Leon Scott Kennedy

"I'm gonna scrub this virus from the face of the earth."

- Leon to Claire, after the Harvardville outbreak. Leon quote - Scrub this virus.ogg

Leon Scott Kennedy 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 City 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.

Raccoon City
"Hey! It's up to us to take out Umbrella!"

- Leon to Claire and Sherry, after escaping Umbrella Lab using a Galaxie 5000

Upon graduating from the police academy at the age of 21, Leon requested assignment to work for the Raccoon City Police Department. His reason of choice was because of the widely publicized murders taking place in and around the Arklay Mountains. Having recently broken up with his girlfriend, Leon stopped on his journey to Raccoon City by staying at a motel overnight. Oversleeping from drunkenness a day late on September 29, he rushed back onto the road when he wasn't able to telephone in to the station. The US. military blockading the city having crumbled, Leon drove through completely unaware of the t-Virus outbreak.



Upon reaching the city's business district, Leon stopped his car to inspect a body on the ground. Being unaware of the outbreak, he was caught by surprise when several zombies (and the body he thought dead) started to attack him. Backing in to an alleyway, Leon stumbled onto another survivor named Claire Redfield, who had arrived to the city in search of her missing brother, Chris. Together, Leon and Claire decided to seek refuge within the R.P.D.'s headquarters, but before arriving there, they get separated when the police car Leon jumps in gets destroyed after a close encounter with a zombie inside the police cruiser he was driving. Both of them barely got out of the vehicle alive before a truck driven by an infected driver crashed into it.

During his probe of the R.P.D. precinct, Leon meets another survivor named Ada Wong, a woman who claimed she was looking for her missing boyfriend, John Clemens. They soon developed a bond, and Leon even took a bullet for her, fired by Annette Birkin. Leon and Ada managed to fight against most of the enemies, but soon, Ada is wounded by a mutated William Birkin's claw. During that time, Leon found out from Annette Birkin that Ada was actually a spy, and only came to steal the G-Virus. However, Leon doesn't believe this until Ada tells him herself. Some time later, Ada saves Leon's life when he is cornered by T-00. She shoots the Tyrant on its back to get its attention, successfully doing so. She is then attacked, grabbed and raised up by the tyrant, in which she then retaliates by shooting three gunshots into its face, making the Tyrant fall into an Iron smelting pit. However, Ada was severely wounded in the process. She then told Leon the truth about everything. Before Ada shortly falls unconscious, which Leon mistakes for death, the two kiss. However, at the near end, Ada helps Leon by giving him a rocket launcher to help him defeat the now mutated T-00. Leon is reunited with Claire, and the two (along with William and Annette Birkin's daughter, Sherry Birkin) make their escape through a secret railway and then escape via the train, leaving the mutated William to be destroyed in the self-destruct sequence.

Anti-Umbrella
Following the Raccoon City incident, Claire and Leon split up, and she continued her search for Chris, while Leon continued to look after Sherry. Leon and Sherry were soon apprehended by the US military; Sherry was taken away and placed in protective custody while Leon was interrogated. Apparently, Leon never mentioned Claire or Ada, but the government was interested in recruiting him, since he now possessed the experience they were looking for; Leon accepted.

His subsequent training as a government agent turned him from a simple police rookie into an expert special agent. He became much more competent in terms of weapons handling and unarmed combat, specifically knife combat.

In November 1998, Leon sent a friend of his, detective Ark Thompson out to investigate Umbrella's facilities on Sheena Island. The following month, Claire set out for Europe to continue her search for Chris. She was captured by Umbrella after being caught trespassing in the Umbrella facility in Paris. While on the island prison of Rockfort Island, Claire sent Leon an e-mail asking him to inform Chris of her location so that he could come and rescue her. Leon managed to track Chris down personally, and told him of Claire's situation, and Chris headed for Rockfort Island after her.

Operation Javier


"The virus continues to grow... Altering its form, strengthening perpetually until the day comes when it can be destroyed."

In 2002, before the destruction of the Russian branch of Umbrella, Leon was sent to a small South American country as part of a secret military detachment after the headquarters were informed that a former researcher from Umbrella contacted a man named Javier Hidalgo. Due to the difficult nature of the operation, Jack Krauser, a seasoned operative with a history of brave service, was selected to be Leon's partner.

Krauser and Leon were sent on a mission by the U.S. government to infiltrate this small South American country. Finding Javier was their objective since he was a drug lord who has taken control over a large area of the jungle. He ruled the entire area absolutely. The small government was unable to do anything about Javier's control of the drug trade, so Krauser and Leon have been called in. The U.S. government had received information that a former Umbrella researcher had somehow entered the region. Sources indicated that something strange was going on, but no accurate information could be obtained. Unwilling to risk a Bio-hazardous outbreak, a secret military agency paired Leon and Krauser and sent them into this volatile region to determine what, if anything, was going on.

They later found themselves having to cooperate as a two-man cell in a t-Virus outbreak. Leon also met a mysterious girl called Manuela, who seemed to be the only survivor of the village, though it was unknown why she didn't escape. Manuela turned out to be Javier's daughter; she contracted a rare disease, and was kept alive by her father through the t-Veronica Virus. While exploring Javier's compound, Leon opened up to Krauser about his hellish night in Raccoon City, as well as Claire's encounter with the t-Veronica Virus to explain how Umbrella's B.O.W.s worked.

