Since I was a kid, I’ve spent countless hours immersing myself in every corner of the Star Wars universe, from the films to the shows, comics, and novels. One thing that’s always fascinated me is the idea of potential—those “what if” scenarios where a character’s abilities reach their absolute peak.
That’s why I decided to rank the Top 10 Star Wars characters with the most potential.
Table of Contents
Top 10. Obi-Wan Kenobi
Kicking off this list, we’ve got Obi-Wan Kenobi, with a Midi-chlorian count of 13,000. Unlike Anakin Skywalker, who was naturally gifted with raw power, Obi-Wan had to put in the work to become one of the most formidable Jedi of his time.
I mean, he’s the only Jedi who took down Darth Maul as a Padawan—not to mention, he was also the mentor of the Chosen One. That alone tells you everything about how strong Obi-Wan really is.
We’ve seen Obi-Wan in action countless times, whether in the movies or The Clone Wars series. But one moment that always stands out to me is his final duel with Darth Maul in Star Wars Rebels. This fight perfectly showcases why Obi-Wan wasn’t just a Jedi Master—he was a character with unmatched skill, wisdom, and potential in Star Wars.
If you pay close attention before Obi-Wan delivers the final lightsaber strike, you’ll notice something subtle but brilliant—he shifts through multiple stances. At the last second, he switches into Qui-Gon Jinn’s stance from The Phantom Menace, tricking Maul into attacking the exact same way he did years ago. Obi-Wan reads Maul’s intent, anticipates his move, and ends the fight in a single stroke.
I have a full article breaking down why Obi-Wan changed stances during this duel, so if you’re interested, you can check it out right here!
Top 9. Darth Malgus
Taking the 9th spot, we’ve got Darth Malgus, a Sith Lord so deeply immersed in the dark side that he practically became one with it. What impresses me about Malgus is that he was willing to sacrifice his lover, Eleena Daru, just to become the most dangerous Sith Lord possible.
If that already sounds crazy, this next part might surprise you just as much as it did when I first read about it. One of the wildest things Malgus ever did was take on both Darth Nox and the Emperor’s Wrath at the same time—two of the most powerful Sith of his era—and still hold his ground. And just to put that into perspective, Darth Nox could withstand Force lightning from Dark Council members like Darth Thanaton, and the Emperor’s Wrath was literally the enforcer of the Sith Emperor himself. Yet Malgus overpowered them both and even managed to harm them.
Darth Malgus was so powerful that even a thousand years after his time, he was still being studied by future Sith. Darth Bane—the creator of the Rule of Two—wrote about Malgus in The Rule of Two, recognizing his brutal efficiency and strength in the dark side. Later, Darth Sidious came across Malgus’ surviving writings and was so impressed by his military strategies and raw power that he included them in his Book of Sith. Even Darth Vader himself studied Malgus’ teachings and saw a reflection of his own path in the ancient Sith Lord.
Top 8. Exar Kun
Now, if you’ve been diving into Star Wars Legends, you know Kun is a figure wrapped in both mystery and raw power. And let’s be real—we all know Exar Kun is famous for creating the double-bladed lightsaber. But that’s not the only reason he’s on this list. Let me break down just how powerful Exar Kun really was and why he absolutely deserves a spot among the most potential characters in Star Wars.
Exar Kun’s combat record is impressive, to say the least. He fought and killed Jedi Grandmaster Vodo Siosk-Baas, and he even one-shotted Jedi Master Odan-Urr, who was considered one of the most knowledgeable Jedi of the time. When he faced a Sith Wyrm in the temples of Yavin 4, he completely obliterated the creature, showcasing just how versatile and deadly he was. Oh, and did I mention he took a Force blast from Jedi Master Ood Bnar, who was amped by the entire planet of Ossus’s Force energies? It knocked him back, but he survived it.
And Exar Kun wasn’t done after his physical form was defeated. He managed to drain thousands of Massassi warriors to become a Sith spirit, gaining the ability to travel through the cosmos even after death. Thousands of Jedi had to come together and use the Wall of Light, a powerful light-side ability, just to incapacitate and imprison Kun’s spirit within the temples of Yavin 4. But even that wasn’t the end of him. Around 4000 years later, Kun’s spirit manipulated Luke Skywalker’s new Jedi students and almost ripped Luke’s soul out of his body.
Top 7. Darth Bane
Moving forward on this list, we’ve got another Sith Lord, and let’s be real—just hearing his name, you already know he belongs here. Darth Bane, the mastermind behind the Rule of Two—not to destroy the Sith, but to ensure they would one day achieve their ultimate goal: ruling the entire galaxy.
One thing I found really interesting while diving into Bane’s story is how different he was from other Sith Lords. Most of them relied on ancient artifacts and relics to amplify their dark side power—Naga Sadow, Exar Kun, and plenty of others were obsessed with tapping into old Sith knowledge. But Bane? He saw all of that as completely useless.
