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[[Image:LEON.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Leon.]]
{{Game|KH1|FM1|COM|REC|KH2|FM2|RCO|UCX|3RM|FA}}
Squall is a character from all the Kingdom Hearts games.
{{suite}}
{{youmay|the character|the [[Leon (Gummi Ship)|Gummi Ship Blueprint]]}}
{{Character
|name=Squall Leonhart
|alias={{Nihongo|Leon|レオン|Reon}}
|image=[[File:Leon KHIIIRM.png|350x400px]]
|game1=Kingdom Hearts
|game2=Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories
|game3=Kingdom Hearts II
|game4=Kingdom Hearts coded
|game5=Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind
|katakana=スコール・レオンハート
|romaji=Sukōru Reonhāto
|fr=Léon
|de=Leon
|type=Entelechy
|charworld1=Radiant Garden
|charworld2=Traverse Town
|origin=Final Fantasy VIII
|company=Final Fantasy
|enva=David Boreanaz
|envan={{KH}}
|enva2=Doug Erholtz
|enva2n={{KHII}}, {{RM}}
|java=Hideo Ishikawa
|journalKH=A swordsman who wields the Gunblade. His real name: Squall Leonhart. He escaped to Traverse Town when the Heartless raided his home world. To part with his old self, a man who had been helpless to stop them, he changed his name. Since meeting the king, who has been so vigilant against the Heartless, Leon has sought the truth behind the "key".<br><br>"Final Fantasy VIII"
|journalSS=A cool and collected swordsman who wields a gunblade.  His real name: Squall Leonhart.<br><br>Leon once fought with Sora against the Heartless, but the Leon we met in Castle Oblivion is a product of Sora's memory, so he can't remember much of what happened before.
|journalKH2=Final Fantasy VIII<br><br>A swordsman who carries a gunblade. His real name is Squall Leonhart. He took the name Leon to distance himself from his past self — the man who stood helpless as Heartless invaded his home.<br><br>For some time he took refuge in a different town, but thanks in part to Sora's help, Leon was able to reclaim this, his hometown. Now he works tirelessly towards its restoration.
|journalCOD=A swordsman from Radiant Garden. When he was still a boy, his home was lost to darkness, and he was forced to flee with Cid and the other children to Traverse Town. He no longer uses his real name, a symbolic farewell to the little boy who was not strong enough.<br><br>Later, Leon would fight against the forces of darkness more than once, but thanks to Sora, he can now focus on rebuilding his home.
|journalUX='''KH II Leon A'''/'''HD KH II Leon'''<br>KINGDOM HEARTS II (2005)<br>A swordsman with a gunblade. His real name is Squall Leonhart.<br><br>'''KH II Leon B'''<br>KINGDOM HEARTS II (2005)<br>A man who works tirelessly to restore his hometown.<br><br>'''Illustrated Leon'''<br>KINGDOM HEARTS (2002)<br>A swordsman with a gunblade. His real name is Squall Leonhart.<br><br>'''WORLD OF FF Squall'''<br>WORLD OF FINAL FANTASY (2016)<br>A Medal celebrating the collaboration with WORLD OF FINAL FANTASY.
|journalKH3=A young man who had fought the forces of darkness alongside Sora in the past. He sought to restore Hollow Bastion, his homeland, to its former glory as Radiant Garden.<br><br>His full name is Squall Leonhart.
}}
{{Q|We may never meet again, but we'll never forget each other.|Leon}}
'''Squall Leonhart''' is a supporting character in the ''{{c|Kingdom Hearts|series}}'' series and leader of both the Heartless Resistance and the [[Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee]]. After the destruction of his world by the [[Heartless]], he changed his name to "'''Leon'''" in an attempt to amend for his mistakes.


==Development and appearance==
Squall was the main character of ''{{ff|Final Fantasy VIII}}'', in which he wields the notorious Gunblade.
As part of a theme desired by Kitase to give the game a foreign atmosphere ("foreign" being in relation to Japan), the objective with the character designs was to give them largely European appearances. The first character Nomura designed specifically for use in Final Fantasy VIII was Squall, initially giving him longer hair and a more feminine appearance. However, Yoshinori Kitase felt that this design did not work, and asked Nomura to shorten his hair and make him look more masculine, which lead to the final design of Squall seen in-game. When designing Cloud Strife, Final Fantasy VII's lead protagonist, Nomura gave him distinctly spiky, bright blonde hair, so as to emphasize his role as that game's main character. With Squall, Nomura wanted to try another unique angle to establish Squall's role, giving him the now trademark gunblade scar across his brow and the bridge of his nose. There was not yet a complete history conceived for the character, so Nomura left the explanation for Squall's scar to Nojima. Squall's design was completed by a fur ruff along the collar of his jacket, included by Nomura for the purpose of challenging the game's FMV designers, being but one example of the demands he has consistently extended to the programmers of the Final Fantasy titles as technology has advanced.[2]


