While we never got to see Yoda vs. Darth Vader, it surely would have been a sight to behold. Had Yoda and Darth Vader fought each other both at full power, the fight arguably would have landed in Yoda's favor. Both are proficient with a lightsaber and with the Force, but Yoda might just be a little bit better.
Aside from agility and telekinesis, Yoda could absorb and redirect Force attacks, like lightning. Because of his higher understanding, he would easily overcome Darth Vader in a fight, though that doesn't mean it wouldn't be a difficult battle.
Yoda was one of the most powerful Jedi Masters to ever live, whose amazing abilities could have been terrifying if he had ever turned to the Dark Side of the Force. However, even without actually turning evil, Yoda was still able to inadvertently bring about the fall of the Jedi Order by the end of the Clone Wars.
Was Yoda More Powerful Than Palpatine in Revenge of the Sith? Star Wars Explained
Who would win, Vader or Yoda?
There are certainly scenarios where Darth Vader would have the upper hand in a duel with Yoda, but in most cases, Yoda would be the more likely victor. Vader wields absurd levels of Force power during his dark side prime that would certainly rival Yoda's own abilities, but likely not exceed them.
Yoda still stands as one of the most powerful characters in Star Wars, yet even he couldn't defeat Palpatine. After their battle in Revenge of the Sith, Yoda felt beaten and fled into exile on Dagobah, where he hid away for 19 years.
Infil'a put up a fierce fight against Vader, almost killing him by throwing the already damaged Sith Lord off of a cliff. Despite severe damage to his suit, Vader survived the fall, and repaired himself with parts from Infil'a's droid, Arex.
While Vader had his weaknesses, including vulnerability to electricity, characters like Emperor Palpatine, Mace Windu, Yoda, and Obi-Wan Kenobi all had the potential to defeat him in battle.
While this is not a fight that ever happened or ever will happen in a canon Star Wars story, it is one of the most interesting hypothetical matchups between two characters in the universe.
Vader Outranked only by Sidious - CON: The only thing I can find that says Tarkin outranked Vader is a quote by David Filoni in 2015 during an interview about Rebels. He actually says that Tarkin outranks Vader.
The only Sith Lord who actually killed Vader, Darth Sidious kept his apprentice in line for over two decades. His true advantage was Force lightning, a power which would wreak havoc on the suit keeping him alive.
While little is known about Yoda's species, we do know, however, that they're incredibly gifted in the Force. Both Jedi Master Yaddle, and now Grogu, hold great Force powers, but no Jedi Master has ever held greater power than Jedi Master Yoda.
Vader did not hunt for Yoda in any cinematic depiction. He and Sidious could not find Yoda as he had exiled himself on the planet Dagobah which had strong dark side energy that masked Yoda's presence in the Force.
Legend had it that Yoda—a Jedi who became Grand Master—was trained by N'Kata Del Gormo. A Force-sensitive Hysalrian, N'Kata Del Gormo was trained in the ways of the Force and achieved the rank of Master within the Jedi Order.
In a Vanity Fair interview from 2005, George Lucas went deeper into why Anakin became much weaker as Vader. In the interview, he explained that because Anakin's limbs were severed and replaced by robotics, it was harder for him to use the Force than it was before his battle with Obi-Wan.
Given the years between these comics' publications, it's hard to tell if Gillen built this argument intentionally or not. Regardless, the core concept is still true. Thanos wields more power and authority than Darth Vader, existing as a stronger and more capable villain overall.
When it comes down to both combatants in their prime, Yoda was superior to Darth Vader. That debate extends even further to prime Anakin Skywalker as well. He would have been outmatched by Yoda for many of the same reasons Obi-Wan outmatched him, and more.
Vader's innate talent with the Force would have made him more powerful than Palpatine, if not for Palpatine meddling in his life from a young age. As it stands, Palpatine's influence over Vader was too great for Vader's strength to overcome, forcing him to take Palpatine down when he was prone and unaware.
Yep. Darth Maul didn't really say or show straight up that he "feared" Darth Vader, but he openly stated his belief that he could not defeat Darth Vader without the help of the Jedi, therefore on his own.
Yoda knew in this moment that even if he were to defeat Palpatine - and that itself was unlikely - the Sith themselves wouldn't be beaten so easily. The Jedi, or what was left of them, had to re-group and learn how to be different, just as the Sith had.
Grandmaster Yoda himself was capable of summoning force lightning in the form of Emerald Lightning. Shaak Ti utilized this Force power. Her killer, Galen Marek was an extremely skilled user of this Force power, even after his conversion to the light side.
