Shoto lightsaber
The shoto lightsaber, also known as a lightsaber shoto or simply shotos, and sometimes called short lightsabers or lightdaggers, were fundamentally lightsabers featuring a shortened blade. Their main function was to serve as an off-hand weapon, particularly for duelists employing the twin-blade Jar'Kai technique. However, they were also favored by Jedi and Sith whose smaller size made using full-sized lightsabers awkward or impossible.
Purpose and usage
Within lightsaber combat, the shoto's chief role was to defend against an opponent's attacks, allowing the primary lightsaber to execute counter-strikes. Consequently, shoto users needed expertise in Jar'Kai lightsaber techniques to minimize the risk of self-injury, given the enhanced dexterity required for simultaneous blade use. Masters of this fighting style could unleash a rapid series of attacks, potentially overwhelming opponents more quickly than in a drawn-out fight. Shotos also served as a defense against lightwhips.
Some ambitious fighters took this concept further, opting to wield two shotos instead of a standard lightsaber. This approach traded reach and leverage for significantly improved speed, dexterity, and range of motion. Any disadvantage created by this choice could be offset by mastering Ataru, whose acrobatic movements could recover the lost ground from using shorter blades. Vandar Tokare, a famous Jedi Master and member of the High Council during the Old Sith Wars, frequently used this technique, as did Saato, a Dathomirian Dark Acolyte.
However, for certain individuals, using a shoto was not a preference but a necessity. Throughout history, many smaller Jedi and Sith chose the shoto because wielding a full-sized lightsaber was physically challenging. For instance, Grand Master Yoda used a shoto as his main weapon, as did his contemporary Yaddle and the ancient Sith Acolyte Toki Tollivar.
A notable distinction from standard-sized lightsabers is that the lightsaber shoto was designed to be effectively used as a projectile weapon.
History
The initial shotos, then called short lightsabers, emerged during the Old Sith Wars. One prominent user of this secondary weapon was the ancient Jedi Master Kavar, who employed a matching set of a lightsaber and a shoto, both with blue blades. Yuthura Ban, Uthar Wynn's Sith apprentice and second-in-command at the Sith academy on Korriban, used a red-bladed shoto as her primary weapon. Freedon Nadd's Sith Lord short lightsaber had a bronze blade, which Meetra Surik's strike team later recovered from his tomb on Dxun.
During the time of the Clone Wars, the rogue Jedi Master Sora Bulq wielded a shoto matching the color of his regular lightsaber, using it in a duel against Mace Windu. Ahsoka Tano, the Padawan of Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, used a shoto with a yellowish-green blade.
During the Galactic Civil War, specifically in the Nagai–Tof War, Luke Skywalker, the Grand Master of the New Jedi Order, built a shoto with a red blade. This weapon was constructed using parts from the Stinger and powered by the blaster's power pack to effectively counter the unique nature of Lumiya's lightwhip during their Skirmish on Kinooine. Luke practiced saber training with three Marksman-H combat remotes using the shoto prior to the Second Battle of Endor. During the Battle of Iskalon, Lando employed the shoto underwater to destroy a Nagai tower. Luke also used his shoto during the Battle of Zeltros. Decades later (decades), Luke used it again in combat against Lumiya during the Battle of Gilatter VIII, while his sister, Leia Organa Solo, fought Alema Rar.
The lightsabers of the Dark Jedi Picaroon C. Boodle and the Jedi Grand Master Yoda were so small that they could arguably be classified as shotos, although they were not used as such. During the Swarm War, the Dark Jedi Lomi Plo also used a shoto with a purple blade in her duel against Jacen Solo and Luke Skywalker.
When Luke Skywalker learned of Lumiya's return during the Second Galactic Civil War, he tasked his wife, Mara Jade, with building a shoto. Shotos were considered crucial for fighting lightwhips because they negated the lightwhip's key advantage: its ability to strike from multiple directions. Mara Jade created a shoto with a blue blade, while Luke's shoto had a red blade. Mara also used her blue-bladed shoto to fight her nephew Jacen after discovering his fall to the dark side.
Behind the scenes
In the RPG video games Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Knights of the Old Republic II, the shoto is named "Short Lightsaber" and serves primarily as a secondary weapon. However, shotos in other media appear to have blades that are noticeably shorter.