==Development==
Squall's gunblade, as seen in the game's opening creditsAlso as part of Squall's design, Nomura wanted to include silver accessories, which took the form of his ring, necklace and weapon. Squall calls the lion "Griever" and it seems to be symbolic of his angst and takes on significance as the plot of the game progresses. Squall's weapon is a gunblade, a sword using components of a revolver to send vibrations through the blade when triggered.[3] This weapon was intended to offer a new way for players to control weapons in battle, and Nomura feels that the weapon bears an odd appearance.[2] Squall's model is simply called the 'Revolver,' though he can upgrade the weapon at junk stores. Squall and his rival, Seifer Almasy, are the only gunblade specialists who appear in the game, although Laguna Loire uses one very briefly.
Leon, Aerith, Yuffie, and Cid were originally set to appear in ''Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep''. They were ultimately removed from the game because, according to Nomura, there were already too many plot lines, and it would have become confusing.<ref>'''''[[Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Ultimania]]''''', '''Interviewer''': "Zack appears at the Coliseum, but was there a reason why he is the only ''Final Fantasy'' character this time around?" / '''Tetsuya Nomura''': "We wanted to have Cid and the gang in Radiant Garden, but that would have made the story go too far off track. The main story of ''Birth by Sleep'' is complicated enough as it is, so instead of making a lot of side roads, we concentrated on the main story. Which resulted in having no other ''Final Fantasy'' character but Zack make an appearance." [https://www.khinsider.com/news/Full-Nomura-Interview-20-KH-Mysteries-Solved-1366 Translation via Lissar].</ref> Similarly, a model for Leon was partially completed for ''Kingdom Hearts III'', but was scrapped before being finished because the inclusion of the ''Final Fantasy'' characters on top of the already large cast would have been too many characters.{{fact}}


Squall's physical appearance consists of medium-length brown hair and cold grey eyes. Character designer Tetsuya Nomura has stated that actor River Phoenix was the influence for Squall; both share the same birthday and physical appearance. A small scar runs diagonally across the bridge of Squall's nose, which he receives at the beginning of the game in a training duel against his rival Seifer.
Also, Tetsuya Nomura has stated in an interview that the main reason he had Squall change his name to "Leon" was in order to avoid spoiling the revelation of Squall's big role in Mickey's first letter to Donald.{{fact}} Also, Leon is shown to have the wings of Rinoa Heartilly, his lover from ''Final Fantasy VIII'', on the back of his jacket, implying that something which specifically happened to her was a major factor in Leon changing his name.


==Story==
===Between ''Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep'' and ''Kingdom Hearts''===
Squall Leonhart grew up in the paradise world of [[Radiant Garden]] until it was consumed by darkness. Ashamed and angry that he was unable to defend his home and his loved ones from the Heartless, Squall assumed the name of "Leon" in order to distance himself from his past, vowing never to use his real name until the Heartless are defeated and his world restored.


==In ''Final Fantasy VIII''==
Leon awakened in [[Traverse Town]] along with the few fellow Radiant Garden refugees [[Yuffie]], [[Aerith]], and [[Cid]], none of whom changed their names as Leon did. During his teenage years, Leon led the fight against the Heartless, effectively keeping an area of Traverse Town safe against [[Maleficent]] and the growing tide of Heartless. He was also known to travel between worlds in his [[Gummi Ship]], assisting other refugees in peril and relocating them to Traverse Town. His actions did not go unnoticed, eventually gaining the attention and confidence of [[Mickey Mouse|King Mickey]], who was watching the growing battle warily.
In Final Fantasy VIII, Squall is known as a "lone wolf" by his peers because he never explains his feelings.[1] [4] Even compared to the originally indifferent Cloud Strife of Final Fantasy VII, he comes off as cold to his allies. [5] His superiors, such as his teacher, Quistis Trepe, regard him as difficult to deal with but greatly respect his natural talents.[6][7]. He is also known to be stoic in some situations.[8] His attitude is also used for comic relief. In the cutscene where he first meets Rinoa, she coerces him into dancing with her at the SeeD graduation ball.[9] He awkwardly bumps into other partygoers while staring constantly at his feet with a look of confusion. Rinoa, however, perseveres in partnering him, and Squall eventually reveals that he's quite capable of dancing, as it is a mandatory aspect of his training.[10]


Squall is unwillingly dragged into the role of the hero when Cid, headmaster of Balamb Garden, appoints him as leader of the academy mid game.[11] He is often thrown into a leadership role, as is evident in the Timber and Galbadia missions. During a late battle against Galbadia Garden, Squall demonstrates some leadership difficulties, which are tied to his lingering isolationism.[12][13] Likewise, other characters have to make efforts to pull him out of his isolation, and Rinoa has to expend a lot of energy to pursue a romance with him. It takes considerable time for him to accept the others' offered friendship and fall in love with Rinoa and care for her.[14] As time progresses, he grows more comfortable with the leadership role, especially when it comes time to defeat Ultimecia, the main antagonist.[15]
===''Kingdom Hearts''===
[[File:The Start of an Adventure 02 KH.png|thumb|left|Leon advises Sora to join Donald and Goofy.]]
Nine years after the fall of Radiant Garden, now named Hollow Bastion, when the wielder of the [[Keyblade]] was revealed, King Mickey ordered [[Goofy]] and [[Donald Duck]] to find Leon, trusting that Leon would inform them of the circumstance and help them find the wielder, [[Sora]]. It turned out, however, that Leon had already found Sora within the safe First District of Traverse Town, challenging and defeating Sora before dragging him to a room in one of Traverse Town's motels. There, Leon and Yuffie explained to Sora about the Heartless and his destiny as the Keyblade's chosen one. Uniting Sora with the newly arrived Donald and Goofy, Leon then sent them on their way.


