Hey theory, I love your content, theorys and Rand ranking. I just wanted to quickly put my opinion on your ranking, I agree with all of it beside the Anakin and dooku fight in revenge of the fight I feel like it should of been in A tear because dooku was the reason why the clone war started and when Anakin killed him it started the end an era, anyway love your content and your a amazing person thank you and have an amazing day
thanks, you saved me that was my day happy that is so helpful I will be on live chat with you to fix me up okay I will see you there okay please kill him to remove him from the new replacement okay new reboot to start me on here this episode okay thank you:) XD That was a nice chat to well done you nailed it in my moment as my own fan about me in the backstory okay.
Yodas whacking skills with his stick clearly honed over many years of solitude and enthusiastically set to work on the AI after years of nothing else to bash with.
@abrahamalvarez3257 They did it proportionally to still show the emotion and significance of the fight. A good example of a bad duel is rey vs kylo in 'rise of skywalker'
shame Maul went full skitzo. I would have loved to see character develop a bit more and shown us more about the Sith. Woulda been cool to see him in Ashoka.
@@JZ-xu3vg True, though I feel like they had to explain how he survived the prequels but was never in the original trilogy. One way or another Maul was going to die.
i don't think he quite made it to the original trilogy and he could have easily been doing other things i mean he was actually filled with green force smoke. whats chopping him in half gonna do? Frankly I thought he was doing well trying to snatch up ezra and some holocrons but then all of sudden hes like ''gotta go to tattoine and kill kenobi''. because thats the only thing that matters... when ya gotta go ya gotta go i guess....
@@nexusthenormie5578 now that I think about it, I wish Maul had gotten the Krayt treatment and had actually survived up until NJO, just to come out more powerful than Sidious ever was
Hey Theory, just a heads up if you don't already know this - In the Obi-Wan vs Grievous fight, they had Obi-Wan cut off 2 of Grievous hands really quickly in the fight because they were having trouble filming a fight with a 4 handed being. So they had to get rid of 2 of his hands to make it more manageable.
The Yoda-Dooku fight was making everyone in the movie theater laugh out loud in both amazement, joy and astonishment - it was the fight everyone had been looking forward to and it did not disappoint! It was the best thing ever at the time!! 👌😁
Battle of Heroes is in its own tier to me, as a kid that was the coolest thing ever and now as I’ve grown up it’s still the coolest thing ever not to mention the music, choreography, emotional and plot importance, and the stakes, as well as the end of a trilogy and the beginning of the next
I never realized how skilled Hayden was even in reality, for some reason only recently I was like "holy hell, he was actually doing the fight scenes and duels himself, physically, that's really impressive"
The 2 Luke vs Vader fights for sure. The emotion behind duels make them easily the best. I also appreciate the choreography in those films because every swing had a purpose even if it wasn’t as flashy. The prequel fights are cool but they were too flashy and many swings were meaningless. If we can start getting a mix of the 2 the duels would be perfect. Vader’s choreography in Rogue One and Luke’s in Mando season 2 are great examples of this.
Completely with you. I personally find Anakin v Obi-Wan's fight in RotS to be more style over actual substance, far too long and some of the dialogue is so cringeworthy it pulls you out of what should be an emotional battle. When they start swinging like Tarzan or balancing on those droid's heads it just looks ridiculous. The choreography in the original trilogy is definitely not as flashy but the emotion properly comes through and it feels like every swing matters in both those Luke vs Vader fights.
This is sadly missing the fight between Ahsoka vs Maul from Clone Wars and also Ahsoka vs Baylan Skoll. I think those two are actually pretty good~ The Baylan Duel is one of the few highlights of the Ahsoka show for me.
@@JamesMccrossan-se7yv not the case cause he went and put in Ahsoka vs Vader and Obi-Wan vs Maul from Rebels....soooo. If he's gonna rank EVERY lightsaber duel he should rank EVERY. ONE.
Imagine a Nick Gillard version of star wars, but just all lightsaber duels... How has Disney not brought him back for everything star wars related? The man is a legend!!!
Obi-Wan vs Maul on Rebels is the closest to a Samurai fight and the fact TPM fight plays a big part in its outcome, makes it top tier. Also one not mentioned, Palpatine vs Maul and Savage is also S tier. I would have also put Empire’s lightsaber fight as S tier.
I would of gladly taken a 4-5 hour ROTS movie. The cut out choreography was so amazing! Also, the book by Stover for ROTS... amazing, brings in a lot more context. Love it!
Great video and interesting thoughts. For me personally nothing comes close to Luke v Vader in RotJ. Not as flashy in terms of choreography as the prequel fights but hits so many more emotional notes and coupled together with knowing it's a father fighting his own son. When that music kicks in after Vader taunts Luke and he just goes wild with rage it really is the one of the best moments in the franchise for me and how it sets up the big payoff to follow.
Rebels Maul v Obi-Wan is without a doubt the most realistic duel. Two masters in swordplay wouldn't take 5 minutes to kill each other. It's usually over in seconds. In my personal top 3.
I actually used to hate how quick it ended, but yeah. Over time I came to realize that in reality it WOULD be that quick. Especially if you go there with a certain purpose like Maul clearly did.
I can't believe they didn't include that Palpatine extended fight scene in - what a massive loss that was, but so glad this footage was recovered so we can see how it could have been.
For me personally it's Vader vs Luke in ep 6. The music the emotion the location and even the choreography was so great. Excellent atmosphere. Palpatine posing in the background great. Simply the best duel.
I actually quite liked the duel at the end of episode 7. I thought the outcome was stupid af but I actually liked the lighting, the heavy blows kylo was doing and the sound. Plus the fact it takes place after Han dies gives it emotion for me. Wasn’t anything fancy but i still loved. ROTS is goated
Nick Gillard Anakin/Vader vs Obi ROTS🌋⚔️ And Duel of The Fates Episode 1 Darth Maul vs Qui Gon Obi Wan 💯 Agree with that, Luke Skywalker ROTJ Fight with Vader 💚 The Emotional Weight behind it I will always get choked up🎵Twin Suns The Old Ben vs Maul Seven Samurai was Amazing! Yep Sam Witwer narrate so well👏 Yep I will never forget my Theater going crazy Yoda vs Dokku Loved it! Great choices General Theory 🤘
Your videos never get old man the intro the way you explain things definitely gets me thru work and it’s sooo good I don’t mind watching the same videos over and over again
Vader vs Luke in empire for me Those moments of silence and tension building combined with the dark atmosphere and of course the iconic revelation at the end makes it the best for me.
