Mace Windu defeated Palpatine in Revenge of the Sith, which should be more than enough for him to be mentioned on this list. There is, however, an old Star Wars lore debate on whether Palpatine let Windu win in Revenge of the Sith.
Nevertheless, it's fascinating that the one Star Wars character who knows their abilities best is willing to consider that Darth Vader may genuinely be stronger than Palpatine.
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.
Yes. This is going to be unpopular, however, it's fairly clear from various sources, including Lucas himself, that Palpatine did let Mace Windu win. Lucas himself noted during hos commentary on the film But this part where he, he pretends to lose his power and be weak was something I added later.
The ONLY Jedi the Council Said Could Beat Darth Sidious - Star Wars Explained
Did Palpatine let Mace Windu beat him?
Palpatine may not have specifically allowed Mace Windu to defeat him in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, but his control over the situation and superior strength in the Force made him the true winner of the duel.
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.
Vader had been using all his energy to intimidate Luke, so when the actual fight began in a flash, he was already weak and panting. This leads to another huge factor, which is the age difference. While Luke was a young and spry 23-year-old, Vader was reaching his late 40s.
That said, regardless of Palpatine's true intentions during that fight, Mace Windu is powerful enough to defeat Palpatine. Windu combines incredible lightsaber skills with extensive knowledge of the Force, not to mention unique abilities such as the now-Star Wars canon Shatterpoint.
Obi-Wan faced off against Darth Vader four times and physically beat him twice while beating him through his Force development in a third fight. Obi-Wan Kenobi had the high ground that led to Vader's disfigurement and becoming the ultimate Star Wars cyborg.
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.
Obi-Wan Kenobi soundly defeated Vader in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith and Obi-Wan Kenobi, and is easily one of the most powerful Jedi Vader ever faced. Vader and Obi-Wan were similar in swordsmanship and Force-sensitivity, but Vader's hatred of Obi-Wan often caused him to fight irrationally.
Palpatine's go-to move is usually his Force-lightening, which is powerful but far from unstoppable. Luke may not have been able to catch it as Yoda did in the prequels, but he probably could've deflected it with his lightsaber. This would've then brought them to a swordfight, which has a much less predictable outcome.
As the Chosen One in his prime, it's quite possible that Anakin would have had a strong chance of defeating Palpatine aka Dark Sidious. Palpatine himself told Yoda before their Revenge of the Sith duel on Coruscant that Darth Vader would become more powerful than either of them as he continued to grow in the dark side.
The realistic answer seems to be, yes, Anakin in his prime could have defeated Luke Skywalker (in the current canon) if they battled one-on-one. The main reason behind this is Luke's lack of formal Jedi training, at least when it comes to combat.
Why was Darth Vader so weak in Return of the Jedi?
Granted that it had just been a year since their last match-up, but the body's deterioration can rapidly increase as someone gets older. Coupled with the fact that Anakin had long been reliant on his armor which means that in reality, he's in worse shape under his suit than he might appear in Return of the Jedi.
And while his warnings don't work, at the very least, it shows that Maul became aware of Anakin and what he would soon become. With the rise of the Empire, it's likely Maul caught on to Vader's existence pretty quickly.
Summary. Darth Vader and Kylo Ren are powerful villains in Star Wars, but Vader's control and training give him the edge over Kylo Ren. Kylo Ren may have raw Force power, but Vader's mastery of the Force and lightsaber skills make him the more formidable opponent.
Windu has created and fully mastered Vaapad, a variant of Form VII. Yoda mastered the original variant known as Juyo. Both of them were able to fight with Palpatine on equal ground, matching him blow for blow. It is stated that Yoda beat Mace in a sparring match.
According to Imperial Estimates in Star Wars Inside #87, only about 100 of the Jedi survived Order 66. Most were subsequently hunted down and killed in the years following the Great Jedi Purge.
