Leon Kennedy is an American of Irish and Italian descent. [ 8 ][ 9 ] He was conceived as one of the two lead characters (alongside Claire Redfield) for Resident Evil 2, as the development staff wanted the game to star characters who had no experience with terrifying situations rather than returning and experienced protagonists. [ 10 ]

Leon Scott Kennedy, more commonly known as Leon S. Kennedy is an American of Italian descent currently employed as a federal agent by the Division of Security Operations (D.S.O.), a counter-terrorism agency under direct Presidential command. Kennedy is a known survivor of the 1998 Raccoon City Destruction Incident, at the time a police officer.

Leon Scott Kennedy is one of the main protagonists of the Resident Evil franchise. He teamed up with Chris' sister, Claire, to survive against the outbreak in Raccoon City. He was later trained and hired by the American government to find the president's daughter.

Leon appears to share his name with real world Black American actor Leon Issac Kennedy, who is famous for his role as FBI agent Marcus Jackson in the Chuck Norris action movie Lone Wolf McQuade and the boxing movies Penitentiary and Heart and Soul.