Even tho I grew up with the Prequels, my fav is the Luke v Vader fight in ROTJ , that haunting choir and the absolute emotional impact of it makes it my #1 but Ani v Obi ez #2
Video idea: showing luke getting angry using the dark side on an enemy or something while searching for artifacts with kilo to connect why kilo would be scared of Luke in the last Jedi. This would be in the Asoka shows new season. I’d like to hear you dream up how this would work and what the scenarios could be
Vader vs. Luke in Return of the Jedi will ALWAYS be the most emotional duel ever. I don’t get any feelings watching Battle of the Heroes, but Vader vs. Luke sends chills down my spine every time. As Luke screams “NEVER!” in reply to Vader saying “If you will not turn, perhaps she will.” The music that follows is potentially the best piece of music in the entire franchise.
See though I'm not complaining I have to watch the scene again LOL always thought he yelled Darth?? People either hear never or darth, it's like that Meme where someone says a word and asking the comments which one you hear LOL
2:58 oh my god, I have that exact coin collector still to this day! I even have the plastic insert piece for his lightsaber after it broke off 100 times.
The 2 Luke vs Vader fights for sure. The emotion behind duels makes them easily the best. I also appreciate the choreography in those films because every swing had a purpose even if it wasn’t as flashy. The prequel fights are cool but they were too flashy and many swings were meaningless. If we can start getting a mix of the 2 the duels would be perfect. Vader’s choreography in Rogue One and Luke’s in Mando season 2 are great examples of this. Battle of Heroes is in its own tier to me, as a kid that was the coolest thing ever, and now as I’ve grown up it’s still the coolest thing ever not to mention the music, choreography, emotions, and plot importance, and the stakes, as well as the end of a trilogy and the beginning of the next Battle of Heroes is in its own tier to me, as a kid that was the coolest thing ever and now as I’ve grown up it’s still the coolest thing ever not to mention the music, choreography, emotional and plot importance, and the stakes, as well as the end of a trilogy and the beginning of the next Great video and interesting thoughts. For me personally, nothing comes close to Luke v Vader in RotJ. Not as flashy in terms of choreography as the prequel fights but hits so many more emotional notes and coupled together with knowing it's a father fighting his own son. When that music kicks in after Vader taunts Luke and he just goes wild with rage it really is one of the best moments in the franchise for me and it sets up the big payoff to follow. Nothing beats ESB, everything about that fight and scene is magical. Then you get the reveal of who Vader is, just unbeatable IMO. I'd be curious to have you add in more of the fights from the TV series Young Jedi Adventures to come out in next week's game of the comment on the week's okay top 3.
You are somewhat correct...I did skip to the end to see where you placed everything BUT THEN I went back and watched the entire thing to hear your reasoning. Great video!
Yeah it really helps when your opponents take their time and take turns attacking you… and aim for your sword instead of your body. Terrible choreography. There are tons of breakdown videos on YT that expose just how bad that duel is from a swordsmanship perspective.
@@MaiaGothmogThere are definitely a lot of openings that the characters don’t take. In the context of the universe, the Jedi and Sith fight usually duel another 'honourably' (there's even a saber form that Jedi and Sith don’t use because of how cowardly and cheap it is, and it involves turning off one's saber and reactivating it to trick an opponent), and so a lot of the openings are explained using that idea. Regardless of the odd choreography in some parts of the prequel trilogy, for the most part, they look spectacular. When I notice one of those moments, I usually think, 'at least it isn’t as bad as the missing-knife praetorian guard in TLJ', lol.
Should've had Ahsoka vs Maul, as well. Ray freaking Park doing the mo-cap for Maul, just... *chef's kiss* And Ahsoka showing just how much she's grown, while also reasonably struggling, she's absolutely the underdog but pulls out a win using all that Anakin taught her. Masterpiece.
anakin killing doku has to be A tier for me, obviously if they put everything from the stunt scene on it it would have been s tier, but great list by the way keep em coming
Baylan Skoll vs Ahsoka was amazing. He fights like a regal, prideful knight. I loved his tacky movements and the forceful strikes, and that he used his body to lean on her because he was physically superior.
Can't forget about the dual between Ahsoka and Mual in the throne room on Madalore How Mual knew what was about to happen to the fate of the galaxy and Ahoska tried to see his perspective.
Next you can rank your favorite animated lightsaber duels! 😅 1.) Anakin vs Obi Wan (Mustafar) Also 1.) Maul vs Kenobi vs Jinn (Episode I) 2.) Darth Vader vs Luke Skywalker (Empire) 3.) Yoda vs Dooku (just for the cinematic experience as a child. Seeing Yoda fight was mind blowing.) I enjoy all Lucas-era saber fights. After that... uhhh... idk... some good ones in there just not memorable. (Unless you count Luke in Mando, but technically not a lightsaber duel.)
Dude, I had that Vader piggy bank too! I would love to find that if it’s not sold/thrown out. For iconic duels - Vader vs. Luke on Cloud City is my favorite!