If you want proof, look no further than Darth Bane: Dynasty of Evil. There’s a line in the book that perfectly sums up his mindset:
“Zannah knew he looked on the rings, amulets, and other paraphernalia with disdain. The spark of the dark side that burned within them was like a single drop of rain falling into the ocean of power he already commanded; he saw no need to augment his abilities with gaudy jewelry fashioned centuries ago by ancient Sith sorcerers.”
During the Battle of Tython, Bane and his apprentice, Darth Zannah, took on five Jedi Masters. Bane alone handled three of them at once, cutting them down with sheer skill and brute strength, while Zannah used her dark side sorcery to dismantle the others.
Top 6. Yoda
So far, we’ve covered three Sith Lords, but now it’s time for a Jedi—one that I think everyone can agree had just as much potential as any of them. And honestly, who doesn’t know Master Yoda? Even people who’ve never watched Star Wars have at least heard the name. As the Grand Master of the Jedi Order, Yoda is a legendary figure in the Star Wars universe. With a Midi-Chlorian count of 17,700, he was considered one of the most powerful Jedi in history—until Anakin Skywalker came along and shattered that record.
But raw power alone doesn’t explain why Yoda belongs in this top six list. If you really want to understand just how strong he was, you should check out Star Wars (2015), a comic series that explores some of his most impressive abilities.
I won’t go into full detail about everything that happened in those issues, but to sum it up—Yoda was forced to learn a rare ability called stonepower. If you don’t know what stonepower is, it’s basically an aspect of the Force that could only be accessed through proximity to blue stone—a type of mineral-infused with the Living Force. What makes this ability even crazier is that non-Force users could wield it for telekinesis, while Jedi and Sith who tried to control the blue stone would either fail completely.
In fact, those who tried to control it with the Force would either fail completely or even die in the process. If you remember Jedi training, younglings start by using the Force to move pebbles before advancing to lifting boulders. But these blue stones were completely resistant to the Force—yet Yoda not only figured out how to control them, but he mastered the ability like no Jedi before him.
After learning to wield stonepower, Yoda put it to the test by facing off against a massive, living stone creature. And, in true Yoda fashion, he defeated the giant effortlessly—without even killing it. That alone shows why he stands among the most powerful Force users in history.
Top 5. Darth Revan
We’re now halfway through the list, and this next pick strikes the perfect balance between both sides of the Force: Darth Revan—a warrior who spent half his career as a Jedi, the other half as a Sith Lord, and then ultimately returned to the light. If there’s one character who truly embodies both the power of the dark side and the resilience of the light, it’s him.
If you’ve played Star Wars: The Old Republic, then you already know how strong Revan is. If you haven’t, let me fill you in: in the game, he’s described as the very heart of the Force. Not only is Revan extremely powerful, but he’s also widely regarded as having the greatest command of the Force. As Kreia said:
“Revan was power. It was like staring into the heart of the Force. Even then, you could see the Jedi he would slay etched on his soul.”
And to quote Meetra Surik from The Old Republic:
“It was easy to understand how Scourge could be drawn to him; Revan’s command of the Force was greater than that of anyone else [Meetra Surik] had ever met.”
Well, quotes are great, but they’re nothing compared to seeing Revan in action. I know you want to see what he’s really capable of, and in my opinion, the best example is his showdown that ended the Mandalorian Wars. In that fateful battle, Revan fought and defeated Mandalore the Ultimate—the most powerful of all the Mandalorians.
In case you’re not familiar, Mandalore the Ultimate earned his fearsome reputation by uniting the scattered Mandalorian warrior clans under his leadership and launching a galaxy-wide campaign that left countless worlds trembling in his wake.
As a Sith Lord, Revan became massively stronger than he ever was on the light side. With all his insider knowledge of the Republic’s military tactics, he quickly turned into their deadliest enemy during the Jedi Civil War—pummeling the Republic until it was on the verge of collapse.
He even faced off against Darth Malak in a fierce duel, slicing off Malak’s jaw during the battle.
When his memories were wiped in a forced act of redemption, Revan retrained himself in the light side. He’d always had limitless potential, and this new journey only made him even more powerful. Even Ajunta Pall, the very first Dark Lord of the Sith, could sense the immense strength of the Force within him:
“You—the Force is with you. So strong, so bright.” — Ajunta Pall
Top 4. Emperor Palpatine
The next character might seem like he belongs in the top two, but after thinking it over, I believe fourth place is just right for him: Emperor Palpatine, the main villain of the Sequel Trilogy. If we focused on all his big movie moments, that’d be pretty predictable—so instead, let’s dig into something you might not know.
We’re all familiar with Palpatine’s signature purple Force lightning, and from the films, it may not look that overwhelmingly powerful. But in the comics, his lightning is on a whole other level. In one storyline, a group of Imperial officers betrays him, and after he figures out who they are, he uses his lightning to literally melt them, and in another, he wipes out an entire fleet of traitor stormtroopers.
However, that is not the strongest Palpatine. I believe the strongest Palpatine is from the legend of Star Wars and the comic series Dark Empire.
