The Star Wars universe is home to countless force-sensitive individuals, and no matter whether they choose the way of the Jedi, the Sith, or neither, these individuals all have the potential to harness great power. It’s always been assumed that the Sith are far more powerful than the Jedi. However, no matter how much anger, hatred, and pure evil many Sith Lords hold, the Jedi will always be more powerful, as their connections to the light side of the force are purer, allowing them to shine through the dark.
While Knights hold great power, the strongest Jedi are the Masters. Whether it’s possessing extraordinary Force abilities, being a master lightsaber duelist, or being able to project yourself as a Force ghost after death, here are the most powerful Jedi Masters in the Star Wars universe.
Updated on September 9th, 2023, by Nikole Finger: This article has been updated with additional content to keep the discussion fresh and relevant with even more information and new entries.
15 Count Dooku
Before he fell to the dark side, Count Dooku was a highly praised and powerful Jedi Master. He was taught by the great Master Yoda, teaching Dooku everything he now knows about the force, as well as his exceptional skills with a lightsaber. After Dooku became a Jedi Master, he took on Qui-Gon Jinn as his apprentice, passing down his vast knowledge of the force.
While we have always believed that Dooku was corrupted by Darth Sidious, the animated Disney+ series Tales of the Jediproved that this wasn’t entirely the case. Over the years, Count Dooku continuously lost faith in the Jedi Order and the death of his beloved Padawan truly pushed him over the edge, forcing Dooku to turn his back on the Jedi and pursue a path down the dark side as an equally powerful Sith Lord.
14 Tera Sinube
By the time of The Clone Wars, Tera Sinube was a Jedi elder with plenty of wisdom to share. During one episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, he shares his knowledge with Ahsoka when they work together to find her stolen lightsaber. Sinube is the perfect example of a patient Jedi. While the impatient young Ahsoka thought he was simply too old to keep up with the thieves, he proved to her that his extensive knowledge of the Coruscant criminal underworld meant that he could get ahead of the criminals, instead of chasing behind them.
He was eventually able to swiftly defeat the thieves when Ahsoka got in over her head. Sinube’s next notable appearance was a sad one. In the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, Obi-Wan finds the headquarters of the Inquisitors, and the walls are lined with the corpses of fallen Jedi. Unfortunately, Sinube was one of the entombed Jedi he saw.
13 Plo Koon
In the prequel trilogy, Plo Koon was treated very poorly. However, when Dave Filoni came along to create the incredibly popular animated series, The Clone Wars, the series gave Plo Koon far better development and delved into his powers and connection to the force, making him one of the best characters on the show.
As Dave Filoni’s favorite Jedi, Plo Koon was one of the kindest Jedi in the universe, constantly risking his life for his clones and his friends, especially “little ‘soka”. Plo Koon is a talented swordsman, but his most impressive traits are his ability to command his clones to victory almost every time; and his wisdom and aptitude for others.
12 Shaak Ti
Shaak Ti was a wise Jedi Master with a special sense of compassion. While the Jedi were all supposed to practice compassion without forming emotional attachments, Shaak Ti was the best at balancing this.
She eventually became the Jedi in charge of supervising the clone army’s training. Several episodes of The Clone Wars explored her special connection with the clones. Shaak Ti encouraged each of them to work hard to achieve their best, never giving up on the clones who needed extra guidance.
11 Even Piell
Jedi Master Even Piell is probably best known to Star Wars fans from his appearance in the animated series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Piell was known for his bravery, which became apparent in the episodes he featured in.
The Jedi Master was captured by the Separatists and held in their most advanced prison, and it was up to Obi-Wan, Anakin, Ahsoka, and their trusted clones to get him out. Of course, things didn’t go according to plan, and Piell had to fight alongside Ahsoka to ensure their survival. He was brave until the very end and played a large part in Ahsoka’s growth as a Jedi.
10 Jocasta Nu
Jocasta Nu is one of the more obscure Jedi Masters, but she secretly played a rather large part in the story of the Jedi. She was the main librarian at the Jedi Archives, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t skilled as a warrior. Jocasta Nu was skilled with a lightsaber and resourceful as a survivor of Order 66.
