Leon (Dead or Alive)
Leon is a character from the Dead or Alive video game franchise.
History
Dead or Alive 2 to Dead or Alive 3
Leon is a lonely soldier, wandering this world while building his strength. His heart is still torn from the loss of Roland, a female thief of the Silk Road, who died in his arms saying, "The man I love is the strongest man in the world." In order to fulfill the last words of his lost love, he aspires to be the strongest man on Earth, and intended to prove this by winning the Dead or Alive Tournament in her name. However, Leon lost respect for the tournament after fighting the likes of Zack, Bass and the Tengu. Bewildered and frustrated by the strangeness and frailty of his competition, Leon returned back to his home in the desert, declaring his love for Roland, as he proved his strength by marching directly into a harsh sandstorm without fear or hesitation.
Leon set out to develop his strength further during the events of the Dead or Alive 3 tournament, during which he was constantly haunted by remorse for losing Roland to the desert. While on a mountain climbing expedition in China, Jann Lee caught up to him to challenge his strength. The two fought to a draw, effectively eliminating each other from the competition. After the fight, Leon returned to the oasis where he had buried Roland, and was greeted by a hallucination of his lover. It is implied that although Roland's spirit will always watch over her soldier, it was time for Leon to move on with his life and let his regret go. It is also assumed that during the events of Dead or Alive 4, Leon has returned to the mercenary business, and is not concerned with the happenings of the tournament for now.
Movie Appearance
Leon is portrayed by Silvio Simac in DOA: Dead or Alive. He appears as a tournament fighter. Donovan tells Kasumi that Leon killed her brother, Hayate. Kasumi and Leon fight in the first round of the tournament with Kasumi emerging victorious. After this Kasumi states that if Leon couldn't defeat her, he couldn't have killed Hayate. His costume is based on his first costume in Dead or Alive Ultimate.
Note: Silvio is Leon's only living actor, and Lauren (a.k.a. Rolande) is never mentioned.
Trivia
 | This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. (October 2007) |
- Bayman and Leon's rivalries are hinted at through banter at the beginning and end of matches between them. Bayman expressing disbelief that Leon is still alive and encouraging him to return to the desert seem to imply that Leon is a military deserter.
- It is debatable as to whether the name of Leon's lover is "Lauren" or "Rolande." Due to phonetic difficulties that frequently occur among Japanese voice actors, "Lauren" would undoubtedly be pronounced incorrectly. In the PS2 version of Dead or Alive 2, the English voice actor clearly named the dying woman as "Rolande," however, in Dead or Alive Ultimate, the subtitles clearly state the woman's name as "Lauren," implying that the name "Rolande" is simply a common Japanese mispronunciation that was accidentally foisted on the translators. This makes sense, as Rolande is typically considered a masculine name.
- "Leon" takes his name from the protagonist in the film "Léon", as both characters share similar backgrounds and personalities. One of his comments during a battle is also a reference to the film, as he states "I am a professional". This is an in joke to the fact that the move title "Léon" was changed to "The Professional" in some countries. In survival mode, Leon collects potted plants, another similarity to the film wherein the protagonist also cares for a potted plant, calling it his best friend.
- Leon has tags with Zack, Bass, Jann Lee, Bayman, Gen Fu, Tina and Hayate.
- Leon is the only character incapable of back-facing his opponent on his own.
- While Leon started out with an enhanced copy of Bayman's move set from the original Dead or Alive game, his appearances in the more recent games have drifted further and further away from Bayman's Russian martial arts style.
- Leon appears as a secret character in Dead or Alive 4. He is obtained by completing the story mode once with Zack. He himself is not playable in story mode. Dead or Alive 4 is also the last game in which Leon is voiced by Koji Totani before his death in February 2006.
- Leon's nationality changed between the Northern American release in which he was Italian to Russian (Soviet in DOA2 suggesting it takes place before 1991) in the European and Japanese release. The reason has never been stated.
- Leon has a secret move in Dead or Alive Ultimate and Dead or Alive 4. If both players standing in water Leon can drown his enemy with his "neck hanging throw" (BACK+A).
- Leon fights as an opponent in every character's story mode, yet he is unplayable as one.
Personality
One thing drives Leon: a need to fulfill his promise to Rolande/Lauren. The death of his lover, her last words and his commitment to her are just about all he thinks about. In addition, Leon is merciless. He has some small measure of honor, but does not allow it to interfere with his desire to crush all opponents. While Leon does seem to have a sense of humor, he is a veteran soldier and is not unwilling to speak down to his opponents, especially those younger than him. In Dead or Alive 4, Leon often chides young competitors such as Ayane, Elliot and Kokoro with remarks such as "Come back once you've learned to wipe your ass," meaning that they are too young and childlike to seriously challenge him. This was mistranslated in the English version as "Come back once you've wiped your ass," wrongly implying that Leon's attacks were so devastating, his opponent had a bowel movement.
Description
While no specific relation is stated, Leon is closely associated with Bayman, largely due to their similar body types and the fact that they both use forms of the Russian martial art Sambo to fight.
Leon is usually seen wearing a turban or a pair of sunglasses. His fighting style is very straight-forward compared to most characters, relying on a few high damage attacks instead of a long string of moves to form a chain combo.
Gameplay
In reference to their fighting styles, Leon is very similar to Bayman, save for Leon's slight advantage in power and Bayman's small edge in speed. Also, Leon incorporates an air grapple in his movelist, as well as a few different combos.