Ever since an ashen Raccoon City Police Department popped up on screen in Resident Evil 9 Requiem's first trailer during Summer Game Fest, I haven't been able to get the image of Leon Kennedy crawling out of the rubble and ruin just so he can suplex another unsuspecting victim of the T-virus.
There is some evidence to this theory of Leon's return. Namely a known Resi leaker suggesting that Leon will make an appearance and Morgan Park feeling as if Capcom was purposely holding back a big surprise during Requiem's preview. But director Koshi Nakanishi is here to put a spoke in the wheel.
In a private message that was sent to Resident Evil ambassadors, Nakanishi, translated by YouTuber Neon Slice, was adamant that Grace Ashcroft, not Leon, would be Requiem's main character: "Resident Evil 9 Requiem will star a brand new lead character, Grace Ashcroft." (via GamesRadar).
"Grace will take centre stage in [[link]] a story packed with fresh twists and surprises," Nakanishi continues. "Her character will be deeply connected to the larger Resident Evil Universe." Grace is already [[link]] explicitly connected via her deceased mother Alyssa Ashcroft, and I don't doubt that she'll play a central role in Requiem, but I just can't believe that Leon Kennedy will be able to stay away from Raccoon City.
Requiem won't be the first time Nakanishi has introduced a new character to Resident Evil. As director of Resident Evil 7, he championed newbie Ethan Winters who then went on to star as Resident Evil 8's protagonist. But even so, older characters still made some appearances.
There was an article about the Dulvey disappearances written by Alyssa Ashcroft, an Albert-01 pistol used towards the end of the game, and who could forget bolder puncher Chris Redfield swooping in to save Ethan at the end. It's for this reason that I'm just not convinced Leon won't make at the very least some small appearance or be referenced when Alyssa is crawling through RPD.
But just because Requiem is returning to some old places doesn't mean that it'll be the same sort of Resi game. Neon Slice mentions that Nakanishi stresses how Requiem will be different: "RPD is back but with a 'twist'. The location will be explored in a new and unexpected way, specifically 30 years after the nuke went off in Raccoon City."
I've been excited about Resident Evil 9 ever since I heard that Nakanishi was heading it up. Resident Evil 7 is my favourite recent Resi addition, and Revelations was also a solid entry. So when Nakanishi claims that "Resident Evil Requiem will be [his] best work yet," I'm left with no choice but to get incoherently hyped for this next game.