How far would you go to achieve balance?
In 2021, Lucasfilm released Star Wars: Visions. An anthology series, it featured nine non-canon anime shorts set within the larger universe. While every short had its merits, The Duel, The Twins, and The Village Bride were the major highlights. The Ninth Jedi stood out from the rest because it offered something the other shorts didn’t; A look into the future. Visions went on to release two additional volumes, which premiered in 2023 and 2025. Visions Volume 2 had its own stand-out episodes with Screecher’s Reach, Journey to the Dark Head, and I Am Your Mother. However, the decision to mostly do away with anime was a questionable one. Volume 3‘s highlights featured sequels to shorts from Volume 1, including The Duel: Payback, The Lost Ones (a sequel to The Village Bride), and The Ninth Jedi‘s follow-up, A Child of Hope. A Child of Hope effectively served as a prologue to what we now know is the debut of a brand new anthology series; Visions Presents. Featuring multiple episodes devoted to specific Visions stories, season 1 focuses on the adventures of characters introduced in The Ninth Jedi. Something that made the original short so memorable was not only the potential for future adventures, but the fact it provided insight as to what Star Wars can be without being forced to adhere to canon. Granted, that’s the appeal of Visions in general, but it really becomes obvious when your short is about a group of heroes trying to rebuild the Jedi Order.
Visions: Presents – The Ninth Jedi is yet another win for Star Wars in the realm of animation. After Maul – Shadow Lord stuck the landing earlier this year, The Ninth Jedi also proves that the franchise’s future must treat animation as a priority. The series centers on Kara (Kimiko Glenn), a young girl who is desperate to find her father, Zhima (Simu Liu). On her mission, she meets a group of wandering heroes; Juro (Andrew Kishino), Ethan (Masi Oka), his droid Four-Nines, Homen (Patrick Seitz), Kwana (Keone Young), Lady Tafflah (Chase Sui Wonders), Dunbai (Brett Mukai), Bee-Toh (Aleks Le), and Gramps (J.P. Karliak). As their journey to find Zhima rages on, they encounter a powerful new enemy named General Nawaam, a mysterious masked man who is hellbent on wiping out the Jedi for good as a means to cause chaos across the galaxy. While the main storyline may not be much different from typical Star Wars fare, the presentation, the character work, and the action sequences set it apart from the franchise’s more well-known installments. Not since Genndy Tartakovsky’s Clone Wars (which concluded more than 21 years ago) has Star Wars felt this fast, this action-packed, and this limitless.
What makes The Ninth Jedi as great as it is is the near-impossible balancing act it passes with flying colors. The series embraces the themes, character archetypes, and iconography of Star Wars past, but fulfills its promise of leading the franchise into the future. To some, hearing that The Ninth Jedi embraces franchise traditions and trademarks sounds like another sign that Star Wars “refuses to move on.” To others, the fact that the series is an anime with a female lead is another sign that the series is “turning its back on real fans.” After all, what does Star Wars have to do with Japan, amirite? Snark aside, The Ninth Jedi wears its influences on its sleeve, but also isn’t afraid to dive into different avenues. It’s not afraid to show our protagonist’s dark side nor is it afraid to ask interesting questions. For example, is a Jedi still heroic if they take a life even if it’s for the greater good? Supervising director Kenji Kamiyama, director Shunsuke Tada, and their team of writers pull off a story that is almost a miracle in a sense. Not to dredge up old and stale Prequel and Sequel discourse, but The Ninth Jedi manages not to repeat the more fundamental mistakes of those trilogies. While the Prequels in a sense rushed Anakin’s transformation into Darth Vader, Kara’s journey feels more natural and earned. While the Sequels ran past a lot of meaningful character development and effectively left some characters in the dust by the trilogy’s end, The Ninth Jedi makes better use of its wider ensemble.
