History Characters / StarWarsKananJarrus

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!All spoilers regarding the Skywalker Saga and ''The Clone Wars'' are unmarked. Examples relating to Disney's EU and the new movies can be spoiler-tagged if deemed necessary.
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Tropes specifically applying to the characters based on their appearances in ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'' can be found '''[[Characters/StarWarsTheatricalLegends here]]'''.

To return to the Character page for ''Franchise/StarWars'', go '''[[Characters/StarWars here]]'''.
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[[header:Caleb Dume/Kanan Jarrus]]
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kanan_jarrus_sw2_1467.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"Kid, I'm about to let ''everyone'' in on the secret!"'']]
[[caption-width-right:300:[[labelnote:Click here]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kanan_jarrus_is_pretty_fly_for_a_blind_guy.jpg[[/labelnote]] to see his Season 3 appearance]]
[[caption-width-right:300:[[labelnote:Click here]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/caleb_dume_canon.png[[/labelnote]] to see him as Caleb Dume.]]
!!!'''Species:''' Human
!!!'''Homeworld:''' Coruscant
!!!'''Callsign:''' Spectre 1

->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/FreddiePrinzeJr
->'''Voiced in Latin-American Spanish by:''' Creator/ArturoMercadoJr
->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Hiroshi Shirokuma
->'''Appearances:''' ''[[WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWarsSeasonSeven The Clone Wars]]'' | ''[[Comicbook/StarWarsKanan Kanan]]'' | ''[[WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheBadBatch The Bad Batch]]'' | ''Literature/ANewDawn'' | ''[[WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels Rebels]]'' | ''[[Magazine/StarWarsRebelsMagazine Rebels Magazine]]'' | ''[[ComicBook/StarWarsAdventures Adventures]]'' | ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker''[[note]]Voice only[[/note]]

-->''"Battles leave scars. Some you can't see."''

