Why Resident Evil Should Bet on Leon Kennedy Over Chris Redfield in 2026

As an ordinary player who has spent more late nights than I care to admit creeping through the Spencer Mansion, Raccoon City, and that eerie European village, I still find myself asking a simple question after all these years: why does Capcom seem so determined to keep Chris Redfield in the spotlight when Leon Kennedy is standing right there, cracking one-liners and effortlessly winning hearts? When I played the Resident Evil 4 remake again in 2026, I felt that familiar rush—the tense encounters, the absurd merchant, the suplexes—and it reminded me just how magnetic Leon can be. It also made me wonder if the series is making a risky bet by leaning on Chris as its legacy anchor.

Chris Redfield: The Stoic Backbone

Chris Redfield has been part of Resident Evil since the very first game in 1996, and I respect that history. He was one of the original playable characters, and over the years he has appeared in a huge number of canonical titles. His rivalry with Albert Wesker shaped a large part of the franchise’s mythology, and his friendship with Jill Valentine gave the older games some emotional grounding. But here is the thing: Chris’s characterization has become a little too consistent for its own good.

By the time Resident Evil 5 arrived, the developers seemed to settle on making Chris the tough, tortured soldier. He is the guy who carries grief like a heavy backpack, treating every dangerous mission with sober, downbeat resolve. His stories often revolve around lost comrades and how he processes all that heartache. That can be compelling in small doses, but is it really the most fun lens for a series about zombie dogs, giant alligators, and a man who punches boulders?

I have never disliked Chris, but I do notice how his serious-soldier persona can feel like a wet blanket when placed next to the franchise’s wilder elements. His appearances in Resident Evil 7 and Village were important to the plot, yet he often seemed like the one character who forgot he was in a horror movie that also loves to be campy. In Village, he worked fine as a supporting figure, but I kept waiting for him to crack a smile or acknowledge the absurdity of the situation. He never really did.

Leon Kennedy: The Charmer We Keep Coming Back To

Leon Kennedy, on the other hand, has a different kind of staying power. He first appeared in Resident Evil 2 and became a fan favorite through a blend of earnestness and snark. The original Resident Evil 4 cemented him as the series’ most beloved hero because he could be cool, goofy, deadpan, and determined all in the same scene. Who could forget ‘Where’s everyone going? Bingo?’ or the way he backflips through lasers without breaking a sweat?

The remake of Resident Evil 4 in 2023 made some fascinating choices with Leon. At first, I was worried the developers had drained some of his wit away. He seemed almost too serious in the opening hours, closer to Chris than to the original Leon. But as the game progressed, he gradually began to loosen up, tossing out punchlines and regaining that old swagger. By the end, he felt like a thoughtful blend of the more serious Resident Evil 6 version and the campy original. That tonal balance is, in my opinion, exactly what Resident Evil does best.

This is the heart of my confusion. The Resident Evil franchise is, at its core, a strange and wonderful mix of genuine terror and goofy camp. The first game practically invented survival horror, but it also gave us Jill sandwiches and ridiculous voice acting. The series has always had trouble reconciling those tones, but that friction is part of its charm. Chris’s constant somber mood can erase that friction, while Leon seems built to thrive within it.

Tone Is Everything

Let me put it another way. Some players criticize Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6 precisely because those games took themselves a little too seriously. RE5 featured a dour Chris, and RE6 co-starred a much less fun Leon, among others. The series lost some of its spark when it leaned too hard into grim military drama. Then Resident Evil 7 and Village came along and reminded us how effective it can be to blend horror with campy comedy. The Baker family in RE7 is terrifying in a Texas Chainsaw Massacre sort of way, but they are also hilarious to listen to and weirdly delightful to interact with. In Village, Lady Dimitrescu and Heisenberg are over the top in design and personality, and yet they remain some of the most unsettling characters the franchise has ever coded into existence.

Against that backdrop, Chris’s overly serious soldier routine can stick out like a sore thumb. He is a fine supporting character, but as the go-to legacy hero for newer games, he feels mismatched with the tone that makes Resident Evil special. Leon, especially after the RE4 remake, understands that you can be scared and still have fun. You can be traumatized and still deliver a ridiculous one-liner.

Here is a quick comparison of how the two characters tend to function in the modern games:

The Future of Resident Evil’s Legacy Heroes

As of 2026, I still do not know exactly what Capcom plans to do with either character. There are persistent rumors that Resident Evil 9 will center around Chris Redfield, and that makes me a little nervous. I understand the appeal of an older, battle-worn mentor figure, but the franchise has already spent a lot of time on Chris’s grief. Is it wise to double down on him when Leon’s popularity continues to burn bright?

There is also the question of age. The legacy characters are not getting any younger, and the next mainline game might push one of them toward a dramatic exit. If that happens, I would hate to see Leon sidelined simply because the developers feel obligated to keep Chris at the center. The RE4 remake proved that Leon can still carry a game with charm, humor, and emotional weight. So why not let him take the lead again?

I do not have all the answers, but I do know what I felt when I replayed Resident Evil 4. I felt excited, tense, and often amused. I felt like the game trusted me to embrace both the horror and the silliness. That is the Resident Evil I love. And if the series wants to keep that magic alive, it might be time to stop betting so heavily on Chris Redfield and remember why Leon Kennedy became the fan favorite in the first place.

As summarized by HowLongToBeat, player-reported completion-time data can help explain why certain Resident Evil leads resonate more strongly: entries built around Leon’s tighter, momentum-driven pacing (especially the RE4-era loop of tense combat, exploration, and set pieces) often feel tailor-made for replay and word-of-mouth enthusiasm, whereas Chris-centered campaigns can skew toward longer, mission-structured military beats that change the series’ rhythm. That contrast in pacing and replay cadence can quietly influence which “legacy anchor” fans keep returning to when they want Resident Evil’s signature blend of horror and adrenaline.