[Top 15] Best Star Wars Duelists Who Are Lightsaber Masters
Who are the best lightsaber duelists in Star Wars?
Lightsabers are elegant weapons from a more enlightened age. They are difficult for even expert duelists to use, but in the hands of Jedi and Sith, they are incredibly powerful weapons.
There have been hundreds of lightsaber masters, many proving their ranks by slaying other master duelists. Below are fifteen of the greatest lightsaber masters that Star Wars has to offer.
15. Kanan Jarrus (Rebels)
Kanan Jarrus was only a fourteen-year-old Padawan when Order 66 was executed. He watched as his Jedi Master was gunned down by her own men, giving her own life to ensure he could escape. Eventually, Kanan would join Hera Sendulla’s rebel cell, where he would meet the boy that would become his Padawan, Ezra Bridger.
Despite his limited training, Kanan is an expert lightsaber duelist that was able to prove himself in the heat of battle. Kanan showed flexibility in his lightsaber forms, even successfully using two lightsabers at once to defeat The Grand Inquisitor, a tactic that failed when used by superior Jedi. Even while blind, Kanan was able to channel the Force in order to fight against his enemies.
14. Asajj Ventress (The Clone Wars)
Asajj Ventress duels General Grievous on Dathomir.
Ventress was born on the planet Dathomir to a coven of witches called Nightsisters. Fate would have it that she would land in the care of a Jedi seeking to use her as a servant of the Light, only for her master to be killed, leaving a young Ventress all on her own. Eventually, she would make her way into the service of Count Dooku, seeking to become a Sith Lord. Dooku instead used Ventress as an assassin and field commander, before ultimately betraying her.
While Ventress tended to kill through stealth and the Force, she was an expert Makashi duelist. While Makashi was typically used by single-bladed duelists, Ventress used two lightsabers at all times. On rare occasions, she could combine her sabers into a single double-bladed saber. As part of Makashi, Ventress was constantly moving and attacking with deadly precision.
13. Darth Maul (Rebels)
An old Maul effortlessley slays the Inquisitors.
Maul was the first apprentice of Darth Sidious. Throughout his apprenticeship, Maul would operate in the shadows, before eventually being sent to abduct Queen Amidala. This mission would ultimately see Maul cut in half by Obi-Wan Kenobi, dooming himself and revealing the existence of the Sith Lords to the Jedi Order. Eventually Maul would return, unleashing his vengeance upon any who dared oppose him.
Darth Maul used a double-bladed lightsaber, switching between double and single-bladed as needed to face his opponents. With his single blade, Maul was able to drive the offensive, delivering quick and powerful strikes at his opponents. While using both blades, Maul could take the defensive if needed, or overwhelm his enemies’ senses as he delivered attack after attack from opposite sides.
12. Ahsoka Tanno (Rebels)
Ahsoka Tanno duels her former master, Darth Vader.
Ahsoka Tanno was a Togruta Jedi that found herself studying under Anakin Skywalker during the Clone Wars. Ahsoka began the war as a snippy young girl quick to take a shortcut and bicker with her master. As the war raged on, she grew into a wise and talented young woman. She would be one of only a few Jedi to survive Order 66, and would eventually join the Rebel Alliance to fight the Empire.
Ahsoka began her career using a single lightsaber. After battling Asajj Ventress, she would aquire a second shorter lightsaber to allow for a stronger defense. Like her master, Ahsoka would use the Form V lightsaber style. This form focused on a strong defense with fast counterattacks, allowing the user to quickly strike their opponent after a successful parry or block.
11. Darth Malgus (The Old Republic)
Darth Malgus simultaneously duels two Jedi in his search for an artifact.
During The Old Republic, there were thousands of Sith Lords at war with the Jedi. None were as prominent as Darth Malgus, who would become the scourge of the Republic. Malgus would serve both the Sith Empire against the Republic, before eventually creating his own empire after growing to hate his fellow Sith. Eventually, though, Malgus would be defeated and imprisoned by the Jedi, but his final fate is unknown.
Darth Malgus used Form V, though his impressive strength allowed him to easily drive the offensive. Malgus would typically use only his personal single-bladed lightsaber, but if needed could easily incorporate a second lightsaber into his combat.
