Leon S. Kennedy may be the main protagonist of Resident Evil 4, but he is far from the only respectable human being in the game. Ada Wong, Luis Sera, Ingrid Hunnigan, and Ashley Graham all lend Leon a hand in completing his mission and surviving yet another biohazard outbreak. But while Ada and Luis have their own agendas and Agent Hunnigan is safe in another country, it is Ashley who remains Leon's constant companion.
The daughter of the president of the United States, Ashley was kidnapped and taken hostage by the Los Iluminados as part of a plot to take over the U.S. government. It is the job of Leon, now a government agent, to rescue Ashley and find out who is behind everything. Leon and Ashley's relationship changes and evolves throughout the original game, with the two starting off as strangers before eventually becoming close companions. One thing the upcoming Resident Evil 4 remake can improve over the original is where the two's relationship stands.
Protector and Ward
When Leon first encounters Ashley in a village church, the girl is initially apprehensive about her rescuer. Ashley has been through a lot and her mind has even blocked out some traumatizing memories, one of which being the implantation of the Las Plagas parasite inside her body. Ashley's perception of Leon changes soon after he explains he was sent by her father. She brightens up considerably and follows Leon around, eager to escape the nightmare she was brought into.
From this point onwards, Leon and Ashley become fast friends. Leon does everything in his power to protect Ashley from the Los Iluminados while Ashley does what she can to make Leon's job easier. Aside from waiting and hiding, she can help activate the many puzzles found throughout the game. While it may seem like Leon is doing all the heavy lifting, he cannot complete his mission alone and needs Ashley just as much as she needs him. This is most evident when Leon asks Ashley to remove the Las Plagas infecting his body using a special radiotherapeutic machine built just for the job. Despite Leon's efforts, however, Ashley continues to be captured by the Los Iluminados. She is kidnapped by antagonists Ramon Salazar and Osmund Saddler on different occasions, but thanks to his government agent training and quick thinking, Leon still manages to save his ward every time.
Saving Ashley Becomes More Than Just A Job To Leon
Due to the amount of time they spend together in life-threatening situations, Leon and Ashley quickly warm up to each other's company. They see each other as friends and begin to break the eerie atmosphere and tension with jokes and banter to lighten the mood. Personal boundaries are also broken later on in the game, as the two make occasional physical contact with each other. Leon has no qualms about holding Ashley's hand to guide her to safety while Ashley doesn't think twice about hugging her rescuer when he removes the Las Plagas from her body.
This intimacy eventually culminates in their escape from the nearby island research facility. As Ashley holds onto Leon's waist aboard a jet ski, she asks him if he wants to do some "overtime" - which hints at a date or something more. While this cheesy line is extremely dated, it confirms that Ashley is interested in Leon as more than a friend. Though Leon deftly turns her down, it is unsure where Leon and Ashley's relationship stands, as the latter never makes an appearance after Resident Evil 4.
This is where the remake comes in. Considering Leon is 27 years old in Resident Evil 4 and Ashley is 20, there is a possibility of a romance blossoming between the two. Leon's on-again, off-again relationship with Ada Wong is rocky at best, so it's no surprise if he wants something more stable. Leon and Ahsley clearly care for each other and considering Leon's job has him periodically meeting with the president, he is bound to see Ashley more often. This is all speculation, however. Fans of the Resident Evil franchise are divided about how Leon and Ashley's relationship should be treated by Capcom, but seeing as the remake is improving the original's B-movie writing, people might finally get answers to an almost two-decade-old game.
Resident Evil 4 will release on PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S on March 24.
