The Most Powerful Jedi In Star Wars

Over the decades since George Lucas released Star Wars in 1977, the franchise has introduced us to many powerful Jedi that can kick some serious butt. While there are a lot of potential candidates for this list, we decided to limit it to only those Jedi who stayed true to the Light Side of the Force, or were redeemed before their death. As a result, this list will not include characters who died serving the Dark Side, or Force users who never became Jedi. That being said, let's take a look at the Jedi who are truly a "Force" to be reckoned with—but fair warning, this article contains spoilers from all of the existing Star Wars films, various animated series, and all Expanded Universe/Legends material!

Ki-Adi was a Cerean Jedi Master who served as a member of the Jedi Council before the start of the Clone Wars. During the Clone Wars, Mundi fought in many battles, and was the only Jedi to survive a battle with General Grievous that left five other Jedi dead. At one point, Obi-Wan Kenobi was thought to be dead, and during this time, Ki-Adi Mundi served as Anakin Skywalker's Jedi Master. During the Clone Wars, Skywalker and Mundi had to face a huge force of droids on Geonosis, and Ki-Adi ended up destroying more droids than Anakin—which greatly impressed his apprentice. Mundi would survive many difficult battles, but was eventually cut down by his own Clone Troops when they acted on Order 66.

A Jedi Knight who trained under Master Yoda himself, Kit Fisto hailed from the planet Glee Anselm. During the Clone Wars, he served on the Jedi Council and was an advisor to Chancellor Palpatine as well as a Jedi General who led Clone Troops into battle many times, including on Geonosis. At Mon Cala, he led an army during an underwater battle—a task he was uniquely suited to because of his Nautolan heritage, which gave him the ability to breathe underwater. He managed to maim the powerful General Grievous, cutting off one of the cyborg's hands, but Kit finally fell in battle against Darth Sidious, who fatally stabbed him after slaying two other Jedi.

If you're only familiar with the Star Wars movies, you may only know Qui-Gon as Obi-Wan's master and the Jedi who discovered Anakin Skywalker. But Qui-Gon deserves recognition for much more than that. Having studied under Count Dooku, Qui-Gon mastered the art of lightsaber battle, particularly the fourth form known as Ataru. This hard-hitting style of combat is capable of decisively ending a fight quickly, but also has weaknesses in defense. Darth Maul took advantage of those weaknesses when he killed Jinn in close combat. Despite his untimely death, Qui-Gon Jinn's true power was not revealed until after he was killed. He had spent a good portion of his life studying the nature of the Force and the possibility of merging with it upon death. He became the first Jedi—in the current canon, at least—to do so, returning as a voice to Master Yoda. His teachings after death allowed both Yoda and Obi-Wan to return as Force Ghosts after their passing. Without his tutelage, Luke Skywalker would never have been able to complete his training.

Next on our list is Qui-Gon Jinn's closest friend in the Jedi Order, Plo Koon. This unassuming and humble Jedi Master was known for staying calm during dangerous situations. Extremely skilled with a lightsaber and an amazing air force commander, Koon was always looked to by the Council when a mission called for an elite Jedi. He was offered an open position on the Jedi Council, but turned it down because he felt Qui-Gon deserved the spot more. The Council knew his worth, however, and offered him another position later—which he accepted. He served as a general in the Clone Wars, commanding starfighters while the ground battles were led by other Jedi. Unfortunately, his ability as a pilot and air commander left him vulnerable, as he was killed when clone troops shot down his fighter after Darth Sidious issued Order 66.

A Jedi Master during the Clone Wars, Quinlan Vos had a unique Force ability that allowed him to see visions and memories of individuals by handling something they had touched. He went on an undercover mission to the planet Dathomir, where he trained with Dark Jedi Asajj Ventress. The pair attempted to assassinate Count Dooku, but were foiled when faced with the combined might of Dooku and General Grievous. Dooku captured Quinlan and used his influence in the Dark Side to force him to be his apprentice. Later, Count Dooku would turn on his apprentice and try to kill him, but Ventress blocked the Sith Lord's Force Lightning with her own body, sacrificing herself. Vos then fought Dooku in one-on-one combat, defeating him and freeing himself from the Sith influence. While he had an opportunity to kill the Count, he decided not to, and instead left to rejoin the Jedi Order. Quinlan was one of the few Jedi to ever defeat Dooku in combat, and in the Legends/Expanded Universe canon, he also managed to survive Order 66 and made his hideout on the Wookie planet of Kashyyyk.

