History Characters / StarWarsAsajjVentress

* AdaptationSpeciesChange: Again, within ''Legends''. In the comic books she originally appeared in, she was a member of the planet Rattatak's indigenous people called Rattataki. In ''The Clone Wars'', this was changed so that she was born as a Nightsister of Dathomir who grew up on Rattatak. The Rattataki themselves would later be [[CanonImmigrant re-canonized]] in the book ''Literature/StarWarsResistanceReborn'' by virtue of being mentioned in the novel.

* BreakTheCutie: She started out as a girl sold to a slaver as an infant. Then her owner, who is implied to have been a decent one, got killed, and she was taken in and happily adopted by a Jedi Master... then ''he'' got murdered. Alone and driven mad with grief, she turned to the Dark Side and then became an apprentice and assassin to Count Dooku. Then, Dooku betrays and tries to kill her at the behest of ''his'' master. Then, her clan is wiped out in retribution for her surviving the assassination attempt and proceeding to try and pay Dooku back in kind.

* CanonImmigrant: She originated from ''Legends''' ''Clone Wars'' micro series and ''Republic'' comics before becoming a character in the Canon as a result of her appearances in ''The Clone Wars''.

* CharacterDevelopment: Over the course of seasons three through five, she went from being Dooku's somewhat underdeveloped and psychotic [[TheDragon dragon]] into a tragic and complex character who can relate to the plight of others. She even delivered a WhatTheHellHero to Anakin on Ahsoka's behalf when the Jedi Order abandoned her.

* AdaptationalWimp: Downplayed too. Ventress remains one of the most dangerous Force users during the Clone Wars, but the de-canonization of the ExpandedUniverse cut out several of the great feats she had in ''Legends'', like defeating Plo Koon while half-armed, going toe to toe with [[AcePilot Anakin of all people]] in a starfighter battle, being a nightmare to many Jedi in her early missions, and eliminating the remnants of Darth Plagueis' dangerous [[PraetorianGuard Echani Sun Guard]]. At a personal level, her canonical version is a substantially worse pilot, gets more often swamped in duels, and is forced to flee from opponents she would have probably murdered in the comics. Her ''Legends'' version also has the ability to reanimate dead through Sith alchemy, which she lacks in canon (although it would have fitted nicely her new Nightsister role given that those have similar spells).

* AdaptationalBackstoryChange: In the old continuity, Ventress had parents and competed as a gladiator in the Rattataki Cauldron after those and Ky Narec were killed, this being how Dooku found her. In canon, she neiher knew her parents (which were first excised by ''The Clone Wars'') nor competed as a gladiator.

* AdaptationalJerkass: Downplayed and subverted. Her appearances in ''The Clone Wars'', and by extension the Disney Canon, profile her as a complete AloofAlly within the Separatists, as her onscreen missions are always solo, she routinely antagonizes her own partners, and part of her CharacterDevelopment is precisely about becoming more of a team player. In contrast, while her ''Legends'' version was admittedly not a party animal either, she regularly teamed up with Durge and had a VitriolicBestBuds relationship with him, and was also close to Aidus and the rest of her servants back in Rattatak. As none of those characters followed her to the Disney canon, she doesn't have a chance to show her social side until leaving the CSI, and it is still mostly limited to tagalongs like Ahsoka and Quinlan Vos.
* AdaptationalWimp: Downplayed too. Ventress remains one of the most dangerous Force users during the Clone Wars, but the de-canonization of the ExpandedUniverse cut out several of her greatest feats, like defeating Plo Koon while half-armed, going toe to toe with [[AcePilot Anakin of all people]] in a starfighter battle, being a nightmare to many Jedi in her early missions, and eliminating the remnants of Darth Plagueis' dangerous [[PraetorianGuard Echani Sun Guard]]. At a personal level, her canonical version is a substantially worse pilot, gets more often swamped in duels, and is forced to flee from opponents she would have probably murdered in the comics. Her ''Legends'' version also has the ability to reanimate dead through Sith alchemy, which she lacks in canon (although it would have fitted nicely her new Nightsister role given that those have similar spells).

