Who Is Knightfall Anakin & How Strong Is He?

Anakin Skywalker was always known as the Chosen One of Star Wars and was arguably the Jedi with the highest potential of all time. It goes without saying, however, that Anakin could not achieve his true potential due to his injuries when Obi-Wan Kenobi defeated him on Mustafar. But there is one version of Anakin that people often call the strongest, and that version is affectionately called Knightfall Anakin. So, who is Knightfall Anakin, and how strong is he?

Knightfall Anakin was the name fans gave to the version of Anakin Skywalker that stormed the Jedi Temple and killed all of the Jedi and younglings there during Order 66. Anakin was so strong at that time that he could kill many Jedi, including two prominent Jedi Masters.

The fact that Anakin was basically the only Force-sensitive individual that stormed the Jedi Temple together with countless clones proves that he was so strong at that time. There’s also a good chance that this was the strongest he ever got before he was made to wear the Darth Vader suit. So, with that said, let’s look at who Knightfall Anakin is and how strong he was.

Knightfall Anakin Explained

Discovered by Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, Anakin Skywalker was uncannily gifted in the Force. That was why Jinn thought he was the prophesized Chosen One that was supposed to bring balance back to the Force by destroying the Sith. Of course, Anakin went on to become a great Jedi Knight that defeated a lot of strong enemies during the Clone Wars. But the one enemy he couldn’t defeat was his fear of losing Padmé Amidala, his secret wife, to death.

Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, secretly Darth Sidious the entire time, knew of Anakin’s fears. That was why he decided to take advantage of the things he feared by luring him to the dark side. And when he convinced Anakin that the dark side was the only way for them to bring true peace to the galaxy while saving Padmé from death in the process, the young Skywalker defected to the Sith by betraying Mace Windu and allowing Palpatine to kill the champion of the Jedi Order.

Anakin’s betrayal turned him into a Sith Lord, as Palpatine gave him the Darth Vader title in honor of his new identity as a member of the Sith Order. And his first task as Darth Vader was to storm the Jedi Temple and kill all of the Jedi there during the events of Order 66.

Called the Siege of the Jedi Temple in canon, Anakin led countless clones during Order 66 to kill any Jedi that were there. At that time, most of the Jedi were in different places all over the galaxy because the Clone Wars was still ongoing. But the ones in the temple were the younglings, Padawans, Temple Guards, and veteran Jedi that weren’t assigned to any of the different fights happening throughout the galaxy. So, while there were still Jedi in the Jedi Temple at that time, Anakin was more than enough to handle them, especially because he had an army of clones.

Palpatine called this part of Order 66 Operation: Knightfall in the Legends storyline of Star Wars. Of course, the “Knightfall” part has two meanings, as it can refer to the fall of the Jedi Knights in the Jedi Temple and to the fall of Anakin from his status as a Jedi Knight. That is why this version of Anakin is called Knightfall Anakin. And the fact that Anakin killed everyone in the temple is the reason why Yoda and Obi-Wan were convinced that he had already gone over to the dark side of the Force. 

How Strong Was Knightfall Anakin?

When Qui-Gon discovered Anakin, he had the highest midi-chlorian count in history as his midi-chlorians surpassed Yoda, the most powerful Jedi then. That was why his potential in the Force was higher than anyone else’s in the galaxy’s history. As such, he was always meant to be the strongest Force user in history due to his immense potential.

Of course, the problem was that Anakin’s power was cut by almost half when he lost his limbs and was severely injured after Obi-Wan Kenobi defeated him on Mustafar. That was why he never became the strongest Force user in history after he started wearing the Darth Vader life-support suit that kept him alive for more than 20 years. Nevertheless, before his loss to Kenobi, Anakin was so strong that Darth Sidious believed he was becoming more powerful than him and Yoda.

The fact that Anakin’s power was steadily rising after falling to the dark side could be seen during the Siege of the Jedi Temple. That’s because Knightfall Anakin was arguably the strongest version of Anakin. This version of Anakin was also a sneak preview of what he could have been had he never lost to Obi-Wan.

During the Siege of the Jedi Temple, Knightfall Anakin was so strong that he killed numerous well-trained Jedi. Some fans would think he only killed Padawans and younglings in the Jedi Temple. However, he killed well-trained Jedi Masters as he defeated Jedi Master Shaak Ti, a prominent member of the Jedi High Council at that time.

Of course, as strong as Anakin was, he didn’t destroy the Jedi Order alone because he had the help of clone troopers that overwhelmed the Jedi in the Jedi Temple. Nevertheless, Anakin was the one that killed the dangerous Jedi Knights and Masters that could have handled the clones well enough.

In the holographic recording of the Jedi Temple, Yoda and Obi-Wan saw that Anakin killed Cin Drallig, the Temple’s battlemaster and one of the most powerful Masters in the Temple. Before killing Drallig, he killed Bene and Whie Malreaux, two of Cin’s best Jedi followers. After that, Anakin dueled with Drallig and defeated one of the strongest duelists in the Jedi Temple.

That means that Knightfall Anakin was probably the strongest version of the character as he could handle numerous Jedi Knights and Masters during the Siege of the Jedi Temple. He may have had some help in the form of the clones that assisted him during Order 66. But the fact that he didn’t seem to struggle against the Jedi in the Jedi Temple proves he was at his strongest at that time.

But we all know this peak was short-lived because Anakin lost a duel with Obi-Wan on Mustafar. That version of Anakin on Mustafar was as powerful as Knightfall Anakin. But his emotional state was worse because he was affected by what Padmé told him and by the feeling that he had been “betrayed” by Kenobi. On top of that, his hubris got the best of him when he thought he was strong enough to overcome the disadvantage of the high ground.