For the longest time, the only thing the average moviegoer knew about the Jedi was that they were powerful users of the Force who protected the galaxy from darkness. Fans had only the words of Obi-Wan Kenobi to young Luke Skywalker in A New Hope to give them a hint of what the most powerful Jedi were like. Then the Star Wars prequels came out, and fans were inundated with Jedi. Viewers couldn’t go five seconds in the prequels without running into a random Jedi.
With all these Jedi now extant in the Star Wars universe, it’s hard to keep track of who’s who or who the strongest Jedi are. Therefore, it’s worth looking at these characters in a more organized way to determine the most powerful Jedi. Not all strong users of the Force’s light side are the most well-known characters from the movies. Some obscure characters who only hardcore Star Wars fans know well also rank among the most powerful Jedi.
Updated Nov. 2, 2021 by George Chrysostomou: The Jedi Order continues to expand and change with brand new films, shows, comics, video games, and books within the Star Wars galaxy. Some Jedi are far more powerful than others, and the most powerful Jedi are defined by the skills at their disposal, their connection to the Force, or even the accomplishments they’ve achieved in their careers.
25 Coleman Trebor
Moviegoers who wondered who that dinosaur-looking Jedi was in Attack of the Clones (though that does describe a lot of them) need look no further than Coleman Trebor. Trebor was that Eager McBeaver who tried attacking Count Dooku during the Battle of Geonosis.
Coleman Trebor was shot unceremoniously several times by Jango Fett. If Trebor couldn’t deflect a few blaster shots with his fully functional lightsaber, one has to wonder why he was ever promoted from Padawan to Jedi Knight.
24 Agen Kolar
Mace Windu took three other Jedi with him to arrest Chancellor Palpatine, aka Darth Sidious, and every single one of those Jedi Masters was slain by Sidious’ red lightsaber. Many Star Wars fans felt this fight was a bit of a letdown because those Jedi Masters put up absolutely no fight.
Among this hapless trio, Agen Kolar was the first of the Jedi to take a simmering hole to the torso. Supposedly, Kolar was a great duelist among the Jedi. Supposedly.
23 Saesee Tiin
Speaking of Jedi who failed to apprehend the Chancellor correctly, Saesee Tiin is another among their number. He’s not the least powerful Jedi, but he’s hardly the most powerful.
First of all, Tiin at least lasted longer in the fight against Palpatine than Agen Kolar did. Second of all, Tiin had telepathic powers. Sadly, those telepathic powers did not serve him well during his final moments. He could not sense Palpatine’s evil intentions from the get-go. This mistake cost him his life.
22 Yaddle
Yaddle shocked the world when she first appeared on the Jedi High Council. Fans were surprised and thrilled to behold a female of Yoda’s species. Yaddle didn’t stick around, though. After her appearance in The Phantom Menace, she disappeared.
Apparently, Yaddle retired before the Clone Wars started. Smart move on her part. She gets bonus points for that, as well as for being of the same species as Yoda. If she’s anything like him, she must be a pretty powerful Jedi. Unfortunately, there’s not much evidence to demonstrate that.
21 Aayla Secura
Aayla Secura makes a strong showing in The Clone Wars television series. She provides some mentoring to young Ahsoka Tano when her Master is wounded, and she seems like a capable general of the clone army.
However, she’s knocked down a few pegs because of how she got shot down in Revenge of the Sith. It’s understandable that the Jedi were caught off guard by the betrayal of their clone troopers, but Secura just laid down and got fired upon. Could she not sense anything in the Force?
20 Barriss Offee
Barriss Offee was such a disappointment. When fans met her in The Clone Wars, it was great to finally see a Padawan without any reckless tendencies. (Ahsoka and Anakin are kind of like two sides of the same coin.)
But then Offee had to ruin it all by orchestrating the bombing of the Jedi Temple in protest at the corruption of the Jedi. Plus, she then had the blame pinned on her friend Ahsoka. Why couldn’t Star Wars let fans keep one cool and level-headed apprentice?
19 Shaak Ti
There are two major problems holding Shaak Ti back. The first was how close she came to finding out the secret of the chips in the clone troopers’ brains. These chips would later be used to make Order 66 possible. Ti ultimately failed to suss out this information even though one trooper kept trying to show her the truth.
