We’ve all seen it countless times—the iconic moment when Anakin becomes Darth Vader and faces off against Obi-Wan on Mustafar.
But here’s a question I want to ask you: During that battle on Mustafar, or even during the Jedi Temple Purge, who do you consider him to be? Is he still Anakin Skywalker, or has he fully transformed into Darth Vader?
For Obi-Wan and Anakin, this moment is quite different and here I’ll explain to you why.
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Obi-Wan Kenobi: The Master’s Perspective
For Obi-Wan, the transition from Anakin to Vader was deeply personal and tragic.
When we watch Revenge of the Sith, it’s clear that, during the duel on Mustafar, Obi-Wan still sees Anakin as his friend and brother.
Throughout the battle, Obi-Wan repeatedly calls him “Anakin,” not Vader.
Even after witnessing Anakin’s fall to the dark side—his slaughter of the Jedi younglings and his betrayal of the Republic—Obi-Wan is still struggling to believe that the man in front of him is anything other than Anakin Skywalker.
For him, Anakin is simply lost, consumed by his fear and anger. The emotional weight of the duel lies in Obi-Wan’s refusal to accept that Anakin is gone, despite seeing the horrors he has committed.
Obi-Wan’s heartbreaking line, “You were my brother, Anakin. I loved you,” makes it clear that he still hopes Anakin can be redeemed, that the good man he trained might come back.
It’s not until their final encounter in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, years after the events on Mustafar, that Obi-Wan finally accepts the truth.
In their climactic battle, Anakin—now fully Vader—declares, “I am not your failure, Obi-Wan. You didn’t kill Anakin Skywalker. I did.” This admission from Vader himself is what finally forces Obi-Wan to acknowledge that Anakin is gone.
From that moment, Obi-Wan stops trying to save Anakin and fully accepts that the man he once knew is now truly Darth Vader.
This acceptance is reflected in their final confrontation on the Death Star in A New Hope.
Now an old man, Obi-Wan faces Vader once more, and this time, he addresses him not as “Anakin,” but as “Darth,” a mark of Obi-Wan’s full recognition that Anakin is no more.
The name “Darth” is impersonal, almost dismissive, signaling that Obi-Wan sees him as nothing more than the Sith Lord he has become.
So during the battle on Mustafar, Obi-Wan still believes that the man in front of him is Anakin, his apprentice and brother, despite Anakin’s fall to the dark side and his new identity as Darth Vader.
To Obi-Wan, Anakin’s essence is still there, and he’s fighting to bring back the man he once knew, not the Sith Lord he has become.
Anakin’s Perspective
During the battle on Mustafar, Anakin isn’t fully focused on his new identity as Darth Vader.
The title, given to him by Palpatine, serves more as a symbol of his newfound allegiance to the dark side than a complete transformation of who he is.
In his mind, Anakin is still driven by the same motivations that have guided him all along—his desperate need to save Padmé, his desire for power, and his anger at the Jedi.
To Anakin, the name “Vader” is secondary to his primary goal: reshaping the galaxy to fit his vision.
But his actions speak otherwise. Ever since he received the title of “Lord Vader” from Palpatine, Anakin has already embraced his new identity without realizing it.
He massacred the Jedi younglings, purged the Jedi Temple, and even went as far as to Force choke Padmé, the very person he sought to save.
He’s consumed by the belief that he alone knows what is right, and he sees his actions on Mustafar as necessary steps toward that end.
The battle with Obi-Wan isn’t about being Darth Vader; it’s about eliminating someone he feels has betrayed him.
His actions reveal that he has already fully become Darth Vader, even without the mask. He’s fighting not just for his vision of the future, but for the dark and twisted power he now wields, believing it will bring peace to the galaxy—even if it means destroying everything in his path.
From Palpatine’s Perspective
Here we finally get to Palpatine. As a Sith Lord, his manipulation of Anakin Skywalker has finally paid off, and he’s successfully turned the Chosen One to the dark side, bestowing upon him the title “Darth Vader.”
For Palpatine, this isn’t just a moment of triumph—it’s the culmination of his long game to corrupt the most powerful Jedi and mold Anakin into his new apprentice.
To Palpatine, Anakin is no more. From the moment he gives him the name “Darth Vader,” that’s who he is his new Sith apprentice, nothing more, nothing less.
Anakin Skywalker, in Palpatine’s mind, has ceased to exist, and now only Darth Vader remains—a tool to help him achieve total galactic domination.