Resident Evil Requiem Director Says Grace Ashcroft Is the Series’ Most Fearful Character While Leon Kennedy Is the Strongest
At The Game Awards last week, Capcom officially confirmed what months of leaks and speculation had already suggested. Leon S. Kennedy is not only part of Resident Evil Requiem, but also serves as the game’s second playable protagonist alongside the newly introduced Grace Ashcroft. After Capcom previously attempted to downplay Leon’s involvement, his appearance in the reveal trailer felt like a moment of long awaited confirmation for long time fans of the franchise.
With the secret now out in the open, Capcom has begun to openly discuss how Leon fits into Resident Evil Requiem and, more importantly, how his role contrasts with that of Grace Ashcroft. In an interview with Famitsu, game director Koji Nakanishi provided new insight into the design philosophy behind the dual protagonist structure and what players should expect emotionally and mechanically when switching between the two characters.
According to Nakanishi, the contrast between Leon and Grace is not subtle. He described Grace Ashcroft as the most fearful character in the history of the Resident Evil series, while calling Leon the strongest character the franchise has ever had. Nakanishi explained that this deliberate contrast is one of the core pillars of Requiem’s design, and that watching these two radically different characters interact will be one of the game’s defining highlights.
Nakanishi went on to say that the development team has carefully crafted the experience to bring out the strengths of both characters. Rather than simply offering two protagonists for narrative variety, Resident Evil Requiem is designed to deliver a gameplay experience unlike anything the series has attempted before. The director emphasized that the way players feel while controlling Leon versus Grace will fundamentally change how horror is perceived throughout the game.
This approach directly addresses a long standing challenge within the Resident Evil franchise. Effective horror relies on a delicate balance between empowerment and vulnerability. While many Resident Evil entries are undeniably terrifying in their opening hours, games that feature combat capable protagonists such as Leon often lose tension over time. Once players realize they can reliably overpower enemies, the fear factor inevitably diminishes.
Resident Evil Requiem appears to tackle this issue head on by splitting its horror design across two opposing emotional states. Grace’s perspective represents vulnerability, fear, and uncertainty, while Leon embodies confidence, experience, and raw survival capability. The intriguing question is how Capcom will play with player expectations. There is clear potential for moments where Leon’s strength is stripped away, forcing players to feel powerless even in the shoes of a franchise icon. Likewise, Grace may experience moments where fear gives way to surprising competence.
By intentionally leaning into these extremes, Capcom seems poised to recalibrate the horror experience in ways that long time fans may not anticipate. Instead of allowing players to grow comfortable, the game can shift emotional footing simply by changing perspective. This could result in tension spikes at unexpected moments, keeping players on edge far longer than in previous entries.
Whatever Capcom ultimately delivers, Resident Evil Requiem is shaping up to be one of the series’ most ambitious narrative and mechanical experiments. Players will be able to experience the contrast between fear and strength firsthand when the game launches on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S on February 27, 2026.
Do you think playing as both the strongest and most fearful characters will finally restore long term tension to Resident Evil, or does the series work best when it leans fully into one style of horror?