Throughout the game, he has a distinct rivalry with Seifer Almasy. The opening sequence depicts the duel in which Squall obtained his characteristic facial scar (and subsequently gave an almost identical one to Seifer, Squall's starts above his right eye and goes to his left cheek, while Seifer's goes from left to right, going in the opposite direction.) and scenes in which Squall and Seifer are supposed to be cooperating are characterized by squabbles between the two cadets.[16] Later, Seifer allies himself with the Sorceress, requiring Squall to battle him several times. Nevertheless, despite their conflict, Squall still feels an underlying comraderie for Seifer, and mourns him in his own way when he believes Seifer to have been executed after an attempted kidnapping of Galbadian President Vinzer Deling.[17]
When Sora, Donald, and Goofy returned to Traverse Town again seeking Leon's help, they find him in the Secret Waterway, underneath [[Merlin]]'s house, training. Here he offers information about the [[Keyhole]]s of each world that lead to the heart of the world. He explains that the Heartless are drawn to the heart's power and would corrupt it, thus causing the world to disappear. This is why Sora's Keyblade is so important, because it has the power to seal them from the Heartless.


According to flashbacks in the game, Squall grew up in an orphanage, along with many of the other main characters such as Zell, Seifer, Selphie, Irvine and Quistis. Though he remembers little of this past, it causes him to develop into an emotionally detached, highly cynical and introverted boy (his original goal is to go through life without any emotional links or dependencies).[18] However, Squall gradually warms as the game progresses, and it is later revealed that his deliberate detachment from his companions is a defensive mechanism to protect himself from emotional pain, like he experienced when his older sister figure at the orphanage, one of the sole emotional supports in his early life, was forcibly separated from him.[19][20]
Leon also gives Sora the [[Earthshine Gem]], which contained the spirit of [[Simba]], for luck. Later, after they move to the newly accommodated base, a previously abandoned house deep in Heartless territory, Leon and company tells Sora about Maleficent and about [[Ansem, Seeker of Darkness|Ansem]] and his journal before once again, seeing Sora, Donald, and Goofy off.


Upon defeating Ultimecia, as his comrades are pulled back from time compression into their own respective places in the timeline, Squall takes a detour back to the orphanage, where he encounters a younger Edea. Since she does not want to involve any of the children, Edea ends up absorbing the dying Ultimecia's powers as part of the cycle of sorceresses (a sorceress must pass on her powers to a successor before she is allowed to die peacefully), and wonders aloud about endings and beginnings (dialogue mirroring words to Squall years later, on Disc 3).[21] Squall plants the ideas for Garden and SeeD in her mind, creating an in-game loop in which he must become the leader of Balamb Garden so that he can make it to this point again.[22]
Leon also gives [[Geppetto]] and [[Pinocchio]] a place to live after they escape from [[Monstro]].


There are strong indications in the game that Laguna Loire is Squall's father. During flashbacks involving Ellone, in which the characters dream they are people from the past, Squall consistently takes on the role of Laguna, despite the fact that any of the other characters in Squall's party may take on the role of Kiros or Ward. If Squall travels to Winhill after Garden is activated, he will encounter inexplicable visions of Raine throughout the town. Ellone also mentions that Raine died—apparently in childbirth—and that she had a baby boy. When Squall is captured, all the Moomba keep reffering to Squall as Laguna (it is later indicated that the Moomba recognize people by their blood; suggesting a tie between Squall and Laguna which can easily be debunked as "Laguna" is the only thing the Moombas can say). Toward the end of the game, aboard the Ragnarok, Kiros and Ward make commentary as to Squall's resemblance to his mother and his dissimilarity to his father.[23] Laguna also intends to tell something to Squall, but he opts not to due to the circumstances. As of his current surname, the game never reveals how he received the name "Leonhart", although it is possibly Raine's maiden name. The triple triad minigame is also holds some evidence supporting Laguna being Squall's father. Triple triad is a card game you can play against various people you meet ingame. Each card has on it's face either a monster or a unique character. For the major unique characters, the person who has their card is usually someone fairly close to them. Zell's card for example is held by his mother and Rinoa's card is held by her father. Laguna is the person who has Squall's card.
[[File:Sealing the Keyhole Hollow Bastion 02 KH.png|thumb|Leon and the gang say their goodbyes to Sora, Donald and Goofy.]]
After escaping from Hollow Bastion, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and [[Kairi]] sought shelter with Leon's group in Traverse Town. Sora informs Leon of everything that had happened, prompting him to follow Sora and company when they left for the final battle with Maleficent in Hollow Bastion.


==In ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]''==
After Sora defeats the [[Behemoth]] Heartless that guards Hollow Bastion's Keyhole, Leon stands waiting to bid his farewells, for after Sora seals the heart of all worlds, [[Kingdom Hearts]], the two groups might never see each other again.
Squall appears as a non-playable character in ''Kingdom Hearts'', although he looks older and similar to Laguna Loire. He no longer wears his fur coat and wears a short leather jacket with red wings on the back, resembling the ones in Rinoa's back, but he still wears his Griever necklace. He assumes the name Leon because he was unable to protect those he cares about from the [[Heartless]] when the [[Radiant Garden]] was consumed in darkness. "Leon" is voiced by David Boreanaz in the English language version of the game and Hideo Ishikawa in the Japanese version.