A former Jedi Padawan who has kept his true status hidden since Order 66, but events will see him take up his lightsaber once again. His birth name is Caleb Dume and he was the Padawan of Master Depa Billaba, before he was forced into hiding until meeting Hera about a decade later.
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[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:A-F]]
* ActionDad: Is the father figure to the Ghost. [[spoiler:And becomes a biological father posthumously to Jacen.]]
* AdultFear: He has to train Ezra because there's no one else available, but given how he [[IncompletelyTrained was never fully trained himself]] and the risks involved, particularly when it comes to resisting the pull of the Dark Side, Kanan is clearly under no small amount of stress. He admits to feeling he isn't a good teacher and fearing his teachings won't be enough to save Ezra from the DarkSide. [[spoiler: He's horrified when seeing Ezra has opened and is using the Sith Holocron in season 3, clearly fearing the worst has begun to happen, taking it away to prevent further influence.]]
* AffectionateNickname: Hera calls Kanan "Love".
* TheAlcoholic: Before becoming a rebel, Kanan lived in a flophouse on Gorse, working odd jobs and spending his paychecks at the local cantina.
* AmbiguouslyBrown: A minor case -- some fans have interpreted his ethnic background as being the ''Star Wars'' equivalent of having some Space-Latino descent as opposed to being just white (which would qualify as an ActorSharedBackground, since Freddie Prinze Jr. is part Puerto-Rican, but mostly white). That being said, the creators of the show have noted that he wasn't designed with a particular FantasyCounterpartCulture ethnicity in mind (though they do find such fan discussions interesting).
* AmbiguousSituation: [[spoiler:After his death, a Force being in the form of a lothwolf named Dume appears to Ezra in a Force vision. It is unclear if Dume is [[BalefulPolymorph Kanan in another form]] or has some other relation to him. WordOfGod says that while the answer won't be given anytime soon, Dume and Kanan cannot exist at the same time.]]
* AnimalMotifs: Lothwolves. Season 4 has him constantly matched up with the species as they help him with finding out his role to play in during the season. As mentioned under his AmbiguousSituation, there's a possibility that [[spoiler:he became a lothwolf after his death]]. And on the sleeve on [[spoiler:his son's]] jacket sleeve is that of a lothwolf as a way to honor his [[spoiler:deceased father]].
* TheApprentice: Before Order 66 and [[MeaningfulRename changing]] his name to "Kanan Jarrus", he was the Padawan learner of Jedi Master Depa Billaba.
* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: When he's captured by the Empire in Season 1, one of the crimes he's accused of in addition to "theft of Imperial supplies", "resisting arrest" and "assaulting officers" is "piloting without a license".
* BabiesEverAfter: Downplayed with [[spoiler:Hera]]. The series finale reveals that he had a [[spoiler:son with her, Jacen Syndulla, but Kanan is unable to be there for their son as he performed a HeroicSacrifice to ensure Hera's and the team's survival.]]
* BadassBaritone: Has probably the deepest voice of any male cast member (besides [[EvilSoundsDeep Darth]] [[Creator/JamesEarlJones Vader]] and [[Creator/TomBaker the Bendu]]). [[spoiler: Even when he was a padawan, no older than Ashoka, his voice was only slightly higher and clearly still Creator/FreddiePrinzeJr]]
* BadassBeard: Sports a goatee. It grows into a full beard and mustache in Season 3.
* BadassInDistress: [[spoiler:He ends up captured and taken prisoner in [[Recap/StarWarsRebelsS1E11CallToAction "Call to Action"]] by Tarkin and the Grand Inquisitor.]]
* BeardOfSorrow: He gets depressed after [[spoiler:becoming blind]] and has grown a beard during the TimeSkip.
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor:
** As a youngling, Kanan (at the time Caleb) was worried that the Clone Wars would end before he could participate in it, and expressed joy at being at thick of the action. Then came Order 66...
** His friends in the Temple warned him against wishing to be Billaba's student because they heard rumours of her being "damaged" and cursed.
** ''A New Dawn'' alludes to young Caleb's dream to fight Sith heroically. Then Kanan [[spoiler:gets overpowered by Vader and blinded by Maul]].
* BigBrotherMentor: Serves as this for Ezra, who learns the ways of the Force from him. However, he's initially reluctant to train Ezra since he didn't even make it past Padawan when Order 66 happened, but with very few Masters left, he feels he doesn't have a choice if Ezra is to become a Jedi. [[spoiler:After some remote encouraging guidance from Yoda (who was also guiding Ezra at the time), he gains confidence in his mentoring ability. Eventually, he becomes more of a surrogate father to Ezra; who also implies to seeing Kanan as a father-figure.]]
* BlindWeaponmaster: [[spoiler:Beats Maul after being blinded by him, by using the Force.]]
* BreakTheCutie: ''Kanan'' #1 sets up Caleb Dume as an adorable 14-year-old kid with a big brother-little brother relationship with his clone soldiers, geeking out over getting to train under Depa Billaba and noting how good his life is. Then [[ThePurge Order 66]] comes in, and it all goes downhill from there.
* BroughtDownToBadass: A somewhat self-inflicted example. Even when he's trying to suppress the Force within him (as just being strong in the Force and/or carrying a lightsaber is a death mark in the era of the Empire unless you're the Emperor, Darth Vader, or an Inquisitor), he's no slouch in a fight.
* BulletTime: At the end of his fight with the Grand Inquisitor, he looks at his opponent's moving lightsaber and everything seems to slow down for some strange reason, before he proceeds to [[spoiler:slice open the Grand Inquisitor's lightsaber and end their duel]]. It is implied that it was a [[ShatterpointTap shatterpoint]].
* TheCameo:
** His voice is among the many Jedi that call out to Rey in ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker''.
--->''"In the heart of a Jedi lies her strength!"''
** Caleb silently appears with Depa in the {{Newsreel}} intro of ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'' episode "Old Friends Not Forgotten", taking place right before the Battle of Kaller.
** Caleb appears in the first episode of ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheBadBatch,'' showing his final mission on Kaller. [[spoiler:As it turns out, tagging along with the Bad Batch was what saved him from being gunned down like his master when Order 66 was triggered.]]
* TheCasanova: Kanan is definitely not a ChasteHero. The prequel novel ''A New Dawn'' reveals that he was quite the womanizer before joining with Hera. Later on, it's revealed that Hera is aware of the fact that he's smitten with her, and she doesn't mind because she likes him too. But for Hera, fighting against the Empire takes priority over romance.
