Moments When Leon Kennedy Proved He's the Most Human Hero in Resident Evil

Resident Evil is a landmark franchise with many memorable characters, including some truly iconic protagonists. However, none of them feel quite as consistently relatable as Leon S. Kennedy.

Over the years, we have witnessed him go from being an out-of-his-depth rookie cop to a hardened powerhouse of a playable character. Despite this, Leon has managed to retain so much of the emotional depth and relatability that made fans fall in love with him in the first place, all those years ago. In a world that regularly feels over-the-top and absurd, Leon remains one of the most human elements of the saga. Several moments from Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil 6, and Resident Evil Requiem stand out as proof why Leon is such a brilliantly human hero.

Beware of spoilers for the above mentioned games, including potential differences with their remakes!

10 A Rainy Night In Raccoon City

Resident Evil 2

Looking at the modern-day version of Leon Kennedy, it can be easy to forget that when we first met him, he was a rookie cop who found himself in way over his head on his first day on the job. The horrors that Leon witnessed that night were terrifying — on an existential level as well as a physical one — and the odds were stacked heavily against him.

Sure, he managed to survive, but he was forever changed by the events he went through in September 1998. And before that change took place, he was a scared young man; a far cry from the battle-hardened warrior he would become in later years.

This is especially clear during the iconic gas station scene which opens Resident Evil 2. It can be easy to forget the character moments shown during that sequence, given that it essentially serves as the game's tutorial, but the fear seen on Leon's face during those opening cutscenes is hugely relevant in shaping the hero that he'd later become. I recently went back to replay RE2 and seeing this scene after recently playing through Requiem draws a sharp contrast.

9 Refusing To Leave Marvin Behind

Resident Evil 2

Marvin Brannagh is one of the first victims we seetransform into a zombie in Resident Evil 2, after meeting him and getting to know him. His situation is tragic; he hesitated to put down his infected former friend and colleague, and paid the ultimate price for it, sustaining the infection. It is a very human reaction, but his humanity ultimately cost him his life, teaching Leon a valuable lesson in the process.

Even though Leon is well aware of the situation, that Marvin is a dead man walking, he still refuses to leave him behind. He insists that he can get Marvin to a hospital and save him. Marvin helped Leon, giving him a combat knife, and now Leon feels a duty to help Marvin.

Even though Leon knows that bringing Marvin along would be a huge burden to his survival chances, he still wants to do so. He insists to the point that Marvin eventually needs to pull a gun on Leon in order to force him to leave him behind. It may be somewhat naive of him in hindsight, but Leon's empathy and compassion for human life in this scene is undeniable, and it is a big reason I have always been such a big fan of his character.

8 Returning to Raccoon City

Resident Evil Requiem

One of the most memorable moments in RE9 was getting to return to the RPD station in Racoon City as Leon all those years later. Capcom could have so easily let this sequence rely solely on nostalgic fan service, but instead it is reframed as a personal reckoning for Leon.

The ruined urban environment serves as a metaphor for Leon’s unresolved trauma and the parts of himself he lost during the outbreak, forcing him to physically walk through the anguish that has haunted him for decades.

Despite how difficult it must have been to force himself to return to Racoon City, Leon still chooses to do it. Not for any self-serving reason but because there are still people who need saving and Leon is a man willing to do whatever it takes for the greater good.

7 The Way He Treats Helena

Resident Evil 6

RE6 is often derided. It is over the top to the extent it veers closer to that of a Fast and Furious movie directed by Michael Bay, as opposed to a carefully crafted horror experience worthy of John Carpenter. Despite all of this, though, Leon's campaign still carries that trademark humanity.

This is most evidently seen in the way he treats Helena. Instead of viewing her as a burden or an inconvenience, he treats her like a partner, not a useless passenger. I recently went back and played RE6 for the first time and the best part of the game was seeing the way that Leon treats Helena.

It is understandable that Helena is struggling throughout Resident Evil 6's plot, given that she loses her sister in a violent, disturbing fashion and also blames herself for the Tall Oaks outbreak that led to the death of thousands of innocent people. Leon continues to have her back and push her through all of it, refusing to move forward without her.

6 “It’s Okay To Be Afraid”

Resident Evil 4 Remake

The cutscene begins with Ashley feeling sorry for herself. She speaks about how the Las Plagas infection has affected her and how scared she is. Ashley then sees that Leon is also infected by Las Plagas, and a pretty revealing conversation follows between our hero and his scared young companion.