There is also a [[Keyblade]] in the game, called "[[Lionheart]]." It has a keychain resembling Griever, a reference to Squall (received after defeating Leon and Cloud in the Hades Cup Tornament at the Colisuem). Leon also held the Earthshine Gem which contained Simba, he gave it to Sora. His role in Kingdom Hearts is to help guide Sora, on his battle with the Heartless, alongside various other Final Fantasy characters. While his appearance and age change (in ''Kingdom Hearts'', he is 25, whereas in Final Fantasy VIII, he is 17), his personality remains the same. A memory-based version of Leon appears in ''[[Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories]]''.
Later, Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith can be seen wandering the Hollow Bastion Library, reading the books.  


==In ''[[Kingdom Hearts 2]]''==
After Sora sealed Kingdom Hearts and returned the universe to its order, Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith are reunited with Cid and [[Cloud]] in Hollow Bastion.
He returns in Kingdom Hearts II and was voiced by Doug Erholtz for the English version . Here, Leon is seen to be slightly more cheerful than he is seen in the original Kingdom Hearts — which could depict his personality after Final Fantasy VIII. He actually fights alongside Sora in one of the fights near the beginning of the game. Sleeping Lion, a Keyblade in Kingdom Hearts II, is another reference to Squall. Leon seems to be the leader of the "Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee," which is composed of the returning Final Fantasy cameos from the first Kingdom Hearts and Merlin. He also, along with many other characters, including Tifa and Cloud, help Sora fight the Heartless on the Ravine Trail in the Hollow Bastion(Later named, the Radiant Garden). Leon also plays the largest role for any Final Fantasy character in Kingdom Hearts II storywise, the only Final Fantasy character that has relations to King Mickey, and works very close to Sora and company. Leon is also the only Final Fantasy character in the game to come face to face with the Organization and fight the Nobodies. Leon still wears his Kingdom Hearts outfit, only receiving a fur ruff along the collar of his jacket, similar to his jacket in Final Fantasy VIII. He seems to be a good friend to both [[Cloud Strife]] and [[Aerith Gainsborough]].
 
===''Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories''===
After the defeat of Ansem, while skirmishing through [[Castle Oblivion]], Sora, Donald, and Goofy later meet Leon and his friends in a memory-based version of Traverse Town. However, like the town itself, little did Sora and his party realize that Leon and his friends were actually the product of Sora's memories that were being manipulated by Naminé. Due to that, the Leon and his friends that Sora encounter have no memories of ever meeting Sora, but somehow know his name, which they could not explain how. Like the Leon from the first game, he nonetheless decides to help Sora and company, such as by teaching Sora the card-based system as well as providing the Simba and the Key of Guidance cards in order for Sora to proceed. Before Sora leaves, Leon ensures him that he will be okay; no matter what shape reality takes, and that while he may not remember Sora, he knows that he is in his heart.
{{-}}
 
===Between ''Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories'' and ''Kingdom Hearts II''===
After the lost parts of Radiant Garden were liberated from the End of the World, Leon and his friends formed the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee to restore their world to its former glory. During the course of their work, they rebuilt much of the town and began reconstruction of [[Hollow Bastion|Ansem the Wise's castle]], removing much of the modified machinery that was added to it.{{fact}} Also, due to [[Naminé]] tampering with Sora's memory, Leon lost his memories of his former friend.
 
===''Kingdom Hearts II''===
By the time Sora makes his return to Hollow Bastion, Leon's memories had returned. Leon explains to Sora that they've been having problems with the Heartless as of late. The Organization appears and forces Leon and Sora to battle several [[Nobody|Nobodies]].<!--Fill the rest in.-->
 
[[File:Leon and Cloud 01 KHII.png|thumb|left|Leon and Cloud standing back to back during the Battle of the 1000 Heartless.]]
During the [[Battle of the 1000 Heartless]], he, along with the rest of the Committee, helps Sora fight the Heartless on the Ravine Trail. He and Cloud are later seen back to back, surrounded by Heartless. They briefly exchange banter before charging at their enemies. The two later return to Hollow Bastion's outer wall and witness Sora's escape at the end of the battle.
 
By the time Sora, Donald, and Goofy visit again, the town is infested with Heartless from [[Space Paranoids]]. While Sora, Donald, and Goofy set off to Space Paranoids to help [[Tron]], Leon goes to pick up the eradicator program that Cid has been working on to defeat the [[Master Control Program]] for good. With the help of Leon and Aerith in relaying the program to Tron, Sora's group eventually succeeds, and Tron is able to remind everyone of the town's true name: Radiant Garden.
 
After Sora and Riku return to Destiny Islands, he is seen in Merlin's house reading a letter that produces a pair of glowing wings, which then float towards the ceiling and vanish.
{{-}}
 
===''Kingdom Hearts Re:coded''===
After [[Data-Sora]] collects every [[Ending Card]] in Castle Oblivion, Data-Roxas allows him to open the final door and learn the truth behind the hurt. Right as Data-Sora moves to open the door, illusions of Leon and Yuffie appear to congratulate him for keeping Traverse Town safe, explaining that something urgent came up that they had to deal with. They express a wish to someday work alongside him, and give him a [[Debug Device: Y]] and a [[Heat Sink Belt]] before departing.
{{-}}
 
===''[[Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind]]''===
One year after Master Xehanort's defeat, Leon and other Restoration Committee members are seen inside Merlin's house trying to help Riku uncover any clues regarding the whereabouts of the missing Sora.


