The Duel: Payback

For other uses, see The Duel and Payback.
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This article is non-canon within the canon continuity.

This article covers a subject from a Star Wars: Visions story that Lucasfilm declared is set in an alternate history within a reimagined galaxy.

"The Duel: Payback" is a short film from Volume 3 of the animated television series Star Wars: Visions[1] that premiered on October 29, 2025.[2] It is a sequel to "The Duel" from Star Wars Visions Volume 1, and was first announced at Star Wars Celebration in Japan on April 19, 2025.[3] Like the first short film, it is made by the Japan-based animation studio Kamikaze Douga with some assistance from studio ANIMA.[1] The soundtrack for The Duel: Payback was released on October 31, 2025.[4]

Official description

With the help of some unexpected allies, Ronin faces off against his greatest foe – a twisted Jedi known as the Grand Master who is bent on revenge.[5]

Plot summary

An old enemy

The episode opens with a flashback of The Ronin cutting down a male Jedi wielding a blue lightsaber. The Jedi cries that he cannot feel his legs before the Ronin cuts him down. Gunfire and the sound of battle can be heard in the background.

In the present, the Grand Master receives word from another Jedi Crusader via holoprojector that the Ronin has been spotted on the planet Olcatz. A hologram shows the Ronin amidst a lightsaber duel. The Grand Master thanks his subordinate before traveling in his starfighter to Olcatz.

Trouble on Olcatz

On Olcatz, beings of various species and droids gather inside a gambling hall that has been built using the hull of an AK-BK. The droid R5-D56 throws a die that breaks in half, revealing a glowing cheating mechanism. The droid is then pursued by several Yakuza troopers through the gambling hall, and zaps one of them. The Anzellan proprietor Que-Dama sends the Twi'lek bodyguard Aneé-san to deal with the troublemakers but warns her not to kill anyone this time.

R5-D56 is soon surrounded by several Yakuza troopers led by Aneé-san. The Ronin arrives and takes out several troopers. Aneé-san recognizes the Ronin, describing him as a Sith-hunting former Sith. While the Ronin duels with Aneé-san, R5-D56 tries to escape the gambling hall but is cornered by Que-Dama's staff including CZ-D16 and Fzbol. In the ensuing brouhaha, D16 accidentally triggers a lever, causing one of the walkers to tilt upwards, which causes several patrons to fall out into the snow below.

The Ronin and Aneé-san continue fighting on top of the walker. Que-Dama panics and orders his droid servants to get him out. The Rodian bounty hunter Do N-Yuk informs the Grand Master about the Ronin's whereabouts but complains about their late payment. The fight triggers an avalanche which causes the AT-AT walkers to skid down a slope and to roll on their backs. The Ronin and Aneé-san stand on top of the legs of one of the walkers, facing each other.

Settling scores

Their duel is interrupted by the arrival of several starships including Low Altitude Assault Transport/infantry gunships belonging to the Crusaders, a radical Jedi sect. The Grand Master jumps out of his starship and slices off one of Aneé-san's arms. Before he can execute her, the Ronin uses the Force to push her to safety in the snow. He tells the Grand Master that Aneé-san is his to deal with. The Grand Master turns his attention to the Ronin, reminding the Ronin that he was the Jedi he met in the past. The Grand Master now has two mechanical legs.

Seeking revenge, he challenges the Ronin to a duel. R5-D56 stings the unconscious Wookiee Fzbol, who has landed on top of him. They accidentally trigger the walker's legs. Using his teleportation powers, the Grand Master cuts the Ronin on the left shoulder with his lightsaber. As the walker legs' move, the two Force users continue their duel.

The Grand Master causes the Ronin to drop his lightsaber. The Ronin clings on to the edge of the snowshoe on the foot of the AT-BK. Before the Grand Master can deal his killing blow, he is tackled by R5-D56, who comes to his master's aid. The Grand Master destroys the droid with his lightsaber. Before he can turn his attention to the Ronin, the man has escaped into the snow. The Grand Master screams in rage and frustration.

The Ewoks and a truce

He orders the LAAT gunships to destroy the walkers before returning to his starship. He orders his Crusaders to search for the fugitives. Que-Dama, who is riding in a cradle carried by the Wookiee Fzbol, is distraught by the destruction of his gambling hall. Nearby, several Ewoks emerge from the snow. They walk down a hill and find the broken pieces of R5-D56, along with unconscious Ronin and Aneé-san. The Ewoks carry the trio away from the site.