Leon doesn't play down the gravity of the situation they have found themselves in, nor does he invalidate Ashley's fear. During a moment where he could have dismissed Ashley's terror and reduced it to her just being young and weak, he instead puts himself on her level.

He tells Ashley: “It’s okay to be afraid, but you can’t run. You gotta keep moving forward. We will beat this, together.” Leon is letting her know that he recognizes the fear she is going through. He is also giving her a palpable solution to battle that fear by motivating her to keep pushing forward, reassuring her that she isn't doing it alone, because they will face it together.

5 The Death of Luis Serra

Resident Evil 4 Remake

Luis doesn't die in a blaze of glory, nor does he go out saving anyone. Instead, he is quite literally stabbed in the back by Major Krauser and he bleeds out. In his final moments, Leon lights his cigarette so that Luis can have one last smoke, before placing his lighter back into his hand after he passes away.

It is a quiet, sobering moment that stands out in contrast to some of the more bombastic character deaths in Resident Evil, but because of its more subdued nature, we actually get to see more of Leon's humanity on display. This moment has always stuck with me ever since playing the original version of RE4 (in which, instead, Saddler himself unexpectedly stabs Luis in the back from a castle doorway).

Luis and Leon are like two sides of the same coin. Both skilled survivors around the same age, Leon knows deep down that he could have turned out just like Luis in another life. This is what makes this character's death hit Leon so hard and also what makes it stand out to a protagonist like Leon, who has already seen so much death up to this point.

4 Completing the Mission While Suffering From RCS

Resident Evil Requiem

When RE9 opens, Leon is already suffering from the effects of Raccoon City Syndrome. This infection is notable because, unlike the T-virus, its effects are gradual and not immediately obvious. The major symptoms that we see Leon display throughout the game are physical strain and fatigue, meaning that his body isn't cooperating with him in the way that it used to.

During the sequence that takes place inside a former Umbrella facility hidden beneath Racoon City known as ARK, Leon rescues Grace Ashcroft from Zeno, but the injuries he sustains cause him to temporarily pass out.

When he regains consciousness, he acknowledges that he is showing stage three symptoms of the T-virus. Grace asks him why he would come to her rescue if he is so sick. Leon's response shows the depth of his humanity, telling her: "Raccoon City was where it all began for me. When it all happened, I couldn't make a difference, so I am here now."

3 Confronting Major Krauser

Resident Evil 4 Remake

Battling Major Jack Krauser isn't difficult for Leon just because he is a highly capable antagonist with a threatening physical presence. On a more emotional level, fighting Krauser is about Leon wrestling with his past. This is a man who he once respected and looked up to, and now he must kill him for the greater good.

Krauser killed Luis Serra and, like Luis, Jack Krauser is another man who Leon knows he could have been in another life. This battle is more than just a cool boss fight, it is Leon fighting against the darkest parts of his own personality.

If Leon could have saved his former comrade, he would have. However, Krauser tragically refuses to give Leon that option, forcing a brutal fight to the death between the two. Despite Krauser losing his humanity, Leon doesn't take any joy in putting him down, seeing it as a necessity, laced with personal grief. The end result is the same in the original game.

2 Trusting Ada Wong

Resident Evil 2 & 4

Over the course of their interactions, Ada Wong has manipulated Leon, used him for her own gain, shot at him, and left him for dead. He has every reason not to trust her, and she couldn't exactly blame him for it. And yet he does because he knows that she is a person who had her reasons for making the decisions she did.

She may be a spy, she may be playing both sides the entire time and triple crossing Leon, but he knows that despite the threat she poses, there is far more going on behind her icy demeanor.

Despite knowing that she'll likely betray him yet again in the future, he saves her life during the Saddler boss fight in Resident Evil 4, because that is just the kind of guy that Leon S Kennedy is. I am also glad that Leon continues to save Ada, because I believe she is one of the most interesting characters in the franchise.

1 "Never again"

Resident Evil Requiem

One of the darkest moments in the Resident Evil saga is the fate of the Kendo family. In RE9, upon returning to the Kendo Gun Shop in Raccoon City, Leon finds the skeletal remains of Emma Kendo. Emma was an innocent child who was infected by the T-virus in September 1998.

After he comes across Emma's skull, Leon laments the senseless human cost of the zombie outbreak and, after experiencing a harrowing flashback, solemnly says: "I am so sorry. Never again." This echoes another moment from RE4's remake when Leon carries Ashley into Luis' lab while saying: "This time, it has to be different."

The way in which Leon continuously beats himself up for not being able to save everyone speaks to his outlook and the level of humanity that he retains in a world of horror and brutality.