SAMURAI EDGE (Part 1) Prototype │Origin of the S.T.A.R.S. Custom Handguns (Resident Evil 2 Remake)

TL;DR

Joseph Kendo won the S.T.A.R.S. custom handgun contract by out-performing both Umbrella Corporation and his brother Robert in trials held in February 1998.

Key Points

• 1.The RPD issued strict design criteria in December 1996: 9x19mm parabellum rounds, 13+ round magazine, 3-dot fixed sights, 2-inch accuracy at 25 yards, double-action trigger, ambidextrous controls, and under 35 ounces unloaded.
• 2.Three competitors entered: legendary gunsmith Joseph Kendo (San Francisco), his brother Robert Kendo (Raccoon City shop owner), and Umbrella Corporation's Weapons R&D team — all submitting separate prototype designs.
• 3.Robert Kendo was immediately disqualified for deviating from the contract criteria; Umbrella's submission remains unknown; Joseph's Beretta 92F-based "Kendo Custom" achieved ¾-inch spread groups at 25 yards and survived 40,000 rounds, a drop test, and saltwater corrosion testing.
• 4.Joseph's Phase 2 prototype added front slide serrations, an extended slide stop, and a blued barrel and guide rod — appearing in RE2 Remake as the unlockable "Samurai Edge (Original Model)" with infinite ammo, earned by completing the game with an S rank.
• 5.The Phase 2 is also playable in Ghost Survivors mode as Robert Kendo's starting weapon in "No Time to Mourn," his chosen firearm for surviving the Raccoon City outbreak.