Star Wars fans would be hard-pressed to find a Jedi Master more prestigious, influential, and powerful than Yoda, especially when he was at the height of his Jedi career. Not only that, but Yoda is also one of the most recognizable and beloved Jedi in the history of the franchise – and for good reason. Yoda trained Luke Skywalker, he led the Jedi during the Clone Wars, and even went toe-to-toe with Darth Sidious himself, which is marked as one of the greatest lightsaber duels in Star Wars history.

Yoda is, indeed, a Star Wars all-star right alongside the likes of Luke, Anakin, and Obi-Wan. However, Yoda has always only played a supporting role in all of Star Wars’ film or TV show storylines. For a character with such in-world influence and real-world popularity, one would think that Yoda would be given more screen time. Well, that’s exactly what the comics aimed to remedy. In the realm of Star Wars comics, Yoda finally receives that long-overdue spotlight – and there’s no shortage of them, either. Here are the 10 best Yoda stories in Star Wars comics history, ranked!

10

Yoda’s Star Wars Comics Debut Altered His Iconic Appearance

Star Wars #41-42 by Archie Goodwin, Al Williamson, and Carlos Garzon

One of the most iconic things about Yoda is his unique appearance, but that didn’t stop the original Star Wars comic series from greatly altering it. While he’s still presented as a short, green life form with large pointy ears and gray hair, this version of Yoda is more akin to a spry forest sprite than an elderly Jedi Master. Plus, Yoda is way smaller than he normally is – not shorter, smaller. Proportionally, Yoda looks like a lean person of average height (not the stubby Jedi fans know), as if a regular person was hit with a shrink-ray.

While this storyline is just a retelling of Episode V, the fact that it’s Yoda’s first appearance in a Star Wars comic is significant enough to be noteworthy among his best. And the fact that Yoda’s debut makes him look like a Keebler Elf is just another reason why Star Wars fans need to see Yoda’s historic first comic book appearance.

9

Yoda Destroys the Death Star & Kills the Emperor in an Alternate Star Wars Universe

Star Wars: Infinities – A New Hope by Chris Warner and Al Rio

Yoda’s contribution to the ultimate downfall of the Empire consisted of losing to Palpatine in a lightsaber duel (leading to the rise of the Empire to begin with) and training Luke Skywalker to become a Jedi. He was either the means for another person to destroy the Empire, or a failure that led to its establishment, which is admittedly a legacy that leaves something to be desired. However, in the ‘What If’ landscape of Star Wars: Infinities, Yoda takes a much more hands-on (and victorious) approach to decimating the Empire.

Rather than just training Luke and then dying, Yoda joins Luke, Han, and Chewie on their mission to destroy the Death Star and take down the Empire. Like Obi-Wan before him, Yoda sneaks onto the Death Star – though he takes things a bit further. Yoda takes control over the Death Star, then crashes it into the Emperor’s Palace on Coruscant, killing Palpatine as a result. This may be a non-canon tale, but it’s still one of the coolest Star Wars stories starring Yoda.

8

Yoda Enables Count Dooku to Accomplish His Schemes Against the Jedi

“Students of the Force” Star Wars: Yoda #4-6 by Jody Houser and Luke Ross

Count Dooku famously betrayed the Jedi to become the leader of the Separatists on behalf of Darth Sidious, but before he did so, he laid the groundwork for the Clone Wars by altering Jedi records, playing a role in the manipulation of Sifo-Dyas (leading to the creation of the Clone Army), and even murdering Jedi Master Yaddle. Not only that, but Dooku planted seeds of doubt in the minds of Jedi Padawans while perpetuating dark side influence on the younger generation. And it all started with Master Yoda.

Yoda was the one who forced Count Dooku to take on the role of an instructor when he was happily going on missions across the galaxy at the time, and even at the start of his tenure, Dooku was already slowly corrupting some of his students against the ways of the Jedi. Yoda later reflects on this decision, blaming himself for the access and influence he gave Dooku that contributed to the fall of the Jedi, and this storyline details the origin of that failure.

