Sure, he slaughtered innocent children. But has that stopped us from falling in love with the character? *snorts* Absolutely not.
Anakin isn’t just the protagonist of the prequel trilogy; he’s the protagonist of the entire Star Wars saga. The story the movies serves centers around him and his choices as one of the strongest Force users in history, roping in a bunch of equally complex characters in the process.
Both Luke and Rey’s journeys into becoming the strongest Jedi of their time started with Anakin. But it makes you wonder, how strong was Anakin himself?
1. Is Anakin Skywalker The Strongest Jedi?
Anakin is not the strongest Jedi despite being one of the elite. He had the highest midi-chlorian count and was the child of prophecy. Unfortunately, after being mutilated by Kenobi and relying on the Dark Side, Anakin was reduced to a shell of what he could’ve been.
Unfortunate, I know. But I won’t complain, since Anakin changing gears to the dark side was what gave us Darth Vader. And the original trilogy.
Besides, Anakin is still one of the big shots. He may not have reached his full potential, but he doesn’t need it to wipe the floor with some of the strongest.
2. Is Anakin Skywalker The Strongest Force User?
The primordial God Mortis said Anakin was the strongest Force user ever. He was the only non-celestial who dominated The Son & Daughter, overpowering both the light and dark side of Force. He may not have been the best Jedi, but Anakin was undoubtedly the strongest Force user of his time.
As of the current status of Canon, though, Rey Skywalker has surpassed Anakin and has been established as the strongest Force user in Jedi history. The biggest reason behind this is that Rey carries the Force of every Jedi before her, including Yoda, Luke, and Anakin himself. She also gets brownie points for her dyad, apparently.
3. Is Anakin Stronger Than Darth Vader?
Anakin was significantly stronger than Darth Vader. George Lucas explained that since Vader was forced to rely on prosthetics for survival (thanks to Obi-Wan chopping off his limbs on Mustafar), his connection to the Force weakened.
Anakin, unlike Vader, had unrestricted access to Force. His affinity towards Force was what attracted Palpatine to him in the first place. Palpatine was looking forward to making Anakin his successor, but he decided not to after Anakin lost a good chunk of his strength to the confines of his robotic body.
This is only in terms of brute Force, though. I think Vader, with his experience and newfound ruthlessness, was much more competent in a fight at utilizing his skillset.
3.1 Anakin vs. Yoda
Yoda watched Anakin grow up and knows all of his weaknesses. And as powerful as Anakin is, sheer Force would do nothing against 900 years of mastery. In a fight, Yoda could defeat Anakin while drinking tea.
Do. Or do not. There is no try.
Grandmaster Yoda
Like the gremlin advised, it’s best to avoid getting minced by Yoda’s mix of gymnastics and Ataru.
Unless, of course, you’re Anakin Skywalker at the height of his potential.
Had Anakin gotten as powerful as he possibly could have, Yoda and his 900-year baggage would’ve been, for the lack of a more sophisticated term, yeeted out the window. The fight would’ve ended in exactly 4.98 seconds; trust me, I’ve done the math.
Fortunately for Yoda, Anakin never managed to do that. So this fight still has an obvious victor: Grandmaster Yoda! *cue confetti card*
3.2 Anakin vs. Kylo Ren
With his dyad, Ren’s Force abilities are far superior to Anakin’s. But Anakin’s experience with the Clone Wars and lightsaber dueling make it impossible for Ren to win. There’s no way Kylo Ren can defeat Anakin without a significant advantage.
Ren’s fighting style (headstrong, uncontrolled temper) would mean a lot of hazy attack attempts. Against Anakin’s disciplined, precise attacks, this style of fighting would get Ren in a lot of trouble.
Maybe if Ren had enough training and experience, he could take on Anakin without worry. Otherwise, he only has his Force abilities to rely on. And as we previously established, Force ≠ Victory.
4. Is Anakin Skywalker The Chosen One?
Anakin Skywalker was the child of prophecy, the Chosen One, born to bring balance to the dark and light sides of the Force. Despite his momentary detour to the Dark Side, Anakin eventually killed Palpatine, fulfilling the Jedi prophecy.
There’s a debate that Luke was actually the Chosen One since, without him, Anakin would’ve never turned against his master. Luke, although indirectly, was the one who brought balance to the Force.
It’s a valid argument, but it can’t hold after George Lucas himself validated Anakin’s Chosen One badge, can it? Lucas confirmed that Anakin, even as Darth Vader, was still the Chosen One.
With that confirmed, we need to look for a different topic to debate. How does the list of strongest Jedi ever sound? Go ahead, knock yourself out.
5. About Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the 1977 film Star Wars: A New Hope and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon.
It has three trilogies at its core – Original, Prequel, and Sequel, spread across five decades and interspersed with at least a dozen spin-off series and films.
Created by George Lucas and his Lucasfilm, the franchise is currently under the Disney umbrella. All the Star Wars films and shows are now available to binge on Disney+ streaming service.
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