Editing Squall Leonhart

{{Game|KH1|FM1|COM|REC|KH2|FM2|FA}}

{{InfoCharacter

|name=Leon (Squall Leonhart)

|image=[[Image:KH2Squall.jpg|250px|Leon as he appears in Kingdom Hearts II]]

|game=Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, Kingdom Hearts II

|kana=レオン

|romaji=''Reon''

|world=Radiant Garden]]

|world2=[[Traverse Town]] <small>(''KH'', ''COM'')</small>

|role=Ally (Assistance)

|first=[[wikipedia:Final Fantasy VIII|''Final Fantasy VIII'']]

|engvoice=[[wikipedia:David Boreanaz|David Boreanaz]] <small>(''KH'')</small><br>[[wikipedia:Doug Erholtz|Doug Erholtz]] <small>(''KHII'')</small>

|japvoice=[[wikipedia:Hideo Ishikawa|Hideo Ishikawa]]}}

{{Gallery}}

'''Leon''' is a supporting character in the ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'' series and leader of both the Heartless Resistance and the [[Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee]]. Originally he went by the name '''Squall Leonhart''', but due to his world being destroyed by the [[Heartless]], he changed his name in an attempt to amend for his mistakes. Leon is twenty-five years old at the beginning of ''[[Kingdom Hearts (game)|Kingdom Hearts]]'' and ''[[Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories]]'' and twenty-six during the events of ''[[Kingdom Hearts II]]''.

Squall was the main character of ''[[w:c:finalfantasy:Final Fantasy VIII|Final Fantasy VIII]]'', in which he wields the notorious Gunblade.  

==Journal Entries==

===''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''===

====Early Life====

Leon awakened in [[Traverse Town]] along with the few fellow Radiant Garden refugees [[Yuffie]], [[Aerith]], and [[Cid]], none of which changed their names as Leon did. During his teenage years, Leon formed the Heartless Resistance, 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.

Nine years after Radiant Garden's fall, which is now renamed as 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 either defeating the boy in a duel or being defeated before dragging Sora back to the resistance's hideout; 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.

Leon also gives Sora the [[Summon Items#Earthshine|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.

After escaping from Hollow Bastion, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and [[Kairi]] sought shelter with Leon's group in Traverse Town. Sora informed 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.<br />

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 (world)|Kingdom Hearts]], the two groups might never see each other again.

===''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.

In ''Kingdom Hearts II'', Leon is seen to be slightly more cheerful than he was in the original ''Kingdom Hearts'', as he and others are rebuilding their home. Leon is also the leader of the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee, which is composed of the returning ''Final Fantasy'' characters from the first ''Kingdom Hearts'' and Merlin. He fights alongside Sora in one of the fights near the beginning of the game, when Nobodies attempt to make a move on the city. [[Sleeping Lion]], a Keyblade in ''Kingdom Hearts II'', is another reference to Squall.

During the [[Battle of the 1000 Heartless]], he, along with many other characters, helps Sora fight the Heartless on the Ravine Trail in Hollow Bastion, later named Radiant Garden.

By the time they 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. They eventually succeed, and Tron is able to remind everyone of the town's true name.

During the game's end credits, he is seen in Merlin's house, reading a letter.

Leon plays the largest role of any ''Final Fantasy'' character in ''Kingdom Hearts II'' storywise, is the only ''Final Fantasy'' character that has relations to King Mickey, and works very closely to Sora and company. Leon is also the only ''Final Fantasy'' character in the game to come face to face with [[Organization XIII]] and fight the Nobodies. He seems to be a good friend to both Cloud and Aerith.

==Appearance==

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 [[w:c:finalfantasy:Griever|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 a reference to [[w:c:finalfantasy:Rinoa Heartilly|Rinoa]]'s duster, and has a red Griever symbol on each shoulder.  

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, mirroring the character development of the original Squall Leonhart of ''Final Fantasy VIII'', who himself began as a brooding and unconcerned loner but eventually became a caring friend and leader thanks to his friends. Leon also stands out from the other ''Final Fantasy'' characters in the series. For example, Leon leads the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee and is the only ''Final Fantasy'' character in the group to have originated in ''Final Fantasy VIII'', whereas all of the others originiated in ''Final Fantasy VII''.

==Fighting Style==

{{Main|Leon (Boss)}}

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. When his HP dwindles, he uses a desperation attack that causes his Gunblade, to enlarge drastically, which allows him to deal much more damage.

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 is unaware of [[Seifer]] in [[Twilight Town]]. In ''Kingdom Hearts II'', the fur on his jacket is seen just as it was in ''Final Fantasy VIII'', however, it is unseen in the first ''Kingdom Hearts''.

"Leon" shares his pseudonym with the English name of the ''Final Fantasy II'' character [[w:c:finalfantasy:Leon|Leon]], whose original Japanese name is shared with Squall's surname, namely "Leonhart".

[[Category: Allies]]

[[Category:Somebody]]