Summary

AlthoughAnakin Skywalker / Darth Vaderare the same person , Star Warsaudiences have long savour debate who would succeed in a battle ; however , both have singular skill set that give them the advantage and flaw that make them vulnerable . One of the most telling scene of this character is that , as Anakin , he was one ofStar Wars’most sinewy Jedi , and , as Vader , he was one ofStar Wars’most powerful Sith . Clearly , both versions of the character have important raw power , butAnakin / Vader ’s complex story and grapheme trait make this theoretic oral sex - to - fountainhead fighting more interesting .

In truth , Anakin / Vader was n’t in his prime in any ofStar Warsmovies and TV shows . Rather , both the prequel trilogy and the original trilogy view him limited in unequaled ways . However , that does n’t negate his incredible strength or how brainy this combat would be . Were it potential for Anakin Skywalker to fight Darth Vader , there are numerous reason — these 10 chieftain among them — that each could win the day .

Although Darth Vader is one of Star Wars ' most powerful quality , these 10 Jedi and Sith would defeat him in battle — and some already have .

Darth Vader in his helmet to the left and Anakin Skywalker from the Ahsoka show to the right in a combined image with a red background

10George Lucas Said Anakin Skywalker Had A Greater Ability To Use The Force

The Star Wars Creator Himself Believed Anakin Had The Advantage

George Lucas ' notion has to be count in this conversation , andhe made clear that Anakin had a greater power to maintain the Force than Darth Vader did . In a 2005 interview withVanity Fair , Lucas explained :

“ Anakin , as Skywalker , as a human being , was snuff it to be extremely powerful … But he ended up losing his arms and a leg and became partly a automaton . So a caboodle of his ability to use the Force , a hatful of his powers , are suppress at this point , because , as a support form , there ’s not that much of him leave . "

Interestingly , Lucas said this in the context of Obi - Wan having"derailed"the Emperor ’s efforts to have an incredibly hefty learner , confirming that Anakin ’s potential was fall . However , Anakin has already deform that major power considerably inStar warfare : Episode II - Attack of the ClonesandStar Wars : Episode III - Revenge of the Sith , pulling stunt such as leaping out of a speeder and swag through glinting dealings without fear .

Palpatine, Vader, and Momin

It ’s also interesting that Lucas pointed to what Anakin"was going"to be — not what he was . In the citation , Lucas makes it clear that Anakin was on a path to becoming much more powerful , but his declension and the event of his fight with Obi - Wan restrict that possibility . While this makes the battle arguably more evenly twin , it ’s nevertheless percipient that George Lucas himself believed Anakin was stronger with the Force .

George Lucas himself believe Anakin was stronger with the Force .

9Anakin Wasn’t Inhibited By A Suit

Vader’s Mobility Was Limited, And He Was In Constant Pain

From the moment Darth Vader ’s branch were cut off , he became much more special . However , while the amount of reconstructive memory that occurred to Anakin ’s body was impressive , the cause itself was inhibitingin its own agency . For one , it just was n’t potential that Darth Vader would be able-bodied to move as fluidly and freely within the bulk suit . Moreover , Anakin was known for his incredible fighting skill and his limber move , which made him an unbelievable resister ; Darth Vader had mislay that grace and had to relearn a fighting fashion in essentially a brand - new eubstance .

Darth Vader had lost that grace and had to relearn a fighting style in essentially a sword - new trunk .

Anakin therefore has the clear advantage here . Even after losing his hand in a fight with Count Dooku inAttack of the Clones , he did n’t seem affected . In fact , it was easy to forget that Anakin was operating with a machinelike hand inRevenge of the Sith . This is of track not the case for the Vader suit , which , among other issues , had the auditory reminder of Vader ’s small state with its perpetual laboured breathing . The suit also caused Vader daily bother , which shored up his consignment to the dark side but also no doubt limited his intensity level .

