Leon Kennedy is getting a life-size statue, and Resident Evil fans’ hearts are already racing
Capcom has unveiled plans for a life-size, hyper-realistic statue of Leon S. Kennedy, the long-running Resident Evil protagonist, to mark the franchise's 30th anniversary. The announcement has generated an intense reaction online, with fans jokingly discussing ways to smuggle the statue out of the exhibition, underlining Kennedy's enduring status as the series' most popular and most fancied character. The move appears designed to capitalise on his appeal to boost anticipation for the upcoming game Resident Evil Requiem.
The statue will be unveiled on 30 October and displayed in Shibuya, Tokyo, as part of Resident Evil's 30th anniversary celebrations, though it will not be available to purchase or touch. Notably, Kennedy does not actually appear in Resident Evil Requiem itself, meaning the statue serves primarily as a promotional and nostalgic tie-in rather than a tribute to a character featured in the new title. In the meantime, fans have been directed towards fan-made mods for Resident Evil Requiem that enhance the visual detail of in-game character models.
- Capcom to unveil a life-size Leon S. Kennedy statue on 30 October
- Statue marks Resident Evil's 30th anniversary, shown in Shibuya, Tokyo
- Announcement sparked a wave of exaggerated fan reactions online
New here? Start with this
Capcom is marking Resident Evil's 30th anniversary with a series of tie-in events, one of which is a life-size, highly detailed statue of Leon S. Kennedy, a character who first appeared in Resident Evil 2 in 1998 and has remained one of the series' most recognisable faces. He is also expected to feature, in some form, around the promotion of the newest instalment, Resident Evil Requiem.
Kennedy has long been popular with fans for both his role in the games and his appearance, which is why a statue of him has drawn such a strong reaction online. The anniversary celebrations are partly aimed at building excitement ahead of Requiem's release, even though Kennedy himself does not appear as a character in that particular game.
Resident Evil is a long-running survival horror franchise made by the Japanese studio Capcom, known for its mix of horror, action and recurring characters across numerous games, films and spin-offs since 1996.