Later, the Ronin awakes to find himself with Aneé-san in a bacta hot spring. Aneé-san explains that the little "fur balls" have been looking after them. The Ronin turns to see a group of Ewoks watching them at the edge of the hot spring. When the Ronin asks why she didn't leave, Aneé-san explains that the Jedi Grand Master has placed the entire planet of Olcatz on lockdown due to his obsession with the Ronin. Aneé-san says that Que-Dama is repairing his droid friend R5, which will take some time. The Ronin surmises that the Sith woman wants a truce with him. Aneé-san agrees and asks the Ronin to lend him some of his collected kyber crystals for the operation. She proposes using the Ronin as bait to lure the "machine man" into their trap. She asks the Ronin what is the nature of his connection with the Machine Man.

The enemy of my enemy

Later, the Ronin arrives at Tkoku Island, Que-Dama's insular fortress, while several Ewoks watch. He walks into a building that serves as Que-Dama's headquarters. Fzbol is also present. Inside, Que-Dama says that the Ronin has a favor to return for contributing to the destruction of his gambling hall. CZ-D16 ushers the Ronin past a corridor with several rooms including one containing a rocket. The protocol droid explains that Que-Dama constructed the island and the droid himself. He leads the Ronin into a room where the repaired R5-D56 has been plugged into a new interceptor system. Aneé-san says that the Crusaders are determined to hunt them down, showing several wanted posters displaying her.

Inside the command center, the group gathers. CZ-D16 explains that the Ewoks have finished laying their traps. Fzbol plays a transmitter where a Crusader reports that they have received an anonymous tip about fugitives. When the Ronin asks Que-Dama what he wants him and Aneé-san to do, he tells them to make themselves conspicuous and to try not to die. Aneé-san surmises that they are both the bait now.

Trapping the Crusaders

Later, the Ewoks and Fzbol prepare traps under a long wooden bridge connecting the island to the mainland. The Ronin and Aneé-san wait in the middle of the bridge. The Grand Master and several LAAT gunships arrive and land on the other side of the river. R5-D56 activates a deflector shield around the island. The Grand Master lands his starfighter while soldiers deploy from two LAAT gunships. R5-D56 launches two rockets that take out two circling LAAT gunships. The Jedi Crusaders fire at the deflector shield as the Grand Master orders his troops to concentrate their fire upon the shield generator. Que-Dama tells the defenders to let the enemy waste their ammunition.

The Grand Master orders his troops to take the Ronin alive. Several Crusaders armed with double-blade electrostaff charge across the bridge towards the Ronin and Aneé-san. At a signal, Ewoks emerge from underwater and under the bridge. Some lay tripwires while others fire arrows at the Crusaders. Other Ewoks hiding under the bridge shove spears onto the feet and legs of the advancing Crusaders. The Ewoks unleash other traps include a spike trap that knocks a Crusader into the water and various boxing traps that pin several advancing crusaders down.

Aneé-san cuts down several of the Crusaders, who have gone through the traps, with her lightsabers. Seeking vengeance against his Sith adversary, the Grand Master enters the fight with his lightsaber. The Crusaders' artillery takes out the shield generator, prompting Que-Dama to order his Yakuza troops to prepare for a ground invasion. The Ronin cuts down several Crusaders while the Grand Master cuts off three of Aneé-san's kanzashi sabers. She retreats into the island fortress with the Grand Master in pursuit.

Que-Dama rides an MSE series mouse droid and leads several Crusaders on a chase. Fzbol clobbers two Crusaders with a club. The Grand Master advances onto the grounds of a shrine as he prepares to face down Aneé-san and the Ronin. CZ-D16 unleashes several remote projectiles hidden in ten lamps alongside the front approach to the shrine. The Grand Master deflects them with his lightsaber and Force powers. Jedi Crusaders capture Fzbol and Que-Dama but the Rodian bounty hunter Do N-Yuk takes them out. The Ronin and Aneé-san fight the Grand Master with lightsabers in the grounds of the shrine. The Grand Master gains an advantage over his opponents using his teleportation powers.

The Grand Master's last stand

The Grand Master cuts off several of Aneé-san's lightsabers and shoves her against a large garden pot with his Force powers. The Ronin then engages in a lightsaber duel with the Grand Master. As he pins his lightsaber against the Ronin's neck, the Grand Master says that balance only comes with true peace. The two continue parrying. The Grand Master says that the Sith must be eliminated or brought to justice. Using the Force, the Ronin knocks the Grand Master to the ground by hurling three of Aneé-san's lightsaber below his neck. The Ronin tells the Grand Master that it is clear he has lost his way, addressing him as a "former Jedi."

