As a backup, I'll post this unified text here; I already posted it as a thread on Twitter.
## Could playing Resident Evil 6 for 10 years mean my theory is right and Capcom is actually making this move?
Let's look at the facts โ and this isn't just because I'm a Cleon shipper, but it will be relevant: 2 ships are literally the most famous, top 3, back to back, and I know why because I researched it. Valenfield and Cleon (Resident Evil 1 โ Chris and Jill, Resident Evil 2 โ Claire and Leon). Capcom knows that if they put Valenfield in the same game, people will love it, and I say this having played Revelations 1 to death โ it's incredibly well made and literally one of the characters makes it clear that no one can break into what those two have. It's not a hidden dialogue, it's a cutscene.
The first game goes without saying, but my first contact was with RE5, and there it was so explicit that Chris is a widower that the entire story revolves around it. I'm not even joking.
And if RE5 and Revelations 1 are about Valenfield, directly or indirectly โ just like RE1 โ then where do Cleon and Aeon fit in? Well my friends, buckle up for this thesis, because Capcom has started moving its pieces.
So basically, the first CGI Resident Evil film featured Claire and Leon together. There are several interactions between them, and rewatching it now, Claire was clearly going for him multiple times, but he ended up with the police officer, and that's fine โ Capcom was just capitalizing on fan and shipper engagement to generate buzz.
Moving on to the second film, which I've watched the most: we have Ada and Leon, and it's clear she hooked up with him and disappeared. But there are theories that it wasn't actually her but Carla Radames โ and honestly that makes me sad for Leon. Played twice. But that's not the focus here.
In the original RE2, Ada cared about Leon but not enough to make her drop the job (queen behavior honestly), and she knew the relationship wouldn't work, so she fakes her own death to put an end to the whole thing and finish her mission.
But our boy is way too attached, as we all know, so RE4 comes along and once again she manipulates him to get what she wants and keep him alive. Does she have feelings for him? Yes โ but it's exactly what I said before.
Then we get to what I played for literally a decade โ as much or more than RE5 โ which is RE6, and specifically Leon's and Ada's campaigns. That's why I know so much about it. And mind you, back then I was still shipping them, but I already noticed something was off.
The whole thing is about love โ yes, you heard that right. RE5 too, but RE6 is practically a telenovela. To summarize: a man becomes obsessed with Ada and turns his devoted follower into a clone of his obsession. Carla becomes an Ada clone, which causes absolute chaos โ and the only one who knows that Ada is innocent is Leon, because he witnessed the experiment himself, and because despite her questionable morality, she has limits. In both their campaigns it's clear they would do anything for each other โ Leon literally becomes a human shield for her โ but then she gives him an ultimatum.
Come with me. And he finally thinks with maturity and refuses, because he had a duty to fulfill. Even Helena, his own partner, tells him to go with Ada โ and he says no. Right there, Capcom was already signaling what they'd be building toward in the future.
**And here's something I need to stop and address for the people who didn't grow up with the Japanese side of this fandom: since RE6, Capcom's official Japanese materials classify Leon and Claire's relationship as "ไฟก้ ผ้ขไฟ" โ "Shinrai Kankei" โ which translates to "Trust-based relationship" or "Relationship of Trust." Not allies. Not coworkers. Not friends. A specific term that in Japanese romantic storytelling carries enormous weight. File that away. We're coming back to it.**
Now we arrive at Infinite Darkness, and this is where it gets good โ though it actually came out after the RE2 Remake if I remember correctly. I had to find this out through Reddit since I didn't play RE2R myself, but I watched gameplay and spent time with it making edits, plus I played the original RE2.
In the original RE2, Leon's campaign is almost entirely focused on Leon and Ada, just as Claire's is focused on Sherry โ Cleon barely interacts at all. File that away. In the Remake, things change DRAMATICALLY. In a recent video I learned that RE2R removed a lot of things and changed others, and one of those significant changes โ and this is where Reddit comes in โ was reducing Ada's presence and massively expanding the Claire and Leon interactions. There's literally a 2-hour video of nothing but their interactions across Scenario A and Scenario B for each character. I'm not joking โ I have it downloaded for editing purposes.
Regardless of whether you start as Leon (Leon A) or Claire (Claire A), one immediately gravitates toward the other in their respective campaign. Their first meeting was also reworked and given more screen time โ the gate scene doesn't even exist in the original, and the radio conversation between them was much shorter.
And last but absolutely not least: Sherry doesn't just ask if they're dating โ she asks them to adopt her. Capcom is not subtle, my friends. Not to mention the way they look at each other, with Claire practically being a Golden Retriever around Leon.
