How Many Times Did Obi-Wan Fight Darth Vader? (& Who Was The Winner)
The Obi-Wan Kenobi series finale allowed us to see another round of Obi-Wan vs. Darth Vader in what is arguably the best match we have seen between the two Force users. This rivalry between master and student seems to be something that the viewers wouldn’t mind watching over and over again because of how epic the fights have always been. However, how many times did Obi-Wan fight Darth Vader?
After the Obi-Wan series finale, Kenobi and Vader have fought four times already. The first was when Vader was still Anakin, and there were two fights during the Obi-Wan Kenobi series. Kenobi won two of the first three rounds. However, the fourth battle was during A New Hope when Kenobi died.
It is interesting to note that Anakin or Darth Vader has never been able to defeat Obi-Wan Kenobi decisively in a straight fight. Their duel in Episode IV: A New Hope ended with Kenobi allowing himself to get killed. Whatever the case may be, let’s look at how many times Obi-Wan and Darth Vader have fought and who won each round.
How Many Times Did Obi-Wan And Darth Vader Fight?
The finale of the Obi-Wan Kenobi series left us with one of the most memorable lightsaber fights in the history of Star Wars. This was when Kenobi and Darth Vader fought one another one more time as the Jedi Master was looking to end things with his former Padawan once and for all. We all know that this wasn’t the first time they fought one another because we have seen Kenobi fighting Vader in the past. So, how many times has Obi-Wan Kenobi fought Darth Vader?
First things first, we’ll have to set the limits here first because Obi-Wan and Anakin have sparred and dueled with one another countless times in the past because they are, after all, a master and teacher duo. That means that we are not going to count the times when Kenobi fought his former Padawan when he was yet to fall to the dark side.
Not counting the many times they have sparred with one another in the past, Obi-Wan Kenobi has fought Darth Vader four times in total. Yes, this includes the first time on Mustafar when Anakin Skywalker had already fallen to the dark side and was already given the name Darth Vader by Darth Sidious. Although he was yet to wear the helmet and armor that Darth Vader became synonymous with, he was already a Sith Lord at that time.
After that, they encountered one another for the first time in ten years when Obi-Wan and Leia were on Mapuzo. Darth Vader, with the assistance of the Reva, was able to track Kenobi down to that planet as they faced each other for the first time in a decade. However, they never really fought a proper duel in that encounter because Kenobi was still rusty and did not have the strength he once had.
Their next proper duel was on a remote rocky planet during the finale of the Obi-Wan Kenobi series. That was when Kenobi was able to showcase his reinvigorated strength and was now able to fight his former Padawan properly.
The final battle took place during Episode IV: A New Hope, which was the very first Star Wars movie. This was also the first battle between Kenobi and Vader in terms of release dates. The battle took place in the Imperial super weapon called the Death Star, as Obi-Wan joined Luke, Han, and Chewbacca in their mission to rescue Princess Leia Organa.
Who Was The Winner Of Each Fight?
As mentioned, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader have fought each other four times ever since Anakin Skywalker fell to the dark side. With that said, let’s look at the winner of each of the fights that these characters have had with one another.
The Duel at Mustafar
One of the most epic fight scenes in the history of Star Wars took place in Episode III: Revenge of the Sith when Obi-Wan was sent by Yoda to kill Anakin Skywalker, who had now been taken over by the dark side and was already renamed Darth Vader by Darth Sidious. The battle took place on the volcanic planet of Mustafar, where Vader was sent by Sidious to kill the remaining leaders of the Separatists. Padme Amidala went there to see Anakin, but Obi-Wan had stowed himself on her ship.
After Anakin tried to kill Padme out of rage when he thought that she had brought Obi-Wan with her to kill him, the battle between the master and student began. And this was a battle that was more flair than substance, even though it had one of the best choreographies in the history of sword fights in movies.
As prolonged and full of flair as this fight was, the two were forced to take the fight to a river of lava. Kenobi was the first to get off the platform they were on as he jumped over to the riverbank. This was when he declared to Anakin that the fight was already over because he had the high ground. In his hubris, Darth Vader believed that he was strong enough to make up for the disadvantage, but Kenobi used the high ground to cut off Anakin’s limbs while the new Sith Lord was midair.
Anakin was unable to pull himself back up because he no longer had his limbs. His clothes caught fire by the lava riverbank as Obi-Wan thought that Darth Vader was going to die then and there. He left Anakin to die without finishing him off himself, but Sidious arrived in time to save his new apprentice.
The Rematch
Ten years after his battle with Anakin at Mustafar, Obi-Wan was depressed and was seemingly still haunted by his failure of not being able to save Anakin from the dark side. He was asked by Bail Organa to go on a mission to save the kidnapped Leia. It was during his mission to save Leia that he found out from the Inquisitor named Reva that Darth Vader was still alive.
After escaping with Leia, Obi-Wan and the child were stranded on a mining planet called Mapuzo, where they met a turncoat Imperial officer named Tala, who allowed them to hide in her safe house. However, Vader tracked them all the way down to the planet and was leading the hunt for Kenobi himself.
In an effort to lead Darth Vader and the Inquisitors away from Leia, Obi-Wan Kenobi tried to get the Sith Lord’s attention and took him to an isolated area that looked like a mining facility. However, he was far too weak to even pose a threat to Vader in this fight as the Sith Lord used the Force to pin him down on the flames that he ignited. Kenobi was able to escape with his life when Tala distracted Vader. It is needless to say that Darth Vader won this round.
The True Rematch
The second time Obi-Wan and Darth Vader fought during the Kenobi series was in the finale. Obi-Wan was escaping on a ship with Leia and some refugees. In an effort to allow the refugees to escape, he boarded a separate ship so that he could pull Vader’s focus away. This worked as Darth Vader was too fixated on his former master that he chose one lone Jedi instead of chasing a ship full of Force-sensitive people.
Kenobi landed on a remote rocky planet, where Vader followed him alone. The two dueled as the Sith Lord noticed that his former master had regained some of his strength. It did not matter because he was still stronger than Kenobi at that time as he tried to bury the Jedi Master under a pile of rocks.
Obi-Wan Kenobi found strength in his new purpose in life after using his bond with Leia as his source of inspiration. He was able to fully restore his connection with the Force and fought Vader with his full might to the point that he even dominated him. It was when Kenobi targeted Vader’s life-support system that he was able to win what is arguably the greatest lightsaber fight in the history of Star Wars.
However, Obi-Wan Kenobi left Darth Vader on that planet when he realized that Anakin was truly dead and had been completely consumed by the Sith Lord. Meanwhile, Vader promised to completely destroy Kenobi.
The Duel at the Death Star
Darth Vader fulfilled his promise of destroying Obi-Wan Kenobi when they met for the final time in the Imperial weapon of mass destruction called the Death Star. This happened during the events of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Funny enough, the final time they fought in terms of the chronological sequence was also the first time they fought onscreen.
This battle happened when Obi-Wan accompanied Luke, Han, and Chewbacca to save Princess Leia. Vader felt his old master’s presence and decided to meet him himself. The two fought in what was the first lightsaber fight in the history of the Star Wars franchise. Kenobi declared to Vader that he would only become more powerful if he got struck down in that fight.
As Luke and the others were ready to board the ship to escape the Death Star, Kenobi glanced at Luke and gave him a smile before allowing himself to get struck down by the Sith Lord. But before Darth Vader could even land his strike, Obi-Wan’s body disappeared in thin air. Kenobi had died right then and there and became one with the Force after his final duel with Darth Vader.
