Leon Kennedy is almost as synonymous with Resident Evil as its zombies these days. The hyper-macho action hero has been around since 1998's Resident Evil 2, and has appeared as the face of the franchise in many games (and remakes) since then.
Debate has long raged about how the character got his name, though, and now, after almost 30 years, Resident Evil 2's creator has finally confirmed a popular fan theory is correct.
For years, a popular theory has been circulating the internet suggesting that Leon S. Kennedy was named after the French flick, Leon: The Professional. The main character of the film is aptly named Leon, played by Gary Oldman, and, as part of the film's plot, he's forced to look after a young girl named Mathilda. Leon's special handgun in Resident Evil 4 just so happens to be called Matilda. It all lined up a little too perfectly to be a coincidence.
After 28 years of silence, that theory has now been confirmed true by none other than Resident Evil 2's creator Hideki Kamiya.
Responding to this tweet, once again surfacing the Leon: The Professional comparisons, Kamiya said, "Leon's name comes from that," however,...