**This matters more than it seems. In Japanese narrative tradition โ which Capcom operates within โ a child projecting a family unit onto two people functions as a narrative foreshadowing of destiny. Sherry wasn't just being cute. She was reading the room correctly in 1998 and the story has been proving her right ever since.**
Now, you could argue the Remake is a reimagining โ but here's the kicker: it's canonical. Moving on to Infinite Darkness specifically: Leon had to become an agent to protect Sherry, and they run into each other by chance at the White House, both investigating the same case from their own angles.
Until Claire is taken hostage and he witnesses firsthand what happens when the government wants to silence people who know too much. He rescues her, and then โ very unsubtly โ she falls on top of him and they stare at each other like ๐ณ until he asks if she's okay and she hesitates before saying yes.
That gate scene I mentioned.
And as a bonus, at the end Leon literally asks Claire if she was going to invite him to dinner โ absolute legend behavior โ and then he doesn't hand over the chip specifically to protect her, even knowing she'll be furious about it. The pain of that choice is written all over his face, and her disappointment is equally visible.
**One more thing about Infinite Darkness that I only noticed later: Leon tells Claire not to do anything stupid before they part ways. Keep that line in your head.**
RE2 sold incredibly well and revolutionized gaming, and Capcom โ in full Mr. Krabs mode โ noticed and made RE3, then RE4. In RE4, things shifted again. Is it faithful to the original? Yes โ but the Aeon moments were scaled back, giving Ada more depth and focus.
Same approach as RE6 โ the same pattern I described before, but this time without a "come with me" moment. Capcom created more distance between them and left Leon more traumatized, like his RE6 version. But the audience loved RE4R anyway. Ashley got development too, and even Krauser โ a whole backstory about Leon before RE4 โ and right there in the opening cutscene they use the final image from RE2: Cleon walking with Sherry. Not the Ada kiss. Just that ending. And that detail haunted me when I first saw it.
Now we come to the other CGI film I rewatched recently, by the same director as Infinite Darkness โ who actually mentioned that the scenes were shot to simulate real camera footage, like a live action, which I found brilliant once I noticed it. It also made me realize he was deliberate about every angle โ especially the Cleon fall scene, which looks so much like they're about to kiss that it's where I started shipping them.
**And I need to stop here to mention something about Death Island's opening credits specifically: they use footage from Infinite Darkness. The scene they chose? The one where they grab each other's hands and she falls on top of him. Out of everything available in the entire Resident Evil universe, that is what the director chose to open this film with. That is an editorial statement.**
In Death Island we have Valenfield AND Cleon โ the most famous ship and the second most famous ship โ a full couples' retreat with Rebecca as the third wheel.
This one doesn't have as much Cleon content, but it has A LOT of Valenfield โ references to RE5, RE6, I could talk for hours. Claire and Leon seem cold and distant toward each other โ but the moment he realizes she's in danger, he doesn't go check on Chris first. He screams her name and runs. The exact same thing Jill does for Chris.
**And the film ends with them joking together about what a terrible vacation it was. After everything. After near death. They close the whole thing out with an inside joke. That's not how you write coworkers. That's not how you write old friends. That's how you write two people who are each other's safe place.**
And a fun detail: Claire is the one who introduced Chris and Leon to each other. Cut to them fighting in RE6 over Ada, and by Vendetta they're best friends. Now that we've laid all the cards on the table: Capcom doesn't just embed these things in the games and films โ whenever they're promoting something, they put Cleon front and center.
They did it for the RE2 Remake for obvious reasons, and then kept doing it even when they didn't need to โ because it always generates engagement, from shippers and non-shippers alike.
**And speaking of promotion: there's a 2012 official Capcom game called Minna to BIOHAZARD Clan Master where Leon and Claire have canonical wedding outfits. Him in a suit holding a bouquet. Her in a wedding dress. In 2012. Capcom has been telling us something for a very long time.**
Anyone who stops and actually looks at the Aeon relationship and compares it to Cleon can see that Aeon is unhealthy โ built on Leon's emotional dependency and Ada's manipulation. Whereas with Claire there are tensions, yes, but there's companionship. Equality. That was one of the reasons I dropped the other ship โ and I love Ada.
She's too incredible to be reduced to a ship that's often fetishized because she's Asian, rather than for the actual romantic dynamic between them. It's almost like she's the first love โ and Claire is the mature love. The kind you only find when you grow up and see beyond passion.
**And if you understand the Japanese design language Capcom uses: Leon is Blue Oni โ contained, melancholic, defined by duty. Claire is Red Oni โ passionate, expansive, defined by life and courage. In Japanese storytelling, this pairing represents balance. The red offers vitality to the blue's isolation. They were designed to complete each other. It's in their color palette. It always has been.**
Claire is absolutely badass and fiercely independent. Ada even more so. Don't even get me started on Jill. Aeon shippers cling to that ship purely because of RE4 โ especially Brazilian fans โ and they can't look critically at certain things that were right there in RE6, even though I was a shipper myself back then.