I completely understand your opinion and your reasoning as why you didn’t really connect with the grievous obi wan fight, however I must say I really enjoyed it and would put it as an A because it felt very David vs Goliath to me and was one of Kenobi defining moments after really not doing much earlier in the RTS against dooku and now to single handedly put himself in front of grievous and his army and kill The Jedi Killer at the time really made me like Kenobi and respect him as someone who could in fact best even Anakin
Favorite MCU fights ever? It's not from Endgame. It might actually be the fights from The Avengers (2012), The Winter Soldier, and Civil War. Endgame felt way too bloated but I did like Thanos vs. Iron Man, Cap, Thor and then Thanos fighting Scarlet Witch and Captain Marvel. 1. Iron Man vs. Thor, The Avengers "Shakespeare in the park?" This one was so simple but I loved it. 2. Steve vs. Bucky, The Winter Soldier TWS had the best hand-to-hand choreography. 3. Thanos fight in Titan, Infinity War 4. Iron Man vs. Cap & Bucky, Civil War 5. Airport fight, Civil War Felt more like a sparring fight with nobody endangered of dying but had humor like Ant-Man becoming a titan. 6. Final battle in Endgame 7. Entire Battle of NY in The Avengers 8. Elevator fight in The Winter Soldier 9. Battle of Wakanda in Infinity War 10. Black Panther vs. Killmonger near the waterfall and at the end. Underrated fight: Hulk vs. Abomination in Incredible Hulk. Sorry to No Way Home fans for missing out in my top 10. I couldn't even include Hela slaughtering Thor's friends. I personally enjoyed the Batman vs. Superman fight being I'm a bigger Batman fan. Superman sorta getting his revenge in the Justice League. Now let me think about all the great action sequences throughout several movies and TV shows... The Watchers on the Wall Battle of the Bastards The Spoils of War The Long Night Hardhome Black Water War in the Stepstones Final battle in LotR: The Two Towers Final fight in Wheels on Meals and Dragons Forever Hallway fight in Oldboy (2003) The Protector fights especially Tony Jaa against a capoeira fighter ala Eddy Gordo All of Max Max: Fury Road Saving Private Ryan's opening Glory's final scenes All the epic open field fights in Braveheart Quicksilver's "Time in a Bottle" All the fights in Gladiator and Troy
Mustafar is really the genesis of the Star Wars we know. Not only is it aesthetically incredible, but it is the moment Vader is created, as is Obi Wan, in a way, the Obi Wan we come to know. Melancholy, but utterly resolute in his training of Luke and fighting the empire to the last. Same goes for Vader.
My three favorite lightsaber fights I always replay are Anakin Vs Obi Wan, Obi Wan Vs Maul, and Ahsoka Vs Nightsister Elsbeth. Luke Vs Vader Throne Room is definitely honorable mention just for the raw emotion and music alone.
My favorite will always be the obi-wan vs maul at rebels. It was just a masterpiece. Such o back story between the two characters,the emotions was too much. Obi wan shows that if you stay in the light long enough, nothing and no one can realy defeat you. Thnku for everything swtheory, we love you!
Anakin vs Obi-Wan is perfect! Epic! Moves,music. So wonderful😁 Yoda vs Dooku is great too. I read people in theathers cheered when Yoda pulled out his lightsaber😁I'm sure here too😊 I remember watching with mom and dad at home,we cheered too :) Qui-Gon vs Maul great too. Duel of the Fates,for the child's soul. For Anakin. Luke vs Vader on Bespin great too. Emotional. Vader complementing his son and teaching him. Their duel on Death Star perfect too! When Luke attacked him,moves,music. Their feelings clearly shown. You choose excellent topic😁 May the Force be with you too,always😁
Impressive. Most Impressive. For me, the duel between Obi-Wan, Qui-gon vs. Darth Maul is my favorite. Simply because it's literally a duel over the fate of Anakin. Which side gets the chosen one. Of course it's more complicated than that. The jedi win him then but the darkside took him later. All for him to bring balance. So much on the line with that one duel.
It's a fine tier list, I mostly agree with you. For me "Obi-wan & Qui-gon vs Maul" battle is A-tier - good, but not good enough for the other two. The "Obi-wan & Anakin vs Dooku"; the "Yoda vs Dooku" and "Windu vs Palpatine" battles rather B-tier, because they had more potential than we finally got and saw in the movies. And I missed a few lightsaber battles, for example: "Savage & Maul vs Palpatine" or "Ahsoka vs Maul" ...
I had that same piggy bank dude!! I always loved putting more and more into it, I wish I still had it. Bro but the Kanan, Ezra, and Vader fight was crazy good. You see how those two give everything they have and Vader just comes out of the fire. So much fear factor and loss of hope for the heroes that they just run knowing they can’t kill him.
You're right about how cool the deleted stuff is. Especially the Dooku eye slash, Palaptine spinning into insta kill and pushing the furniture out of the way, and the entire Yoda vs Palpatine fight is better in the deleted version imo.
What makes a lightsaber fight iconic? A few things to name would be, the tension/context of why the fight is happening, the soundtrack, the actual lightsaber choreography, and last but certainly not least. Though often overlooked… THE SETTING! All of these make the lightsaber duel legendary. My list is this The Anakin and Obi-wan (I personally pair it with Yoda and Sidious all as one duel because watching it simultaneously as it is filmed is hands down the greatest duel of the entire series. It's the climax of the prequels and the entire fate of the Galaxy is written by the victors of these duels). But if we're counting individual fights then I'll include it seperate. 1. Anakin vs Obi-wan 2. Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-wan vs Darth Maul (Arguably the most important duel in the entire series since they are dueling over the fate of Anakin and in turn the Galaxy essentially) 3. Yoda vs Palpatine 4. Luke vs Vader ESB Everything about that duel is legendary 5. Return of the Jedi Luke vs Vader.
No Vader vs Kenobi from the show? Comparing it with every post-Disney duel I think it’s the absolute best. It even rivals some prequel fights. Mainly because it’s freaking Obi-Wan and Vader but also the choreography was great and I loved the form switches from Kenobi to throw off Vader. Going from Form 3 to Form 4.
The directing weighs it down to fan film levels, I also dislike how Vader moves in it. I feel like the Jedi games perfected how Vader attacks and I wish they took more from that. Best post Disney fight is easily Ahsoka vs Maul.
That's awesome that you say that about the piggy bank. I remember when I was younger my brother had the Vader one and I had the one with C3PO and R2D2. Great memories. Keep up the great work theory.
Nah I'm defending the fin and Ray v kylo fight scene, it's way better than og Vader v Kenobi, and episode 2 Anakin v dukku where you can't see anything, It may not have the choreography of the others but it replaces it with pure energy. The fear you feel as kylo slices at rey and she can only just dodge it. Always being pushed back, looking for an opening but being hunted down, no escape. It's horrific and I absolutely love it. It's also much more emotional that the other fights. IDK what you're talking about when you say maul v qui gon and obi wan is emotional, it's just a guy fights our heros who we've never even met. Here we have this fight just after he's killed han, we want him dead so bad, he's just knocked out fin. And even the force pulled lightsaber being just so cool, it's all not enough. I would have preferred if they ended it there instead of with a ray victory, but that alone for me is enough to put it into at least b tier.
