The Star Wars universe is brilliant when it comes to creating compelling characters that the audience can grow to love, but one of the most impressive aspects of that character development is that they manage to create characters that are literally machines that viewers can come to love, hate, or even fear. Within the vast Star Wars extended universe, there are hundreds of different kinds of droids, but there are a select few that stick out above all others.

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In most cases, a droid is no match for a real living being, but there are a few Star Wars droids that manage to match, or even exceed, the skills of a sentient living thing. Star Wars droids are almost as varied and complex as their actual human and alien characters, so it's no surprise that there are an array of Star Wars droids that are as dangerous as many living counterparts. So here are those impressively dangerous droids, ranked.

Battle Droids

They might not be able to compete with the power and capabilities of a living, breathing soldier, but the battle droids of the Star Wars universe are most definitely no joke. These droids made up almost the entirety of the infantry of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, and were it not for the clone army, it seems likely that the CIS would have been able to handily dominate the galaxy with their army.

Plus, one battle droid is something most sentient beings could handle on their own. But with the swarms of droids the CIS used to attack their victims, it was difficult for even the most seasoned warriors to overcome.

ASN-121

The ASN-121 droid made a very brief but very memorable appearance in the Star Wars saga. It's a fairly innocuous-looking droid that is typically used for courier services, but the assassin Zam Wesell modified its machinery to turn it into a stealth assassin droid.

Wesell used the ASN-121 to deliver a pair of creepy crawly and insanely poisonous insects into Padme Amidala's bedroom, and were it not for Padme's Jedi guardians, Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, Padme would have likely been bitten and dispatched by the toxic bugs. But the ASN-121 is a good Star Wars life lesson in things not always being as they appear.

IT-O Interrogator Droid

If you've ever seen the OG Star Wars, then you will almost certainly remember this recognizable droid. It's easily one of the most memorable pieces of machinery in the Star Wars trilogy. However, you may not be familiar with its technical name: the IT-O Interrogator Droid.

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"Interrogation" is the more pleasant word that can be used to describe this black bubble of doom. The reality of the droid is that it's a torture device that is fabled to be so painful that most of those being interrogated will fold at the very idea of being subjected to it. (However, the use of this torture device unsurprisingly doesn't cause legitimate legend Princess Leia to fold).

MagnaGuard

MagnaGuard charges in battle in The Mandalorian

A standard battle droid is a pretty effective killer in its own right, but they really can't hold a candle to the ultra souped-up MagnaGuard droids. The MagnaGuards weren't just droids: they were skilled fighters that were powerful enough to hold off or even kill a Jedi.

Typically equipped with an electrified battle staff, the MagnaGuard was designed to take on any opponent in hand-to-hand combat, and they could keep fighting even when horribly damaged, even if they were missing parts. General Grievous seemed to be a particular fan of these droids, which I guess isn't a surprise given his intense desire to destroy all things Jedi.

0-0-0 Assassin Droid

When it comes to dangerous droids in the Star Wars universe, it's a pretty safe bet that many of the most dangerous ones out there are the droids that are designed to look as benign as possible. There are many droids that have been designed for assassination, but unsurprisingly the most effective assassin droids are the ones like 0-0-0.

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This is a droid that looks and performs just like a standard protocol droid but features some bonus, exceptionally terrifying programming that no one would really see coming. The 0-0-0 was one of Darth Vader's many mechanical torture tools, and it's pretty appropriate that triple zero looks like an evil version of C-3P0.

Droideka

There are many different types and styles of dangerous droids in the Star Wars universe, but once you've laid your eyes on the Droideka, it's kind of hard to understand why anyone ever bothered making another kind of battle droid. These seem like nearly perfect destruction machines, and these rolling battle droids come equipped with protective force shields that make them almost impossible to destroy.

Any living being that finds themselves face-to-face with a squad of Droidekas better say a few prayers and hope that lady luck is on their side, as even Jedi as skilled as Anakin and Obi-Wan have a hard time warding them off.

IG-88B

It's safe to say if there is a job that any living being does in the Star Wars universe, then there is a droid version of it somewhere in the universe, too. The most memorable bounty hunters in the SW-verse are most definitely alive, but there are more than a few dangerous bounty hunter droids out there in the galaxy.

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The IG-88B is the most legendary of mechanical bounty hunters, and the only bounty hunter in the galaxy that is more feared than the IG-88B is the one and only Boba Fett himself. The IG-88B is even programmed to be "sentient," or at least as sentient as a machine can really be.

BB-8

Ironically, although there are many droids in the Star Wars universe that are specifically designed for destruction, the most dangerous droids in the world are usually the ones that haven't been made to destroy anything at all. An obvious example of that is the innocent, adorable BB-8.

This little roller ball doesn't look like much, but it becomes an integral part of the rebellion against the First Order and actually ensures the survival of that rebellion. Not to mention, BB-8 essentially puts Rey on the path toward becoming the warrior badass that she is, so in a roundabout way, BB-8 is responsible for the death of Supreme Leader Snoke.

C-3Po

C-3PO in Star Wars

Some might say that no one could have seen Anakin Skywalker's transformation into Darth Vader coming. However, anyone who had encountered the lawless golem of a droid called C-3P0 could have told you that Anakin would turn to the dark side.

Much like the normal-boy-turned-villain that created him, Threepio seems to operate under the impression that he's a totally normal dude but miraculously and unintentionally demolishes everything he comes into contact with. And that is truly what makes C-3P0 so dangerous: he's an agent of pure chaos who is programmed to believe that he's just a protocol droid trying to do his duty.

R2-D2

Machines can't have a consciousness, which is something all Star Wars viewers understand on an intellectual level, but a droid like R2-D2 challenges that idea on an emotional level. Artoo is supposedly a standard astromech droid, but he has played an integral part in the titular wars of the Star Wars saga since those wars began.

But he's also not just following orders. This droid has a few chosen ride-or-die friends that he manages to rescue on many occasions, and he also harbors some serious vendettas and seems to enjoy getting revenge on his enemies. This all makes him one scary Star Wars droid you definitely do not want to cross.

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