Robert Kendo

Robert "Bob" Kendo (ロバート・ケンド、) was a Japanese-American owner of the Kendo Gun Shop in Raccoon City. He was a close friend of Special Tactics And Rescue Service member Barry Burton, and helped to create custom guns for Barry and the other S.T.A.R.S. members.

Biography
Both Robert and his brother, Joseph, were involved in the gun market - Robert being the salesman, and Joseph being a gunsmith. Together they developed the Beretta 92F S.T.A.R.S. Special, otherwise known as the "Samurai Edge". The Samurai Edge may have been an order from S.T.A.R.S. officer Barry Burton, a personal friend of Robert's.

Following the spread of the t-Virus into the water supply and the mass appearance of Zombies on September 25, 1998, Robert handed out the majority of his gun stock to civilians as protection. He felt guilty in doing so, as the Raging Bull Barry had ordered was given to the crowd. He nonetheless remained hopeful of his chances of survival; expecting Barry to come looking for him, he left a note detailing his planned escape to the nearby town, Stone Ville. As the days went by and the civilians disappeared, Robert took to hiding behind the counter of the store, unwilling to even lock the door in case it alerted the Zombies.

Death
On September 29, 1998, Claire Redfield entered the store on her way to the Raccoon City Police Department. Robert was initially shocked to find a survivor, but calmed down and locked the door to offer a level of protection before explaining the situation. His fears of the shop front were found correct, as four Zombies following Claire broke through the window and killed him.

Reimagining
In the 2019 remake, Kendo first encounters Leon and Ada when entering his store. Believing them to be intruders, Robert aims his shotgun at Leon however the encounter is interrupted by Robert's daughter, whom is quickly revealed to be infected. Ada attempts to kill his daughter much to Robert's objection however Ada is stopped by Leon. Robert then takes his daughter inside while demanding privacy. Following which, a gunshot is heard Robert's fate ambiguous.

Further notes

 * Robert Kendo did not appear in Hideki Kamiya's script for Resident Evil 2, now referred to as "BIOHAZARD 1.5". He does share the skin of an otherwise unrelated character from that build called "John".
 * In the Wildstorm/DC Comics prequel to Resident Evil 2, entitled Raccoon City R.I.P., Kendo sells a weapon to Ben Bertolucci, as well as another man, Jorge. The letter refers to him as "George".
 * His nationality was confirmed in Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles, through the archive files.
 * Rather than meeting a still alive-and-well Robert Kendo in The Darkside Chronicles, Leon and Claire instead discover him already being devoured by zombies when they reach the gun store.
 * In the Resident Evil 2 preview disc, there are some unused backgrounds of Chief Brian Irons' office. While mostly incomplete, they feature Robert Kendo sitting at Irons' desk with a dead female zombie in front of him on the desk.
 * After Robert meets his untimely death in the gun shop, the player can obtain a weapon from his body. While playing as Claire, the player will find a Bow Gun. While playing as Leon, the player will receive a Remington M1100-P. In both scenarios, Robert fires his weapon in the prior cutscene, leaving less ammo in the chamber (1 for the Remington, 3 for the Bow Gun).
 * Grabbing either weapon from Robert's corpse prevents the player from encountering the zombified Brad near the RPD's entrance.