==Other appearances==
==Other appearances==
*Squall is an unlockable character in Chocobo Racing and Itadaki Street Special. In addition, a 2D sprite of Squall occasionally makes an appearance on the loading screen of the PlayStation version of Final Fantasy VI.
===''Dissidia Final Fantasy''===
Leon's appearances based on his outfit from ''Kingdom Hearts'' has appeared as an alternate costume for him in the ''{{ff|Dissidia Final Fantasy}}'' series.
 
In ''{{ff|Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy}}'', his "Leon" outfit is available as downloadable content.
 
In ''{{ff|Dissidia Final Fantasy NT}}'', his "Sleeping Lion" outfit is available as downloadable content.


==Design==
Leon is twenty-five in ''Kingdom Hearts'' and twenty-six during the events of ''Kingdom Hearts II''.<ref>''Kingdom Hearts II Ultimania'', p. 198</ref>
In ''Kingdom Hearts'', Leon's appearance is similar to his original appearance in ''Final Fantasy VIII'', but with several differences. He bears some resemblance to Tetsuya Nomura's original design for Squall Leonhart, sporting long, brown hair as opposed to the short hair he had in his original game. Leon retains the black gloves, black, zipper-lined shoes, a silver {{ff|Griever}} necklace, and a white undershirt that his ''Final Fantasy VIII'' incarnation had, and his short, black jacket is similar. Leon's jacket, however, lacks the fur collar, is short-sleeved, whereas Squall's sleeves were quite baggy, bears red wings on the back, presumably similar to {{ff|Rinoa Heartilly|Rinoa}}'s duster, and has a red Griever symbol on each shoulder.
Leon wears three brown belts on his left forearm and has three buckles on his right thigh, while he wore three black belts on his left thigh in ''Final Fantasy VIII''. Leon's black pants also sport a vertical zipper going down the side of each leg. Leon wears two brown belts and two black ones around his hips, all of which are quite loose except for one, a black one worn properly around his waist. In ''Final Fantasy VIII'', he only wore two brown belts. His eyes are blue and he bears his distinctive scar, which runs diagonally across the bridge of his nose.
In ''Kingdom Hearts II'', Leon's appearance changes slightly to match his original appearance more. His hair becomes a lighter shade of brown and shorter, and his bangs sweep to the left side of his face in the same manner as his hair in ''Final Fantasy VIII''. He also adds the white fur collar to his jacket that was absent in ''Kingdom Hearts''.
In both of his appearances, Leon wields his silver "Revolver" model Gunblade, complete with the Griever keychain.
==Personality==
When Sora first meets Leon, his personality is that of a withdrawn and quiet loner. Eventually, he opens up to become a more caring person, as seen as when he is worrying about Sora, Donald, and Goofy's safety in the aftermath of the Battle of the 1000 Heartless. Although appearing as sullen and brooding in ''Kingdom Hearts'', after returning home to Hollow Bastion in ''Kingdom Hearts II'', he seems to be more cheerful, is seen to be smiling more often, and also has a friendly rivalry with Cloud. Leon has also good leadership qualities which he displays throughout both games, as he leads the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee and is the only ''Final Fantasy'' character in the group to have originated in ''Final Fantasy VIII''.
==Abilities==
Leon may be mild-mannered outside of battle, but all gloves are off when faced with a tough opponent. Utilizing his gunblade to deal massive damage with various cutting combos, he wields the element of fire to some degree, able to shoot Firaga spells from his fingertips. When his HP dwindles, he can infuse his gunblade with energy, increasing his range and power.
Leon has access to several techniques originating from ''{{ff|Final Fantasy VIII}}'', including '''{{ff|Renzokuken}}''', a combo attack with his gunblade, '''{{ff|Rough Divide}}''', a jumping attack, and '''{{ff|Blasting Zone}}''', which infuses his gunblade with energy.
===''Kingdom Hearts II''===
Leon assists Sora when defending the gate at the [[Borough]] from the Nobodies, and later on the [[Ravine Trail]] before the [[Battle of 1000 Heartless]].
{{frm-abi-o|kh2|o=*}}
{{frm-abi|n=*|{{nihongo|'''Mow Down'''|なぎ払い|<br>Nagiharai}}|Leon swings his gunblade sideways, while turning himself.}}
{{frm-abi|n=*|{{nihongo|'''Firaga'''|ファイガ|<br>Faiga|lit. "Figa"}}|Leon attacks by shooting flames from his outstretched left hand.}}
{{frm-abi|n=*|{{nihongo|'''Renzokuken'''|連続剣|<br>Renzokuken|lit. "Continuous Sword"}}|Leon swings his gunblade left and right, then jumps and swings it down.}}
{{frm-abi|n=*|{{nihongo|'''[[Zone of Ruin]]'''|ブラスティングゾーン|<br>Burasutingu Zōn|lit. "Blasting Zone"}}|Leon makes his gunblade larger by infusing it with fighting spirit, and blows enemies away.}}
{{frm-c}}
==Origin==
[[File:Squall FFVIII.png|left|130px]]
Leon originated as {{ff|Squall Leonhart}}, the main protagonist in ''Final Fantasy VIII''. He is studying to become a full-fledged member of the mercenary force known as {{ff|SeeD}}, and specializes in the Gunblade, one of only two current cadets to do so. Ordinarily introverted to the point of seeming rude to others, he is forced to take a role of leadership as the world moves toward conflict, similar to his taking on leadership of the ''Final Fantasy'' characters in ''Kingdom Hearts'' after the fall of Radiant Garden. His scar still remains slashed across his face just as it did in ''Final Fantasy VIII'', but he is unaware of [[Seifer]] in [[Twilight Town]].
"Leon" shares his pseudonym with the English name of the ''Final Fantasy II'' character {{ff|Leon}}, whose original Japanese name is shared with Squall's surname, Leonhart.
{{-}}
==Notes and references==
{{reflist}}
{{KH1}}
{{COM}}
{{KH2}}
{{Coded}}
{{3RM}}
{{Party}}
{{Party}}
 
