In the Star Wars universe, there’s a whole host of powerful Jedi across the movies to keep the peace in the Galaxy Far, Far Away. Using the mysterious Force, they manage to (mostly) maintain order against the known Sith Lords and their armies. Inspired by knights and samurai, the Jedi is easily the most iconic element of Star Wars and the subject of numerous schoolyard play activities since 1977.
Updated December 2nd, 2022: If you love Star Wars and the Jedi, you’ll be happy to know we’ve updated this article with additional content and entries.
While the original trilogy only had a handful of Jedi knights, the prequels and the sequel trilogy expanded the scope of the franchise and the Jedi in it. There’s a wide range of Jedi with varying backgrounds, which is what makes the Jedi an interesting group of people, especially when they break tradition and train an unconventional apprentice. But some are exceptionally powerful and are usually at the heart of the stories. What defines a Jedi as powerful often varies, but it is a combination of their knowledge of the force and abilities with a lightsaber, as well as how they choose to use their abilities. These are the strongest Jedi in Star Wars ranked.
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10 Dooku
20th Century Fox
A former Jedi turned Sith, Count Dooku is one of the most respected and powerful force users in the galaxy. Even before his turn to the dark side, he was a well-respected member of the Jedi council and was the master of Qui-Gon Jinn. Dooku was incredibly well-trained with a lightsaber and a powerful force user, and his first true mark towards the dark side was when he killed Jedi master Yaddle as shown recently in Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi. Once turned to the dark side, Dooku is strong enough to not only take on both Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi in combat but also hold his own against Yoda.
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9 Qui-Gon Jinn
Lucasfilm
Apprentice to Count Dooku, master to Obi-Wan Kenobi, and the Jedi master that discovered Anakin Skywalker, Qui-Gon Jinn is one of the most important Jedi in the Star Wars universe. While he did die at the hands of Darth Maul in The Phantom Menace, the power of a Jedi is not only in lightsaber combat but in the knowledge of the force and Qui-Gon is able to come back to the land of the living after having died. He appears to be the first Force Ghost and the one who teaches Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi this power. Qui-Gon Jinn is the best example of Obi-Wan’s famous line “strike me down and I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.”
8 Mace Windu
An instant fan-favorite with help from his flashy purple lightsaber, Samuel L. Jackson’s Mace Windu was Master of the Jedi Order until the time of the Battle of Geonosis, at which point he gave the title to Yoda. Mace Windu lead hundreds of Jedi to the Battle of Geonosis and even killed the infamous bounty hunter Jango Fett. On that fateful night depicted in the underrated Revenge of the Sith, Windu joined Kit Fisto and went to arrest Senator Palpatine. Remember that epic, tragic duel? Mace Windu was about to win — when Anakin Skywalker betrayed him. Windu will always be remembered and cherished as a quintessential “good guy” by fans of the galaxy far, far away…
7 Ben Solo / Kylo Ren
Despite spending most of his screen time as the feared leader of the First Order, Kylo Ren, the Jedi behind him is truly a powerful one. His power went so far as to scare Luke Skywalker, which says enough about the power that was inside the whole time. Unfortunately, like his grandfather Anakin, Ben turned to the Dark Side and used his powers to work against the Jedi. Despite all of this, he still deserves this spot because at the end of his life, he showed he was still good deep down and just needed someone (that is, Rey) to believe that about him.
6 Rey Skywalker
Rey Skywalker was never officially part of the Jedi Order, which makes her power all the more impressive. In an incredibly short space of time, Rey learned to tame her powers despite no formal training. When she approached Luke for training, he feared a similar situation to Ben Solo, and was resistant to helping her. But Rey’s resilience paid off, and she learned enough to keep the endangered Jedi Order alive and bring hope back to the galaxy. Rey learned from those that came before her, while also forging her own path and finding the true power of the force inside her.
5 Grogu
Disney
Despite his adorable appearance and not yet having appeared in a Star Wars film, Grogu deserves a spot on this list. He uses his powers to save Din Djarin throughout Disney+ favorite The Mandalorian. After a short amount of training with Luke Skywalker, Grogu’s true powers were shown, and he could even rival Master Yoda’s, making him one of the most powerful Jedi, but also the one with the most potential. Grogu began his Jedi training and did well, despite his heart not truly being in it. His power is still extremely impressive and is likely to develop even further without the proper training. With season three of The Mandalorian confirmed, we can’t wait to see Grogu use his powers to protect those around him and cement his position in Jedi legend.
4 Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader
Anakin Skywalker is perhaps the focal point of the whole Star Wars universe. It was his turn to the Dark Side that set the Original Trilogy into action, and made him a cautionary tale (and, in some cases, an inspiration) for the characters of the Sequels. But in the Prequel trilogy, he proved his absolute power many times. One of these examples is his overpowering Count Dooku, despite his robotic arm.
His tragic destiny to become Darth Vader is perhaps the most powerful act of them all, as he never gave up. By the end of the Original Trilogy, it is clear Darth Vader has become disillusioned with the life he’s led. In one final act of strength, he throws Palpatine into the core of the Death Star while being attacked by Force Lightning. All Anakin needed was someone to believe in him, which Luke did right through to the end.
3 Obi-Wan Kenobi
Disney+
In A New Hope, Obi-Wan Kenobi is mild and unassuming; he’s just an elderly weird neighbor of Luke’s on Tatooine. But he faced up to Darth Vader himself (not for the first time) and at that moment proved his age was not a burden on his strength. Indeed, that strength was always there.
In the prequels, Obi-Wan is the smooth-talking yet dedicated Jedi that earned him a place on this list. He was a devoted Padawan who witnessed his Master die, but rather than giving up, he decided to keep pushing for a better galaxy. After his face-off with Darth Maul in The Phantom Menace, Obi-Wan fully understood his power and used it to train Anakin Skywalker the best he could. Obi-Wan Kenobi was one of the most successful Jedi generals during the Clone Wars and managed to Survive Order 66 and in exile even helped save Princess Leia and fight Darth Maul one last time.
2 Luke Skywalker
Despite his late start in Jedi training, Luke Skywalker excelled and became one of the most powerful Jedi of his time. His humble beginnings made him seem like a complete non-threat, but this was the opposite of the truth. His yearning for adventure was sated when he met Jedi Master Obi-Wan, and in a short space of time, he’d gotten the knack of the way of the Jedi and put his powers to very good use. Unlike his father, he never fully gave in to the Dark Side, and made a huge positive impact on the galaxy, even bringing Darth Vader back to the light after many thought he was lost for good.
In his final moments, Luke proved his strength by projecting an image of himself to save the Resistance, one of the greatest Jedi acts in the whole universe. He took the wisdom of Obi-Wan Kenobi that there were alternatives to fighting, and Yoda’s saying that a Jedi only uses the force for knowledge and defense and in the end, Luke Skywalker’s use of the force made him an inspiration across the galaxy once more. From fighting stormtroopers to saving hundreds of lives, Luke Skywalker constantly proved his strength as Jedi was not just in skill but in his heart.
1 Yoda
Jedi Master Yoda is the most powerful of them all. This should come as no surprise, as he was the head of the Jedi Order in the prequels and was revered for his abilities during the original trilogy. Yoda’s power is unmatched and was a real threat to Darth Vader and the Imperials. Without his guidance, some of his fellow Jedi on this list (including Luke Skywalker) would not have been trained at all. Even in death, Yoda manages to return to impart a lesson on Luke Skywalker and shows just how powerful he still is. Without Yoda, the Star Wars franchise would look completely different — and not in a good way.