7

Yoda Saves a War-Torn Planet with the Help of His Non-Jedi Padawan

“Light and Life” Star Wars: Yoda #1-3 by Cavan Scott and Nico Leon

When Yoda travels to an Outer Rim world called Turrak on a peacekeeping mission, he finds two cultures at war with one another, with one acting as the obvious oppressor. Yoda decides to live among the oppressed peoples of this world (called the Scalvi) to help end this long-standing conflict, and while he’s there, Yoda takes on a pupil named Bree. Before long, a great battle rages against the Scalvi and their oppressors, the Crulkons, ending in Bree taking the life of a Crulkon leader against Yoda’s wishes, thereby perpetuating the unrest between these groups.

Eventually, with Yoda’s help, peace is achieved on this world, as Bree grows up to be a wise leader of the Scalvi who has learned from his past mistakes, ushering in a new era of peace. In the wider scheme of Star Wars canon, this storyline is admittedly of little consequence, but as far as a ‘Yoda-focused’ storyline, it’s one of the best. It shows the best versions of Yoda, from his wartime badassery to his kind and wise nature.

6

Yoda Fights a Secret War to Save Force-Sensitive Children

“Yoda’s Secret War” Star Wars #26-30 by Jason Aaron and Salvador Larroca

Before Luke Skywalker went to Dagobah to train with Master Yoda, he read about the Jedi in a journal kept by Obi-Wan Kenobi. The journal detailed a string of missions the Jedi Master went on (dubbed ‘Yoda’s Secret War’) that saw Yoda traveling the galaxy, saving the lives of Force-sensitive children. During his travels, Yoda defeats pirates, smugglers, and all manner of scum and villainy to save these children and give them a new home with the Jedi Order.

Not only does this storyline show Yoda in an undeniably badass light, but it also uncovers a truly despicable ‘secret war’ that’s always raging in the Star Wars universe. Force-sensitive children are incredibly rare and extremely valuable, meaning their lives are always in jeopardy. That’s why Yoda decided to take it upon himself to fight this war single-handedly on their behalf, even during a time of relative peace in the galaxy, cementing him not only as a great Jedi, but also a valiant hero.

5

Yoda’s Never Been More Badass than During the High Republic

“Bralanak City Smackdown” Star Wars: The High Repubiic Adventures #2 (IDW Publishing) by Daniel José Older, Harvey Tolibao, and Pow Rodrix

During the High Republic era, the Jedi were in conflict with the Nihil – a collective of anarchistic marauders vying for galactic domination. The Nihil were one of the greatest threats to the High Republic, as their victories – including destroying Starlight Beacon and assassinating a great number of Jedi – hurt the Republic to a great degree, and even won them a fairly large region of the galaxy at one point in the war. Therefore, it was critical that every Jedi took up arms against them, including and especially Yoda.

This issue opens with Yoda leading a squadron of Jedi against enemy forces, dispatching them with brutal ease and precision. Then, Yoda quickly flies off to save a kidnapped ally, where he holds nothing back while fighting valiantly on the battlefield. Yoda is so often presented as a patient pacifist who would much rather resolve conflicts through negotiation and mutual understanding. But here, Yoda is a true warrior, and it’s obvious upon his explosive debut in this storyline.

4

Yoda Teams Up with Anakin Skywalker to Take Down a Major Threat: ‘Megadroids’

“Size Matters Not” Star Wars: Yoda #7-9 by Marc Guggenheim and Alessandro Miracolo

When Yoda learns that General Grievous is championing a new line of extremely deadly Battedroids dubbed ‘Megadroids’, he and Anakin Skywalker fly off to the droid factory manufacturing them to shut down the program before it’s officially rolled-out. The storyline itself is a fairly straightforward Clone Wars adventure, which allows fans to take in the utterly awesome panels featuring Yoda fighting alongside Anakin (a rare sight in Star Wars) to destroy what would have been the cause of countless lives lost – both Clones and Jedi.