* CharacterDevelopment:
** Throughout Season 1, he learns that he has to have faith in himself in order to become an effective teacher to Ezra and be able to defend him and the others from the threat of the Grand Inquisitor by re-teaching himself how to fight like a Jedi. In Season 2, his worry about Ezra continues in that he is concerned if his teachings are enough to keep Ezra from falling to the Dark Side, knowing Ezra is at such a risk. In Season 3, [[spoiler:due to being fresh out of his depression and being less capable due to his blindness]], his goofy attitude is gone in exchange for a more wiser one like conventional Jedi and he is more hands-off due to Ezra becoming more independent and wanting to advance his Jedi skills.
** Due to witnessing first hand the horrors of Order 66, including the murder of his master, Kanan was initially very distrusting to Rex, Gregor, and Wolffe. Over time, he does begin to let go of his uneasiness and genuinely form bonds with them, especially with Rex.
* CharacterTics:
** After his hair grew out while he was on the run from the Empire following Order 66 Caleb developed a habit of running his hand through his hair when nervous. He put his hair in a ponytail to hide this.
** As an adult Kanan moves around with his right hand parallel to the ground [[spoiler:after his blinding, as visual shorthand for him using the Force to sense obstacles in front of him.]]
* ClosestThingWeGot: Initially feels this way towards being Ezra's teacher, since he never actually finished his own training and was only a Padawan when Order 66 rolled around. He becomes more confident in himself over time.
* ColdBloodedTorture: [[spoiler:He gets put through this courtesy of Kallus, Tarkin and the Grand Inquisitor. They use a torture droid, electric shocks, the works . . .]]
* ContrastingSequelMainCharacter:
** To Anakin. Both were [[DeadpanSnarker deadpan snarkers]], [[TheMentor mentors]], and friendly. However, while Anakin was TheCorruptible, Kanan has yet to display any major signs of corruption. Also, while there's no denying that Anakin was clever, most of his choices involved some sort of huge attack, whereas Kanan uses his smarts to be more precise, to make up for strength. In fact, he could qualify as being the Obi-Wan to Ezra's Anakin. They are also both former Jedi in love with someone during a time of war. While Anakin's love for Padme leads him to the Dark Side, Kanan's love for Hera does not seem to cloud his judgment (even refusing to plan her rescue mission in season 4 due to his personal feelings and leaving it to Ezra). [[spoiler: While they both have premonitions of the future, Anakin furiously tries to fight fate and save Padme and their child, helping to destroy the Jedi Order and aid the rise of the Empire and eventually causing his wife's death. By contrast, Kanan calmly accepts his fate and starts a chain reaction that helps to liberate Lothal and eventually lead to the downfall of the Empire; ensuring his family's survival, as well as his unborn son with Hera, and allowing his loved ones to live their lives in true peace.]]
** Also applies to him and Ahsoka. Both are Padawans that got their apprenticeships cut short. However, Caleb has rarely seen action, while Ahsoka has been in action for most of the Clone Wars, and thus is [[OlderAndWiser more experienced and wiser]]. Also, both of them gain new identities when the Empire rises and they go into hiding. In addition, Kanan is less gung-ho about the Rebellion, while Ahsoka has been with it for at least some time after ThePurge.
* CombatPragmatist: Unlike most Jedi, he uses guns in addition to his lightsaber and he doesn't think twice about trying to use his blaster pistol during a lightsaber duel. Never mind using the blaster built into Ezra's lightsaber between strikes with said lightsaber (Ezra even lampshades this -- "I never thought of that!")
* ConstantlyCurious: As a youngling and Padawan, he was constantly asking questions, wanting to understand the reasoning behind everything, so much so that Billaba jokes that he was somewhat infamous for doing this in the Jedi Temple. She also admits that it was this trait of him that motivated her to choose him as her Padawan.
* CoolHelmet:
** He gets a Stormtrooper helmet with a lothcat paint job in [[Recap/StarWarsRebelsS2E13TheCall "The Call"]], courtesy of Sabine, much to Kanan's dismay.
** In Season 3, he wears an eye-obscuring mask [[spoiler:due to being physically blind]].
* CoolSword: His [[LaserBlade lightsaber]], which he needed to assemble before using up until season 3.
** There is, however, a RunningGag that Kanan's saber is pretty plain compared to the Inquisitor's and Ezra's first one.
* CripplingOverspecialisation: He's had some problems with this, but in both cases, he's since overcome it.
** As noted by the Grand Inquisitor in [[Recap/StarWarsRebelsS1E03RiseOfTheOldMasters "Rise of the Old Masters"]]; In combat, he favors Form III of Soresu "to a ridiculous degree". This is interesting since Obi-Wan Kenobi, who dropped the much more aggressive Ataru after Naboo, also specialised in Soresu and was highly efficient with it.
** [[spoiler:Once he's blinded, he can still fight due to his training. However, that training focused solely on combat, so out of combat he initially has to rely on Chopper and Ezra to guide him.]]
* DarkAndTroubledPast: A survivor of [[ThePurge Order 66]], Kanan regrets having not done more to save his Master. As he is tortured by the Inquisitor it becomes clear that Kanan feels himself a coward even if all he did was follow Billaba's last order for him to run.
* DeadpanSnarker: He has his moments:
-->'''Kanan:''' How about a little less attitude and a little more altitude?
* DecoyLeader: His designation as ''Specter 1'' and his position as field commander (as well as the general assumption that Jedi are leaders) are to obscure the fact that Hera is the true leader of the group. The facade decays over the seasons as the Imperials learn more about them, but never truly goes away.
* DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu: In the season 3 finale, [[spoiler:he harasses the Bendu into intervening in the final battle]]. While it didn't work out all that well, it was probably the only reason they survived at all.
* DisabledLoveInterest: To Hera, from season 3 and onwards, after he was [[spoiler:blinded by Maul.]]
* DisappearedDad: [[spoiler:To his and Hera's son, Jacen. Kanan died shortly after his son was conceived]].
* DoWellButNotPerfect: After escaping Order 66 and before meeting Hera, he had to keep himself from doing too well on the jobs he took, otherwise people would suspect him of being a Jedi fugitive.
* DramaticIrony:
