Why Darth Vader HATED Dual-Bladed Lightsabers (Canon)

I’ve always found it funny how Darth Vader, one of the most powerful Force users in the galaxy, stuck with a single lightsaber his whole life. Some Jedi and Sith liked to get creative — double blades, crossguards, even spinning sabers. Vader? Just one. And there’s a reason for that, rooted in his past, his injuries, and the kind of fighter he became.

A Jedi Who Tried And Failed

Back when he was still Anakin Skywalker, he tried using two sabers once. During his duel with Count Dooku in Attack of the Clones, Anakin picked up another Jedi’s weapon and went in hard. For a moment, he looked unstoppable. Then Dooku disarmed him almost instantly.

That quick failure told him a lot. Wielding more than one blade split his focus. He was fast and talented, but his technique relied on precision and flow, not juggling weapons. From that day on, he never tried it again — even through the entire Clone Wars. He learned that power comes from control, not from how many blades you swing around.

After Mustafar, everything changed. The armor, the breathing, the weight of his new body — he had to rebuild his fighting style from the ground up. The new suit slowed him down but gave him huge strength. Instead of flipping and spinning, Vader started fighting with calm, focused aggression. Every strike became deliberate.

He leaned on one blade because it matched his new way of fighting. A single saber fit his rhythm, his control, and his need to dominate through precision. He didn’t need tricks or exotic weapons. His body and the dark side pushed him toward a more direct, almost brutal kind of mastery.

The Challenge Of Commander Karbin

Years later, during the Imperial era, Vader met someone who tried to outdo him. Commander Karbin — a cybernetic Mon Calamari built by Doctor Cylo — was designed to be a potential replacement for Vader. Cylo gave him a body like General Grievous: four mechanical arms, each able to wield a lightsaber.

When they met on Vrogas Vas, both were chasing Luke Skywalker. Karbin lit up all four sabers and mocked Vader for using just one. The duel that followed was fast and violent. Karbin attacked with speed and numbers, while Vader relied on timing and the Force. He used debris to block and strike, cutting off one of Karbin’s arms in the process.

Then came the moment that summed up Vader’s belief — when you wield the power of the dark side, one lightsaber is all you need. He proved it right there. Karbin, with all his fancy upgrades, went down hard. Vader walked away, calm and efficient as always.

By that point, Vader had turned his whole philosophy into action. The lightsaber was just a tool, the dark side was the real weapon. Where others relied on their blades or designs, Vader trusted the Force itself. Every move, every attack, came from that confidence.