Why Leon Kennedy Now Feels Like the Face of Resident Evil — Even Though He Isn’t

2 weeks ago 9

Reasons Leon S Kennedy Feels Like the New Face of Resident Evil

Published Mar 18, 2026, 5:30 PM EDT

Elena Chapella (She/Her) is a current Writer for DualShockers, formerly an award-winning journalist for local news stations and newspapers in central Indiana.

Elena is passionate about writing, playing Dungeons & Dragons with her friends, and, of course, playing video games.

When she's not writing, Elena is actually a high school teacher by day. She teaches students essential life skills for adulthood, including job readiness, financial literacy, and college preparation.

There's some argument about who the true main character of the Resident Evil franchise is, with most in the fandom agreeing on Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine, as they were the ones who started it all. However, there are countless fans who think the answer is a no-brainer: Leon S. Kennedy.

Introduced in Resident Evil 2, Leon was a rookie cop that had to deal with the Raccoon City Incident for his first day on the job. He's young, inexperienced, but willing to do whatever he can to help others — and he only evolved for the better as he was featured in later entries.

What's ironic is that, when RE2 originally came out in 1998, people viewed Leon the same way people look at Ethan Winters now — either loved him or didn't care for him (but, everyone unanimously agreed that between him and Claire, he had a better route with better weapons). It wasn't until Resident Evil 4, however, that it all suddenly changed, and everyone's perspective of Leon shifted into viewing him as the cool and relatable hero he was always meant to be.

And now, the fandom will not let go of Leon, under any circumstances, especially as he worked his way to the center of the spotlight. He may not be the main character, but Capcom clearly has made him the face of Resident Evil, with Resident Evil Requiem being the newest entry he's taken by storm.

10 His One Liners are Quotable

You Always Remember What Makes You Laugh

Resident Evil 4 Where's Everyone Going Bingo Leon

When we see Leon again after the events of Resident Evil 2, he's a lot more trained and battle-hardened, but that doesn't stop him from coping with the events of Resident Evil 4 by using humor. While playing through RE4 (and in every subsequent game Leon is featured in afterward), Leon has a one-liner for almost everything.

There's some classics, such as the iconic, "Where's everybody going? Bingo?" and "Your right hand comes off?" that served as the foundation of fandom memes for the next two decades. And, of course, even in Requiem, he's got several one-liners that cut through the tension that strung you up.

You're more likely to fondly remember people, places, and things that make you laugh, and Leon has definitely gotten a few laughs out of players, regardless of which game they're playing.

Even in the Resident Evil 2 Remake, before Leon's sarcasm really starts to settle into his character, he swears like it's his first time swearing, which makes moments (like his exclamation when running from the Giant Alligator) ten times more hysterical. He's incredibly quotable, and it makes for a good time, every time.

9 He Was Featured in the Guinness Book of World Records

One of Gaming's Most Iconic Characters

Guinness Book of World Records 2011 Leon S Kennedy

The Guinness Book of World Records is one of those book collections that is just outright cool. Even cooler, there are actually Gamer's Editions of these books, specifically for video gaming records and fan votes. One of these fan votes was for the Top 50 Video Game Characters of All Time, and the votes poured in from all over the world.

In the Gamer's Edition of the 2011 Guinness Book of World Records, Leon S. Kennedy placed 36th on the Top 50 Video Game Characters of All Time, with Jill Valentine being only a few entries after him. He managed to outrank one of the actual main characters of Resident Evil as being more iconic, and that should tell you everything you truly need to know.

And this list included all kinds of video game characters, not limiting them by genre or anything — so the fact that Leon is on the same page as Mario himself really highlights his impact on the gaming industry, not just in the Resident Evil games.

8 He's in Fortnite

Epic Only Features Popular Characters

Normally, when discussing popular characters, you wouldn't think that them being featured in Fortnite would be a particularly strong talking point, but that is, until you remember that Epic Games tends to only loop in and feature the most popular characters and content from each individual IP. For Resident Evil, it's the four primary characters we see all across the series: Chris, Jill, Leon, and Claire. Grace Ashcroft was the most recent skin added after the release of Requiem, and that's it.

