I think he is. Leon S Kennedy seems to be every RE fangirls fantasy. And for boys, he is this big action hero. RE4 is over rated as well. Personally I couldn't stand it.
Is Leon S Kennedy The Most Over Rated RE Character?
- Thread starter Drakortha
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What makes him overrated? Girls like him, guys like him? That's your case? Personally, it just sounds like you're intimidated by his popularity, which is quite foolish.
He kinda is to be honest. he gets most screen time than any of the other characters. He has the most personality development while everyone else they barely get any. From the way they are developing Leon is becoming the main character of the series while everyone else is becoming secondary characters. Sure he's the most popular character to "fans" but that not really a good reason to focus on him and ignore everyone else.
KevinStriker
"Quite an experience to live in fear, isn't it?"
I would say that he is for the CG movies alone, Action Leon taken to two extremes.
Monotone/non-chalant and hyper-competent, to the point where it takes Leon and his Handgun to down a Tyrant that's been absorbing gunfire from the military the whole movie.
Like, hate RE4 Leon if you want to, at least he something of a personality and is allowed by the game to f*ck up.
Monotone/non-chalant and hyper-competent, to the point where it takes Leon and his Handgun to down a Tyrant that's been absorbing gunfire from the military the whole movie.
Like, hate RE4 Leon if you want to, at least he something of a personality and is allowed by the game to f*ck up.
To cut a long story short (because I once wrote a reeeaaally long essay about this): Yes, I think he is overrated, by fans and developers alike, even more so than that inexplicably well-liked nobody called Hunk. I'm actually surprised Capcom didn't retcon him into a full-fledged action hero from the getgo in REmake 2, but then again, we haven't seen a lot of that yet, so it might still happen.
Can't say whether or not RE4 is overrated, personally I don't like it as much as the other numbered titles and I don't understand how people can actually get along with those clunky controls, but then again, I'm just a casual gamer.
Can't say whether or not RE4 is overrated, personally I don't like it as much as the other numbered titles and I don't understand how people can actually get along with those clunky controls, but then again, I'm just a casual gamer.
No, I don't think so. People like him for very good reasons:
1 - For one, he's been the main in the most beloved games of the series (RE2, RE4 and yeah, there is RE6, but most people will say to you that his campaign was good, thanks to it's atmosphere) - People associates his face with those game, and that makes them like him instantly (his character reminds them of the good time they've had with those games).
2 - A lot of people that played RE4 (or even RE2) aren't fans of the series (they played those because they've heard good things about them, and noticed their popularity - most loved them, but didn't come back for more), what come after wasn't praised at all (or in the case of Rev2 wasn't given much space, unfortunately), which is why most of the casual fans didn't come back (those who did, didn't like RE5 much, with some exceptions, which ended their relationship with the series). Given this context, it makes sense for them to like Mr. Kennedy, since that's the character they used the most (or again, the one they associates the most with good memories of the franchise).
3 - RE4!Leon it's the best Leon of the series hands down (and RE2!Leon is also a quite nice character), he's funny, he's sassy and he has some of the best quotes of the franchise - and as I said, most people associates his face with that game.
4 - Yeah, he's the main of the CGI movies, but I don't think that that makes him overrated; for one, it makes sense for them to only choose one lead (they want continuity between the movies, mostly for the people that didn't play the games, and it makes it easier to do so with just one lead, and-->) besides, every movie has other important RE!Characters in them, we follow Leon's story there BUT much space is also given to Claire, Ada, and more recently to Chris and Rebecca - they also weren't in there just for fanservice purposes (unlike the action-movies), they had a role (I'd say that Claire and Chris shared the spot as leads with Leon - I'd also argue that Chris was even more so than Leon, and that Leon was there just to provide a connection for the ones that didn't play the games), and they each had various scenes dedicated to them (most of which were quite iconic tbh), they weren't put on the sidelines to make Leon look good, they were all equally good. There is also the fact that Leon was the character that was ****ed the most by Anderson's movie, so fair is fair (lol).
Btw, I'm not saying that what come after RE4 is bad, not at all (I love Rev1 and Rev2, they are some of my favs RE game - I enjoy RE6, and while I don't love RE5, I do love it's DLCs), I'm just talking about some patterns I've noticed (I know a lot of people that played and loved RE4, and even RE2, but most of them stopped after being burned out by RE5, most of them will also tell you to go and play those game if you haven't).