Eventually, Leon and Krauser fought Javier after the crime lord combined himself with a plant infected with the t-Veronica Virus. Manuela assisted them by unleashing the effects of the Virus on her father. Javier was killed, and Manuela was taken into government custody. Leon lost his partnership with Krauser after the latter is discharged from an injury during the mission. Sometime later that year, Leon learned that his former partner died in an accident.

Los Iluminados
"Guess that's a local's way of breaking the ice. Anyway, you know what this is all about. My assignment is to search for the President's missing daughter."

- Leon to a pair of Spanish police officers assigned to him.

In 2004, Leon was assigned to guard the newly elected President Graham's family. When the President's daughter Ashley was kidnapped, Leon's first mission under the new President was to track her down. Information gathered pointed to the kidnappers being located in a remote area of Spain. Leon was sent to investigate on his own, along with two members of the local police. Unfortunately, it seemed something bizarre happened to the local villagers, and after the two officers disappeared and were killed, Leon found himself relying on his survival skills in a deadly fight for his life.

Leon learned from Ingrid Hannigan, his only government contact, that the perpetrators were a group called "Los Iluminados" (Spanish, literally meaning "The Enlightened Ones", or more poetically, "The Illuminati"), a religious cult led by a man named Osmund Saddler. This cult used a mysterious parasitic organism known as "Plaga" (Spanish for "the plagues") to take control of the local townsfolk, as well as many others around the area, such as a group of Mercenaries. Although a seemingly hopeless situation, the fanatical cult found the formidable Leon to be more than they bargained for, as he foiled all of their attempts to kill him.

During the course of his mission, Leon is helped by Luis Sera, a man who was later revealed to be a researcher who used to work for Saddler, but betrayed him. Leon also once again has a chance encounter with Ada, who is also involved in this incident. She provides assistance to Leon, but has a fight of her own to battle out as well. Leon is also assisted by Hannigan, an information analyst and fellow government official via a communicator. As Leon progresses however, he finds the transmission hijacked by the cult, and he is forced to fend for himself.

Leon eventually finds Ashley in a Church, and he becomes responsible for her safety, as the two make their way around Los Iluminados-controlled area. It is revealed however, that both Leon and Ashley have been injected with the Plagas and are now in a race against time to find a cure for this before they are forever turned into Saddler's slaves. Acquiring weapons from a mysterious Merchant, Leon manages to fight his way through many harrowing perils within the local village and a mysterious Castle run by the cult. He eventually fights against two of Saddler's underlings, village chief Bitores Mendez, and the Castle's castellan, Ramon Salazar. Leon also confronts his former comrade Jack Krauser, who was now working as a double agent for both a mystery party and Saddler. It is revealed that this mysterious third player in the conflict is none other than Albert Wesker, whom Ada is also working for. Unbeknownst to Leon, a secret battle is being waged behind the scenes, which is explored in Ada's unlockable scenario, "Separate Ways." Eventually, Ashley is abducted, and Leon must race against time to rescue her before her Plaga fully develops, not to mention his own. With continued support from Ada, Leon fights his way through a local military base, where Saddler and the cult have taken refuge. Fighting against both, a deadly enemy and the enemy within, this battle tests all of Leon's strengths and skills. Leon fights against Krauser for the last time, and eventually saves Ashley and himself after removing Plaga from within them by using a special radiation machine, developed by Luis late during his mission. Afterwards, Leon battles Saddler in his true form, and with Ada's help (who provides him with a special rocket launcher), is able to put an end to him and his plot.

After the battle, Ada takes the Plagas sample from Leon at gunpoint and makes her getaway, but gives Leon and Ashley a means to escape as well, via a jet-ski. Ashley invites Leon to her residence for "overtime," but Leon politely declines. Despite this turn of events, after completing his mission, he talks with Hannigan, who finally manages to re-establish contact. He compliments her on her appearance (she isn't wearing any glasses at this point) and lightly flirts with her by asking for her number, an advance she rejects, reminding him that he's "still on duty." Upon being left in the dust by a second woman, Leon can only reply with a disheartened look, "...Story of my life." Although he initially thought Ada was likely going to deliver the dominant strain of Plaga to Wesker, he eventually decided deep down that she wasn't truly working for him at all.

Sometime after the incident, Leon filed a report, known as the "Kennedy Report," explaining his experience on this mission, which would be read by other agents, including BSAA agent Chris Redfield.

Harvardville and WilPharma
"Shoot 'em in the head."

- Leon advising the SRT on how to handle the by-product of a t-Virus outbreak.



In 2005, WilPharma's head of R&D released the t-Virus in a Harvardville Airport Terminal. The building was locked down and the government sent in the Marines along with the Special Response Team to clear out the zombies.

A 28 year old Leon was selected by the president to take charge of the S.R.T. team due to his experience with the t-Virus. Under his leadership and advice, they learned how to effectively kill the zombies and rescued five survivors, including Claire Redfield.

After saving them, Leon was involved in the fight with Curtis Miller, the Marines and Angela Miller at WilPharma. He was able to save Angela and kill the G-Virus-infected Curtis Miller. At the end, he, Claire and Angela exposed Frederic Downing for escaping Raccoon City with the "t" and G-Virus samples, the t-Virus incident at the airport, and setting a time bomb in the WilPharma building in order to secretly sell the last of the G-Virus data, t-Virus along with its vaccine, and the G-Virus.