Epic wouldn't have included a character if they believed, quite frankly, that it wouldn't sell well, but Leon would sell in mass quantities.

10 Leon Kennedy Outfits Ranked by How Iconic They Still Feel Years Later

Resident Evil's Leon Kennedy has rocked quite a few looks over the years.

Leon being featured in the Resident Evil lineup isn't just because he's a fan-favorite (if they're going exclusively off that, we'd also see skins for Rebecca, H.U.N.K., or even Wesker), but it's because people can't picture the franchise without his face anymore. Chris and Jill were the first and main characters, sure, but everyone recognizes Leon immediately.

Let's just hope that they bring the skins back to the shop soon. I want to make Leon hit the Griddy.

7 Darkside Chronicles Centers Around Him

He's Got Main Games and Spinoff Games

Not only is Leon front and center in several of Resident Evil's main, numbered entries, but he's also taken the spotlight in spinoff games, such as The Darkside Chronicles, a rail shooter that goes back through the events of Resident Evil 2, Code Veronica, and an entirely new story (Operation Javier) that finally gives players insight of who Jack Krauser is. Beforehand, we only knew him as a boss in RE4, but in this game, we finally got to actually see his and Leon's history.

Dang, Leon, way to be greedy with the spotlight, taking both main games and side content. It's good content, don't get me wrong, but it's funny to think about.

At this rate, the more people see him outside the main games, the more they're going to believe that Leon is the main character. While he technically isn't, it's hard to dispute that with how he's literally everywhere and involved in literally everything. You can't go anywhere in Resident Evil without him being there.

Seriously, if we were to break down how many games Leon was featured in versus other characters, he'd cross the finish line with a significant lead.

6 He's Even in the Comics

Yes, RE has Comics

There are your typical novelizations that come out with each game and CGI movies, even some comics, meant to expand the story and show unique angles — Resident Evil has had both. However, the comics almost exclusively adapted the games that featured Leon (apart from the first game's Spencer Mansion Incident), as well as some additional content for already existing stories.

Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness, for example, was a show that ended up being adapted into the comics (titled Infinite Darkness: The Beginning), as a prequel to what we see happen in the show, and this comic focuses on Leon almost exclusively. Infinite Darkness also features Claire Redfield, but she doesn't make an appearance in the comics, not even a mention.

It's safe to say that while Leon isn't the main character of the Resident Evil game series, he clearly is the main character of the comics.

5 Leon's Character is Memorable Overall

An Everyman Newcomer We Can Relate To

Regardless of which continuity you're following (Remake or OG), Leon was always meant to be a relatable, everyman character, the rookie that we would all be if we were put into the same situation: inexperienced but desperate to help others survive with you. Leon is meant to be the character that we connect with.

In the OG continuity, he was late to Raccoon City due to a hangover; after breaking up with his girlfriend, he went into a drunken stupor the night before, sleeping in and potentially saving his life by coming way later in the day. In the remake continuity, Capcom wanted him to be a bit more heroic, so Marvin had called Leon and told him not to come, that it's not safe, but Leon went anyway, wanting to help.

Resident Evil Requiem Shatters Every Franchise Record on Steam Because of Hot Leon

Yet, both continuities are things that we can see happening with Leon, and things that we can see happening with literally anyone we know. Leon is the kind of character that we see reflections of ourselves and others within, and because of it, many players (and developers) bonded deeper with him than any other character.

That's just one example — regardless of which version of the games you're following, Leon was always meant to be like us.

4 He's in Every Single CGI Movie

And Most Live Action Ones

There hasn't been a single Resident Evil CGI movie that didn't feature Leon in it in some way shape or form, starting with Resident Evil: Degeneration nearly 20 years ago. Side note: it's actually insane that CGI has been around long enough to where the first RE CGI Film is 18 years old, and it's only continued to advance ever since.

