20 Best Lightsaber Duelists in Star Wars, Ranked
While we all know that the world of Star Wars has always been very vast and deep, the one thing that got a lot of fans into this fictional universe was the lightsaber fights. There has always been something special about two people fighting using laser swords that can cut almost anything instantly. In that regard, the lightsaber fights have always been some of the most attractive parts of the Star Wars universe.
Of course, we’ve seen our fair share of great Jedi and Sith gifted in using a lightsaber. While there were a lot of Jedi or Sith who stood out in terms of their overall abilities, there were those who were unprecedented and unparalleled in their gifts as lightsaber duelists. So, with that said, let’s look at all of the best lightsaber duelists in Star Wars.
20. Cal Kestis
Overall, Cal Kestis isn’t the strongest Jedi, but he has shown versatility as a lightsaber duelist. In the events of the ‘Star Wars Jedi’ video games, he has shown considerable improvements as a Jedi and a duelist, having defeated a fallen Jedi Master and a few Inquisitors.
However, what makes Cal a good duelist is his versatility. In ‘Jedi Survivor,’ Cal showcased the ability to use different stances that are unique and unorthodox, especially whenever he used his lightsaber together with his blaster. And, of course, he knows all of the fundamental lightsaber forms and can fight using Jar’Kai as well.
19. Ki-Adi-Mundi
Ki-Adi-Mundi was one of the leading members of the Jedi Council during the final days of the Jedi Order. He may have been old, but he was always considered a top duelist within the Jedi Order because of his experience and skill.
Mundi was an expert at dodging, redirecting, and deflecting blaster bolts using his defensive style. On top of that, he developed his own one-handed Form III: Soresu style that allowed him to fight on par with some of the best duelists due to his defensive expertise. But he was also skilled in Form II: Makashi and Form IV: Ataru.
18. Kelleran Beq
Introduced in canon in season 3 of ‘The Mandalorian,’ Kelleran Beq was a strong and skilled Jedi Master who spent most of his days training and teaching younglings in the Jedi Temple. He wasn’t always on the field because he was one of the best lightsaber duelists, which meant that he was better off teaching younglings the ways of the lightsaber.
There is a good reason why Beq was called the Sabered Hand, as he fought as if his lightsaber was an extension of his hand. This allowed him to fight fluidly. On top of that, he was also an expert in Jar’Kai, as he used this style to rescue Grogu from the Jedi Temple during Order 66.
17. General Grievous
The only non-Force user on this list is General Grievous. Even though he didn’t have the power of the Force, he was a proud Kaleesh warrior, a race of warrior people who valued strength in combat above everything else. And that was why he had the natural instincts of a fighter.
After undergoing cybernetic enhancements, Grievous obtained the ability to physically match the power of a Jedi. He trained under Dooku in the ways of the lightsaber, and that was how he was able to overwhelm a lot of different Jedi as a lightsaber duelist during the Clone Wars.
16. Ben Solo/Kylo Ren
As the grandson of Anakin Skywalker, Ben Solo was a gifted Force wielder and a naturally skilled duelist. He learned the fundamentals of lightsaber combat from his uncle, Luke Skywalker. And he became the best out of all of Luke’s students.
Eventually, he fell to the dark side and adopted a more aggressive and angry lightsaber combat form. He became a ferocious duelist who struck opponents with Force and anger despite the apparent lack of grace in his way of combat.
15. Rey
Rey was a nobody before she found out she was the daughter of one of Palpatine’s clones, meaning she had the Emperor’s blood running through her veins. This allowed her to have the talent to quickly learn how to fight like a Jedi and use the Force.
She progressed quickly in terms of lightsaber combat after spending time with Luke Skywalker. Rey completed her training under Leia Organa, who was also a gifted duelist herself. But while she was strong and talented, Rey wasn’t as experienced as some of the other names on this list.
14. Cin Drallig
He wasn’t a member of the Jedi Council, but Cin Drallig commanded the same amount of respect that the members of the Council commanded. That’s because he was well-known within the Jedi Order as one of the greatest duelists they could offer. He was even given the title of Jedi Battlemaster and was the head of the security of the Jedi Temple.
As the Jedi Battlemaster, he was the best of all of the Jedi Temple’s instructors. He taught almost all of the younglings and Padawans how to wield a lightsaber, and that’s why not a lot of Jedi could match his abilities. He was ultimately defeated by an even better duelist, Anakin Skywalker, during the events of Order 66.
13. Asajj Ventress
Asajj Ventress was Count Dooku’s apprentice and assassin during the Clone Wars. While he trained her as a potential Sith, she was never a Sith. Still, she had the anger and skills of a true Sith as she was trained by one of the best duelists ever.
Ventress was an expert in the Jar’Kai fighting style, which required using two lightsabers. There were many times when she was able to fight both Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi simultaneously. And she overwhelmed Jedi Master Luminara Unduli before Ahsoka Tano arrived to provide backup.
12. Darth Maul
As the first true Sith Lord encountered by the Jedi Order in a thousand years, Darth Maul changed things for the Jedi and made them realize that their ancient enemy could be much more powerful than most of their fighters. And that was because Maul was not only able to fight Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn on par but even kill him.
Maul preferred to use a double-sided lightsaber while employing a very acrobatic combat style. He was much stronger than a regular Jedi Knight and was on par with some of the best Jedi Masters ever. But the one person he could never defeat was Obi-Wan Kenobi.
11. Baylan Skoll
We haven’t seen Baylan Skoll a lot. Still, his limited onscreen appearance has already convinced us to believe that he is an experienced and very skilled duelist, even though he wasn’t the most famous Jedi Knight during the time of the Jedi Order.
