“Resident Evil” is known as perhaps one of the greatest survival horror games of all time. It is infamous for its flesh eating enemies and visual style of gameplay. There are several games in the franchise and the remakes a few years ago caused a boost in their continued popularity. However, one remake stands above them all: The Resident Evil 2 Remake. This is perhaps partly because of one man: Leon S. Kennedy.
So, the question is: Why is this game so popular? Is it because of Leon? Is it because of his conventional attractiveness? His character’s mix of justice and charisma? His witty one-liners? All three of those traits are precisely why he is a fan favorite.
Yes, it is true many consider Leon to be hot. Although, there are other conventionally attractive men in the series that could take the cake. For example, Chris Redfield, one of the main characters from the beginning of the series. He is featured in Resident Evil 1, 5, and a few side games. He is absolutely chiseled and can punch boulders. However, he is more rugged and hardened than Leon.
Leon, on the other hand, is genuinely charismatic and almost acts like some kind of puppy dog in the Resident Evil 2 remake. He is a rookie cop showing up for his doomed job at Raccoon City Police Department where he arrives at a ravaged landscape of flesh-eating zombies. Through it all, he somehow manages to be an absolute cornball. When Mr. X, a menacing, towering bio-weapon developed by Umbrella Pharmaceuticals, shows up in the police station, all Leon has to say is: “Something tells me he is not a cop…”
Leon also has a strong sense of justice and wants to help people. He is kind and he’s incredibly friendly when helping out Ada Wong, a self-proclaimed FBI agent. Even when Leon finds out she has been lying to him, he still attempts to save her when she faces near death.
Only adding more fuel to the Leon sexiness factor are video edits. These are TikTok edits, to be exact. The surplus of them was magnified when the remake was released. The display of his hotness was put on the internet for the general public to see. People were raving over Leon. This was especially true with the release of the Resident Evil 4 remake, showcasing a much more hardened and “emo” version of the Leon than what people saw in RE2.
I would argue that Leon essentially encapsulates what people think of when they hear “Resident Evil.” More specifically, when they think of “Resident Evil”’s hottest character, he is the epitome of Resident Evil sexiness.