I doubt Capcom will ever come out and officially confirm Cleon is canon โ but they will keep foreshadowing it (they already are) and leaving these little details for those paying attention.
**โ UPDATE from 9 months after posting this โ**
**Resident Evil Requiem came out. Leon's concept art shows a silver ring on his left hand after being cured. In the good ending he puts it on. Capcom confirmed it's intentional. The charm on his weapon is called "ไฟก้ ผใฎใใฃใผใ " in Japanese โ Shinrai no Chamu. Charm of Trust. Claire Redfield is still officially the most trusted person in Leon S. Kennedy's life.**
**Sherry, in Requiem, tells Leon "don't do anything stupid" before he goes into danger. He laughs and says "me? never." That line came from Infinite Darkness. Leon said it to Claire. Sherry grew up watching them and absorbed their language without realizing it. The family Claire saw in them in 1998 became real.**
**Leon says he'll be meeting Chris soon โ casually, like it's a given โ right after putting on the ring. He has no idea where Chris currently is. The only way that sentence makes sense is if Chris is family now. And Claire introduced them.**
**The voice actor for Leon was asked who he married. He said he couldn't answer because half the fans would want to kill him.**
**I'm not saying I told you so. But I told you so.**
# Analysis of Resident Evil Revelations 2 and Resident Evil 9 Requiem
Let's start from the beginning.
Let's begin with Revelations 2, which will be our base of narrative analysis โ and not ironically, of mechanics as well. In Revelations 2 we have Moira and Claire very close to each other, in a relationship of older sister and younger sister, and there's a reason for that. Starting from the beginning: probably even before Sherry entered Claire's life, she already knew Moira as a child โ and her sister Polly โ so it's an old family bond. Moira, in this case, has a difficult relationship with her father โ an almost irreparable estrangement tied to her trauma around firearms โ and this makes her more stealth-oriented, forced to use only a flashlight and a crowbar. The brute force and the weapons are left to Barry and Claire, but we'll get there. The point is that they get kidnapped and end up on Alex Wesker's island, having to survive her sadistic psychological games under constant stress, watching their friends either turn into B.O.W.s or die around them. But together they reach Alex's tower โ and as a bonus, Claire relives her own trauma: watching Neil Fischer betray the entire team alongside Alex, handing everyone over in exchange for personal gain, only for him to immediately turn into a B.O.W. that she then has to face โ exactly like she faced Steve in Code Veronica. Just in that one scene I already noticed a new parallel with Leon, specifically echoing RE2 Remake โ in case it wasn't clear โ of Leon being betrayed by Ada, who even points a gun at him to get what she wants. Moving on.
They find the villain and here comes the plot: her plan is immortality through MIND TRANSFER, and she manages to pull it off โ but falls into her own trap. As Moni Database confirmed in a video, Alex's own fear of death made her succumb to the virus at the very last second. And that plot connects directly to Requiem; we'll get there. The point is that after all of this the two need to escape before everything collapses on top of them. This duo had to go up, while Leon and Grace had to go down. Both games use Greek references, and I haven't studied that mythology deeply, but I know the basics. One is Prometheus, which Alex uses in a puzzle โ the one who gave the gods' fire to humans and was cursed to have his liver eaten by birds, an allegory to the regeneration of that organ. In Requiem it's Pandora's Box. But we'll get there. I just want you to follow my line of reasoning, which is slightly fast-paced and multi-layered โ so I'm organizing it so it doesn't get confusing.
At this point we have 2 choices: Claire needs to be saved but can't do it alone, so Moira needs to overcome her trauma and reach the gun โ otherwise Claire dies and we get the bad ending. And that trauma stems from Moira having taken her father's gun and playing with it alongside her sister, causing an accidental discharge. Barry fought with her and they drifted apart after that, so the act of overcoming that trauma is a step toward reconciliation between the two โ thanks to Claire. Then six months pass: Moira surviving on the island with an old man who lost his daughter, which makes her grow up and sharpen her skills, while Claire recovers in the hospital and Barry goes after his little girl, whom he believes to be dead.
Now it gets interesting. When Barry arrives on the island he finds Natalia Korda โ who was guided to that location by Alex's consciousness โ and his paternal instinct immediately activates. He decides to protect the girl while continuing his search. This makes Barry walk through the same places, six months later, facing infected already in their final stage of infection like decrepit zombies. Alex loses it when she sees that Natalia is her and that the plan worked โ but failed, because she's still alive in that monstrous body. She attacks Barry and Natalia, and that's when the boss fight happens. But who arrives with short hair and a Rocket Launcher? Claire Redfield. Another Redfield finishing off a Wesker in the franchise.
