Resident Evil Requiem director says there are 'many fans' of Leon S. Kennedy at the studio and that 'women in particular were pretty strict' when reviewing his 'hot uncle' design

• Leon S. Kennedy's design for Resident Evil Requiem was refined by the female staff at Capcom, according to game director Koshi Nakanishi
• The women at Capcom were "pretty strict" when pointing out small details for Leon's "hot uncle" design
• Nakanishi adds that Leon's personality was also built on for Requiem

Resident Evil Requiem's director has said the game's Leon S. Kennedy "hot uncle" design was refined by the female staff at Capcom, who are big fans of the character.

In a recent interview with Automatonahead of the game's launch, director Koshi Nakanishi discussed Leon and his older appearance in Requiem, as well as the "ikeoji phenomenon" of the character.

Following the reveal that Leon will, in fact, co-star in the upcoming Resident Evil entry, he's been dubbed "ikeoji" by Japanese fans online, a term used to refer to an attractive, older man as "hot uncle".

According to Nakanishi, it took a long time getting his older design just right, and it seems the women at Capcom are to thank.

"We've spent quite a lot of time polishing Leon's visuals," Nakanishi said when asked to discuss Leon's "ikeoji" status. "Leon has many fans among Capcom employees, and women in particular were pretty strict when reviewing his design.

"They would point out and comment on even the finest details like the wrinkles on his neck. When I mentioned that story in the past, a female fan told me, 'The women developers at Capcom did a really good job' (laughs). Throughout the development process, Leon was thoroughly refined, and I think we managed to come through with a design that would make anyone's heart throb."

Requiem takes place around 30 years after Resident Evil 2, and will find Leon in his early 50s. While his physical design was an important aspect to get right, Nakanishi said his personality was also built on.

"Every staff member had their own interpretation of Leon’s 30-year-long history, so they would tell me things like, 'Leon would definitely not act like that in this kind of situation'," the director said.

"So, there were more opinions about what he’s like on the inside compared to his looks, and after many discussions, we were able to settle on something that clicked for us. When players see this Leon in the game, hopefully they will be able to find their own interpretation of him as well."

Resident Evil Requiem launches on February 27, 2026, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.

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