** Her FoeRomanceSubtext with Obi-Wan is fleshed out much more in the ''Legends'' comics in comparison to ''The Clone Wars''. In the former, they have multiple suggestive moments, Obi-Wan becomes downright obsessed with the possibility of redeeming her, and Asajj has even an instance of WhatIsThisFeeling after one of their encounters. Her fake death and desertion also feel as a possible SequelHook, implying they might meet again some day (and even although they did not, Obi-Wan is mentioned in another work as having been [[TheMourningAfter reminded of her by some flowers]] he found in Tatooine). Meanwhile, the canonical Ventress does still have a few moments of subtext with Obi-Wan, but she virtually forgets about him after the battle against Maul and Savage and instead hooks up with Quinlan Vos.
** She lacks a real history with Grievous in canon, which makes her duel with him in Dathomir more of a business affair. In ''Legends'', she had already faced him along with Durge in the Trenchant space station, a secret test designed by Dooku to prove whether Grievous was worthy or not to lead his army. The encounter ended up on Grievous wiping the floor with both opponents and leaving Ventress in a brief VillainousBSOD, which was implied to play a role in her posterior revenge and defeat of him in Dathomir.

* BifurcatedWeapon: In the PilotMovie, her lightsabers could be joined at the hilt to form a [[DoubleWeapon double-bladed]] one. Obi-Wan sliced through the hilt to separate them and she's never used the technique since.

* CompositeCharacter: In ''The Clone Wars'', her role of being Quinlan Vos's lover and later redeeming him through love appears to be inspired by the ''Legends'' character Khaleen Hentz.

* DelinquentHair: By the time of ''Dark Disciple'', Ventress has grown a mohawk since her last appearance on ''The Clone Wars''. In contrast to her brown hair in her TroubledBackStoryFlashback in ''The Clone Wars'', it's white-blond in the novel. However, it is unclear which one is her original hair color and which one was dyed.

* DiedInYourArmsTonight: She dies in Quinlan Vos's arms after saving him, physically and spiritually, from Dooku.

* EvilLaugh: She lets out a pretty impressive cackle while fighting Ahsoka and Luminary in "[[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsS1E9CloakOfDarkness Cloak of Darkness]]", as well as while ambushing Maul and Savage in "[[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsS4E22Revenge Revenge]]".

* OppositesAttract: Quinlan Vos's fun and friendly personality is one of the things that win him the no-nonsense yet usually cold and distant Ventress's love.

* AdaptationalAlternateEnding: In the ''Legends'' comics, she remains a loyal Separatist agent until near the end of the war, when she is crippled by Anakin, turned into a cyborg in an attempt to rebuild her, and ultimately discarded by Dooku, after which she fakes her death and drops out from the war to an unknown fate. In ''The Clone Wars'', and by extension in the Disney canon, she is betrayed in midst of the conflict, becomes a Dathomirian Nightsister and later a BountyHunter, and gets killed an AntiHero saving her lover Quinlan Vos.

* AdaptationalBackstoryChange: In the old continuity, Ventress had parents and competed as a gladiator in the Rattataki Cauldron after those and Ky Narec were killed, this being how Dooku found her. In current canon, she neiher knew her parents (which were first excised by ''The Clone Wars'') nor competed as a gladiator.

** In the ''Legends'' Dark Horse comics, she remained with the Separatists until being betrayed by Dooku, which resulted in her faking her death and dropping out near the end of the war. In ''The Clone Wars'', she is betrayed a lot sooner and gradually turns into an AntiHero BountyHunter after the destruction of the Nightsisters. This ContinuitySnarl was partially patched by Leland Chee, who stated her fate in the comics wasn't canon in ''Legends'' anymore (explicitly applying BroadStrokes to the ''Obsession'' comic, where the only canon events remaining, according to Chee, are that there was a battle in Boz Pity and that Durge was defeated in Maramere). The Disney canon built over this.

* CharacterExaggeration: Her portrayal in ''The Clone Wars'', and by extension in current Disney canon, focuses mostly on a couple aspects of her ''Legends'' character, namely her missions as Dooku's loyal hitwoman and her Nightsisterly roots in Dathomir. Other sides of her personality, like her role as TheCorrupter towards other Jedi, her regal Sith lady aspirations, her iron hand ruling of Rattatak and even her relationship with Obi-Wan and are either de-emphasized or downright AdaptedOut.