Before relinquishing the title to Yoda, Mace Windu served as the Grand Master of the Jedi Order. He was also known as its "champion," having mastered all the forms of lightsaber battle and even inventing a variation of the seventh form himself—a style known as Vaapad. Notably, Windu was the only primary practitioner of Vaapad to never fall to the Dark Side—a testament to his great inner strength. Windu was considered by many to be the best lightsaber duelist who ever lived, but his abilities weren't limited to just that. He was also a skilled battle general, strong in the art of telekinesis, and excellent at deflecting projectile and blaster attacks. Even though Darth Sidious managed to slay Jedi Masters Agen Kolar, Saesee Tiin and Kit Fisto in short order, Mace held his own against the Sith Lord, fighting back with incredible strength, and eventually defeating Sidious when he disarmed him. Unfortunately, Windu didn't foresee Anakin Skywalker's unexpected intervention on behalf of Sidious, which allowed the Sith to unleash Force Lightning and send Windu plunging helplessly through a window to the surface of Coruscant.

If you're unfamiliar with the Expanded Universe material, the name Nomi Sunrider may not ring a bell. In the old Jedi Order, occasionally Jedi Masters were allowed to marry—though it was quite uncommon and frowned upon by the Council. Thousands of years before the Clone Wars, Nomi was the wife of Andur Sunrider, a Jedi trainee. The couple also had an infant daughter, Vima. When the family relocated to another planet to continue Andur's training, they were ambushed by Hutt gang members. Andur was slain, but Nomi picked up her husband's lightsaber and used it to kill the attackers and defend her daughter. She would go on to become a powerful Jedi Master herself, following her husband's path. Nomi is so high on our list because of her extreme Force abilities, including the art of battle meditation. During the Great Sith War, she single-handedly severed Sith apprentice Qel-Droma from the Force. Soon after, hundreds of Jedi descended upon Yavin 4, where Sith leader Exar-Kun was hidden. Nomi used her battle meditation to guide a gigantic sheet of light-side energy around the planet, obliterating the Sith Temple and bringing an end to the war. She'd later go on to be the Grand Master of the Jedi Order, and did much work rebuilding the Order before her death many years later.

Not only did Obi-Wan serve as Master to both Anakin and Luke Skywalker, he was one of the most powerful Jedi in his own right. Young Obi-Wan became the first Jedi in centuries to defeat a Sith Lord when he overpowered Darth Maul—after Maul had killed Obi-Wan's master, Qui-Gon Jinn. He would go on to play an integral role during the Clone Wars, leading armies and serving on the Jedi Council. He dueled against Count Dooku on multiple occasions, killed General Grievous, and prevailed against Anakin Skywalker after the young Padawan first fell to the Dark Side. He sliced off three of Anakin's limbs before leaving him for dead. When Obi-Wan faced Darth Vader again later in life, he knew he couldn't win—so he chose to sacrifice himself in order to allow Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, and Han Solo to escape the Death Star. He later returned as a Force Spirit to help guide Luke on his journey to becoming a Jedi and eventually bringing Anakin back from the Dark Side.

Perhaps the character with the most affiliations on our list, Revan has a wild history. He first served as Jedi Knight before starting an internal movement within the Order because of his outrage over their refusal to intervene in the Mandalorian Wars. After he proved the Mandalorians were responsible for the genocide of the Cathar people, the Order grudgingly agreed to allow his "Revanchist" faction to continue their intervention. Revan visited a Sith Temple on Malachor V and began to be seduced by the Dark Side; he finally defeated the leader of the Mandalorians in single combat, but the war didn't end completely until Revan drew the remaining Mandalorian forces into a trap near Malachor, activating a superweapon that destroyed their remaining fleet along with many Republic ships and much of the planet itself.