** In his youth, he was believed to not be skilled enough and that he would be cursed for being Billaba's Padawan, so he wouldn't last long in the Clone Wars. He survives Order 66 because of his master's teachings & sacrifice, and goes on to become a powerful but one of the last remaining Jedi.
** After Order 66, he did all he could to repress the Force in order to survive. [[spoiler:After he's blinded, he's relying on the Force full-time to compensate for his lost sight.]]
* TheDrifter: In ''A New Dawn'' Kanan muses that the code of the Jedi Order deliberately shaped its members into this, as they were taught from a young age to avoid forming emotional attachments to people and places. This made it very easy for him to maintain a solitary life on the run before he teamed up with Hera, leaving jobs and whatever home or companions he might have made for himself at a moment's notice.
* EveryoneCanSeeIt: In ''A New Dawn'', Kanan insists that the only reason he's helping Hera is because she's beautiful. Nobody believes it.
* EyeMotifs: His eyes become a recurring element with him after [[spoiler:being blinded by Maul]]. His OneWayVisor he wears in season 3 and 4, have stylized eye designs were his eyes would be, Bendu taught him to "see" again, and [[spoiler:when he pulled a HeroicSacrifice to protect Ezra, Hera, and Sabine, his eyes briefly turn back to how they were before his blinding as he and Hera look into each other's eyes for the last time]].
* EyeScream: [[spoiler:He is blinded by Maul when the latter slashes his eyes with his lightsaber.]]
* EyesAlwaysShut: [[spoiler:In Season 3 and afterward, he tends to keep his eyes shut when he's not wearing his visor around people who aren't members of the ''Ghost'' crew.]]
* EyesAreUnbreakable: [[spoiler:He may have been blinded, but after a direct lightsaber strike he ought to have no eyes left at all. Instead, since he managed to deflect the strike before it could get too deep, he just has MilkyWhiteEyes.]]
* {{Expy}}: Whether intentional or not, Kanan has quite a few parallels with Jedi Master turned General Rahm Kota from ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheForceUnleashed''. He distrusts the clone troopers, has a samurai-like ponytail, is the mentor to the main character, forgoes the traditional Jedi robes, is a founding member of the Rebellion and is [[spoiler: blinded by a lightsaber strike to the face from a character voiced by Sam Witwer, after which he goes into a deep depression, believing his connection to the Force has been cut.]]
* FacePalm: One of his default gestures when dealing with the rest of the crew. He's even using it in the concept art.
* FantasticRacism: He is initially ''very'' distrustful around the elderly Clone Troopers who assist the ''Ghost'' crew, despite Ahsoka personally vouching for them (and they've removed the brain chips that caused them to betray the Jedi). [[ThePurge Given his previous experience with Clone Troopers]], [[FreudianExcuse this is somewhat justified]]. He later learns to overcome this prejudice (which is helped when Rex nearly pulls a HeroicSacrifice to save him and the team) and bonds with Rex over the course of their battles. [[spoiler:The markings on the visor he wears are Jaig Eyes, the same as the markings on Rex's helmet, as a sign of trust.]]
* FashionableAsymmetry: He wears armor over his right arm, from the shoulder to the hand. His season 3 outfit doesn't have it anymore, though.
* FingerlessGloves: He's been regularly wearing them since sometime before ''A New Dawn''.
* FormerBigot: Kanan was initially wary of working with Clones given he was a survivor of Order 66. Over time, he learns to let go of his fears.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:G-L]]
* GenocideSurvivor: Kanan Jarrus is one of the few survivors of the Jedi purges, which affected him deeply. He changed his name and spent over a decade denying his Jedi past until eventually being unable to run from it any longer.
* GloryHound: As a youngling, he commented on how he thought he’d miss out all the action of the Clone Wars because of his age, and how it was pretty sweet to be on the side of Master Billaba -- who could have chosen anyone as her apprentice -- and be in thick of battle on Kaller.
* TheGunslinger: Years of hiding from the Empire have forced him to use a blaster instead of a lightsaber. In fact, in ''A New Dawn'', Count Vidian, who never learns his name, exclusively calls him this word-for-word. [[spoiler: However, in season 3, after he was blinded on Malachor, although he still carries his blaster he almost never uses it.]]
* HandicappedBadass: He becomes blind by the season 2 finale and is now a BlindWeaponmaster.
* HeroicBSOD: By the time we first see in him in Season 3, he's right in the middle of it due to his sudden blindness.
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:Dies while holding back a fuel explosion caused by Pryce in order to buy time for the rest of the Ghost's crew to escape.]]
* HeroicSelfDeprecation: He seriously doubts his abilities to train Ezra, but ultimately decides that he needs to, even if means he might not succeed.
* HiddenWeapons: His lightsaber is kept on his person in a partially disassembled state so its function is not immediately apparent. By Season 3, however, he's stopped doing this, and now carries it openly.
* IJustWantToBeNormal: In ''A New Dawn'', he does everything in his power to ensure that his Force potential never resurfaces. Justified in that being Force-sensitive during the era of the Empire is like wearing a "shoot me" sign on your back.
* ImportantHaircut:
** While he left the rest of his hair long when he decided to abandon the ways of the Jedi to survive he cut off his padawan braid, which symbolized his breaking with the order.
** Gets one, along with a shave, prior to his rescue of Hera on Lothal [[spoiler:and his subsequent death]].
* IncompletelyTrained: The Jedi Order fell when he was just a Padawan. This contributes to his feelings of inadequacy in mentoring Ezra.
* InterspeciesRomance: He's a [[HumanAliens human]] and [[spoiler:Hera is a [[GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe Twi'lek]]. And apparently their races are biologically compatible enough to produce a healthy son together[[note]] [[AllThereInTheManual According to Star Wars canon]], [=Twi'leks=] are one of several "near-human" races which are biologically compatible. Others include Chiss (like Thrawn), Zabrak (Darth Maul), and the blind force-sensitive Miraluka[[/note]].]]
* {{Irony}}:
** In ''A New Dawn'', he's a directionless man that finds a new direction in life when he finds himself drawn to a woman he meets when she asks for directions.
** When he first meets Hera, he hears her voice first and calls it "the most beautiful sound he heard". At the end of Season 2, [[spoiler:he can no longer see her]]. Doubles as heartwarming to some extent, because he never judged her by her Twi'lek appearance (which often caused many to view her as a sexual object).
** He spends Season 1 and 2 showing annoyance at Sabine's art antics, like painting his stolen Stormtrooper helmet or drawing a chibi version of him and Rex in a shuttle they're using to infiltrate a high-security Imperial base. [[spoiler:In Season 3, he can no longer see her art.]]
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: At the beginning of ''A New Dawn'', he's not a morally outstanding guy. He's antisocial, he punches Skelly in the face a few times, drinks a lot, and is a bit of a womanizer. At first, he only wants to really follow Hera for superficial reasons. However, he's willing to stick his neck out for the lives of others despite claiming otherwise. And once the Empire's involvement with Gorse gets really serious [[spoiler:and his boss, Lal Grallik, and his best friend, Okadiah Garson, are killed]], he decides to stop hiding.
* JustAKid: In his youth, [[WithFriendsLikeThese his not-much-older classmates]] would always dismiss him as being a know-nothing kid. When he finally becomes a Padawan, the clones this time call him a kid in a playful manner, though by now, he's annoyed by being called this. Janus calling him one [[RuleOfThree proves to be the last straw]] (to which he also says he no longer wants to be referred to as Caleb Dume anymore). Rather [[HistoryRepeats amusingly]], he and the ''Ghost'' crew initially refer to Ezra as some kid and don't see him as beyond much until "Empire Day".
* {{Knighting}}: [[spoiler:Is given the position of Jedi Knight by the spirit of the Grand Inquisitor, of all people.]]
* LadykillerInLove: Although Kanan used to be a womanizer who would flirt with any attractive female he encountered, the first time he heard the mere ''sound'' of Hera's voice, he fell head-over-heels for her [[spoiler: even waiting ''10 years'' for her to give a real relationship between them a try.]]
* TheLeader: He is the ''de facto'' leader of the ''Ghost'' crew alongside Hera. SupportingLeader variety, as TheHero of the show is Ezra.
* LikeAnOldMarriedCouple: His interactions with Hera contain a strange mixture of comfortable familiarity, friendly banter, a fair amount of somewhat-playful bickering, and some flirtation. It's unclear if they're actually together or not, but ''A New Dawn'' makes it canonical that Kanan A: does not uphold the ChasteHero expectations of the old Jedi Order, and B: is very much attracted to Hera, which she's aware of (and is mildly attracted to him as well).
* TheLostLenore: [[spoiler:A rare gender-inversion; he becomes this to Hera following his HeroicSacrifice in "Jedi Night".]]
* LoveBeforeFirstSight: He becomes drawn to Hera when he first hears the sound of her voice. Upon hearing her speak, he spends several minutes looking for the voice's owner because of how mesmerized he was before eventually finding her.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:M-R]]
* MasterApprenticeChain: Kanan taught Ezra and as Caleb was taught by Depa Billaba, who was taught by Mace Windu, who was taught by Cyslin Myr.
* MeaningfulName: His original name, Caleb Dume, which he had to abandon after the doom of the Jedi Order. It becomes a plot point in season 4, where it's kept ambiguous whether the wolves are talking about his past name or the doom of Lothal, and it's hinted that Kanan is connected to this somehow.
* MeaningfulRename: Justified. His original name was "Caleb Dume" but he changed it to "Kanan Jarrus" after Order 66 in order to not be discovered as a former Padawan.
* MentorOccupationalHazard: Is Ezra's mentor throughout the series [[spoiler:and dies protecting Ezra and Hera from a fuel explosion]].
* MilkyWhiteEyes: [[spoiler:Six months after being blinded, his eyes look like this.]]
* MuggleMageRomance: Kanan (a former Jedi Padawan learner turned Jedi Knight) forms a romantic bond with Hera (the BadassNormal founder/leader of the ''Ghost'').
* TheMusketeer: Alternates between using a blaster and a lightsaber. [[spoiler:After Malachor, however, he seems to have stopped this. He only fires a blaster ''once'' in all of season 3.]]
* NeverGrewUp:
** Averted for the most part, as he's been forced to grow up thanks to [[BreakTheCutie Order 66]], but he is stuck with the thought process of an adolescent; as in, he is not a multitasker, due to placing all of his focus on one task rather than handling multiple things at one time (also tying into his focus on his connection to the Force). This ends up causing problems to the point where this may be his FatalFlaw (but also his defining character trait), like Sabine having to point out that [[ObliviousToLove Hera is worried about him and Ezra leaving for Malachor]], believing he has to control and protect Ezra himself (Ezra becoming more powerful than anyone can handle) rather than let him go and believe in him, etc.
** If anything, [[spoiler:getting blinded]] certainly forced him to grow up. Like how he must now focus on his [[spoiler:other four senses]] and the Force to make up for [[spoiler:his lack of vision]], Kanan in Season 3 also lets go of his goofier nature (mostly), partly due to everyone else growing up and becoming more occupied with the war, as well as him being fresh out of depression.
* NormalFishInATinyPond: Kanan may not have gotten past the Padawan stage before Order 66, but the combination of the Jedi training he did receive, his Force powers and his years of combat experience allow him to tear through common mooks like Stormtroopers. Unfortunately, he struggles against EliteMooks and the Grand Inquisitor; to say nothing of the fact that he is hopelessly outclassed by Darth Vader.
* NotWhatISignedOnFor: Kanan is not happy with having to work in the Rebels' military setting since his mentor's last words were about her disagreement with the Jedis' involvement with the military. As such, he lacks a formal rank in the Rebellion.
* ObiWanMoment: [[spoiler: His last episode is one long Obi-Wan moment. He appears to know that he is going to die. He gives Ezra some last bits of advice and affirmation that he is a good person and leader. He also gives Hera some closure with their feelings for each other. As he is being engulfed by the explosion he looks into Hera's eyes as his gain their color back. Throughout the whole episode he is calm and accepting of his fate.]]
* ObsoleteMentor: Because he was never fully trained, after three seasons pass Kanan wonders if there's even anything left for him to teach Ezra. Ezra insists that's not the case because Kanan has taught him about [[ParentalSubstitute more than just the Force]] and he wants to continue learning.
* OneWayVisor: The green mask he wears as of season 3, after [[spoiler:getting blinded]].
