{"id":1906549,"date":"2026-04-28T10:00:02","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T07:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1906549"},"modified":"2026-04-28T10:00:02","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T07:00:02","slug":"resident-evils-leon-kennedy-is-named-after-a-milk-guzzling-hitman-hideki-kamiya-casually-confirms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1906549","title":{"rendered":"Resident Evil&#8217;s Leon Kennedy is named after a milk-guzzling hitman, Hideki Kamiya casually confirms"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article \" data-ads=\"true\" data-article-type=\"news\" data-article-group=\"news\" data-paywalled=\"false\" data-premium=\"false\" data-sponsored=\"false\" data-type=\"article\">\n<header class=\"article_header\" data-component=\"article-header\">\n<div class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n<nav class=\"nav_breadcrumbs\" data-component=\"nav-breadcrumbs\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\">\n<ul class=\"nav-links\">\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Home<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/news\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      News<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_details\" id=\"main-content\">\n<h1 class=\"title\">Resident Evil&#8217;s Leon Kennedy is named after a milk-guzzling hitman, Hideki Kamiya casually confirms<\/h1>\n<p class=\"strapline\">Date for your dairy.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_asset\">\n<figure class=\"headline_image_wrapper\">\n<p>        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"headline_image\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/Leon-Kennedy-from-the-Resident-Evil-series-looking-over-his-shoulder.jpg?width=570&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;dpr=3&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Leon Kennedy from the Resident Evil series looking over his shoulder\" loading=\"eager\" data-uri=\"Leon-Kennedy-from-the-Resident-Evil-series-looking-over-his-shoulder.jpg\" data-lightbox width=\"570\" height=\"380\"><figcaption>\n          <span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Capcom<\/cite><\/span><br \/>\n        <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metadata\">\n<div class=\"avatar\">\n<p>    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Victoria Phillips Kennedy avatar\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/1644925423.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"180\" height=\"179\"><\/p>\n<p>  <img alt=\"Victoria Phillips Kennedy avatar\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"1644925423.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"180\" height=\"179\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"byline\">\n                  <span class=\"article_type\" data-slug=\"news\"><br \/>\n                    News<br \/>\n                  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"by\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/authors\/victoria-kennedy\">Victoria Phillips Kennedy<\/a><\/span>                    <span class=\"job_title\"><br \/>\n                      News Reporter<br \/>\n                    <\/span>\n            <\/div>\n<div class=\"published_at\">\nPublished on <time datetime=\"2026-04-28T10:00:02+00:00\">April 28, 2026<\/time>              <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mypop-header-wrapper\">\n<p><button class=\"mypop-button button wide\" data-state=\"follow\" data-type=\"tag\" data-uuid=\"d80d86b2-bac9-495a-abbe-0de032faadf4\" data-name=\"Resident Evil 2\" data-follow-text=\"Follow Resident Evil 2\" data-unfollow-text=\"Following Resident Evil 2\" data-aria-follow-text=\"Follow Resident Evil 2\" data-aria-unfollow-text=\"Following Resident Evil 2\" data-popup=\"true\" data-force-login=\"true\" aria-label=\"Follow Resident Evil 2\" title=\"Follow Resident Evil 2\"><br \/>\n  Follow Resident Evil 2<br \/>\n<\/button>          <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>Back in 1994, Luc Besson released a movie that not only introduced us to Natalie Portman in her feature film debut, but also &#8211; it turns out &#8211; inspired the name for one of gaming&#8217;s most iconic characters: Leon Kennedy. That film was L\u00e9on: The Professional, and saw actor Jean Reno in the titular role of a milk-loving hitman who takes 12 year old Mathilda (played by Portman) under his wing.<\/p>\n<p>Many had surmised that this film inspired Leon&#8217;s name in the Resi series, but now we know for sure, as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/resident-evil-2\">Resident Evil 2<\/a> director Hideki Kamiya recently shared a little bit of game lore on his social media.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"Resident Evil Requiem - Official Leon Gameplay Reveal Trailer | The Game Awards 2025\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/SXl-n9BPFks?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/SXl-n9BPFks\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">Resident Evil Requiem &#8211; Official Leon Gameplay Reveal Trailer | The Game Awards 2025<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div><figcaption>Resident Evil Requiem &#8211; Official Leon Gameplay Reveal Trailer. <a class=\"video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=SXl-n9BPFks\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Kamiya reflected back to when he and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/resident-evil-games-order\">Resident Evil series<\/a> creator Shinji Mikami were discussing what to call Capcom&#8217;s then-Raccoon City newcomer. Here&#8217;s the brief full story:<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Back when we were developing the game, I&#8217;d asked Mr Mikami for his opinion on the protagonist&#8217;s name. After a few suggestions were rejected, I said, &#8216;Right then, shall we take it from that film I saw the other day?&#8217; and proposed Leon, to which he replied, &#8216;That&#8217;s fine, I suppose&#8217;\u2026&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/HidekiKamiya_X\/status\/2048588628444741874?s=20\">Kamiya shared via X<\/a> (translated via DeepL), and the rest is history.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Of course, it has long been speculated that Leon Kennedy was named after L\u00e9on in the film, and there are other references to Besson&#8217;s work throughout Resident Evil &#8211; the games have a pretty punishing &#8216;Professional&#8217; difficulty setting, and there is also a handgun called Matilda.<\/p>\n<p>Kamiya doesn&#8217;t personally take credit for naming this weapon, though, and said it was christened Matilda by someone else at Capcom. We can probably speculate that whoever it was had made the connection between the film and Leon&#8217;s name though, and decided to keep up the tradition.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Jean Reno in Leon the Professional with a carton of milk\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/Jean-Reno-in-Leon-the-Professional-with-a-carton-of-milk.