The villain dies, Barry adopts Natalia and takes her to Canada where he's living, having made peace with Moira. Claire calls Piers โ if I remember correctly โ to inform him that Chris is on a mission. Shortly after, we see Natalia reading a book and saying that the bird left the cage โ implying that Alex took over Natalia's consciousness and achieved her goal.
Now let's move to Requiem. Sherry and Leon are infected with the T-Virus that took 28 years to reactivate, forcing them into a race against time for a cure โ the same race Alex faced when she discovered the congenital disease that forced her to transfer her consciousness. Alex was Oswell E. Spencer's right-hand woman and betrayed him, stealing not only his resources but his plan and adapting it using T-Phobos. And here I'll just lay it all out: Spencer transferred his consciousness into Grace Ashcroft and handed her to Alyssa to be adopted. Remember what I just explained? Right. The parallels don't stop there.
The point is that Leon is sent to investigate after Grace had already gone to investigate โ was captured, had her blood drained โ and on top of all that had watched her mother be murdered right in front of her years earlier, now having to return to the place of her trauma to investigate and confront her past. In this new environment โ Rhodes Hill โ Grace meets Emily, a newly infected girl who is blind and apparently a reader, and we don't know what she's been reading. At that moment Grace's maternal instinct kicks in and she decides to protect Emily and get her out of there. Every place Grace passes through, Leon arrives shortly after โ hours or minutes later โ acting like the experienced veteran who isn't afraid of anything, heavily armed and chasing after his little girl, in this case Grace.
At this point Leon has to return to the places of Raccoon City to relive his traumas, and the Raccoon City zombies are all decrepit. But in Raccoon City, Grace doesn't have a specific trajectory that he has to follow right behind her โ and this is where the magic of the RE2 Remake mirroring happens. Leon is already confronted with the BSAA at the location, then sees the Wesker clone โ Zeno โ decimating all of them. Leon has never faced a Wesker. Only the Redfield siblings have โ in RE1, Code Veronica, RE5, and Revelations 2. So Leon facing a Wesker, even a clone, is an important signal that he is part of the family. But we'll get there.
So how does he get to Raccoon? By motorcycle. And who rode a motorcycle all the way there looking for her brother? Claire Redfield. The same scenarios where he found Claire, or that she had to pass through โ now it's Leon who's going. Don't believe me? When Leon sees he can no longer move forward on the motorcycle, he stops exactly in front of the Arukas and the tanker truck that separated him and Claire after the car crash. And the side he's on this time is Claire's side โ the one that follows an alley all the way to the orphanage. And guess where he has to go later to reach Pandora? The orphanage. The one that, in RE2 Remake, only Claire visits.
Before that, he goes to the police station โ and here's the key point: only Claire enters through the front door, while Leon enters from the side, and consequently through the parking lot, which is where he first met Ada. So him facing his fears head-on by entering through that front door rather than through his old path is not a coincidence. The parking lot is accessible, but there's nothing there except a nameless bear keychain that only helps your shotgun at range and hurts you at medium and close distance. I know this because the YouTuber I was watching picked it up, was using it, and then took it off because it was getting in her way. The same bear from RE4 Remake and classic RE4. And moving on โ there's no way through from that parking lot to anywhere else. You just go in, fight zombies, pick up the keychain, and leave. Completely optional, only noticed by people who like to explore. Isn't that a clear enough sign that Ada's importance in Leon's life has become part of the past, buried in Raccoon City's rubble? That's what it looks like to me โ but let's keep going.
And let me be clear: I don't hate Ada. I love her deeply for who she is, and she's one of my favorite characters. But I'll say in advance: when it comes to choosing between a man and a job โ however questionable that job may be โ she chooses the job. And later I'll explain the implications of that career, which could put Leon at serious risk.
Moving on. Leon enters the station and walks past the typewriter, the puzzles, the computer he once watched Claire use โ and there he finds Easter eggs: Jill Valentine's beret, Chris Redfield's jacket with wings, Rebecca Chambers' medical kit, and a note from Barry about a treasure hunt leading to a locker with 2 zoo tickets valid until 1999 โ the same year I was born. And by the tone of that note, it's clearly directed at Chris and Jill, because they've been friends with Barry for years, so a little gift is always welcome. And the fact that Leon finds all of this shows just how close he's become to Valenfield โ precisely because he's now with Claire. But we'll get there.
