The Samurai Edge was a custom made version of the 9mm Beretta 92F created for S.T.A.R.S.. It was sold in Kendo's Gun Shop, owned by Robert Kendo, and designed/created by his brother Joseph. It was equipped as a standard Handgun by all S.T.A.R.S. members.
Weapon history
First commissioned in December of 1996, the Samurai Edge was built on the request of the R.P.D. during the formation of the S.T.A.R.S. unit. The Samurai Edge was built under a very strict set of requirements:
- It had to be chambered for the same 9mm Luger cartridge as the regular R.P.D.'s Standard issue Beretta 92F.
- It had to have a magazine capacity of at least 13 rounds.
- It had to have fixed sights and dotted posts.
- It had to be capable of producing at least a 2 inch grouping within 25 yards. with no variation after 3,000 rounds.
- It had to be capable of double-action fire.
- It had to be ambidextrous.
- When unloaded, its weight could not exceed 35 ounces.
After almost a year of experiments and trials; Police Chief Brian Irons approved the Samurai Edge concept in Feburary of 1998. The prototypes were tested by certain S.T.A.R.S. members, namely Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, Barry Burton, and Albert Wesker. After receiving a few further adjustments, the completed Samurai Edge was first issued in June.
The final version of the Samurai Edge hosted a wide range of features not present on the standard 92F. The wraparound grip panels were enlarged and extended below the magazine foot, and consisted of wood with synthetic recoil-absorbing inserts on the side panels and backstrap. This grip design also required replacing the hammer spring cap (which normally would have a lanyard ring on the end). Further modifications include a heavier Brigadier slide (allowing it to withstand the use of higher pressure rounds), target sights, an extended slide catch, and a stainless steel barrel. Kendo also emblazoned each handgun with the S.T.A.R.S. logo, placed upon the left side of the slide below the ejection port and on a medallion in the center of each grip panel.
Current Status
Wesker points the Samurai Edge at Chris.
After the Arklay Mountains incident, the Spencer Mansion incident & the viral outbreak/destruction of Raccoon City, most of the Samurai Edge handguns were presumably lost or destroyed. With the S.T.A.R.S teams disbanded, these uniquely modified weapons would have no longer been utilized by any paramilitary group. However, surviving S.T.A.R.S members may still have a Samurai Edge - Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, Barry Burton and Rebecca Chambers all lived through the incidents caused by the actions of Umbrella, but it should be noted that Chris did not have his Samurai Edge once the S.T.A.R.S. Team arrived at the Mansion. It is reasonable to assume that he dropped it while being chased and was unable to retrieve it. During Resident Evil 5, Wesker is still seen using this variant during various cutscenes. He saved it to kill his old comrade in S.T.A.R.S., Chris, who recognized the gun when aimed upon by it and gave Wesker an angry stare, remembering his treachery. It is available to the player to use when playing as Wesker in his S.T.A.R.S. attire during The Mercenaries mini game and Versus Mode. Canonically, Wesker loses his Samurai Edge in the cargo bay of his bomber near the end of Resident Evil 5, and it is presumed that he did not retrieve it before the bomber crashed into the volcano.
Design variations
Different members of S.T.A.R.S. were known to add further customizations based on their personal preferences and their time in S.T.A.R.S. These details, as well as the history of the weapon itself, were outlined in the manual for the Marui Samurai Edge replicas. Unfortunately, this manual was only ever printed in Japanese, and all available translations reveal a heavy use of common, and often incorrect, technical terms, as well as several areas where the descriptions are almost incoherent. What follows is an interpretation of the information outlined in the manual, as well as other relevant information.
Chris Model
Chris' Samurai Edge
Chris' Samurai Edge had been upgraded with a blued finish slide and a silver trigger. In addition minor internal modifications were done to make it a competition-capable weapon, such as a medium-weight slide and adjusted trigger pull.
Jill Model
Jill's Samurai Edge has been upgraded with a silver trigger and magazine, a standard sized slide-stop lever, and the logo on the grip is a much brighter shade of blue.
Barry Model
Barry Burton's custom Samurai Edge handgun (Notice the red S.T.A.R.S. logo instead of the traditional blue.)