The Ronin counters that there is no balance without the light and the dark. He tells the Grand Master that the judgement that he is so obsessed with is nothing more than a denial of the other side. Denying the Ronin's words, the Grand Master vows to exact justice on the Ronin and demands that he accept his fate. With one final push, the Grand Master stabs the Ronin through his torso with his blue lightsaber. The Ronin grabs the Grand Master, pulling him closer.

Before he can finish off the Ronin, Aneé-san appears and strikes the Grand Master's eyes, causing him to fall to the ground. The Ronin pulls the lighstaber out of his torso. Despite his cybernetic jaw falling off and his vision starting to fail, the Grand Master vows to continue the fight. No longer able to perceive colors, the Jedi mistakenly grabs Aneé-san's red-bladed lightsaber. In one fell swoop, the Ronin slashes him across the chest with her lightsaber. He tells the dying Grand Master that he is no longer a Jedi, let alone a man. The Grand Master protests before breathing his last and collapsing.

Aftermath

Following the defeat of the Grand Master and his Jedi Crusaders, the Ewoks hold a celebration by blowing horns and beating improvised drums made from the hats of the fallen Crusaders. Que-Dama offers the Ronin a motor boat, saying that it is as good as a speeder. The Ronin thanks the businessman for his generosity. Que-Dama invites the Ronin to return in the future.

Que-Dama also spots the Rodian bounty hunter Do N-Yuk, who remarks in Rodese that the Grand Master's cybernetic remains are worth more than the bounty on the Ronin's head. The Ronin asks Aneé-san for his lightsaber crystals back, and the Twi'lek signals refusal. The Ronin responds that their truce is over before the two engage in a lightsaber duel.

Credits

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Cast Uncredited cast Crew Uncredited crew Special thanks

Cast

Japanese Voice Cast

English Voice Cast

  • Brian Tee as Ronin
  • Will Sharpe as The Grand Master
  • Suzy Nakamura as Aneé-san
  • Jonathan Lipow as Que-Dama (Amplified)
  • Minami Iinuma as Que-Dama (Unamplified)
  • Gary Littman as CZ-D16, Yakuza Troopers and Crusaders
  • Yukihiro Nozuyama as Do N-Yuk
  • Shawn Gann as Crusaders A
  • Major Attaway as Yakuza Troopers and Crusaders
  • Andrew Kishino as Yakuza Troopers and Crusaders
  • Patrick Seitz as Yakuza Troopers and Crusaders
  • Lee Shorten as Yakuza Troopers and Crusaders
  • Frank Todaro as Yakuza Troopers and Crusaders
  • David Chen as Crusaders
  • Nozomi Furuki as Ewoks
  • Ayaka Shimizu as Ewoks
  • Kaede Yuasa as Ewoks

Crew

Appearances

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Droid models

Events

Locations

Organizations and titles

Sentient species

Vehicles and vessels

Weapons and technology

Miscellanea

Sources

Notes and references

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 Star-Wars-Visions-series-logo-short Star Wars: Visions — "The Duel: Payback"
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 StarWars.com Why We Love the Unique Stories of Star Wars: Visions on StarWars.com (backup link)
  3. ↑ SWYT-Logo Star Wars Celebration - DAY 3 Replay on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link) (livestream no longer available)
  4. ↑ Premium-Era-real Star Wars: Visions Vol. 3 – The Duel: Payback (Original Soundtrack) on Qobuz (backup link archived on October 30, 2025)
  5. ↑ StarWars.com Star Wars: Visions Volume 3 Cast Announced with New Trailer on StarWars.com (backup link)

External links

Star-Wars-Visions-series-logo
Volume 1: 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9
Volume 2: 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9
Volume 3: 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9
Star Wars: Visions Presents
"The Ninth Jedi"
Books
Ronin (audiobook) · T0-B1
Comics
Manga adaptation (1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · TPB)
Marvel one-shots (1 · 2 · 3 · TPB)
Tsukumo · I Am Your Mother/Aau's Song
Behind the scenes
"Season One Companion" • Filmmaker Focus
The Art of Star Wars: Visions (Volume 1 · Volume 2 )
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