Obi-Wan Kenobi Vs. Mace Windu: Who Would Win And Why?
The Star Wars universe is filled with incredibly powerful characters, especially among the Jedi. Despite having similar power levels and abilities, characters differ from one another in terms of style, skills, personality traits, and more – and we, as fans, love to compare them. So, if Obi-Wan Kenobi ever fought Mace Windu, who would win that fight, and why?
Obi-Wan Kenobi would win against Mace Windu in most of their fights. He is a more powerful Force user, a more versatile lightsaber wielder, and fought tougher opponents throughout his prime years. Mace Windu is extremely strong, but Kenobi is on another level.
That being said, Mace Windu is a master of an iteration of Form 7 with the lightsaber named Vaapad – the only style that counters Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Suresu style. Still, Obi-Wan is so prolific that not even Vaapad can beat him, adding to the fact that we’ve seen Kenobi use different styles, too. Without further ado, here’s why I think Kenobi is superior to Mace Windu.
The Force
Obi-Wan Kenobi developed into one of the most prolific Force users ever in the galaxy. It’s safe to say that he surpassed expectations regarding the power of his Force, not just raw power, but the knowledge about using it.
He is as phenomenal of a fighter as they get, but the ability to almost instinctively become one with the Force is not something many Jedi can do. Mace Windu cannot, but Obi-Wan Kenobi can.
Mace Windu is powerful when it comes to using the Force – more powerful than, for instance, Qui-Gon Jinn, or even General Grievous (albeit, one could argue that Grievous is the superior combatant). Windu can match the likes of Darth Maul – but, in terms of pure Force power, Obi-Wan beats him.
If you need any more proof, all you have to do is take a look at the chart below, showing various Star Wars characters’ Midi-Chlorian count. For those unfamiliar with the term, Midi-Chlorians are tiny, microscopic, sentient organisms that are located within each person.
The Force speaks through the Midi-chlorians, and the higher the Midi-chlorian concentration is within a person, the stronger their ability to use the Force.
As you can see on the chart, Obi-Wan Kenobi is among stronger Force users in terms of his Midi-chlorian count with 13 400. Other strong Force users and potent Jedi and Sith have a lower Midi-chlorian count – Qui-Gon Jinn has 10 000, General Grievous has 11 900, and even Darth Maul has a 12 000 Midi-chlorian count.
Mace Windu is right there with Maul, counting 12 000 Midi-chlorians. That’s still impressive, but not as impressive as Kenobi’s 13 400. I know the count isn’t a definitive parameter to determine someone’s Force power – it’s merely their potential – but I think it’s safe to say that Obi-Wan had reached his potential. No matter how you turn it, he’s the stronger Force user.
Point: Obi-Wan Kenobi (1:0) Mace Windu
Lightsaber Mastery
This is where it gets interesting. As you might know, there are numerous forms or styles when it comes to wielding a lightsaber. Each form has its advantages and disadvantages, strengths and weaknesses. Only one form, Suresu, has no weaknesses – that is if the wielder is a complete master of the form.
That’s the case with Obi-Wan Kenobi. Suresu is a defensive form characterized by cunning movement and exploiting the opponent’s weaknesses. It is said that a true master of Suresu has no weaknesses.
However, if you’re not on the master level, your only weakness would be Form 7 called Juyo, or, in a Jedi modification developed by Windu – Vaapad. Vaapad is an offensive form characterized by swift, sharp, unpredictable movement.
Interestingly, that’s Mace Windu’s form that allowed him to achieve some of his greatest features, like chopping off Jango Fett’s head or battling Palpatine. Note that Mace Windu is ranked very highly among the Jedi, said to be second only to Master Yoda. However, even he knew that Obi-Wan was the better swordsman.
First of all, I’ve mentioned that a Suresu master has no weaknesses. Obi-Wan destroyed Darth Maul when they fought in Star Wars Episode 1. Why is that important? Well, because Maul was a Form 7 (Juyo) master. It ought to be a weakness for a Suresu master like Kenobi, but being so prolific, Maul couldn’t harm Obi-Wan.
To add to it, Obi-Wan beat Darth Maul in the Clone Wars series numerous times, too. The only time Kenobi had trouble was when Darth Maul had the help of another Sith. However, that’s when Obi-Wan displayed even more versatility, using Makashi – a form with two lightsabers.
Finally, Mace Windu couldn’t always keep up with General Grievous and said himself that only Kenobi could beat Grievous repeatedly. Grievous used Form 7, but much, much faster than Windu – and Obi-Wan still defeated him numerous times.
Therefore, Vaapad should be Obi-Wan’s weakness, but he is such a prolific Suresu form wielder that he simply has no weakness.
Point: Obi-Wan Kenobi (2:0) Mace Windu
Weaknesses
When we talk about their weaknesses, it’s important to note that neither Obi-Wan Kenobi nor Mace Windu in their prime had particular weaknesses that could be easily exploited. What I’m about to talk about are nuances, but bear with me.