* CompositeCharacter: In ''The Clone Wars'', her role of being Quinlan Vos's lover and later redeeming him through love appears to be inspired by the comic book character Khaleen Hentz.

* AdaptationalBackstoryChange: Very minor, but in current canon she never had foster parents nor competed as a gladiator, the latter being how Dooku found her in ''Legends''.

** Within ''Legends'', interestingly. In the Dark Horse comics, she remained with the Separatists until being betrayed by Dooku, which resulted in her faking her death and dropping out near the end of the war. In ''The Clone Wars'', she is betrayed a lot sooner and gradually turns into an AntiHero BountyHunter after the destruction of the Nightsisters. This ContinuitySnarl was partially patched by Leland Chee, who stated her fate in the comics wasn't canon anymore (explicitly applying BroadStrokes to the ''Obsession'' comic, where the only canon events remaining, according to Chee, are that there was a battle in Boz Pity and that Durge was defeated in Maramere).

* AdaptationOriginConnection: Inverted. In ''Legends'', her twin lightsabers used to belong to Komari Vosa, a rebellious former padawan of Dooku who was hunted down by Jango Fett. In canon, they were presumably built by Ventress herself.

* HeelFaceTurn: Downplayed. She has this during the fourth season, although it's less of a change in morality and more a choice to stop actively opposing the heroes.

* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Her character designs in ''Legends'' often highlighted her creepiest, most inhuman traits, with ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsCloneWars'' even giving her ProphetEyes and a shrieking voice. In ''The Clone Wars'', and by extension the Disney Canon, she looks considerably more attractive. Her last arc in the Disney Canon even allows her to grow her hair back and adopt a more attractive, conventionally feminine appearance.

* ImportantHairCut: Inverted. WordOfGod said that Ventress shaved her hair as a way of showing [[BaldOfEvil her allegiance to the Sith.]] By ''Dark Disciple'', she stopped doing so as a way of showing that -- at least partially -- she'd turned away from the Sith teachings.

!All spoilers regarding the Skywalker Saga, ''The Clone Wars'' and ''Dark Disciple'' are unmarked. Examples relating to Disney's EU and the new movies can be spoiler-tagged if deemed necessary.

* BountyHunter: She temporarily joins Boba Fett's group in [[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsS4E20Bounty "Bounty"]] and becomes a full-time bounty hunter afterwards.

** In [[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsS1E1Ambush "Ambush"]], Yoda was able to take her lightsabers using the Force, with no effort.
** In [[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsS3E13Monster "Monster"]], she dished one out to the Nightbrother competitors, but Savage Opress was the only one to come close to matching her.
** In [[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsS3E14WitchesOfTheMist "Witches of the Mist"]], after Savage turned against her during their lightsaber duel against Count Dooku, she tried to fight her former Master on her own, but she was defeated. Count Dooku even warned her that without the aid of Savage, she's no match for him.

* EvilLaugh: She lets out a pretty impressive cackle while fighting Ahsoka and Luminary in [[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsS1E9CloakOfDarkness "Cloak of Darkness"]], as well as while ambushing Maul and Savage in [[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsS4E22Revenge "Revenge"]].

* LastOfHerKind: In [[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsS4E19Massacre "Massacre"]], Grievous's army decimated the Nightsisters, leaving -- ironically -- Ventress and Talzin, the primary targets of the attack, the sole survivors. After ''Dark Disciple'', both her and Talzin are dead.

** In [[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsS4E20Bounty "Bounty"]], she comes to sympathize with Pluma Sodi when she realizes how similar their circumstances are and decides to fool her contractor along with letting the girl and her brother go -- for some extra money.
** In [[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsS5E19ToCatchAJedi "To Catch a Jedi"]], she also comes to realize how much she has in common with Ahsoka and in exchange for Ahsoka getting her a pardon for her involvement with the Separatists, she helps the girl prove her innocence.

