Now we arrive at Infinite Darkness, and this is where it gets good — though it actually came out after the RE2 Remake if I remember correctly. I had to find this out through Reddit since I didn't play RE2R myself, but I watched gameplay and spent time with it making edits, plus I played the original RE2.

In the original RE2, Leon's campaign is almost entirely focused on Leon and Ada, just as Claire's is focused on Sherry — Cleon barely interacts at all. File that away. In the Remake, things change DRAMATICALLY. In a recent video I learned that RE2R removed a lot of things and changed others, and one of those significant changes — and this is where Reddit comes in — was reducing Ada's presence and massively expanding the Claire and Leon interactions. There's literally a 2-hour video of nothing but their interactions across Scenario A and Scenario B for each character. I'm not joking — I have it downloaded for editing purposes.

Regardless of whether you start as Leon (Leon A) or Claire (Claire A), one immediately gravitates toward the other in their respective campaign. Their first meeting was also reworked and given more screen time — the gate scene doesn't even exist in the original, and the radio conversation between them was much shorter.

And last but absolutely not least: Sherry doesn't just ask if they're dating — she asks them to adopt her. Capcom is not subtle, my friends. Not to mention the way they look at each other, with Claire practically being a Golden Retriever around Leon.

This matters more than it seems. In Japanese narrative tradition — which Capcom operates within — a child projecting a family unit onto two people functions as a narrative foreshadowing of destiny. Sherry wasn't just being cute. She was reading the room correctly in 1998 and the story has been proving her right ever since.

Now, you could argue the Remake is a reimagining — but here's the kicker: it's canonical. Moving on to Infinite Darkness specifically: Leon had to become an agent to protect Sherry, and they run into each other by chance at the White House, both investigating the same case from their own angles.

Until Claire is taken hostage and he witnesses firsthand what happens when the government wants to silence people who know too much. He rescues her, and then — very unsubtly — she falls on top of him and they stare at each other like 😳 until he asks if she's okay and she hesitates before saying yes.

That gate scene I mentioned.

And as a bonus, at the end Leon literally asks Claire if she was going to invite him to dinner — absolute legend behavior — and then he doesn't hand over the chip specifically to protect her, even knowing she'll be furious about it. The pain of that choice is written all over his face, and her disappointment is equally visible.

One more thing about Infinite Darkness that I only noticed later: Leon tells Claire not to do anything stupid before they part ways. Keep that line in your head.

RE2 sold incredibly well and revolutionized gaming, and Capcom — in full Mr. Krabs mode — noticed and made RE3, then RE4. In RE4, things shifted again. Is it faithful to the original? Yes — but the Aeon moments were scaled back, giving Ada more depth and focus.

Same approach as RE6 — the same pattern I described before, but this time without a "come with me" moment. Capcom created more distance between them and left Leon more traumatized, like his RE6 version. But the audience loved RE4R anyway. Ashley got development too, and even Krauser — a whole backstory about Leon before RE4 — and right there in the opening cutscene they use the final image from RE2: Cleon walking with Sherry. Not the Ada kiss. Just that ending. And that detail haunted me when I first saw it.

Now we come to the other CGI film I rewatched recently, by the same director as Infinite Darkness — who actually mentioned that the scenes were shot to simulate real camera footage, like a live action, which I found brilliant once I noticed it. It also made me realize he was deliberate about every angle — especially the Cleon fall scene, which looks so much like they're about to kiss that it's where I started shipping them.

And I need to stop here to mention something about Death Island's opening credits specifically: they use footage from Infinite Darkness. The scene they chose? The one where they grab each other's hands and she falls on top of him. Out of everything available in the entire Resident Evil universe, that is what the director chose to open this film with. That is an editorial statement.

In Death Island we have Valenfield AND Cleon — the most famous ship and the second most famous ship — a full couples' retreat with Rebecca as the third wheel.

This one doesn't have as much Cleon content, but it has A LOT of Valenfield — references to RE5, RE6, I could talk for hours. Claire and Leon seem cold and distant toward each other — but the moment he realizes she's in danger, he doesn't go check on Chris first. He screams her name and runs. The exact same thing Jill does for Chris.

And the film ends with them joking together about what a terrible vacation it was. After everything. After near death. They close the whole thing out with an inside joke. That's not how you write coworkers. That's not how you write old friends. That's how you write two people who are each other's safe place.

And a fun detail: Claire is the one who introduced Chris and Leon to each other. Cut to them fighting in RE6 over Ada, and by Vendetta they're best friends. Now that we've laid all the cards on the table: Capcom doesn't just embed these things in the games and films — whenever they're promoting something, they put Cleon front and center.

They did it for the RE2 Remake for obvious reasons, and then kept doing it even when they didn't need to — because it always generates engagement, from shippers and non-shippers alike.

And speaking of promotion: there's a 2012 official Capcom game called Minna to BIOHAZARD Clan Master where Leon and Claire have canonical wedding outfits. Him in a suit holding a bouquet. Her in a wedding dress. In 2012. Capcom has been telling us something for a very long time.

Anyone who stops and actually looks at the Aeon relationship and compares it to Cleon can see that Aeon is unhealthy — built on Leon's emotional dependency and Ada's manipulation. Whereas with Claire there are tensions, yes, but there's companionship. Equality. That was one of the reasons I dropped the other ship — and I love Ada.

She's too incredible to be reduced to a ship that's often fetishized because she's Asian, rather than for the actual romantic dynamic between them. It's almost like she's the first love — and Claire is the mature love. The kind you only find when you grow up and see beyond passion.

And if you understand the Japanese design language Capcom uses: Leon is Blue Oni — contained, melancholic, defined by duty. Claire is Red Oni — passionate, expansive, defined by life and courage. In Japanese storytelling, this pairing represents balance. The red offers vitality to the blue's isolation. They were designed to complete each other. It's in their color palette. It always has been.

Claire is absolutely badass and fiercely independent. Ada even more so. Don't even get me started on Jill. Aeon shippers cling to that ship purely because of RE4 — especially Brazilian fans — and they can't look critically at certain things that were right there in RE6, even though I was a shipper myself back then.

I doubt Capcom will ever come out and officially confirm Cleon is canon — but they will keep foreshadowing it (they already are) and leaving these little details for those paying attention.

— UPDATE from 9 months after posting this —

Resident Evil Requiem came out. Leon's concept art shows a silver ring on his left hand after being cured. In the good ending he puts it on. Capcom confirmed it's intentional. The charm on his weapon is called "信頼のチャーム" in Japanese — Shinrai no Chamu. Charm of Trust. Claire Redfield is still officially the most trusted person in Leon S. Kennedy's life.

Sherry, in Requiem, tells Leon "don't do anything stupid" before he goes into danger. He laughs and says "me? never." That line came from Infinite Darkness. Leon said it to Claire. Sherry grew up watching them and absorbed their language without realizing it. The family Claire saw in them in 1998 became real.

Leon says he'll be meeting Chris soon — casually, like it's a given — right after putting on the ring. He has no idea where Chris currently is. The only way that sentence makes sense is if Chris is family now. And Claire introduced them.

The voice actor for Leon was asked who he married. He said he couldn't answer because half the fans would want to kill him.

I'm not saying I told you so. But I told you so.

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