These 12Star Warscharacters introduced in the franchise’s animated TV shows are the very best. There is a pervasive notion that animated shows are somehow inferior to live-action TV shows and movies, particularly because animation tends to be associated with children, but that is certainly not true inStar Warsmovies and TV shows. Many ofStar Wars’best showshave been animated, and as shows such asStar Wars: The Clone WarsandStar Wars: The Bad Batchhave made clear, there are plenty of darker themes for an older audience inStar Wars’animated storylines.
Several ofStar Wars’best charactershave also been introduced in animation, and many have yet to make the jump to live-action, if they ever will. While a number of characters, such as those from theStar Warsprequel trilogy, have gone from live-action to animation, this list represents only those who debuted in animation, and it only considers their animated story arcs. Within those parameters,these 12 characters are the very best fromStar Wars’animated shows.
12Crosshair
First Appeared In: Star Wars: The Clone Wars
The members of Clone Force 99are incredibly beloved inStar Wars, for good reason. After the crew was introduced inThe Clone Wars, the team led their own spin-off show,The Bad Batch, for three seasons. Crosshair was certainly not the easiest of those fan-favorite members to like, though. While the genetically modified Bad Batch members were not as susceptible to the inhibitor chips that caused Order 66 as the other clones were, Crosshair ended up aligning himself with the Empire for quite some time.
Crosshair also had a very brusque nature and tended to be the most negative and pessimistic of the Bad Batchers. Yet, this complex history is precisely what makes Crosshair one of the best animated characters inStar Wars. InThe Bad Batchseason 3 in particular, Crosshair really came into his own, helping to save Omega and being reunited with his brothers, ready to admit his wrongdoing. Crosshair’s redemption is, in fact, one of the very best inStar Wars.
11Tech
Yet another Bad Batch member,Tech was easily one of the most loved characters on the team. Each member of Clone Force 99 had their own unique quirks, which was in part the intention behind their creation—they were meant to have specific skill sets as a type of experiment within the cloning project. Tech was easily the quirkiest, though, perhaps only rivaled by Wrecker.
Tech’s nature was at times even a bit robotic, much to the frustration of Omega, who wanted him to express more emotion about the Bad Batch family. In the end, though, it was Tech’s pragmatism that saved the Bad Batchers. Sadly, this came at the expense of Tech’s life, andThe Bad Batchseason 2 endingsaw his shocking, devastating death. Many held out hope that Tech would return in the show’s final season, butThe Bad Batchseason 3 confirmed that Tech truly did die to save his team.
The Bad Batch Season 2’s Ending Is Even More Heartbreaking Now That I Know It’s Final
Rewatching The Bad Batch season 2 is even more difficult now that the end of the series has confirmed that one tragic yet heroic fate is final.
10Hunter
Although Crosshair and Tech were both brilliant members of Clone Force 99,Hunter is the best clone on the Bad Batch team. This was solidified with his arc inThe Bad Batch, which saw Hunter step into a paternal role with Omega, the unaltered young female clone of Jango Fett. Hunter even went so far as to call Omega the Bad Batch’s kid inThe Bad Batchseason 3.
The clones were never meant to be anything more than soldiers fighting for the Republic, but the Bad Batch crew managed to become a true family.
There have been many precious parent-child dynamics inStar Wars, most notably Din Djarin and Grogu’s relationship inThe Mandalorian, but there was something specifically sweet about seeing Hunter become a dad. The clones were never meant to be anything more than soldiers fighting for the Republic, but the Bad Batch crew managed to become a true family, andStar Warsgave them a happy ending—a rarity in a franchise that is often quite dark. In fact,theBad Batchseason 3 endingis about as close to ‘happily ever after’ as the franchise can get.
9Hera Syndulla
First Appeared In: Star Wars Rebels
Star Wars Rebelsremains one of the most popularStar WarsTV shows, even 6 years after the show ended. LikeThe Bad Batch,Rebelshad a specific team that led the show and also became like a family throughoutRebels’four seasons. Many of these characters are fan favorites not only in terms of animatedStar Warscharacters but also in the franchise more broadly, and Hera is certainly among them.
Hera was introduced inRebelsas the spunky ace pilot who, like Hunter, also took on a parental role. With Sabine Wren and Ezra Bridger in particular, Hera felt like the head of a family alongside Jedi Kanan Jarrus. Hera shone on her own, too, as a fearless Rebel who was willing to sacrifice it all if it meant stopping the Empire. She also had a brilliant sarcastic attitude, often bringing some levity to even the most dire moments.
8Omega
Although Omega wasn’t initially part of Clone Force 99, when she was introduced inThe Bad Batchas a surprising female clone of Jango Fett, she quickly became one. Like many young characters inStar Wars, Ahsoka Tano inThe Clone Warsand Anakin Skywalker inStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Omega was met with harsh backlash when she debuted. With time, though, criticism of the character softened, and she became a beloved character.