* PapaWolf: He is very protective of the younger members of the crew, outright saying that he doesn't care what happens to him as long as they're safe. When he believes that the Grand Inquisitor killed Ezra, he declares it [[TranquilFury a huge mistake]] and promptly [[CurbstompBattle curbstomps]] him in their duel after being soundly beaten by him all season. [[spoiler:This also may have been a factor in his death: he knew that his death would not only save Hera and their unborn child, but start a chain reaction that would ensure the Empire's downfall so his son would live in a better world, so he went to his death willingly and with grace.]]
* ParentalSubstitute: Ezra treats him as a father figure, even saying how Kanan has taught him about life and how to be a man. He's also one to Sabine as well.
* ProperlyParanoid: Byproduct of being a Jedi during the height of the Empire's dominance of the galaxy. For example, he thinks Senator Trayvis's coded message is too simple and the Imperials are likely to catch on, and wonders why the Empire hasn't caught him yet. [[spoiler:He was right to worry, since Trayvis was an Imperial agent.]]
* RetiredBadass: He's a Jedi who was forced underground after Order 66, and has long since forsaken the ways of the Jedi at the start of the series. By this point, however, he's called out of retirement.
* RiddleForTheAges: In "Kindred", he's heavily implied to have a connection to the mysterious cave-painting in the loth-wolf den (showing a Lothalian child being abducted by two Jedi resembling Yoda and Ki-Adi-Mundi). His voice actor teased even more about this connection in an interview. However, we do not get any more info about this in the later episodes, and given [[spoiler:his death soon after]], we likely never will.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:S-Y]]
* SamuraiCowboy: Kanan is described as a "Cowboy Jedi", uses blasters, has a lightsaber with a Chokuto-style tip, and wears his hair in a samurai-ish ponytail.
* ShoutOut:
** Becoming a [[spoiler:BlindWeaponmaster is a reference to ''Film/{{Zatoichi}}'', which features a blind samurai as the main character]].
** Especially with his beard in ''Rebels'' Season 3 and 4, he resembles Creator/ToshiroMifune, a famous Japanese actor. Considering Mifune was in numerous Creator/AkiraKurosawa films, was often typecast as a samurai, and is also seen as the defining figure to the JidaiGeki genre as Creator/ClintEastwood is to TheWestern. In addition, [[WhatCouldHaveBeen Mifune turned down the role of Obi-Wan]] for ''Film/ANewHope'' due to SciFiGhetto, but his daughter states that if he were alive today, he would've jumped at the chance to do so. Through ''Rebels'', it's almost like Mifune got to be in ''Star Wars'' in spirit via Kanan.
* SignificantAnagram: Take out the 'I' in Anakin, switch the letters around, and you get Kanan. Might be a [[PunnyName pun]] on how ItsAllAboutMe, ''and'' on [[spoiler:Kanan losing use of his ''[[EyeScream eyes]]''.]]
* SinkOrSwimMentor: For Ezra sometimes, though Kanan makes the point that Ezra does seem to learn best in such conditions.
* SitcomArchnemesis: Briefly has this relationship with Captain Rex in Season 2 due to some lingering prejudice against clone troopers. Deconstructed in that the rest of the crew, particularly [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere Ezra]], quickly get fed up with these shenanigans.
* SomeoneToRememberHimBy: [[spoiler:He and Hera conceived Jacen at some point before the mission to liberate Lothal, of which Kanan was one of the casualties.]]
* TheStrategist: ''Literature/ANewDawn'' sums it up pretty well: "Hera had the idea, Kanan had the plan.". He's usually the one figuring out the immediate battle plans while Hera is more focused on the long-term goals.
* StrongFamilyResemblance: As a kid, he looks a lot like [[spoiler:Jacen]].
* SurvivorGuilt: He feels guilty for abandoning his master and the Jedi, despite the fact that there was nothing he could do and she ordered him to run.
* SwordAndGun: Uses a variant when using his lightsaber and Ezra's [[MixAndMatchWeapon gunsaber]] while duelling the Grand Inquisitor. He also does it straight in [[Recap/StarWarsRebelsS2E07StealthStrike "Stealth Strike"]].
* TeamDad: By the way that Ezra and Zeb are afraid to tell him things because they'll get in trouble, it really comes off as this. Kanan even refers to the two as "the kids". Also the way he flirts with [[TeamMom Hera]].
* ThatManIsDead: In ''Kanan'', he slowly loses his identity after Order 66, first forsaking a name then renaming himself Kanan Jarrus while declaring that "Caleb Dume" died with Depa Billaba. He regains his identity somewhat throughout ''A New Dawn'', and by the time ''Rebels'' comes around there's very few traces of this mentality left-however, it's notable that he ''never'' refers to himself as Caleb again, nor does anyone else, for the most part.
* TookALevelInBadass:
** In the season 1 finale, [[spoiler:he uses his and Ezra's lightsabers together in a GunAndSword[=/=]DualWielding combination to beat the Grand Inquisitor and slice his lightsaber in half.]]
** In the season 2 finale, he faces off and wins against none other than Darth Maul. Once again this comes from suddenly switching up his fighting style, this time emulating Ahsoka's style. [[spoiler:All after recently being blinded.]]
* TookALevelInKindness: By the end of ''A New Dawn'', he decides to put his lot into Hera's cause for real after making a difference on Gorse. The difference in personality between that story and ''Rebels'' is pretty remarkable.
* UndyingLoyalty: Even after expressing impudence at joining the bigger Rebellion, when Hera runs to her ship to involve herself, he follows without hesitation despite his clear dislike of the idea. Vanessa Marshall elaborated that while Kanan is too dutiful to not be involved, his actions in this scene are driven by his romantic feelings for her. It also helps that in the ending of ''A New Dawn'', he declares that he's going to follow Hera anywhere she went from there on out.
-->'''Kanan:''' What are you doing?\\
'''Hera:''' Getting involved.\\
'''Kanan:''' Not without me, you're not!
* WarIsHell: Before fighting in the Clone Wars, he believed that it was all fun and glory, but when his Clone Trooper friend Stance is killed by Colonel Sear and is Caleb's first account of watching someone die, after Sear is killed, Caleb notes to himself that the war isn't all it was cracked up to be back in the Temple. Of course, it gets worse when Order 66 rolls around, and ''Rebels'' shows that he's reluctant about going through all of it again.
* YouShallNotPass:
** He destroys the communications tower door controls after the rest of the crew is inside, stranding most of the Imperial forces outside. [[spoiler:He gets captured by Tarkin's forces for his trouble.]]
** He takes this UpToEleven in the episode [[Recap/StarWarsRebelsS4E08JediNight "Jedi Night"]]. He holds back a exploding fuel tank to buy time for Ezra, Sabine and Hera to escape. [[spoiler:He pays for it with his life.]]
[[/folder]]
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->'''Voiced in Latin-American Spanish by:''' Arturo Mercado Jr.