With each movie, the graphics have improved, and so has Leon's character model. It's like Capcom was trying to show off their progress with each release, and using Leon as the focal point only emphasizes how he's become the new face of the franchise.

When it comes to RE's canon, the CGI movies are actually canon/canon-compliant, meaning that everything Leon had done were things that actually happened in-universe, unlike Paul W.S. Andersen's self-insert slop. Players are basically given universe extensions with these movies, and every single one of them involves Leon.

No complaints here, though, the CGI movies are literally the only good Resident Evil movies that exist.

Everyone Say Thank You, Women

Resident Evil Requiem Leon Smoulder Victor

Listen, we can't acknowledge Leon's popularity without acknowledging his sex appeal. Capcom has made it very clear from the start that the women at the studio were in charge of Leon's design, and they worked hard to make him as hot as humanly possible. And it genuinely did work, spectacularly even, making him the perfect ikeoji (hot uncle). Just go on TikTok if you really want to see how thirsty fans are, veteran and new alike.

Making Leon hot worked amazingly in Requiem's favor though, since it broke record after record thanks to his good looks. And now, Hot Leon Kennedy has completely taken the world by storm — I've learned at least three different ways to thirst over someone in Japanese after reading countless comments.

To me, Leon's always been handsome and good-looking, but adding just a little bit of stubble and bulking him up resulted in not just me seeing the appeal, but bringing countless new players into the fandom.

Really, just look at him. Who wouldn't want that to be the main face of their IP?

2 Leon Has Direct Ties to the Raccoon City Incident

He Even Had Suspicions Early

Resident Evil 2 Remake Leon Kennedy Holding A Flashlight

When it comes to picking the face of Resident Evil games, it has to be a legacy character — someone with direct ties to Raccoon City and the apocalypse that unfolded there. Leon not only had direct ties to the Raccoon City Incident, but he was already wry of the area before coming in on his first day.

Leon had specifically requested to be put in Raccoon City after learning about a mysterious string of murders in the Arklay Mountains, already suspicious that something deeper is going on to cause them. Unfortunately for him, he was right.

Resident Evil Requiem Changes that Divided Fans

10 Resident Evil Requiem Changes That Are Dividing Longtime Fans

There are some moments in Resident Evil Requiem that had fans screaming, crying and throwing up — other moments, however, had them rolling their eyes.

With Leon being tethered to Raccoon City, you have a character that's not only carrying significant history for the context of the game, but it also lets players suspend their disbelief more when they see him do something a bit more extra... such as the entire bike sequence in Requiem. It was fun, for sure, but unbelievable; absolutely something I had to just let go for the sake of the rule of cool, just because it was Leon who was doing it. Had it been anyone else, it wouldn't have worked.

Legacy characters, especially when doing a game like Requiem where there's a "passing of the torch" so to speak, are crucial for a smooth transition. But, I don't think Leon is seeing himself out anytime soon.

1 Every Game He's in Explodes in Popularity

The Numbers Don't Lie

In every single Resident Evil game that Leon is featured in, the game explodes in popularity with sales unlike anything Capcom had seen up until that point. Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil 6 (despite it not being well received), and now Resident Evil Requiem all sold incredibly; millions upon millions of units sold on the regular.

Of the top 10 selling Resident Evil games, titles and remakes featuring Leon make up over half of them, and Requiem quickly fell into that same trend.

With that, the numbers tell the story for you: people simply love Leon S. Kennedy, and don't want to let him go any more than Capcom doesn't. Clearly, he's one of the most beloved characters in the fandom, and it be foolish to not acknowledge and cater to that (at least somewhat, I'm glad Grace was still the focus of Requiem).

So it's no wonder that Leon seems like he's the face of the Resident Evil games — it's the pretty face that brings in all the money in the world. I wouldn't be surprised if future titles will still feature Leon in some way, just to make sure those games do well (or to just make players thirsty... we can't tell anymore).