1. Ben Kenobi vs Darth Vader, 2. Luke Skywalker vs Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine, 3. Luke Skywalker vs Darth Vader, 4. Obi Wan Kenobi vs Darth Vader, 5. Obi Wan Kenobi and Qui Gun Jin vs Darth Maul, 6. Yoda vs Darth Sidious, 7. Mace Windu vs Darth Sidious, 8. Yoda vs Darth Tyranus, 9. Anakin Skywalker vs Darth Tyranus, 10. Obi Wan Kenobi vs General Greevous.
As much as I love the prequels I’d have to put Luke versus Vader in return of the Jedi in the number 2 spot with Anakin and Obi-Wan being first, and Obi-Wan, Darth Maul, being third. It might not be as flashy as Obi-Wan versus darth maul, but if you’re talking emotional weight and storytelling through choreography it’s simply astounding
You need to see the Star Wars Games ultimate tier lists that I’ve been doing. Been going through each platform and ranking every Star Wars game released. So many to get into, and so much nostalgia.
One omission perhaps, the duel between Anakin and Obi-Wan against Dooku on Oba Diah. The man was outnumbered 75-to-1 and made them all look like fools. It really illustrates that dueling is not all physical, but also a game of wits. Dooku really demonstrates why he was so respected not only for his skill with the blade but his battle intelligence. His flipping the script against the Jedi, by adopting a highly acrobatic posture and forcing them into the opposite of their strengths, and using them to take out half the Pykes for him, is unique. It also shows that the Force is indeed a strong ally against infirmity as Yoda has shown, by running circles around men 1/3 his age.
Palpatine vs. Maul and Savage is my personal favorite. Just seeing the Jedi struggle vs maul and savage, and palpatine shows up and schools them. Gotta love it hahaha
Before watching vid I have to say my #1 would always be Luke vs. Vader ROJ. The entire fate of the galaxy hinging on it, as well as Luke's power being fully revealed when his family is in danger (trying to save Leia and Anakin at the same time). I was a kid in the 80s and watched the ending hundreds of times, never got old.
I prefer Ep I over III, but I have them both almost in the same plane of quality. Also, I might be wrong or not, but I seem to remember Anakin VS. Obi Wan used Battle of Heroes in Ep III, Duel of Fates was used for Yoda VS. Palpatine in Ep III and, of course, in Ep I for Mail VS. Qui Gon & Obi Wan.
![Ranking ALL Star Wars Movies From Best to Worst [My Opinion]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n_Pifc1P95M/mqdefault.jpg)
Anakin taking out Dooku's eye in that clip was insane
yep.
Hey theory, I love your content, theorys and Rand ranking. I just wanted to quickly put my opinion on your ranking, I agree with all of it beside the Anakin and dooku fight in revenge of the fight I feel like it should of been in A tear because dooku was the reason why the clone war started and when Anakin killed him it started the end an era, anyway love your content and your a amazing person thank you and have an amazing day
Star Wars theory please may I have a shout-out?
I think the luke vs darthvader cloud fight scene should be B because only impact carries it but that is my opinion lmao
thanks, you saved me that was my day happy that is so helpful I will be on live chat with you to fix me up okay I will see you there okay please kill him to remove him from the new replacement okay new reboot to start me on here this episode okay thank you:) XD That was a nice chat to well done you nailed it in my moment as my own fan about me in the backstory okay.
It's not a lightsaber battle, but I gotta say, in Empire Strikes Back, Yoda vs R2D2 fighting over the lamp was pretty epic. S tier for sure!
Uhhn @Berderbonnp, what form of English is this?
@BerderbonnpMakes as much sense as TROS
Yodas whacking skills with his stick clearly honed over many years of solitude and enthusiastically set to work on the AI after years of nothing else to bash with.
I still laugh out loud watching that scene.
ΜΙΝΕ ΜΙΝΕ ΜΙΝΕ
Anakin VS Obi-Wan personally. Just the choreography, the emotion, the music… amazing.
That's my favourite fight scene
My favourite but really the camera zooms on faces is awful
@abrahamalvarez3257 They did it proportionally to still show the emotion and significance of the fight. A good example of a bad duel is rey vs kylo in 'rise of skywalker'
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Yep, hands down!
I always love the significance of Qui Gon vs Maul on tatooine. The first duel in a millennium between Jedi and Sith.
Tattooine?
@@JonahMarksMusicthat was like a short teaser I wouldn’t call that the first real fight between Jedi and Sith but that’s just me
@@JonahMarksMusic yeah? The home planet of the Skywalkers? The first planet we see in episode 4?
@@mattsell2361 to each his own, but sabers were ignited and they were swinging them at eachother.
@@kylechadick5341 sorry, I'm a complete and utter idiot
Ashoka vs Maul will always be absolutely stupendous for me. The whole setup, animation and art quality, voice acting, all just beyond outstanding.
i can’t agree with you more, i love it so much🥹
Fact that it was mocapped by Ray Park aswell
Source?
@calebford6318 look up season 7 bts clone wars lucasfilm put like a 7min vid out
@@calebford6318 Hot Source??
Anakin vs Obi Wan on Mustafar is definitely my favorite duel, one of the greatest and most beautiful and tragic moments of the saga
It’s literally the best duel in all film not even being biased
Bro Hayden's smirk when he took out Dooku's eye in the scrapped fight was S tier. That should have been in the movie
The final fight with Maul is just as good as the prequel fights just because of its emotional significance
shame Maul went full skitzo. I would have loved to see character develop a bit more and shown us more about the Sith. Woulda been cool to see him in Ashoka.
@@JZ-xu3vg True, though I feel like they had to explain how he survived the prequels but was never in the original trilogy. One way or another Maul was going to die.
i don't think he quite made it to the original trilogy and he could have easily been doing other things i mean he was actually filled with green force smoke. whats chopping him in half gonna do? Frankly I thought he was doing well trying to snatch up ezra and some holocrons but then all of sudden hes like ''gotta go to tattoine and kill kenobi''. because thats the only thing that matters... when ya gotta go ya gotta go i guess....
@Berderbonnp lmao sir.
@@nexusthenormie5578 now that I think about it, I wish Maul had gotten the Krayt treatment and had actually survived up until NJO, just to come out more powerful than Sidious ever was
Seeing the behind the scenes of Hayden makes it that much more impressive, that he was able to do it so well
I 100% agree
I love seeing the actors how they learned to bring to life these amazing fights!