He also finds the desk with Marvin's note and nameplate โ the man who welcomed both him and Claire at the station. He finds the S.T.A.R.S. photo and a classic book puzzle that Wesker once picked up, which has a photo of Rebecca Chambers as a basketball player. There's no access to the jail cells, only to the upper floor and at most the meeting room and a few side rooms where he faces the Tyrant โ like Brian Irons' room, which I believe only Sherry accesses during the chase and possibly Claire. I say "I believe" because I only played the classic RE2 and not the Remake, since my PC can't run it โ but I've watched gameplays, edits, and cutscene compilations.
And this is where the level design does all the talking for me, because each area of the RPD Leon passes through maps directly onto a piece of Claire's history โ not Ada's:
The **Main Gate and Hall** โ Leon enters exactly the same way Claire did in RE2 Remake. Not the side entrance. Not the parking lot. The front door. That's Claire's path, and that's the path the game puts him on.
The **West Office** โ Marvin's desk, the Secret Operation file, the weight of duty and sacrifice. These are themes Leon has always shared more with Claire than with anyone else in the franchise. They both became what they are because of what they witnessed in Raccoon City and chose to carry forward.
The **S.T.A.R.S. Office** โ Jill's beret, Chris's jacket with wings, Barry's note with the zoo tickets. Leon isn't just visiting a museum. He's interacting directly with the Redfield family legacy โ the legacy of the people who were fighting this war before him. And he belongs there now.
The **Parking Lot** โ accessible, optional, and effectively a dead end. There's nothing there but a bear charm that actually hurts your performance at medium and close distance. Ada's territory in 1998 is now just a loot zone. Make of that what you will.
And how could I forget: Sherry tells Leon right at the start of the game not to do anything stupid, and Leon responds with "me? never" โ the exact same phrase Leon says to Claire in Infinite Darkness, after which Claire teases him saying the suit doesn't suit him. One of Leon's optional outfits in Requiem is literally a suit. Look at that.
Moving on: Leon then starts needing care and becomes Grace's Sherry โ she looks after him until a cure can be found. The scene of her waiting after he passes out reminded me of Jill with Carlos at the hospital. But let me not lose focus.
Before that, there's a scene where he faces infected Emily and Grace begs him not to shoot. The pain is visible in both of them, and he even apologizes for having done it. A parallel to him having shot the president โ his friend โ in RE6, and to Claire facing infected Steve and Neil. It hurts because they knew these people as humans and now watched them become B.O.W.s. And he assures Grace at the end that he didn't hit any vital organs โ which reminded me of Wesker telling Claire he would return Steve's body in Code Veronica, a thread that was left hanging because Albert died and we never found out what happened to Steve. But Emily fortunately survived, was rescued by Grace, and adopted by her โ just like Natalia was by Barry.
Getting back to the point: Leon realizes time is running out and starts having dizzy spells like in RE4 Remake, but he's fighting for a cure not just for himself but for Sherry, who's currently filling Hunnigan's role โ which reminded me of Resident Evil Death Island, and I'll get to that. He eventually ends up sitting by Pandora's door, and Grace finds him there already knowing about the mind transfer and the adoption, and helps him walk to where Zeno is. That moment felt very much like RE4 Remake, where Leon helped Ashley remove the parasite and Ashley then returned the favor for him โ even though he was heavier and unconscious.
The point is that we have 2 endings โ good and bad. If Grace types "Destroy," Zeno shoots Leon in the head and the platform collapses with both of them โ which reminded me of RE Revelations 2. If she types "Hope," she manages to cure Leon and another Wesker loses their head โ literally. Did you notice how only in these two games were there these death choices for the characters? And that the good ending is precisely the one that keeps them alive โ going against everything that had been trapping the character before? Exactly.
Grace had to open Pandora's Box to release hope โ in this case, the vaccine. And remember how I mentioned one pair going up and the other going down? It's quite clear that Leon and Grace went to the underworld of Hades to free the box. So did Claire and Moira go to Olympus, following that parallel? But then who would Alex be? I'll have to study Greek mythology more deeply to complete that line of thinking, but I welcome answers. I only know Eros and Psyche deeply โ the soul and love uniting to generate pleasure. Psychology itself, which is my area of interest, even comes from "psyche" โ but I don't think that connection exists between these two characters here.
Moving on: Leon finally faces the final boss, and when everything seemed lost โ even in the very last second, with certain death ahead โ Leon kept supporting Grace. Then hope arrives and Chris's soldiers come to rescue them both.
At that point the question is: who called them there? Logically, Sherry. But she hadn't been in contact with Leon when everything fell apart, unless she has a connection beyond the professional with Uncle Chris and managed to reach him more directly. The key point here is that she asks him with full intimacy where he is, and Leon โ just as intimately โ responds that he doesn't know, but that they'll meet soon. This kind of casual arrangement to meet outside of work is never spoken between them in any CGI film. Which means he has direct contact with Chris that borders on family โ knowing him well enough to know exactly where to find him. And the cherry on top: Leon reaches into his back pocket and puts a silver ring on his finger.
