Is Darth Vader The Strongest Sith?

Darth Vader is arguably one of the most exciting characters in the Star Wars franchise.

Not only does he have the trademark villain origin story that most villains have, but Darth Vader has complexities in his personality. Things such as his crippling depression and self-loathing, which a lot of us can, unfortunately, relate to.

However, it isn’t all bad. Darth Vader is also one of the most resilient, driven, and dedicated individuals to grace our screens with his presence.

From a young age, Darth Vader proved that he was destined to do great things. This sparked a debate among fans: is Darth Vader the strongest Sith?

So without further ado, let’s answer this question and more.

Is Darth Vader the Strongest Sith?

When Darth Vader joined the Sith Order, he was filled with boiling rage, hatred, guilt, desperation, and a thirst for power. This all made the perfect cocktail for a Sith and put Darth Vader on track to becoming one of the strongest Sith the galaxy had ever seen.

Darth Vader trained endlessly and became one of the most powerful individuals in the entire galaxy. He was so powerful that his son, Luke Skywalker, was one of the few people who could match him at full strength.

But, despite his steady improvements, Darth Vader was not the strongest Sith. This can be largely attributed to the major injuries he sustained when he was a fresh recruit into the Sith Order.

These injuries included severe lung damage and missing limbs. Being so wounded meant Lord Vader’s strength was diminished. This is especially true since he had to depend on his life support suit and pressurized mask.

What’s more, Darth Vader’s suit was designed to cause him pain, not to mention it was inherently flawed.

The suit was created to work with electricity.

This meant that Darth Vader could not use Force Lightning for fear that he would short circuit his suit. Even worse, if someone were to use Force Lightning to attack Darth Vader, he could die.

Speaking of death, Darth Vader could not be without his life support system (especially his mask) because his body was no longer equipped to deal with the galaxy’s atmospheric pressure.

To that end, the consistent pain of his injuries and suit left Lord Vader in a perpetual state of discomfort and agony. While this is perfect for the Sith (because, after all, an angry Sith Lord is a powerful Sith Lord), it isn’t a good thing for a human being.

Humans need sleep for our bodies to function properly. Without it, there would be a slowing in our motor skills, thinking skills, and overall operations of our daily lives.

Ergo, despite Darth Vader using meditation, his inability to get quality sleep could have a role to play in Vader not reaching his full potential.

Who is Stronger, Darth Revan or Darth Vader?

The Star Wars community is split on this topic. Some say Darth Vader is stronger, whereas others think Darth Revan is stronger.

Based on the information available, I would have to side with those who think Darth Revan is the stronger one.

Darth Revan and Darth Vader had similar beginnings in life. Darth Revan started his career as one of the most powerful Jedi Knights of his time. That was until he made the switch to the dark side, and became a powerful Sith.

Matching Lord Vader in the origin story, Darth Revan did not have the same restrictions as Darth Vader did. Lord Vader was controlled by Emperor Palpatine and was essentially bound by this loyalty. Especially since he needed the Emperor for constant maintenance of his suit.

Conversely, Darth Revan was his own boss. He had no one controlling his actions or comfort, which allowed him to make and break rules as he deemed fit. Lord Revan was a Sith emperor in his own right.

This, coupled with Darth Vader’s extensive injuries, meant that Darth Revan could reach levels of power that Lord Vader could not.

Is Anakin the Most Powerful Jedi?

Before becoming a Sith Lord, Darth Vader spent his early life as a Jedi called Anakin Skywalker. On the light side of the Force, Anakin had the potential to be the most powerful Jedi, but he didn’t end that way.

Let me explain.

When Anakin joined the Jedi Order as a Padawan at age nine, he was already head and shoulders above the rest of his class. Not only did he have the highest known midi-chlorian count in the galaxy (at 20,000 per cell), but Anakin was determined.

So determined that he graduated from being a Padawan in a mere ten years, while it usually takes twice that time. From that point onward, Anakin continued to climb the ranks of the Order.

He went on to accomplish many feats and was even the first (and only) Jedi Knight to sit in on the Jedi High Council.

Unfortunately, these attributes did not come without fault. You see, Anakin began to grow an ego and felt as though he could break the rules without repercussions.

What Anakin didn’t account for was the fact that Jedi Masters (Mace Windu in particular) did not trust him, which led to him not achieving the rank of Jedi Master.

Eventually, Anakin fell to the dark side, completely forfeiting his light-side lineage.

If Anakin had remained on the light side and adhered to the Jedi Code, there’s a chance he could’ve easily become the most powerful Jedi. But alas, Anakin allowed mistrust to grow and became entangled with the Sith Lord Darth Sidious (Emperor Palpatine).

Who Can Beat Darth Vader?

As we established, Darth Vader is not infallible. There are some characters who could defeat him.

Apart from the already established Darth Revan, who is stronger than Darth Vader, there is also the Emperor himself. Emperor Palpatine has been the mastermind behind many of the events in the galaxy.

This is especially true when it comes to Darth Vader. The Emperor played the puppet master, manipulating every event to ensure Darth Vader would become his prized Sith Lord.

Even so, Palpatine knew how to keep Vader in check. He purposefully made Darth Vader’s suit painful so the Sith Lord would be dependent on him.

From day one, Vader was so convinced that he needed the dark side that he dared not rebel. Due to this need and his injuries, he would not have stood a chance against a full-powered Darth Sidious.

Moving away from the dark side, Darth Vader’s son, Luke Skywalker, proved himself to be stronger than his father.

When Anakin abandoned his calling, Luke Skywalker took up the mantle as the “Chosen One”. As time progressed, Luke and Vader faced off many times.

Luke tapped into his full potential in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. This was when Luke showed exactly how powerful he was, subsequently putting an end to Darth Vader and redeeming Anakin Skywalker.

Conclusion 

Despite his numerous wounds, Darth Vader was a strong Jedi and an even stronger Sith.

As a Jedi, Anakin could possibly become the most powerful Knight there was. However, he refused to adhere to the Jedi Code. Still, when he became Darth Vader, we saw exactly what this warrior was made of.

Even though Darth Vader killed hundreds of Jedi, there were still some who could beat him. Namely, these are the likes of Darth Revan, Darth Sidious, and Luke Skywalker.

Darth Vader has undoubtedly been a force to be reckoned with in the galaxy, despite not being the most powerful.