Mandalorian vs. Cad Bane: Who Would Win?

One of the dream encounters that we would have wanted to see in the Star Wars continuity is between two bounty hunters who each have their own strengths and weaknesses. On the one hand, the Mandalorian named Din Djarin is one of the best fighters we have seen in a long while. Meanwhile, Cad Bane has always been notorious in his craft. But who would win in a fight between the Mandalorian and Cad Bane?

It would be very close, but the Mandalorian will beat Cad Bane. Think of Din Djarin as a younger, faster, and better-equipped version of Boba Fett. Considering that Boba Fett can stand a chance against Cad Bane, it wouldn’t be a surprise that the Mandalorian is capable of beating Cad Bane as well.

Throughout The Mandalorian, we have seen Din Djarin performing feats that are quite impressive, as he has beaten strong opponents along the way of protecting Grogu. While Cad Bane is far better than any mercenary or bounty hunter Djarin has ever faced, the fact that he is arguably stronger than Boba Fett proves that he can take on the legendary bounty hunter as well.

Shooting Accuracy

Throughout The Mandalorian, we have seen just how good of a shooter Din Djarin is because he is quite accurate with his guns. He almost never misses in any kind of gunfight. Of course, while he does have the aid of the targeting system in his helmet, that still doesn’t discount the fact that he has been very skillful with any kind of ranged weapon in his hands because Mandalorians are trained to be warriors since childhood.

Cad Bane was always one of the most dangerous people in the Star Wars continuity when there was a blaster in his hands. He was so proficient with his blaster pistol that he became the uncontested greatest bounty hunter after Jango Fett’s death. Bane almost never missed and always went for the kill shot whenever it was possible. That goes to show how deadly he was with a gun.

There is no denying that both Din Djarin and Cad Bane are great shooters and have racked up the experience and training that allowed them to develop their accuracy with a blaster. This is why this round is too close to call.

Points: Mando 0, Bane 0 

Speed

Din Djarin is at his physical prime, and that means that he still has his speed on his side. He is somewhere in his 30s, and he has displayed his speed with the gun quite well throughout the entire continuity. In season 2 of The Mandalorian, he was able to beat the mercenary Lang with a quick shot, even though his opponent tried to trick him into letting his guard down. And after shooting Lang, he recovered in time to shoot a droid that wanted to mount a surprise shot.

Cad Bane was always at the top when it came down to his speed. He was too fast with his shot that he was able to beat two of the best shooters in the Disney+ Star Wars continuity with minimal effort. In The Book of Boba Fett, he was too fast for both Cob Vanth and Boba Fett himself. And his speed with the gun goes well with his western outlaw theme.

If you look at their speed feats, it is tough to tell who is the faster one between Mando and Cad Bane. Djarin may be the younger one, but Bane has always had the quickest hands in the business. As such, because we never saw them squaring off, we are once again looking at this round as a tie.

Points: Mando 0, Bane 0

Experience

As a bounty hunter, the Mandalorian has racked up plenty of experience. In The Mandalorian series alone, we can no longer count how many enemies he has defeated, and all of them are quite good because they’d have to be good to be sent after Grogu. And due to his time as a bounty hunter, there is no doubt that Din Djarin is an experienced fighter that has seen his fair share of combat.

It is ridiculous just how spry Cad Bane was at 71 years old, as he was still pretty quick in The Book of Boba Fett. The fact that he was 71 years old at the time of his death also gives you an idea of just how experienced he was, as he lived through the time of the Galactic Republic, the Clone Wars, and the Empire. He saw it all and still came out with his skin intact, as all of the experience he was able to rack up kept him alive for 71 years before he met his death at the hands of Boba Fett.

Despite the fact that Din Djarin has accumulated a ton of experience while protecting Grogu in The Mandalorian, there is no doubt that Cad Bane was still the more experienced of the two. This is why Bane takes this round, as no other bounty hunter was as experienced as he was before his death.

Points: Mando 0, Bane 1

Equipment

All Mandalorians are heavily armed because that is a part of their identity and combat style. Din Djarin is equipped with armor that is more advanced and offers more protection than the one that Boba Fett wears. Of course, he has a ton of weapons at his disposal, as he almost never runs out of options whenever he is on the field. He has guns, rockets, and even a lightsaber in his arsenal.

Cad Bane, as a bounty hunter, took on a more methodical and tactical approach, and that is why he always packed light. Other than his pistol and flamethrower, he rarely packed plenty of weapons because he got the job done without having to carry tons of armaments. While his lack of defense did play a role in his vulnerability, he made up for it with his speed and reflexes. But back in the Clone Wars, he had light equipment that allowed him to combat Jedi because he was known to be an anti-Jedi specialist.

If Cad Bane already had a hard time with Boba Fett’s armaments, he would have an even more difficult time handling Mando’s weapons. In fairness to Bane, there aren’t a lot of Star Wars characters that could match a Mandalorian’s weaponry, and that has always been the advantage that Mandalorians have over their opponents.

Points: Mando 1, Bane 1

Close-Combat

Din Djarin had displayed his ability in close combat when he defeated Moff Gideon, who was armed with a stronger weapon such as the Darksaber. Using a Beskar spear, he defeated the Moff with relative ease, despite the fact that Gideon himself isn’t a slouch in close combat. Of course, Djarin also defeated the bigger and stronger Paz Vizsla with a knife even though his opponent was able to wield the Darksaber against him.

Cad Bane isn’t a close-combat specialist, but he did show how good he was with a lightsaber when he fought Obi-Wan Kenobi on par using the lightsaber owned by Quinlan Vos. Of course, you can credit this to the fact that he did specialize against Force users. Still, the lack of close combat weapons can be his biggest weakness because he can’t always rely on stealing his opponent’s weapon.

The fact that Din Djarin has displayed his prowess as a close combat fighter several times throughout his appearances means that he might be the superior fighter of the two. Then again, Bane wasn’t a slouch. But the fact that he doesn’t carry a close combat weapon ultimately did him in against Boba Fett in The Book of Boba Fett.

Points: Mando 2, Bane 1

Feats

Feat-wise, there has been a lot that Din Djarin has done during his time as the star of The Mandalorian. He has defeated plenty of opponents that not a lot of fighters in the Star Wars universe can defeat singlehandedly. His body count in The Mandalorian alone is insane, considering that he isn’t a cold-blooded killer. Then again, if you are protecting someone precious to you, you can do anything.

Cad Bane’s feats were also quite impressive, especially if you have seen what he did during the Clone Wars. Bane took on two Jedi Masters at once, and that’s something only the Sith have been able to do. On top of that, he also did plenty of acts that frustrated the Republic and the Jedi alike, and that’s why he was one of the most dangerous individuals during his prime. 

It is tough to say who between Din Djarin and Cad Bane has the better feats because both were able to accomplish a lot of impressive things throughout their time as bounty hunters. That’s why this is another toss-up between them.

Points: Mando 2, Bane 1

Din Djarin vs. Cad Bane: Who Would Win?

It would be a close fight, but Din Djarin will take a win over Cad Bane in a hard-fought contest that can go either way. They are equally matched in a lot of categories, but Djarin’s equipment and close-combat skills are what could ultimately give him an edge over Bane’s experience in a one-on-one fight. And if Boba Fett was able to beat an overconfident Cad Bane, Din Djarin can do that as well.