There's that Claire charm โ but the YouTuber I was watching couldn't pick it up. What that charm clearly communicates is that it improves the weapon Leon uses most in the game โ the pistol โ regardless of distance. And it doesn't have Claire's name on it because it literally is a miniature of Claire. We've only seen something like this in classic RE4 and the Remake, which have charms for Luis, Leon, and Ada. So having one of Claire specifically in a game that doesn't explicitly mention either of the two women is incredibly significant โ especially given the names of the items and their respective functions.
The YouTuber I follow is the one from Twitter who knows everything about Resident Evil. I do my deep research because she inspires me enormously, and the only fan comment she ever responded to was one pointing out that the one person Leon is definitely not married to is Ada โ and you all saw her response.
But some will say: he says "my eyes were just closed" when Grace gets close to him, just like Ada says that Leon literally used his own body to shield her from Derek Simmons' attacks. Yes, my dear Watson. But that's deliberate ambiguity so it doesn't look too obvious, and it reinforces Leon's personality. Ada is a part of his life he can't quite let go of โ but that doesn't mean he still loves her the same way. It just means she was part of his life and remains a bittersweet memory of the past.
Another point: Ada and Jill were both originally planned to appear in this game and were simply cut. Leon's voice actor ships Aeon, as does one of the directors. But if that were actually the intended conclusion, Capcom would have included Ada โ not created additional Cleon development in her absence.
I was taking an introduction to digital marketing course right around the time I was writing this text, and that taught me about market analysis and semiotics. Are Aeon shippers louder? Yes. But in every piece of promotional art โ especially on social media and in the 30th anniversary special โ Capcom gave visual emphasis to Cleon, not Aeon. That generates buzz online, discussions, and above all engagement. Someone with a sharp eye picks up on what I perceived โ which led to both of these texts. Someone casual who sees only the surface โ and I don't judge them โ follows the Aeon line.
I didn't need to pester a director. I didn't need to fabricate a screenshot. I simply did what Umbrella does: I based myself on facts, analyzed them, and reached a conclusion with evidence and foundation.
I could also go into the political and geopolitical reasons for why now is the moment to marry the most influential character in Japan โ tied to incentives for birth rates and marriage given how severe the situation there has become, and why a marriage with someone more similar is a safer narrative choice than impossible loves bordering on adolescent romance. But that would take us into territory too complex for both you and me to navigate without becoming confusing. A small brushstroke: what is more propagandistic than a nuclear family โ father, mother, and daughter?
If I forgot anything, I apologize. But Sherry being the link between the two and appearing in this game is just one more piece of evidence: despite Ada having saved her life in RE6, it's Leon and Claire that Sherry sees as her parents. She's the one who believes they're together and asks them to adopt her. I wish Jake had appeared or at least been mentioned โ but we'll wait for the RE6 Remake. And this game made me think about the remakes of RE5, RE6, Operation Raccoon City, and RE0 due to the dynamics and settings โ but that's not the focus here.
Please share your opinions and observations.
## Technical Supplement: Narrative and Ludonarrative Convergence Analysis
*(The following section expands on the structural parallels with additional technical and design-level evidence.)*
The Resident Evil franchise, across three decades of existence, has consolidated itself not only as the pioneer of the survival horror genre, but as a complex ecosystem of interconnected narratives and constantly evolving game mechanics. With the release of Resident Evil Requiem in 2026, Capcom established a definitive landmark that synthesizes the structural experiments of previous titles โ specifically the asymmetric cooperation architecture and character alternation seen in Resident Evil: Revelations 2 โ to close out character arcs that trace back to the Raccoon City incident of 1998.
This technical analysis proposes that the ludic structure of Requiem, by mirroring the dynamic between Claire Redfield and Moira Burton from Revelations 2 in the new partnership between Leon S. Kennedy and Grace Ashcroft, functions as a canonical validation of the bond between Leon and Claire. The central proof of this thesis lies in the level design decision that has Leon return to the Raccoon Police Department through the main entrance โ a path that, in the semiotics of RE2 Remake (2019), belongs exclusively to Claire's opening scenario โ rather than through the parking lot entrance, historically linked to his interaction with Ada Wong.
**The Duality Structure: The Legacy of Revelations 2 in Requiem**
Resident Evil Requiem was developed under the direction of Koshi Nakanishi using an advanced version of the RE Engine designed for ninth-generation hardware. Although the project was initially conceived as an open-world multiplayer experience, an internal restructuring in 2021 redirected it toward a traditional single-player survival horror narrative โ a direct response to fan feedback asking for a return to the franchise's roots. The result is a narrative structure that alternates between two protagonists with distinct playstyles: FBI analyst Grace Ashcroft and DSO agent Leon S. Kennedy.