10. General Grievous (Clone Wars)
General Grievous easily defeats an entire group of Jedi.
Shortly before the Battle of Geonosis, a Kaleesh warrior would be horribly injured. Through extensive cybernetics, he was brought back as an unstoppable killing machine. Now called Grievous, the cyborg would be given command of the Droid army and waged war against the Republic and the Jedi. Grievous would mercilessly slaughter dozens of Jedi, before eventually meeting his match against Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Despite not being a Jedi, General Grievous is a master lightsaber duelist. Count Dooku trained him in all seven lightsaber forms while encouraging him to attack in unorthodox ways to catch his victims off guard. Thanks to his impressive skill and cybernetics, Grievous rarely needed to take the defensive, and with his second set of arms, he could fight both offensively and defensively if needed.
9. Count Dooku (Attack of The Clones)
Count Dooku duels Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
The leader of the Confederacy of Independent Systems was once a Jedi named Dooku. In secret, Dooku had become a Sith Lord by the name of Darth Tyrannus under the apprenticeship of Darth Sidious. Dooku would lead the CIS as a charismatic and seemingly benevolent head of state. When needed, he would authorize horrible and cruel military orders and secret experiments. On several occasions, he would even battle the Republic himself.
Dooku was a master of Form II lightsaber combat, Makashi. However, he had a working understanding of all seven primary Forms, and was able to pass this knowledge on to General Grievous. Dooku used a lightsaber with a curved hilt, allowing him to fight as a fencer. When needed though, he would simply use his Force Lightning to dispose of enemies instead of fighting fair.
8. Yoda (Revenge of The Sith)
Yoda duels Darth Sidious, following Order 66.
For eight hundred years Yoda served in the Jedi Order. For two hundred years he served as Grand Master, leading the Jedi into and through the Clone Wars. Yoda was a wise leader and provided counsel for lower-ranking Jedi on numerous occasions. He would be one of a few Jedi to survive Order 66 and was one of the even fewer beings to survive a duel with Darth Sidious. After entering exile, Yoda would eventually train Luke Skywalker in the ways of the Jedi.
By the time of the prequels, Yoda’s body had begun to grow weak from age, and he needed to use a cane to walk. During combat though, Yoda could allow the Force to flow through him to regain the mobility and strength of his youth. Yoda used Form IV, Ataru, which focused on quick offensive combat. Yoda was able to leap across the area, keeping his opponents on guard before moving in for quick and powerful strikes.
7. Anakin Skywalker
Anakin Skywalker duels Asajj Ventress on Yavin-4.
Anakin Skywalker was born into slavery on the planet Tatooine. He would eventually be adopted into the Jedi Order and was trained by Obi-Wan Kenobi. Many believed Anakin was the Chosen One, and this seemed true as he possessed unprecedented Force power and was able to quickly become a lightsaber master. Unfortunately, though, Anakin would be seduced by the Dark Side of The Force and betrayed the Jedi Order.
Anakin was an expert of Form V despite his brash approach to most problems. Anakin’s strength in the Force allowed him to overcome many opponents, but his mastery of the lightsaber would push him beyond the limits of most other duelists. While Anakin would occasionally use two lightsabers, he was proficient with only a single blade, but was still able to defeat most opponents with it.
6. Mace Windu (Revenge of The Sith)
A group of Jedi Masters led by Mace Windu attempt to slay Darth Sidious.
Mace Windu was a member of the Jedi Council, and was loyally aided the Republic. He was wise and decisive, even under circumstances most Jedi would struggle with. Mace would serve as a general throughout the Clone Wars, before eventually discovering that Chancellor Palpatine was a Sith Lord. While Palpatine was able to kill the other Jedi Masters that went to face him, Windu was able to persevere and turn the tables against Palpatine, before being betrayed by Anakin Skywalker.
Windu was the creator of a subtype of Form VII, called Vaapad. This form allowed a duelist to channel their emotions into each attack, most typically anger. Windu’s twist on it allowed a Jedi to channel their inner darkness into their attacks, delivering powerful and deadly ferocious strikes until their opponent was dead.
