Star Wars' 40 Best Lightsaber Duelists, Ranked

The Star Wars universe is renowned for its epic lightsaber duels, which are part of the broader conflict between the Light and Dark sides of the Force. Throughout the series, multiple characters have had to demonstrate their skill with the lightsaber. Most Star Wars films feature a climactic fight between two or more Jedi and Sith.

Lightsaber combat is a unique discipline due to the weapons' unique lethality and lack of weight. Any character wielding one successfully has to be very skilled. Nonetheless, several characters across Star Wars media have shown themselves to be a cut above the rest.

Updated by Jordan Iacobucci on June 3, 2025: It's an exciting time for Star Wars fans as Lucasfilm continues to announce new projects like Rey's New Jedi Order film, Episode X, The Mandalorian & Grogu and Star Wars: Starfighter. As the franchise expands, there is no shortage of powerful lightsaber users left to defend—or menace—the galaxy.

40 Osha Aniseya Can't Measure Up to the Great Jedi and Sith Before Her

Osha Struggles Between the Dark Side and the Light

Osha Aniseya is the lead character in The Acolyte, a Disney+ series taking place one hundred years before the events of The Phantom Menace. At a young age, Osha was separated from her family and taken in as a Padawan at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. There, she trained under Master Sol. Unfortunately, she did not complete her training, leaving the Order to work odd jobs in the far reaches of the galaxy.

Although Osha's training is incomplete, she demonstrates strong skills in lightsaber combat. In her final duel in the finale of The Acolyte, it is her rage that fuels her. She still has a long way to go by the end of the series, but The Acolyte's cancelation suggests that audiences may never see the full extent of Osha's lightsaber prowess.

39 The Second Sister Is a Powerful Foe (But Nothing Compared to Her Master)

The Tragic Inquisitor Is a Worthy Opponent to Cal Kestis

Trilla Suduri was a Jedi learner at the tail end of the Clone Wars, only to be captured and tortured by the Empire after Order 66. Fueled by her anger at her master abandoning her, Trilla allows herself to turn to the Dark Side and joins the Inquisitorious to hunt down the remaining Jedi. As the Second Sister, she becomes the main antagonist of the video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, where she runs afoul of another former Jedi, Cal Kestis.

The Second Sister is a strong and intimidating foe, expertly wielding her lightsaber to defeat her foes. She proves to be a worthy opponent against Kestis, who is himself a very skilled combatant. However, like the Inquisitors, even the Second Sister pales in comparison to her master, Darth Vader. She doesn't even try to fight back when Vader turns on her, allowing the dark lord to kill her in one swipe of his blade.

38 Barriss Offee Shows Great Skill But Puts It to Poor Use

The Jedi Padawan Falls to the Dark Side During the Clone Wars

Barriss Offee is a strong combatant in the Clone Wars, first fighting for the Republic and the Jedi Order against the Confederacy of Independent Systems and its droid army during the Battle of Geonosis. Alongside her master, Luminara Unduli, Barriss is one of the few Jedi to survive the conflict. She continues as an important operative for the Jedi in the remaining years of the war until she betrays the Order and bombs the temple on Coruscant.

Barriss proves to be extremely skilled with a lightsaber, expertly utilizing offensive and defensive techniques to survive where many others might have fallen. Even as a Padawan learner, she survives the Battle of Geonosis, which saw the deaths of many Jedi more powerful than she. She even holds her own in a battle with Anakin Skywalker, who would go on to kill many strong Jedi in the years that followed. Ironically, Barriss Offee's story ends when she finally decides to put down her sword and stop fighting.

37 Kelleran Beq Survives the Jedi's Darkest Hour

The Jedi Master Rescues Grogu From Order 66

Kelleran Beq is a mysterious member of the Jedi Order whose only appearance comes in a flashback sequence in The Mandalorian. He is one of the Jedi aware of the existence of the youngling Grogu, a member of Master Yoda's species with strong ties to the Force. When the Clone Army attacks the Jedi Temple on the night of Order 66, Beq successfully rescues Grogu and fights his way to safety.

Although audiences have seen very little of Kelleran Beq, his few scenes hint at his incredible skill with a lightsaber. Very few Jedi inside the temple survive the night of Order 66, but Beq manages to fight his way through leagues of clone troopers, saving Grogu in the process. So far, Kelleran Beq's fate has yet to be revealed, though he likely died sometime before the events of the Original Trilogy.

36 Rey Skywalker Still Has a Lot to Learn

Rey Has Promise but Is Only at the Beginning of Her Journey

Daisy Ridley's Rey Skywalker is the main protagonist of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, who goes from a destitute scavenger in the wasteland of Jakku to the last Jedi in the galaxy. After embarking on a perilous quest to find the missing Jedi Luke Skywalker before the First Order does, she trains under the galactic hero, who teaches her the ways of the Force and how to properly wield a lightsaber. After Luke's death, Rey resolved to carry on his legacy by adopting his name and starting a new Jedi Order.