As the incident came to a close, Leon was called in for yet another mission. He and Claire parted ways, with the hopes that they will meet each other again someday under far more "normal" circumstances.

Eastern Slav Republic
"Well then, I guess my only option is to lose my American citizenship for a while."



In 2011, Leon was pulled out of his furlough to be sent on a mission to the Eastern Slav Republic. The rumor was that B.O.W.s were being used in the war and U.S. government agents had been sent in to investigate. However, no sooner than he had arrived, Hannigan informed him that the U.S. was required to pull out and abort all missions in the area. Leon was not willing to leave until he found confirmation and proof of the rumors and denounced his orders, proceeding on without U.S. government support. After his bold move, Leon continued on to the rendezvous point where he encountered his CIA contact who went by the code name Scarecrow. Scarecrow was badly injured and Leon could barely get him to speak, aside from uttering the word "beekeeper." A Licker suddenly attacked and Leon narrowly managed to avoid the creature, though it then killed Scarecrow instead.

The Licker turned to attack Leon proceeded to a rendezvous point with an informant who had information regarding, who was using the rebels who were using the B.O.W.s. However upon arrival the informant was close to death and Leon was attacked by a Licker. It attacked Leon once more, but managed to fend it off and injure it with several shots to the torso. The creature fled and Leon gave chase, firing after the creature. However, Leon was led right into a trap where a bomb detonated, the explosion almost knocking him out. He maintained consciousness briefly, watching as the Licker toyed with him until it suddenly grew passive. An old man stepped forward, the last thing Leon saw before finally losing consciousness.

Leon had awoken in a basement, his gear taken and his hands tied, and saw the old man from earlier sitting in a corner of the room. The sound of soldiers searching the home above them caught his attention until someone from behind covered his mouth, holding a knife to his throat. As the man holding him threatened Leon to be quiet, Leon saw another man with blond hair beckoning for him to keep silent as well. The blond-haired man then briefly taunted Leon, showing off the vest he had stolen from him. After the soldiers leave, the two younger men began to question Leon about his motives and reasons for being in the Eastern Slav Republic. Leon responded only with sarcasm and jokes, however. During the course of his capture, Leon learned the blond-haired man - who greatly expressed his love of American food and movies - went by the name JD and his comrade was Buddy. Buddy and JD both acknowledged Leon's importance if he was sent here, Buddy pointing out that Leon showed clear experience in dealing with the Licker's. Leon immediately retorted that dealing in the B.O.W.s would get all of them killed.

Leon began to question the health of the old man, the Ataman Ivan Judanovich, who began coughing profusely. Though before anymore could be said of the issue, soldiers raided the basement room. Judanovich began to cough so violently that his sunglasses were thrown from his face. As the soldiers began to check on him, Leon had realized he was infected and yelled for the soldiers to get away, for he had "turned." The Ataman lifted his head slowly, opening his red eyes which shocked everyone. Buddy attacked on one of the soldiers which provoked Leon to attack two of the soldiers near him. Leon ran and dove out of site as Buddy began to shoot around the room wildly with his assault rifle and remained hidden as his kidnappers escaped, disposing of the other soldiers on their way out.

Leon followed the trio, overhearing the Ataman begging Buddy to carry on their goal for a new future without him. With great hesitation, Buddy ended the suffering Judanovich's life with five shots. As Buddy and JD left the scene, Leon came around the corner to pick up his flashlight that JD dropped, then briefly stopped to look at the Ataman's body before continuing down the tunnel. When Leon came to a room, he found a body nailed to a counter with a pickax. He carefully maneuvered the room, encountering JD who tried to keep Leon quiet. Not falling for what he thought was a ploy, Leon was suddenly attacked by Mr. Chenkov  a former teacher now infected with the Plaga. The infected man tried to impale Leon with a pair of trimming shears, but Leon managed to wrestle the weapon away. JD begged Leon not to kill the man, however Leon stated it was a request he could not fulfill. Leon then swiftly drove the shears down into Mr. Chenkov, ending his life.

JD threatened Leon with his own rifle, exclaiming that he knew the man. Leon informed him that the thing he just killed was no longer the man JD knew, and that if he didn't it, the infected would have killed him. Frustrated, JD lowered the weapon only to be attacked by another infected while Leon was also attacked. Struggling with his own fight, trying to prevent the infected from stabbing him with a knife, Leon urged JD to shoot the other infected man. Unable to attack the man, JD was knocked down by the second infected. Leon was able to finally wrestle the knife away from the infected attacking him, driving it into the back of its head. As the second infected Plaga began to protrude from its mouth, Leon kicked it swiftly in the face, knocking it off of JD. The infected rose back to its feet just as Leon readied himself, then attacked and drove the blade into the creature's face.

After killing the infected, Leon harshly scolded JD, asking why he bothered to carry a weapon he won't even use. JD retorted sarcastically as Leon was finally able to cut through his bindings with the knife he took. Unfazed by the sound of the groans of more infected, Leon picked up a crowbar to use as a weapon and told JD that if he ever decided to actually fire his weapon, to aim for the head. JD stopped him before he walked away, telling Leon to follow him to find the way out. Further down the tunnel, they found a large steel door that was shut tightly. Together they were unable to pull the door open, so Leon tried to pry it open with the crowbar. During the process, several more infected rounded the corner and began to pursue them. JD tried to squeeze through the doorway but got stuck, forcing Leon to have to attack one of the men to keep them at bay.

