The top 15 live action lightsaber battles ranked from worst to best

A core aspect of Star Wars Has always been lightsaber duels. From humble beginnings in A new hope To the modern duels in the Disney + live-fight Star Wars TV shows, lightsaber duels have changed and developed in many ways over the years. What of the lightsaber duels, in Star Wars Nearly 50 years of history, is the best?

In order to determine this, it is important to look at all the aspects of a great lightsaber duel, and how they stack up against each other. Action choreography is, of course, incredibly important, but so is narrative significance, setting, score, and cinematography. Considering all that, here are the top 15 live-action lightsaber battles, ranked from worst to best.

15

Obi-Wan and Anakin vs. Count Doku

Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005)

On board the Invisible handOn the Separatist capital ship on Coruscant, Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi challenge Count Dooku to a duel in order to save Chancellor Palpatine. This duel features some really fast, intense and well-executed choreographyIn a setting that, although a little polite, has a lot of charm to it with the battle of Coruscant going on behind Palpatine’s chair. Most significantly, however, Anakin decapitates an unarmed Dooku, contributing to his fall to the dark side.

14

Obi-Wan vs. Darth Vader on a rocky moon

Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)

Despite some low points, many fans can agree that if the Obi-Wan Kenobi Series delivered on something, it was the final duel between Obi-Wan and Darth Vader on a barren rocky moon. The confrontation features some solid choreography and some fun cinematography, but the lack of bright lighting really brings it down. Where this duel absolutely excels is in its emotional and narrative moments. Its ending in particular is cemented as one of the most emotionally visceral moments in the latter Star Wars story, with Kenobi leaving a damaged Vader.

13

Ahsoka Tano Vs Baylan Skoll on Seatos

Ahsoka (2023)

Another now-iconic modern lightsaber duel is between Ahsoka Tano and Baylan Skoll over the map to Peridea in Ahsoka. The duel is notable for its unique setting, on a cliff’s edge surrounded by projections of the map to Peridea. Bailan School’s fight choreography also stands out here, as he fights like he’s wielding a broadsword.A very different style than Star Wars usually aims for. Most of all, the fight stands out because of its stakes, and the fact that Ahsoka is seemingly “killed” at its end, with Baylan forcing Tano off the cliff.

12

Kylo Ren & Rey against Snoke’s Praetorian Guards

Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)

Despite receiving a visceral reaction from many fans, few can deny or doubt that the visuals of Star Wars: The Last Jedi are stunning. One of the most prominent examples of this is during Rey and Kylo Ren’s team-up duel against Snoke’s Praetorian Guards. The red background, and gorgeous costumes and cinematography all elevate the action to the next level when it comes to lightsaber duel visuals.. The choreography of the fight is generally very tight and innovative, except for some rather noticeable gaffes that stick out. Nevertheless, this is an unorthodox and conceptually wonderful battle.

11

Obi-Wan Kenobi vs General Grievous

Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005)

One of the absolute highlights of the Star Wars Prequels are very innovative lightsaber duels, and like the last entry on the list, Obi-Wan Kenobi vs. General Grievous is incredibly unique. The cyborg separatist wielding four lightsabers, and gradually losing his arms to Kenobi, is a wonderful set up for a fight.Made even more interesting by Grievous being extremely CGI. Absolutely no one else loves lightsabers like he does. Although this action is charming, fun and innovative, it is quite fast and suffers from not being as emotionally relevant as others on the list.

10

Rei vs Kilo Ren on Kijimi

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

in Star Wars: The Rise of SkywalkerRei and Kilo face off again – from separate locations. This is what sets behind this somewhat short and insignificant duel above others: its creativity. Rey and Ren formed a force dyad in the previous film, which the movie then deals with by having the two duel across large amounts of space. Rei fights from Ren’s quarters on a star destroyer, while Ren fights from the streets of Kijimi. This cool setting, with great acting and a fun concept to underline it all, makes this little duel great.

