Ahsoka Tano isn’t just another skilled fighter—she’s one of the best in the galaxy.
From her early duels with Asajj Ventress to her epic victory over Maul, Ahsoka’s journey as a warrior has been nothing short of extraordinary.
Her growth in combat puts her on par with the likes of Obi-Wan and even Mace Windu, making her a true force to be reckoned with.
Table of Contents
Which Lightsaber Form Does Ahsoka Use?
Having trained under Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka learned to mainly use lightsaber Form 5 in combat. Specifically, she learned a variant of Form 5 called Djem So (gjem SO) which was favored by Anakin.
This form of lightsaber combat focuses on alternating between a strong defense followed by a swift counter-attack. In this way, it is an extension of Form 3 which focuses almost entirely on defense.
For Form 5 to be effective in battle, the user must defend while they wait for the perfect moment to strike. When the time is right, the opponent is attacked with little notice.
This blend can be viewed as a half-way point between the defense of Form 3 and the offense of Form 4.
Why Does Ahsoka Hold Her Lightsaber Backward?
Shien
The use of a backward grip on a lightsaber is a variant of Form 5 called Shien (she-EN). Despite this variant being the original, Djem So was more popular with lightsaber users.
A notable exception to this is Ahsoka Tano.
Ahsoka was known to use this form by using a regular lightsaber in her dominant hand and a shorter one (called a shoto blade) in her off-hand; She typically held them normally and backward, respectively.
The backward grip gave her extra mobility over the blade which was useful both in offense and defense.
On the offensive, she was able to finely manipulate the blade in order to land solid attacks. Additionally, the unorthodox backward grip gave her the upper hand in battles as it required the opponent to adapt.
This grip gave her a defensive advantage too! It was a common practice with Shien to hold the blade horizontally behind the head.
Doing this gave her an extra layer of defense behind her. This was especially useful when battling multiple opponents.
In addition to being able to block a lightsaber attack from behind, it also allowed her to deflect blaster fire around her.
Deflection
Shien in particular was more defense-heavy than Djem So. This made it weaker in one-on-one combat, but beneficial when deflecting swaths of blaster fire.
Since Ahsoka was mostly around people in need of defending, she likely favored this form for its versatility and effectiveness.
One notable advantage of Form 5 as a whole is its ability to deflect blaster fire. This property is already seen in Form 3 but is capitalized by using Shien in particular.
Mastery of Shien allows the user to not just deflect blaster fire, but also redirect it. Ahsoka used this in many battles to take down combat droids.
How Powerful Was Ahsoka in Lightsaber Combat?
Though Ahsoka started out as an amateur, as all do, she quickly became a formidable opponent under the instruction of her master, Anakin Skywalker.
Ahsoka’s Skill as a Padawan
During her early years of training Ahsoka came up against a number of opponents, some of which were lightsaber users. Although she would continue to grow in skill from here, she was still very strong for her age and training.
In most lightsaber battles there aren’t just one or two combat forms used exclusively. This said, though, Ahsoka heavily favored an amateur version of Form 5 in her earlier years.
This was both because of her training under Anakin as well as her personality. Like Anakin, she was reckless and over-confident at times.
Although this is discouraged for Jedi, she still often used this to her advantage. It may have been a detriment to her defense, but it was more than made up for when she attacked.
Early Fight with General Grievous
The first clash between the two is minor and is primarily a deterrent on both ends. Ahsoka fights Grievous in order to get him to chase her.
As she does this, the two cross blades a few times. The battle is short-lived, however, as it was only meant as a distraction.
Later on, Ahsoka is trapped in a room with Grievous. Although she is strong, she recognizes that Grievous is much stronger than her.
She focuses on hiding from him while waiting for the right moment to strike.
Despite the imbalance of power, Ahsoka shows great ingenuity even against a stronger opponent in these small battles.
Ahsoka and Luminara Versus Asajj Ventress
When aided by another Jedi, Ahsoka shows even greater potential than on her own.
Though she was still in training at this point, Ahsoka showed great fighting aptitude in her battle with the assassin Asajj Ventress.
Initially, the battle was between Jedi Master Luminara and Ventress. Despite Ahsoka’s insistence, Luminara was confident she could handle Ventress alone.
Although she had a strong start, Luminara was quickly outmatched when Ventress partially blinded her. It was at this time that Ahsoka joined the fight.
Despite direct orders, Ahsoka quickly turned the tide of the battle and helped Luminara to recover her strength.
Even though Ventress makes an escape, this battle showcases one of Ahsoka’s greatest strengths (and weaknesses) as a Jedi; She is headstrong and does what she thinks is right, even if it’s against orders.
Ahsoka’s Skill Later in the War
Throughout the Clone Wars, Ahsoka steadily made progress as a Jedi. Though she still held onto her temperamental personality, she would go on to fight tougher opponents on her own and stand her ground.
