After nearly 30 years of speculation, Resident Evil 2 director Hideki Kamiya has confirmed that, yes, Leon S. Kennedy is named after the L\u00e9on: The Professional movie.<\/p>\n
The Capcom alum and action game developer icon revealed the inspiration for one of the most recognizable horror protagonists of all time with a simple post on X\/Twitter today. It follows decades of theories from fans who already believed Leon’s name had originated from the 1994 film, but it’s still confirmation, nonetheless.<\/p>\n
Kamiya recalled naming Leon when consulting with Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami. After a few ideas were shot down, the director said (via Google Translate), “Well, why don’t we just take it from that movie I watched the other day?”<\/p>\n
“And his response was simply, ‘Yeah, that works,'” Kamiya added.<\/p>\n
Resident Evil fans have drawn the connection between L\u00e9on: The Professional and Leon S. Kennedy long before today. Aside from the obvious similarities between the names of the survival horror video game hero and the character Jean Reno played in the ’90s, Resident Evil has famously featured a “Professional” difficulty setting for years.<\/p>\n
There’s also the Matilda, a handgun that Resident Evil Leon has been known to use in the past, which has always been assumed to be a reference to the character Natalie Portman played in the film, Mathilda. Kamiya clarified that this potential reference, however, is not one he came up with, but something someone else at Capcom added after he left.<\/p>\n
Fans were already quick to react to the Resident Evil revelation after it brought an end to speculation that dates back to the release of the original sequel back in 1998. Kamiya said the reaction is unexpected, joking that he’s surprised he hadn’t mentioned the connections to L\u00e9on: The Professional because it wasn’t something he intentionally tried to hide.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nResident Evil Requiem – Leon Gameplay<\/h3>\n