The second problem with Ti is that she chose to meditate while the Jedi Temple came under attack. There were countless Padawans struggling to survive the onslaught, but Ti elected to meditate until Darth Vader found her.
18 Jocasta Nu
Jocasta Nu is no ordinary librarian. She used to serve on the High Council before the Invasion of Naboo, and she was one of the few Jedi to survive the purge and the attack on the Temple.
She fled the Jedi Temple and began building up holocrons with information about the Jedi. She continued this work until Darth Vader himself had to hunt her down and end her progress and her life.
17 Sifo-Dyas
Fans first heard of the enigmatic Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas in Attack of the Clones. It was Sifo-Dyas who ordered the building of the Clone Army. Sifo-Dyas had the gift of foresight, which should have made him a pretty powerful Jedi.
He foresaw a great battle in the future, so he decided to create an army for the Republic should they ever need it. It’s too bad he couldn’t see his own demise and subsequent takeover of the Clone Army by the Sith.
16 Kanan Jarrus
Kanan Jarrus, previously known as Caleb Dume, is a pretty ordinary Jedi. If he hadn’t gone through extraordinary circumstance, he may not be considered as strong a Jedi as he is.
As it is, Jarrus joined the Rebels, taught Ezra Bridger what he knew of the Force even though he was only a Padawan himself, and sacrificed his life to save his companions. Jarrus might not rank as the most powerful Jedi, but he accomplished much in his life that he should be proud of.
15 Plo Koon
Plo Koon is considered an exceptional Jedi even though fans haven’t yet seen very much from him that makes him stand out. He was the Jedi who found Ahsoka Tano and recognized her Force abilities. He brought her to the Jedi Order.
When Order 66 was issued, Koon was in a starfighter. His clones pulled back and fired on him mid-flight, leaving Koon with little to no room to save himself. (Did you know that Koon’s mask helps him breathe in oxygenated environments?)
14 Ezra Bridger
Ezra Bridger is one of those hot-headed apprentice types, but he stands out among Jedi for dabbling in the Dark Side and coming back from it. Since the Empire destroyed Bridger’s parents, he has had to deal with a lot of anger. The former Sith Lord, Darth Maul, tried to take advantage of this and turn Bridger to the Dark Side.
It almost worked. Ezra’s eyes got all red and everything. But he was able to turn away from the shadows and come back to the light. Not many Jedi can be said to have done that. Ezra has potential to be one of the most powerful Jedi.
13 Ahsoka Tano
Many fans have a love/hate thing with Ahsoka Tano. When she was first introduced, some didn’t like her. She was a peppy Padawan who kind of ruined canon. For example, it’s hard to imagine while watching Revenge of the Sith that Anakin ever had an apprentice.
Still, Tano’s growth as a Jedi has been impressive. She’s dueled Asajj Ventress and Darth Vader, helped start the Rebel Alliance, and become something more than the Jedi she started out as.
12 Depa Billaba
Depa Billaba is an incredibly awesome Jedi that not many people may know about. Her Jedi Master when she was a Padawan was Mace Windu, and she also trained Caleb Dume when she became a Jedi Master.
Billaba saved Dume’s life when the Jedi Purge began, sacrificing her own life in the process. Caleb Dume then grew up to be the Jedi known as Kanan Jarrus. Billaba’s memory lived on in Jarrus and what he taught his own apprentice.
11 Ben Solo
Ben Solo had a huge legacy to live up to, and while his time as a Jedi-in-training was short, he was probably one of the most powerful. Ben came from a strong line of Force users. His maternal grandfather was Anakin Skywalker, the Chosen One of years past.
Luke Skywalker, his uncle, could sense the raw power in Ben Solo. It’s a shame Solo turned the power within him against the Light. He fell to the Dark Side and eventually became Kylo Ren, part of the evil First Order.
10 Luminara Unduli
Luminara Unduli was a fantastic Jedi Master, and she did not deserve the fate her future gave her. When Order 66 was given, Unduli was on Kashyyyk. Instead of being executed by her clones like so many other Jedi, she was arrested and then later sentenced to perish by the Emperor.
Her remains were then used as a ruse to trap other Jedi out in the galaxy. What I want to know is why Yoda, who was also on Kashyyyk when Order 66 was given, did nothing to help Unduli out.