9

Luke Skywalker vs. Kylo Ren

Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)

The grand finale setup of The Last JediLuke Skywalker’s non-fight with Kylo Ren on Crait is a superb piece of filmmaking. Luke Skywalker’s triumphant entrance builds up to the confrontation beautifully. In a unique twist, Luke isn’t really there, and he plays with Kylo Ren’s anger and hatred towards him to distract the newly christened Supreme Leader. As mentioned earlier, none of them ever let the other one down, and the fight is literally fought with a “ghost”.

The cinematography of this sequence is stunning, with twilight skies above the two combatants, and gorgeous wide-angle shots that make this feel like a duel between samurai. Both Mark Hamill and Adam Driver give incredible performances here too, their deep and complex relationship shown visually. Despite its beauty, this is still not technically an actual lightsaber duel, and can still be ranked that high.

8

The Stranger vs Jecki Lon & Sol

The Acolyte (2024)

this year, The acolyte Showcases a return to prequel-era lightsaber choreography in many ways, especially the incredible fights in episode 5, “Night.” One section, a duel between the Sith Lord “The Stranger,” Jedi Master Sol, and his Padawan Jecki Lon, stands out, though. As the stranger threatens Mei Anisia’s life, Jackie and Sol engage in some very well-choreographed combat with him.

Teams of two fighting one threat is always interesting choreography, and it certainly is here as well. Jackie and Sol trade off moments to fight the stranger, all the while mixing in martial-arts moves instead of strict lightsaber combat, due to the stranger’s cortaceous helmet. Unfortunately, despite its positives, this duel is not nearly as well lit or shot as it could have been, leading to sometimes lackluster visual depictions of a cool setting with great costumes, strong choreography, and high emotional stakes.

7

Anakin Skywalker Vs Obi-Wan Kenobi (The Battle of the Heroes)

Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005)

In terms of iconic Star Wars lightsaber duels, it is likely that the Battle of the Heroes is the most, perhaps second to only one other in the Star Wars Prequel trilogy. Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker are finally at each other’s throats on the fiery volcanic world of Mustafar. This is some of​​​​​​the best fight choreography in the entire saga, and the imagery is instantly noticeable to anyone even remotely in the know. Star Wars.

The longest sword fight in cinematic history, the battle of the heroes is marked by its incredible score, solid performances and absolutely iconic ending.. For all that this duel does perfectly, however, it is hurt by its long duration, and it can feel too busy at points. This detracts from the incredibly emotional stakes of the duel, which are very high because this is the true creation of Darth Vader. Still, in a certain type of maximalist way, the battle of the heroes is fantastic.

6

Finn & Rey vs. Kylo Ren on Starkiller Base

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)

The duel on Starkiller Base was the grand culmination of Star Wars: The Force AwakensAnd it absolutely feels like that. The setting, lighting and cinematography are all beautifully done, and they elevate the duel to some truly incredible heights. The duel is technically a 2-v-1, but not at the same time either, giving it distinct phases where both Finn and later Rey fight Kylo Ren.

One of the most talked about aspects of the fight is the choreography of battle. The three characters involved are all from very different backgrounds and have varying amounts of experience fighting with lightsabers, and their fighting styles convey that.. Kylo Ren is a stormtrooper and skilled duelist, Finn is trained in combat with a storm baton, and Rey has experience with a staff, which affects how they use their lightsaber. The duel isn’t perfect, but is a refreshingly simple but good bit of lightsaber combat with some fun emotional stakes for Rey, Finn, and Kylo.

5

The Stranger vs Sol

The Acolyte (2024)

The latest episode of The acolyte Gave us an incredible duel between Lord Sol and the aliens on the planet Brandok. This duel is unique, as it is more stylized than the rest of the duels. There’s even a semi-slow-motion shot in the center of the duel, with wire work and some really Hong Kong-style fighting cinematography. The emotional aspects of this duel are also fantastic.