** In [[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsS3E12Nightsisters "Nightsisters"]], after their defeat at Dooku's hands, Ventress irritably remarked that she had warned the other Nightsisters of Dooku's power, ignoring that she had been defeated by her former master as well.
** In [[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsS3E14WitchesOfTheMist "Witches of the Mist"]], she blamed Savage for their combined inability to defeat Dooku, ignoring that she wasn't doing much better against the Count herself.
** In [[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsS4E19Massacre "Massacre"]], she claims that Savage "rejected [her] guidance". In reality, Savage lashed out at Ventress for her abusive treatment and for continually berating him due to his inability to defeat Dooku. Averted twice later in the same episode, where she blames herself for not only General Grievous' army coming to Dathomir since it was her quest for vengeance against Dooku that led him to seek retribution, but for the annihilation of the Nightsisters.
* NotSoDifferent: In [[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsS5E20TheWrongJedi "The Wrong Jedi"]], she pursues and captures Ahsoka, who's been framed for sedition, to claim the bounty on her head. However, she comes to sympathize with Ahsoka's plight, knowing all-too-well what it feels like to have those you trust turn their backs on you. When she reveals this to Anakin, he even has to admit, albeit silently, that she's completely right.

** First after Savage turned against her during their battle against Dooku, she tried to kill her former Master on her own. Ultimately, she was forced to abandon the fight.
** During the Battle of Dathomir, she was shot by a Super Battle Droid and forced to run to save her life.
* SerendipitousSurvival: In [[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsS1E1Ambush "Ambush"]], Yoda spares her and lets her go free despite having her cornered. Naturally, she goes on to kill more people, but as the installment goes on, she ultimately finds her own way and becomes a SpannerInTheWorks, as written below.

* WhipSword: She used a SinisterScythe-on-a-chain during the second test of the Nightbrother "competitors" in [[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsS3E13Monster "Monster"]].

%% Please list all movies by their full titles instead of "Episode #".

* AdaptationalJerkass: Downplayed. Her appearances in ''The Clone Wars'', and by extension the Disney Canon, profile her as a complete AloofAlly within the Separatists, as her onscreen missions are always solo, she routinely antagonizes her own partners, and part of her CharacterDevelopment is precisely about becoming more of a team player. In contrast, while her ''Legends'' version was admittedly not a party animal either, she regularly teamed up with Durge and had a VitriolicBestBuds relationship with him, and was also close to Aidus and the rest of her servants back in Rattatak. As none of those characters followed her to the Disney canon, she doesn't have a chance to show her social side until leaving the CSI, and it is still mostly limited to tagalongs like Ahsoka and Quinlan Vos.
* AdaptationalWimp: Downplayed too. Ventress remains one of the most dangerous Force users during the Clone Wars, but the de-canonization of the ExpandedUniverse cut out several of her greatest feats, like defeating Plo Koon while half-armed, going toe to toe with Anakin of all people in a starfighter battle, being a nightmare to many Jedi in her early missions, and eliminating the remnants of Darth Plagueis' dangerous Echani Sun Guard. At personal level, her canonical version is a substantially worse pilot, is more often swamped in singles duels, and lacks her ''Legends'' ability to reanimate dead through Sith alchemy.

* AdaptationRelationshipOverhaul: She lacks a real history with Grievous in canon, which makes her duel with him in Dathomir more of a business affair. In ''Legends'', she had already faced him along with Durge in the Trenchant space station, a secret test designed by Dooku to prove whether Grievous was worthy or not to lead his army. The encounter ended up on Grievous wiping the floor with both opponents and leaving Ventress in a brief VillainousBSOD, which was implied to play a role in her posterior revenge and defeat of him in Dathomir.

* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Her character designs in ''Legends'' often highlighted her creepiest, most inhuman traits, with ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsCloneWars'' even giving her ProphetEyes and a shrieking voice. Conversely, her last arc in the Disney Canon allows her to grow her hair back and adopt a more attractive, conventionally feminine appearance.

