For many years, a theory has circulated within the Resident Evil fan community regarding the origin of one of the franchise's main characters' names. It is believed that Leon Scott Kennedy's name refers to a character from the film "Léon: The Professional" (1994).
For some players, everything was obvious: there was a coincidence not only with "Léon." In the subsequent Resident Evil 4, the protagonist received a "Matilda" pistol – the name of one of the heroines in the film.
However, full confirmation of the fan theory has now emerged. Hideki Kamiya, the creator of Resident Evil 2, noticed another round of discussions about the origin of Leon's name on social media.
Hideki Kamiya was very surprised that some did not understand the connection between the name of the RE2 hero "Leon" and the film of the same name:
I'm surprised by all this reaction to Leon's name... Did I not mention it anywhere...? There's nothing to hide, and I think I would have answered if asked... During development, I consulted with Mikami about the main character's name, and after several of my options were rejected, I suggested: "How about we take the name from that movie I watched the other day?" – and suggested "Leon." To which he replied: "It fits, doesn't it?"