When we’re not talking about the Jedi and the Sith, the coolest characters in the Star Wars franchise are the bounty hunters. After the conclusion of the Skywalker Saga, Lucasfilm has been shifting its focus from theatrically-released films to series on television and Disney+. What’s more, the studio did not tap a Force-wielder with a lightsaber to kickstart the franchise’s venture into a new medium. Bounty hunters are now taking the center stage. Indeed, both of the first two live-action Star Wars series, The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett feature a bounty hunter as their central character.
Updated February 2nd, 2023: If you love Star Wars and its detailed universe of bounty hunters, you’ll be happy to know that we’ve updated this article with additional content and entries.
Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) are two of the finest warriors in the galaxy. The world of Star Wars is neither the happiest nor safest place, to say the least. Djarin and Fett both recognize the strength they need just to survive. However, they don’t just survive; they excel at whatever they do. Their line of work constantly puts them in harm’s way. Bounty hunters are in it for the money, taking jobs to capture or kill clients’ targets for the right price. Bounty hunters dive feet-first into dangerous territory because they enjoy the thrill of a good challenge. Let’s revisit the galaxy far, far away and look at 12 of the best bounty hunters in the Star Warsfranchise.
Taika Waititi voices The Mandalorian‘s IG-11, a bounty hunter droid. IG-11 closely resembles another bounty hunter droid, IG-88 from The Empire Strikes Back, but only IG-11 showcases his bounty hunter skills in live-action.
As a droid, IG-11 possesses many advantages over living beings, among them the ability to take on multiple targets at once, and a self-destruct mechanism in the case of capture. He is fearless and a dead shot with a blaster rifle. His level of accuracy and his reflexes, speed, and strength far exceeds any humanoid species.
Trandoshans are recognized for being a species of natural hunters in the Star Wars universe. The most well-known Trandoshan is Bossk, a bounty hunter that appears in Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back. The character was a recurring figure during Star Wars: The Clone Wars as a more seasoned bounty hunter and even acted as a mentor to Boba Fett who would go on to become one of his most fearsome competitors.
What gives the species a significant advantage over others in the world of bounty hunting is their healing factor and ability to regenerate limbs. After being born, Bossk eats the eggs of most of his siblings. He also develops a hatred of the Wookie species, which he would later enjoy hunting for sport. Bossk matures into a nasty but brutal and skilled bounty hunter, gaining recognition from Darth Vader and the Galactic Empire.
Dengar is a human bounty hunter, born on the planet Corellia. Before his time as a bounty hunter, he was a gladiator on the planet Loovria. Dengar began his career as a bounty hunter during the Clone Wars, and unlike many of his peers, worked many years after including through the Galactic Civil War. He is one of several guns for hire featured with Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back and worked alongside other famed bounty hunters Boba Fett and Bossk on the hunt for Han Solo and the Millennium Falcon. Boba Fett admired Dengar’s prowess as a bounty hunter, despite his self-centered nature and penchant for violence and destruction.
A younger version of the character appeared in Star Wars: The Clone Wars (voiced by Simon Pegg) and a background character named Rothgar Deng in Star Wars: The Rise of the Skywalker was revealed to be a mutated Dengar, who prolonged his life with cybernetic enhancements turning him into an unrecognizable monster.
Fans with an attentive eye will be able to spot Aurra Sing among the pod race spectators in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. Following the death of Jango Fett, Boba teams up with Bossk and Aurra Sing to avenge his father. During this time, Sing teaches a young Boba Fett before he becomes a legend in the world of bounty hunters.
Sing is exceptionally skilled with a sniper rifle and does not hesitate to kill. A conversation between a young Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover) and Tobias Beckett (Woody Harrelson) in Solo: A Star Wars Story reveals that Beckett pushed Sing to her death. Aurra Sing became a well-respected and feared bounty hunter before she met her end.
Embo is an incredibly efficient and reliable Kyuzo bounty hunter. In his earlier years, he even fought alongside Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker to defend the planet Felucia from Hondo Ohsaka. He is a man of few words, but his feats and his signature hat allow him to be recognized throughout the galaxy.
Unsurprisingly, Embo is voiced by animation producer, writer, and director Dave Filoni, who is well-known in the Star Wars community for wearing a hat at all times. Embo uses his hat to shield himself from blaster fire, as a throw-able weapon, and to toboggan down snowy hills! He is one of the most athletic characters and also proves to be highly proficient with a bowcaster.
A Wookie bounty hunter, Black Krrsantan made his first appearance in the pages of the recent Marvel Star Wars comics, working alongside Boba Fett and thief Doctor Aphra. The character made his live-action debut in The Book of Boba Fett, originally as a foe of Boba Fett but later became an ally. The fearsome Wookie has a temper, and is a dangerous threat, and can kill his opponents with his weapons or bare fist.
Born a Nightsister who became a slave, Asajj Ventress then later became a Jedi Padawan, Sith assassin, and bounty hunter. She is best recognized as the dual-wielding former apprentice of Count Dooku in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Ventress can fight Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi alone.
Originally a high-ranking member of the Separatist army, she was cast out when Dooku was forced by Darth Sidious to kill his potential apprentice. Ventress took her talents and became a bounty hunter, working among a variety of criminals and establishing a working relationship between herself and Boba Fett. Her strength, willpower, Force abilities, and the skills she learns from her life experiences make her stand out from the rest of the usual bounty hunter crowd.
A human orphaned during the Clone Wars, the Children of the Watch (a Mandalorian cult) take Din Djarin in and raise him as a foundling. Din grows up isolated from other walks of life, being completely unaware of the Jedi and that the Children of the Watch did not represent all of Mandalorian society.
A strict follower of what Bo-Katan Kryze describes as “the ancient way,” Din initially refuses to be in another person’s sight when he is not wearing his helmet. While having a reputation as a fierce bounty hunter, the Mandalorian still struggles in several of his encounters; struggling against a Mudhorn and even being knocked unconscious by a group of Jawas.
However, whether by receiving assistance or overcoming the odds himself, he is almost always victorious. On a mission to save Grogu (well-known under the unofficial name of “Baby Yoda”), Din Djarin displays what he is capable of. He defeats Moff Gideon and wins the Mandalorian Darksaber in combat, the ultimate symbol of the planet Mandalore. With the upcoming season of The Mandalorian, it appears Din Djarin might be stepping from the role of bounty hunter into that of a novel warrior.
