Leon

Leon (レオン, Reon) is a mercenary and Close Quarters Combat martial artist from the Dead or Alive series. He first debuted in Dead or Alive 2, and shares many similarities and a history with Bayman.

Leon entered the Dead or Alive Tournaments to prove that he was the strongest man in the world, to live up to the final words of his deceased lover, Lauren. He stopped entering the tournaments after Dead or Alive 3.

Early Life
As a mercenary, Leon traveled all over the world, wherever he could find work. While he was on the Silk Road, he met Lauren, a young thief, and fell in love with her. The two were in a loving relationship, until Lauren's sudden, tragic death in the desert. As Lauren died in Leon's arms, she said her final words: "The man I love, is the strongest man in the world."

It's unknown if she said it as a final sign of affection for her lover or for any other reason, but whatever she meant, Leon felt that he had to fulfill the last words of his lost love, and prove to her, himself, and everyone else that he was the strongest man on Earth.

The Second Tournament
In order to prove himself, Leon intended to win the second Dead or Alive Tournament for Lauren. During his time in the tournament, he had to fight Zack - who he seemed to have recognised from the past, although Zack didn't seem to remember, or actually know him - and Gen Fu. Although he lost in the end, Leon was still determined to live up to Lauren's words.

The Third Tournament
Leon set out to develop his strength further by entering the third tournament, during which he was constantly haunted by remorse for losing Lauren to the desert. During the tournament, Jann Lee caught up to him to challenge his strength.

After the fight, Leon returned to the desert, and the oasis where he had buried Lauren, and was greeted by a hallucination, or possibly the ghost, of his lover. This vision of Lauren gave Leon a desert flower, before disappearing again, maybe in a way of telling him that he had proved himself, and he could move on with his life.

Appearance

 * See also: Leon's Costumes

He is a tall muscular man with close shaved facial hair. His hair appears to be grey. He has a few wrinkles on his face due to his age. His eyes are pale green.

His recurring attire includes a desert camouflage shirt which is kept open to reveal his torso, black fingerless gloves, a pair of grey pants tucked into boots with green laces. There is a red bandanna or cloth wrapped around his left knee. He also wears a turban on his head that is tan colored with red and green stripes.

Personality
Leon is a driven individual, a veteran soldier who is torn over the loss of his lover. He appears cruel and both merciless with his combat style and his personality, as he always insults and threatens his opponents by saying phrases like "Do you want to die!" or "Insolent Whelp". He has some small measure of honor and seems to have a sense of humor, though he does not allow it to interfere with his desire to crush all opponents, and he is not unwilling to speak down to his opponents, especially those younger than him.

However, although a tough fighter, Leon also has a softer side, shown through his devotion to his lover Lauren, and his need to fulfill his promise to her. The death of his lover, her last words, and his commitment to her are just about all he thinks about.

Etymology
Leon takes his name from the protagonist in the film , as both characters share similar backgrounds and personalities. One of his comments during a battle, "I am a professional", is also a reference to the film, as the movie title The Professional in some countries.

Lauren
Leon met Lauren along the Silk Road in Asia and the two fell in love. Whilst traveling together in a desert, Lauren died of unknown reasons. As Leon held her during her final moments, Lauren mumbled her final words to him: "The man I love is the strongest man in the world."

Bayman
Bayman and Leon's rivalries are hinted at through banter at the beginning and end of matches between them. When they meet in Dead or Alive 3, Leon expressing disbelief that Bayman is still alive, and encouraging him to return to the desert seem to imply that Leon is a military deserter.

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 Sambo martial art to fight.

Zack
Leon also appears to have connections to Zack, claiming he recognizes him at the start of their fight. Zack claims, however, to not know Leon and is confused by what he means.

Jann Lee
In Dead or Alive 3, Leon meets Jann Lee they caught up with each other to challenge their strengths.

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 move list, as well as a few different combos. 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. 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.

In Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate, Leon's fighting style is slightly different.

Unlocking Leon
Leon is an unlockable character in Dead or Alive 4, in which he can be used in every gameplay mode except Story Mode. To unlock him, the player must complete Story Mode with Zack.

Dead or Alive Series

 * Dead or Alive 2 (1999 - 2000)
 * Dead or Alive 3 (2001 - 2002)
 * Dead or Alive 2 Ultimate (2004 - 2005)
 * Dead or Alive 4 (Unlockable character, 2005 - 2006)
 * Dead or Alive: Dimensions (2011)
 * Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate (2013)

DOA: Dead or Alive
Leon is portrayed by Silvio Simac in the non-canonical 2006 movie, 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 2. Simac's portrayal has been praised by fans of the games who stated that he portrayed Leon exactly as they wanted.

Musical Themes

 * Ultimate Weapon - Dead or Alive 2
 * Red Moon - Dead or Alive 3 and Dead or Alive: Dimensions
 * I'll be There for You - Dead or Alive 3 Ending Theme
 * Leon Remix - Dead or Alive 2 Ultimate (Ray House)
 * Sorrow - Dead or Alive 4
 * Ultimate Weapon Remix - Dead or Alive 4 (Crash Club)

Trivia

 * Throughout the series, Leon is known as:
 * A Mercenary Soldier - Dead or Alive 2
 * The Warrior - Dead or Alive 2 Ultimate
 * Nomad Warrior - Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate
 * In Dead or Alive 4, Leon often chides young competitors - such as Ayane, Eliot and Kokoro - with the remark "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.
 * Leon is the only regular fighter that has been cut in original Dead or Alive 5, until he made his return in Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate.
 * It was stated in the official Dead or Alive 5 gameplay guide that he, alongside others like Ein and Tengu, was cut because of time constraints, but they wanted him to return in the future.
 * Like Tekken's Jin Kazama in post-Tekken 3, Leon's fighting style is now slightly different.
 * Leon is the only character so far to have two different fighting styles, switching from Sambo to Close Quarters Combat.
 * Although he is added to Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate, it is unknown if he participated in the tournament or not.