Driving the crowbar into the head of a man infected with the Plaga, the man's head burst and the Plaga grew from its neck. This urged Leon to help push JD through the gap in the door, the added help finally pushing the heavy man through as Leon followed right behind. Leon immediately grabbed a nearby chain, using it to wrap around the door handle, keeping the door closed and preventing their attackers from getting through. The two then followed a ladder out of the tunnel and up to the surface street. As they reached the street, the two witnessed as a mob of infected civilians chased down a soldier. They held him down as one of them expelled a Plaga from its mouth. Leon and JD watched as the Plaga was forced down the soldiers' throat and the man was painfully infected. As the crowd left, Leon finally managed to pull JD away and the two continued on to the church that JD was supposed to go to.

When they arrived at the church, JD accused Leon of being behind what had happened to the people of the town. Leon informed him of the Plaga, telling him that it was a parasite infecting the bodies of those people. He also told JD of the harsh truth that those infected will never be human again the most one could achieve is to remove the spinal cord and hoping for paralysis. At that moment, Buddy entered the church with two other members of the resistance, a third watching Leon from above. Buddy informed JD that Leon was telling the truth, then told Leon that he had more questions for him. Responding that he perhaps this time they can get to the truth, Buddy promptly punched Leon and had the other rebels take him hostage again.

After Buddy departed, JD ordered the other soldiers to allow him to speak with Leon alone. He was taken outside where JD cut his bindings. Leon immediately reacted, slamming JD against the wall and criticizing the methods of the rebel group, using B.O.W.s. Although JD tried to rationalize it and vie for sympathy, Leon dismissed it without so much as a thought, telling JD that it was something the two of them would never see eye-to-eye on. As Leon prepared to leave, JD told Leon of Buddy's past. He explained how the government soldiers attacked the school Buddy used to work at with his fiance, Irina, thinking the school was to support the rebels. Leon found out that when Irina and the school children were killed in the attack, Buddy decided to join the resistance. JD pleaded with Leon to save Buddy, to get to the Plaga before him so that he didn't have to see his friend turn into a monster. Returning his machine gun to him, JD told Leon that Buddy was heading to the central marketplace where the Council of Elders had left the Plaga for the rebels. Leon silently took his gun back and headed off to the marketplace.

Leon arrived at the marketplace to find the case that was holding the Plaga empty. A voice immediately caught Leon's attention, causing Leon to turn swiftly and attack. The two fought briefly, Ada easily evading Leon's attacks as she flipped away and aimed her grappling gun at him. Leon finally realized who she was, questioning what Ada was doing in the Eastern Slav Republic. Ada merely retorted with the same question. He immediately followed it up by asking if she was responsible for releasing the Plaga, a notion she found laughable, noting that she wasn't interested in "defective products." Ada spoke briefly and mysteriously about her job, causing Leon to ask again why she was there. She flirted briefly with him, asking when they would continue where they left off from "that night." Leon smirked and simply told her any time but then. Amused by Leon's rejection, Ada made her escape, warning him that the town would be purged soon.

Leon Returns to the church to find it most of the inhabitants dead, by the hand of JD. JD tells Leon that he merely let his guard down for a second; he returns Leon's Gear before he begins to turn. Buddy arrives and blames Leon for what happened; however, JD claims Leon is not their enemy. JD succumbs to the Plaga and attacks Buddy, however he is promptly killed by Leon. Leon tries to reason with Buddy, asking him to hand over the Plaga, to which he refuses. The government then began to bomb the area, causing the church to collapse. Buddy escapes, and Leon pursues him.

Leon makes his way to the presidential building, which has been left devastated by the Lickers, leaving hundreds of dead soldiers. Leon infiltrates the building, and is then encountered by two Lickers who fail to detect him, until a Soldier reaches for his leg and whimpers in pain. Leon runs from them, managing to kill one, and causes the other to fall to its demise after he charges through a door which leads to a massive elevator shaft. Leon descends into a B.O.W. manufacturing facility. He once again encounters Ada, who informs him that they are mass-producing Control Plagas. Leon and Ada are quickly surrounded by guards and confronted by Svetlana Belikova, the President of the Eastern Slav Republic. Ada deactivates the lights to make her escape. Leon uses the confusion to shoot at some of Belikova's guards, prompting them to begin firing out of panic, hitting each other indiscriminately, allowing Leon to take Belikova hostage. As he attempted to make his escape, he asked Belikova if she was "the beekeeper", the one who released the Plaga. Belikova then realizes that he had no idea who she was and identified herself as the president of the republic before displaying her combat skills to throw him off. A fight ensues between Leon and Belikova's guards, which is soon interrupted by Buddy and a horde of Licker's. However, Belikova releases her own B.O.W.s - two advanced Tyrants. This initiated a biohazard alert and the facility began preparations for incineration. Buddy and Leon escaped the facility as the two Tyrants incidentally caused the access elevator to fall.

A third Tyrant followed them out and they attempted to fight it. Buddy used Lickers to lure the Tyrant over to a tanker truck full of explosives; Leon promptly shot it with incendiary rounds, destroying the creature's Power Limiter. Its power increasing, Buddy drove a tank at it. Leon manned the turret and attempted to shoot the Tyrant's head, but the B.O.W. constantly evaded, so Buddy summoned a Licker to cover the Tyrant's face, allowing Leon to blow its head off. Climbing out of the tank, Leon remarked that after years of fighting B.O.W.s, he never expected to be saved by one. His relief is short-lived, as the earlier two Tyrants soon after emerged from the Presidential Palace. Leon attempted to help Buddy flee but they were unable to outrun them. Leon drew his combat knife, the only weapon he had left. To his luck, an American plane killed the creatures before they could reach him. At this point Leon realized the U.S. government had been watching him the whole time.

