There is no shortage of wise-cracking characters in the Resident Evil franchise, from the cheese-fest that is series main antagonist Albert Wesker who dishes unintentionally hilarious quotes on his way to world domination, to the boulder-punching Chris Redfield who has moments of wisdom to share between acting as the series resident meathead.
And then there is Leon, the once sweet and earnest rookie cop to the jaded government agent whose first task is to rescue the President's kidnapped daughter. His character goes through many changes through the series, but one truth remains: Leon unequivocally has some of the best lines from the franchise. The delivery, the words, and fantastic performances provided by his numerous voice actors all add up to phenomenal lines.
10 "Sure. Been Doing It Since The Country Was Founded." - Resident Evil: Damnation
Though Leon's face looks like a smacked behind for most of this feature film, that doesn't deter her from delivering some truly humorous lines that definitely drew a chuckle from fans, in a dry, sarcastic manner that fans came to expect from latter versions of Leon (before Resident Evil 2 Remake, of course).
After seen demonstrating serious combat capabilities dispatching a Licker, Alexander "Sasha" Kozachenko, or Buddy as he's referred to as, captures Leon and attempts to extract information, while Leon tries to trick them into thinking he's a regular American citizen, prompting Buddy to question if all American's take guns on vacation. In retaliation. Leon quips back "Sure. Been doing it since the country was founded". Even under duress, Leon's can't help but get the last word in with his sardonic wit.
9 "I Was Just A Rookie Cop Late As Hell On His First Day..." - Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness
Life for Leon isn't all sunshine and gut-busting one-liners. Beneath the veneer of humorous sarcasm is a man who has faced life-altering trauma that he reflects on from time-to-time. The events of Raccoon City changed him for good, and it's important to him that he remembers that day. Sometimes, he shares his story with other people, or just muses on the events to himself, leading to moments of quiet contemplation.
The full quote is as follows: "I was just a rookie cop late as hell on his first day. That's why I'm still alive. There were zombies everywhere. I remember... people screaming. Moaning. They'd get bit, and then they'd turn. It was terrifying. There's no way to describe it except..." As fans now Leon as one of brave main franchise characters, it's surprising that he would even use the word terrifying, but it's an excellent choice, as this humanizes him and makes it easier for fans to relate to him.
8 "I'm Sure You Boys Didn't Just Tag Along So We Can Sing Kumbaya..." - Resident Evil 4 (2005)
Before Capcam slapped a new, gritty coat of paint on it, Resident Evil 4 was more of a schlocky action shooter with moments of terror interspersed in it, as well as an entire script filled to the brim with cheesy one-liners, most of which were delivered by Leon himself.
On the drive in to the village, Leon takes the time to get to know his drivers, officers who seem a bit more familiar with the area than Leon is. Their conversation prompts Leon to question their presence in his own unique way, by phrasing it: "I'm sure you boys didn't just tag along so we can sing Kumbaya together at some boy scout bonfire. Then again, maybe you did." Its a lighthearted opening scene of laughs, soon juxtapositioned as Leon encounters his first ganado, giving players a glimpse of what is in store for them.
7 "Is It Just Me, Or Does Everybody Always Ignore What I Say?" - Resident Evil 2 (1998)
Poor Leon. Late on his first day, and a zombie outbreak happens before he can even clock in. And things spiral from bad to worse as Leon explores the police department and other places in Raccoon City, encountering monsters and a handful of survivors including Claire and Ada. The encounters are usually short-lived, with the other survivors quickly leaving, ignoring his pleas for them to wait.
This prompts Leon to grow exasperated over time, as it happens on multiple occasions. And after one time too many, Leon cries outloud from frustration "Is it just me, or does everybody ignore what I say?" While it does invoke some sympathy for Leon who is just trying to band people together for the safety of numbers, players can't help but chuckle at the unintentional respect others are showing for the rookie cop and just how fed up he is with it.
6 "I... I Just Shot The President." - Resident Evil 6
Those are not the words one expects or wants to hear from a government agent, as there job is to protect and serve. Yet, it is a line delivered by Leon early into his campaign in Resident Evil 6. Out of context, the line has some hilarious and alarming connotations, suggesting Leon has broken his vows and assassinated the President of the United States.
