Resident Evil Requiem's Raccoon City Syndrome (Latent Onset T-Virus Syndrome) Explained

The latest Resident Evil: Requiem the trailer is packed with new details. Some deeper insight into villain Victor Gideon's experiments, hints at Grace's mysterious past, and the confirmation that Leon Kennedy is suffering from a mysterious infection were all put in the spotlight. As a result Resident Evil: Requiem looks like it could be one of the most ambitious entries in the series yet. With its dual protagonists and a blend of tense survival horror and in-your-face action, fans will get the best of both worlds.

As exciting as Leon's return is, his infection is definitely a reason to worry about his fate. Leon is infected with something called Latent On-Set T-Virus Syndrome, or Raccoon City Syndrome. Resident Evil: Requiems fourth trailer showed some of Leon's symptoms, confirming that he is in a race against time. Only a few details are known about Raccoon City Syndrome at the moment, but it's already clear that the disease is definitely no walk in the park.

Raccoon City Syndrome means Leon isn't just fighting zombies to survive

The Raccoon City outbreak is one of the most important parts of the Resident Evils lore, so expanding its importance through a late-onset illness related to the tragedy is a fascinating path for the story to take. That makes Leon's return to Raccoon City all the more poignant. No matter what Leon does, he cannot escape the events of Raccoon City. It is literally eating away at his body now, and he has no way of knowing if he will survive.

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Symptoms of Raccoon City Syndrome

Step 0: The virus lies dormant in the infected person's body.
Step 1: The virus is activated, resulting in the formation of black lesions on the body with discomfort and coughing.
Step 2: The black lesions eventually spread to the organs, and the affected parts of the body become numb.
Step 3: At this stage the disease becomes terminal. The black marks spread all over the body and are accompanied by intense pain that makes it difficult to move. This stage eventually leads to the infected person vomiting blood uncontrollably, with death occurring in less than two hours.

Leon has black marks, meaning he's probably around stage 1 or stage 2. Other than that, all that's really known is that he investigates deaths seemingly caused by the disease. In the opening of Trailer 4, Leon says, “It's six now. Six survivors of Raccoon City, all dead from the same thing.” Almost every Resident Evil the game has its mysteries to solve, but there's no denying how interesting and personal this is.

Leon probably isn't the only returning character with Raccoon City Syndrome either

Although her face has not been fully revealed yet, the woman speaking remotely to Leon appears to be Sherry Birkin. Leon wears gloves to hide his black injuries, and Sherry is also shown wearing gloves. This may suggest that she also suffers from Raccoon City Syndrome. She also says, “We're running out of time, Leon,” adding even more weight to the possibility that Leon is not only researching the disease for himself, but for Sherry as well.

Victor Gideon's experiments could lead to answers about how to survive Raccoon City Syndrome

A good one Resident Evil the story wouldn't be complete without some sort of connection to the Umbrella Corporation. Cue Victor Gideon, the main antagonist that Leon and Grace face. After Umbrella went under, Gideon purchased Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center to continue his experiments. Working directly on Umbrella's Tyrant Project, Gideon eventually discovered the latent T-Virus strain that is the culprit of Raccoon City Syndrome.

It appears that Rhodes Hill Chronic Care is where Leon and Grace will eventually cross paths. Gideon believes that Grace Ashcroft is the key to releasing the mysterious Elpis. Beyond Raccoon City Syndrome, Resident Evil: Requiem's Elpis is one of the biggest questions yet to be answered. Grace's blood is somehow the key to unleashing Elpis, and it's sure to be something scary.

Resident Evil: Requiem Tells a Story Nearly 30 Years in the Making

It's been 28 years since Leon's first day as a new recruit to the Racoon City Police Department. A lot has happened since then, and it feels like Resident Evil: Requiem will be a turning point for the series. Over the years have Resident Evil franchise has had a habit of leaving many plot threads hanging loose, and Requiem feels like it can finally get some things done. As Leon and Sherry deal with Raccoon City Syndrome nearly three decades later, they may not be the only familiar faces suffering from the disease.

There may still be more surprises for Resident Evil: Requiem

Leon and Sherry are back, but they definitely weren't the only comic book heroes present during the Raccoon City outbreak. Claire Redfield, Jill Valentine, Ada Wong, and Carlos Oliveira were all there too, so there's a chance they're all dealing with the latent T virus as well. IN Resident Evil 3Carlos gives an infected Jill the cure for the T virus, so it's most likely that she's safe. However, the same cannot be said about the others.

There are already theories that Leon will die in Resident Evil: Requiembut he could be a red herring. Leon confirms in Trailer 4 that six Raccoon City survivors have died from the disease, and those victims are hopefully not any of the aforementioned characters. Killing off such beloved characters off-screen would be incredibly controversial, so it's less likely. But the chance for old faces to return is still there. Thank goodness, the wait Resident Evil: Requiem is almost over, so all will be revealed soon.