After nearly 30 years of speculation, Resident Evil 2 director Hideki Kamiya has confirmed that, yes, Leon S. Kennedy is named after the Léon: The Professional movie.
The Capcom alum and action game developer icon revealed the inspiration for one of the most recognizable horror protagonists of all time with a simple post on X/Twitter today. It follows decades of theories from fans who already believed Leon’s name had originated from the 1994 film, but it’s still confirmation, nonetheless.
Kamiya recalled naming Leon when consulting with Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami. After a few ideas were shot down, the director said (via Google Translate), “Well, why don’t we just take it from that movie I watched the other day?”
“And his response was simply, ‘Yeah, that works,'” Kamiya added.
Resident Evil fans have drawn the connection between Léon: The Professional and Leon S. Kennedy long before today. Aside from the obvious similarities between the names of the survival horror video game hero and the character Jean Reno played in the ’90s, Resident Evil has famously featured a “Professional” difficulty setting for years.
There’s also the Matilda, a handgun that Resident Evil Leon has been known to use in the past, which has always been assumed to be a reference to the character Natalie Portman played in the film, Mathilda. Kamiya clarified that this potential reference, however, is not one he came up with, but something someone else at Capcom added after he left.
Fans were already quick to react to the Resident Evil revelation after it brought an end to speculation that dates back to the release of the original sequel back in 1998. Kamiya said the reaction is unexpected, joking that he’s surprised he hadn’t mentioned the connections to Léon: The Professional because it wasn’t something he intentionally tried to hide.
Kamiya directed Resident Evil 2 before going on to carve out a stylish new direction for action gaming with the original Devil May Cry. He later went on to lead celebrated classics like Okami and Viewtiful Joe before leaving Capcom to co-found PlatinumGames, which eventually helped result in games like Bayonetta, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, the Wonderful 101, and more. After leaving PlatinumGames in 2023, he’s since started his new studio, Clovers, which is helping Capcom develop Okami 2.
Kamiya’s influence on Resident Evil can still be felt to this day. In addition to the massively popular Resident Evil 2 remake that arrived in early 2019, Leon has remained an important name in gaming thanks to titles like the Resident Evil 4 remake from 2023 and Resident Evil Requiem, which launched this past February.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
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