Unfortunately though, the truth is a little less sensational than that. President Benford falls victim to the infected, and lunges at Helena with the intent to add her to the undead army, leaving Leon no choice but to intervene and neutralize him, leading to Leon voicing his utter disbelief that he shot the President, even if he was left with no choice. It's a moment of small humor to juxtapose the horror of the scene.
5 "I'm Just A Regular American Who Was Screwed Out Of His Vacation" - Resident Evil: Damnation
Leon never can seem to catch a break, his 'vacations' interrupted by rival government groups, infected creatures and even kidnappings. It's not often Leon himself falls into the hands, in fact Damnation might be the only time that it happens to our plucky hero.
As part of Leon's gambit to play the role that he is a clueless tourist and not a government agent, he claims: "I'm not a CIA Agent. I'm just a regular American who was screwed out of his vacation, dropped in a plane, and brought here. Without any breakfeast!" which is obviously a humorous exaggeration. Even held hostage and at someone else's mercy, he can't help himself and delivers smartass lines.
4 "You Know, You're Kinda Cute Without Those Glasses." - Resident Evil 4 (2005)
Whoever knew Leon was a playboy? Between his friendly flirting with Claire in Resident Evil 2, his will they, won't they relationship with Ada, and now Hunnigan, Leon seems to definitely have a soft spot for the ladies. Though unfortunately, it would seem his feelings are very rarely reciprocated.
During one of his scheduled check-ins with Hunnigan throughout the Resident Evil 4 campaign, Hunnigan picks up with no glasses, which Leon is quick to pick up on. "You know, you're kinda cute without those glasses. Gimme your number when I get back?" He deserves some props for his very bold approach, but Hunnigan doesn't seem to appreciate his forwardness, and flat-out rejects his advances. Though knowing Leon, he likely knew she would say no, and just wanted to drum up some humorous banter with the no-nonsense Hunnigan.
3 "Where's Everyone Going? Bingo?" - Resident Evil 4 (2005)
In the early stages of the game, Leon will arrive at a populated part of the village, where the ganados seem to be going about life like everyday people would--except for burning one of Leon's escorts at the stake. As Leon approaches, they take up torches and pitchforks with the intent for Leon to share the unfortunate officers fate. And if players decide to try and barricade themselves into one of the houses, Dr Salvador arrives.
There are more villagers than Leon can take on alone, but as luck would have it, Leon is saved by the bell and the ringing of a church makes them lay down their arms and all walk to head towards the church. Now standing in the vacant village square, Leon looks around in confusement, saying aloud "Where is everyone going? Bingo?" It is one of the most quoted and memorable lines from the game due to the sheer hilarity.
2 "There Goes My Vacation, Again." - Resident Evil: Vendetta
It seems whenever Leon tries to take a break, there is a world-threatening catastrophe sucking him in to the eye of the storm, and now he is responsible for stopping it and saving the world. Leon is particularly reluctant to help out in Vendetta, and none could blame him. The movie is set between the events of Resident Evil 6 and Resident Evil 7, Leon has definitely earned some vacation time.
Once Rebecca is captured, Chris turns to Leon for help in saving her, despite him making it known that he is on vacation and is not going to run to save the world this time, but eventually he relents, letting his reluctance known by saying "There goes my vacation, again". There's always next time, Leon...
1 "You're Right Hand Comes Off?" - Resident Evil 4 (2005)
When player reach the castle portion of Resident Evil 4, they encounter Salazar, right hand to Lord Saddler and the little lord of the castle. Though he can mutate into a large, brutish monster to fight Leon directly he prefers to send him horrifying 'pets' to dispose of him.
Salazar contacts Leon directly through his radio to threaten him, claiming he has sent his right-hand to assassinate him. In return, Leon quips back with "You're right hand comes off?" which only enrages Salazar. In the original release of Resident Evil 4, Leon's line is misspelt, the subtitles reading as 'you're' instead of 'your'. This mistake has elevated this quote to legendary status on the internet, with fans making meme, and still quoting it to this day. As such, it remains as one of Leon's greatest quotes of all time.