Following the war, Revan went in search of the Sith responsible for starting the conflict, but was drawn into a trap by the Sith Emperor. He and his companion Malak went in search of the powerful Star Forge, and by time they located it, they'd broken free of the Emperor's compulsion and declared themselves the founders of a new Sith Empire. His later actions would kick off the Jedi Civil War. The Jedi Order sent a strike team to capture him, and the sole survivor of that team successfully managed to bring him back to the Order, who healed him and wiped his mind of all memories. They gave him a new identity free from the Dark influence, and he went on to save the Jedi Bastila Shan and defeat his former apprentice Darth Malak. He also was able to resist the mind control and torture of the Sith Emperor for several centuries.

After his release from stasis, he was eventually defeated by an Imperial strike team and attempted to be one with the Force. Instead, his spirit "splintered," driving him insane and leaving him fully submerged in the Dark Side once more. He formed an army of his own, with an ultimate goal of confronting the Emperor, before an alliance of Imperial and Republic forces managed to stop him on Yavin 4. At the moment of his death, his light-side spirit merged with his dark half, and he was whole and sane once more. Due to his many affiliations during his long lifetime, Revan's legend is respected among both the Jedi and the Sith. He is even worshipped as a god-like figure on several planets, and the Sith holocron he created as Darth Revan is responsible for the current Sith philosophy of the "order of two."

Anakin Skywalker was created by the Force itself, without a father. His raw power and Force sensitivity was off the charts, which brought him to the attention of Qui-Gon Jinn while he was still a child. He had the highest midi-chlorian count ever recorded, and many believed him to be the Chosen One—a prophesied Jedi who would bring balance to the Force. Of course, Anakin would not actually fulfill this prophecy until long after he had fallen to the Dark Side and become Darth Vader. Despite his independent streak, Anakin proved himself multiple times during the Clone Wars, fighting bravely in multiple battles. These deeds eventually earned him the title of Jedi Knight, despite not completing a formal Jedi Trial. After Obi-Wan Kenobi was knocked out by Count Dooku, Anakin had to face the Sith Lord in a one-on-one battle. Young Skywalker prevailed, slicing off both of Dooku's hands before decapitating him. Anakin's defeat at the hands of Obi-Wan Kenobi left him maimed and confined to a mechanical suit, which greatly hampered his dueling abilities and limited his ability to fulfill his Force potential. Despite this, he was able to bring about the ultimate demise of Darth Sidious, throwing him to his death while resisting the Emperor's Force Lightning. He died soon after in the arms of his son, at peace with the light side of the Force once more.

Luke Skywalker didn't start Jedi training until he was late in his teens—around three times the age that most Younglings begin their Padawan training. Despite very little formal Jedi education until he met Master Yoda on the swamp planet of Dagobah, Luke showed himself to be adept with his raw Force abilities and quickly mastered the art of lightsaber combat. He destroyed the first Death Star using his Force sensitivity to augment his piloting skills, and survived an early encounter against Darth Vader. He constructed his own lightsaber after losing his father's in that early duel, and went on to best Darth Vader in another lightsaber duel before resisting several strikes of Darth Sidious' Force Lightning. Luke went on to do some pretty amazing things in the Expanded Universe stories, including founding the new Jedi Order and destroying an entire fleet of Star Destroyers with the Force.

Topping our list is Master Yoda, the Grand Master of the Jedi Order before and during the Clone Wars. Adept in many skills of the Force both common and rare, he was considered to be one of the most skilled Jedi in the history of the Order. He dedicated much of his life to teaching—for over 800 years, he was responsible for the early education of hundreds of Younglings. He also served as the Master and instructor of many of the other powerful Jedi on our list, including Kit Fisto, Mace Windu, Ki-Adi Mundi, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker. Despite his advanced age and small stature, it would be a mistake to underestimate Master Yoda in battle. He served as a very capable general during the Clone Wars, leading Jedi forces to multiple victories.

Master Yoda was also extremely skilled with a lightsaber, having mastered all of the forms of lightsaber combat. This prowess was evident when he battled Count Dooku, who had to resort to a cheap diversion in order to escape the diminutive duelist. Master Yoda also fought against and survived an encounter with Darth Sidious himself. Unable to defeat the Emperor, Yoda went into self-imposed exile on the planet Dagobah. It would be on that planet years later that Yoda would take his final apprentice—Luke Skywalker—and impart years of training to the young Jedi in the short time he had left. After his passing, Yoda used the technique taught to him by Qui-Gon Jinn to become a Force Spirit and continued to help guide Luke on his path to defeating Darth Vader.