What can be more interesting than getting a chance to see the battle between the Jedi Master, Yoda, and the Sith Lord, Darth Vader?
Yoda, the Grand Jedi Master has a vast knowledge of the Force after studying it for thousands of years, and on the other hand, we have Darth Vader, who has a deep understanding of both the Light and Dark Sides of the Force.
The battle will be really fierce. To the eye, it looks like Vader will remain victorious because of his intimidating appearance but even though Yoda is small and old, his knowledge of Force shouldn’t be underestimated.
Did Yoda ever fight against Darth Vader?
It’s sad to say that the faces of Star Wars have never had a chance to meet with each other in the primary story. But don’t you worry, the franchise has given us some canon moments where both of these characters have had a showdown.
We know the rule of Jedi is not meant to kill others, but instead, it is meant to protect the universe. Yoda believes in this moral code. Being a wise and experienced Jedi Grandmaster he believes that defending the Jedi Order comes at a fort than having conflict.
Even before Anakin embraced the Dark Side, Yoda didn’t fight with him because he was still a member of the Jedi. Therefore, Ypoda never really had a typical reason to fight with Anakin Skywalker.
However, there could be some moments where TYoda was forced to battle with Anakin. One such opportunity arose when Anakin chose to betray the Jedi and join the Dark Side as Darth Vader.
Yoda would have been forced to defend himself and others against the dangerous Sith Lord. Let’s take a short look at that moment!
When Anakin Skywalker decided to turn into Dark Side and join forces with Palpatine, it shocked all of us but mostly Obi-Wan Kenobi. The latter wanted to seek battle against them but Yoda refused his proposal.
Yoda was aware of Palpatin’s power and he was well aware that Obi-Wan wasn’t at the same level as the Sith lord. He didn’t choose to engage in the battle because he feared that he would lose more Jedi to the Dark force.
Unfortunately, this was the final opportunity for us to see the clash between Yoda and Vader but the Jedi Master decided to avoid the battle, which was actually a great decision.
We do know that Yoda is often seen as the character of Wisdom in the franchise, he has a vast knowledge of the Force and his decision always have meaning, so was there a special reason behind why Yoda decided to avoid the fight?
Why did Yoda and Vader Never Fight in Star Wars?
It’s ironic that Vader and Yoda have never had a face shown in the franchise. Yoda tends to stay back when there’s any possibility of combat, it’s not because he’s scared but as we’ve already stated; Yoda has a deeper meaning behind such a decision.
After his battle against Darth Sidious in Revenge of the Sith, Yoda seems to have lost confidence in battles. He had to take a fat defeat during that battle and because he couldn’t remain victorious against the Sitg Lord, the whole Jedi Order had to face consequences.
The entire Jedi Order was forced to hide because of Darth Sidious. It is possible that Yoda was aware of what consequences a battle can ignite and perhaps, this experience made him hesitant to take any part in any further conflicts.
Looking at the other way, Yoda has always kept the peace as his first choice. He will take any step to bring peace to the Jedi Order and having conflict is the last option he’ll choose.
However, according to the book Star Wars: Complete Locations, Yoda has specific reasons for not battling against Darth Vader. The book explains that Yod had decided not to take part in the battle against Darth Vader because it was a part of his bigger plan.
Let’s take a look at what the book states on why Yoda hasn’t drawn his lightsaber against the most cunning antagonist of Star Wars. “Yoda has been able to devote the years of his exile to pondering ancient Jedi texts, meditating on the deepest mysteries of the Force, and using his Jedi skills to communicate with Obi-Wan Kenobi and other exiles.”
Now, that’s a smart move, don’t you agree?
He was aware that if he engaged Darth Vader in battle, the outcome would not be favorable to him. In addition to speaking with the exiles, he was keeping a watch on Luke and Leia Skywalker. He would have lost to Vader, and the outcome would have had an impact on the Force’s equilibrium.
Yoda and Darth Vader Power Comparisons
Just because Yoda hasn’t anticipated any kind of conflict or battle doesn’t mean that he is weak or powerless. It’s the grandmaster of Jedi we’re talking about, he has a vast knowledge of Force more than anyone in the franchise, and of course, the deeper you know Force, the more powerful you become.