Now let's take a look at the main saga:
Resident Evil 0: Rebecca Chambers & Billy Coen
Resident Evil 1: Chris Redfield & Jill Valentine
Resident Evil 2: Leon S. Kennedy & Claire Redfield
Resident Evil 3: Jill Valentine
Resident Evil Code Veronica: Claire Redfield & Chris Redfield
Resident Evil 4: Leon S. Kennedy + Ada Wong
Resident Evil Revelations: Jill Valentine & Chris Redfield
Resident Evil 5: Chris Redfield
Resident Evil Revelations 2: Claire Redfield + Moira Burton & Barry Burton + Natalia Korda
Resident Evil 6: Leon S. Kennedy, Chris Redfield, Ada Wong, Jake Muller & Sherry Birkin
Resident Evil 7: Ethan Winters
Now, let's count!
Leon Scott Kennedy: is the lead in 3 games
Jill Valentine: is the lead in 3 games (+ 2 DLC in RE5)
Claire Redfield: is the lead in 3 games
Chris Redfield: is the lead in 5 games (+ 1 DLC in RE7)
^ I think that this speak for itself.
Also, the fact that you don't like RE4 doesn't mean that it is overrated, that game wasn't just a great game, it was revolutionary for it's time - which is why people loves it so much.
1 - For one, he's been the main in the most beloved games of the series (RE2, RE4 and yeah, there is RE6, but most people will say to you that his campaign was good, thanks to it's atmosphere) - People associates his face with those game, and that makes them like him instantly (his character reminds them of the good time they've had with those games).
2 - A lot of people that played RE4 (or even RE2) aren't fans of the series (they played those because they've heard good things about them, and noticed their popularity - most loved them, but didn't come back for more), what come after wasn't praised at all (or in the case of Rev2 wasn't given much space, unfortunately), which is why most of the casual fans didn't come back (those who did, didn't like RE5 much, with some exceptions, which ended their relationship with the series). Given this context, it makes sense for them to like Mr. Kennedy, since that's the character they used the most (or again, the one they associates the most with good memories of the franchise).
3 - RE4!Leon it's the best Leon of the series hands down (and RE2!Leon is also a quite nice character), he's funny, he's sassy and he has some of the best quotes of the franchise - and as I said, most people associates his face with that game.
4 - Yeah, he's the main of the CGI movies, but I don't think that that makes him overrated; for one, it makes sense for them to only choose one lead (they want continuity between the movies, mostly for the people that didn't play the games, and it makes it easier to do so with just one lead, and-->) besides, every movie has other important RE!Characters in them, we follow Leon's story there BUT much space is also given to Claire, Ada, and more recently to Chris and Rebecca - they also weren't in there just for fanservice purposes (unlike the action-movies), they had a role (I'd say that Claire and Chris shared the spot as leads with Leon - I'd also argue that Chris was even more so than Leon, and that Leon was there just to provide a connection for the ones that didn't play the games), and they each had various scenes dedicated to them (most of which were quite iconic tbh), they weren't put on the sidelines to make Leon look good, they were all equally good. There is also the fact that Leon was the character that was ****ed the most by Anderson's movie, so fair is fair (lol).
Btw, I'm not saying that what come after RE4 is bad, not at all (I love Rev1 and Rev2, they are some of my favs RE game - I enjoy RE6, and while I don't love RE5, I do love it's DLCs), I'm just talking about some patterns I've noticed (I know a lot of people that played and loved RE4, and even RE2, but most of them stopped after being burned out by RE5, most of them will also tell you to go and play those game if you haven't).
Now let's take a look at the main saga:
Resident Evil 0: Rebecca Chambers & Billy Coen
Resident Evil 1: Chris Redfield & Jill Valentine
Resident Evil 2: Leon S. Kennedy & Claire Redfield
Resident Evil 3: Jill Valentine
Resident Evil Code Veronica: Claire Redfield & Chris Redfield
Resident Evil 4: Leon S. Kennedy + Ada Wong
Resident Evil Revelations: Jill Valentine & Chris Redfield
Resident Evil 5: Chris Redfield
Resident Evil Revelations 2: Claire Redfield + Moira Burton & Barry Burton + Natalia Korda
Resident Evil 6: Leon S. Kennedy, Chris Redfield, Ada Wong, Jake Muller & Sherry Birkin
Resident Evil 7: Ethan Winters
Now, let's count!