In part, this shift in perspective was because of Omega’s adorably quirky attitude, which made her well-suited to Clone Force 99. Omega also proved to be particularly fierce, though, even facing her incarceration by the Empire at the end ofThe Bad Batchseason 2 with bravery. She was also the real reason she and Crosshair made it off Mount Tantiss together. Given how young Omega truly was throughout these events, she really is one ofStar Wars’most impressive animated characters.
7Chopper
Chopper is a known troublemaker, and that is in part why the droid has become incredibly beloved. While R2-D2 likely still holds the title of the best droid inStar Wars, Chopper often gives him a run for his money with his sarcastic beeps and devil-may-care attitude. ThroughoutRebels, in fact, Chopper proved to be more than okay with occasionally toeing the line of ethical behavior in the name of the Rebellion.
Chopper proved to be more than okay with occasionally toeing the line of ethical behavior in the name of the Rebellion.
Chopper also rivaled R2-D2 in terms of human-like behavior, especially given his voice. For one, Chopper elicited real laughter throughoutRebelsthat distinguished him from most other droids. Many have also said it sounds like Chopper is speaking basic at times, if inflected with a droid ‘accent,’ and on more than one occasion, it has sounded a bit like Chopper’s beeps are hiding some profane language.
6Sabine Wren
Sabine Wren is yet another wonderful animatedStar Warscharacter fromRebels. Alongside the likes of Bo-Katan Kryze inThe Clone Wars,Sabine is one of the most prominent Mandalorian characters inStar Wars’animated shows. Bo-Katan’s animated history is quite a bit more complicated than Sabine’s, though. While Bo-Katan has been developed beautifully in live-action, her animated arc contained some major blemishes, such as her role in Death Watch, that impact her place in this ranking.
By contrast, Sabine’s arc inRebelswas a joy to watch as she, like Ezra, grew from a stubborn teenager into a true Rebel fighter and compassionate person. Sabine also had some majorStar Warsmoments, such as when she was able to wield the Darksaber, the very first Mandalorian lightsaber from the first (and for a long time, only) Mandalorian Jedi. Although Sabine didn’t hold onto the Darksaber for long, that arc revealed how significant her character really was.
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5Ezra Bridger
Ezra Bridger was arguably the protagonist ofRebels, even though the show fits the bill for an ensemble cast. Ezra began as a troublesome kid in the show, stealing food to survive but also stealing without knowing what he was stealing, as was shown in the firstRebelsepisode. Ezra crossed paths with the Ghost crew specifically because they were stealing speeders and crates from the Empire and, without knowing what they contained, Ezra nabbed one in turn from the Ghost crew members.
From there, though, Ezra developed into a powerful and skilled Jedi, trained by Kanan Jarrus, who had been raised in the Jedi Temple and was one ofthe survivors of Order 66. Perhaps because his Jedi Master had this history, Ezra learned to master the Force and accomplished incredible Force feats, among them his ability to enter and navigatethe World Between Worlds.Ezra also managed to go toe-to-toe with Darth Vader, revealing how impressive he became as a Jedi.
4Kanan Jarrus
Easily the best character introduced inRebelswas Kanan Jarrus. Despite Kanan not completing his Jedi training prior to the fall of the Republic and the Jedi Order, Kanan was the perfect example of what a true Jedi should be. Not only did he represent the compassion and bravery of a Jedi, but also, in the end, he gave his life to protect his friends without a second thought. This was without question one of the saddest moments inRebels, but it also proved the incredible person Kanan was.
Kanan was the perfect example of what a true Jedi should be.
Kanan was also a rather interesting Jedi, especially because of his relationship with Hera Syndulla. While Kanan upheld the Jedi practices in many ways, he clearly didn’t abide by all of them, as he had a romantic relationship with Hera (so much so that they had a son together, although they sadly never met). Unlike so many other Jedi, though, this attachment didn’t seem to draw Kanan to the dark side whatsoever, nor did his familial attachments to the other Ghost crew members.Kanan was arguably one of the most impressive Jedi inStar Wars, in that respect.
3Captain Rex
WhileStar Warsintroduced countless wonderful clones inThe Clone Wars, Captain Rex was easily the best. Rex fought loyally by Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano’s sides throughout the Clone Wars, and, although he was initially corrupted by the inhibitor chip (and nearly killed Ahsoka in the process), with Ahsoka’s help, he overcame that terrible event and survived along with Ahsoka. That was also not the end of Rex’s story inStar Wars’animated shows, though.
Rex appeared inRebels, which happily saw him reconnect with Ahsoka. This plot line was also a bit of closure for the events of Order 66, as Kanan had a reasonably harsh reaction to seeing the clones. As a survivor of Order 66, Kanan, then called Caleb Dume, had seen firsthand what the clones had done during the terrible massacre. With Rex’s gentle wisdom, however, Kanan was able to see that the clones had been acting against their own will, and this moment was critically important in Kanan’s path to forgiveness and acceptance.