Watching a joint American-Russian taskforce invade the capital, Buddy asked Leon if he knew this would happen. Leon stated that if he did he would've remained on vacation. Buddy asks Leon to kill him, as he doesn't want to turn. Leon refuses; Buddy attempts to shoot himself, only for Leon to take his gun. He tells Buddy that he owes it to the people who died alongside him to keep living. Leon then shoots Buddy in the spinal cord, severing the Plaga's link to Buddy.

Leon returns to his vacation, Hannigan informs him that Belikova has resigned from her position. Leon then leaves his apartment.

Tall Oaks, U.S.A.
"I can't believe this is happening again. It's just like Raccoon."

June 29, 2013, almost fifteen years after the Raccoon City Incident, the President of the United States of America, Adam Benford, decided to make public the truth behind the Raccoon City incident at a seminar at Ivy University. Accompanying President Benford is his trusted friend Leon Kennedy; and Helena Harper, a Secret Service member. When a bio-terrorist attack occurred in Tall Oaks, the President himself is infected and turned into a zombie, forcing Leon to make a difficult decision. It's not until the President almost attack Helena when Leon finally shoots Adam in the head, yelling his name. A shocked Helena mutters that "It's all my fault. I…I did this." Leon asks her what she's talking about, but she says that she will explain everything once they get to Tall Oaks Church.

On their way through the university, they eventually come across a man who guides Leon and his partner, Helena, through the campus in a search for his missing daughter, Liz. During the search he begins to make suspicious complaints of skin irritation. They eventually find his daughter and get in an elevator, only for her to fully turn, and attack and kill her father before turning on Leon and Helena. Leon and Helena fight their way out of the campus and escape on a police car; however, it crashes, forcing them to proceed through the sewers, where zombies, dogs and running subway trains stood in the way.

They eventually arrived at a gas station, where some survivors were fighting zombies, Leon and Helena assisted them and took refuge in a gun shop, until a bus driver (a friend of the gun shop owner) came to rescue them. Despite saving some people, their victory was short lived: the bus driver soon lost control of the vehicle, and all the survivors (except Leon and Helena) died either because of the zombies or the bus explosion.

Hannigan informs them that the city has been overrun, with over 70,000 people expected to have become infected. They have been infected with the new C-Virus, reported by the BSAA to be the same virus used by terrorists to cause an outbreak in Eastern Europe, six months prior. Hannigan also informed that an organization named "Neo Umbrella" had claimed responsibility for the attacks, in which Leon says that "this is Raccoon City all over again".

When Leon and Helena finally make it to the church, the survivors sheltered inside refuse to allow them in; however, one of them helps them kill the zombies with a Sniper Rifle. Leon and Helena finally get in, though he had to disappoint them by saying they are not rescue workers. While in the church, the couple solved various puzzles until they accidentally free a Lepotica that begins to infect other survivors.

"I'm guessing that's the thing that started this hell!"

After finally killing the monster, Leon and Helena travel through the church basements, arriving in an underground laboratory. Deeper in, they eventually find and escort Deborah Harper (Helena's sister) until she becomes a C-Virus monster. With Ada Wong's assistance, they have to take her down, with Helena ultimately letting her sister fall to her death. Helena then swears to make Simmons pay for his actions.

After the fight, Leon tried to contact Hannigan, only to be interrupted by Simmons. He declares them as key suspects in the President's assassination, despite the whole attack being planned by him, and suggests that they surrender. Instead, Leon and Helena manage to escape the laboratory through the catacombs. After escaping from a shark-like B.O.W., the two escape Tall Oaks before it is destroyed in an air strike.

Lanshiang, China
"…I lost over seventy-thousand people, including the president, because of Simmons!"

- Leon to Chris

Leon asked Hannigan to fake both his and Helena's deaths so they could go to China in order to track Simmons down. On their way to China, things went awry when a Lepotica chrysalid hatched in the plane, infecting all the passengers with the C-Virus. Leon and Helena were forced to fight their way through the zombie infested plane, and it eventually crashes close by where Jake Muller and Sherry Birkin happen to be. When the four met, Leon asked Sherry what she is doing there, she replied that she was on protective detail. Sherry returned the same question to Leon, in which he responded that he and Helena were trying to track down Simmons, the man behind all of the chaos. When Sherry told him that she reported to Simmons, Leon asked her where he is and after she hesitated to tell him, he told her that he needed to know, approaching her in a manner that Jake felt he needed to protect Sherry by violently pushing Leon away. However Sherry told Jake that Leon wasn't just anyone: "He saved my life back in Raccoon City." Suddenly, Ustanak appeared on the destroyed plane, and the four of them team up to defeat the creature. After a heated battle, Leon and Helena were separated from Jake and Sherry when an electrical tower fell on Ustanak. Sherry yelled to Leon that she and Jake were meeting Simmons at the Kwun Lung building. Before Leon could tell her what to do, the tower exploded. As Helena wondered if they would be alright, Leon told her that they would be, as long as Jake was as good as he claimed to be. While making their way to Koocheng, Leon and Helena had to search through a whole market for three keys to unlock a door, all while they were being chased by a Rasklapanje. They managed to kill it by forcing it into a grinder.