Mace Windu has a unique skill that the Force grants him, called Shatter Point. It allows Mace to almost immediately recognize weaknesses in one’s combat prowess – be it in the lightsaber form, in their armor, movement – any weakness he could exploit. That’s how he found the weak point in Jango Fett’s armor and decapitated him with a single blow in the Attack of the Clones.
To add to his Shatter Point, Mace Windu uses Vaapad, a lightsaber form that ought to be a weakness for Obi-Wan Kenobi. However, that’s not the case with Master Kenobi – because he has no weaknesses.
Obi-Wan mastered not only the lightsaber but the Force. He’s one of the few Jedi ever who could instinctively become one with the Force. That means Mace Windu’s Shatter Point is ineffective against Obi-Wan, and Vaapad can’t counter his Suresu simply because Kenobi is too good.
Another feature of the Vaapad form is draining dark energy from the opponent. Since Kenobi never taps into the dark side of the Force, Windu couldn’t drain energy from Kenobi in combat.
Also, remember I’ve mentioned that Kenobi used Makashi (dual lightsabers) before? Well, guess what’s Form 7 (Juyo, Vaapad) weakness? That’s right, Makashi.
Point: Obi-Wan Kenobi (3:0) Mace Windu
Wisdom
Although Obi-Wan Kenobi doesn’t get enough credit for his wisdom, he is indeed among the wisest Jedi masters ever to live. Even Darth Vader (at the time, Anakin Skywalker) claimed that Kenobi was just as wise as Master Yoda himself. I think it’s a bit of a stretch, but it’s a testament to Kenobi’s incredible Jedi potential.
Even Mace Windu acknowledged Obi-Wan as a Master Jedi – not a master lightsaber wielder, but Master Jedi, meaning all aspects of being a Jedi, including wisdom. That being said, I would still put Mace Windu slightly above Obi-Wan Kenobi, wisdom-wise.
Windu is widely considered second in the Jedi hierarchy during the Galactic Republic, with only Master Yoda above Mace. However, they were both appointed leaders, or Grand Masters of the Jedi High Council, meaning they are at least equals in some aspects.
Hence, regardless of what claims have been made about Obi-Wan Kenobi’s wisdom, we must consider the facts. And the fact is, Mace Windu was once a Grand Master of the Jedi High Council, granting him a point in this category.
Point: Mace Windu (3:1) Obi-Wan Kenobi
Strongest Opponents
Settling the battle once and for all, let’s look at the two Jedi’s highest achievements in terms of opponents they’ve beaten.
While Mace Windu is indeed a very strong Jedi with unique skills, we’ve seen him in action much less than Obi-Wan Kenobi. His best features are the one-shot kill of Jango Fett in the Attack of the clones and the won battle against Palpatine. He once beat Count Dooku in battle, too, but outside of Canon.
The win against Palpatine would be huge. However, it seemed that the Emperor was holding back in that fight, so we can’t consider it a measuring stick. On the other hand, Mace Windu fought General Grievous numerous times and usually couldn’t beat him.
Grievous could bang out 20 strikes per second, which Windu could never accomplish. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan Kenobi could repeatedly beat Grievous in combat, parrying his speed – even while he banged out 20 strikes per second.
Kenobi also battled Count Dooku, Darth Maul, Anakin Skywalker, and many other incredible opponents. Sure, he lost some of those battles, but he progressed throughout the films, making him one of the most powerful duelists ever.
That being said, the older Powers of the Jedi Sourcebook explicitly says that Mace Windu is one of the best Jedi duelists ever in their 26 000 years. It states that only Master Yoda could outduel him at the time. Whether Obi-Wan Kenobi eventually surpassed that point remains unclear, so I’ll give them both points in this category.
Point(s): Obi-Wan Kenobi (4:2) Mace Windu
Obi-Wan Kenobi Vs. Mace Windu: Who Wins?
So, it seems that Obi-Wan Kenobi wins this fight – but not as comfortably as one might think when you see the 4:2 score.
Mace Windu is no slush, and he would break Kenobi most of the time – that is until Obi-Wan reached his peak. In his peak, Kenobi had no weaknesses, was a prolific lightsaber wielder, and an even better Force user. Windu couldn’t use his regular advantages against him, such as Vaapad or Shatter Point.
In the end, it could go either way because of Mace Windu’s unpredictably mastery of his own lightsaber form, which is unpredictable, swift, and strong to begin with. However, given both of them are in their prime, I’d give a slight edge to Obi-Wan Kenobi.
He’s a stronger Force user with a higher Midi-chlorian count, and he’s at least just as good with the lightsaber as Mace Windu, if not better. Kenobi was also more active in combat and defeated tougher opponents.