This was very important to her development as a Jedi, there were many cases where she would have to take on missions alone. Even without help, though, she showed great skill in lightsaber combat.
On the Run, Versus Barriss Offee
![Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Ahsoka Tano vs Barriss Offee [1080p]](https://may4bewithyou.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-youtube-lyte/lyteCache.php?origThumbUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FP1H9FjrDBAA%2F0.jpg)
After being framed for murder, Ahsoka flees the Jedi temple and into the urban depths of Coruscant. She contacts Jedi Master Barriss Offee who she believes to be her friend.
As Ahsoka continues to hide, she comes up against a mystery foe who turns out to be none other than Offee herself!
Although Ahsoka puts up a good fight, she is still no match for the Jedi Master. Her skills are further weakened when she is disarmed by Offee.
Even with her great skill in lightsaber fighting, she is quickly downed without her weapons.
Despite this, Ahsoka survives and goes on to fight many more battles.
Clash with Maul
Arguably one of the most spectacular duels of the entire Clone Wars is Ahsoka’s fight with Maul. This fight shows the full potential of the former Sith Master, Maul, and Ahsoka as a fully-fledged Jedi.
In this battle, Ahsoka is wielding her two lightsabers which were modified to be blue by Anakin during her absence from the Jedi order. Maul, on the other hand, wields his famous double-bladed lightsaber.
At first, Maul is defensive while he tries to reason with Ahsoka and get her to join his cause: Defeating the Sith. Although Ahsoka has the same goal, she was still trained as a Jedi and does not budge.
The two go at each other in a fantastic battle, showcasing each opponent’s strengths–and weaknesses.
In particular, Ahsoka shows great skill in Form 5 and Form 6.
For the former, she utilizes a strong defense while waiting for Maul to make a mistake. As soon as he does, Ahsoka uses it to her full advantage and attacks relentlessly.
As for the latter, she also uses the Force with great synergy in addition to her physical skills. This comes in the form of manipulating Maul, aiding her movement, as well as the movement of the clones which eventually come to her aid.
In the end, Ahsoka is able to beat Maul and effectively capture him.
After the Clone Wars
By the end of the Clone Wars, Ahsoka is already an incredible lightsaber duelist. Still, she continues to grow in power and skill even after the war.
Later on, Ahsoka no longer considered herself a Jedi which opened up more methods to her that would not suit a Jedi.
Ahsoka’s Duels with the Inquisitors
Over the course of the Star Wars Rebels series, Ahsoka comes up against the Inquisitors many times. These legendary foes are former Jedi turned to the Dark Side and tasked with hunting down all remaining Jedi.
Many of these duels were fought with Ahsoka’s new lightsabers. They shone white, the color of the kyber crystals after being purified from the Dark Side.
Similar to her previous ones, she wielded one regular lightsaber and one shoto blade which she held in a backward grip.
As a fearsome Jedi Master, Ahsoka could come toe-to-toe with multiple Inquisitors at the same time. Despite the Inquisitors’ unique spinning double-bladed lightsabers, they were no match for her skill.
Dueling What was Left of Her Master
At what could be considered the peak of Ahsoka’s skill she fought alone against Darth Vader; The corrupted remnant of what used to be her master.
Ahsoka fought with great skill and effort, giving the battle her all in order to protect her friends. Still, she was no match for this overpowered version of her master.
Though she did her best, she was swiftly defeated by Vader. Despite this, Ahsoka still survived.
At the last second, Ezra deus ex machina’d the battle and pulled Ahsoka to safety into a Force-driven world-between-worlds.
How did Ahsoka Tano Master Dual Lightsabers?
Originally, Ahsoka used a single green-bladed lightsaber. Then, some time towards the end of the Clone Wars, she collected another kyber crystal from Ilum.
This crystal was yellow-green and she used it to create another lightsaber. This one was her shoto blade, shorter both in hilt and blade length.
Jar’Kai Training
She then went on to train with Anakin Skywalker and Yoda in order to learn Jar’Kai, the form of dual wielding.
It took her time to get used to using two lightsabers, but Ahsoka quickly picked it up. Like many things with the Force, it required her to put her unique self into it.
After this training, Ahsoka would go on to employ both lightsabers in many battles. In each one she learned how to better use them, steadily moving towards mastery.
Despite this mastery, there is one particular case where, though she had both lightsabers, they were ineffective.
Mortis
When Ahsoka, Anakin, and Obi-Wan are sent to the mystic Force-driven realm Mortis, her lightsabers are rendered useless. She is later overcome by the Son and made to fight against both Anakin and Obi-Wan.
In this fight, she shows excellent use of both her lightsabers. She is able to put both Jedi Masters on the defensive until she is later stopped by the Son when he is done with her.