M-23 Katana

The M-23 Katana Shotgun is a shotgun in Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3.

Description
Common military shotgun. Deadly at short range, but ineffective at long range. Very effective versus shields and biotic barriers, but weak versus armor.

Manufactured by Ariake Technologies, the Katana is a common mercenary weapon and is also popular on colonies with Varren infestations.

Acquisition
Automatically granted on Freedom's Progress if Shepard is of the Soldier or Vanguard class, or if Shepard has Shotgun advanced training.

Squad Use
This weapon can be used by Grunt, Jack, Jacob and Tali.

Player Notes

 * With the availability of the M-22, the M-23 Katana is essentially obsolete from the beginning of the game.
 * That being said, the Katana may still be preferred by Vanguards and Soldiers with shotgun-oriented playstyles due to its larger clip size (which is a major drawback for the Eviscerator) and its traditional, superior performance against shields and biotic barriers.

Mass Effect 3
M-23 Katana:ME3SP|Single-player M-23 Katana:ME3MP|Multiplayer

Trivia

 * The appearance is somewhat similar to the alternate shotgun in Mass Effect.
 * The Katana is likely named after a type of sword.
 * The Katana shotgun has a unique draw and holster sound-effect. Instead of hearing the weapon "assembling" itself - as heard when drawing and holstering all other weapons in Mass Effect 3 - the Katana shotgun will sound like a katana blade being (un-)sheathed.