R2-D2 is one of those characters that everyone has heard of, whether they’re fans of the Star Wars franchise or not. His reliability, cute stature, and adorable noises of affirmation make him an icon in the movie world.
However, don’t let R2’s small stature fool you; he was far more than what meets the eye. He was arguably one of the most ruthless individuals the galaxy had to offer.
Because of this, fans often wonder about R2-D2’s kill count, which is exactly what we will be covering in this article.
So without further ado, let’s dive into this topic.
Table of Contents
Who was R2-D2?
R2-D2 (simply called Artoo), was a droid designed by Industrial Automation. With masculine attributes programmed into the droid, Artoo was brilliant, dauntless, and loyal to the abundance of masters he served.
Usually, before moving on to another master, a droid would have its memory wiped to avoid the spillage of confidential information. However, R2-D2 was an exception to this rule.
Artoo never had a complete memory wipe, nor was he ever reprogrammed. Therefore, he had his memories of past adventures and missions to give him a personality, unlike any other droid.
There’s no doubt that this independent and almost human-like personality greatly contributed to Artoo’s originality and courage. As a result, R2-D2 played an integral role in many of the galaxy’s most important historical events.
R2-D2 began his career by serving Queen Padme Amidala. That was until he eventually moved on to work in the same battalion as Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker during the dissolution of the Galactic Republic.
What’s more, R2-D2 found himself on many heroic adventures throughout the Clone Wars, side-by-side with his companion, C-3PO.
Did R2-D2 Kill Anyone?
Star Wars’ loveable droid R2-D2 is secretly one of the most deadly killers in the Galactic Republic.
In a less literal sense of the word “killer,” Artoo’s decades of stored memories make him one of the few characters who witnessed all the events and secrets of the Republic.
This would have allowed him to be a powerful enemy if he ever landed in the hands of the Galactic Empire or First Order.
Taking the word “killer” more literally now, R2-D2 has the same trigger-happy features, as well as a similar outward appearance, as BT-1 and 0-0-0. Thus, Artoo has had no problem dirtying his metaphorical hands to save the galaxy’s heroes.
Artoo was such a unique droid that even Luke Skywalker was amazed at the droid’s devotion. Artoo’s true ferocity is revealed in the comic; Star Wars, which takes place between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back.
In the comic, Artoo sets off on a solo journey to rescue C-3PO from the Empire. This was supposedly a task that the droid should not have been able to accomplish, yet in this case, Artoo displayed exactly what he was capable of.
Armed with a weapon upgrade from Chewbacca, an underestimated, minute Artoo took out an entire ship filled with Stormtroopers and Imperial Fighters.
Not only was the astromech droid able to successfully rescue his friend, but he also fended off the great Darth Vader long enough to reunite with Luke on the Millennium Falcon.
How Many People Has R2-D2 Killed?
It is estimated that R2-D2 has an impressively large kill count of 1,000,253. Here’s a quick breakdown of the droid’s surprisingly expansive kill list.
In The Clone Wars, Season One, Artoo had a total of seven kills. These were the IG-86 Droid, Magna Guard, R3-S6, and four Vulture Droids.
Season Two is where the majority of Artoo’s kills came about. In this season the adorable droid racked up a body count of 1,000,145.
The kills were as follows; eighteen Assassin Probes, Gundark, Commando Droid, 120 Vulture Droids (together with Anakin Skywalker), and 1,000,125 Battle Droids (together with Anakin Skywalker).
With only three casualties, Artoo’s kill count in The Clone Wars Season Four was tame compared to other seasons. Those individuals were two Vulture Droids and The Big Hay-Zu.
In Season Five, Artoo killed twenty-nine Battle Droids, Aut-O, an unidentified Tactical Droid, and twenty crew members, totaling fifty-one bodies.
Moving away from The Clone Wars, in Star Wars: Episode III-Revenge of the Sith, Artoo had three kills under his belt; two Super Battle Droids and a Buzz Droid.
Finally, in the official comic, Star Wars 39, Artoo annihilated approximately forty-three stormtroopers, two stormtrooper guards, and an Imperial Engineer, bringing the count to around forty-four.
While Artoo only assisted with some of these kills, the mere fact that he got to this insanely high number makes him an absolute savage.
Who Has The Highest Number Of Kills In Star Wars?
Despite the shockingly high kill count that R2-D2 has, he does not hold the title for the most kills in Star Wars.
Understandably, fans assumed that the holder of said title would be Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine, or even Luke Skywalker, but this isn’t the case.
According to the List of Deaths Wiki, Armitage Hux takes the top spot based on his awe-inspiring kill count of 155,572,361,721. This comprises three point-blank kills and Hux giving the order to destroy six planets filled with people.
Since over ninety-nine percent of the kills were not done by Hux himself, but rather by his instructions, many fans argue that he should not hold the spot for the highest number of kills.
Instead, it is believed that Darth Nihilus should hold the title of the highest kill count in Star Wars. Coming in second to Armitage Hux on the list, Darth Nihilus has 6,556,396,720 kills.
Similar to Hux, most of these kills came about as a result of various attack orders Nihilus gave to the Miraluka’s species on their planet.
This sparks further debate in the Star Wars communities as to whether or not these kills should be counted because they too were not done by the hands of Nihilus.
Still, as controversial as they may seem, the kills should be acknowledged by fans. This is because Nihilus was the mastermind behind the kills.
Ergo, the murders would not have happened without Nihilus, despite him not physically playing a role in them.
Think about it, if an order was not given to attack, then said individuals would still be alive. Therefore, Armitage deserves to have the highest kill count in Star Wars, followed by Nihilus.
Conclusion
As adorable and outwardly harmless as R2-D2 may seem, he is a secret stone-cold killer. Having 1,000,253 kills in his repertoire, it’s clear that Artoo is a tiny annihilator who would do anything for those he wants to protect.
Luckily, he always fought for the light side. It is better to have the droid as a friend instead of an enemy, as the Empire found out.
As amazing as the little astromech was, he did not top the charts for the highest number of kills in Star Wars. The proud recipient of the highest kill count in the franchise is none other than Armitage Hux, with an astounding 155,572,361,721 kills.