Leon Scott Kennedy has proven himself a compelling and formidable force to be reckoned with throughout theResident Eviluniverse with a touch of humor, whether in numerous games, animated films, or even live-action movies. His character has undergone many changes and refinements with every entry he’s been in (includingResident Evil 4 Remake).
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The games and supplementary animated movies follow Leon’s journey and his many harrowing ordeals with tons of supporting characters, and then there are also his crossover appearances with other noteworthy game universes. You can never get enough of Leon, and below are all of his best versions seen so far.
11Resident Evil 3: Nemesis
Resident Evil 3didn’t include Leon in the campaign since the game followed Jill Valentine and Carlos Oliveira during the events partially leading up to the second game, where Leon played a larger role. However, a version of Leon does make an appearance once you beat the game numerous times as an epilogue screen.
It’s a 2D illustration of Leon, hands clasped and resting on his chin as he sits across from a government agent, and text displays that they want to make him a deal, which perfectly sets upResident Evil 4. The 2D animated drawing couldn’t be more different from the Leon we know today, showcasing a more visual novel-style depiction, but it matches his profile in RE2’s inventory system.
10Live Action - Retribution And Welcome To Raccoon City
The Resident Evil movies are a far cry from the best video game film adaptations, but Leon Kennedy did make his live-action debut in them. In the Paul W.S. Anderson Resident Evil Alice saga, he was featured in 2012’s Retribution, and then a new actor, Avan Jogia, portrayed him in 2021’s Welcome To Raccoon City.
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In both films, his character sports an iconic outfit from the classic games. Retribution has him wear Leon’s signature Resident Evil 4 getup with the black tactical shirt and brown leather gun holsters around the shoulders, and the 2021 movie gives him the RPD outfit. Overall, Johann Urb’s Leon character in Retribution was much better than the clumsy naive character he became in Raccoon City.
The asymmetrical multiplayer co-op survival horror gameDead By Daylightalso saw Leon get some screen time in the form of a brand-new chapter DLC in 2021. Along with Leon, you get Jill Valentine as a fellow survivor and Nemesis as the playable enemy. Claire and Chris Redfield can also be acquired separately from the DLC.
This DLC brings Leon and Jill to a location memorable for both of them: the Raccoon City Police Department.Leon’s survivor perks hereinclude tossing a flashbang, eliminating noise when healing, and using Rookie Spirit to locate failing generators. And his model here is pretty much a close match to the one fromResident Evil 2 Remake.
8Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles
Leon’s next video game outing after his appearance in Resident Evil 4 was 2009’s The Darkside Chronicles. This game gives you a first-person perspective of Leon in a rail-shooter design with cutscenes in between. You play through his Resident Evil 2 storyline alongside Claire and a new precursor to RE4 called Operation Javier with Krauser.
His character model in this installment is a nice upgrade from Resident Evil 4 and the classic Resident Evil 2 in terms of graphics, and the hair remains on point. His dialogue still produces some sarcastically dry remarks, and his voice actor continues to be the actor from Degeneration and Resident Evil 4.
7Resident Evil 6
Resident Evil 6marked the last time we saw Leon in the video game medium for a while, and it was also the longest entry, with his character being one of four protagonist campaigns. Leon’s model kept the same signature hair, but his face matured significantly with more facial hair, and he had a new black leather biker jacket style.
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Leon gains a new companion in this one in the form of Helena Harper in addition to Ingrid Hunnigan. And this is the game where Leon goes full-on action hero. He learns some new varieties of kicks, can now perform dodge rolls and brutal finishing moves on enemies, and can also slide forward and launch backward in the air.
6The Animated Films
The action hero direction for Leon Kennedy’s character came about from theplethora of animated Resident Evil films. Though they aren’t much better than the live-action attempts, each of them features Leon as the main character. They fill in the gaps between the game installments with extra lore and show what our favorite characters are up to, usually more of the same.
The general stories aren’t all that compelling, but Leon has some fantastic action sequences throughout the films that truly give him more of a John Wick presence. Whether he battles through a horde of zombies or does some cool maneuvers while clearing enemies and operating a motorcycle on the road, he’s a total badass.
5Fortnite
As customary of Fortnite, Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield were the newest additions to their sprawling crossover character roster prior to Resident Evil 4 Remake’s release. Modeled in Fortnite’s unique art style, Leon is very recognizable in the attire and almost like a replica of his Resident Evil 4 Remake character.
His standard accessories include the iconic combat knife utilized in the fourth game and the inventory attaché case, which can be worn on his back as bling. Leon gets some fun emotes here, such as the famous melee kick, knife spins, and turning into a zombie. But seeing him dance to Gangnam Style, Rick Astley, and popular rap music takes the cake for hilarity.
4Resident Evil 2
The 1998 Resident Evil 2switched out the previous main charactersand introduced Leon and Claire Redfield into the overarching story of the Resident Evil series. The classic fixed camera angles, survival horror format, and controls for Leon were kept the same from the first game. But Leon, of course, looked much different from how he does today.
Before becoming a government agent and doing missions for the President, Leon was simply a new police officer starting his job at the RCPD when the outbreak began, and zombies and Tyrants were all over it. The cutscene and pixelated in-game version of the character are hardly a match, and his hair was originally red. Yet the original look is iconic and began the unique hairstyle trend for Leon, which is still his most notable characteristic.
3Resident Evil 2 Remake
2019’s Resident Evil 2 Remake was the first game to bring Leon back since Resident Evil 6 and also the first Resident Evil game to be remade from the ground up. 21 years later, Leon keeps the same hairstyle and has the RPD uniform attire with a few tactical upgrades, but the character looks nothing compared to the original sequel. This time the character model is captured after an actual person, and the hair is darker brown.
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The over-the-shoulder camera, updated mechanics, controls, and graphics make playing as this Leon much more suitable and the atmosphere even more intense and terrifying. And you can still discern that Leon is a young inexperienced cop and not the older distinguished agent he will soon be promoted to.
2Resident Evil 4 Remake
In Resident Evil 4, Leon is a much different person than when you first meet him, carrying more maturity, professionalism, and responsibility for Ashley Graham. The remake also sticks with the same model from Resident Evil 2, returning his blonde hair and giving Leon his signature leather coat and black shirt with weapons gear.
The remake truly outdid the old one in many respects with the new character and enemy designs, stealth ability, and parry system for Leon. It also gave Leon Kennedy a higher degree of seriousness and a dramatic tone while allowing him to still make some funny quips in certain situations.