** Within ''Legends'', interestingly. In the Dark Horse comics, she remained with the Separatists until being betrayed by Dooku, moment in which she faked her death and dropped out near the end of the war. In ''The Clone Wars'', she is betrayed a lot sooner and gradually turns into an AntiHero BountyHunter after the destruction of the Nightsisters. This ContinuitySnarl was partially patched by Leland Chee, who stated her fate in the comics wasn't canon anymore (explicitly applying BroadStrokes to the ''Obsession'' comic, where the only canon events remaining, according to Chee, are that there was a battle in Boz Pity and that Durge was defeated in Maramere).

* AdaptationalJerkass: Downplayed. Her appearances in ''The Clone Wars'' profile her as a complete AloofAlly within the Separatists, as her onscreen missions are always solo, she routinely antagonizes her own partners, and part of her CharacterDevelopment is precisely about becoming more of a team player. In contrast, while her ''Legends'' version was admittedly not a party animal either, she regularly teamed up with Durge and had a VitriolicBestBuds relationship with him, and was also close to Aidus and the rest of her servants back in Rattatak. As none of those characters followed her to the Disney canon, she doesn't have a chance to show her social side until leaving the CSI, and it is still mostly limited to tagalongs like Ahsoka and Quinlan Vos.

* AdaptationOriginConnection: Inverted. In ''Legends'', her twin lightsabers used to belong to Komari Vosa, a rebellious former padawan of Dooku who was hunted down by Jango Fett, while in canon they were presumably built by Ventress herself.
* AdaptationRelationshipOverhaul: She lacks a real history with Grievous in current canon, which makes her duel with him in Dathomir more of a business affair. In ''Legends'', she had already faced him along with Durge in the Trenchant space station, a secret test designed by Dooku to prove whether Grievous was worthy or not to lead his army. The encounter ended up on Grievous wiping the floor with both opponents and leaving Ventress in a brief VillainousBSOD, which was implied to play a role in her posterior revenge and defeat of him in Dathomir.

* AdaptationalAlternateEnding: In the ''Legends'' comics and the first seasons of ''The Clone Wars'', she remains a loyal Separatist agent until near the end of the war, when she is crippled by Anakin, turned into a cyborg in an attempt to rebuild her, and ultimately discarded by Dooku, after which she fakes her death and drops out from the war to an unknown fate. After the last seasons of ''The Clone Wars'', and by extension now in the Disney canon, she was betrayed in midst of the conflict, became a Dathomiri Nightsister and later a BountyHunter, and is killed an AntiHero saving her lover Quinlan Vos.

** Within ''Legends'', interestingly. In the Dark Horse comics, she remained with the Separatists until being betrayed by Dooku, moment in which she faked her death and dropped out near the end of the war. In ''The Clone Wars'', she is betrayed a lot sooner and gradually turnes into an AntiHero BountyHunter after the destruction of the Nightsisters. This ContinuitySnarl was partially patched by Leland Chee, who stated her fate in the comics wasn't canon anymore (explicitly applying BroadStrokes to the ''Obsession'' comic, where the only canon events remaining, according to Chee, are that there was a battle in Boz Pity and that Durge was defeated in Maramere).

** Within ''Legends'', interestingly. In the Dark Horse comics, she remained with the Separatists until she faked her death and dropped out near the end of the war. In ''The Clone Wars'', she left the Separatists a lot sooner (and not by choice, since Dooku was ordered by Sidious to abandon her) and gradually turned into an AntiHero BountyHunter after the destruction of the Nightsisters. This ContinuitySnarl was partially patched by Leland Chee, who stated her fate in the comics wasn't canon anymore (explicitly applying BroadStrokes to the ''Obsession'' comic, where the only canon events remaining, according to Chee, are that there was a battle in Boz Pity and that Durge was defeated in Maramere).

* AdaptationalWimp: Downplayed too. Ventress remains one of the most dangerous Force users during the Clone Wars, but the de-canonization of the ExpandedUniverse cut out several of her greatest feats, like defeating Plo Koon while half-armed, going toe to toe with Anakin of all people in a starfighter battle, being a nightmare to many Jedi in her early missions, and eliminating the remnants of Darth Plagueis' dangerous Echani Sun Guard. In comparison, her canonical version is a substantially worse starfighter pilot, is more often swamped in singles duels, and lacks her ''Legends'' ability to reanimate dead through Sith alchemy.