Hey Theory, just a heads up if you don't already know this - In the Obi-Wan vs Grievous fight, they had Obi-Wan cut off 2 of Grievous hands really quickly in the fight because they were having trouble filming a fight with a 4 handed being. So they had to get rid of 2 of his hands to make it more manageable.
The Yoda-Dooku fight was making everyone in the movie theater laugh out loud in both amazement, joy and astonishment - it was the fight everyone had been looking forward to and it did not disappoint! It was the best thing ever at the time!! 👌😁
I love how you can remember every battle and re-call everything single move it just proves how much you love star wars
Palpatine vs Maul & Savage is the most badass IMO.
I also think that was an awesome scene. Finally getting to see what palps can do with a saber.
This duel is also my personal fav.
Battle of Heroes is in its own tier to me, as a kid that was the coolest thing ever and now as I’ve grown up it’s still the coolest thing ever not to mention the music, choreography, emotional and plot importance, and the stakes, as well as the end of a trilogy and the beginning of the next
Don’t let this distract you from the fact that Lightning McQueen blew a 2 lap lead in the Piston Cup.
*spits out oil* “He did WHAT in his cup??”
I never realized how skilled Hayden was even in reality, for some reason only recently I was like "holy hell, he was actually doing the fight scenes and duels himself, physically, that's really impressive"
The 2 Luke vs Vader fights for sure. The emotion behind duels make them easily the best. I also appreciate the choreography in those films because every swing had a purpose even if it wasn’t as flashy. The prequel fights are cool but they were too flashy and many swings were meaningless. If we can start getting a mix of the 2 the duels would be perfect. Vader’s choreography in Rogue One and Luke’s in Mando season 2 are great examples of this.
Completely with you. I personally find Anakin v Obi-Wan's fight in RotS to be more style over actual substance, far too long and some of the dialogue is so cringeworthy it pulls you out of what should be an emotional battle. When they start swinging like Tarzan or balancing on those droid's heads it just looks ridiculous. The choreography in the original trilogy is definitely not as flashy but the emotion properly comes through and it feels like every swing matters in both those Luke vs Vader fights.
nah,ankyin vs obi wan was legend@@marzipanmonkey
This is sadly missing the fight between Ahsoka vs Maul from Clone Wars and also Ahsoka vs Baylan Skoll. I think those two are actually pretty good~ The Baylan Duel is one of the few highlights of the Ahsoka show for me.
I agree and I was going to say the same thing as he’s missing every clone wars and rebels duel but I think he’s only going by movie duels
@@JamesMccrossan-se7yv not the case cause he went and put in Ahsoka vs Vader and Obi-Wan vs Maul from Rebels....soooo. If he's gonna rank EVERY lightsaber duel he should rank EVERY. ONE.
The Ahsoka Baylan duel is at least A tier due to Baylan’s unique fighting style
@@skojebus7874seems like he's using form 5 adapted for two-handed wielding, It's not so unique
Ahsoka is a Mary Sue so her fights are automatically disqualified.
Imagine a Nick Gillard version of star wars, but just all lightsaber duels... How has Disney not brought him back for everything star wars related? The man is a legend!!!
I know right!!! That dude is a legend!!! I don’t know what Disney is thinking of not hiring him
Obi-Wan vs Maul on Rebels is the closest to a Samurai fight and the fact TPM fight plays a big part in its outcome, makes it top tier. Also one not mentioned, Palpatine vs Maul and Savage is also S tier. I would have also put Empire’s lightsaber fight as S tier.
I would of gladly taken a 4-5 hour ROTS movie. The cut out choreography was so amazing! Also, the book by Stover for ROTS... amazing, brings in a lot more context. Love it!
The fight between Anakin and Ventress from Tartakovski's Clone Wars is one of my personal favorites.
Great video and interesting thoughts. For me personally nothing comes close to Luke v Vader in RotJ. Not as flashy in terms of choreography as the prequel fights but hits so many more emotional notes and coupled together with knowing it's a father fighting his own son. When that music kicks in after Vader taunts Luke and he just goes wild with rage it really is the one of the best moments in the franchise for me and how it sets up the big payoff to follow.
I'd be curious to have you add in more of the fights from the TV series.
Yoda vs. Dooku had that great moment where Yoda pulled his saber with a force pull. I loved that.
Rebels Maul v Obi-Wan is without a doubt the most realistic duel. Two masters in swordplay wouldn't take 5 minutes to kill each other. It's usually over in seconds. In my personal top 3.
Just like the duel between the two ronin in Kurosawa's The Seven Samurai. One cut is enough.
Its not a light saber duel tho, its just a good emotional character development scene. Maul literally wanted to commit suicide he went to die.
I actually used to hate how quick it ended, but yeah. Over time I came to realize that in reality it WOULD be that quick. Especially if you go there with a certain purpose like Maul clearly did.
I can't believe they didn't include that Palpatine extended fight scene in - what a massive loss that was, but so glad this footage was recovered so we can see how it could have been.
"EVERY"? Lightsaber battle... I don't think you did that. Really excited for part two when you include the rest of them!
Nothing beats ESB, everything about that fight and scene is magical. Then you get the reveal of who Vader is, just unbeatable IMO.
fr best in the trilogy you could even argue better choreograph than episode six
For me personally it's Vader vs Luke in ep 6. The music the emotion the location and even the choreography was so great. Excellent atmosphere. Palpatine posing in the background great. Simply the best duel.
Episode sevens fight scenes are fire
I was 15, watching on opening day, and Obi-Wan+Qui Gon vs Maul set to duel of the fates cemented me as a Star Wars fan for life.
I actually quite liked the duel at the end of episode 7. I thought the outcome was stupid af but I actually liked the lighting, the heavy blows kylo was doing and the sound. Plus the fact it takes place after Han dies gives it emotion for me. Wasn’t anything fancy but i still loved. ROTS is goated
Yhhhh Adam Driver did well showing the weight of his saber
agreed. it felt good but lacked substance
I’m surprised that you didn’t rank the battle on the Invisible Hand higher. Dooku’s battle with Obi-Wan and Anakin was so satisfying and flashy.
