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For other results, see Leon Kennedy (disambiguation).
"I'm gonna scrub this virus from the face of the earth.

"
— Leon to Claire, after the Harvardville outbreak.

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 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.

Quick Answers

What is Leon Scott Kennedy's first day like as a Raccoon City Police Officer? toggle section
Leon's first day as a Raccoon City Police Officer was not what he expected. He had no travel plans or apartment in the city, broke up with his girlfriend, and woke up hungover in a motel on the afternoon of September 29th.
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How did Leon meet Claire Redfield? toggle section
Leon met Claire Redfield while driving into Raccoon City. They both encountered zombies and sought shelter at the Raccoon Police Station.
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Who did Leon meet in the police station? toggle section
In the police station, Leon encountered Lt. Marvin Branagh, Elliot Edward, and Police Chief Brian Irons. He also met a young girl named Sherry Birkin.
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Who did Leon meet in the police station's basement? toggle section
In the police station's basement, Leon met Ada Wong, a corporate spy from a rival company. They later encountered Ben Bertolucci, a journalist who had uncovered information on a conspiracy between Umbrella USA and the local police.
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Where did Leon and Ada go after leaving the police station? toggle section
Leon and Ada went to the city's sewers, where they found transport to NEST, Umbrella's laboratory dedicated to G-Virus research.
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Biography

Raccoon City

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Leon in full R.P.D. Tactical Gear.

"This is not how I imagined my first day..."
— Leon commenting on his first day as a Raccoon City Police Officer

Upon graduating from the police academy at the age of 21, Kennedy requested assignment to work for the Raccoon Police Department. His reason of choice was because of the widely publicized murders taking place in and around the Arklay Mountains.[9] Kennedy had no travel plans or apartment in Raccoon City, and in the hasty departure his girlfriend broke up with him. Stopping at a motel for the night, he passed out from drink and woke up on the afternoon of Tuesday 29 September. Kennedy continued driving into the city hungover and now late for reporting in to the station.[10] In one count of events, his journey to Raccoon City took place a week after a confusing phone call urging him not to come in to work.[citation needed] Driving through Arklay County, he passed through the highway blockade errected by the United States Army and Army National Guard, which had fallen due to the chaos within the city.[11]

Accounts differ as to when Kennedy realised the crisis in the city. In one account, he drove southwards into the city as normal and was surrounded by Zombies while investigating a body in the middle of the unusually quiet main road. Retreating into an alleyway he met Claire Redfield, another newcomer, who was herself fleeing from Zombies within a diner. They commandeered an RPD cruiser and drove to the Raccoon Police Station to seek shelter and answers. In another account, a similar event occured at the Mizoil Gas Station just outside the city, and they hijacked an Arklay County Sheriff's Department patrol car instead. Whichever the reality was, the car was destroyed when a petrol lorry collided with it, and the two were separated and travelled to the police station independently.

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Leon in the police station with a Zombie close behind him.

