Leon (Dead or Alive)

Leon (Dead or Alive)
Dead or Alive character
[[File:|225 px]] Leon in Dead or Alive 4
First game	Dead or Alive 2 (1999)
Created by	Tomonobu Itagaki
Voiced by (English)	Timothy Enos (DOA2: HC), Richard Epcar (Dimensions-DOA5LR)
Voiced by (Japanese)	Koji Totani (DOA2–DOA4), Jōji Nakata (Dimensions-DOA5LR)
Portrayed by	Silvio Simac
Fictional profile
Nationality	Italian
Fighting style	Command Sambo
Occupation	Mercenary

Leon (レオン, Reon) is a character from the Dead or Alive video game franchise. He is an Italian mercenary who, like Bayman, specializes in the Combat Sambo style of close-quarters combat. Leon debuted in Dead or Alive 2 as a replacement for Bayman, who appeared in the series' 1996 debut title. However, since Dead or Alive 4, Bayman has actually ended up as Leon's replacement.

When the character first debuted, he was voiced by Koji Totani. Totani passed away from acute heart failure shortly after the release of DOA4, and Jouji Nakata subsequently took over the role in later games. In the English dubs, Timothy Enos (DOA2: Hardcore) and Richard Epcar (DOAD, DOA5) have both provided Leon's voice. Leon does not appear at all in Dead or Alive 6.

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. Simac's portrayal has been praised by fans of the games who stated that he portrayed Leon exactly as they wanted.

Note: Lauren (a.k.a. Rolande) is never mentioned.

Trivia

• 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 mispronounciation 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.

• Leon has tags with Zack, Bass, Jann Lee, Bayman, Gen Fu, Tina and Ryu Hayabusa. Zack is his default tag partner in DOA2, while Bayman is his default tag partner in DOA3. Bass is Leon's default tag partner in DOA4.

• 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. Some fans speculate that the next time we see Leon in a Dead or Alive game, his fighting style will be a departure from the Sambo move set, and he'll finally be truly distinct from Bayman.

• 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 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).

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.

Because of his name and his enjoyment of potted plants, it's possible he was based on the film character Leon.

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. In later games, Bayman is generally considered a more difficult character to master due to his moveset evolving much more than that of Leon's.