In Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, the Clone Wars – the biggest war the Star Wars galaxy had seen in thousands of years – was over, but there was still conflict to be had. As the last survivors of Order 66 were being hunted by the clones, Darth Sidious dispatched his new apprentice to Mustafar to massacre the Separatist Council. When that deed was done, Anakin soon found another opponent in the form of his former master – Obi-Wan Kenobi. Insults were hurled and threats were made, the two drew their sabers and began their duel, the results of which shaped the events of galactic history for the next two decades.
Their lightsabers burning with a blue flame that was hotter than the surrounding lava, the two of them fought: master versus apprentice, brother versus brother, Jedi versus Sith. The legendary clash was the culmination of the prequels and the fate of the galaxy hung in the balance. From there, even casual Star Wars fans know what went down. After a fierce fight, Obi-Wan had the high ground, and in a meme-inspiring slash, he delimbed his former apprentice and set the stage for Darth Vader to become a monster. One might ask, though, whether Obi-Wan would have been able to defeat Anakin if he had never gotten the high ground.
In a swordsmanship comparison, the two were a perfect match for each other. Obi-Wan’s dueling specialty was in Form III, Soresu. It was a form that prioritized defense over offense, and even Master Windu said that Obi-Wan was the master of that form. Anakin, on the other hand, preferred Form V, Djem So. Based on power and aggression, Form V utilized a series of strong blocks with planned counterattacks and reposts. Thus, their lightsaber styles were the perfect inverse of each other’s preferred forms. Obi-Wan played defense while Anakin pressed his attack, but since each was extremely skilled, it resulted in a prolonged fight.
When comparing their power in the Force, the two of them were on fairly equal grounds as well. Anakin had far more potential and raw power at his disposal, but Obi-Wan was older, more experienced and often more nuanced in its use. However, at that time, Anakin had become a Sith, and his power should have become more than Obi-Wan could have handled. The thing is, it wasn’t. Obi-Wan ended up winning, and most fans attribute his victory to the high ground. However, a more detailed look reveals two reasons why Obi-Wan would have beaten Anakin regardless of the terrain.
The first reason was that the newly-christened Sith was hindering himself during the duel. In one of the most famous close-ups in all of Star Wars, Anakin’s eyes blazed with a yellow fire as he killed the Separatists leaders, yet when he fought against Obi-Wan, that didn't happen. His eyes never turned yellow, and that’s almost indisputable proof that Anakin didn’t use the Dark Side against Obi-Wan. Maybe, deep down, he knew that everything he was doing was wrong, or maybe he wanted to prove that he was more powerful than Obi-Wan even without the Dark Side. Either way, Anakin didn’t unlock his true potential, and that gave Obi-Wan an automatic advantage, regardless of the high ground.
The other reason that Anakin would still have lost was because of his pride. Obi-Wan may have used the high ground to his tactical advantage, but it was really a ploy to make his Padawan commit an error. Anakin clearly wasn’t thinking clearly during their duel; between slaughtering younglings, Padmé abandoning him and a desire to kill his master, Anakin had a lot going on. So, when Obi-Wan made a direct challenge to his inability to overcome a disadvantage in vertical placement, Anakin tried to rise to the occasion and failed. The point, however, is that even if Obi-Wan didn’t have the high ground, he still would have been able to use Anakin’s fragile mental state to goad him into making some other mistake. Thus, Obi-Wan would remain the victor even without his prized high ground.