An age-old debate continues to rage among Star Wars fans regarding which Force users are the strongest. Ranking these characters can be difficult because of the multifaceted nature of a Force user’s power; a character may be highly skilled in lightsaber combat but lack powerful Force feats, and vice versa. The same is true for Star Wars characters originating from video games, which have added complexities due to the player’s ability to control their actions to pull off crazy feats. Additionally, the various canons of the Star Wars universe span a vast stretch of time, meaning many popular characters never fight or meet, so we never get a good sense of how their powers might compare.
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This list aims to rank the most well-known characters from various video game canons in the Star Wars universe, focusing on feats and statements only from the games to determine which Jedi and Sith are genuinely the most feared on the battlefield.
5. Cal Kestis
Coming in at the bottom of the list is Cal Kestis, a respectably strong Jedi who is the protagonist of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. Hopefully, he will also be returning in a third Star Wars Jedi game to finish his story arc.
From what we have seen from Cal so far, he is capable of great things that put him in the upper tiers of power in the Star Wars universe. However, he unfortunately falls far short of the others on this list. While he has mastered several lightsaber forms and can fling hordes of enemies around effortlessly with the Force, I don’t see him faring well against some of the truly overpowered characters in the series. He stood no chance against Vader when they clashed, and other characters on this list have origins, training, and power in the Force that seem god-like by comparison.
Cal also lacks experience with the dark side, which is an issue when it comes to more powerful Force users. Even among all the powerful canon Star Wars characters, it seems only Yoda can really get away with complete dedication to the light side while also being considered a powerhouse. Most powerful characters will dabble in the dark side to at least some degree. Still, this ranking could change for Cal, depending on what he ends up doing in the third game.
4. Kyle Katarn
Kyle, first introduced in Star Wars: Dark Forces, is at a very similar level to Cal, though he has figured out how to harness the dark side better and has had significantly more games than Cal to develop his abilities. Also, as someone who learned how to use the Force later in life, Kyle has a more flexible mindset that allowed him to defeat more powerful opponents as an underdog consistently. This quality, I feel, helps put him solidly above Cal but below the sheer power of everyone else on the list. Like Cal, Kyle has impressive showings in both the Force and in lightsaber combat that make him one of Star Wars’ strongest characters, but the others on this list simply outclass him.
3. Starkiller
Galen Marek, aka Starkiller from Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, is possibly at the peak of power for video game characters set around the era of the original six Star Wars cinematic films. Both the original and his clone, Subject 1138, defeated Darth Vader in combat, albeit with high difficulty. In the first game, Starkiller even managed to hold his own against Emperor Palpatine, with his clone implied to be stronger than the original in the sequel. However, while Starkiller was ultimately defeated, this is understandable given that Palpatine is a solid contender for being the strongest character in the Star Wars canon.
Starkiller in the first game was able to pull down something as large as a Star Destroyer and send it crashing to the ground. His power in the Force and his proper Sith education from Darth Vader put him well above those who are ranked beneath him here. It’s a shame Starkiller was killed so young, since he could have potentially achieved a much higher placement if he had been allowed to fulfill his potential as a narrative parallel to Luke Skywalker. The story of Force Unleashed is one of Star Wars’ best; it deserves a remake in the modern era.
2. Darth Nihilus
There are many powerful characters from the Knights of the Old Republic continuity I considered putting on the list, but Darth Nihilus represents the broken potential of KOTOR’s various rogues the best. As a wound in the Force, he is impossibly strong, able to drain entire planets of life and leave them as empty husks through his will alone. He also lacks a physical body to destroy, putting him in the realms of a Force deity and making him impossible to defeat for anyone who cannot resist his powerful Force drain.
Unlike Starkiller, Nihlilus would pose a genuine threat to Sidious, who would need to take him seriously from the beginning to win. Sidious would still likely prevail, provided he could counter Nilhilus’ Force drain, and given the Emperor’s superior saber dueling skills and greater control over Force lightning. The fact that Nihilus is even in contention with Sidious speaks to his immense power. Really, Nihilus was only defeated in KOTOR 2 due to plot convenience and possessing a unique vulnerability to other wounds in the Force. Against all but the most powerful Star Wars characters, Nihilus’ strength is simply overwhelming.
1. Revan
It’s difficult to imagine any other Star Wars video game character, aside from Revan, being at the top of this list. Revan was responsible for creating Darth Nihilus, and his mastery of both the light and dark sides is unmatched in most other Star Wars characters. Combined with his nearly flawless lightsaber combat prowess and uniquely tactical mind, he was a true menace to the galaxy all by himself.
While it’s true that Revan in the games hasn’t demonstrated the attack potency of a Nihilus or Sidious, he is in their same league. Although a fight against Nihilus would be brutal for Revan, I would give him an overall edge due to his intelligence, unmatched physical combat skills, and perfect control of both the light and dark side that caused even other impossibly strong characters to fear his power as “the heart of the Force.”
It’s truly a shame how Knights of the Old Republic 2 ended up being unfinished. Hopefully, potential remakes in development can give fans a proper telling of Revan’s story that they deserved decades ago. While they are at it, I wouldn’t mind them giving Revan some extra feats to help secure his position as the strongest Jedi and Sith character in video games.
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