The station itself had already fallen to the Zombies, and the only unzombified police officers were the injured Lt. Marvin Branagh; Elliot Edwards, and Police Chief Brian Irons. It is uncertain if he met anyone, but had he met Lt. Branagh he would have been briefed on current events before becoming a Zombie. During investigation, Kennedy ran into a young girl - Sherry Birkin - and removed any thoughts of suicide from his mind, should his death prevent the girl's escape in future. In the police station's basement, Kennedy met Ada Wong, a corporate spy from one of Umbrella's rival companies sent to steal the G-Virus. To protect the mission, he was not told the truth about her mission. In one account, Wong claimed to be looking for her missing boyfriend, Dr. John Clemens, unaware he had perished in the Mansion Incident. In another, she claimed to be an FBI agent looking for proof of Umbrella USA's illegal bioweapons project. Whichever the reason, she became aware of Ben Bertolucci, a freelance journalist who she believed had uncovered useful information for her mission while spying on Umbrella researchers. Bertolucci was able to uncover information on a conspiracy between Umbrella USA and the local police, which was the reason for his arrest, but not enough for her mission. Bertolucci was soon after killed by a mutant, with accounts differing as to if it was Dr. William Birkin; a G parasite, or the T-00 B.O.W. sent to kill survivors in the station. Kennedy and Wong continued on to the city's sewers, where they found transport to NEST, Umbrella's laboratory dedicated to G-Virus research. Kennedy was left to do much of the work himself when in the laboratory; though he himself had suffered a gunshot wound, Wong's leg injury made her unable to continue. During exploration of the laboratory, Kennedy became aware of Wong's real mission when she cornered, seeking the virus. Accounts differ as to if she fell off a shaft or was knocked out by the T-00, or even both. What is known, however is that she successfully escaped the facility as it began to self-destruct, but lost the G-Virus sample. Fleeing to NEST's bottom platform, Kennedy was reunited with Redfield and the young Sherry, who had been infected with G-Virus but was vaccinated by DEVIL to halt her mutations. The facility was destroyed, with Dr. William Birkin perishing soon after.

STRATCOM recruitment

"Hey! It's up to us to take out Umbrella!"
— Leon to Claire and Sherry, after escaping Umbrella Lab using a Galaxie 5000.

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.[12] 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.[13]

Operation Javier

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Leon clad in his Special Operations uniform during Operation Javier, 2002.

"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.[14]
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Leon in Spain, 2004.

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", 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. 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. Not only that, Bitores Mendez believed Leon would destroy a significant number of their cult before they could gain control over him due to having injected him with a Las Plaga egg and Mendez eventually resolved to kill Leon.

During the course of his mission, Leon is helped by Luis Sera, a man who later revealed he was a researcher who worked 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. The two of realize however, that they 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. 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 Saddler and Albert Wesker, whom Ada is also working for. Unbeknownst to Leon, a secret battle is being waged behind the scenes. Eventually, Ashley is abducted. With continued support from Ada, Leon fights his way through a local military base, where Saddler and the cult have taken refuge. 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 rocket launcher, and 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."

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.
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Leon as he appears during the Harvardville and WilPharma outbreaks.

In 2005, WilPharma's head of R&D released the t-Virus in a Harvardville Airport Terminal.[15] The building was locked down and the government sent in the Marines along with the Special Response Team to clear out the zombies.[15]

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.[15] Under his leadership and advice, they learned how to effectively kill the zombies and rescued five survivors, including Claire Redfield.[15]

After saving them, Leon was involved in the fight with Curtis Miller, the Marines and Angela Miller at WilPharma.[15] He was able to save Angela and kill the G-Virus-infected Curtis Miller.[15] 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.[15]

As the incident came to a close, Leon was called in for yet another mission.[15] He and Claire parted ways, with the hopes that they will meet each other again someday under far more "normal" circumstances.[15]

Eastern Slav Republic

"Well then, I guess my only option is to lose my American citizenship for a while."
— Leon to Ingrid Hannigan regarding the United States pulling their troops out of the Eastern Slav Republic.
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Leon during his mission to the Eastern Slav Republic.

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 fiancé, 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."
— Leon to Helena Harper regarding the outbreak at Tall Oaks.
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Leon during the Tall Oaks Incident.

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!"
— Leon comments on the Lepotica's ability to spread the C-Virus through gas form.

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

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Leon as he appears during his hunt for Simmons in Lanshiang.

"…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 vs Dino-Simmons

Leon battling the mutated Simmons

Leon and Helena proceeded deeper into the tower.

HelenaLeon2

Helena brings up Leon's feelings for Ada.

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 and the BSAA solider they met back at the danger zone, 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

HelenaGun2

Leon returns Helena's gun to her, along with her freedom.

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.