* AdaptationRelationshipOverhaul: She lacks a real history with Grievous in current canon, which makes her duel with him in Dathomir more of a business affair. In ''Legends'', she had already faced him along with Durge in the Trenchant space station, a secret test designed by Dooku to prove whether Grievous was worthy or not to lead his army. The encounter ended up on Grievous wiping the floor with both opponents and leaving Ventress in a brief VillainousBreakdown, which was implied to play a role in her posterior revenge and defeat of him in Dathomir.

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: She is Dooku's apprentice and one of the Separatists' top people, and when she's required to be on the battlefield, she can simultaneously duel Anakin and Obi-Wan of all people and make it look easy.

* CharacterExaggeration: Her portrayal in ''The Clone Wars'', and by extension in current Disney canon, focuses mostly on a couple aspects of her ''Legends'' character, namely her solo missions as Dooku's FemmeFatale killer and her Nightsisterly roots in Dathomir. Other sides of her, like her role as TheCorrupter towards other Jedi, her Sith lady aspirations, her deeds in Rattatak and even her relationship with Obi-Wan and are either de-emphasized or downright AdaptedOut.

* TheCoatsAreOff: She often removed the skirt of her first outfit.

* DangerouslyShortSkirt: Her Nightsister attire included one of these.

* FoeRomanceSubtext: Had some chemistry with Obi-Wan, with a lot of mock-romantic dialogue during their battles.

* AdaptationalJerkass: Downplayed. Her appearances in ''The Clone Wars'' profile her as a complete AloofAlly within the Separatists, as her onscreen missions are always solo, she routinely antagonizes her own partners, and part of her CharacterDevelopment is precisely about becoming more of a team player. In contrast, while her ''Legends'' version was admittedly not a party animal either, she regularly teamed up with Durge and had a VitriolicBestBuds relationship with him, which was never shown in the CGI series due to his absence.

* FemmeFatale: Ventress knows that most humanoids find her attractive. By the time of ''Dark Disciple'', she has no qualms about using this as a weapon while working on a job. She even has two different tactics: the "nod-and-wink" is supposedly more subtle (although it's not shown), whereas the "full-on gambit" is flat-out active seduction and unsubtle flirtation.

** Within ''Legends'', interestingly. In the Dark Horse comics, she remained with the Separatists until she faked her death and dropped out near the end of the war. In ''The Clone Wars'', she left the Separatists a lot sooner (and not by choice, since Dooku was ordered by Sidious to abandon her) and gradually turned into an AntiHero BountyHunter after the destruction of the Nightsisters. This ContinuitySnarl was partially patched by Leland Chee, who stated her fate in the comics other than Durge's participation in Boz Pity wasn't canon anymore.
** Even more so within canon, as she pulls a full-on HeelFaceTurn.
* AdaptationalWimp: Downplayed. Ventress remains one of the most dangerous Force users during the Clone Wars, but the de-canonization of the ExpandedUniverse cut out several of her greatest feats and unique abilities, like defeating Plo Koon while half-armed, going toe to toe with Anakin of all people in a starfighter battle, giving the Republic a lot of trouble in her usual team up with Durge, and being capable to reanimate dead with Sith alchemy.
* AdaptationSpeciesChange: Again, within ''Legends''. In the ''Legends'' comic books she originally appeared in, she was a member of the planet Rattatak's indigenous people called Rattataki. In ''The Clone Wars'', this was changed so that she was born as a Nightsister of Dathomir who grew up on Rattatak. The Rattataki themselves would later be [[CanonImmigrant re-canonized]] in the book ''Literature/StarWarsResistanceReborn'' by virtue of being mentioned in the novel.

* FallenHero: Ventress was once a Jedi Padawan who fought to free Rattatak from gangs of ruthless criminals. She turned to the Dark Side after her Jedi Master Ky Narec was killed and she sought revenge.

* LeanAndMean: She's very thin, but no less dangerous for it.

* MiseryBuildsCharacter: Ventress becomes a much better person after her life takes a ''massive'' turn for the worse.