When Leon and Helena found "Ada," they followed her into a building, dodging several traps along the way. Eventually, they got to a room just in time to see Chris Redfield and Piers Nivans cornering her, whom they believed to be the one responsible for the deaths of Chris' men and the outbreaks that have occurred. Chris had his assault rifle aimed and ready to shoot when Leon knocked it out of his hands to prevent him from killing her. They had a brief struggle, ending with the two pointing their guns at each other. Leon told Chris to put his gun down, saying that she was a "key witness" and they needed her, but Chris refused and abstractly told Leon that she is the one who did all this (referring to the global bio-terrorist attacks). Leon disagreed, saying that it was Simmons who was really responsible. Chris yelled that he lost all of his men because of "Ada," and Leon responded that he lost over seventy thousand people including the president because of Simmons. After a tense moment "Ada" managed to escape with a flash bomb, and Chris pursued her with no intention of harming her after Leon`s words. Leon and Helena then made their leave to find Simmons.

Reaching the Kwun Lung building, Leon assured Helena that it was alright for them to pursue Simmons and let Chris follow "Ada." Going inside, they found Simmons and his henchmen from The Family, and Sherry and Jake joined them shortly afterwards. To answer Sherry's questions, Simmons admitted to be involved in the terrorists attacks, but blamed Leon for the president's death. The Family then fired on the four, causing them to hide for cover. When Leon and Helena told Sherry and Jake to escape while they stayed behind to fight Simmons, Sherry gave them a chip containing information that could stop the C-Virus. As she and Jake made their escape, Leon and Helena open fired on The Family. Then they jumped onto a nearby train to pursue Simmons, who was shot with a C-Virus dart by a J'avo.

Simmons stumbled away to a passing train and Helena and Leon gave pursuit, jumping onto the train after him. As they found him at the front of the train Simmons tried to divert their attention at first by placing blame on Ada Wong, then tried to rationalize his actions. Leon and Helena dismissed his remarks as Simmons became more enraged and eventually succumbed to the effects of the enhanced C-Virus, his body rupturing and granting him the ability to mutate into a larger canine-like creature of bone and muscle tissue.

Unflinching, Helena prepares to take a final shot at Simmons. The two agents fought with the mutated Simmons throughout the series of train cars, though he showed no signs of stopping and only taunted Helena with her sister's death. He even proved strong enough to knock another series of oncoming train cars off of the railing. Simmons prepared to ram the train they were on head on, though they managed to trip him up as they opened fire, causing the train to ram him and flip him back on top of the train. His body briefly succumbed to the damage it received and reverted to his human form. He recovered quickly and as he started to mutate, Simmons declared that they have no idea what would happen if he were to die. Leon retorted that the world would be better off without him. Enraged, Simmons used his brute strength to dislodge a piece of the train's roof and send it flying towards Leon and Helena. Leon managed to slide and shoot the debris to knock it off course, giving Helena an opening just as it passed overhead as she fired one bullet directly into the mutated Simmons' head. Becoming distraught with the situation before him as The Family abandoned him, Simmons slipped from the edge of the train and fell on to the tracks, the train running over him in the process. The cars became dislodged from the rails and Helena and Leon were forced to leap off and into the water nearby. Alive and exhausted, they pulled themselves ashore just outside of Tatchi. They briefly overlooked the wreckage caused on the bridge railroad before walking up off of the dock, watching as civilians were being escorted to safety by the BSAA. Helena asked Leon if the ordeal was finally over to which Leon replied, "Yeah... it's over."

Moments before infection hits Tatchi. Before Helena and Leon could relax, Hannigan suddenly contacted them to inform them that Sherry and Jake had been abducted. Helena realized that the files that Sherry gave them had something to do with it and as they looked over the files, she pointed out to Leon how the key to stopping the C-Virus actually lies in Jake Muller. As Leon tries to get in contact with someone in the BSAA to help rescue them, Helena spots an object in the sky just above. With Chris patched through, Leon informed him of their location only to have Chris urgently yell for them to leave the area. The object overhead that Helena spotted was a missile that released the C-Virus in a blue fog over Tatchi, infecting countless people. Leon told Chris to find Sherry and Jake and rescue them and Helena overhears as Chris in turn told Leon that Ada Wong was dead. Concerned, Helena asked Leon if he was alright, but Leon only distantly mentioned finding survivors and escaping the city. With the help of some BSAA operatives, Leon and Helena manage to avoid the blue fog and escape into a truck with one of the soldiers. The soldier drives them through the fog to the edge of the danger zone, directing them to the Quad Tower where evacuees were being taken. Chaos reminiscent of Tall Oaks was everywhere as a stray gas tanker knocked them both out briefly. As they came to, infected citizens began to surround them until Ada suddenly appeared in a helicopter, providing them with cover-fire to make their escape. They managed to find their way to a bridge overrun with zombies that would lead directly to the Quad Tower. However, a plane set inside a building dislodged itself, starting a series of explosions that destroyed the bridge. Helena and Leon were forced to run, making their way to a BSAA helicopter to escape only to find the pilot was injured. Leon took the controls of the failing helicopter, managing to keep it suspended enough to crash through the side of the Quad Tower. Barely escaping the crash, Leon and Helena proceeded deeper into the tower.