{{FFCharacters}}
[[Category: Characters]]
[[Category:Allies]]
[[Category: Final Fantasy]]
[[Category: Enemies]]
[[Category: Allies]]

Latest revision as of 08:01, 31 March 2024

This article is about the character.
You may be looking for the Gummi Ship Blueprint.
Squall Leonhart

Leon KHIIIRM.png

Japanese スコール・レオンハート
Rōmaji Sukōru Reonhāto
Other names Leon (レオン Reon?)
Voice actors (Ja:) Hideo Ishikawa
(En:) David Boreanaz [KH I]
Doug Erholtz [KH II], [KH III RM]
Homeworld Radiant Garden
Traverse Town
Origin Final Fantasy VIII
Games Kingdom Hearts
Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories
Kingdom Hearts II
Kingdom Hearts coded
Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind
Squall Leonhart

Kingdom Hearts
A swordsman who wields the Gunblade. His real name: Squall Leonhart. He escaped to Traverse Town when the Heartless raided his home world. To part with his old self, a man who had been helpless to stop them, he changed his name. Since meeting the king, who has been so vigilant against the Heartless, Leon has sought the truth behind the "key".

"Final Fantasy VIII"
Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories
A cool and collected swordsman who wields a gunblade. His real name: Squall Leonhart.

Leon once fought with Sora against the Heartless, but the Leon we met in Castle Oblivion is a product of Sora's memory, so he can't remember much of what happened before.
Kingdom Hearts II
Final Fantasy VIII

A swordsman who carries a gunblade. His real name is Squall Leonhart. He took the name Leon to distance himself from his past self — the man who stood helpless as Heartless invaded his home.

For some time he took refuge in a different town, but thanks in part to Sora's help, Leon was able to reclaim this, his hometown. Now he works tirelessly towards its restoration.
Kingdom Hearts Re:coded
A swordsman from Radiant Garden. When he was still a boy, his home was lost to darkness, and he was forced to flee with Cid and the other children to Traverse Town. He no longer uses his real name, a symbolic farewell to the little boy who was not strong enough.

Later, Leon would fight against the forces of darkness more than once, but thanks to Sora, he can now focus on rebuilding his home.
Kingdom Hearts Union χ
KH II Leon A/HD KH II Leon
KINGDOM HEARTS II (2005)
A swordsman with a gunblade. His real name is Squall Leonhart.

KH II Leon B
KINGDOM HEARTS II (2005)
A man who works tirelessly to restore his hometown.

Illustrated Leon
KINGDOM HEARTS (2002)
A swordsman with a gunblade. His real name is Squall Leonhart.

WORLD OF FF Squall
WORLD OF FINAL FANTASY (2016)
A Medal celebrating the collaboration with WORLD OF FINAL FANTASY.
Kingdom Hearts III
A young man who had fought the forces of darkness alongside Sora in the past. He sought to restore Hollow Bastion, his homeland, to its former glory as Radiant Garden.

His full name is Squall Leonhart.
"We may never meet again, but we'll never forget each other."
—Leon

Squall Leonhart is a supporting character in the Kingdom Hearts series and leader of both the Heartless Resistance and the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee. After the destruction of his world by the Heartless, he changed his name to "Leon" in an attempt to amend for his mistakes.

Squall was the main character of Final Fantasy VIII, in which he wields the notorious Gunblade.

Development[edit]

Leon, Aerith, Yuffie, and Cid were originally set to appear in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. They were ultimately removed from the game because, according to Nomura, there were already too many plot lines, and it would have become confusing.[1] Similarly, a model for Leon was partially completed for Kingdom Hearts III, but was scrapped before being finished because the inclusion of the Final Fantasy characters on top of the already large cast would have been too many characters.[citation needed]

Also, Tetsuya Nomura has stated in an interview that the main reason he had Squall change his name to "Leon" was in order to avoid spoiling the revelation of Squall's big role in Mickey's first letter to Donald.[citation needed] Also, Leon is shown to have the wings of Rinoa Heartilly, his lover from Final Fantasy VIII, on the back of his jacket, implying that something which specifically happened to her was a major factor in Leon changing his name.

Story[edit]

Between Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep and Kingdom Hearts[edit]

Squall Leonhart grew up in the paradise world of Radiant Garden until it was consumed by darkness. Ashamed and angry that he was unable to defend his home and his loved ones from the Heartless, Squall assumed the name of "Leon" in order to distance himself from his past, vowing never to use his real name until the Heartless are defeated and his world restored.

