Top 10 Best Star Wars Lightsaber Duels

The Top Ten
1 Obi-Wan vs. Anakin

The top Star Wars movie of all six, it makes sense that it also has the best duel. A compelling story that began in Episode 1 builds up to the ultimate mystery of how Anakin became encased in Darth Vader.

An intense, heated, emotional duel between Anakin and his former master and best friend is the best way it could've happened. This duel is the main thing that makes Episode 3 the most emotional Star Wars film, ending in sadness and disparity as the Empire rises and the evil Palpatine's plan succeeds.

Vader's life-supporting armor made him feared by the galaxy for years to come, thanks to his awesome, but sad duel against Obi-Wan.

One of the most incredible duels in Star Wars and cinema history, saving the complete mess of the prequels. The dialogue is not the best, however, Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen completely make up for it with incredible displays of acting, getting through all the emotion involved in the duel.

The setup is absolutely epic. Lava and big massive tall structures make it a great spectacle, and it is a fitting way to finally see Anakin turn to the dark side. It is also the most emotionally driven fight between Anakin and his master. McGregor really shows us how hard it was for Obi-Wan to try to kill Skywalker. The look on his face at the end haunts me every time I see it. It's truly chilling.

And of course, who can forget Mr. Kenobi telling Anakin he failed him, before his (once again) chilling 'speech' at the end. Him shouting 'You were the chosen one, you were meant to destroy the Sith, not join them!' (Of course, later he does destroy the Sith). And Anakin screaming 'I HATE YOU!' giving into his hate and joining the dark side.

Great set, great acting, intense and almost sad because of the emotion brought through. What is not to love?

2 Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon vs. Darth Maul

This is the most intense lightsaber action in the trilogy, mostly because they were constantly fighting while a lot of Anakin vs. Obi-Wan was spent swinging on ropes, floating on platforms, etc. But I can't say I like Darth Maul in any way. I mean, he ruined Obi-Wan's life! First, in The Phantom Menace, he killed Qui-Gon, forcing Obi-Wan to train Anakin while coping with his master's death and not being totally prepared for either. He also killed his close friend Duchess Satine in Clone Wars. But I have to admit, the first time I saw Obi-Wan behind the red shield, it was VERY intense.

The double saber grabbed everyone's attention. Everyone loved how Maul was twirling it around and holding off two Jedi at once, considering he was only an apprentice and he was fending off a master and a padawan. Maul definitely had some tricks up his sleeve, like separating the master and the padawan. I do have to say, this being the first movie of the lot I watched, I was really hoping for the Sith to destroy both Jedi. Epic battle with decent paced saber action.

3 Luke vs. Darth Vader (Episode 5)

This is my favorite scene in all of film. It's not the most technically choreographed, but the sheer terror of not knowing when Darth Vader is going to attack Luke is thrilling. The colors in the scene are immaculate too.

The best duel by far. It was dark and ominous from the beginning. When I saw it as a kid, I thought Luke would win because the good guys always win, right? Wrong! When Vader cut off his hand, I thought it couldn't get any more shocking. But Vader's words cut even deeper than his lightsaber. In real life, Luke would have needed therapy after this encounter. The greatest reveal in the history of cinema, in the greatest film of the Star Wars franchise.

The stakes are higher in this battle as Luke battles Darth Vader for the first time. The setting and the dark lighting are what makes this battle great, also with the most famous Star Wars line being said at the end. The sword fighting seems more realistic and better choreographed. #1 on my list.

4 Luke vs. Darth Vader (Episode 6)

This is the best lightsaber duel in the Star Wars franchise due to how emotional and climactic it was. Unlike in The Empire Strikes Back, we see a battle between two equals here as Luke has finished his training and is now ready to confront his father. Add in the ultimate puppet master, Emperor Palpatine, watching from his throne, goading Luke and Darth Vader into a fight to the death, and you have so much tension that you can cut it with a knife!

This duel isn't just the best lightsaber duel, but its conclusion is also one of the most powerful moments in the Star Wars franchise.

This duel is emotional and it's also very powerful because it ends in Darth Vader and the Emperor's deaths. It also shows Luke's progress as a Jedi because you can see that he is far more powerful in this duel than in his duel with Darth Vader in the previous movie. I also love how Luke is willing to fight his father so that he can become a Jedi and he stayed loyal to the light side until the end.

5 Yoda vs. The Emperor

This duel was between the leaders of the two greatest opposing and warring groups in history. Yoda, the greatest of all Jedi, vs. Lord Sidious, the greatest Sith in the history of the dark side. When you say lightsaber duel, what should automatically pop into your head is this duel right here. Not only was it so greatly executed, but it was fought right in the heart of Palpatine's newly created Empire.

I mean, true, Yoda got beat, but he went out with a literal bang! What was even more stupendous was all the senatorial hover platforms Palpatine hurled at Yoda. Just... the greatest lightsaber duel in Star Wars history... ever!

Before this moment, we don't see our little green friend get out of the temple much, except once or twice in the Clone Wars animated series, which are great. It's awesome to see him flipping around, especially considering his opponent is nearly three times his height. Sidious is awesome too. However, I would say this scene lacked suspense and the ability to fully engage the audience, unlike the Anakin vs. Obi-Wan duel.

6 Yoda vs. Count Dooku

The fourth best battle (behind Obi-Wan and Anakin and the two Luke vs. Vaders) is mind-blowing. I mean, Yoda jumping around while swinging his lightsaber like crazy is truly awesome.

I think I split a lung from laughing so hard. Yoda bounced around like a flea on a hound dog! It still took Anakin to cut Dooku's head off.

People hate this lightsaber scene for no apparent reason. I hated Episode II, but this scene was still awesome.

