The vua'sa were dangerous predators from Yuuzhan'tar, rare due to their high reproduction rate and tendency to depopulate their ecosystem. According to legend, the first warmaster created by Yun-Yuuzhan was not a Yuuzhan Vong, but a weapons beast he named Vua'sa. A Yuuzhan Vong warrior challenged the monstrous creature, slaying it and claiming its place as warmaster. Vua became a popular name among the warrior caste in honor of the first warmaster.
The vua'sa had been extinct since the loss of the Yuuzhan Vong's ancestral home planet, but its genetic code still existed in the great qahsa of the shapers at the start of the Yuuzhan Vong War. After the loss of his foot in combat with Jedi Knight Jacen Solo on Duro, Warmaster Tsavong Lah bade the shapers to create a vua'sa. In homage to the title of warmaster, Tsavong Lah engaged the vua'sa in single combat and bested the monster. From its corpse the shapers fashioned a foot with four obsidian-sharp talons. The four armored digits were an impressive symbol of the warmaster's power.