Star Wars Canon is loaded with powerful Force users. So much so that when composing a list of the top ten, we needed to think outside the box and leave no stone unturned. For this reason, you will find a few familiar names, but also a couple of surprises.
Below, we listed accomplished Force users from each era in the saga, ranging from Jedi to Sith Lords, to proxies, and even characters who exist to strike a sound balance between light and dark. Are you ready to discover the strongest force users in Canon? Let’s get started.
Table of Contents
1 – Yoda
Only a Jedi Grand Master who lived for nearly nine centuries can claim the top spot on our list of the 10 strongest Force users in Star Wars. Yoda’s mysterious species was naturally well-versed in the Force, and Yoda was no exception.
Even at an old age, he showed incredible prowess with the Force. During The Prequel Trilogy, Yoda pulled off feats like Tutaminis and used the Force to lift Luke Skywalker’s starship on Dagobah.
While Yoda died in 4 ABY, his ability to wield the Force did not. In death, Yoda was one of a few Jedi to return as a Force ghost. But he was also able to manipulate the physical world via the Force, as seen in The Last Jedi when he destroys the Sacred Jedi Texts.
The most impressive characteristic Yoda displayed, however, was that he never allowed his deep connection to the Force to corrupt him, something that tempted many characters on this list.
2 – Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker
When Qui-Gon Jinn found Anakin Skywalker on Tatooine in 32 BBY, he discovered a high midi-chlorian count. This alone showed that Anakin had a lot of potential within the Force.
During the Clone Wars between 22 BBY and 19 BBY, Anakin honed his Force-sensitivity and graduated to the rank of Jedi Knight. We see Anakin’s ability several times in The Prequel Trilogy, but most notably during his climactic duel against Obi-Wan in Revenge of the Sith.
While Anakin, known then as Darth Vader, lost that duel, he emerged as one of the galaxy’s most feared figures.
Ten years passed, and he again met Obi-Wan, where his sensitivity to the Force reached epic proportions. As Darth Vader, he routinely used the Force to torture and in some cases kill galactic civilians, doing so once to lure Obi-Wan into the open.
During a second climactic duel against his old master, Vader was able to easily break apart and direct boulders. And at one point in the battle, he used the Force to bury Kenobi before ultimately losing the duel.
3 – Luke Skywalker
Unlike Yoda and Darth Vader, Luke had very little Jedi training. He also started his Jedi training late since during his youth, the Jedi Order was nothing more than a memory.
And despite experiencing some struggles, Luke caught on quickly and it shows how naturally gifted he was in the Force. A good example is when he used it to destroy the Death Star during the Battle of Yavin.
Luke’s sensitivity to the Force grew throughout his life, and that Force-sensitivity contributed to saving the Resistance in the Last Jedi. Here, he astral projected to his nephew, Kylo Ren.
A fooled Ren attacked Luke, but could not kill him, allowing Rey and the others to escape the First Order. While this drained Luke’s life force and killed him, he managed to return as a Force ghost.
4 – Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious
Palpatine was one of the most conniving characters in Star Wars, but he was the only one on this list to use the Force to transfer his consciousness following death. HIs ability to do this prolonged his life by another 31 years.
But Palpatine’s remarkable Force-wielding capabilities were on full display during The Prequel Trilogy when he hid his true identity from the Jedi. He did this so well, none of the strongest Force-wielders like Yoda or Mace Windu saw through him.
Well-versed in the dark side, Palpatine’s use of Force lightning is well documented. He may have also been involved in Anakin Skywalker’s creation, having learned under a master (Darth Plagueis) who figured out how to manipulate midi-chlorians.
5 – Rey Skywalker
Being the granddaughter of Palpatine should be enough of a prerequisite to snag a spot on this list. But Rey further proved her worth given her ability to use the Force despite not having received proper Jedi training, much like one of her mentors, Luke Skywalker.
