Yoda is one of the wisest and most powerful Jedi to ever exist in Star Wars. First introduced in The Empire Strikes Back back in 1980, Yoda remains one of the most popular and intriguing characters in a galaxy far, far away.
Some of Yoda's abilities with the Force are well known, like the fact he learned how to become one with the Force so he could become a Force ghost after ing away. Another ability most know is that he can absorb and deflect Force lightning, a power he used when dueling both Count Dooku and Darth Sidious. These are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Yoda's powers, though. He possesses many hidden powers that allow him to be one of the strongest and wisest Jedi in the galaxy. This includes powers he exhibited in both canon and Legends material.
Impressive as he may be, Yoda is not invincible. Like any living creature, Yoda has his weaknesses. These could be weaknesses related to his abilities in the Force, but they could also be related to personality traits and beliefs that led the Jedi Order astray and to a certain degree contributed to their fall.
It's time to take a look as we explore the 15 Hidden Powers Yoda Has That Only True Fans Know About (And 5 Weaknesses).
Hidden Power: He Can Read The History Of A Person's Soul
One of Yoda's rare powers was the ability to read the history of a person's soul. The Force allowed Yoda to do this merely by touching another individual. A significant instance in which Yoda used this power was in the canon novel Dark Disciple when the Jedi Council wanted to test the faith of Quinlas Vos.
Yoda touched Vos and read the history of his soul and saw through it that he had fallen to the dark side. Vos was powerful enough to shield the rest of the Jedi from this truth during his trial. Through his ability to read the history of another's soul, though, Yoda was not duped and was able to see the truth by touching Vos.
Hidden Power: He Can Telepathically Communicate With Jedi Across The Galaxy
Fans were ecstatic when Yoda -- voiced by Frank Oz -- appeared in the animated series Star Wars Rebels. Even though Yoda was still in his self-imposed exile on Dagobah, Rebels made Yoda's appearance work by having him telepathically communicate with Ezra Bridger in seasons 1 and 2. In both instances, Yoda telepathically communicated with Ezra while he was inside the Jedi Temple on Lothal.
It is suggested through this that Yoda could mentally converse and even appear before any Jedi across the galaxy as long as they were within a Jedi Temple, still active in the Force, and had not forsaken the ways of the Jedi. That second time, Ahsoka Tano also briefly saw Yoda. He waved at her and she smiled at him, offering the closure the two never received during the Clone Wars.
Hidden Power: He Can Create Jedi Holocrons
Holocrons are prized items designed to hold invaluable information and ancient lessons about the Jedi Order and the Sith. Only through the power of the Force can a holocron be activated and its information made accessible. By the time of the prequel trilogy, few Jedi still possessed the knowledge of how to create a Jedi holocron. Yoda was one of the few Jedi who still had this knowledge and he even created a Jedi holocron of his own. This was one of the last Jedi holocrons ever made, containing information about the Jedi Code.
In Legends, Jedi Knight Jax Pavan -- a survivor of Order 66 -- located the holocron made by Yoda. Pavan took the holocron before Darth Vader could find it in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant.
Weakness: His Use Of The Force Is Diminished By Darth Sidious
During his mission to uncover the truth behind the assassination attempts on Pé Amidala's life in Attack of the Clones, Obi-Wan Kenobi discovered that a clone army for the Republic had been created at the order of Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas a decade earlier. He reported this information to Yoda and Mace Windu.
Both Jedi were stunned by this revelation. Despite their prowess in the Force, both Yoda and Mace Windu had remained oblivious until Obi-Wan's report that a clone army for the Republic had been created, much less by a former Jedi Master. It was through the machinations of Darth Sidious and his strength in the dark side that even Jedi as powerful as Yoda and Mace Windu had their abilities in the Force diminished, unable to see the truth of the clone army and much else until it was far too late.
Hidden Power: Force Empathy
Force empathy was an ability used by Force-sensitives to uncover an individual's emotional state, including their deeper motivations and secrets sealed off by hidden emotions. Yoda was considered to be the strongest of Force empathy among the Jedi. It was this power in Attack of the Clones that caused Yoda to go after Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker on Geonosis as they pursued Count Dooku.
