Leon S. Kennedy has worn a lot of weird stuff over the last two decades. We’ve seen him in tactical vests, R.P.D. blues, and even a pirate costume if you count the more recent DLC shenanigans. But nothing—absolutely nothing—hits quite like the Resident Evil 4 original mob outfit. It’s ridiculous. It's stylish. It is peak 2005 Capcom.
If you played the original RE4 back on the GameCube, you probably remember the grind to get it. You didn't just buy this with a credit card on a storefront. You had to earn it. Specifically, you had to beat the "Separate Ways" mini-campaign featuring Ada Wong. Once you did, Leon swapped his iconic shearling jacket for a pinstripe suit, a fedora, and a red scarf. He looked less like a federal agent and more like he was ready to shake down the Los Illuminados for protection money.
The mechanics of the Resident Evil 4 original mob outfit
The suit wasn't just a cosmetic change. That’s what people often forget. In the original 2005 release and the subsequent HD ports, equipping "Special Costume 2" changed the actual gameplay loop. Most notably, it altered the Chicago Typewriter.
If you’re wearing the Resident Evil 4 original mob outfit and you have the Chicago Typewriter equipped, Leon’s reload animation changes completely. Instead of a standard magazine swap, he adjusts his fedora. If you keep hitting the reload button, he performs a little flourish, tossing the hat into the air and catching it. It’s a small detail, but it added a layer of personality that felt earned. It made the "Professional" difficulty run feel like a victory lap rather than a desperate struggle for survival.
Ashley Graham got a massive buff from this costume set too. While Leon was playing dress-up as a 1930s gangster, Ashley was put into a literal suit of medieval armor. This made her invincible. Ganados would try to pick her up, groan under the weight, and drop her immediately. They couldn't hurt her. You could basically use her as a human shield or a doorstop. It changed the entire strategy of the Water Room, turning one of the most stressful encounters in gaming history into a comedic cakewalk.
Why the pinstripes worked so well
Visually, the suit popped against the drab, muddy browns of the Spanish village. The original Resident Evil 4 had a very specific color palette. It was bleak. Grimy. Then here comes Leon in a sharp, high-contrast pinstripe suit. It was jarring in the best way possible.
Capcom designers like Shinji Mikami and the team at Production Studio 4 always had a knack for "cool." They knew that by the time a player reached their second or third playthrough, the horror had faded. The player was now the predator. The Resident Evil 4 original mob outfit signaled that shift in power. You weren't hiding from Dr. Salvador anymore; you were hunting him with an infinite-ammo submachine gun while looking like Al Capone.
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Comparing the original to the remake version
The 2023 remake handled things a bit differently. While the "Villain" and "Hero" DLC outfits are cool, fans immediately looked for the classic "Mafia" look. It’s there, but the vibe has shifted. In the remake, the outfit is part of the "Extra DLC Pack."
Some purists argue the remake version loses a bit of the soul. In the 2005 original, the suit felt like a secret. In 2023, it's a menu toggle you might have paid $15 for. However, the remake does keep the fedora trick. If you have the Chicago Sweeper (the remake's version of the Typewriter) and the suit, you can still do the hat flick. It’s a nice nod to the legacy of the Resident Evil 4 original mob outfit, proving that Capcom knows exactly what the fans want to see.
The physics are better now, obviously. The way the coat tails move as Leon sprints through the Castle is technically superior. But there's a certain charm to the blocky, stiff textures of the PS2 and GameCube era that the remake can't quite replicate.
Tactical advantages you might have missed
A lot of players think the suit is just for show, but in the original game's code, there were subtle interactions. For instance, the "Special Costume 2" set is the only way to make Ashley truly "set and forget."
- You can leave her in the middle of a crowd of zealots.
- She won't take splash damage from your grenades.
- You can fire the Rocket Launcher near her without a Game Over.
This effectively turns Leon into a solo character. It removes the "escort mission" DNA from the game. For speedrunners or people just looking to blow off steam, the Resident Evil 4 original mob outfit paired with the Knight armor was the ultimate "God Mode" combo.
The cultural impact of Leon's gangster look
It’s hard to overstate how much this outfit influenced the Resident Evil community. Go to any major gaming convention today and you will see a Leon Kennedy. Half of them are in the jacket. The other half? They're wearing the suit.
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It became a meme before memes were even a thing. People would record videos of Leon doing the hat flick over the corpses of bosses like Salazar or Saddler. It was the ultimate "disrespect" move. Honestly, it’s one of the reasons RE4 stayed in the public consciousness for so long. The game didn't take itself too seriously. It knew when to be scary and when to let the player have a bit of campy fun.
The Resident Evil 4 original mob outfit represents a time when unlockables were substantial. Nowadays, we get a gold weapon skin or a different colored shirt. Back then, you got an entirely new animation set and a partner who was immune to bullets.
How to unlock it today (Original Version)
If you're playing the HD remaster on PC, PS4, or Xbox One, the process remains the same as it was in the mid-2000s. You can't just find it in the shop.
- First, you must complete the main story once on any difficulty.
- This unlocks the "Separate Ways" campaign.
- Finish all five chapters of Ada's mission.
- The game will notify you that "Special Costume 2" is now available.
- Start a New Game Plus and select "Special 2" when prompted.
It's a bit of a time investment. You're looking at maybe 15 to 20 hours of gameplay if it's your first time. But the payoff of seeing Leon adjust his hat while mowing down a Ganado with a drum-mag Tommy gun is worth every second.
Why it remains the gold standard for costumes
The Resident Evil 4 original mob outfit works because it changes the tone without breaking the game's internal logic. Leon is a government agent, sure, but he’s also a bit of a dork. He makes one-liners. He does backflips. A 1930s mobster outfit fits his "action hero" persona perfectly.
It also served as a reward for mastery. By the time you unlocked it, you had mastered Leon's movement and Ada's grapple-hook gameplay. You knew the maps. You knew where the snakes were hiding in the crates. The suit was your trophy.
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I’ve spent hundreds of hours in the various versions of RE4. I’ve done the "no merchant" runs and the "handgun only" challenges. But my favorite way to play will always be the "Mobster Run." There is something fundamentally satisfying about the clink of Ashley’s armor hitting the floor and the snap of Leon’s brim.
Final Thoughts for Completionists
If you are jumping back into the original game to experience this, pay attention to the cutscenes. Most of the real-time cutscenes in the original version (specifically on GameCube and the later PC/PS4 ports) will actually render Leon in the suit. However, some of the pre-rendered FMVs—especially on the older PS2 version—will awkwardly snap Leon back into his default gear. It’s a funny technical limitation of the time.
The Resident Evil 4 original mob outfit isn't just a skin. It's a piece of gaming history that marks the transition of Resident Evil from pure survival horror into the "Action-Horror" titan it became. It’s a reminder that games are allowed to be goofy, even when you're fighting for the fate of the world.
Next Steps for Players:
Check your save files to see if you’ve actually finished "Separate Ways." Many players skip it, thinking it's just a side story, but it’s the only way to get the suit in the original game. If you're on the Remake, head to the "Extra Content Shop" in the main menu to see if you have the points to buy the "Mafia" version, then equip the Chicago Sweeper to test out the secret reload animations for yourself. Focus on mastering the timing of the hat flick; it takes three consecutive reloads with a full magazine to get the final "toss and catch" animation.