A collage image of Luke Skywalker in A New Hope

8Anakin Had Youth And Ambition On His Side

In The Prequels, Anakin Had Absolutely Nothing Standing In His Way

Anakin was absolutely fearless inAttack of the Clones , Revenge of the Sith , and even inStar Wars : The Clone Wars . Yes , part of this was sure enough Anakin ’s considerable self ; however , he also had slew of grounds to be so confident . Anakin was extremely skilled , both in battle and in use of the Force , and , as George Lucas pointed out , his power was only uphold to develop .

Even after becoming a Jedi Knight betweenAttack of the ClonesandRevenge of the Sith , Anakin hold his ambition , always wanting to increase his ability . Moreover , he had youth on his side , which made him more by nature nimble and meant he had even more fourth dimension to develop his exponent . Vader , in demarcation , simply could n’t compare . To some extent , Vader was destined to become stagnant in his power , as he was no longer a young Jedi moving up the ranks ; however , he had also already lost so much of what he want .

7Anakin Was Getting Battle Experience Constantly

The Clone Wars Provided Anakin With Frequent Training

While Darth Vader may have been ruling the Empire alongside Emperor Palpatine from the moment he entered the Vader suit until the day of his death , he was n’t as actively engage in battle as Anakin was . Because he was such a prominent figure in the Clone Wars , Anakin was nearly constantly on the front lines of battle . This unremarkable exercise in strength no doubt would give Anakin the reward in a head - to - head fight with Vader .

Moreover , Vader had many soul to do his foul employment , mostly notably his Inquisitors , but the stormtroopers served as his lackey as well . Although Vader was felicitous to habituate Force choke on Imperials who annoyed him , his Clarence Shepard Day Jr. - to - day fighting experience was markedly lower as Vader than it had been as Anakin . In fact , even the construction of the Death Star suggests that Vader ( and Palpatine ) had moved to a much more remote form of fighting , especially when compared to Anakin ’s time in the Clone Wars .

6Anakin Still Benefited From Obi-Wan’s Training

Anakin May Have Been Annoyed By Obi-Wan, But He Was A Great Mentor

Anakin and Obi - Wan had a very complicated kinship , to be sure , but even inRevenge of the Sith , Anakin was still benefit from Obi - Wan ’s guidance . In fact , even during their conflict on Mustafar — decently before the end — Obi - Wan attempted to stop Anakin from trying to leap over Obi - Wan , which ultimately set aside Obi - Wan to reduce off all of Anakin ’s limbs . Anakin felt charge by Obi - Wan ’s imagine criticism , but in trueness , Anakin never got this same form of teaching from Palpatine .

In fact , Palpatine would have wanted quite the opposite . Because of the Sith Rule of Two , Vader was doom to always be trying to arrogate Palpatine ; it is the role of the Sith apprentice to always be attempt the power that the Sith master copy handle . For this ground , Palpatine would have want to curb Vader ’s power to a sure extent , making certain Vader could never overthrow him .

5Darth Vader Had Nothing To Lose

Vader Had Already Lost Everything He Cared About, Making Him Much More Dangerous

One of the biggest advantages Darth Vader had over Anakin Skywalker was that he had nothing leave to lose . When he was a Jedi , Anakin had lot to misplace . He could have been plain out of the Jedi Order , for one , which intelligibly worried him enough that he decided to hide his wedding to be able to outride in the Order . Vader had also suffer Padmé , Obi - Wan , and Ahsoka , which left him with no relationship he still cared about . While this did n’t inevitably give to his strong point in the Force , it made him much more severe .

One of the biggest advantage Darth Vader had over Anakin Skywalker was that he had nothing left to lose .

In fact , Vader ’s lack of regard for anything or anyone was perhaps substantially seen in theObi - Wan Kenobishow . At one point , Vader marches through a village , dragging random villagers with him and at one point snapping the neck of a child . Vader had clearly become wholly uninhibited , at least regarding what he was willing to risk . His scrap with Obi - Wan at the end ofObi - Wan Kenobishows the same , with Vader being whole take in by rage , hate , and revenge and undeterred by anything or anyone else around him .

