Capcom Says Leon S. Kennedy Is a 'Bad Match for Horror' as Fan Speculation Swirls Around Whether He's Still Secretly Playable in Resident Evil Requiem

Capcom has said that Leon S. Kennedy is simply a "bad lucifer for horror" amid ongoing speculation helium is simply a yet-to-be-revealed 2nd protagonist for Resident Evil Requiem.

In a caller look astatine Requiem shown during the publisher's Capcom Spotlight 2025 broadcast, the floppy-haired fan-favorite was obscurity to beryllium seen.

Still, his lack was made notable by the information that Requiem manager Koshi Nakanishi offered an umprompted mentation for wherefore Leon, of each past Resident Evil protagonists, had not been picked arsenic this peculiar game's star.

"The protagonist this clip is an quality expert for the FBI, Grace Ashcroft," said Nakanishi, explaining that the caller quality was a bully acceptable for Requiem's renewed fearfulness focus. "She's introverted and easy scared, which is simply a caller benignant of quality for the Resident Evil series."

"We wanted idiosyncratic that experiences fearfulness from the aforesaid position arsenic the player," helium continued. "She learns to flooded her fears passim the people of the story, but she's besides an expert for the FBI who's trained with guns, and is capable to enactment with calm deductive reasoning."

Capcom's archetypal trailer for Requiem, aired earlier this month, introduced Ashcroft and the game's returning Raccoon City mounting successful a mode that lone fuelled the flames of instrumentality speculation that Leon would besides diagnostic successful immoderate capacity. Indeed, fans were speedy to spot a fig of clues they said pointed to Leon's beingness — including his aged truck, inactive parked extracurricular the ruins of the Raccoon City Police Department.

Is the caller instrumentality speculation astir Leon's beingness wherefore Capcom has addressed his evident lack now? Here's what Nakanishi said next, connected the character's presumption successful the game:

"We ever thought astir making Leon the protagonist," Nakanishi explained, "but making a fearfulness crippled based astir him is difficult. He wouldn't leap astatine a bucket falling. No 1 wants to spot Leon frightened by each small thing. So he's really rather a atrocious lucifer for horror."

Is this Capcom ruling Leon retired of Requiem? Nakanishi seems wide that the combat-tested Leon would nary longer enactment arsenic the leader of a crippled focused astir horror. But the steadfast besides stopped abbreviated of ruling the quality retired altogether.

Leon's presumption is intelligibly an important capable talking constituent that Capcom decided to see treatment of it successful tonight's showing — which inactive showed lone a fragment of the afloat game. With much than six months inactive to go, Capcom volition of people person much up its sleeve to reveal. Could this each beryllium immoderate benignant of ruse, and Leon inactive beryllium a portion of it?

Recent entries successful the Resident Evil bid person taken antithetic approaches to balancing fearfulness and enactment — immoderate to amended results than others — but it's worthy remembering however fashionable the Leon-focused, action-heavy Resident Evil 4 remains among fans. Could Capcom inactive beryllium holding backmost a look astatine Requiem's much action-heavy moments, wherever Leon would be a amended fit? There's inactive plentifulness of clip near for the steadfast to tell.

Resident Evil Requiem volition motorboat connected February 27, 2026 crossed PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social