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] Although director Hideki Kamiya preferred the "blunt, tough-guy type", he created Leon as "someone with weaknesses" in order to set him apart and take the game in a different direction from Chris Redfield and the first Resident Evil.[11] While Leon was originally designed as a veteran police officer, he was changed to a rookie after the original version of Resident Evil 2 (also known as Resident Evil 1.5) had been scrapped.[12] Leon's characterization was further revised by new story writer Noboru Sugimura.[13] Leon's appearance was designed by Capcom artist Isao Ohishi.[