Helena brings up Leon's feelings for Ada. As they entered the Quad Tower, Helena and Leon were shocked to find Derek C. Simmons waiting for them. Still greatly angered, he mutated into a new, gigantic form as he witnessed Ada circling overhead in her helicopter. With the help of Ada, they managed to bring Simmons' monstrous mutation down once again. Ada retreated to the roof with her helicopter and Helena hoped the elevator was still operational. Noticing Leon's hesitation, she asked him what was wrong but he insisted it was nothing. On the elevator ride up, Helena finally spoke up about Ada, pointing out Leon's obvious feelings for her. Before Leon could respond, the elevator was blown off course by an explosion, forcing the agents to make a wild leap on top of the neighboring elevator. Together, they climbed the support cable only to witness Ada fighting with Simmons on top of a nearby connecting hallway between two of the towers. With Ada evading to another section of the tower, Helena and Leon found the opportunity to fire on Simmons from afar until the platform they stopped on began to fall, forcing them to jump back on to the cable. Simmons' attention shifted to the two agents as they climbed further. Helena tried to call out for Ada's help as Ada returned the favor, trying to slow Simmons down with gunfire. It was not long before Simmons went after Ada again, giving Helena and Leon the chance to find even ground once more until Leon found a way over to help Ada as she was knocked out by Simmons. From afar, Helena could do nothing but provide cover fire for the two while fending off whatever zombies shambled her way. Though Helena was helpless as Simmons managed to knock Leon to the edge of the platform, leaving him dangling until Ada came to his rescue. With Simmons dispatched, Ada bid Leon a final farewell before departing, though Helena urged him over their comms to go after her. Leon refused, stating that he and Helena were sticking together.

Helena urges Leon to follow after Ada. Reaching the roof, they discovered Simmons had survived their last encounter, mutated further as he absorbed the bodies of the infected to power himself. Though Simmons briefly blocked their exit, they managed to injure him enough to the point he was defenseless as surrounding undead swarmed and began to feed on him. They took note of the helicopter Ada had left for them and rushed to it, though Simmons - newly mutated into a massive amalgamation of different insects - tried to stop them once more. Noting how Simmons used the bodies of infected to regenerated, they used a loosened lightning rod to impale a zombie as Simmons took it in to regenerate its damaged head. The rod attracted the lightning from the ongoing storm, causing the electrified creature to crash through the floor. They reached the helicopter, but the injured and fully-mutated Simmons rose to try and stop them. The agents managed to finally put an end to things with a rocket launcher left behind by Ada, the blast of the launcher knocking Simmons back and deep into the belly of the tower. As Simmons fell, his body mutated back into his human state just as he was impaled on the obelisk Helena and Leon passed earlier, bleeding him out from his wound. Watching Simmons' death, Helena spoke of her finally getting revenge for her sister as Leon suggested they get to the helicopter.

In the helicopter, the two found a compact left behind by Ada with a hidden compartment. Inside the compartment was a small data disk containing all of the evidence needed to prove that Simmons was behind the bioterrorist attacks, the evidence to ensure Leon's innocence. When Leon said it would prove both of their innocence, Helena could only sadly remark that she did not need it. Before he could retort, Hannigan called to inform the two of them that a way to stop the C-Virus was found. Before the collapsing Quad Tower could catch up to them completely, they made their escape in Ada's helicopter.

Return to Duty
Sometime after surviving the events in China, Helena visited the grave of her sister with Hannigan, Leon, and other agents present. Remarking that it is time for her to take responsibility, she thanked Leon and said that she was ready to be taken into custody for her crimes. With a nod of approval from Hannigan, Leon approached and took Helena's arm, though instead of arresting her, he placed her gun in her hand. Helena was confused, proclaiming that she was an accessory to the attack on the president.

Hannigan informed Helena that upon reviewing the evidence, it was decided that it was not fair to hold Helena responsible for Simmons' crimes and further said that the findings would not be made public. When she tried to protest, Leon told her that President Benford would have done the same thing. Hannigan suggested they go join the rest of the team, though before departing Helena gave Ada's compact back to Leon, so that he can return it the next time he crosses paths with her.

Personality and Relationships
Leon first appears as a somewhat naive rookie police officer with a strong sense of justice and duty as he showed insecurity and irritation when  Claire Redfield  and Ada Wong rushed off leaving him alone, Leon complained: "Doesn't anybody listen to me?". 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 likeable to others. He strikes up a friendship with Claire Redfield moments after meeting her, protecting her whereabouts when interrogated after Racoon City and expressed a desire to meet her again under "normal circumstances". 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, and despite not meeting Wesker in person, Ada's connection to him caused strife and distrust between them.

Leon has been shown to have some amorous tendencies, flirting with some of the women he encounters, including Ingrid Hannigan, who playfully rejected his advances due to him still being "on duty." While romantic at nature, Leon has standards, like when Ashley Graham asks him out on a date, he declines politely since she is the President's daughter and is younger than him.

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 that Ada will always be "a part of me I can't let go."

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 also has a large amount of trust in the people he cares about, in Resident Evil: Degeneration when Leon saw Claire and little girl called Ranni being surrounded by zombies, he quickly threw his own handgun to her (despite being attacked himself), and was not let down as Claire saved herself and the girl she was babysitting. Leon has little sense of self-preservation and only thinks of others safety in times of crisis.

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 '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 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.

