Summary

• The best bounty hunters in Star Wars had a wide array of skills that helped them finish their jobs with a signature style.
• Successful hunters carried out their work with ruthless efficiency and had a huge impact on the galaxy.
• The best of the best rivaled even Jedi in their combat abilities, with a mix of villainous antagonists and empathetic heroes.

Grogu to the Imperial remnants, bounty hunters did it all. Their line of work was dangerous, and the ones who survived long enough to earn a reputation as the best earned the title.

Bounty hunting was a demanding profession, and it required a wide array of skills. From combat to strategy to piloting, hunters needed every advantage they could get. Star Wars movie timeline, and offered some of the coolest scenes in the entire franchise. The best bounty hunters of the galaxy far, far away proved their worth with ruthless efficiency.

10 IG-11

First Appeared: The Mandalorian

IG-11 was an IG-series droid, better known as assassin droids. This model was notorious throughout the galaxy, but IG-11 earned a reputation in his own right. His bounty hunting skills were on full display right from the beginning during his debut in The Mandalorian as he spun his twin blasters around his chassis, gunning down mercenaries from every direction. He was also able to self-destruct if he felt there was a risk of being captured, a decision he almost made before Din Djarin could stop him. His unique abilities and tactical programming made him one of the best in the business, even though he died several times.

9 Embo

First Appeared: Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Embo was most known for his round metal hat, which he used in a variety of creative ways, such as for attack, defense, and, on one occasion, transportation. His first appearance in Star Wars: The Clone Wars saw Embo and his crew defending a village on Felucia from pirates with the help of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. He was extremely fast, agile, and had a bowcaster he was skilled with. He also had a pet anooba named Marrok that assisted him in battle. His abilities allowed him to survive long enough to retire from the profession and live out his days as a farmer.

8 Jango Fett

First Appeared: Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones

Jango Fett dominated the bounty hunting profession for years. He was widely regarded as the best in the business prior to the Clone Wars and one of the most prolific Mandalorian bounty hunters ever. His DNA was also used as the genetic template for the entire clone army due to his physical and combat abilities. Even with his long list of accolades and ability to hold off skilled Jedi like Obi-Wan Kenobi, and despite his iconic Beskar armor, Jango was unceremoniously killed by Mace Windu in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, an ending that limited his greatness.

7 Bossk

First Appeared: Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back

Bossk made his debut in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back as one of the bounty hunters Darth Vader recruited to track down the Millennium Falcon. While he was beaten to the bounty by Boba Fett, Bossk was still an extremely talented hunter. His Trandoshan genetics gave him incredible strength and the ability to regrow limbs, two abilities that came in handy in such a dangerous line of work. His background as a Trandoshan also gave him an advantage in the hunting aspect of the job, as Trandoshans often hunted Wookies for sport.

6 Aurra Sing

First Appeared: Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

Aurra Sing was one of the more influential assassins and bounty hunters in The Clone Wars. As part of a group of bounty hunters including the likes of Bossk and Cad Bane, Sing's exploits became notorious throughout the galaxy. She also acted as Boba Fett's mentor and assisted him in a plot to kill Mace Windu. Sing's abilities could also translate to solo work, though, and her acrobatic and stealth abilities assisted her in an assassination attempt on Pé Amidala. Her abilities were further improved by her cybernetics, such as the comlink that protruded from her head.

5 Fennec Shand

First Appeared: The Mandalorian

Fennec Shand was an assassin first and bounty hunter second, and she was extremely well-versed in killing. Her reputation preceded her, as she had done work for numerous crime syndicates, including the Hutts. According to Din Djarin, facing off against her was as good as a death sentence.

Shand was the best long-range gunslinger in the galaxy for a time, as evidenced by her duel with Din on Tatooine. The Mandalorian could only get close enough to defeat her by using flares to blind her through the scope of her rifle. Even then, she shot him off a fast-moving speeder. She was eventually beaten, though, and earned a fatal blaster bolt to the abdomen for her trouble. She was saved by Boba Fett, and worked as his partner for a time, and her legendary reputation only grew greater.

