The lightsaber battle is one of the most thrilling and unforgettable elements a Star Wars story can have. In Legends, fighting with the "elegant weapon for a more civilized age" has become a fully-developed fictional science featuring various forms, attacks and stances. These duels are much more than just fancy light shows; they are complex confrontations, winnable only through special strategies and skills.
The different techniques have their very own names, and the heroes and villains who utilized them always strove to perfect their own unique styles. Here are the 10 most efficient lightsaber attacks, as well as the Jedi and the Sith who used them.
10 Disarming Slash (Form I) - Kit Fisto
Before being vanquished in an unfortunate 5-second duel by Darth Sidious in Revenge of the Sith, Kit Fisto gained popularity for his combat skills during the Clone Wars. In his fight against the terrifying General Grievous, depicted in the Clone Wars show, the noble Fisto demonstrated his full mastery of Form I - a fighting style centered on disarming opponents and relying on unpredictability.
One of his signature and best attacks is the Disarming Slash - a strike deliberately aimed at the opponent's weapon or the hand that is holding it. The move required discipline to pull off and was most effective against fighters who lacked that vital quality.
9 Contentious Opportunity (Form II) - Count Dooku
Despite being one of the Dark Side's strongest Sith ever, Count Dooku's battle tactics did not rely on wild passions or sudden bursts of fury. Form II - the variation of lightsaber combat that Dooku was most skilled at, was all about keeping one's focus.
Practitioners of Form II defended themselves through minimum effort and utmost precision while searching for possible flaws in the opponent's movement and striking when finding one. That is how Anakin lost his hand in Attack of the Clones - Dooku was on the defense, conserving energy, while the padawan kept charging blindly until he made an error and paid for it with his limb.
8 Deflecting Slash (Form III) - Obi-Wan Kenobi
Obi-Wan was born to be a Jedi - his attitude, life choices and even fighting methods were an example for any aspiring apprentice. He was a master of Form III - the ultimate defensive style and the one that suited the Jedi creed the most. The main offensive move of this Form was the Deflecting Slash.
Through it, Kenobi was able to take the momentum of his saber deflecting an enemy attack and turn it into an immediate strike - all in one movement. This type of lightsaber swing could be applied against ranged attacks and in close combat. The Jedi Master used it to great success against both General Grievous and the Super Battle Droids that guarded the Chancellor during his abduction, for example.
7 Hawk-Bat Swoop (Form IV) - Master Yoda
Even though he had full control over every single form of lightsaber fighting, the all-powerful Master Yoda found it most comfortable to pick Form IV because of his small size. It was an aggressive fighting style that involved Force-assisted acrobatics and fast swings.
Yoda's typical Saber Swarm charges (continuous short jump strikes) gave him an advantage over his Sith adversaries but his most special move was probably the Hawk-Bat Swoop. It saved his life in a dire situation when he used it to decapitate both clone troopers who turned on him in an attempt to execute Palpatine's Order 66.
6 Tempered Aggression (Form VII) - Mace Windu
Mace Windu was so powerful that he ended up inventing his own form of lightsaber combat - Vaapad - a variation of Form VII, which he obviously mastered in full. This form was the Sith's favorite because it prioritized aggression, but Windu created a variation of his own that allowed the Jedi to channel their inner darkness without succumbing to the Dark Side.
Through Tempered Aggression, Mace was capable of charging his enemies with one continuous, seemingly endless attack consisting of powerful yet measured blows that hit just the right balance between fury and restraint. Such an attack is visible in his duel versus Sidious when he slowly but surely backs the Sith into a corner.
5 Vornskr's Ferocity (Form VII) - Darth Maul
The trademark attack of all Sith - a combination of countless, quickly placed, vicious strikes, the Vornskr's Ferocity was used with particular zest from Darth Maul himself. His preferred weapon of choice - a double-bladed lightsaber - wasn't the most comfortable for this kind of attack.
However, Maul's superior agility, speed, and strength turned him in one of the best performers of this strike. Darth Sidious' apprentice killed Qui-Gon Jinn with this fighting method and managed to disarm Obi-Wan during the same battle in The Phantom Menace before his unfortunate demise.
4 Swift Flank (Form VII) - Darth Sidious
Another lethal strike from the Sith's favorite Form VII is the Swift Flank, and is one which Darth Sidious relied upon during his duel with Savage Opress and Darth Maul. Through it, the attacker leaps around an opponent in order to perform a quick strike, catching the enemy off guard because of the attack's immense speed.
The element of surprise in the case of The Emperor was even greater, because judging by his physical appearance and state, he didn't quite look like the most agile and nimble of fighters. His mastery in the Force undoubtedly provided him with the necessary speed and strength to perform this deadly maneuver.
3 Fluid Riposte (Form V) - Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader
Some of the greatest lightsaber duelists could successfully blur and even entirely remove the line between attack and defense. Anakin was capable of doing both at the same time, particularly as his strength grew after he transformed into Darth Vader. Skywalker was a true expert in Form V - a fighting style characterized by powerful strikes and Form III's rock-solid defense in the event of a counter-attack.
Skywalker excelled at Fluid Riposte (as well as at many other types of attacks), which meant parrying in one swing and instantly striking back in the very next one. This particular attack can be observed in all of his battles - particularly against Obi-Wan and Count Dooku. When fighting droids, Anakin's saber moves in similar beautiful, smooth motions - deflecting shots and cutting down foes simultaneously.
2 Falling Avalanche (Form V) - Luke Skywalker
Everybody has a dark side and Luke Skywalker found his in The Return of the Jedi when he needed to defeat his father in their final duel. He emerged triumphant by using a vicious attack, which was a specialty of Vader himself. Jedi and Sith call it Falling Avalanche and it is a powerful overhand blow that forces the opponent into a defensive stance.
If the attacker is in the right mind state, he can prolong the barrage of strikes and ultimately one of them should find its target. Luke took after his father and chose Form V as his dueling style as well, proving that an emotionally charged and vengeful fighting technique didn't necessarily indicate an inclination towards the Dark Side.
1 Draw Closer (Form VI) - Starkiller
One of the most dangerous, talented and yet least mentioned Force users is Starkiller from Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. He wielded two lightsabers and successfully managed to overcome the common issue that warriors with multiple sabers faced - their over-reliance on weapons and their lack of Force skills.
Starkiller chose to concentrate on Form VI (Niman), which is a fighting technique that involved using the Force in the midst of close combat. The clone of Galen Marek trained himself to be a virtually flawless fighter by employing attacks such as Draw Closer - Force pulling enemies and sending them on a collision course with his lightsabers.