Yoda sensed the severe tension between Obi-Wan and Anakin after Pé Amidala fell from the LAAT Gunship. Anakin desperately wanted the clones to land the ship and make sure that Pé was all right while Obi-Wan commanded the clone to continue their pursuit of Dooku. It was this tension and the dangerous consequences it would bring that persuaded Yoda to go after the Jedi as they confronted Dooku.
Hidden Power: Summoning Lightning
Through his duels with Darth Sidious and Count Dooku, it was well known that Yoda could absorb and deflect Force lightning with his palms. However, Yoda's ability as a Force ghost to summon lightning and use it to strike the material world was an ability kept hidden until The Last Jedi. As Luke Skywalker struggled yet again to go through with burning the sacred tree housing the sacred Jedi texts, Yoda beat his former pupil to the punch by striking the tree with lightning.
Yoda's ability to do this is a game-changer to what is known about Force ghosts. It raises questions of how much Force ghosts can do to affect the material world, not to mention whether the power shown resides within all Force ghosts or only within one as powerful as Yoda.
Hidden Power: He has Mastered All Forms Of Lightsaber Combat
Audiences didn't see Yoda wield a lightsaber until his duel with Count Dooku in Attack of the Clones, but Yoda was already more than proficient in lightsaber combat. In fact, Yoda was trained in all seven forms of lightsaber combat and had full mastery and knowledge of all of them. He was considered to be the best instructor at the Jedi Temple when it came to lightsaber combat, knowing which forms were most appropriate for each of his students.
Yoda's preferred style of lightsaber combat was Form IV, an aggressive and fast-paced fighting style ideal when dueling a single opponent. Form IV is what Yoda used against Dooku in Attack of the Clones, which explains why Yoda was jumping all over the place and at such fast speeds.
Weakness: Emotional Detachment
One of the Jedi Order's greatest failings was their obsession with emotional detachment, a belief held strongly by Yoda. Pé Amidala asked Anakin Skywalker about this philosophy in Attack of the Clones. As Anakin essentially explained, Jedi were encouraged to love and protect all individuals equally in their duty as peacekeepers of the galaxy. They would be unable to perform this duty if they valued the lives of certain individuals above others.
While it makes sense in theory, the insistence of Yoda and the Jedi Order on this matter largely contributed to their downfall. When Anakin sought Yoda's help about how to handle his feelings, Yoda told him to just let go of his feelings. Forbidding Anakin to have emotional attachments and forcing him to hide and swallow his emotions played a huge role in him falling to the dark side, becoming Darth Vader, and betraying the Jedi Order.
Hidden Power: Battle Meditation
Battle meditation was a unique Force ability that allowed one to strengthen the morale, stamina, and fighting prowess of allies while also weakening these same qualities in the enemy. Yoda used battle meditation to aid the Wookies and the Republic's army of clone troopers in their fight against the Separatist droid army during the Battle of Kashyyyk.
Yoda is shown using this ability during the Battle of Kashyyyk not only in Revenge of the Sith, but also in an issue of the Legends comic Star Wars: Republic: Hidden Enemy. This was crucial to the Wookies and clones defeating the Separatist droid army. Battle meditation couldn't solve all of the conflicts on Kashyyk, though, as Order 66 caused the clone troopers to turn on Yoda and the other Jedi masters there, along with any Wookies who tried to help the Jedi escape.
Hidden Power: He Can Stop Strikes From Giants Of Living Stone
The canon comic Star Wars 30: Yoda's Secret War, Part V sees Luke Skywalker battling an enemy from Yoda's past. These enemies are giants of living stone. Such creatures were giants made of blue stone containing the Living Force, which allowed the stone giants to come alive and be formidable adversaries. Yoda had the power to stop strikes or attacks from these giants.
Luke learned of the giants and of Yoda's battles against them in the journals of Obi-Wan Kenobi that Luke took from his old mentor's hut on Tatooine. The young Skywalker's journey takes place before The Empire Strikes Back, which meant that he began learning about Yoda and his impressive abilities before meeting him for the first time on Dagobah.
