| Leo Kliesen | |
|---|---|
| Tekken character | |
 Leo Kliesen in Tekken 8 (2024) | |
| First game | Tekken 6 (2007) |
| Created by | Katsuhiro Harada[1] |
| Voiced by | Veronica Taylor (Tekken 6)[2] Philipp Zieschang (Tekken 7 – present)[3] |
| In-universe information | |
| Gender | Unknown[1] |
| Fighting style | Bajiquan |
| Origin | Germany |
| Nationality | German |
Leo Kliesen (Japanese: レオ・クリーゼン, Hepburn: Reo Kurīzen) is a character from the Tekken fighting game franchise by Bandai Namco Entertainment. First appearing in Tekken 6, they fight using Bajiquan, and have since appeared in every subsequent title in the series as well as the related manga, Tekken Comic. A young German child of a spelunker father and a corporate executive mother, they seek to solve their mother's murder. Created by series producer Katsuhiro Harada, Leo's gender is officially unknown, and the character was intended to appeal to both male and female audiences. Harada has said that Leo is not non-binary, stating that the character "would not want to be categorized as such." Originally voiced by Veronica Taylor, in later installments they were voiced in German by Philipp Zieschang.
Scholarly works have observed how players have reacted to the character due to their undisclosed gender status, and what this entailed in light of gender signifiers in fighting games amongst playable characters. While Leo is neither non-binary nor transgender, some have discussed how the character can be read as such. Leo has also been cited as a positive example of how to approach LGBTQ characters, seen as a subversion of both common tropes in games involving such characters as well as gender performance as a whole.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
museumwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Putri, Tiza (March 4, 2023). "Tekken 7: 7 Leo Kliesen Facts, The Cute Yet Dangerous Fighter". Dunia Games. Archived from the original on December 3, 2023. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
- ^ Navarrete, Jarren (January 26, 2024). "Tekken 8 Voice Actors and Cast". Sirius Gaming. Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024.