What Did Anakin Do With Dooku’s Lightsaber?

In the final duel between Anakin and Count Dooku, Anakin clearly prevails and moves forward on his path to the Sith. Those conclusions come through clearly, but what happened to Dooku’s lightsaber after the fight is somewhat of a mystery. Read on to find out what Anakin did with Dooku’s lightsaber. 

The Climactic Duel

Dooku and Anakin had fought on several previous occasions before their climactic duel during the Battle of Coruscant. This final fight occurred on General Grievous’s ship The Invisible Hand when Obi-Wan and Anakin came to rescue Palpatine. Obi-Wan was knocked out of the duel early, leaving Anakin to confront Dooku single-handedly.

We can recall Anakin’s quick offensive moves and how he took the fight to Dooku before severing Dooku’s hands. Anakin caught Dooku’s lightsaber and held two blades criss-crossed over Dooku’s neck. We know what happened next.

After Dooku’s headless body fell to the floor, Anakin stood with the two lightsabers contemplating what he had just done. As he turned to Palpatine, he only held his own lightsaber in his right hand. So, Anakin must have dropped Dooku’s lightsaber. 

What Did Anakin Do with Dooku’s Lightsaber? 

In the above scene, we can also see Anakin walking away with only his lightsaber in his hand. In addition, we get a brief glimpse of Dooku’s lightsaber on the floor. That quick view of the lightsaber is a point that this short video makes, which draws on the novel Revenge of the Sith. 

Taken together, the evidence points to the answer that Anakin dropped Dooku’s lightsaber after decapitating Dooku. In shock, it must have fallen from his hand. This video blows up the shot where we can see Dooku’s lightsaber on the floor near his body and reads from the novelization to back up this idea. We are looking at a drop-and-leave scenario. 

This other video leads us in the same direction but adds how the final outcome for Dooku’s lightsaber was that it was destroyed when the Invisible Hand crashed. Previous fan posts like this one tend to align with this denouement too and point out how Anakin did not have it on him when Grievous confronted and disarmed Obi-Wan and Anakin. 

Could Something Else Have Happened to Dooku’s lightsaber?

Although very less likely, Anakin could have picked up the lightsaber as they left. In this case, Anakin may have kept it as a prize, especially as he became Darth Vader. Yet, Wookieepedia even conveys the narrative of how the lightsaber was left next to Grievous’s body.

Some fans have speculated that Anakin could have dropped Dooku’s lightsaber in the elevator shaft as they made their escape. Here too, though, the evidence seems to point in the other direction. In this scene, we can see Anakin placing his own lightsaber back on his belt. 

Anakin Dropped Dooku’s Lightsaber

While it may not be the most thrilling answer, Anakin dropped Dooku’s lightsaber after their fight and then it was destroyed with the Invisible Hand. As with other Star Wars topics, it was not certain what happened after their duel, but the after-the-fact evidence points to this conclusion.