With his imposing size and great strength, Baylan uses a simple yet very powerful combination of strikes meant to overwhelm opponents due to the sheer force behind his attacks. In that regard, he doesn’t have the speed, grace, and fluidity of most duelists, but his strength and ferocity allow him to overwhelm his opponents’ defenses.
10. Kit Fisto
The legendary Kit Fisto was one of the most well-known Jedi Masters of his time and one of the best duelists of his era. And what made him a good duelist was that he didn’t try to complicate things.
Fisto mastered the basic Form I: Shii-Cho to the point that it became more dangerous than any other more advanced form. He proved that practicing one kick a thousand times is better than practicing a thousand kicks one time. Fisto was also able to last longer than two other Jedi Masters against the unparalleled might of Darth Sidious.
9. Ahsoka Tano
Ahsoka Tano is one of the most popular Star Wars characters ever because of her roles in ‘The Clone Wars’ and ‘Rebels.’ She was gifted in the Force but was an even more gifted lightsaber duelist, especially because she trained under the legendary Anakin Skywalker during the Clone Wars.
As time progressed, Ahsoka became even better as a duelist, adopting the Jar’Kai fighting style that allowed her to become a more versatile fighter against opponents who used multiple sabers. She could also fight Darth Vader on par in their one-and-only meeting duel.
8. Obi-Wan Kenobi
Out of all of the different Jedi Masters difficult to rank when it comes to their lightsaber prowess, Obi-Wan Kenobi is right up there because he can defeat much stronger opponents but may struggle against those who may not be on par with his power. And this is because his style is defensive in nature.
Obi-Wan is the master of Form III: Soresu and is arguably the greatest practitioner of this lightsaber form. He has defeated the likes of Anakin Skywalker and General Grievous with his discipline and patience. And there is no finer Jedi in terms of his conviction and patience.
7. Count Dooku
Ever since he was still a Jedi Master, Count Dooku was one of the greatest swordsmen of his era because he combined his skills with his finesse and natural abilities. And this made him one of the toughest opponents to go up against despite his advanced age.
Dooku mastered Form II: Makashi and practiced this lightsaber form perfectly. He used the grace and precision of this move with his experience and wisdom both as a Jedi and as a Sith Lord. As such, he could easily break through the defenses of Obi-Wan Kenobi, whose defense is almost perfect for any other duelist.
6. Darth Vader
When Anakin Skywalker became the robotic being known as Darth Vader, his lightsaber style changed dramatically. He still favored Form V: Djem So, but he became more of a calculating, precise, and somewhat slow fighter focused more on power and ferocity than grace and finesse.
Because of his ferocity and power as a fighter, Vader was the ultimate killing machine. He did everything with rage and anger, so his blows were much more ferocious than any other Jedi or Sith. This was also why he was able to overwhelm plenty of Jedi during the reign of the Empire.
5. Anakin Skywalker
Anakin Skywalker was the most gifted of all of the Jedi because he was born with the highest potential in the Force. He was also a skilled lightsaber duelist, quickly progressing through the ranks as one of the best that the Jedi Order had to offer at such a young age. And this was due to his natural talents.
He favored Form V: Djem So and was a master of this form because he used his combination of quick reflexes, great timing, superb footwork, and incredible physical abilities to overwhelm most of his opponents. His greatest feat as a Jedi was when he defeated Count Dooku, who was better than almost all of the other duelists of that era.
4. Luke Skywalker
Luke Skywalker was the original trilogy’s hero and was just as gifted as his father. While he didn’t progress as quickly as Anakin, spending a year training with Yoda allowed him to master all of the basics of lightsaber combat.
After becoming a true Jedi, he became strong enough to defeat Darth Vader in a lightsaber duel. He became stronger as he grew older, defeating an ancient Sith Lord who was revived. Luke also took on all of the Knights of Ren all on his own. And in his final duel, Luke showcased just how far the gap was between him and Kylo Ren.
3. Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious
Out of all of the Sith Lords in history, Emperor Palpatine, or Darth Sidious, was probably the most gifted lightsaber duelist because he mastered all of the different forms of lightsaber combat and was especially dangerous when using Form VII: Juyo.
Despite his advanced age and seemingly feeble build, Sidious could move faster than any other Jedi and could perform acrobatic attacks that would surprise anyone. He easily overwhelmed both Darth Maul and Savage Opress and was able to fight both Mace Windu and Yoda at par.
2. Yoda
Even though Yoda failed to defeat Darth Sidious, he was still probably a better duelist than the Sith Lord. Yoda was a master of Form IV: Ataru, which he could use without worrying about its weakness because his size made it difficult for opponents to hit him. And while he may have been small, he packed a serious punch.
Yoda forced Count Dooku to flee in their first duel. On top of that, in his lightsaber duel with Sidious, he also forced the Sith Lord to run away before preventing him from doing so. Only when Sidious used the Force did Yoda realize he couldn’t defeat him. But as a duelist, he was slightly better than Palpatine.
1. Mace Windu
Probably the greatest lightsaber duelist not only of his era but also of all time was Mace Windu, who was often seen as the champion of the Jedi Order due to his incredible skills with a lightsaber. He was the only one unaffected by the malice of Form VII: Juyo. As such, he created his own Form VII variant called Vaapad.
Vaapad allowed Windu to fight with the ferocity and aggressiveness of a Sith Lord without falling to the dark side. In fact, Vaapad was more controlled in its approach and was able to minimize Windu’s weaknesses despite its offensive nature. And it was through this form that Windu became the only one to ever defeat Palpatine in a straight-up fight.
Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!