Anakin Skywalker in Revenge of the Sith to the left and Darth Vader to the right in a combined image in front of a red background image with lightning

Custom Image by Simone Ashmoore

4The Dark Side Gave Vader More Raw Power

The Dark Side Offers Quick And Easy Power

While it might be an inconvenient Sojourner Truth to the Jedi , the sinister side of the Force is tantalizing because it offers easy and prompt access to incredible power . In fact , while Anakin becoming part robot limited his ability to wield the Force , had he stayed in his human form as a Sith , this in all probability would have been the most powerful version of the theatrical role . This does n’t imply that the Jedi are inherently weaker than the Sith , though .

The light side of the Force is more balanced , calm , and discipline compared to the Sith ’s chaotic mogul , which is why the Jedi do get ahead in the close . However , the dark side of the Force unlocks immense power driven by ire and hate , which would have given Vader an sharpness over Anakin . After all , this is why Jedi so oft die when they combat a Sith one - on - one . This was true for both Mace Windu and Yoda when they face Palpatine inRevenge of the Sith , and it has been true for many other Jedi as well .

3Darth Vader Never Had To Restrain Himself

Anakin Might Have Been Somewhat Correct About Being Held Back

One of Anakin ’s biggest complaints about Obi - Wan Kenobi was that he felt his Jedi Master was holding him back . He say this flat to Padmé inAttack of the Clones , albeit keep abreast his drubbing of the Tusken Raiders . However , while this was an angry effusion drive by guilt , Anakin was n’t completely faulty . Obi - Wan was an awe-inspiring mentor , but he , like all good Jedi Masters , required Anakin to be disciplined and restrained .

Anakin ’s skew perspective made this seem like a damaging or even antagonist thing , but that was n’t the caseful . Rather , the Jedi Way necessitate the ability to hold oneself . As soon as Anakin became Vader , though , that was n’t the case . Vader no longer had to withhold anything , not his harshness , his ability , or his rage . In the terminal , this manifestly was n’t a good affair . However , in a fight where Vader can full unleash his abilities and Anakin is attempt to stave off crossing the melodic line of the non-white side , Vader would certainly pull ahead .

2Darth Vader Had More Experience

Particularly In The Original Trilogy, Vader’s Experience Level Was Much Greater

Anakin ’s youthfulness may have brought him more lightsomeness , butVader ’s age and experience gave him a unlike sharpness . After all , that is precisely Vader ’s point to Obi - Wan when they touch again inA New Hope . Vader severalize Obi - Wan that he was previously but the scholar , but since their last group meeting , he had become the master . This same principle would certainly apply to Anakin , who was the very assimilator he verbalize of .

Even with Anakin ’s groovy ability with the Force , his limited experience meant that he was impulsive , reckless , and too confident . Given that , Vader ’s story of subordination would pose a major difficultness for Anakin . In fact , Anakin consistently revealed that he struggled with more experient force-out - user , most notably Obi - Wan inRevenge of the SithandObi - Wan Kenobiand Count Dooku inAttack of the Clones . Fighting an older , more experient version of himself would only prove that much more difficult .

Even with Anakin ’s greater ability with the Force , his limited experience stand for that he was impulsive , foolhardy , and excessively positive .

Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader

1Darth Vader Was More Rational

Time Had Made Darth Vader Less Reactive Than Anakin

Although Darth Vader was still full of wrath and hatred , he was undeniably calmer and more rational than Anakin had been , especially when comparingRevenge of the SithAnakin toReturn of the JediVader . Obviously , Return of the Jedialso look Vader ’s turn back to the light side of the Force , but even before then in the original trilogy , Vader had clearly learned to check his effusion . This would have give Vader the boundary over Anakin in a scrap , as he could have been more calculating and less reactive .

In the remnant , it ’s nearly impossible to say who would definitively win between Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader . In accession to the complexity of them being the same mortal , they each have different strengths and flaws in equal measure . However , it ’s nevertheless fun to imagine who would win ifAnakin Skywalker and Darth Vadercould face off against one another inStar Wars .

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