Barry Burton had a heavily customized version of the "Samurai Edge." It fired .40 S&W caliber bullets and featured a longer barrel and compensator for increased accuracy and stability. In Resident Evil, it is available to Chris and Jill as an unlockable weapon, and it has unlimited ammunition. It is also available to Barry as part of his weapon load-out in Mercenaries Reunion in Resident Evil 5. It's noteworthy that this Samurai Edge is not based on a 92FS like the other versions of the weapon, but rather a 96F (although during Mercenaries Reunion, it chambers the 9x19mm round instead of .40). It is unlocked for the main game in REmake after completing the main game in 5hr or less in the normal or hard mode; saves/first aid sprays are irrelevant.
Wesker Model
Albert Wesker's custom Samurai Edge
Albert Wesker's weapon is the most heavily modified Samurai Edge, with the exception of the Barry Model. Wesker's Samurai Edge has the lower frame and takedown lever replaced with Inox (stainless steel) parts, in addition to a skeleton hammer and Brigadier sights. Interestingly, Wesker is seen using this design throughout both the remake and Umbrella Chronicles, with the exception to the opening cutscene to "The Mansion Incident" and during the player's first encounter with Sergei. Wesker's handgun also features either an integrated Vertec style accessory rail on the bottom of the frame, as well as a beavertail horn—a feature that was introduced on the 92 platform (during the
design stages of the 92 Combat), but never put into production.
The Samurai Edge manual also mentions that "A large removable silencer [which mutes sound sufficiently] can be mounted directly to the frame in a one-touch motion. The silencer type installs directly into the barrel, but accuracy doesn't worsen because a brake is not used on shorter recoil." Wesker is never seen using this feature outside of the Samurai Edge Manual.
In Resident Evil 5, Wesker's Samurai Edge is seen with a Laser Aiming Module (LAM) unit attached to the frame. Wesker's Samurai Edge is also seen in cutscenes as he points the gun to Chris. This accessory is also seen on the Samurai Edge that comes with Hot Toys' 12-inch figure release of Wesker.
Rebecca Model
With the exception of a green S.T.A.R.S. logo on the grip, Rebecca Chamber's Samurai Edge is unmodified past the original Kendo design. This is probably due to her having been in S.T.A.R.S. for less time than her teammates. However, it is possible for the player to modify Rebecca's Samurai Edge even further, since a scope attachment, which increases the chances of a critical shot, can be found in a duralumin case in the Umbrella Research Center basement.
Other S.T.A.R.S. Members
It is presumed that the rest of the S.T.A.R.S. members also used unmodified Samurai Edges. It should be noted that during the intro movie of Resident Evil Zero, S.T.A.R.S. Bravo Team (including Rebecca) all have lights attached to the frame of their Samurai Edges. However no such attachment is ever used or seen ingame, nor does Alpha Team have this attachment during the intro of Resident Evil Remake. It should also be noted that during the RE Remake intro, Albert Wesker can clearly be seen holding a flashlight in his left hand while searching for Bravo Team. This is strange considering Wesker's Samurai Edge is one of the two in the series that has a confirmed rail.
Gallery
Further notes
Brad Vickers Model
An unlicensed Brad Vickers variation was also released onto the market. It has a compensator, like Barry Burton's. The fact that they have compensators is similar, but the look is different. Brad's compensator looks like the compensator from the film, The Punisher. This Variant has PTP Grips (Ergonomic) with Samurai Edge logo on it. Also, with silver body, and magazine.
- Tokyo Marui, an airsoft company, produced a "BioHazard" line based on Resident Evil that included Barry's Samurai Edge, Jill and Chris' Samurai Edges labeled as "Last Escape" models, and a "Samurai Edge Standard", the only one still in production. The general grip design has also been widely copied by other airsoft manufacturers, most notably by HFC for their "M190" pistol series.
- Another airsoft company, CYMA, also released several Samurai Edge airsoft replicas. One is a full sized, spring powered handgun that includes a plethora of accessories (many of which were never featured in Resident Evil), while the other is a "Super Deformed" version. Both are of notoriously poor quality.
- A new company (according to most online retailers, HK; others, WE) made full-metal Samurai Edge replicas of good quality and lower cost than Tokyo Marui's offerings. They have all the correct markings; with slight difference in the blue color in the logo on the grip panels. A silver-slide version is available as well as the normal unmodified Samurai Edge. Externally, the metallic slide (assumed to be aluminum until proven to be zinc alloy) and frame makes them superior to the Tokyo Marui standard Samurai Edge. They are also 100% compatible with Tokyo Marui parts, making it possible to install new parts to replicate the custom versions of Samurai Edge, or simply make the gun more reliable.
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