Leon Scott Kennedy: is the lead in 3 games
Jill Valentine: is the lead in 3 games (+ 2 DLC in RE5)
Claire Redfield: is the lead in 3 games
Chris Redfield: is the lead in 5 games (+ 1 DLC in RE7)
^ I think that this speak for itself.
Also, the fact that you don't like RE4 doesn't mean that it is overrated, that game wasn't just a great game, it was revolutionary for it's time - which is why people loves it so much.
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I do think that they give him more personality over other characters which is painfully aggravating but I don’t know if I’d say he is overrated because of this. I genuinely enjoy his character in RE2 and RE4. Though Capcom does favor him for those cheesy CGI movies, which really I’m fine with seeing as I can take them or leave them.
I have to completely disagree with most fans though about his campaign in RE6, that is where I do think he becomes this glorified poster boy. He accomplishes absolutely nothing in that game as his story arc flatlines but somehow his is the best?
I have to completely disagree with most fans though about his campaign in RE6, that is where I do think he becomes this glorified poster boy. He accomplishes absolutely nothing in that game as his story arc flatlines but somehow his is the best?
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THANK YOU! Finally someone else who realises this. Opinions may differ on how good each individual campaign is gameplay-wise, but when it comes to the story, Leon is clearly the underdog here. Chris and Piers save the world not once, not twice, but three times in a row, Ada finishes off Carla, the real big bad, and Jake is the living C-virus cure - those people make up the story of RE6! Meanwhile, Leon is just a supporting character in his own campaign, assisting an angry woman on her quest for revenge that barely contributes anything to the overall plot, yet still, he is hyped like the one true hero of the game. That's part of him being overrated - he's considered the star of everything he appears in, even when he barely does anything. And now the first few trailers of REmake 2 focus completely on him, even though there's yet another playable protagonist whose story in the original was (in my opinion) even more important than his. So yeah...
No, I don't think he's overrated. While he's definitely one of the more popular characters in the series, he's also very underutilized in the grand scheme of things. But I don't think his popularity is unearned like Barry and HUNK who've gotten such big responses for doing so little.
He's been in some of the most notable titles in the series, like Resident Evil 2 which was a massive improvement over the original in both its story and characterization, which made not just him, but Claire, much more likeable protagonists than Chris and Jill. He was also the star of Resident Evil 4, which was many people's introduction to the series. People also greatly preferred his scenario in RE6 as opposed to everyone else's because it's the least offensive of the bunch. It had a darker atmosphere, featured zombies (which were a lot more fun to kill than J'avos), even tried to harken back to Raccoon City on a couple of occasions, and had plenty of action without any of the forced ideas seen in the other campaigns. It may not have been the most important story in RE6, but it was the safest experience, which is great considering Chris offers a generic militaristic shooter, Jake experiments with poorly executed ideas, and Ada is just sort of tacked on and boring.
I also don't really get this notion that he's favored more by Capcom because he's so popular when he takes such a backseat in the main story. He's been in less games than Chris, who Capcom actually puts way more focus on, even having him appear in more games consecutively than anyone else. He even hogged the spotlight from Leon in 6, which was originally meant to only star Leon, hence why he seems like the poster boy for the game. Leon hasn't even been featured in a Marvel vs Capcom game yet despite being so popular, and once again, took the backseat to Chris Redfield in the latest CGI film by having way less screen time and way less importance to the film's story.
This character is associated with greatness and he's overall very likeable and cool. I think that's enough to earn him the praise he gets. It's definitely not unwarranted. While he may not be as integral to the story of the franchise as other characters, his role offers players a breather from all the nonsense drama of the series and allows for a more accessible and standalone experience, which is precisely why RE4 was such a big hit.