4 Asajj Ventress

First Appeared: Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Asajj Ventress is an outlier on the list of the best bounty hunters ever, because she didn't start out that way. In The Clone Wars, Ventress was originally a Sith apprentice to Count Dooku with her own set of dual red lightsabers. Her training under Dooku made her one of the most deadly combatants ever in close quarters, but it didn't last long. Dooku abandoned her for dead, and she eventually left the Sith in favor of becoming a bounty hunter. Some of her most notorious feats included being a constant threat to the Jedi during the Clone Wars and helping Obi-Wan defeat Darth Maul and Savage Opress.

3 Boba Fett

First Appeared: Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back

Boba Fett was the blueprint for the legendary bounty hunters the franchise has seen. First appearing in The Empire Strikes Back, Boba immediately became a fan favorite and spawned all the Mandalorian lore. This was thanks in large part to him being one of the most savage bounty hunters ever, with even Darth Vader having to give him the famous "no disintegrations" line. His reign of terror over whoever the highest bidder chose came to an end after he fell into a sarlacc pit on Tatooine.

His time in the sarlacc pit and the changes he went through in The Book of Boba Fett didn't take a toll on his bounty hunting abilities. He was still extremely skilled with his jetpack and rocket launcher, carbine rifle, and Firespray ship. He was able to become the major criminal boss on Tatooine and drive off the Pyke Syndicate at the same time. He also benefited from his alliances with Fennec Shand and Din Djarin, which gave him an added tactical advantage. While Boba was still an extremely dangerous opponent, he lost some of his ruthless edge and mysterious allure by becoming daimyo of Mos Espa.

2 Cad Bane

First Appeared: Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Cad Bane was one of the most prolific and dangerous bounty hunters the galaxy ever saw. One of the things that made him so dangerous was his business philosophy: Bane had no loyalty whatsoever, and he would take on any job from any employer for the right price. He also had a huge arsenal of weapons and gadgets he could use to make sure nobody ever got the chance to stab him in the back, including rocket boots and stunner gloves. While it didn't add much to his abilities, his wide-brimmed hat also made him look extremely cool and evoked images of classic Westerns.

Some of Bane's most notorious feats include taking the Galactic Senate hostage and the attempted assassination of Chancellor Palpatine. Both of these operations required extremely detailed planning, and he was the mastermind behind them. Bane's greatest weapon was his strategic mind, as he was able to anticipate every move his powerful foes, such as the Jedi, would make. On the rare occasions he was caught off guard, Bane was able to think brilliantly on his feet. In one such instance, he was able to disarm and incapacitate both Obi-Wan Kenobi and Quinlan Vos for long enough to make his escape.

1 Din Djarin

First Appeared: The Mandalorian

The best bounty hunter the galaxy has seen yet was The Mandalorian star Din Djarin. Part of the reason for his excellence was his incredible skill in every category relevant to bounty hunting. Din eventually earned a full set of nearly impenetrable Beskar armor, making him extremely durable. He's also been shown to be proficient with a variety of weapons, from a pulse rifle to whistling birds to the Darksaber, which makes him extremely deadly in combat. On top of that, he's proven himself as an experienced pilot and showcased his strategic mind on several occasions.

Din's main advantage and what set him apart from the rest of the bounty hunters in Star Wars was his long list of allies. He had an entire covert of battle-hardened Mandalorians at his back in the Children of the Watch, ready to the fight at a moment's notice. He also had from New Republic rangers, Greef Karga and the entirety of Nevarro City, and other bounty hunters such as Boba Fett and Fennec Shand. His greatest ally, though, was Grogu, whose journey to bounty hunting greatness will be detailed in The Mandalorian & Grogu.

Bounty hunters in Star Wars played a wide variety of roles, from villainous antagonists who killed for money to empathetic heroes who only went after criminals to pay the bills. While the morality of their profession is up for debate, their skill in combat has never been in question. The profession was made up of some of the most deadly warriors the galaxy ever saw, and the best of the best rivaled even Jedi in their abilities.