Leon S. Kennedy

Leon Scott Kennedy is one of the main characters from the Resident Evil franchise.

Leon is an American federal agent for the Division of Security Operations (D.S.O.). Prior to this, he served as a police officer with the Raccoon Police Department (R.P.D.) for a single day. The actions in the city led to his successful recruitment as a member of US-STRATCOM after the incident in Raccoon City.

Appearance
Leon has stylish auburn hair and brown eyes. In his early casual appearance, Leon wears a blue, white, and black jacket with a back design and a black shirt underneath. He wears two necklaces—one with a pendant made out of sheep bone and one with a miniature replica of Mjölnir. He also wears blue jeans, a belt with a round single hook buckle and a knife sheath attached at the back, and black and white boots.

In Leon's main design, he wears his R.P.D. uniform which consists of an all blue shirt and pants, with a lighter blue undershirt. He wears armor on his shoulders, chest, and back and elbow pads. His knife is strapped to his right leg. He wears gray boots and black gloves. Over the course of the outbreak, Leon also wears a red R.P.D. tactical vest and white U.S.S. upper body armor, both with an additional pair of knee pads. As Leon takes damage, his appearance diminishes and he begins to appear bloody and disheveled.

Personality
Leon first appears as a somewhat naive rookie police officer with a strong sense of justice and duty, Leon is quite self conscious saying exasperated  "Doesn't anybody listen to me?" when both Ada and Claire ignored his advice to stick together. In the Resident Evil 2 remake Leon is more insecure, having to vocally give himself confidence when traversing the horrific police station.

After his actions during the Raccoon City incident were discovered, Leon was recruited by the U.S. government, and later becomes a Special Agent as a result of his training. Able to keep his composure in most circumstances, Leon is very compassionate and objective. He does things even when he doesn't have to because Leon knows that what he is doing is for the greater good. An example of this is when Leon was ordered to leave the Eastern Slav Republic, despite having just arrived. Instead, he chooses to stop the B.O.W.s from spreading, going on to bring the country's president to justice because he felt it was his obligation.

Leon's friendly nature makes him very likable to others. He strikes up a bond with Claire Redfield and Sherry Birkin moments after meeting them. Leon also respected Jack Krauser, both as a soldier and a friend, before his betrayal. He was also very quick to strike up friendships with both Luis Sera and Mike, being deeply saddened by both of their deaths. Leon also formed alliances with J.D. and Buddy, despite their initial conflict, Leon was able to set his views aside and work towards a greater good. At the same time, Leon is very quick to oppose people who threaten others. He dislikes all three key figures of Los Iluminados within seconds of meeting them.

Leon has been shown to flirty with some of the women he encounters, including Ingrid Hannigan, who playfully rejected his advances due to him still being "on duty." However Leon does have standards and gently rejected Ashely Graham's advances when she asked for overtime with him.

In the Resident Evil 2 remake he was shown to be playful and cheery when talking to Claire though a fence, in contrast to his more serious demeanor when talking to Marvin or Ada. Though Leon corrected Sherry when she assumed Leon and Claire were a couple, he still went along with the idea of him and Claire adopting Sherry together.

Leon also displayed a large amount of emotion for Ada at the time of her "death." Their relationship is very complicated, despite there being some kind of bond between the two. Both have been shown to help each other multiple times, with each having feelings for the other. Despite this, Ada has no problem using Leon to further her own goals. However, Leon doesn't seem to hold this against her. He seems smitten with her, going so far as to tell Ashley Graham that Ada will always be "a part of me I can't let go." In the Resident Evil 2 remake Leon was genuinely angry when he learnt from Annette that Ada was lying and manipulating him to get the G-Virus. When Leon confronted Ada about she regretfully pulled a gun on him and Leon did likewise, however Leon correctly assumed she would't have the heart to shoot him. When Ada fell to her apparent death, Leon was quite distraught, when boarding the escape train Leon chided himself for actually missing her and threw away the keepsake Ada gave him.

Leon seems to care very deeply for some of the people he rescues. He goes to great lengths to protect them all despite not knowing them. He became Sherry Birkin's temporary guardian before she was taken into the custody of the US government. During Operation Javier Leon had a similar relationship with Manuela Hidalgo, doing everything he could to protect her, even nearly getting crushed. During his mission to save Ashley Graham, Leon put himself at great personal risk several times to ensure her safety. He didn't think twice about putting himself at risk before the Plaga removal machine before curing Ashley, who had doubts about it at first. Leon simply responded "There's only one way to find out. You operate", meaning that she would either save or kill him in the process.