* StatuesqueStunner: According to the Official Database, Ventress is 179 cm/5'10" tall [[note]]however, an earlier version of the Database listed her height as over 6 feet, and her model in ''The Clone Wars'' is roughly the same height as Anakin, who's 185 cm/6'2"[[/note]], she is considered rather attractive by multiple characters, and she's one of the female characters that are [[MsFanservice fan service]] in ''The Clone Wars''.

* SexyBacklessOutfit: Her first costume.

** Within ''Legends'', interestingly. In the Dark Horse comics, she remained with the Separatists until she faked her death and dropped out near the end of the war. In ''The Clone Wars'', she left the Separatists a lot sooner (although not by choice, since Dooku was ordered by Sidious to abandon her) and gradually turned into an AntiHero BountyHunter after the destruction of the Nightsisters. This ContinuitySnarl was partially patched by Leland Chee, who stated her fate in the comics other than Durge's participation in Boz Pity wasn't canon anymore.

* CompositeCharacter: Her roles of being Quinlan Vos's lover and later redeeming him through love appears to be inspired by the ''Legends'' character Khaleen Hentz.

* DeathByAdaptation: In ''Legends'', prior the retcons made by ''The Clone Wars'', Ventress [[FakingTheDead faked her death]] before [[PutOnABus disappearing from the galactic scene altogether]] near the end of the war; even after said retcons, her fate was still left unrevealed, assuming she didn't simply live the rest of her life as a bounty hunter. In the Canon (which is revealed via ''Dark Disciple'', the conclusion of her storyline in ''The Clone Wars''), she legitimately dies as a result of doing a HeroicSacrifice.

* {{Deuteragonist}}: Downplayed, as she's more of a tetragonist. She has the most extensive character arc besides Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka.

* InTheHood: Not often, but sometimes.

* MeaningfulName: Asajj might come from the sanskrit "assajan", which means wicked, crooked and sinful, all of which fits her role and personality prior to her CharacterDevelopment. It's also a ShoutOut to Kurosawa's Film/ThroneOfBlood, where Asaji is the name of the film's version of Lady Macbeth. It can also be derived from the Japanese "asahi", meaning "morning sun", reflecting her turning away from the Dark Side.

** Within ''Legends''. In the ''Republic'' comics, she remained with the Separatists until she faked her death and dropped out near the end of the war. In ''The Clone Wars'', she left the Separatists a lot sooner (although not necessarily by choice since Dooku was ordered by Sidious to abandon her) and gradually turned into an AntiHero BountyHunter after the destruction of the Nightsisters. This ContinuitySnarl was never fixed or retconned due to the Disney buyout rendering ''Republic'' non-canon.

* AdaptationSpeciesChange: Again, within ''Legends''. In the comic books she originally appeared in, she was a member of the planet Rattatak's indigenous people called Rattataki. In ''The Clone Wars'', this was changed so that she was born as a Nightsister of Dathomir who grew up on Rattatak. The Rattataki themselves would later be [[CanonImmigrant re-canonized]] in the book ''Literature/StarWarsResistanceReborn'' by virtue of being mentioned in the novel.

* BaldWoman: It’s not naturally since flashbacks present that she used to have a mohawk (in ''Legends'', she was naturally bald as a Rattataki species trait) and then shaved her head after the death of Ky Narec. She eventually grew it back.

* EvilLaugh: She lets out a pretty impressive cackle while fighting Ahsoka and Luminara in "Cloak of Darkness", as well as while ambushing Maul and Savage in "Revenge".

* NotSoDifferent: In "The Wrong Jedi", she pursues and captures Ahsoka, who's been framed for sedition, to claim the bounty on her head. However, she comes to sympathize with Ahsoka's plight, knowing all-too-well what it feels like to have those you trust turn their backs on you. When she reveals this to Anakin, he even has to admit, albeit silently, that she's completely right.

* AdaptationalHeroism: Within ''Legends''. In the ''Republic'' comics, she remained with the Separatists until she faked her death and dropped out near the end of the war. In ''The Clone Wars'', she left the Separatists a lot sooner (although not necessarily by choice since Dooku was ordered by Sidious to abandon her) and gradually turned into an AntiHero BountyHunter after the destruction of the Nightsisters. This ContinuitySnarl was never fixed or retconned due to the Disney buyout rendering ''Republic'' non-canon.