Sol is fighting a literal manifestation of the mistakes of his past, a Sith connected to him by a little girl he chose not to save years earlier.. The choreography reflects this, with Sol on the back foot, facing an enemy who feels like a dark mirror of himself action-style-wise. Most importantly, this duel leads to the final confrontation Osha has with Sol, which makes it incredibly relevant to the plot of the series. All in all, despite some missing elements in the setting, The Stranger vs Sol is top notch Star Wars TV lightsaber duel.

4

Rey vs Kylo Ren On Kef Bir

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

The final duel of the sequel trilogy, Rey fighting Kylo Ren on Kef Bir, the ocean moon of Endor, is probably the best the trilogy has to offer. The action choreography is not overly focused on realism as in The Force AwakensBut retains a bit of the film’s focus on fighting style differences. Kylo Ren and Rey have such unique styles that eventually change as their emotional states begin to shift over the course of the fight.

Most of all, however, the Duel’s aesthetic decisions elevate it. There is a distinct lack of epic music throughout this sequence, highlighting the somewhat somber nature of the conflict. Rey is down, and Kylo is just confused and looking for her. Even the setting reflects this, with the raging sea embodying the raging emotions in each combatant. This makes this an incredibly fitting place for Kylo Ren to finally cross over into the light side of the Force once more, after being saved from a fatal wound by Rey, the same one who gave him the wound minutes earlier.

3

Luke Skywalker vs. Darth Vader on Bespin

The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

The empire strikes back is the film that truly established Star Wars As a cinematic powerhouse with staying power, and for good reasons. One of the reasons is the incredible duel at the end of the film, the long-awaited confrontation between Luke Skywalker and his father, Darth Vader. First, the location for the fight is stunning. The orange and blue lighting, fog and industrial components are all so unsettling, intriguing and beautiful to look at, with an emphasis on silhouette at the start of the action.

Even without huge emotional stakes, the choreography, cinematography, editing, score and location would make this duel one of the best. Fortunately, the emotional stakes of this fight, especially its ending, have almost never been more intense. The duel reflects all of Luke’s struggles throughout the film, manifested in a single scenario, and its ending is one of the most iconic moments in all of cinematic history.

2

Luke Skywalker vs. Darth Vader on the second Death Star

Return of the Jedi (1983)

The final confrontation of the original trilogy, Luke and Vader’s second duel on the second Death Star, is arguably the most emotional sequence in the entire Star Wars Saga. With remarkable choreography, which reflects the skills of both characters and reluctance to fight, everything is spurred and shifted by different events throughout the fight. Like all good movie battles, this one too has different sequences in fun and intriguing locations, making it an absolute joy to watch.

The acting on Mark Hamill’s behalf is stunningly good, with Luke’s ending to the fight arguably being the philosophical centerpiece to the whole Star Wars Myth. Despite being an engaging, fun and energetic battle, this action highlights that battle is not always good, and beautifully. The score is remarkable, the cinematography is solid, and the emotional stakes have never been higher. Luke teeters on the edge of the dark side and chooses not to fall. In fact, this is the best Star Wars had to offer, and only one other had outdone it.

1

Qui-Gon Jinn & Obi-Wan Kenobi Vs Darth Maul (The Duel of the Fates)

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)

Unsurprisingly, the Duel of the Fates fight between Qui-Gon Jinn, his Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Maul is the best lightsaber duel of all Star Wars. The choreography is the best it’s ever been, and like the previous few duels, this fight has several different segments that contribute to the geography, stakes, and combat nature of the battle.. The setting of the duel is dynamic, fantastic and interesting.

The acting in this sequence is the best in the film, with some of the fastest choreographed swordfights ever seen.. Darth Maul’s double-bladed lightsaber adds so much to this, making a 2-v-1 into something much more interesting than usual, as the two blades can combat two opponents at once. In the story, the fight also shines, with it being called the duel of the “destiny” because it decided the fate of Anakin Skywalker. The outcome determining the rest of the Skywalker saga makes this action not only perfectly done in every way, but essential to the overall story of Star Wars.