New York and A-Virus

"When I was a kid, I used to think about the kind of man I'd grow up to be... I never thought my life would turn out this way"
— Leon contemplates his life of fighting B.O.W.'s and joining the DSO.
File:Leon Damnation half body.jpg

Some time later, Leon and a squad of his found themselves in a mission against the B.O.W.'s in Washington D.C. where the mission went horribly wrong due to a whistle blower. Only Leon survived the ordeal and afterward he went throughout the morgue containing his fallen comrades and killed one of them as they turned into a zombie. Unfortunately, this also "woke up" the rest of them, forcing Leon to kill them. This left him emotionally scarred. He spent his vacation drinking his days away in a bar in a similar manner to Chris who lost his team in Edonia.

During his vacation, Leon was approached by Chris Redfield and Rebecca Chambers, aiming to consult him about the recent B.O.W. "attacks" in the US and Canada by Glenn Arias - the viral strain that he was using which allowed him to control them and he was engineered with the aid of a Plaga sample provided by Los Iluminados. Leon was reluctant to help them, asking when all of the fighting against the B.O.W.s would even end. It was only after Rebecca's kidnapping that Leon agreed to team up with Chris and find the target of Arias' next attack.

Leon and Chris, together with the Silver Dagger team, then went to New York where Arias was planning mass attack through the use of tankers carrying the airborne 'trigger' for the virus. It is there that the team is provided with transportation to help with their mission: a Hummer that Chris took, and a Ducati motorcycle which Leon took. After destroying the first fuel truck, Chris, Leon and Damian were attacked by infected dogs that swiftly decapitated the latter before turning their attention to Chris. Leon revved his bike loudly to attract the dogs before speeding off with them in pursuit, this allowed Chris to continue destroying the virus-filled tanker trucks. Leading the dogs onto the expressway, Leon easily dispatched the two infected dogs and rushed to Arias's headquarter to help Chris.

Arriving in time to help Chris kill of the remaining zombies of the first wave, the duo were confronted with even more zombies. Leon and Chris managed to hold them back until Chris decided that time was running out for Rebecca and Leon told Chris to go ahead to save Rebecca while he stayed behind to kill the zombies. Delivering sweep kicks after sweep kicks, he killed zombie after zombie.

After Arias mutated into a powerful creature, Leon arrived just in time at the roof top after killing all the zombies to save Chris from being squeezed to death by Arias, slamming his bike into Arias's legs. Leon then skillfully dodged Arias's attacks and even managed to kick Arias in his head. When Arias was grabbing onto the helicopter of Silver Dagger, Leon rode his bike at high speed and jumping off the bike at the last minute to allow the bike to slam into Arias. Leon then shot the bike, causing it to explode and severely injuring Arias before he was killed by Chris.

After the defeat of Arias, Leon looked back upon his life and wondered how long they have to continue fighting B.O.W.s, only for Chris to jokingly reply with a prior comment of Leon's about never making plans that far ahead.

Bibliography

Sources

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Leon profile screenshot
  2. 2.0 2.1 BIOHAZARD DAMNATION ART GUIDE, Height Chart
  3. Resident Evil 4: Mobile Edition, Resident Evil History
  4. Cast List Revealed
  5. Damnation Info Revealed
  6. Watch First Resident Evil: Vendetta Movie Trailer
  7. Resident Evil 2 (2019)
  8. Eduard Badaluta @eduardtbada | Instagram "Resident Evil , where i am one of the main characters called Leon S. Kennedy Thank you and enjoy the game"
  9. Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles (2007), file: "Leon S. Kennedy Profile".
  10. Official Guide Book, pp.257-258.
  11. Famitsu interview with Yasuhisa Kawamura.
  12. Resident Evil Survivor (2000), ??
  13. Resident Evil CODE:Veronica (2000), ??
  14. Resident Evil 4 (2004), scene: "Opening cutscene"
  15. 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 15.6 15.7 15.8 Resident Evil: Degeneration (2008)
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