* BadassBaritone: Has probably the deepest voice of any male cast member (besides [[EvilSoundsDeep Darth]] [[Creator/JamesEarlJones Vader]] and [[Creator/TomBaker the Bendu]]). [[spoiler: Even when he was a padawan, no older than Ashoka his voice is only slightly higher and clearly still Creator/FreddiePrinzeJr]]

[[caption-width-right:300:[[labelnote:Click here]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/caleb_dume_tv_tropes.jpg[[/labelnote]] to see him as Caleb Dume.]]

%%!!!'''Homeworld:'''

* BadassBaritone: Has probably the deepest voice of any male cast member (besides [[EvilSoundsDeep Darth]] [[Creator/JamesEarlJones Vader]] and [[Creator/TomBaker the Bendu]]).

->'''Appearances:''' ''[[WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWarsSeasonSeven The Clone Wars]]'' | ''[[Comicbook/StarWarsKanan Kanan]]'' | ''Literature/ANewDawn'' | ''[[WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels Rebels]]'' | ''[[Magazine/StarWarsRebelsMagazine Rebels Magazine]]'' | ''[[ComicBook/StarWarsAdventures Adventures]]'' | ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker''[[note]]Voice only[[/note]]

* {{Adorkable}}: Some of his mannerisms, especially when he's pretending to be casual so not to blow his cover around Stormtroopers.

* AdultFear: He has to train Ezra because there's no one else available, but given how he was never fully trained himself and the risks involved, particularly when it comes to resisting the pull of the Dark Side, Kanan is clearly under no small amount of stress.

* GenocideSurvivor: Kanan Jarrus is one of the few survivors of the Jedi purges, which affected him deeply. He changed his name and spent over a decade denying his Jedi past unit eventually being unable to run from it any longer.

* LadykillerInLove: Although Kanan used to be a womanizer who would flirt with any attractive female he encountered, the first time he heard the mere ''sound'' of Hera's voice, he fell head-over-heels for her.

* LikeAnOldMarriedCouple: His interactions with Hera contain a strange mixture of comfortable familiarity, friendly banter, a fair amount of somewhat-playful bickering, and some flirtation. It's unclear if they're actually together or not, but ''A New Dawn'' makes it canonical that Kanan A: does not uphold the ChasteHero expectations of the old Jedi Order, and B: is very much attracted to Hera.

* MuggleMageRomance: Kanan (a former Jedi Padawan learner turned Jedi Knight) forms a romantic bond with Hera(the BadassNormal founder/leader of the ''Ghost'').

* NotWhatISignedOnFor: Kanan is not happy with having to work in the Rebels' military setting, since his mentor's last words were about her disagreement with the Jedis' involvement with the military. As such, he lacks a formal rank in the Rebellion.

* PapaWolf: He is very protective of the younger members of the crew, outright saying that he doesn't care what happens to him as long as they're safe. When he believes that the Grand Inquisitor killed Ezra, he promptly [[CurbstompBattle curbstomps]] him in their duel after having trouble all season, and when it seems like Ezra's inevitably going to fall, Kanan insists on protecting him. [[spoiler:This also may have been a factor in his death: he knew that his death would not only save Hera and their unborn child, but start a chain reaction that would ensure the Empire's downfall so his son would live in a better world, so he went to his death willingly and with grace.]]
* ParentalSubstitute: Ezra treats him as a father figure. He's also one to Sabine as well.

* UndyingLoyalty: Even after expressing impudence at joining the bigger Rebellion, when Hera runs to her ship to involve herself, he follows without hesitation despite his clear dislike of the idea. Vanessa Marshall elaborated that while Kanan is too dutiful to not be involved, his actions in this scene are driven by his romantic feelings for her.

* BabiesEverAfter: Downplayed with [[spoiler:Hera]]. The series finale reveals that he had a [[spoiler:son with her, Jacen Syndulla, but Kanan is unable to be there for their son as he performed a HeroicSacrifice.]]

* BigBrotherMentor: Serves as this for Ezra, who learns the ways of the Force from him. However, he's reluctant to train Ezra at first since he didn't even make it past Padawan when Order 66 happened, but with very few Masters left, he feels he doesn't have much of a choice. [[spoiler:After some remote encouraging guidance from Yoda (who was also guiding Ezra at the time), he gains confidence in his mentoring ability.]]

** Throughout Season 1, he learns that he has to have faith in himself in order to become an effective teacher to Ezra and be able to defend him and the others from the threat of the Grand Inquisitor by re-teaching himself how to fight like a Jedi. In Season 2, his worry about Ezra continues in that he is concerned if his teachings are enough so that Ezra can be able to take care of himself without falling to the Dark Side should Kanan be absent. In Season 3, [[spoiler:due to being fresh out of his depression and being less capable due to his blindness]], his goofy attitude is gone in exchange for a more wiser one like conventional Jedi and he is more hands off due to Ezra becoming more independent.

** To Anakin. Both were [[DeadpanSnarker deadpan snarkers]], [[TheMentor mentors]], and friendly. However, while Anakin was TheCorruptible, Kanan has yet to display any major signs of corruption. Also, while there's no denying that Anakin was clever, most of his choices involved some sort of huge attack, whereas Kanan uses his smarts to be more precise, to make up for strength. In fact, he could qualify as being the Obi-Wan to Ezra's Anakin. They are also both former Jedi in love with someone during a time of war. While Anakin's love for Padme helped lead him to the Dark Side, Kanan's love for Hera does not seem to cloud his judgement. [[spoiler: While they both have premonitions of the future, Anakin furiously tries to fight fate and save Padme and their child, helping to destroy the Jedi Order and aid the rise of the Empire and eventually causing his wife's death. By contrast Kanan calmly accepts his fate, and by doing so is able to not only save his family (including his unborn son) but start a chain reaction that helps to liberate Lothal and eventually lead to the downfall of the Empire.]]