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.7777777777777777\" width=\"400\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Jean Reno in Leon the Professional with a carton of milk\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-lightbox data-uri=\"Jean-Reno-in-Leon-the-Professional-with-a-carton-of-milk.jpg\" height=\"225\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.7777777777777777\" width=\"400\"><figcaption><span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Gaumont Buena Vista International<\/cite><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>As for the here and now, Leon Kennedy&#8217;s latest foray into the world of mutations and chaos comes in the form of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/resident-evil-requiem-review\">Resident Evil Requiem, a &#8220;legendary horror at an all-time high&#8221;<\/a>, with the character now in his early 50s but still with biceps simply desperate to burst out from his form fitting shirts.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/resident-evil-requiem-another-major-milestone\">Resident Evil Requiem has been a huge success for Capcom<\/a>, becoming the fastest selling game in the series. A story DLC is currently in the works, while <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/resident-evil-requiem-is-getting-a-story-expansion-a-new-minigame-and-a-photo-mode\">a new minigame is expected to release in May<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"preferred-source\" data-component=\"preferred-source\">\nLove Eurogamer.net? Make us a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\">Preferred Source on Google<\/a> and catch more of our coverage in your feeds.  <\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>Back in 1994, Luc Besson released a movie that not only introduced us to Natalie Portman in her feature film debut, but also &#8211; it turns out &#8211; inspired the name for one of gaming&#8217;s most iconic characters: Leon Kennedy. That film was L\u00e9on: The Professional, and saw actor Jean Reno in the titular role of a milk-loving hitman who takes 12 year old Mathilda (played by Portman) under his wing.<\/p>\n<p>Many had surmised that this film inspired Leon&#8217;s name in the Resi series, but now we know for sure, as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/resident-evil-2\">Resident Evil 2<\/a> director Hideki Kamiya recently shared a little bit of game lore on his social media.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"Resident Evil Requiem - Official Leon Gameplay Reveal Trailer | The Game Awards 2025\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/SXl-n9BPFks?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/SXl-n9BPFks\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">Resident Evil Requiem &#8211; Official Leon Gameplay Reveal Trailer | The Game Awards 2025<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div><figcaption>Resident Evil Requiem &#8211; Official Leon Gameplay Reveal Trailer. <a class=\"video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=SXl-n9BPFks\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Kamiya reflected back to when he and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/resident-evil-games-order\">Resident Evil series<\/a> creator Shinji Mikami were discussing what to call Capcom&#8217;s then-Raccoon City newcomer. Here&#8217;s the brief full story:<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Back when we were developing the game, I&#8217;d asked Mr Mikami for his opinion on the protagonist&#8217;s name. After a few suggestions were rejected, I said, &#8216;Right then, shall we take it from that film I saw the other day?&#8217; and proposed Leon, to which he replied, &#8216;That&#8217;s fine, I suppose&#8217;\u2026&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/HidekiKamiya_X\/status\/2048588628444741874?s=20\">Kamiya shared via X<\/a> (translated via DeepL), and the rest is history.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Of course, it has long been speculated that Leon Kennedy was named after L\u00e9on in the film, and there are other references to Besson&#8217;s work throughout Resident Evil &#8211; the games have a pretty punishing &#8216;Professional&#8217; difficulty setting, and there is also a handgun called Matilda.<\/p>\n<p>Kamiya doesn&#8217;t personally take credit for naming this weapon, though, and said it was christened Matilda by someone else at Capcom. We can probably speculate that whoever it was had made the connection between the film and Leon&#8217;s name though, and decided to keep up the tradition.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Jean Reno in Leon the Professional with a carton of milk\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/Jean-Reno-in-Leon-the-Professional-with-a-carton-of-milk.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.7777777777777777\" width=\"400\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Jean Reno in Leon the Professional with a carton of milk\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-lightbox data-uri=\"Jean-Reno-in-Leon-the-Professional-with-a-carton-of-milk.jpg\" height=\"225\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.7777777777777777\" width=\"400\"><figcaption><span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Gaumont Buena Vista International<\/cite><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>As for the here and now, Leon Kennedy&#8217;s latest foray into the world of mutations and chaos comes in the form of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/resident-evil-requiem-review\">Resident Evil Requiem, a &#8220;legendary horror at an all-time high&#8221;<\/a>, with the character now in his early 50s but still with biceps simply desperate to burst out from his form fitting shirts.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/resident-evil-requiem-another-major-milestone\">Resident Evil Requiem has been a huge success for Capcom<\/a>, becoming the fastest selling game in the series. A story DLC is currently in the works, while <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/resident-evil-requiem-is-getting-a-story-expansion-a-new-minigame-and-a-photo-mode\">a new minigame is expected to release in May<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home News Resident Evil&#8217;s Leon Kennedy is named after a milk-guzzling hitman, Hideki Kamiya casually confirms Date for your dairy. Image credit: Capcom News by Victoria Phillips Kennedy News Reporter Published on April 28, 2026 Follow Resident Evil 2 Back in 1994, Luc Besson released a movie that not only introduced us to Natalie Portman [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,253],"class_list":["post-1906549","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-eurogamer-net"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1906549","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1906549"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1906549\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1906549"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1906549"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1906549"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}