It's rather common for audiences to be left speechless by the questionable choices of protagonists in both horror films and video games. Every so often, horror game players can find themselves wondering things like "Why was it necessary to leave the group and explore alone?" or "Why wouldn't they take more weapons with them if they knew there was a monster on the loose?"

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Resident Evil protagonists are not immune to this phenomenon. While they are usually the most competent person among their group, they still have moments in which their judgment may be a bit dubious. Longtime RE hero Leon S. Kennedy is no stranger to having momentary lapses in judgment. Here are some of the dumbest decisions Leon has made throughout the series.

7 Not Immediately Drawing His Gun At The Empty Gas Station

Leon Had So Much Probable Cause He Could Bottle And Sell It

Imagine pulling into an empty gas station and seeing a cop car with its doors wide open (hastily parked), blood splattered on the ground, all the lights in the station off, and not a single customer or employee in sight. Not many people would merrily pump their gas and simply wonder "Hmm, this is strange." Most would opt to drive away or, at the very least, call for help and not enter the dark gas station on their own (or at all).

But of course, rookie cop Leon Kennedy chooses to investigate this horrific crime scene and utilizes his unbreakable protagonist plot armor to make it through. This scene at the beginning of Resident Evil 2 Remake is a grisly one, and while most people would try to arm themselves in this situation, a very naive rookie Leon strolls into his local gas station without even thinking about drawing his weapon at the first sight of blood, and instead only does so when he's finally pursued by a zombie (and getting a fellow cop killed in the process).

6 Trusting Ada (But Not Reporter Bertolucci)

Every Word Ada Says Screams "Ulterior Motives"

RE2R Leon made a handful of mistakes, most of which could be attributed to his status as a rookie cop on the worst "first day on the job" ever. However, his blind trust in Ada was likely no coincidence, as it was fairly obvious the spy was using her charm and beauty to her advantage. Leon trusted her until the very end, even putting his life in her hands at one point.

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Despite Ada strolling around in a comically clichéed spy outfit, and generally acting suspicious, Leon decides to trust her wholeheartedly. Meanwhile, when reporter Ben Bertolucci finally tells Leon the truth about the horrors of Umbrella Corp., Leon is immediately suspicious, and is quick to defend his superior, Chief Irons. Maybe in another universe, Leon decides to hear Ben out, preventing one more life from being lost during the tragedy of Raccoon City.

5 Giving Away Ashley's Code Name

Leon Just Blabs Away On A Call With Hannigan

Code names on a mission are important; they are there to keep sensitive information away from eavesdroppers, enemies, and the general public. While the President's daughter's name is Ashley Graham, she is referred to as "Baby Eagle" in communications between Leon and Hunnigan for the purposes of the mission; which is to rescue Ashley and keep her safe.

However, Leon breaks the golden rule of code names within the first few minutes of the game. After finding a photo of Ashley, Leon immediately calls Hunnigan and says both Ashley's code name and her identity as the President's daughter in the same breath, immediately connecting her to an easily-verifiable identity. So much for keeping things covert, Leon.

4 Bringing One Gun On His Mission

An Agent Hired By The President Should Have Access To More Than A Pistol

Leon was a special agent working directly for the President of the United States at the time of Resident Evil 4. The President trusted Leon and his abilities so much that he decided to send Leon on his own to the unnamed rural Spanish village they suspected his daughter had been taken to after her kidnapping.

While it wasn't Leon's choice to go to Spain alone, it was up to him to take more firepower on his trip to find "Baby Eagle." When the player begins the game, Leon has only his trusty knife and a single gun in his inventory. Sure, he took precautions, but considering Leon would likely run into some aggressive enemies on the way (given the kidnapping and all), Leon could have at least brought a few more weapons with him instead of packing so light. Maybe next time, Leon will at least take a spare herb with him on his future missions.

3 Not Leaving In Ada's Helicopter

Leon Had No Clue If The Island Would Offer Another Escape Route

Right before the very end of Resident Evil 4 Remake, Leon parts ways with Ada, deciding to look for his own way to escape before the island explodes. Ada, despite being as shady as she is, kindly offers Leon a lift in her helicopter. However, Leon, being the cool tough guy that he is, turns it down and opts for getting him and Ashley to safety another way; in this case, via jet ski.

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There was no reason for Leon to believe there was another way off the island before everything went up in flames. What if Ada wasn't kind enough to leave Leon the keys to her jet ski? What if they really did have to swim home? Although sticking with Ada would have been a big gamble, it was still by far the safer option, considering Leon had no way to guarantee another escape route.

2 Not Giving Marvin A First Aid Spray

Give The Man An Herb, Leon!

There's something hilarious (but also incredibly sad) about Leon running around the RPD, gathering herbs and first aid sprays without ever thinking about offering fellow Officer Marvin Branagh a single healing item. Leon, and the rest of the Resident Evil protagonists, are the only characters in the RE universe who can easily survive a zombie bite due to their powerful plot armor, but that gets explained away by powerful medicinal herbs and First Aid sprays. Surely Leon could have spared even just a single healing item to use on his superior officer.

Perhaps Marvin would still have died either way, but a simple cloth to stop the bleeding or a few painkillers to ease Marvin's suffering could have, at the very least, made his passing a little less painful and much less tragic. It makes Leon's eventual grief at Marvin's passing feel a bit hollow.

1 Showing Off And Almost Losing A Leg

Backflips Are Never Really Necessary, Even If They Look Cool

As Leon reaches for the crank needed to open a gate to the next area he and Ashley must traverse in RE4R, he is rudely interrupted by the infamous Chainsaw Sisters, plunging their roaring chainsaws right through the wall in front of him. While most people's gut reaction to seeing giant chainsaws bursting through the wall and inching closer to them would be to immediately step back, Leon decides to show off what he's learned during his extensive training instead.

Rather than simply taking a step back and evading the Sisters, Leon raises his leg to kick off the wall (the very wall the chainsaws are sawing through) to execute the most stylish (yet ill-timed) backflip ever. Leon could have very well lost his leg pulling this stunt! However, he lands it perfectly, and proves to everyone why he's one of the main faces of the RE franchise.

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