Battle-hardened, wise-cracking, stoic Leon Kennedy is hard not to love. Ever since his first appearance in the second Resident Evil back in 1998, Kennedy has been a core part of the franchise, matched in importance only by the likes of Chris Redfield and Wesker himself. The height of his prominence in the 2000s can be attributed to Resident Evil 4, which many still consider to be the best entry in the series, and which was carried by Kennedy.
And this prominence has only grown in the modern era of Resident Evil, which has been carried heavily by remakes. Indeed, while Leon Kennedy has been conspicuously absent in both Resident Evil 7 and Resident Evil 8, he has remained relevant thanks to his appearances in the Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 4 remakes, the latter of which is regularly awarded the honor of best modern Resident Evil title. There's also something to be said about the fact that these games are third-person, allowing players to have a more personal, visual connection to Leon. Thanks to the series' recent focus on Leon-helmed games, newer fans could be forgiven for thinking that he is the central star of the franchise, but this isn't the case, and Capcom could leverage that in future entries.
Capcom Can Give Leon Kennedy a Break for the Time Being
Resident Evil Has Always Featured an Ensemble Cast
Resident Evil 4 centers on Leon and Ashley, but Leon is the main star: Ashley has little in the way of useful abilities or combat experience, while Leon is the capable and steadfast hero figure. But RE4 is a standout in this regard, as just about every other game in the series has centered on two or more playable protagonists. Even Leon's first outing, Resident Evil 2, splits the spotlight between him and Claire Redfield—he's certainly not the most important character in that game.
A lot of these legacy characters have been neglected in light of the recent Resident Evil remakes and the more detached RE7 and RE8. Once-iconic leads like Jill Valentine and Claire Redfield, though appearing in the remakes of Resident Evil 3 and Resident Evil 2, respectively, have mostly been relegated to the realm of mystery, seemingly not playing a major role in the goings-on of any mainline Resident Evil games beyond RE5.
Jill and Claire appeared in the Resident Evil Revelations games, which were released after RE5 and RE6, but they've still been absent in the numbered entries.
Resident Evil 9 Could Be How Capcom Steps Away from Leon Kennedy
A Resident Evil 5 remake is almost certainly happening, and unless it or other remakes completely flop, a Resident Evil 6 remake will probably follow suit at some point. This theoretical RE6 remake would see Leon's return, but in the interim, it would make a lot of sense to keep him on the back burner. Resident Evil 9 would arguably be the best venue through which to explore other, neglected legacy characters like Jill, Claire, Rebecca, or even Chris, as he operates in the background for most of Resident Evil 8 and Village.
The flipside to all of this is that fans will have to wait even longer to see what Leon is up to in the modern Resident Evil timeline, which could be disappointing in its own way. But it can be argued that the absence of other characters like Jill and Claire is more pressing, and if RE9 were to throw all the characters together again, it could result in an unfocused and messy narrative, not to mention the similarities to Resident Evil 6. Leon is great, but he has already starred in two of the best modern Resident Evil games. It might be time to share the stage.
Resident Evil 4
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 92 /100 Critics Rec: 98%
- Released
- March 24, 2023
- ESRB
- M for Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Publisher(s)
- Capcom
- Engine
- RE Engine
- Franchise
- Resident Evil
WHERE TO PLAY
Survival is just the beginning.
Six years have passed since the biological disaster in Raccoon City.
Agent Leon S. Kennedy, one of the survivors of the incident, has been sent to rescue the president's kidnapped daughter. He tracks her to a secluded European village, where there is something terribly wrong with the locals.
And the curtain rises on this story of daring rescue and grueling horror where life and death, terror and catharsis intersect.
Featuring modernized gameplay, a reimagined storyline, and vividly detailed graphics, Resident Evil 4 marks the rebirth of an industry juggernaut.
Relive the nightmare that revolutionized survival horror.
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
- How Long To Beat
- 16 Hours
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