He's been in some of the most notable titles in the series, like Resident Evil 2 which was a massive improvement over the original in both its story and characterization, which made not just him, but Claire, much more likeable protagonists than Chris and Jill. He was also the star of Resident Evil 4, which was many people's introduction to the series. People also greatly preferred his scenario in RE6 as opposed to everyone else's because it's the least offensive of the bunch. It had a darker atmosphere, featured zombies (which were a lot more fun to kill than J'avos), even tried to harken back to Raccoon City on a couple of occasions, and had plenty of action without any of the forced ideas seen in the other campaigns. It may not have been the most important story in RE6, but it was the safest experience, which is great considering Chris offers a generic militaristic shooter, Jake experiments with poorly executed ideas, and Ada is just sort of tacked on and boring.
I also don't really get this notion that he's favored more by Capcom because he's so popular when he takes such a backseat in the main story. He's been in less games than Chris, who Capcom actually puts way more focus on, even having him appear in more games consecutively than anyone else. He even hogged the spotlight from Leon in 6, which was originally meant to only star Leon, hence why he seems like the poster boy for the game. Leon hasn't even been featured in a Marvel vs Capcom game yet despite being so popular, and once again, took the backseat to Chris Redfield in the latest CGI film by having way less screen time and way less importance to the film's story.
This character is associated with greatness and he's overall very likeable and cool. I think that's enough to earn him the praise he gets. It's definitely not unwarranted. While he may not be as integral to the story of the franchise as other characters, his role offers players a breather from all the nonsense drama of the series and allows for a more accessible and standalone experience, which is precisely why RE4 was such a big hit.
Y’all better back off of my Chris, he’s accomplished so much in his 5 games to Leon’s 3!
Chris is gonna be in the next installment see. And you’re gonna like it see.
Now let’s get back on track to how Leon is an overrated poster boy! :lol:
Chris is gonna be in the next installment see. And you’re gonna like it see.
Now let’s get back on track to how Leon is an overrated poster boy! :lol:
@Turo602 Yeah sure Chris may have been in more games than Leon. But you can't deny that Leon is the only character who appeared from RE0 to RE6 that under go an extensive characteristic development throughout the series.
I'd argue that Leon is one of the least developed main characters in the series behind Chris, Claire and maybe on par with Jill. Pretty much every game we see him in he usually acts the as the same kind of monotonous hero, always chasing after Ada and as people have mentioned previously, sometimes has little to no effect on the plot of the game he's in. The only game where he receives any real development is RE4, and I'd say it wasn't very much.
I feel like the main reason he seems to be everyone's favourite character is because RE2 and RE4 were the main 'jumping on' points for the series, and as he was the main character in both of those well received games, people have gravitated towards him.
To answer the question: Yes, I think he's overrated :lol:
I feel like the main reason he seems to be everyone's favourite character is because RE2 and RE4 were the main 'jumping on' points for the series, and as he was the main character in both of those well received games, people have gravitated towards him.
To answer the question: Yes, I think he's overrated :lol:
I won't go on the "overrated" aspect of Leon, because this one is purely opinion based. I think Chris and Jill are way overrated than him (Hunk is still number one though and will always be), but I think I agree with the ones saying that Leon had some sort of character development, especially on a series that had very little of it. An example? Jill. One of the most important characters on the series didn't had ANY development at all since RE1 (or Remake). She even had a big, modern game where she was a star (Revelations) and yet she doesn't have any development, any personality traits. She's Chris with a ponytail and a blue jumpsuit. She's a wooden door in Revelations. When you compare that to Leon, who moved from rookie cop, to snarky agent to a more balanced character (in terms of his jokes and seriousness) I think he got some sort of development, at least, in a series where things like that doesn't really happens. Or when it happens it goes down on a very bad way, like Ada Wong, who is simply unbearable in RE6.
Resident Evil 2 Leon is my favorite Resident Evil character ever.
I love Leon in this game because he's a little clumsy and he has this naive quality to him. He's really a nice boy trying to do the right thing and he's thrown in this nightmare.
I particularly like this line in his B Scenario, when Claire hangs up the radio and he just says "Man! Why doesn't anyone ever listen to me?".
It's a nice little touch of humour and really highlights the fact Leon is supposed to be like this, he's supposed to be the boy-scout, he's supposed to kinda lag behind but he'll stay brave and he'll keep doing the right thing. It's cute and touching.
It's also an almost-feminist approach since Leon is the only man who survives the course of the story and has any importance or real positivity.