Despite the hardships he faced, Leon possesses a strong sense wit and humour, in contrast to other more stoic Resident Evil protagonists. Leon will often brighten the mood or keep a calm composure even in the presence of his enemies, often in the form of jokes and one-liners. The first example of this is during the climax of Resident Evil 2 when fighting T-00, Leon says "Game over" before blowing it apart with a rockett launcher. In RE4 when all the plaga-infested villagers stopped attacking him and suddenly left, Leon confused joked "Where's everybody going? Bingo?". Also 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 Lepotica 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."

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.

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.

Skills and Abilities
In Resident Evil 2, Leon was a rookie cop, with relatively little experience along with Claire Redfield (though she at least had training from her brother). Nevertheless, Leon used what skills he had to fend off the undead residents of Raccoon City Police Department, numerous irregular mutants and even kill the deadly T-00 with the help of Ada Wong. As a survivor of Racoon City, Leon had become more experienced than he could have ever expected as a rookie and was sought after by the government for his natural skill.

Since joining the government as an agent, Leon has immensely evolved as a combatant both in skills and knowledge. Leon is an incredible marksman, capable of making head shots from over fifty yards and rarely missing his intended target as well as showing a proficiency with fully automatic weapons. In Resident Evil 6, Leon dual-wielded handguns effectively. He handled an M203 grenade launcher (attached to an M4) to great effect, bringing down a walkway on a mutated Curtis Miller. During his mission to the Eastern Slav Republic, Leon carried a customized AKMSU, with which he fought Lickers and Tyrants. Leon is capable of making efficient use of "heavy" weapons, having used rocket launchers in fights against larger creatures on multiple occasions as well as being able to effectively operate the main cannon turret on a small tank.

Leon is also remarkably skilled in knife combat, having a preference for them in close-quarters as he claims they "work better" - advice he passed on to Ada. He has advanced in aptitude with knives to the point of using them expertly in an ambidextrous capacity, even being able to switch hands in the midst of combat. He demonstrates an extremely high accuracy when throwing knives, evidenced by his ability to hit Salazar's hand from the opposite side of a large room, free Ada by cutting the ropes that bound her and hitting Curtis Miller's mutated eye directly in the pupil. His overall fighting skills shined when they were put to the test when Krauser engaged Leon in a knife-fight in which Leon was able to hold his own. After being cornered by two Tyrants while in the Eastern Slav Republic, Leon was also prepared to defensively do battle against them with only his knife after he had run out of ammunition.

In addition to his mastery of weapons, Leon is an accomplished unarmed combatant. While in Lanshiang, Leon was able to match Chris Redfield in hand-to-hand combat evenly until they both drew their weapons on each other simultaneously. He was also able to keep up with Svetlana Belikova, a trained combatant and instructor. His fighting style apparently incorporates various styles of stand up strikes, takedowns, kicks, grappling, and ground fighting. He can easily turn the tables on foes who have snuck up on him, being able to disarm and restrain Ada who had a gun pointed at his back, and JD who had him in a similar position. Leon is also quite strong, he's able to hold the combined weight of Angela Miller and the mutated Curtis Miller, with one arm, whilst dangling by his legs from a metal bar. He was even able to impede the movement of a Licker, with a leg lock, whilst holding it's arms to prevent it from clawing him to death. In Resident Evil 4, he was even able to survive an attack from the needles of an Iron Maiden. The abnormal needles penetrated Leon and it wouldn't instant-kill him. Leon is also skilled enough to combine his fghting style with gunplay, being seen taking down multiple zombies, using what appears to the shooting Style Central Axis Relock combined with quick hits, grapples and parries.

In terms of physical fitness, Leon is in peak physical condition. He is very acrobatic with incredible reflexes, being able to perform various flips and evasive maneuvers to avoid lasers, enemy attacks, debris, and other obstacles. Leon is quick-footed, being able to outrun not only boulders but a massive robotic statue of Ramon Salazar. Leon has also used Parkour in order to escape from a platform that is about to fall, and to pursue Alexander Kozachenko across several shipping containers. He is a quick thinker and can react instantly to any situation in order to survive, or simply land safely, being able to land on his feet after being knocked back by both Krauser and Svetlana Belikova.

In addition, he seems to be able recover from injuries incredibly quickly and seems to be extremely resilient. In Resident Evil 2, he was able to carry on after being shot in the lower torso after a very short recovery time. In Resident Evil 4, he was able to take a blow from Saddler and being sent crashing into a large machine. While fighting Curtis Miller, Leon was able to survive and recover from a powerful backhand which sent him flying into a power box head first. He was also able to survive a direct punch from "013" Super Tyrant form as well as being thrown against a concrete pillar by the same creature. In Resident Evil 6, he falls from a helicopter and lands on his shoulder, but gets up moments later with no ill effects.

This all lends credence to Ada's statement, as she had described Leon as having formidable survival skills and being "Practically a genius." Leon also seems to have keen instincts, being able to detect Krauser's presence, who had been trying to sneak up to Leon to attack and kill him.

While in Lanshiang, Leon showed some degree of piloting capability as he was able to keep a helicopter he and Helena Harper were in in the air for an extended period of time, even after skimming along the side of a moving train. Leon was also able to crash-land the airplane he and Helena were on, though this was mostly through the guidance of Ingrid Hannigan. Leon also showed some degree with mechanics, this was shown during his encounter with Ustanak as he was able to get a broken down bus to operate even after the engine suffered from issues.