“Size Matters Not” isn’t just a fun adventure, either, as Yoda nearly dies while destroying the Megadroid prototype, making this story decidedly high-stakes. Plus, Yoda has a chance to speak with Anakin one-on-one, imparting wisdom to the young Jedi in a way only Yoda could. But perhaps most significantly of all, “Size Matters Not” features Yoda’s fight with General Grievous, which is not only absolutely epic, but also historic, as it marks the only time in canon the two ever crossed sabers.

3

Yoda’s Faith in the Republic is Shaken After an Encounter with an Old Friend

Star Wars: Jedi – Yoda by Jeremy Barlow and Hoon

Yoda volunteers to travel to a world called Thustra, where the planet’s king refuses to reaffirm his people’s commitment to the Galactic Republic during the Clone Wars, and is instead leaning toward joining the Separatists. This king’s name is Alaric, and despite his political position, he’s been friends with Yoda for two centuries. Yoda takes it upon himself to try to convince Alaric to stay with the Republic, but Alaric is adamant that the Republic has become too corrupt to save, and therefore, he cannot support it.

As the issue progresses, Yoda sees not only the truth in Alaric’s words about the corruption of the Republic, but he also sees the terrible impact the Clone Wars is having on the Jedi themselves. The new generation believe they are warriors, not peacekeepers, as they are quick to violence and think only as conquerors do. The very foundation of the Jedi Order was changing right before Yoda’s eyes, and it’s all because of the Republic. This somber story ends with Yoda’s faith in the Republic utterly shaken, as the horrors of the Clone War was finally taking its toll.

2

Yoda Finds Peace and Self-Acceptance Following His Exile on Dagobah

Star Wars: Age of Rebellion Special – “The Trial of Dagobah” by Marc Guggenheim and Andrea Broccardo

This short Age of Rebellion story features Yoda living on Dagobah, existing in a state of perpetual misery and shame following his exile. He cannot shake the failure that led to the rise of the Empire, nor the guilt of allowing such evil to grow right under his very nose. Yoda recognizes that this exile is his punishment for his blindness and hubris, and won’t even ignite his lightsaber anymore, as he no longer feels worthy enough to wield a Jedi weapon.

However, after Yoda falls into a pit and gets trapped beneath rubble, he takes the time to clear his mind and remember what it means to be a Jedi. Yoda lets go of the shame and misery that he’s been punishing himself with all this time, and instead decides to forgive himself for his failures, and look forward to a brighter future. The story ends with Luke Skywalker arriving at Dagobah, as if a living answer to the ‘new hope’ Yoda found within himself.

1

Yoda’s Journey into the Dark Side Cave on Dagobah was His Horrific Road to Redemption

“The Cave” Star Wars: Yoda #10 by Cavan Scott and Ibraim Roberson

Before Yoda found the strength to forgive himself for everything he felt responsible for, Yoda’s journey to redemption began with the Dark Side Cave on Dagobah. The Force Ghost of Obi-Wan Kenobi led the reluctant Yoda to the Cave when the Jedi Master was at his lowest point, and once he went inside, Yoda faced all the demons of his past. A mutilated Count Dooku blames Yoda for ‘letting him’ do irreparable damage to the Jedi, with a burning Anakin Skywalker doing the same, and an all-too gleeful Emperor Palpatine cackling all the while.

This story is an expansion on what readers saw with “The Trial of Dagobah”, as it reveals that Yoda had to experience a bit more than some rubble and self-reflection before he was ready to forgive himself and train Luke Skywalker. Plus, it shows that Yoda only took those steps after Obi-Wan pushed him to do so, allowing their long-standing friendship to come full-circle. This is the ultimate ‘Yoda‘ Star Wars story, as it shows the pain of his past, highlights the most impactful moments of his life, and perfectly connects his story between Episode III and Episode V – making “The Cave” his all-time best.