3:00 you just unlocked a memory for me when mentioning the piggy bank lol, loved that thing
Nick Gillard Anakin/Vader vs Obi ROTS🌋⚔️ And Duel of The Fates Episode 1 Darth Maul vs Qui Gon Obi Wan 💯 Agree with that, Luke Skywalker ROTJ Fight with Vader 💚 The Emotional Weight behind it I will always get choked up🎵Twin Suns The Old Ben vs Maul Seven Samurai was Amazing! Yep Sam Witwer narrate so well👏 Yep I will never forget my Theater going crazy Yoda vs Dokku Loved it! Great choices General Theory 🤘
I love the prequel choreography but #1 for me is Luke vs Vader in ROTJ. So much was at stake. Luke was basically fighting for his father's soul.
but still, it is defenetliy mustafar fight
Any chance you could do a ranking of the animated lightsaber duels? I remember some of the Clone Wars show duels being pretty iconic.
@18:00 “this isn’t even a lightsaber fight so it’s an F” 😂😂😂👍
Your videos never get old man the intro the way you explain things definitely gets me thru work and it’s sooo good I don’t mind watching the same videos over and over again
Vader vs Luke in empire for me
Those moments of silence and tension building combined with the dark atmosphere and of course the iconic revelation at the end makes it the best for me.
Whoa, I had the Vader piggy bank too! That’s wild, childhood memory unlocked
Even tho I grew up with the Prequels, my fav is the Luke v Vader fight in ROTJ , that haunting choir and the absolute emotional impact of it makes it my #1 but Ani v Obi ez #2
I really love These Ranking Videos
Video idea: showing luke getting angry using the dark side on an enemy or something while searching for artifacts with kilo to connect why kilo would be scared of Luke in the last Jedi. This would be in the Asoka shows new season. I’d like to hear you dream up how this would work and what the scenarios could be
Vader vs. Luke in Return of the Jedi will ALWAYS be the most emotional duel ever. I don’t get any feelings watching Battle of the Heroes, but Vader vs. Luke sends chills down my spine every time. As Luke screams “NEVER!” in reply to Vader saying “If you will not turn, perhaps she will.” The music that follows is potentially the best piece of music in the entire franchise.
See though I'm not complaining I have to watch the scene again LOL always thought he yelled Darth?? People either hear never or darth, it's like that Meme where someone says a word and asking the comments which one you hear LOL
2:58 oh my god, I have that exact coin collector still to this day! I even have the plastic insert piece for his lightsaber after it broke off 100 times.
The 2 Luke vs Vader fights for sure. The emotion behind duels makes them easily the best. I also appreciate the choreography in those films because every swing had a purpose even if it wasn’t as flashy. The prequel fights are cool but they were too flashy and many swings were meaningless. If we can start getting a mix of the 2 the duels would be perfect. Vader’s choreography in Rogue One and Luke’s in Mando season 2 are great examples of this. Battle of Heroes is in its own tier to me, as a kid that was the coolest thing ever, and now as I’ve grown up it’s still the coolest thing ever not to mention the music, choreography, emotions, and plot importance, and the stakes, as well as the end of a trilogy and the beginning of the next Battle of Heroes is in its own tier to me, as a kid that was the coolest thing ever and now as I’ve grown up it’s still the coolest thing ever not to mention the music, choreography, emotional and plot importance, and the stakes, as well as the end of a trilogy and the beginning of the next Great video and interesting thoughts. For me personally, nothing comes close to Luke v Vader in RotJ. Not as flashy in terms of choreography as the prequel fights but hits so many more emotional notes and coupled together with knowing it's a father fighting his own son. When that music kicks in after Vader taunts Luke and he just goes wild with rage it really is one of the best moments in the franchise for me and it sets up the big payoff to follow. Nothing beats ESB, everything about that fight and scene is magical. Then you get the reveal of who Vader is, just unbeatable IMO. I'd be curious to have you add in more of the fights from the TV series Young Jedi Adventures to come out in next week's game of the comment on the week's okay top 3.
You are somewhat correct...I did skip to the end to see where you placed everything BUT THEN I went back and watched the entire thing to hear your reasoning. Great video!
For me Ray park is the best duellist we have ever seen on screen. What he did against TWO people was just insane. Really hope we get more maul
Yeah it really helps when your opponents take their time and take turns attacking you… and aim for your sword instead of your body. Terrible choreography. There are tons of breakdown videos on YT that expose just how bad that duel is from a swordsmanship perspective.
@@MaiaGothmog 😂😂😂 I’ll just let everyone else cook you
@@MaiaGothmogcry harder
@@oXRaptorzXo just pointing out the truth man
@@MaiaGothmogThere are definitely a lot of openings that the characters don’t take. In the context of the universe, the Jedi and Sith fight usually duel another 'honourably' (there's even a saber form that Jedi and Sith don’t use because of how cowardly and cheap it is, and it involves turning off one's saber and reactivating it to trick an opponent), and so a lot of the openings are explained using that idea. Regardless of the odd choreography in some parts of the prequel trilogy, for the most part, they look spectacular. When I notice one of those moments, I usually think, 'at least it isn’t as bad as the missing-knife praetorian guard in TLJ', lol.
Anakin vs Obi-Wan and the 2nd Luke vs Vader fight are the best fights imo, and maybe the 2v1 duel in TPM.
Should've had Ahsoka vs Maul, as well. Ray freaking Park doing the mo-cap for Maul, just... *chef's kiss* And Ahsoka showing just how much she's grown, while also reasonably struggling, she's absolutely the underdog but pulls out a win using all that Anakin taught her. Masterpiece.
anakin killing doku has to be A tier for me, obviously if they put everything from the stunt scene on it it would have been s tier, but great list by the way keep em coming
Duel of Fates... By a mile. Even just that beginning, when Maul activates the double lightsaber... So freaking good
Baylan Skoll vs Ahsoka was amazing. He fights like a regal, prideful knight. I loved his tacky movements and the forceful strikes, and that he used his body to lean on her because he was physically superior.
Really liking these ranking videos💪🏻
Can't forget about the dual between Ahsoka and Mual in the throne room on Madalore How Mual knew what was about to happen to the fate of the galaxy and Ahoska tried to see his perspective.
