Leon Becomes a Hot Uncle in Resident Evil Requiem Thanks to CAPCOM Female Developers Who Polished Every Detail

The long awaited confirmation that Leon S. Kennedy is playable in Resident Evil Requiem landed exactly the way CAPCOM fans wanted, especially once players got a clean look at his updated design. Leon is older, sharper, and carrying a very different aura than the rookie police officer who stumbled into the nightmare of Raccoon City. The community reaction has been loud, and one phrase keeps surfacing again and again: hot uncle Leon.

Resident Evil Requiem is set much further down the canon timeline. Leon first appeared as a rookie officer in Resident Evil 2, canonically set in 1998, on what became the worst first day imaginable at the Raccoon City Police Department. He later returned in Resident Evil 4, canonically set in 2004, as an elite agent reporting directly to the president of the United States. By Resident Evil 6, which takes place in 2013, Leon is still operating in high level security roles tied to the president.

Requiem places him in 2028, meaning 30 years have passed since the Raccoon City bombing and Leon is now 51. CAPCOM could have leaned into a purely hardened veteran look, but instead, they landed on a version that reads experienced and mature while still being undeniably stylish. The interesting part is how intentional that outcome was.

In a joint media interview covered by Automaton, Game Director Koshi Nakanishi explained that Leon’s final look was heavily shaped by internal review, and that female staff in particular were strict about the details. Nakanishi said the team spent a lot of time polishing Leon’s visuals, and that the feedback extended to extremely fine elements, including wrinkles around the neck. That internal scrutiny, combined with repeated refinement during production, is what helped CAPCOM land on a design meant to hit emotionally for fans. 

This also signals something broader about CAPCOM’s current character pipeline. When a character is this iconic, art direction is not only about fidelity and realism. It becomes a brand asset, and the internal review process functions like a quality gate that protects the character’s identity. Leon is not only being redesigned for modern hardware, he is being tuned to match what players feel Leon should be in 2028, visually and emotionally.

Nakanishi also touched on the harder part of the work: personality continuity. Leon has decades of baggage by the time Requiem happens, and Nakanishi said different staff members had their own interpretations of what Leon would and would not do in specific situations. That naturally created debate, and the team had to align on a consistent version of Leon that respects his history while still letting him feel fresh in a new story.

Fans will not have to wait long to judge whether CAPCOM nailed both sides of the equation. Resident Evil Requiem is out in less than a month on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S and X, and a new video featuring Leon is already fueling the hype cycle. 

If CAPCOM can make Leon look this good at 51 while also delivering believable growth and decision making, Resident Evil Requiem could end up being one of the most character driven entries in the modern era of the franchise.

What matters more to you in Requiem, Leon’s new visual design or how CAPCOM writes his personality 30 years after Raccoon City?