7 Obi-Wan vs. General Grievous

General Grievous was at a disadvantage considering his weak condition and not having the Force, but he put up a great fight nevertheless.

Definitely not the most badass, but it was pretty intense. People tend to forget about this one.

8 Mace Windu vs. The Emperor

While not quite the most intense fight on the list, the reason it is so high is that it is the first time we see Palpatine use a lightsaber. In the theater, many people probably just blinked and, by the time they opened their eyes, two Jedi Council members were dead. It is a great fight and displays how powerful Palpatine truly is. Windu may have won, but I personally think that Palpatine let Mace beat him once he sensed Anakin coming. Perhaps the greatest part about this fight is that it is like poetry, mirroring the events of Return of the Jedi, but with a different outcome.

The coolest, Mace Windu is the third-best Star Wars character vs. Emperor Palpatine who is the second-worst character (Tarkin is worse)... Mace Windu should have won, but might have survived while getting shot down, falling on a speeding car.

I believe Palpatine, a.k.a. Darth Sidious, was almost the far most skilled lightsaber user of all time. He was at his best almost in Revenge of the Sith movie, but hey, maybe it's just me thinking that.

9 Obi-Wan and Anakin vs. Count Dooku (Episode 3)

Far more emotional than Episode 2's, but this one has a theme of revenge, hate, and love (brotherly).

10 Obi-Wan vs. Darth Vader

For all those who don't remember, this is the very first lightsaber duel. It is definitely old school, but it had every kid playing lightsaber with a stick and making the noise in the 70s.

I love this fight because of what Obi-Wan did to himself. Instead of trying to kill Vader, he let himself lose. But instead of being chopped in half, he disappeared as a Force Spirit.

He let himself get killed because he knew he could never defeat Darth Vader, and if he did, the stormtroopers would kill him anyway. So, he let himself get killed so Luke, Han Solo, and Princess Leia could escape the Death Star before Darth Vader could catch and kill them.

The Contenders
11 Darth Maul and Savage vs. Darth Sidious

Oh, come on! You can't tell me you like these crappy live-action fights compared to a CGI duel where they can do whatever they want without the restraints of physics!

God, I loved this one. The CGI was amazing. I mean, the most dynamic duo in Star Wars against the evillest man in the galaxy? Love it.

This duel was awesome. I was amazed that Darth Sidious was in the Clone Wars. It was like the best duel in the Star Wars saga.

12 Kylo Ren vs. Rey

This scene actually showed some realism to the fights, unlike the prequels. The duels wouldn't be super flashy and super choreographed. They would be more gritty and slow. The fight also showed how Kylo was hurt and battling with his internal feelings. He was struggling between the dark and the light. It also showed how Kylo isn't fully trained and that because of all of that combined, someone such as Rey could take him. Rey also had used her staff before, so she'd at least be decent with a saber. Overall, the fight was good.

Rey is a total badass. Why don't people understand how she beat Kylo? He was wounded, AND he's not fully trained. And it's not like she never used a weapon before. You saw her fight with a staff on Jakku, otherwise, how would she have survived all those years if she didn't know how to fight? How is this duel not even in the top five?

To the people saying that the prequels are "choreographed and fake", all I can say is that the Jedi order at that point still existed, so the Jedi were being trained their entire lives to fight in such a way. Neither Kylo Ren nor Rey have that kind of training.

13 Rey and Kylo Ren vs. Praetorian Guards

It was awesome. This fight was a combination of the great fight choreography of the prequels and the raw emotion of the originals. It is probably my favorite Star Wars fight. What else is there to say?

I'm not a huge fan of the new trilogy, but I have to give them credit where they earned it. This scene was amazing. I loved this fight.

For your money, you're not going to find a more surprising, emotional, and well-choreographed fight.

14 Luke vs. Kylo Ren (Episode 8)

Awesome fight because Luke tricks ("distracts") Kylo into thinking he is actually there (but Luke isn't) so that the Resistance could escape. Great way to end Luke because technically Kylo doesn't kill him, but rather Luke allows Rey to become the Last Jedi as he becomes one with the force along with his father and all the other Jedi. "Strike me down in anger and I'll always be with you. Just like your father" - Luke

15 Darth Vader vs. Ahsoka Tano

Come on, are you guys crazy? Even though Rebels falls short to the Clone Wars, there's no duel, in any Star Wars media, that matches this one. The emotion between the two, the part where (SPOILERS) Vader's mask is slashed and we hear Anakin's voice... it's all just stunning.

This is an epic battle! I loved when she leapt on him with two sabers! It's amazing!

Definitely top 10 for me. One of the most emotional duels in all of Star Wars.

16 Ahsoka Tano vs. Darth Maul
17 Obi-Wan and Anakin vs. Count Dooku (Episode 2)

Great duel. Anakin with two sabers vs. Dooku is the best part. One of the few duels where the bad guys prevail. Anakin gets his arm chopped off, leading to another great duel. Awesome overall.

Count Dooku takes down two of the most powerful Jedi/Sith, then Yoda comes in and schools that fool!

What about Yoda? He was in that fight! At least he gave him credit.

18 Asajj Ventress and Obi-Wan vs. Savage and Darth Maul
19 Mace Windu vs. Sidious

Mace Windu was weak in this fight. I like him, but he's tougher than what he was portrayed in this movie.

Starts out with tons of Jedi, but then, just Windu.

20 Ventress and Savage vs. Dooku

This episode has a lot of bearing on it, which I love.

21 Darth Malgus vs. Satele Shan
22 Darth Maul vs. Pre Vizsla
23 Qui-Gon vs. Darth Maul

This epic battle should be top ten. Lots of action and wicked cool.

The most riveting Star Wars saber duel ever. Three people!

24 General Grievous vs. Jedi (Clone Wars 2003)
25 Obi-Wan vs. Maul
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