5. Obi-Wan Kenobi (Revenge of The Sith)
Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi duel to the death on Mustafar
Kenobi was trained by Qui-Gon Jinn, a much more eccentric Jedi than himself. Obi-Wan was reserved and calm, a master negotiator. He would train the much more reckless and impulsive Anakin Skywalker, and defeat several powerful foes throughout the Clone Wars. He would survive Order 66 and enter exile, before eventually guiding his Padawan’s son in the ways of the Jedi.
As could be expected from his personality, Kenobi was a master of Form III, Soresu. This was a defensive combat style, relying heavily upon fluid movements in order to dodge and deflect enemy attacks. Soresu relied upon the enemy eventually tiring or making mistakes before allowing the user to attack. Despite the lack of an offense, Kenobi utilized this form to defeat even General Grievous, who had killed dozens of Jedi before meeting his end.
4. Starkiller (The Force Unleashed 2)
Starkiller rampages through a cloning facility on Kamino.
Darth Vader once kidnapped the son of a Jedi he killed and trained the boy as a Sith Lord. Eventually, the boy, Galen Marek, would betray the Empire and allow the Rebels to escape, losing his life to Darth Sidious. Knowing his master sought to replace him, Vader would clone Marek, eventually producing Starkiller. This clone was extremely powerful, and unfortunately for Vader, dedicated to fighting against the Empire.
Starkiller utilized two lightsabers and alternated between lightsaber forms frequently. His attacks were fast and powerful, often amplified by the Force to allow him to quickly destroy opponents with defenses a lightsaber wouldn’t initially be able to penetrate. When needed, he could use Soresu to block and parry attacks, but typically stayed on the offensive.
3. Luke Skywalker (Return of The Jedi)
Luke Skywalker duels Darth Vader aboard the second Death Star.
Despite being raised on the Outer Rim world of Tatooine, fate would draw Luke into the Galactic Civil War. He would use The Force to destroy the Death Star, face Darth Vader in combat, and eventually receive Jedi training by Master Yoda himself. Luke would eventually defeat Vader in combat, and watch the death of the Emperor, before creating a New Jedi Order. Throughout his life, Luke would defeat a great number of powerful enemies, proving himself as the greatest Jedi to ever live.
While Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber training started relatively weak, he would gradually learn all seven forms. Luke tended to default to the use of defensive forms, but would quickly change to the offense as needed. His lightsaber prowess would be tested time and time again, as he faced various Dark Lords and despots. Despite his ability to fight on the offensive, Luke never struck down an enemy in anger, and only killed to survive.
2. Darth Vader (Rogue One)
Darth Vader slaughters Rebel troopers above Scariff.
Darth Vader was born on the planet of Coruscant, a twisted amalgamation of cybernetics and the corpse of Anakin Skywalker. It was not long before he would be tasked with hunting down and killing surviving Jedi. Vader would excel in this, claiming the lives of countless Jedi and Sith, along with any other enemies of the Empire he found. Eventually, Vader would be defeated by his own son, then gave his own life to protect Luke from the Emperor.
Like Anakin Skywalker, Darth Vader primarily used Form V. Unlike Anakin, Vader’s attacks were filled by hate and anger, every blow far more powerful than those of the man he once was. While Vader tended to move much more slowly than Anakin, every blow was enough to falter even the strongest of Jedi, and he was able to expertly counter almost any attack that came his way.
1. Darth Sidious (The Clone Wars)
Darth Sidious duels his former apprentice Darth Maul and Savage Opress.
Sheev Palpatine was born to a wealthy family on the planet of Naboo. After killing his own family, he was discovered by Darth Plagueis, who trained him in the ways of the Sith as Darth Sidious. Palpatine would engage in a successful political career, eventually becoming chancellor of the Republic and then the first Galactic Emperor. As all Sith Lords do, Sidious would eventually be killed by his own apprentice.
Darth Sidious is a true master of all seven lightsaber forms. He is able to easily defeat almost every opponent that ever faces him in lightsaber combat, and use his extremely powerful Force abilities to kill any he can’t defeat with the blade. He typically begins fights in Juyo, seeking to quickly cut down his opponents. If needed though, he can switch to an alternate form and continue the fight in whatever way works best against his enemy.
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