This alternation is not an isolated innovation โ it is a refinement of the formula established in Revelations 2. And when you put them side by side, the mirroring is impossible to ignore.
In terms of combat, Claire in Revelations 2 focuses on firearms and direct aggression, while Leon in Requiem prioritizes action with axe parries and physical combat. Their support counterparts mirror this same contrast: Moira uses her flashlight to blind enemies and open locks, while Grace relies on a lighter, stealth movement, and glass bottles as distractions. The perspective shift is also telling โ in Revelations 2, both Claire and Moira play in fixed third person, while Requiem uses a hybrid approach where Grace defaults to first person and Leon remains in third. The progression mechanic shifts too, from real-time or local co-op alternation in Revelations 2 to a narrative alternation divided by chapters and zones in Requiem. And at the thematic core, both games build their dynamic around vulnerability: Moira's is psychological, rooted in her trauma around firearms, while Grace's is technical โ an introverted analyst with zero field experience suddenly thrust into survival horror.
The relationship between Leon and Grace in Requiem mirrors the protection Claire exercised over Moira and Sherry Birkin. Grace, as the daughter of Alyssa Ashcroft (protagonist of Resident Evil Outbreak), represents the civilian connection to biological horror, while Leon embodies the hardened veteran confronting his own mortality. The Moni Database analysis highlights that this "veteran and rookie" structure is fundamental to humanizing Leon โ removing him from the "action superhero" role seen in RE6 and placing him back in a position of shared vulnerability very similar to his first night in Raccoon City alongside Claire.
**The Raccoon City Syndrome and Shared Vulnerability**
One of the narrative pillars of Requiem is the revelation that Leon suffers from Raccoon City Syndrome (RCS) โ the late reactivation of dormant T-Virus strains in survivors after 28 years of incubation. This removes him from his position of physical invulnerability and places him in direct dependence on Grace for his survival.
This vulnerability creates a thematic parallel with Claire Redfield. Historically, Claire is the character who cares โ who protects the vulnerable (Sherry, Moira, Rani Chawla). In Requiem, Leon takes on the role of the vulnerable one who needs healing, while Grace takes on the role of the analyst who discovers the solution. The Cleon bond is reinforced here by a thematic rhyme: the need for an antidote has been a constant thread in their relationship since they sought the vaccine for Sherry in the NEST laboratory.
**The Elpis Project and the Metaphysics of Hope**
The "Elpis Project," central to Requiem's plot, is revealed to be a universal antiviral capable of neutralizing multiple viral strains. The discovery that the password to access it is "Hope" serves as a metaphorical conclusion to the Raccoon City trauma. As Moni Database points out, this search for "Hope" is intrinsically linked to Claire's motivation throughout the series: the preservation of life and the exposure of governmental conspiracies. By making Leon depend on that Hope โ unlocked by a civilian investigating the death of another survivor โ the game aligns Leon with Claire's values, distancing him from Ada's moral ambiguity.
**The Exclusion of Ada Wong and the Eloquent Silence**
One of the strongest arguments for the Cleon focus in Requiem is Ada Wong's total absence. By removing her from the equation, the game redirects the player's emotional investment entirely. Instead of wondering where Ada is or what her secrets are, the player focuses on Leon's physical condition and his connection to the other Raccoon survivors. The search for Elpis becomes a mission of preserving the lineage of 1998's heroes โ a theme that resonates deeply with Claire Redfield's personal crusade to expose the truth and protect the future.
Requiem ends with a note of renewed hope. Leon, cured and rescued by Chris Redfield's Hound Wolf Squad, survives to see the truth about Umbrella and the US government finally revealed. Grace takes on the role of guardian of a new generation โ adopting Emily and maintaining contact with Leon. This ending, focused on reconstruction and found family, is the definitive closure of the cycle that began between Leon and Claire at that gas station in 1998. The bond between them, proven through gameplay and validated through technical and narrative analysis, remains the beating heart of Resident Evil as it enters its fourth decade.
## Addressing the Counter-Arguments
I know what some of you are already typing. So let me address it directly.
**"The Separate Ways line wasn't a rejection โ Ada proved herself by not handing over the dominant Las Plagas."**
That's a fair reading of Ada's arc in isolation. Ada refusing to hand over the parasite to Wesker is meaningful character development โ for Ada. But the question isn't whether Ada grew. The question is what Leon's behavior in RE4 Remake communicates. And in the Remake, the cold distance is deliberate, the mordant tone is deliberate, and the "separate ways" line lands differently than it did in the original. The remakes are not neutral retellings โ they are recontextualizations. The deconstruction of Aeon in the Remake timeline is a design choice, not an accident.
