Obi-Wan KenobiandAnakin Skywalker/Darth Vaderhave gone head-to-head multiple times inStar Warsmovies and TV shows, but Obi-Wan was always going to win for several key reasons. Obi-Wan and Anakin both rank highly on the list ofStar Wars’most powerful Jedi, and when they were a team, they were more or less unstoppable. However, that all changed inStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sithwhen Anakin fell to the dark side and broke up this dynamic duo.
Soon after that fall, Anakin and Obi-Wan had their duel on Mustafar—easily one ofStar Wars’best lightsaber duels—and, although Vader survived the battle, it was clear that Obi-Wan won. Since then, Darth Vader and Obi-Wan have had additional fights, particularly inObi-Wan Kenobi, and Obi-Wan proved his superiority yet again. Darth Vader remains one ofStar Wars’most powerful Sith and was certainly a formidable adversary, butObi-Wan was always going to beat Anakin/Vader in a fight, for multiple reasons.
Obi-Wan Was The One Who Trained Anakin, & He Knows All His Tricks
This Was Precisely Why Obi-Wan Defeated Anakin/Vader On Mustafar
One of the most significant reasons Obi-Wan was always going to defeat Darth Vader was the fact thatObi-Wan had effectively raised Anakin, and even after he fell to the dark side, Obi-Wan knew all of his tricks. This is actuallywhy Obi-Wan was able to beat Anakin on Mustafarby getting the high ground. Specifically, Obi-Wan knew that Anakin had become obsessed with Obi-Wan’s duel with Darth Maul fromStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, so much so that he had even taken to memorizing the fight and training with a droid who mimicked Darth Maul’s fighting style.
When Obi-Wan realized that Anakin saw the opportunity to leap from the lower position and cut down Obi-Wan the same way Obi-Wan had leaped up to kill Maul inThe Phantom Menace, Obi-Wan knew he would fail. He said,“Don’t try it"at that moment because he was aware Anakin would try this move, and, as the move was Obi-Wan’s in the first place, he knew how to block it and attack in a way that would leave Anakin severely maimed if not dead. In classic Anakin fashion, though, he did not heed this warning.
Instead, Anakin tried the move, and Obi-Wan managed to cut off all his (remaining flesh) limbs and leave him for dead.Sadly, for Vader, he never really outgrew that predictability. In many ways, Anakin/Vader failed to grow following this fight on Mustafar, as he was essentially frozen in time due to his hatred, his grief, and his obsession with taking down Obi-Wan. This contributed to his loss against Obi-Wan intheObi-Wan Kenobifinale, and, even during their final duel, which Vader technically ‘won,’ Obi-Wan knew what Vader was going to do next.
Obi-Wan Has Experience Facing The Dark Side
Obi-Wan Wasn’t Kidding About Sith Being His Specialty
Although Obi-Wan’s claim that Sith Lords were his"specialty"inRevenge of the Sithhas become a bit of a running joke in theStar Warsfanbase,Obi-Wan was correct about Sith Lords, particularly when it came to his own history with them. Despite the Jedi believing the Sith were extinct for a millennium, Obi-Wan ended up having run-ins with Sith Lords for years during the prequel trilogy era, and he came out alive (although not unharmed) every time.
This began inThe Phantom Menace, when Obi-Wan managed to go up against and ultimately defeat Darth Maul even though he was barely a full-fledged Jedi Knight at the time. Obi-Wan likewise battled Count Dooku alongside Anakin both inStar Wars: Episode II - Attack of the ClonesandRevenge of the Sith. It’s true that Obi-Wan ended up impaired in both fights against Dooku, but he nevertheless fought this Sith Lord more than once and lived to tell the tale.
There’s obviously also his duels against Darth Vader in bothRevenge of the SithandObi-Wan Kenobi, andhis victory inObi-Wan Kenobiis particularly impressive, given Obi-Wan had cut himself off from the Force and was living in exile on Tatooine for a decade all while Vader was growing more powerful, yet he still managed to defeat Vader. In fact, Obi-Wan likely could have killed Vader at the end of that fight, but, just like inRevenge of the Sith, he left him alive.
Ultimately, this just goes to show thatObi-Wan is particularly skilled against the Sith, and he had been for years by the time he fought Darth Vader for the very first time. In that sense, Obi-Wan was significantly better equipped than most to go up against Darth Vader. Because of the skill set he’d already established against the Sith, this is yet another way it’s clear that Vader never really had a chance against Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan was significantly better equipped than most to go up against Darth Vader.
Obi-Wan Is The Master Of The Defensive Form
This Was Obi-Wan’s Greatest Weapon Against His Adversaries
The final significant reason Obi-Wan was always going to win against Darth Vader comes down to his fighting style.Obi-Wan was a master of the lightsaber fighting style Soresu, which is specifically designed for defense. This particular fighting style made Obi-Wan incredibly difficult to defeat for any Sith, as their own dueling forms were so based on aggression. Because of that, a defensive strategy gave him the advantage.
The final significant reason Obi-Wan was always going to win against Darth Vader comes down to his fighting style.
Essentially, this fighting style meant that Obi-Wan wasn’t going to lose to a Sith unless he gave up, and, in a sense, that is what happened. Yes, Darth Vader ‘killed’ Obi-Wan Kenobi inA New Hope, but that isn’t really the full story. It was clear even all those years ago when the movie was first released thatObi-Wan’s disappearance into the Force during that fight meant that Obi-Wan hadn’t really been killed by Darth Vader; he’d chosen to let go at that moment.
While that isn’t exactly giving up, it was Obi-Wan choosing to stop blocking Vader’s assault and instead disappear into the Force. As promised, Obi-Wan then really did become more powerful than Vader could imagine, as, rather than truly dying, Obi-Wan became a Force Ghost. Arguably, that means Vader never really won at all. While Obi-Wan and Darth Vader’s fights have been some of the most exciting moments inStar Wars, it’s clear thatObi-Wan Kenobiwas always going to beat Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader.