Next you can rank your favorite animated lightsaber duels! 😅
1.) Anakin vs Obi Wan (Mustafar)
Also 1.) Maul vs Kenobi vs Jinn (Episode I)
2.) Darth Vader vs Luke Skywalker (Empire)
3.) Yoda vs Dooku (just for the cinematic experience as a child. Seeing Yoda fight was mind blowing.)
I enjoy all Lucas-era saber fights. After that... uhhh... idk... some good ones in there just not memorable. (Unless you count Luke in Mando, but technically not a lightsaber duel.)
Dude, I had that Vader piggy bank too! I would love to find that if it’s not sold/thrown out. For iconic duels - Vader vs. Luke on Cloud City is my favorite!
I completely understand your opinion and your reasoning as why you didn’t really connect with the grievous obi wan fight, however I must say I really enjoyed it and would put it as an A because it felt very David vs Goliath to me and was one of Kenobi defining moments after really not doing much earlier in the RTS against dooku and now to single handedly put himself in front of grievous and his army and kill The Jedi Killer at the time really made me like Kenobi and respect him as someone who could in fact best even Anakin
Agreed I thought the grievous dual was awesome
Favorite MCU fights ever? It's not from Endgame. It might actually be the fights from The Avengers (2012), The Winter Soldier, and Civil War. Endgame felt way too bloated but I did like Thanos vs. Iron Man, Cap, Thor and then Thanos fighting Scarlet Witch and Captain Marvel.
1. Iron Man vs. Thor, The Avengers
"Shakespeare in the park?" This one was so simple but I loved it.
2. Steve vs. Bucky, The Winter Soldier
TWS had the best hand-to-hand choreography.
3. Thanos fight in Titan, Infinity War
4. Iron Man vs. Cap & Bucky, Civil War
5. Airport fight, Civil War
Felt more like a sparring fight with nobody endangered of dying but had humor like Ant-Man becoming a titan.
6. Final battle in Endgame
7. Entire Battle of NY in The Avengers
8. Elevator fight in The Winter Soldier
9. Battle of Wakanda in Infinity War
10. Black Panther vs. Killmonger near the waterfall and at the end.
Underrated fight: Hulk vs. Abomination in Incredible Hulk.
Sorry to No Way Home fans for missing out in my top 10. I couldn't even include Hela slaughtering Thor's friends.
I personally enjoyed the Batman vs. Superman fight being I'm a bigger Batman fan. Superman sorta getting his revenge in the Justice League.
Now let me think about all the great action sequences throughout several movies and TV shows...
The Watchers on the Wall
Battle of the Bastards
The Spoils of War
The Long Night
Hardhome
Black Water
War in the Stepstones
Final battle in LotR: The Two Towers
Final fight in Wheels on Meals and Dragons Forever
Hallway fight in Oldboy (2003)
The Protector fights especially Tony Jaa against a capoeira fighter ala Eddy Gordo
All of Max Max: Fury Road
Saving Private Ryan's opening
Glory's final scenes
All the epic open field fights in Braveheart
Quicksilver's "Time in a Bottle"
All the fights in Gladiator and Troy
Essentially, lightsaber duels by the end of the movie or episode usually rank higher than others 😎
Yeah… that’s called the climax
Mustafar is really the genesis of the Star Wars we know. Not only is it aesthetically incredible, but it is the moment Vader is created, as is Obi Wan, in a way, the Obi Wan we come to know. Melancholy, but utterly resolute in his training of Luke and fighting the empire to the last. Same goes for Vader.
My three favorite lightsaber fights I always replay are Anakin Vs Obi Wan, Obi Wan Vs Maul, and Ahsoka Vs Nightsister Elsbeth. Luke Vs Vader Throne Room is definitely honorable mention just for the raw emotion and music alone.
2:58 I also had that Darth Vader bank when I was a kid. 😅
Putting palps and Yoda in A is understandable but I felt it was a near perfect scene honestly from choreography, pacing, stakes and emotional impact.
If so powerful you are… why leave?
Legend
My favorite will always be the obi-wan vs maul at rebels. It was just a masterpiece. Such o back story between the two characters,the emotions was too much. Obi wan shows that if you stay in the light long enough, nothing and no one can realy defeat you. Thnku for everything swtheory, we love you!
Ps: Maul was the only one found out about the boy
nah, mustafar fight is forever the real masterpiece and legend@@DocNobody9647
Anakin vs Obi-Wan is perfect! Epic! Moves,music. So wonderful😁 Yoda vs Dooku is great too. I read people in theathers cheered when Yoda pulled out his lightsaber😁I'm sure here too😊 I remember watching with mom and dad at home,we cheered too :) Qui-Gon vs Maul great too. Duel of the Fates,for the child's soul. For Anakin. Luke vs Vader on Bespin great too. Emotional. Vader complementing his son and teaching him. Their duel on Death Star perfect too! When Luke attacked him,moves,music. Their feelings clearly shown. You choose excellent topic😁 May the Force be with you too,always😁
Impressive. Most Impressive. For me, the duel between Obi-Wan, Qui-gon vs. Darth Maul is my favorite. Simply because it's literally a duel over the fate of Anakin. Which side gets the chosen one. Of course it's more complicated than that. The jedi win him then but the darkside took him later. All for him to bring balance. So much on the line with that one duel.
It's a fine tier list, I mostly agree with you. For me "Obi-wan & Qui-gon vs Maul" battle is A-tier - good, but not good enough for the other two.
The "Obi-wan & Anakin vs Dooku"; the "Yoda vs Dooku" and "Windu vs Palpatine" battles rather B-tier, because they had more potential than we finally got and saw in the movies.
And I missed a few lightsaber battles, for example: "Savage & Maul vs Palpatine" or "Ahsoka vs Maul" ...
I had that same piggy bank dude!! I always loved putting more and more into it, I wish I still had it. Bro but the Kanan, Ezra, and Vader fight was crazy good. You see how those two give everything they have and Vader just comes out of the fire. So much fear factor and loss of hope for the heroes that they just run knowing they can’t kill him.
You're right about how cool the deleted stuff is. Especially the Dooku eye slash, Palaptine spinning into insta kill and pushing the furniture out of the way, and the entire Yoda vs Palpatine fight is better in the deleted version imo.