* AdaptationalHeroism: Or anti-heroism, to be more accurate. In the ''Legends'' ''Republic'' comics, she remained with the Separatists until she faked her death and dropped out near the end of the war. In ''The Clone Wars'', she left the Separatists a lot sooner (although not necessarily by choice since Dooku was ordered by Sidious to abandon her) and gradually turned into an anti-hero after the destruction of the Nightsisters.
* AdaptationSpeciesChange: In the ''Legends'' comic books she originally appeared in, she was a member of the planet Rattatak's indigenous people called Rattataki. In ''The Clone Wars'', this was changed so that she was born as a Nightsister of Dathomir who grew up on Rattatak. The Rattataki would later be [[CanonImmigrant re-canonized]] in the book ''Literature/StarWarsResistanceReborn'', by virtue of being mentioned in the novel.

* DeathByAdaptation: In ''Legends'' (and prior to the retcons made by ''The Clone Wars''), she [[FakingTheDead faked her death]] before [[PutOnABus disappearing from the galactic scene altogether]] near the end of the war. In the Canon (which is revealed via ''Dark Disciple'', the conclusion of her storyline in ''The Clone Wars''), she legitimately dies as a result of doing a HeroicSacrifice.

* EvilLaugh: She lets out a pretty impressive cackle while fighting Ahsoka and Luminara in "Cloak of Darkness".

** In [[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsS4E19Massacre "Massacre"]], she claims that Savage "rejected [her] guidance". In reality, Savage lashed out at Ventress for her abusive treatment and for continually berating him due to his inability to defeat Dooku.
*** Averted twice later in the same episode, where she blames herself for not only General Grievous' army coming to Dathomir since it was her quest for vengeance against Dooku that led him to seek retribution, but for the annihilation of the Nightsisters.

* EvilAlbino: Her chalky white skin (which is common to all Dathomirian females) combined with her Separatist allegiances for the first three seasons makes her this trope. After Count Dooku betrays her, she's more of a morally ambiguous albino.

* AdaptationalHeroism: Or anti-heroism, to be more accurate. In the ''Legends'' ''Republic'' comics, she remained with the Separatists until she faked her death and dropped out near the end of the war. In ''The Clone Wars'', she left the Separatists a lot sooner (although not necessarily by choice since Dooku decided to discard her) and gradually turned into an anti-hero after the destruction of the Nightsisters.

* AdaptationSpeciesChange: In the ''Legends'' comic books she originally appeared in, she was a member of the planet Rattatak's indigenous people called Rattataki. In ''The Clone Wars'', this was changed so that she was born as a Nightsister of Dathomir who grew up on Rattatak. The Rattataki would later be [[CanonImmigrant re-canonized]] in the book ''Literature/StarWarsResistanceReborn'', by virtue of being mentioned in novel.

* AdaptationSpeciesChange: In the ''Legends'' comic books she originally appeared in, she was a member of the planet Rattatak's indigenous people called Rattataki. In ''The Clone Wars'', this was changed so that she was born as a Nightsister of Dathomir who grew up on Rattatak. Meanwhile, the Siniteen species have become the new indigenous species of Rattatak, with "Rattataki" simply an interchangeable name.

As an infant, Asajj Ventress was given over to a slaver from Rattatak to spare the rest of the Nightsister tribe from a similar fate. After the slaver was killed in a pirate attack, Ventress discovered her strength in the Force and was taken under the wing of a Jedi Master named Ky Narec. After Narec was killed, Ventress succumbed to the Dark Side, eventually becoming an acolyte and loyal assassin to Count Dooku and serving him during the Clone Wars. However, late in the Clone Wars, Darth Sidious grew concerned by Ventress's growing strength and ordered Dooku to kill her, to which the Count reluctantly complied. Ventress survived the attack and returned to Dathomir, seeking aid in avenging the Sith Lord's betrayal. After a complex series of events that saw the creation (and rebellion) of the monstrous Savage Opress, Dooku ordered an assault that all but destroyed the Nightsisters, leaving Ventress to fend for herself in the galaxy.