Leon has been shown to go back and forth from being cold and focused to passionate in his missions. In the beginning of Resident Evil 4, Leon is initially dismissive of his police escorts, showing little consideration for anything other than the mission at hand. However, when the officers' car is knocked over a cliff near the exit of the village, Leon investigates and sees the wreckage below. Looking down, he says "Oh, no...", followed by "I hope the two officers are okay". In a similar fashion, when Leon enters the village and sees the corpse of one of the officers being burned at the stake in the center of the village, he remarks "What in God's name... if only he had come with me...", demonstrating that he regretted leaving the officers behind. In Resident Evil: Degeneration, he acts much the same way, his main concern being the mission at hand. During the incident in Tall Oaks, when fellow agent Helena Harper comes under attack by a zombie, Leon helps her. However, he scolds her when Helena says she still can't believe what is happening, telling her "Well, get used to it. It's either them or us... and they don't hesitate." Despite his stern tone, Leon likely said this to keep Helena focused and not let the crisis get in the way of their survival.

Despite his focus on the mission at hand, Leon has also selectively grown emotionally attached to the people that he encounters on these missions. During his mission in Spain, Leon grows close to both Luis Sera and helicopter pilot Mike, to the point of mourning greatly over their deaths. Even after giving a very black-and-white view to Helena of their situation, Leon is prepared to dive head first into a fray to try and save two innocent people being attacked by zombies, even though it is already too late. Leon cared greatly for his fellow police officers and in Resident Evil 2 remake he lamented to Marvin that he wasn't able to come to Raccoon City sooner to help them, when Marvin turned into a zombie Leon was upset over his colleague's fate.

Leon is at first very hesitant to shoot U.S. President and long-time friend Adam Benford after he transforms into a zombie, only doing so when Benford attacks Helena. This is undoubtedly because Benford has had a substantial impact on Leon, being the one to recruit him into government service in the first place. The two are shown to have been close friends, with Benford telling Leon that he values their friendship, and Leon referring to him on a first-name basis several times. Before Benford had become President, he was one of the only people Leon had ever confided in about what he went through during the Raccoon City Incident. He admitted to Adam that he found it hard to find hope, and had even contemplated killing himself to get out of the situation, making Adam one of the few people to whom Leon has ever shown some form of vulnerability.

Leon cares greatly for normal people and is always willing to help them, even when it involves putting himself in danger. After shooting the President, Leon and Helena encounter a man who is looking for his missing daughter. He asks for help, and Leon agrees without hesitation, even after Helena tells him that there wasn't enough time. Leon simply tells her, "We're making the time." When Leon and Helena see two people frantically holding up "Help!" signs somewhere on the Ivy University campus via security cameras, Leon quickly tells Helena to come with him to rescue the civilians. However, Helena tells him it's too late, and when Leon looks back at the camera to see the people being killed by zombies, he looks away in frustration and grief. During his fight with Chris Redfield, Chris tells him that he lost all of his men because of Carla Radames (who had been impersonating Ada Wong). However, Leon angrily replies that he lost over 70,000 people, showing that he cared for all the citizens who had lost their lives in Tall Oaks. Leon's words were able to cool Chris's rage, likely Chris respects Leon for looking after his sister during Raccoon City.

Even in times of danger, Leon will often joke around and keep a calm composure even in the presence of his enemies in contrast to the other more stoic Resident Evil protagonists. During the ending of Resident Evil 2 Leon said "Game over" as one liner before blowing up the T-000 with a RPG. At the start of Resident Evil 4 when all the villagers stopped attacking him, Leon jokingly wondered if they gone to play bingo. Another example of this is during conversations between Salazar and Saddler. When Salazar revealed that he had sent his right hand after Leon, Leon jokingly asks, "Your right hand comes off?" knowing that Salazar meant his right hand "man." When Salazar transformed into a monstrous Queen Plaga, Leon remarks, "Monsters. Guess after this, there'll be one less to worry about." During his conversation with Saddler after reuniting with Krauser and Ada, Saddler tells Leon that he will introduce him to "it," and that it should keep him busy. Leon then mocked Saddler's age, saying "Can't remember the name huh? A senior moment, perhaps." In the Eastern Slav Republic, Leon refers to a Licker as a "Cowardly Lion." When Leon and Helena were trying to find keys to a cop car on the Ivy University campus, he states, "Heh, jacking a car isn't as easy as it looks in the movies." When the two are on a plane bound for China, Leon and Helena find the Lepotitsa that was left on the plane by Simmons, and he sarcastically remarks, "You don't suppose that thing can fly a plane do you?" During the final battle against Simmons, Leon commented with a pun that if Simmons were to absorb the lightning rod needed to beat him, "he'd be in for a shock." In the Resident Evil 2 remake Leon is more serious, however Leon will still joke around slightly as seen when he killed the mutated Crocodile and when a truck driver flipped him off in the ending, Leon joked to Claire and Sherry saying "he was friendly".

Leon's composure also enables him to thoroughly analyze any situation to figure out the best course of action. During the final battle against Simmons, Leon knew full well as long as Simmons was airborne, trying to escape Taichi on a helicopter would be suicide and opted to finish Simmons first. However Leon did lose his calm when he discovered Sherry (a person Leon has paternal feelings for) had been raised by Simmons, causing him Leon aggressively interrogate Sherry at which Jake Muller retaliated before Sherry stepped in and mollified the situation.