** He gets a Stormtrooper helmet with a lothcat paintjob in [[Recap/StarWarsRebelsS2E13TheCall "The Call"]], courtesy of Sabine, much to Kanan's dismay.

* CripplingOverspecialisation: He's had some problems with this, but in both cases he's since overcome it.

* EveryoneCanSeeIt: In ''A New Dawn'', Kanan insists that the only reason he's helping Hera is because she's pretty. Nobody believes it.

* EyeScream: [[spoiler:He is blinded by Maul.]]

* FantasticRacism: He is initially very uncomfortable around the elderly Clone Troopers who assist the ''Ghost'' crew, even though they've removed the brain chips that caused several of their allies to turn on the Jedi. [[ThePurge Given his previous experience with Clone Troopers]], [[FreudianExcuse this is somewhat justified]]. He later learns to overcome this prejudice and look up to Rex over the course of their battles. [[spoiler:The markings on the visor he wears are Jaig Eyes, the same as the markings on Rex's helmet, as a sign of trust.]]

* GenocideSurvivor: Kanan Jarrus is one of the few survivors of the Jedi purges, which affected him deeply. He changed his name and spent over a decade denying he had ever been a Jedi.

* TheGunslinger: Years of hiding from the Empire have forced him to use a blaster instead of a lightsaber. In fact, in ''A New Dawn'', Count Vidian, who never learns his name, exclusively calls him this word-for-word. [[spoiler:However, in season 3, after he was blinded on Malachor, although he still carries his blaster he almost never uses it.]]

* HeroicBSOD: By the time we first see in him in Season 3, he's right in the middle of it.

** When he first meets Hera, he hears her voice first. At the end of Season 2, [[spoiler:he can no longer see her]]. Doubles as heartwarming to some extent, because he never judged her by her physical appearance.

* LadykillerInLove: Although Kanan used to be a womanizer who would flirt with any attractive female he encountered, the first time he heard the ''sound'' of Hera's voice he fell head-over-heels for her.

* LoveBeforeFirstSight: He's attracted to Hera when he first hears the sound of her voice.

* GloryHound: As a youngling, he commented on how he thought he’d miss out all the action of the Clone Wars because of his age, and how it was pretty sweet to be on the side of Master Billaba -– who could have chosen anyone as her apprentice -- and be in thick of battle on Kaller.

* TheCameo: His voice is among the many Jedi that call out to Rey in ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker''.
-->''"In the heart of a Jedi lies her strength!"''
** He also pops up briefly in the trailer for season seven of The Clone Wars.

* CharacterTics: He moves around with his right hand parallel to the ground [[spoiler:after his blinding, as visual shorthand for him using the Force to sense obstacles in front of him.]]

* ImportantHaircut: Gets one, along with a shave, prior to his rescue of Hera on Lothal [[spoiler:and his subsequent death]].

->'''Appearances:''' ''[[WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWarsSeasonSeven Star Wars The Clone Wars Season Seven]]'' | ''[[Comicbook/StarWarsKanan Kanan]]'' | ''Literature/ANewDawn'' | ''[[WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels Rebels]]'' | ''[[Magazine/StarWarsRebelsMagazine Rebels Magazine]]'' | ''[[ComicBook/StarWarsAdventures Adventures]]'' | ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker''[[note]]Voice only[[/note]]

->'''Appearances:''' ''[[WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWarsSeasonSeven]]'' | ''[[Comicbook/StarWarsKanan Kanan]]'' | ''Literature/ANewDawn'' | ''[[WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels Rebels]]'' | ''[[Magazine/StarWarsRebelsMagazine Rebels Magazine]]'' | ''[[ComicBook/StarWarsAdventures Adventures]]'' | ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker''[[note]]Voice only[[/note]]

->'''Appearances:''' ''[[Comicbook/StarWarsKanan Kanan]]'' | ''Literature/ANewDawn'' | ''[[WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels Rebels]]'' | ''[[Magazine/StarWarsRebelsMagazine Rebels Magazine]]'' | ''[[ComicBook/StarWarsAdventures Adventures]]'' | ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker''[[note]]Voice only[[/note]]

* MentorOccupationalHazard: Is Ezra's mentor throughout the entire series [[spoiler:and dies protecting Ezra and Hera from a fuel explosion]].

* PapaWolf: He is very protective of the younger members of the crew, outright saying that he doesn't care what happens to him as long as they're safe. When he believes that the Grand Inquisitor killed Ezra, he promptly [[CurbstompBattle curbstomps]] him in their duel after having trouble all season, and even when it seems like Ezra's inevitably going to fall, Kanan insists on protecting him. [[spoiler:This also may have been a factor in his death: he knew that his death would not only save Hera and their unborn child, but start a chain reaction that would ensure the Empire's downfall so his son would live in a better world, so he went to his death willingly and with grace.]]

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

* TheCameo: [[spoiler:His voice is among the many Jedi that call out to Rey in ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker''.]]

->'''Appearances:''' ''[[Comicbook/StarWarsKanan Kanan]]'' | ''Literature/ANewDawn'' | ''[[WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels Rebels]]'' | ''[[Magazine/StarWarsRebelsMagazine Rebels Magazine]]'' | ''[[ComicBook/StarWarsAdventures Adventures]]''

* {{Expy}}: Whether intentional or not, Kanan has quite a few parallels with Jedi Master turned General Rahm Kota from ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheForceUnleashed''. He distrusts the clone troopers, has a samurai-like ponytail, is the mentor to the main character, forgoes the traditional Jedi robes, is a founding member of the Rebellion and is [[spoiler: blinded by a lightsaber strike to the face from a character voiced by Sam Witwer]]