Leon awakened in Traverse Town along with the few fellow Radiant Garden refugees Yuffie, Aerith, and Cid, none of whom changed their names as Leon did. During his teenage years, Leon led the fight against the Heartless, effectively keeping an area of Traverse Town safe against Maleficent and the growing tide of Heartless. He was also known to travel between worlds in his Gummi Ship, assisting other refugees in peril and relocating them to Traverse Town. His actions did not go unnoticed, eventually gaining the attention and confidence of King Mickey, who was watching the growing battle warily.

Kingdom Hearts[edit]

Leon advises Sora to join Donald and Goofy.

Nine years after the fall of Radiant Garden, now named Hollow Bastion, when the wielder of the Keyblade was revealed, King Mickey ordered Goofy and Donald Duck to find Leon, trusting that Leon would inform them of the circumstance and help them find the wielder, Sora. It turned out, however, that Leon had already found Sora within the safe First District of Traverse Town, challenging and defeating Sora before dragging him to a room in one of Traverse Town's motels. There, Leon and Yuffie explained to Sora about the Heartless and his destiny as the Keyblade's chosen one. Uniting Sora with the newly arrived Donald and Goofy, Leon then sent them on their way.

When Sora, Donald, and Goofy returned to Traverse Town again seeking Leon's help, they find him in the Secret Waterway, underneath Merlin's house, training. Here he offers information about the Keyholes of each world that lead to the heart of the world. He explains that the Heartless are drawn to the heart's power and would corrupt it, thus causing the world to disappear. This is why Sora's Keyblade is so important, because it has the power to seal them from the Heartless.

Leon also gives Sora the Earthshine Gem, which contained the spirit of Simba, for luck. Later, after they move to the newly accommodated base, a previously abandoned house deep in Heartless territory, Leon and company tells Sora about Maleficent and about Ansem and his journal before once again, seeing Sora, Donald, and Goofy off.

Leon also gives Geppetto and Pinocchio a place to live after they escape from Monstro.

Leon and the gang say their goodbyes to Sora, Donald and Goofy.

After escaping from Hollow Bastion, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Kairi sought shelter with Leon's group in Traverse Town. Sora informs Leon of everything that had happened, prompting him to follow Sora and company when they left for the final battle with Maleficent in Hollow Bastion.

After Sora defeats the Behemoth Heartless that guards Hollow Bastion's Keyhole, Leon stands waiting to bid his farewells, for after Sora seals the heart of all worlds, Kingdom Hearts, the two groups might never see each other again.

Later, Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith can be seen wandering the Hollow Bastion Library, reading the books.

After Sora sealed Kingdom Hearts and returned the universe to its order, Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith are reunited with Cid and Cloud in Hollow Bastion.

Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories[edit]

After the defeat of Ansem, while skirmishing through Castle Oblivion, Sora, Donald, and Goofy later meet Leon and his friends in a memory-based version of Traverse Town. However, like the town itself, little did Sora and his party realize that Leon and his friends were actually the product of Sora's memories that were being manipulated by Naminé. Due to that, the Leon and his friends that Sora encounter have no memories of ever meeting Sora, but somehow know his name, which they could not explain how. Like the Leon from the first game, he nonetheless decides to help Sora and company, such as by teaching Sora the card-based system as well as providing the Simba and the Key of Guidance cards in order for Sora to proceed. Before Sora leaves, Leon ensures him that he will be okay; no matter what shape reality takes, and that while he may not remember Sora, he knows that he is in his heart.

Between Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts II[edit]

After the lost parts of Radiant Garden were liberated from the End of the World, Leon and his friends formed the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee to restore their world to its former glory. During the course of their work, they rebuilt much of the town and began reconstruction of Ansem the Wise's castle, removing much of the modified machinery that was added to it.[citation needed] Also, due to Naminé tampering with Sora's memory, Leon lost his memories of his former friend.

Kingdom Hearts II[edit]

By the time Sora makes his return to Hollow Bastion, Leon's memories had returned. Leon explains to Sora that they've been having problems with the Heartless as of late. The Organization appears and forces Leon and Sora to battle several Nobodies.

Leon and Cloud standing back to back during the Battle of the 1000 Heartless.

During the Battle of the 1000 Heartless, he, along with the rest of the Committee, helps Sora fight the Heartless on the Ravine Trail. He and Cloud are later seen back to back, surrounded by Heartless. They briefly exchange banter before charging at their enemies. The two later return to Hollow Bastion's outer wall and witness Sora's escape at the end of the battle.

By the time Sora, Donald, and Goofy visit again, the town is infested with Heartless from Space Paranoids. While Sora, Donald, and Goofy set off to Space Paranoids to help Tron, Leon goes to pick up the eradicator program that Cid has been working on to defeat the Master Control Program for good. With the help of Leon and Aerith in relaying the program to Tron, Sora's group eventually succeeds, and Tron is able to remind everyone of the town's true name: Radiant Garden.

After Sora and Riku return to Destiny Islands, he is seen in Merlin's house reading a letter that produces a pair of glowing wings, which then float towards the ceiling and vanish.

Kingdom Hearts Re:coded[edit]

After Data-Sora collects every Ending Card in Castle Oblivion, Data-Roxas allows him to open the final door and learn the truth behind the hurt. Right as Data-Sora moves to open the door, illusions of Leon and Yuffie appear to congratulate him for keeping Traverse Town safe, explaining that something urgent came up that they had to deal with. They express a wish to someday work alongside him, and give him a Debug Device: Y and a Heat Sink Belt before departing.

Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind[edit]

One year after Master Xehanort's defeat, Leon and other Restoration Committee members are seen inside Merlin's house trying to help Riku uncover any clues regarding the whereabouts of the missing Sora.

Other appearances[edit]

Dissidia Final Fantasy[edit]

Leon's appearances based on his outfit from Kingdom Hearts has appeared as an alternate costume for him in the Dissidia Final Fantasy series.

In Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy, his "Leon" outfit is available as downloadable content.

In Dissidia Final Fantasy NT, his "Sleeping Lion" outfit is available as downloadable content.

Design[edit]

Leon is twenty-five in Kingdom Hearts and twenty-six during the events of Kingdom Hearts II.[2]

In Kingdom Hearts, Leon's appearance is similar to his original appearance in Final Fantasy VIII, but with several differences. He bears some resemblance to Tetsuya Nomura's original design for Squall Leonhart, sporting long, brown hair as opposed to the short hair he had in his original game. Leon retains the black gloves, black, zipper-lined shoes, a silver Griever necklace, and a white undershirt that his Final Fantasy VIII incarnation had, and his short, black jacket is similar. Leon's jacket, however, lacks the fur collar, is short-sleeved, whereas Squall's sleeves were quite baggy, bears red wings on the back, presumably similar to Rinoa's duster, and has a red Griever symbol on each shoulder.

Leon wears three brown belts on his left forearm and has three buckles on his right thigh, while he wore three black belts on his left thigh in Final Fantasy VIII. Leon's black pants also sport a vertical zipper going down the side of each leg. Leon wears two brown belts and two black ones around his hips, all of which are quite loose except for one, a black one worn properly around his waist. In Final Fantasy VIII, he only wore two brown belts. His eyes are blue and he bears his distinctive scar, which runs diagonally across the bridge of his nose.

In Kingdom Hearts II, Leon's appearance changes slightly to match his original appearance more. His hair becomes a lighter shade of brown and shorter, and his bangs sweep to the left side of his face in the same manner as his hair in Final Fantasy VIII. He also adds the white fur collar to his jacket that was absent in Kingdom Hearts.

In both of his appearances, Leon wields his silver "Revolver" model Gunblade, complete with the Griever keychain.

Personality[edit]

When Sora first meets Leon, his personality is that of a withdrawn and quiet loner. Eventually, he opens up to become a more caring person, as seen as when he is worrying about Sora, Donald, and Goofy's safety in the aftermath of the Battle of the 1000 Heartless. Although appearing as sullen and brooding in Kingdom Hearts, after returning home to Hollow Bastion in Kingdom Hearts II, he seems to be more cheerful, is seen to be smiling more often, and also has a friendly rivalry with Cloud. Leon has also good leadership qualities which he displays throughout both games, as he leads the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee and is the only Final Fantasy character in the group to have originated in Final Fantasy VIII.

Abilities[edit]

Leon may be mild-mannered outside of battle, but all gloves are off when faced with a tough opponent. Utilizing his gunblade to deal massive damage with various cutting combos, he wields the element of fire to some degree, able to shoot Firaga spells from his fingertips. When his HP dwindles, he can infuse his gunblade with energy, increasing his range and power.

Leon has access to several techniques originating from Final Fantasy VIII, including Renzokuken, a combo attack with his gunblade, Rough Divide, a jumping attack, and Blasting Zone, which infuses his gunblade with energy.

Kingdom Hearts II[edit]

Leon assists Sora when defending the gate at the Borough from the Nobodies, and later on the Ravine Trail before the Battle of 1000 Heartless.

Abilities
Ability Description
Mow Down (なぎ払い
Nagiharai
?)
Leon swings his gunblade sideways, while turning himself.
Firaga (ファイガ
Faiga
?, lit. "Figa")
Leon attacks by shooting flames from his outstretched left hand.
Renzokuken (連続剣
Renzokuken
?, lit. "Continuous Sword")
Leon swings his gunblade left and right, then jumps and swings it down.
Zone of Ruin (ブラスティングゾーン
Burasutingu Zōn
?, lit. "Blasting Zone")
Leon makes his gunblade larger by infusing it with fighting spirit, and blows enemies away.

Origin[edit]

Squall FFVIII.png

Leon originated as Squall Leonhart, the main protagonist in Final Fantasy VIII. He is studying to become a full-fledged member of the mercenary force known as SeeD, and specializes in the Gunblade, one of only two current cadets to do so. Ordinarily introverted to the point of seeming rude to others, he is forced to take a role of leadership as the world moves toward conflict, similar to his taking on leadership of the Final Fantasy characters in Kingdom Hearts after the fall of Radiant Garden. His scar still remains slashed across his face just as it did in Final Fantasy VIII, but he is unaware of Seifer in Twilight Town.

"Leon" shares his pseudonym with the English name of the Final Fantasy II character Leon, whose original Japanese name is shared with Squall's surname, Leonhart.

Notes and references[edit]

  1. ^ Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Ultimania, Interviewer: "Zack appears at the Coliseum, but was there a reason why he is the only Final Fantasy character this time around?" / Tetsuya Nomura: "We wanted to have Cid and the gang in Radiant Garden, but that would have made the story go too far off track. The main story of Birth by Sleep is complicated enough as it is, so instead of making a lot of side roads, we concentrated on the main story. Which resulted in having no other Final Fantasy character but Zack make an appearance." Translation via Lissar.
  2. ^ Kingdom Hearts II Ultimania, p. 198