Kara is as perfect as a Star Wars protagonist can be. Despite her young age, she carries a lot of heavy storytelling on her shoulders. The fact that she’s so young (But not so young that she can’t do much) makes her journey all the more compelling. Seeing this teenage girl, desperate to find her father, explore the trials and tribulations of becoming a Jedi is where the heart of the series lies. She’s strong, determined, and heroic, but she’s also lost, quick to anger, and often confused. Even the most media-illiterate members of the fandom will struggle to call Kara a “mary-sue.” The parallels and contrasts between her and series antagonist Nawaam will be the main element that will keep any viewer glued to the screen. Nawaam is quite possibly one of the greatest Star Wars antagonists in recent memory. Nawaam sees himself asking questions that the canon films may not fully explore. What exactly does it mean to be a Jedi? How far will a Jedi actually go to achieve true balance? His motivations and plans are incredibly engaging and in some cases, a tad frightening. His voice and masked appearance make him feel reminiscent of Darth Vader and Kylo Ren, but Nawaam wielding a blue lightsaber instead of the expected red adds to his menace. Kara and Nawaam are given a lot of time to grow as characters, even if this series is only 8 episodes. The finale does set the stage for future stories and if that’s the road the creators decide to travel, I look forward to what’s next.
The series’ supporting cast may not be as fleshed out as Kara or Nawaam, but they got it where it counts. Juro is our resident wise mentor character. His dynamic with Kara is not dissimilar to Luke’s dynamic with Obi-Wan Kenobi in A New Hope. Lots of classic master and apprentice stuff here, but I always found that relationship between teacher and student to be one of the most endlessly compelling tropes in the franchise. The series’ more Tolkien approach to characters fits surprisingly well here. Every episode finds Kara and friends meeting new heroes and have them join their group. Their “fellowship” if you will. Characters from the original Ninth Jedi short such as Ethan return here and while not the most fleshed out character, he’s a fun character to watch, especially during action scenes. For me, the most interesting new supporting player was Bee-Toh. A Jedi Hunter whom Kara meets later in the season, Bee-Toh brings an undeniable sense of energy, charisma, and aura to the proceedings. His voice, his design, and his fighting skills all help him become one of The Ninth Jedi‘s most engaging new characters. Also a welcome addition is Gennoh (Feodor Chin). A ruthless Sith, Gennoh is pure menace, pure hatred, and pure badassery. His first lightsaber duel with Kara is one of many glorious action scenes the series has to offer.
If you’re exhausted by slavish adherence to canon or you’re just impatient regarding the seemingly never-arriving release of the Rey-centric New Jedi Order, The Ninth Jedi should provide you with a renewed sense of wonder. The franchise’s roots are heavily connected to Japanese cinema, culture, and folklore, so naturally, anime is the perfect medium to tell stories in. If you allow yourself to not care that this is an offshoot story with no connections to canon, you’ll find yourself being taken by the immensely well-written journeys of Kara and Nawaam, the engaging action sequences, the great vocal performances, and the flawless musical score by Nobuko Toda & Kazuma Jinnouchi. The first four episodes may rely a tad too heavily on traditional Star Wars tropes and themes (Right down to the use of a sinister super weapon). But the reliance on these tropes help the series ease into its own identity and groove.
Visions Presents – The Ninth Jedi isn’t just a visually stunning anime series with great characters, remarkable voice acting, spectacular action, stunning animation, and beautiful music; It’s a great indicator of what the franchise can accomplish in the future. Should new Lucasfilm presidents Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan see the value in storytelling that’s simply good Star Wars, regardless of its connection (or lack thereof) to canon, the franchise should be in a healthy spot for years to come. As the title of the series suggests, other Visions shorts will likely get their own 8 episode series as well. Surely we’ll hear about them come Star Wars Celebration in April of next year. Whether future seasons center on Ronin from The Duel or F from The Village Bride, rest assured that we will be there. While the powers that be figure out where the more canon-reliant stories of the franchise are heading next, I hope they see the potential of just letting creatives let loose and have fun without the baggage of Skywalkers, clones, Mandalorian, and Andors. Sure, seeing Luke Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, Cassian Andor, Maul, and the Ghost Crew is always a pleasure. And I very much await the day where Rey Skywalker and Lando Calrissian are on my screens again. But at the same time, newness and breathing room are essential to a healthy future. If we got more projects like The Ninth Jedi and less like The Rise of Skywalker, our future visits to that galaxy far, far away will be nothing short of brilliant.