9 Kit Fisto
Kit Fisto was yet another one of the Jedi whom Mace Windu took with him to arrest Chancellor Palpatine. What sets Fisto apart from those other Jedi Masters is a small moment in Attack of the Clones.
In the middle of a firefight with battle droids, Fisto was able to sense the presence and goodness of C-3PO, even though he was attached to a battle droid’s body. Such in-the-moment perceptiveness is noteworthy. Plus, fans love the way Fisto smiles when he Force-pushes Threepio out of harm’s way.
8 Ki-Adi-Mundi
Ki-Adi-Mundi’s betrayal by his clone troopers is one of the most upsetting moments in the saga. It was heartbreaking to watch him turn back to his clone troopers as they started aiming at him.
Still, Ki-Adi-Mundi ranks among the most powerful Jedi because of his Jedi Council presence. Often, Council meetings felt more like a discussion between Mace Windu and Yoda. Ki-Adi-Mundi was the only other Jedi who seemed to carry the same weight as those two during Council meetings, demonstrating his strength and power.
7 Anakin Skywalker
Anakin Skywalker, aka Darth Vader, is certainly one of the most powerful Jedi. After all, the entire saga more or less rests on his shoulders. His fall to the Dark Side certainly reveals that he was weak in some terrible ways, but there’s no denying his strengths.
His biggest accomplishment would be tossing Emperor Palpatine into the Death Star II’s core while enduring some Force Lightning. Many Jedi have suffered through Force Lightning just as he did, but they weren’t also the Chosen One.
6 Qui-Gon Jinn
Qui-Gon Jinn is a seriously underrated Jedi. He trained Obi-Wan Kenobi, fought against Darth Maul (arguably the coolest Sith), and discovered the secret to becoming a Force ghost.
While the rest of the Jedi Order suffered from corruption, Qui-Gon kept a streak of free-thinking that would have come in handy had he lived to see the Clone Wars. The only sour note on his résumé is the fact that he brought Anakin to the Jedi.
5 Mace Windu
Mace Windu stands out from the crowd of Jedi in more ways than one. His lightsaber is purple, a color never saw any other lightsaber possess before Windu. He is also the only Jedi to appear on the same level as Yoda. The two of them have buddy-buddy conversations all the time in the prequels.
Technically, Windu did beat Darth Sidious in lightsaber combat. Anakin Skywalker was the one who came along and defeated Windu when his guard was down.
4 Obi-Wan Kenobi
Every time Ob-Wan duels Darth Maul (in The Phantom Menace, The Clone Wars, and Rebels), fans are reminded of how powerful he is even though he doesn’t go out of his way to show it. Kenobi is modest and unassuming.
Obi-Wan only adds to his astonishing power by being humble about it. He is grace and wisdom personified. While he may not have the raw strength of the few Jedi more powerful than him, he’s got more class than all of them combined.
3 Rey
Though Rey was never a part of the Jedi Order, she quickly was on a path to becoming one of the most powerful Jedi ever. With little to no training, Rey learned more about the Force in a shorter amount of time than Luke Skywalker ever did.
She appeared so powerful to Luke that he was worried about the potential consequences of training her. And once she obtained those ancient Jedi texts that she stole from Ahch-To, she had everything she needed to keep the Jedi legacy going strong.
2 Luke Skywalker
Luke started his Jedi training at a way later age than most normal Jedi. But he took to it like a fish takes to water. With minimal teaching and stressful conditions, Luke learned to be one powerful Jedi Knight.
In his final moments, Luke Skywalker pulled off one of the greatest tricks fans ever saw a Jedi perform. He projected an image of himself on a planet he was light years away from, using it to save the few remaining members of the Resistance and tricking Kylo Ren at the same time. In this final act, Luke showcased why he is one of the most powerful Jedi ever.
1 Yoda
The most powerful Jedi ranked at the top of the list should come as no surprise. Of course, Yoda is the most powerful Jedi of them all. He was the head of the Jedi Order in the prequels, the mystic recluse in the originals, and he even made a token appearance in one of the sequels.
The effects of Yoda’s existence have reached all corners of the galaxy. He is an endless font of wisdom that any aspiring Jedi can draw from. Star Wars fans can’t even think the word “Jedi” without an image of Yoda popping into their brains as the most powerful Jedi.