Does Leon meet Sherry?

As a long-time Resident Evil fan and content creator, one of my favorite character dynamics that endures across core series entries is the profound bond between Leon S. Kennedy and Sherry Birkin. First encountering each other as survivors of the nightmarish 1998 Raccoon City outbreak, Leon and Sherry‘s paths have crossed during pivotal moments in subsequent global biohazard threats.

In examining the history and depth of Leon Kennedy and Sherry Birkin‘s relationship across numerous Resident Evil games, a layered mutually protective bond emerges – one that many see as a resonant father-daughter dynamic born from shared trauma.

Surviving the Raccoon City Outbreak Together (Resident Evil 2)

Leon S. Kennedy first meets Sherry Birkin amidst the burning ruins and T-virus chaos consuming Raccoon City in September 1998. Leon is an idealistic 21 year old rookie cop starting his first day on the force when reports of attacks and rotting undead consume the city. As one of the campaign‘s two playable protagonists alongside college student Claire Redfield, Leon commits to protecting and guiding civilians to safety while confronting the mysterious outbreak head-on.

In the fourth survivor-centric scenario "Leon‘s Story B", Leon discovers Sherry Birkin hiding in the gutted Raccoon Police station. This cute blonde twelve year old is the daughter of wealthy scientists and Umbrella Corporation virologists William and Annette Birkin.

The once picturesque Midwestern city became a violent zombie-infested wasteland virtually overnight due to a freak accident releasing Umbrella‘s deadly BOW (Bio Organic Weapon) virus experiments into the population. Prior to the city‘s total collapse, Annette Birkin tries fleeing with young Sherry once Annette understands the scope of Umbrella‘s horrific illegal activities brewing under Raccoon City.

Tragically during their escape, Annette receives mortal gunshot wounds following a confrontation with her increasingly unstable husband William. Driven violently insane after injecting himself with a new G-virus samples, the mutated William Birkin ambushes Sherry and viciously impregnates her abdomen with a parasitic embryo. This renders sweet, innocent Sherry as the only known active G-virus carrier by the time Leon Kennedy discovers her.

Being the sole caretakers of this prepubescent bio weapon turns Leon and Claire‘s escape plans into a dramatic race protecting Sherry‘s well-being across the disaster constantly unfolding in Raccoon City and its outskirts. As they face wave after wave of mutated virus-altered creatures, a special protective bond forms between battle-hardened Leon and the orphaned, tormented Sherry despite their limited interactions.

Sherry Birkin nestles safely next to Leon in an art piece underscoring Leon‘s protective role even as danger lurks in the shadows around them.

Loyally Leon guides the mutating Sherry while Claire pursues other pieces of the cure right up until they finally escape the smoldering zombie nightmare that was Raccoon City before government firebombs destroy it. As Leon and Sherry wait for evacuation, he comforts her still shaken and weak form promising that it‘s all over – he will get his "new friend" the help she desperately needs from here on out. Their survival and escape marks Resident Evil 2‘s canonical "best" ending showcasing humanity and bonds enduring even in such dire scenarios.

For many Resident Evil fans, Leon assuming a brave fatherly protector role for the orphaned Sherry highlights his noble character especially given her own father William Birkin repeatedly tries murdering her once his obsession with G-virus power corrupts him entirely.

Despite William‘s vile actions, young Sherry still agonizes watching Leon and Claire gun down her monstrous father underscoring the ever present theme of twisted family ties in the midst of biohazard chaos so prevalent throughout the franchise‘s winding mythology. It is here, surrounded by burning rubble and deleted files, that Leon and Sherry‘s fates become forever intertwined by shared trauma.

After Raccoon City – Government Custody and Bio Weapon Suppression

Following their escape, the US government immediately detains both Sherry Birkin and Leon Kennedy given their first hand experiences with Umbrella‘s virus outbreak and status as witnesses. As the sole known "stable" G-virus carrier, twelve year old Sherry is taken into protective custody and essentially vanishes from any public records. She becomes a highly-classified state secret with tissue and blood samples rigorously analyzed for weapons and vaccine research.

During this mysterious period, it is likely Leon maintained covert contact with young Sherry and followed news of her condition given files in Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles confirming Leon “keeps tabs” on Sherry following Raccoon City. But broader information on Leon and Sherry‘s interactions post-Resident Evil 2 remain undisclosed.

Leon himself goes onto become an agent for a Branch of the US government aimed at suppressing bio terrorist activity and guarding against further biological attacks especially targeting remnants of the ruined Umbrella Corporation. This commitment plus Sherry‘s enforced isolation means fifteen long years pass before their disparate mission paths shockingly intertwine once again.

Emotional Reunion Amidst Disaster in Resident Evil 6

Leon S. Kennedy and adult Sherry Birkin experience an intense emotional reunion under turmoil when the global C-virus pandemic infiltrates Tall Oaks in Resident Evil 6 (2012).

