Never mind the zombies, Mr X, or Lady D. Resident Evil has a new ultimate adversary — Duolingo’s dreaded Owl.
For unknown reasons, Japan’s official Resident Evil social media account has begun posting pictures of the Duolingo Owl terrorising Leon S. Kennedy in a warped version of Resident Evil 2 (thanks, Automaton).
Here, the Duolingo Owl — or a buff, supersized version of it — can be seen replacing the menacing Mr X in images that have more than a whiff of AI about them. “Our new biological weapon,” the official Resident Evil account states, tagging in the official Duolingo Japan account. “Go. Spread language learning to the world.”
Picking up on the brandter, Duolingo Japan then replied with an image of the young Leon S. Kennedy pursued by its mascot, now wearing a Mr X-style hat. “Leon, you haven’t done today’s lesson, right?” the caption reads. Gulp.
Resident Evil then replied with an image of Leon using Duolingo to learn Spanish — a nod to the events of Resident Evil 4, which is set in rural Spain. The app even shows a lesson being set by one of the game’s infected ganados. “Story of my life,” reads the post’s accompanying text.
Concluding this bizarre saga, a final post from Duolingo Japan shows its mascot, again wearing Mr X’s hat, reaching out while standing in front of the burning Raccoon City Police Department. “I’ll chase you anywhere until everyone can play Resident Evil in English,” the post states.
レオン、今日のレッスンやってないよね？ https://t.co/5JnHIiAxDQ pic.twitter.com/a0oj39YSnV
— Duolingo(デュオリンゴ) | 日本公式🇯🇵 (@Duolingo_Japan) August 2, 2025
みんなが英語でバイオをプレイできるまで、どこでも追いかけるから https://t.co/ADgpeedEKs pic.twitter.com/F0EmFim8X5
— Duolingo(デュオリンゴ) | 日本公式🇯🇵 (@Duolingo_Japan) August 3, 2025
Why this is all happening is not clear — and Duolingo definitely did not exist back in 2004, when the events of Resident Evil 4 took place. But at a time where Resident Evil fans have been asking for an update on Leon, this is not what many had on their bingo cards.
Maybe this is why Leon is missing from Resident Evil Requiem? It’s not because he’s now too experienced an agent for a creepy horror game, as Capcom has argued — it’s because he’s still stuck somewhere, trying to learn Spanish, in order to sate Duolingo’s Owl.
Capcom recently claimed that Requiem will feature a long-awaited return to Resident Evil’s “overarching narrative” begun 30 years ago, following the launch of more recent games such as Resident Evil 7 and Resident Evil Village which focused on events set elsewhere. Here’s hoping the Owl doesn’t make an appearance.
Image credit: Duolingo / Capcom.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