With such knowledge of the Force and his life experiences, Ypda surely has an upper hand in a duel against any antagonist. But when comparing who can use the lightsaber better, probably Vader has more possibility to win this battle (only by a fraction though.)
Let’s take a look at the moment when Yoda wielded his lightsaber during the battle against Count Dooku and Palpatine in combat.
Yoda defeated Count Dooku during that battle, demonstrating his superior strength to the former Jedi who had become a Sith Master. Still, no one emerged victorious because Dooku fled the scene just as Yoda was heading to save Anakin and Kenobi.
Yoda used a lightsaber for the second time against Palpatine. He demonstrated exceptional combat skills and one of the best lightsaber-handling techniques despite the fact that his weapon was knocked out during the conflict.
We don’t have doubts that Yoda is one of the best at using the lightsaber but it’s just that, the franchise hasn’t given us enough evidence of it. But Darth Vader… the beast has never failed to show its potential.
Regarding Darth Vader, the Sith Lord has never failed to deliver or display his combat potential. Back in the time, when Vader was still Anakin, he engaged in a battle with Count Dooku; he was a strong Jedi but not strong enough to defeat him.
Dooku remained victorious, in fact, Dooku easily defeated Anakin and even cut off his hand. That’s the moment when Anakin wanted his revenge against Dooku and the moment when he started to embrace the Dark Side.
Even though during his battle against Mace Windu (when he was still Anakin Skywalker), he couldn’t defeat the Jedi Master but he did manage to surprise and impress him with his potential.
After Anakin embraced the entire Dark Side, he became an unstoppable force that everyone was afraid of. He then displayed that he had embraced the Dark Side fully by murdering almost everyone in the Jedi Temple.
Talking about his power and abilities, Vader is quite skilled in using Force as well. We have seen him using his telekinetic abilities multiple times. However, the more he relies on the Force’s abilities, he has to face the worst consequences.
Meanwhile, Yoda doesn’t need any explanation to show how good he is at controlling the power of Force. He has almost spent more than a thousand years studying the Force. Yoda has mastered controlling the Force and with hundred years of experience, he can use the Force’s full potential with ease.
There was once a moment in the franchise when Yoda displayed how powerful he was with the Force by deflecting other Force attacks. Vader is a tough opponent and he sure knows a lot about the Force but he can’t compete against Yoda on this topic.
Yoda might have a vast knowledge of the Force but Vader has knowledge of both sides of the Force. We are forgetting that Darth Vader is a Sith Lord; he has a deep understanding of the dark side and using that knowledge he can almost counter Yoda.
Vader has a huge advantage and upper hand against all the Jedi opponents and because of his vast knowledge of both sides of the Force, he can even launch powerful and devastating attacks against his foes as we saw in the Revenge of the Sith.
These two icons of Star Wars do have the full potential to battle against each other, don’t they? It’s just sad that the franchise never gives us a chance to witness their battle. If there was ever a battle between Yoda and Vader, it would be hard to pick a winner, right?
Yoda vs. Darth Vader: Who Would Win?
The battle between these two characters is likely to ever happen in the franchise but if it ever did, it will surely break the internet. Yoda and Vader are known as the strongest Star Wars characters, so it will fascinating to see who would win.
Vader will get the chance to dominate the Jedi Grand Master for a while, he might grasp the upper hand in the battle, but against all the odds, Yoda is likely to remain victorious in every aspect.
Yoda is known for having the deepest understanding of the Force and he’s the strongest and wisest member of the Jedi Community. With his knowledge and experience alone, Yoda is way more powerful than Dark Vader.
Vader might have the knowledge and deep understanding of both sides of the Force, and he might be able to counter the Jedi Grand Master with his attacks, but they are certainly not enough to make Yoda fall to his knees.
Darth Vader might be one of the strongest villains in the franchise, but you have to remember that Yoda is the strongest character in the entire franchise. Honestly, Vader isn’t a weak opponent, Yoda is just stronger than him.