Ben and Marvin are basically extras, William Birkin is already "dead" as a character when the story starts and his new form is a wife-murdering monster, and Irons is a direct antagonist, also a traitor to the police force and to the citizen, a psychopath, a sadist, a torturer and a murderer. In Resident Evil 2 taken as a one-shot story (if we ignored the rest of the series), men are either 1 - dying and useless or 2 - direct, threatening antagonists who are also sexually agressive monsters (literally or figuratively).
Leon is the only positive masculine figure of the story, and even if he takes the lead at the beginning, HE IS NOT A LEADER, he does not exhibit any of the cliche "qualities" of toxic masculinity he's not particularly strong, he has no authority, he has no bravado.
And he's traveling along with Ada and Claire, two strong women who do not need him at all. He's even more of an embarrassment than anything for Ada, who needs to complete her mission and therefore keeps ghosting him through adventure because she does not want a policeman watching her every movement.
So he's just an almost-secondary character to the adventure, and things are just like that, things are kinda cool, he's a positive masculine role model while the story clearly establishes he has way less agency and resourcefulness than the female cast... and he's not diminished or ridiculed for it. I find it great!
I love Leon in this game because he's a little clumsy and he has this naive quality to him. He's really a nice boy trying to do the right thing and he's thrown in this nightmare.
I particularly like this line in his B Scenario, when Claire hangs up the radio and he just says "Man! Why doesn't anyone ever listen to me?".
It's a nice little touch of humour and really highlights the fact Leon is supposed to be like this, he's supposed to be the boy-scout, he's supposed to kinda lag behind but he'll stay brave and he'll keep doing the right thing. It's cute and touching.
It's also an almost-feminist approach since Leon is the only man who survives the course of the story and has any importance or real positivity.
Ben and Marvin are basically extras, William Birkin is already "dead" as a character when the story starts and his new form is a wife-murdering monster, and Irons is a direct antagonist, also a traitor to the police force and to the citizen, a psychopath, a sadist, a torturer and a murderer. In Resident Evil 2 taken as a one-shot story (if we ignored the rest of the series), men are either 1 - dying and useless or 2 - direct, threatening antagonists who are also sexually agressive monsters (literally or figuratively).
Leon is the only positive masculine figure of the story, and even if he takes the lead at the beginning, HE IS NOT A LEADER, he does not exhibit any of the cliche "qualities" of toxic masculinity he's not particularly strong, he has no authority, he has no bravado.
And he's traveling along with Ada and Claire, two strong women who do not need him at all. He's even more of an embarrassment than anything for Ada, who needs to complete her mission and therefore keeps ghosting him through adventure because she does not want a policeman watching her every movement.
So he's just an almost-secondary character to the adventure, and things are just like that, things are kinda cool, he's a positive masculine role model while the story clearly establishes he has way less agency and resourcefulness than the female cast... and he's not diminished or ridiculed for it. I find it great!
That just adds to his likability factor, not vice versa.
And to answer the OP's question, no, he's not overrated. There's a reason (actually, multiple reasons) why he's the most popular character in the series. Everyone else has already explained it before me, but he's earned his popularity on just being an all-around badass, maining the most iconic games in the series (save for RE6, which he's still credited for having the best campaign in) certainly doesn't hurt, either. He's not overused, either. To act like he's hogged the spotlight from anyone is disingenuous at best. Jill and Leon have actually taken a backseat to Chris, who's been in the last 4 games in a row and clearly pushed as the poster boy for Resident Evil. Meanwhile, Jill hasn't been seen or mentioned anywhere except in an insignificant e-mail file after the fallout from her huge RE5 story (arguably THE biggest RE story arch Capcom has ever produced) and Leon hasn't had a spin-off game or been featured in a Marvel vs. Capcom game yet despite them being the two most popular characters in the franchise.
Chris gets way more screen time and development than Leon. Also, having more of a personality than most other characters doesn't make you overrated.
He's not monotone in Vendetta and isn't anymore hyper competent than Chris. Less actually.
How do Chris and Piers save the world three times in a row? Aside from saving Jake (which they only know to do because Leon tells them about him), their story is mostly Piers dealing with the screw up of letting Chris back onto the field despite him not being in any way fit to be back in the field. And Jake being the cure makes him more a plot device than a hero with agency which is something Leon and Helena at least have.
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