This story takes place 6 years after ROTJ and shows Palpatine returning in cloned bodies via essence transfer. Firstly he explains to Luke how his clones cannot even hold his awesome power and force strength, Via essence transfer he can move into one’s body and overshadow the soul completely taking over, though it seems as if the host must first allow Palpatine to take over unless it is a weak host. After transfering his spirit into a clone, he battles and defeats Luke Skywalker.
Even years after Empire’s End, Luke and his fledgling Jedi Academy on Yavin 4 encountered the spirit of Exar Kun. Luke mentioned he hadn’t felt the dark side so strongly since he last faced the Emperor—meaning he pretty much confirmed that Palpatine remains one of the most powerful figures in the entire Star Wars saga.
Top 3. Leia Skywalker
I’ll let you in on a little spoiler about the final top three: they’re all members of the Skywalker family, the heart of Star Wars itself. Coming in at number three, we have Leia Skywalker.
You might not see much evidence of Leia’s Force potential if you’ve only watched the Original Trilogy (or even the Prequels). But the Sequel Trilogy hinted at her Jedi training—though she eventually stepped away from that path. However, in the Legends continuity, Leia’s story takes a different turn. She starts off much like her mother—focused on politics—but doesn’t stop there. She eventually follows in Luke’s footsteps, trains as a Jedi, and attains full Jedi status. In fact, some even say her Force potential rivals Luke’s.
In the Dark Empire trilogy, she even used Battle Meditation to help Luke in a duel against Palpatine. She manipulated a fog to create safe pathways for the Millennium Falcon and used the Force to hold together a badly damaged Falcon.
In the Dark Empire trilogy, we see just how powerful Leia can be. She uses Battle Meditation to support Luke in a duel with Palpatine, manipulates fog to create corridors for the Millennium Falcon, and even uses the Force to hold the Falcon together when it’s badly damaged. It’s a testament to the incredible strength Leia could wield once she fully embraced her Jedi heritage.
Top 2. Luke Skywalker
Coming in at number two is Luke Skywalker. In the Original Trilogy, we only get a brief glimpse of his journey—some training with Obi-Wan and Yoda, then his final duel with Darth Vader—so we never really see how immense his Force potential could be. Sure, the Disney Sequel Trilogy gives us another look at Luke, but it doesn’t quite match the Luke I remember reading about.
In the Legends continuity, his story branches off in a totally different direction after Return of the Jedi. He dedicates himself to rediscovering every bit of lost knowledge about the Force, traveling the galaxy to explore forgotten Jedi and Sith temples. With help from Obi-Wan’s journals and a holocron from Yoda, Luke uncovers techniques nobody’s seen in centuries.
During these early years, he grows far more powerful than even Anakin Skywalker was—capable of wiping out entire droid armies with a single gesture and shielding himself from Imperial walker fire without breaking a sweat. 
The longer Luke’s story goes on in the Legends continuity, the more over-the-top his powers become. Sometimes, I’m convinced he’s the strongest character in all of Star Wars. I won’t dive into every detail of how he reached this level, but here are a few highlights that prove just how immense his potential really is.
For starters, he manages to control a massive black hole—an ability pretty much unheard of among Force users. He can also walk on lava like it’s no big deal. And while Palpatine is known for his purple Force lightning, Luke develops his own unique variation—vivid green Force lightning. On top of that, he masters a technique called Lightning Rod, which allows him to absorb huge amounts of energy into his body and then disperse it harmlessly. As if all that weren’t enough, he even learns to fold space by mentally visualizing a destination in real time and stepping directly into it, effectively teleporting wherever he wants to go.
Top 1. Anakin Skywalker
Who else could possibly take the top spot but the Chosen One himself? In Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi measure Anakin’s midi-chlorian count. While the exact number is never revealed, Obi-Wan’s shock at it being “over 20,000” says it all: his Force potential is off the charts. Unfortunately, the films never really let us see how far Anakin could have gone if he’d reached his true prime.
That’s where The Clone Wars series comes in. Throughout the show, we get plenty of hints that Anakin’s operating on an entirely different level. One of the clearest examples is the Mortis arc, where he not only manages to control the Son and the Daughter—embodiments of the dark side and the light side of the Force—but also manipulates time itself, shifting daylight into night with his power. After Anakin passes the Father’s test, the Father confirms, “Only the Chosen One could tame both my children.” This implies that no one else in the entire Star Wars universe could replicate what Anakin achieved on Mortis.
![Anakin Skywalker is Tested at Mortis [4K HDR] - Star Wars: The Clone Wars](https://may4bewithyou.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-youtube-lyte/lyteCache.php?origThumbUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FS67Bd1ZoA0Q%2F0.jpg)
Even in the Revenge of the Sith novelization, Anakin is described as the strongest Jedi in the entire Star Wars universe:
“This is Anakin Skywalker.
The most powerful Jedi of his generation. Perhaps of any generation… He has not just power, not just skill, but dash: that rare, invaluable combination of boldness and grace.
He is the best there is at what he does. The best there has ever been. And he knows it.”