I watch your videos all the way through bro 💪
What makes a lightsaber fight iconic? A few things to name would be, the tension/context of why the fight is happening, the soundtrack, the actual lightsaber choreography, and last but certainly not least. Though often overlooked… THE SETTING! All of these make the lightsaber duel legendary. My list is this
The Anakin and Obi-wan (I personally pair it with Yoda and Sidious all as one duel because watching it simultaneously as it is filmed is hands down the greatest duel of the entire series. It's the climax of the prequels and the entire fate of the Galaxy is written by the victors of these duels). But if we're counting individual fights then I'll include it seperate.
1. Anakin vs Obi-wan
2. Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-wan vs Darth Maul (Arguably the most important duel in the entire series since they are dueling over the fate of Anakin and in turn the Galaxy essentially)
3. Yoda vs Palpatine
4. Luke vs Vader ESB Everything about that duel is legendary
5. Return of the Jedi Luke vs Vader.
5:30 a vfx artist should edit this entire fight into a finished scene.
I think ahsoka and Vader's fight had the best moment of all these duels, but it was just too short.
No Vader vs Kenobi from the show? Comparing it with every post-Disney duel I think it’s the absolute best. It even rivals some prequel fights. Mainly because it’s freaking Obi-Wan and Vader but also the choreography was great and I loved the form switches from Kenobi to throw off Vader. Going from Form 3 to Form 4.
Yer that fight is best part of the show
That fight was terrible. Fan film level
The directing weighs it down to fan film levels, I also dislike how Vader moves in it. I feel like the Jedi games perfected how Vader attacks and I wish they took more from that. Best post Disney fight is easily Ahsoka vs Maul.
Ahsoka vs Baylan in Ep 4 is better
@@oXRaptorzXo the one where she lost you mean?
That's awesome that you say that about the piggy bank. I remember when I was younger my brother had the Vader one and I had the one with C3PO and R2D2. Great memories. Keep up the great work theory.
Should make a video about ranking every force power from worst to best, I'd love to see that😁
If we included other live action.. The Vader and Obi-Wan fight in Kenobi is probably S tier for me
Nah I'm defending the fin and Ray v kylo fight scene, it's way better than og Vader v Kenobi, and episode 2 Anakin v dukku where you can't see anything, It may not have the choreography of the others but it replaces it with pure energy. The fear you feel as kylo slices at rey and she can only just dodge it. Always being pushed back, looking for an opening but being hunted down, no escape. It's horrific and I absolutely love it. It's also much more emotional that the other fights. IDK what you're talking about when you say maul v qui gon and obi wan is emotional, it's just a guy fights our heros who we've never even met. Here we have this fight just after he's killed han, we want him dead so bad, he's just knocked out fin. And even the force pulled lightsaber being just so cool, it's all not enough. I would have preferred if they ended it there instead of with a ray victory, but that alone for me is enough to put it into at least b tier.
Theory you should rank expanded universe fights from the comics and books
Seeing Theory absolutely nut all over his pants while reminiscing on the classic duels is one of the best things I’ve seen.
1. Ben Kenobi vs Darth Vader, 2. Luke Skywalker vs Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine, 3. Luke Skywalker vs Darth Vader, 4. Obi Wan Kenobi vs Darth Vader, 5. Obi Wan Kenobi and Qui Gun Jin vs Darth Maul, 6. Yoda vs Darth Sidious, 7. Mace Windu vs Darth Sidious, 8. Yoda vs Darth Tyranus, 9. Anakin Skywalker vs Darth Tyranus, 10. Obi Wan Kenobi vs General Greevous.
As much as I love the prequels I’d have to put Luke versus Vader in return of the Jedi in the number 2 spot with Anakin and Obi-Wan being first, and Obi-Wan, Darth Maul, being third. It might not be as flashy as Obi-Wan versus darth maul, but if you’re talking emotional weight and storytelling through choreography it’s simply astounding
You need to see the Star Wars Games ultimate tier lists that I’ve been doing. Been going through each platform and ranking every Star Wars game released. So many to get into, and so much nostalgia.
One omission perhaps, the duel between Anakin and Obi-Wan against Dooku on Oba Diah. The man was outnumbered 75-to-1 and made them all look like fools. It really illustrates that dueling is not all physical, but also a game of wits. Dooku really demonstrates why he was so respected not only for his skill with the blade but his battle intelligence. His flipping the script against the Jedi, by adopting a highly acrobatic posture and forcing them into the opposite of their strengths, and using them to take out half the Pykes for him, is unique. It also shows that the Force is indeed a strong ally against infirmity as Yoda has shown, by running circles around men 1/3 his age.
Anakin vs ventress from 03 CW is my persobal favorite, and right behind it is luke vs vader in ESb, and anakin vs dooku in ROTS
Palpatine vs. Maul and Savage is my personal favorite. Just seeing the Jedi struggle vs maul and savage, and palpatine shows up and schools them. Gotta love it hahaha
I thought Nick came into my work the other day. I live in Brighton so it’s plausible 😊.
Before watching vid I have to say my #1 would always be Luke vs. Vader ROJ. The entire fate of the galaxy hinging on it, as well as Luke's power being fully revealed when his family is in danger (trying to save Leia and Anakin at the same time). I was a kid in the 80s and watched the ending hundreds of times, never got old.
I love these tier list vids! Hope you continue to make more!
I really think Anakin and Ahsoka in shadow warrior could be my favourite of all time. Obi Wan, Anakin and Dooku in ROTS is one of my favourites.
Palps destroying that giant tv screen of Yoda while fleeing at 17:03 lmao
I know you’re a sequel hater but the starkiller fight in TFA between Finn, Rey, and Kylo is awesome.
OKAY I THINK WE ALL NEED THE PIGGY BANK BACK
Every couple of weeks i rewatch anakin vs Obi-Wan it's so good
Bro Hayden is sooooo dope. That video vs Dooku blew my mind 💯💯💯
That piggy bank is awesome!! Still have it in my cabinet to this day. Gotta find it!
I prefer Ep I over III, but I have them both almost in the same plane of quality.
Also, I might be wrong or not, but I seem to remember Anakin VS. Obi Wan used Battle of Heroes in Ep III, Duel of Fates was used for Yoda VS. Palpatine in Ep III and, of course, in Ep I for Mail VS. Qui Gon & Obi Wan.