Highlights
- Leon Kennedy has become a key figure in the Resident Evil franchise, making strong impressions on fans old and new.
- Leon’s prominent roles in recent games and crossovers solidify his status as the new face of the franchise.
- It would therefore make sense for him to lead Resident Evil 9 and help define the future of the series.
Protagonists have always been some of Resident Evil‘s strongest assets. While ferocious monsters and zombies are obviously very important for any horror story, having a strong cast of human survivors is arguably just as important. Fans need a central group of heroes that they can root for and inevitably feel sad about when they meet their untimely end. Resident Evil has always done a decent job of getting players to connect with its protagonists, often building that connection through both story and gameplay.
In the survival horror genre, the player is given only a limited set of resources and is tasked with surviving whatever the game throws at them. In this high-pressure scenario, the player often ends up forming a close, almost symbiotic bond with their player-character, with their own survival instincts mirroring the character’s. This is why so many Resident Evil fans have such strong connections with the franchise’s legacy characters, and there’s one familiar face who’s likely to keep coming back even more frequently than the rest.
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Leon Kennedy’s Resident Evil Return Seems Imminent
Leon Kennedy Has Become The Face of the Resident Evil Franchise
There have been some truly iconic Resident Evil protagonists over the years, with Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine making a huge impact with the franchise’s debut game, and characters like Claire Redfield and Ada Wong making strong impressions whenever they’re on-screen. But in recent years, no Resident Evil protagonist has been quite as prolific as Leon S. Kennedy.
Originally making his debut in 1998’s Resident Evil 2, Leon Kennedy has appeared in various entries throughout the franchise’s long history, but one of Leon’s most important roles came in 2019 with the launch of Resident Evil 2 Remake. While 2017’s Resident Evil 7 was a great return to form for the franchise after the poor reception to Resident Evil 6, it was 2019’s Resident Evil 2 Remake that really restored the franchise to its former glory, and Leon Kennedy was right at the heart of it.
Earlier this year it was confirmed that Resident Evil 2 Remake is now the best-selling game in franchise history, selling over 13.9 million copies. It seems safe to assume that this remake was many new fans’ first foray into the Resident Evil franchise, and as such, Leon Kennedy was probably the first protagonist many formed a connection with. This connection will have only grown deeper with the release of Resident Evil 4 Remake last year, with Leon Kennedy getting the spotlight all to himself.
In the last few years, Leon Kennedy has also appeared in a few games outside the Resident Evil franchise, featuring as a crossover character in games like Dead by Daylight and Fortnite. Though he isn’t the only RE protagonist to appear in recent years, he’s probably the most prolific when all is said and done, essentially becoming the new face of the franchise.
If Resident Evil Is Bringing Back Mascots, Leon Kennedy Should Be First on the List
One of the biggest rumors surrounding the upcoming Resident Evil 9 is that it will feature a handful of legacy character returns. If that turns out to be true, then it would make complete sense for Leon Kennedy to play a major role in the series’ next entry, if not as the main playable character, then at least as a core part of the NPC cast. Leon Kennedy is the connective tissue that ties together veteran fans and newcomers, with the former group having loved the character for decades and the latter crowd enjoying his more recent depictions. It would make sense for Capcom to keep Leon at the heart of the Resident Evil franchise moving forward.
Resident Evil 4 Remake
A remake of 2005’s Resident Evil 4, Capcom’s game follows Leon S. Kennedy as he heads on a mission to save the President of the United States’ daughter from the Los Illuminados cult. Blending survival horror and third-person shooter gameplay, Resident Evil 4 (2023) will build on the success of 2019’s Resident Evil 2 and 2020’s Resident Evil 3 remakes.
- Released
- March 24, 2023
- ESRB
- M for Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- How Long To Beat
- 16 Hours
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