Since The Sequel Trilogy’s timeline only lasted between 34 and 35 ABY, it shows that Rey made leaps and bounds in her Force sensitivity in a shorter amount of time than perhaps any character, even Luke.
Rey faced one of the toughest challenges of any Jedi, tasked with ending Palpatine for good. She nearly succumbed to the dark side and technically died in the battle. But a redeemed Ben Solo resurrected her.
6 – Supreme Leader Snoke
In The Sequel Trilogy, Snoke served as the Supreme Leader for Emperor Palpatine during the Rise of the First Order. Powerful in wielding the dark side, one of Snoke’s biggest achievements included using the Force to deceive Ben Solo into betraying the Jedi.
Snoke is unique because he was Emperor Palpatine’s artificial creation. And while he wasn’t as powerful as Palpatine, it didn’t mean he could not wield the Force.
In The Sequel Trilogy, Snoke’s abilities included reading minds and he even once paralyzed Rey. He also had an independent mind.
As a clone, he also served as Palpatine’s puppet. But Snoke still masterfully built a military of new stormtroopers, traveled to the galaxy’s Unknown Regions, and led the reorganization and transformation of what remained of the Empire into the First Order.
7 – Mace Windu
He served as Master of the Jedi Order during The Prequel Trilogy and was second to Yoda on the High Council. But Mace Windu’s fighting style, Vaapad, is what turned him into one of the strongest Force users in Star Wars Canon.
Vaapad, also called Form VII, was Windu’s own creation, and it required the user to exercise an incredible amount of mental discipline. This is because Vaapad practitioners must channel the dark side, but without surrendering to it.
Because of its complexity and requirement to toe the line between light and dark, Windu remains the only Force user to have mastered the form in Canon.
Windu’s Force-wielding was also strong in his ability to reflect Force lightning back to its user. We saw this in Revenge of the Sith, and he would have killed Palpatine had Anakin Skywalker not interfered.
He also mastered the rare power called Shatterpoint. This allowed him to use the Force to locate an opponent, granting him even greater advantage during a lightsaber duel. He could also use the power to locate a weakness in a circumstance.
8 – Grogu
Yoda’s species may be rare, but their ability to wield the Force is not. Grogu, who is at least 50 years old in The Mandalorian, is still considered a child given his species’ unusually long lives.
Despite limited training, he already showed expertise in Force healing, using the Force choke, and moving objects telekinetically. He is so well-versed in telekinesis, he once used the Force to levitate a giant mudhorn to keep it from goring Din Djarin.
Grogu has also used the Force barrier technique, shown when he and Din Djarin crossed Incinerator troopers. He once used Force telepathy to communicate with Ahsoka Tano, and has even used Force concealment and Force calming techniques.
9 – Force Priestesses
When we think of the most powerful Force users in Star Wars Canon, Yoda, Darth Vader, and Luke Skywalker immediately come to mind. But some have claimed the Force Priestesses are the most powerful Force users in Star Wars Canon.
Producer David Filoni is one of their most notable endorsers. Season Six of The Clone Wars backs up Filoni’s claim, as the Force Priestesses trained one of the most powerful Force users on this list, Yoda, to live on after death. Yoda first accomplished this in Return of the Jedi.
Another ringing endorsement for the Force Priestesses, named Joy, Serenity, Confusion, Sadness, and Anger, is that they are said to embody the Force. Though it is not proven, it is further believed that they are omnipotent beings.
10 – Father, Daughter, and Son
You will find these three on Mortis, and like the Force Priestesses, they also appear to embody the Force. Father, Daughter, and Son are so well-versed that during The Clone Wars, Father managed to enclose his hand around Anakin Skywalker’s lightsaber blade and feel no pain.
They are also neither Jedi nor Sith, but they represent a balance between the two sides of the Force. Son takes on the dark side, Daughter, the light, and Father strikes the ultimate balance.
Like the Force Priestesses, Father, Daughter, and Son hold immense power, and you will witness this during the three episodes in which they appear during The Clone Wars.