Leon despises Bioterrorism just as much as Chris Redfield. He categorizes those who create or use B.O.W.s as villains, and is unwilling to see their usage as justified, a point he makes clear to JD. He compared Osmund Saddler's plan to use Las Plagas to take over the world to an alien invasion.

Leon has a strong will to live which he developed over the course of the Raccoon City Incident. He believes once a person picks up a gun they have an obligation to keep on living for all their comrades who died so they can live, even if it means being paralyzed for the rest of their lives. Leon also has a strong sense of honor. Even though he could have turned in Helena Harper who had a hand in President Benford's death and cleared his name, he opted to take down Simmons instead, realizing clearing his name wouldn't stop Simmons.

Abilities
Leon has more Health than Claire but less than HUNK and Tofu. He will also start with the Lighter in his inventory. When a zombie attempts to bite his foot, Leon will proceed to curbstomp the zombie as opposed to Claire who will kick the head clean off.

Leon also has several Melee attacks which are preformed on stunned enemies. Leon could be considered the most balanced character out of the playable characters, as his loadout has no major drawbacks but no major strengths, with his melee attacks only doing moderate damage and excelling in crowd control thanks to his shotgun.
 * Roundhouse Kick - Leon gives a swift roundhouse kick to a stunned enemy that sends them back, as well as any within the attack radius. This is most commonly performed on an enemy that has been stunned by a headshot.
 * Back Kick - Leon will deliver a Back Kick to a stunned enemy that will knock them onto their back, also knock enemies behind to stumble. This is done to Villager Ganado that are on their knees.
 * Suplex - Leon grabs an enemy and falls backwards, causing the enemies head to hit the ground and be crushed under the enemies bodyweight. This can only be done on a Cultist and Militia Ganados that are on their knees.
 * Jump Kick (Grapple Breaker) - Leon will jump and kick an enemy in the face. This is performed when escaping from a grab if Leon is grappled at the front.
 * Elbow (Grapple Breaker) - Leon will swing his elbow into the face of an enemy. This is performed when escaping from a grab if Leon is grappled from behind.

Leon can perform a series of physical attacks. In addition, much like the other characters in the game, Leon also has some contextual-based action attacks, a melee system used in Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5.

Melee Attacks

 * Left Kick - Leon performs a straight kick directly into the enemy's face. This can only be performed by pressing the attack button with a one-handed weapon or item equipped.
 * Left Kick to Right Kick - Leon attacks the enemy with his Left Kick followed by a second kick, thus leaving him vulnerable for a finishing attack. This can only be performed by pressing the attack button twice with a one-handed weapon or item equipped.
 * Tackle - Leon sprints into an enemy and performs a shoulder tackle, hitting him in the torso and leaving the enemy vulnerable for a finishing attack. This move can only be performed by pressing the physical attack button during the sprint action.

Contextual Attacks

 * Reverse Roundhouse Kick (Light stun) - A common attack, Leon gives a swift roundhouse kick to a stunned enemy that sends them back, as well as any within the attack radius. This is most commonly performed on a lightly stunned enemy from any direction.
 * Armlock Throw (Front heavy stun) - Leon grabs the enemy's arm and pushes him while he ducks, throwing the enemy to the ground. This is most commonly performed on a heavily stunned enemy from the front.
 * Bulldog (Back heavy stun) - From behind an enemy, Leon jumps at the enemy's back and falls, using his body weight to smash the enemy's face to the ground. This is most commonly performed on a heavily stunned enemy from behind.
 * Back Kick (Coup de Grace) - Leon hits the enemy's torso with a spinning kick, sending him flying. This is most commonly performed on heavily stunned, kneeling or blinded enemy.
 * Kick (Assist)- Leon kicks an enemy away from a partner being grabbed. This is only performed as a prompt to rescue your partner as they are being attacked.
 * Stab (Ground) - Like Chris' attack, Leon wields his knife in both hands and stabs it into a fallen enemy. This can only be performed against a grounded enemy with the Survival Knife equipped.
 * Elbow (Grapple Breaker) - Leon will swing his elbow into the face of an enemy, pushing him away. This is done to an enemy that is grappling Leon from behind.
 * Low Kick (Counter) - A simple counterattack, Leon ducks under an attacking enemy and swiftly kicks them in the torso. This is performed as a counter-attack to an unarmed zombie attempting to scratch the player.
 * Weapon Bash (Elbow) (Counter) - A counterattack, Leon evades an incoming attack and elbows the enemy in the back of the head before taking their weapon away and using it to cave in their head. This is performed as a counter-attack to a zombie attacking with a melee weapon such as an iron pipe or axe.

Trivia

 * Leon likely helped inspire Dante's creation since Devil May Cry 1 was originally the pre-developed Resident Evil 4 before Capcom shifted the concepts and the Devil May Cry became it's own franchise.
 * Leon seems to have met Kevin Ryman, but their relationship is never fully explained.
 * Leon was planned to be a playable character in Tatsunoko vs. Capcom but was dropped for unknown reasons.