| “ | S**t! Him again?!? | „ |
| ~ Leon encountering T-00 in the green house. |
| “ | Uh...Is this a f***ing joke? | „ |
| ~ Leon encountering T-00 for the final time. |
| “ | Where's everyone going? Bingo? | „ |
| ~ Leon's famous "dad joke" from RE4 |
| “ | Great, a chainsaw. | „ |
| ~ Leon upon seeing Dr. Salvador. |
| “ | You again! | „ |
| ~ Leon to Ramon Salazar upon encountering him in the tower. |
| “ | Ashley: You know, I... I was thinking — we work well together, don't we? Leon: I guess so. Ashley: Right!? Maybe someday, I'll become an agent like you? What do you think? We could protect the US from any and all threats! Leon: Is that right? Well, either way, first we have to make it out of here. Ashley: Hm, you're no fun. |
„ |
| ~ Ashley expressed her interest of becoming an agent like Leon upon reflecting their adventures together. |
| “ | Ashley: They're not attacking. What's going on? Leon: They're nothing now their master's gone. It's over for them. |
„ |
| ~ Leon and Ashley about ganado combatants suffering neural shock from Saddler's death. |
| “ | Ashley: Mission accomplished, right? Leon: Mission accomplished... when you're home safe. Ashley: Thank you for saving me. Leon: Don't mention it. Ashley: You know, I could put in a word with my dad. Have you assigned to my detail, if you're interested? Leon: You don't need me. You proved you can handle yourself. Even if you could use a lesson in knife safety. Come on, let's go. |
„ |
| ~ Leon suggests Ashley to learn knife combat while turning down Ashley's plan of having her father assigned her to be her bodyguard of sort. |
| “ | Well then, I guess my only option is to lose my American citizenship for a while. | „ |
| ~ Leon to Ingrid. |
| “ | Back for more? | „ |
| ~ Leon to Simmons. |
| “ | When I was a kid, I used to think about the kind of man I'd grow up to be... I never thought my life would turn out this way. | „ |
| ~ Leon reflecting on his life. |
Trivia[]
- The color of his hair in RE2 is dark blond in the artworks, and red in-game. In RE4, his hairstyle was longer, covering his right eye most of the time, and his hair was blond.
- In the novels that were written by S. D. Perry, Leon and Claire have a much closer and more intimate relationship, to the point where Leon feels confused about his feelings for her. Although these novels are not canon, Leon's true feelings are not known with certainty.
- In Degeneration, he seems colder and very professional in his mission compared to Resident Evil 4, set a year earlier, where he is seen to be calm and charismatic on most occasions. His "normal" attitude returns in his next chronological appearance. This, of course, could be attributed to finding himself facing exact same threats which changed his life back at Raccoon forever.
- Leon made a report of what he experienced in Resident Evil 4, according to Resident Evil 5 when Chris Redfield mentioned Leon's report because of his relationship to what happened in Kijuju, which also means that some members of the B.S.A.A. read it.
- Leon maintains contact with some protagonists, among them are Claire, Sherry, Chris, and Ark Thomson.
- Leon is the Resident Evil character with the most aliases.
- He's ranked 36th in the Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition from 2011, ranked 44th on Empire's list of the 50 greatest video game characters, and ranked 11th "most influential and badass" hero in video games by GamesRadar in 2012.
- He was planned to be a playable character in Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, but was dropped for unknown reasons.
- Leon doesn't get much down time; often having his vacations interrupted/cancelled by his superiors as seen in Damnation. Because of such, he only has on-the-job friends; making their loss especially traumatizing to Leon, whom has little emotional support off-duty. Vendetta shows Leon hit a low point in needing to drink in order to deal with depression, much to Chris' chagrin as he once reduced into amnesiac drunkard in the events of Resident Evil 6; sixteen years of numerous losses since Raccoon City in 1998 had taken its toll.
- Leon appears to share his name with real world Black American actor Leon Issac Kennedy, who is famous for his role as FBI agent Marcus Jackson in the Chuck Norris action movie Lone Wolf McQuade and the boxing movies Penitentiary and Heart and Soul.
- His backstory as a cop from a mob family is similar to character Rick Hunter from the 1980s police drama TV series Hunter.
- His regular death animation was taken from REmake (seen here).
- Paul Haddad based his performance on Harrison Ford and Michael J. Fox.
External Links[]
- Leon S. Kennedy on the Resident Evil Wiki
- Leon S. Kennedy (Remakes) on the Near Pure Good Wiki
- Leon S. Kennedy on the Capcom Wiki
- Leon S. Kennedy on Wikipedia
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Special Tactics and Rescue Service Raccoon City Police Department Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance Division of Security Operations TerraSave Others | ||