**"Damnation is canonical and shows them flirting and implying they're together."**
Yes. Damnation is canonical, and I'm not pretending it doesn't exist. But Damnation takes place before the Remake timeline fully recontextualizes their dynamic. The question is not whether they had something โ they clearly did. The question is where that relationship stands after the events of the remakes, which systematically show Leon distancing himself. A history doesn't erase a trajectory.
**"RE6 is the most recent canonical game with both of them and it's clear where their feelings lie."**
RE6 is canonical โ for now. But we are living through an era of remakes that are actively rewriting the emotional beats of the original games. The fact that Leon quotes Ada in Requiem does not confirm they are married. It confirms she is still in his memory. Bittersweet memories and a wedding ring are not the same thing.
**"Nakanishi said he's interested in their private life."**
He also said, in the same Deadline interview, that he cannot comment on either Leon and Claire or Leon and Ada. He placed them as equal possibilities. Selectively reading that statement as Aeon confirmation is the same interpretive leap Aeon shippers criticized others for making.
**"Claire wasn't datamined from Requiem but Ada and Jill were."**
This claim is circulating but is not verified. Datamines can be incomplete, misread, or deliberately seeded. I will not build an argument on unverified data โ and neither should anyone else.
Aeon has canonical history. I have never denied that. What I'm arguing is that Requiem โ through its level design, its charm system, its mirroring of Revelations 2, its ring, its intimacy between Leon and Chris, and its total absence of Ada โ communicates a narrative shift. That shift may not be a closed door on Aeon. But it is a very deliberate opening of a different one. You are welcome to disagree. That's what makes this franchise worth talking about.
**Danteppr (Reddit, r/ResidentEvilCapcom โ 294 upvotes, 402 comments):**
> "I would frankly tell you to disregard Damnation and RE6, because it's pretty clear that Capcom is deconstructing the 'romance' in the remakes. To recap: In RE2 Remake, instead of immediately defending Ada when Annette warns him about who she really is, Leon now considers the entire situation suspicious enough to actually question Ada directly about her cover story. And he is not happy about being deceived. Instead of keeping the bracelet chip Ada gave him as a kind of tragic keepsake, Leon throws it away at the end of RE2 Remake โ which can be symbolically interpreted as a sign that he is moving on. While in the original RE4 Leon acted like he wanted to reconnect and shot longing glances at Ada whenever possible, in the Remake he maintains a cold distance and generally speaks to Ada in a mordant tone. At the end of RE4 Remake, Ada offers Leon a helicopter ride when the island starts to explode, but he refuses and states that they need to go their 'separate ways' โ which reads as a rejection of her. Given that the remakes aim to portray how Ada's manipulations and seductions left Leon resentful and distrustful of her โ a stark contrast to what we saw in the original games โ I would not be surprised if Capcom decided to end the decades-long 'will they or won't they' with 'they won't.'"
**Good_Ad_2663 (Reddit):**
> "It's an interesting argument that I thought was just an impression โ and you validated it."
**Marcos P. da Silva (@RezoInverse, Twitter/X):**
> "Ada's lifestyle is what makes me believe it's not her the most. Living comfortably alongside Leon while being an extremely two-faced international criminal is hard to picture actually happening."
**DeBritto (@_DeBrittoo, Twitter/X)** *(who had voted for Ada in Moni's poll)*:
> "Even though I voted for Ada, your argument is irrefutable, hahaha."
**Marcos P. da Silva, follow-up:**
> "Honestly I'd easily bet on her if they'd just said Leon was involved with someone โ but so far she couldn't even lock down the marriage. lol"
**Moni | Database (@residentevildb, Twitter/X):**
> "Leon is the Taylor Swift of the Resident Evil franchise โ he wants to get married, have kids, retire from this life already! ๐ฅ"
*(accompanying song: "I just want you / Have a couple kids, got the whole block lookin' like you / We tell the world to leave us the f*** alone / And they do, wow / Got me dreamin' 'bout a driveway with a basketball hoop / Boss up, settle down, got a wish list / I just want you")*
**Poll โ Moni | Database:** "Game of discord: who do you think Leon is married to?" โ 3,256 votes: Ada Wong 54%, Claire Redfield 26%, N/A โ a random person 18%, Angela Miller (CGI Degeneration) โ percentage cut off.
*(Note: a majority in a fan poll does not constitute canonical confirmation. The poll itself reflects precisely the debate this analysis addresses โ and the fact that 46% of votes already lean away from Ada, even among a general audience, is telling.)*
*Analysis by swampsrose โ updated March 2026.*
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