Although Rey managed to overcome the resurrected Emperor Palpatine during the events of Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, it was more her skill with the Force than with a blade that won the day. Rey still has a lot to learn when it comes to lightsaber combat, which seems to be a lost art in the Sequel Trilogy era. Nevertheless, with recent news that Rey Skywalker will appear in more Star Wars films after the events of Episode IX, the young Jedi will have a chance to show how much she has progressed in the realm of lightsaber combat.

35 Ki-Adi-Mundi Is on the Jedi Council For a Reason

Mundi Survives Longer Than Most Jedi When the Clones Turn

Ki-Adi-Mundi is a member of the Jedi High Council during the events of the Prequel Trilogy. As one of the most senior members of the Order, Master Mundi is widely revered by his peers, although his wartime tactics have raised some questions about his morality. Even so, he serves as a distinguished general during the entirety of the Clone Wars.

Audiences don't get to see Ki-Adi-Mundi in combat often, but his few action scenes demonstrate his incredible skill. Ironically, his most impressive action scene is also his last. When he senses his clone troopers turn on him during the Battle of Mygeeto, he successfully volleys several of their blasts, holding them off much longer than most other Jedi. Nevertheless, he fails to survive his troops' attack and becomes one of the many casualties of Order 66.

34 Ezra Bridger Is Out of Practice With a Lightsaber

Ezra Hasn't Used a Lightsaber in Years

Ezra Bridger is a young Jedi trained by Kanan Jarrus in the years after the Jedi Order's fall. An orphaned scavenger from Lothal, Ezra grew strong with the Force as he aided the emerging Rebel Alliance in its neverending fight against the wicked Galactic Empire. However, Ezra disappeared shortly before the official onset of the Galactic Civil War when he launched himself and Grand Admiral Thrawn outside the boundaries of the known galaxy during the Battle of Lothal.

Although Ezra was a skilled young Jedi, his former training was lessened by the lack of a Jedi Order to facilitate his growth. As such, he could only excel as far as his master was capable of taking him. Moreover, during his exile, he spent several years without any training. During the events of Ahsoka, Ezra is rusty when it comes to using a lightsaber, though he does demonstrate that his skills haven't completely left him. By the next time that audiences see him, Ezra Bridger may be back to his the height of his lightsaber-wielding abilities.

33 Mae Aniseya Killed Multiple Jedi Masters by Herself

Mae Cheated to Get Ahead but Still Won Most of Her Battles

During the events of the recent Disney+ series The Acolyte, Mae-ho Aniseya is the student of a mysterious new Sith Lord known only as The Stranger. Raised by a coven of Force-sensitive witches, Mae and her twin sister Osha were discovered by a group of Jedi who attempted to bring them back to Coruscant to be trained. However, catastrophe struck and the witches' temple was burned to the ground, leaving Osha as the only known survivor. Nevertheless, Mae clawed her way from the wreckage, only to be discovered by the Sith Lord who promised to train her in the ways of the Dark Side.

Mae is shown to be an incredibly powerful Sith apprentice, killing multiple Jedi Masters during her training. Although she rarely uses a lightsaber, this is not because she lacks the skill with a blade. Instead, her master challenges her to forego the use of her primary weapon as she embarks on her final test. Mae proves victorious in her bladeless combat against several Jedi Knights, even though she often cheats by putting innocent lives in danger as a means of distracting her opponent.

32 Shin Hati's Unbridled Rage Makes Her Dangerous

Baylan Skoll's Young Apprentice Lacks Skill but Has Strength

Shin Hati is a mysterious young woman who appears in the events of the Ahsoka Disney+ series. Introduced as Baylan Skoll's apprentice, it isn't made clear where Shin Hati comes from--only that she is filled with rage. She and her master wage war against Ahsoka Tano and the New Republic, eventually beating them to the location of Grand Admiral Thrawn, whose return they facilitate, dooming the galaxy to another civil war.

Shin Hati engages in several lightsaber fights during the first season of Ahsoka, primarily against Ahsoka Tano's apprentice, Sabine Wren. Shin consistently defeats Sabine, proving herself to be the superior swordswoman. It is also clear in her fights that she uses her anger and rage as a source of power, which makes her even more dangerous on the battlefield. Unfortunately for her, this also makes her more vulnerable, as she doesn't always plan her next move ahead of time.

31 Master Indara Was More Powerful Than Fans Admit

Carrie-Anne Moss Plays a Strong Jedi Master in The Acolyte

Master Indara is a character who briefly appears in Disney+'s The Acolyte. Played by The Matrix star Carrie-Anne Moss, Indara is a Jedi Master who was involved in the disaster that killed most of the witches in Osha and Mae's coven before the events of the series. Along with Masters Sol and Kelnacca, Indara and her Padawan Torbin covered up the fiasco and trained Osha as a Jedi, unaware that her twin sister survived and had vowed revenge.

In the opening scene of The Acolyte, Master Indara engages in an epic duel against Mae, where she proves to be the superior fighter. Although Mae kills her at the end of the fight, it is only because she cheated by putting an innocent bystander's life at risk, distracting Indara long enough to deal a killing blow. Other flashback sequences show that Indara was a highly skilled combatant, even proving capable of standing against a Wookie.