As a top agent in the Division of Security Operations (D.S.O.), Leon spearheads investigating and containing the latest BOW scourge unleashed by Neo-Umbrella bioterrorists. He re-teams up with university pal Claire Redfield whose human rights NGO TerraSave responds to biohazard threats. The two former Raccoon City survivors barely have time to commemorate past horrors when the contagious virus outbreak claims thousands in the US including President Adam Benford.

Box art for Resident Evil 6 featuring Leon‘s shocked reunion with adult Sherry Birkin

Amidst investigating sinister National Security Advisor Derek C. Simmons‘ potential involvement in this conspiracy, Leon encounters disciplined DSO agent "Agent Birkin" who turns out to be the adult incarnation of Sherry. Both are clearly stunned to reunite under such tumultuous circumstances underscoring the years and trauma still haunting them both.

Twenty seven year old Sherry Birkin transformed from a vulnerable, exploited child into a resolute government operative determined to use her powers for good especially after the kindnesses showed to her by Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield. Having successfully suppressed the G-virus mutations in her body, adult Sherry gained superhuman regenerative abilities making her uniquely capable of surviving the front lines of gruesome biohazard incidents. Sherry herself admits to Leon that she became an agent to honor his inspirational example.

Leon could barely believe his eyes seeing Sherry fully grown and a survivor just like himself. Throughout Resident Evil 6, their emotional reunion fuels a powerful teamwork with Sherry saving Leon‘s life multiple times against Neo-Umbrella‘s lethal BOW experiments. In turn, Leon provides anchor support amidst government betrayal from Simmons, softening Sherry‘s shell of hardness built up over traumatic years embraced by the state apparatus.

By fighting side by side, Leon and Sherry organically reconnect their paternal dynamic last kindled during Raccoon City‘s collapse. Their tangible history accentuates the narrative evoking how bonded souls never truly lose one another even when the world burns down around them.

Fan art dramatizing Leon‘s shock atgrown up Sherry by artist JunnyJunky

Leon Kennedy and Sherry Birkin – A Relationship Anchored in Family Bonds and Protection

The depth of Leon S Kennedy and Sherry Birkin‘s connection blooming innocently under Raccoon City‘s corpses to its poignant rekindling amidst fresh viral horrors in Resident Evil 6 spawns much analysis. As one of the few genuine emotional cornerstones in the series outside Claire Redfield, many fans celebrate Leon and Sherry representing an oasis of heart and heroism throughout the morally bleak universe of bioterrorism.

Undoubtedly these two characters symbolically adopted one another as family the night William Birkin died. Leon‘s innate goodness assumes responsibility for safeguarding his cop partner’s orphaned child whereas sweet Sherry sees her photography of Leon as the frame for a new family.

Sherry is the only person in the series who ever explicitly calls Leon a “father” figure – underscoring how trauma bonded them with profound strength. And Leon visibly beams with intense pride seeing the formidable woman Sherry grew into thanks to his love and inspiration.

Numerous emotional art pieces from fans metaphorize Leon embracing his role as Sherry‘s devoted father figure while highlighting their phenomenally positive character growths over fifteen tortured years.

While no canonical romantic relationship exists between Leon and Sherry, their nurturing father-daughter dynamic brings real spiritual depth and hope to PlayerChris Redfield Biohazard‘s sprawling epic.

Fan art by Escafloune on Steam emphasizing Leon and Sherry‘s strong father-daughter bond

Leon S. Kennedy‘s Tension Filled Dynamic with Ada Wong

As a side note, Leon S. Kennedy does share a sexually tense chemistry with unscrupulous spy Ada Wong starting from their perplexing encounter in Resident Evil 2. Ada‘s waxing and waning duplicity against Leon based on shadow contacts paired with her unrelenting allure for him makes analyzing Ada and Leon‘s connection its own complex study for another time.

Suffice to say, Ada Wong operates in moral shades of gray compared to Sherry‘s journey towards moral certitude. And Leon romantically fixating on Ada despite her criminal duplicity suggests Leon seeks emotionally dangerous relationships contrasting the familial stability Sherry represents.

Ada Wong ultimately cares far more about high stakes corporate espionage compared to humanity itself whereas Leon and Sherry devote their lives to defending innocents from the viral horrors Ada’s employers ruthlessly inflict. This dynamic encapsulates the unstable liquidity of moral choices confronting people amidst utter inhumanity.

Conclusions – An Iconic Bond 20+ Years Running

In conclusion, Leon S. Kennedy and Sherry Birkin‘s serendipitous bond crystallizing as Raccoon City crucified their pasts only to reconnect with majestic scope years later functions as one of Resident Evil‘s most emotionally striking character dynamics. As survivors of intertwined sacrifice and horrors, their tender affection and loyalty towards one another channels the games‘ strongest themes of love enduring throughout humankind‘s bleakest hours.

One cannot overstate the immense importance of Sherry Birkin and by extension Leon Kennedy retaining their moral compasses despite unending trauma and global toxicity. Like the innocence of childhood itself, their relationship‘s very existence spells hope.

And as the Resident Evil franchise passes its 25th anniversary in 2021, Leon and Sherry‘s profound connection persists as a pivotal reminder of light overpowering the encroaching darkness through unbreakable bonds both within families and within our shared humanity itself.