She valued education and knowledge above all else and planned to use her vast understanding of the Jedi ways to start a new order in secret. Unfortunately, she was killed by Vader during an attempt to secure a Jedi Holocron, but not before she left her wisdom in texts for future Jedi. In theory, these are the texts Luke and Rey eventually studied.
9 Kit Fisto
Kit Fisto was a rather unique Jedi. Aside from his striking look, his amphibious nature allowed him to fight swiftly both on land and in water. His personality was also quite distinguished from the rest of the Jedi on the Council.
Fisto was laid back, trusting himself to feel things out in the moment and make the best decision without getting distracted by the stress. While he was ultimately defeated by Darth Sidious, he was an extremely skilled Jedi, even surviving being trapped in General Grievous’ lair.
8 Kelleran Beq
Kelleran Beq or the “Sabered-Hand” is one of the deadliest characters to ever wield a lightsaber, mastering the art of Jar’Kai; the method of utilizing two lightsabers. Since his debut in the children’s show, Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge, Kelleran Beq quickly proved himself as a great teacher. His nurturing nature made him instantly endearing, and his connection to the force and skills with a blade cemented Kelleran Beq as a truly awesome Jedi Master.
Although mostly a secondary Jedi Master in the Star Wars universe, the latest season of The Mandalorian finally answered the question of who saved Grogu, and low and behold, it was the great Jedi Master Kelleran Beq, throwing this underrated Jedi Master into the mainstream.
7 Obi-Wan Kenobi
Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi was a great General during the Clone Wars. Obi-Wan would constantly lead his troops to victory against the Separatists and defeat the likes of Count Dooku, General Grievous, Asajj Ventress, Savage Opress, and Cad Bane; some of the best villains in the Clone Wars. His skills with a blade, blasters, and the force are incredibly impressive and already cemented him as an incredibly powerful Jedi.
However, Obi-Wan’s tragic journey and character arc forced him to more intricately connect with the force. After losing the love of his life, Satine Kryze, and being forced to defeat his former Padawan, Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan’s fear and regret made the former Jedi disconnect from the force, but upon facing his demons, Obi-Wan became more powerful, and he even learned how to become a force ghost; an ability few Jedi can master. Later, Obi-Wan would then go on to briefly teach Luke Skywalker about the force before guiding his Padawan to Jedi Master Yoda, upon his death.
6 Rey Skywalker
Rey Skywalker has been unjustifiably hated for far too long. Taking the Skywalker last name was a little uncalled-for, however, Rey’s arc through the sequel trilogy was incredibly compelling as her power grew with every installment.
Constantly battling against the intrusive thoughts to join the Dark Side, Rey took on Snoke, Kylo Ren, and an uber-powerful Emperor with the entire power and might of the Jedi behind her, all with little training. As a descendant of the Emperor, Rey is in turn granted some truly impressive power, most notably being the only Jedi Master who can cast Force Lightning, although she is still yet to control that.
5 Luminara Unduli
Luminara Unduli was a greatly respected General and Jedi Master during the Clone Wars. Luminara and her Padawan, Barriss Offee, were simply unbeatable in any battle, however, her Padawan soon became corrupted by the Dark Side, leaving Luminara with no Padawan.
Her profound connection to the force was later exploited by the Empire after her death during Order 66 to lure Ezra Bridger and his master Kenan Jarrus into a trap.
4 Mace Windu
Few Jedi Masters are as well respected as the wise Mace Windu. Windu is one of the critical members of the Jedi Council and one of the best leaders during the days of the Clone Wars. His skills as both a leader and Jedi Warrior were incredibly renowned. He even beat the Emperor and almost prevented the rise of the Empire, mostly on his own.
However, Anakin quickly intervened and severed his hand clean off, before Sheev Palpatine released his “Unlimited Power” upon Windu. We still hope that Windu and his iconic purple lightsaber will return one day.
3 Qui-Gon Jinn
Trained by the former Jedi Master Count Dooku, Qui-Gon Jinn was a formidable Jedi Warrior with profound force abilities. The great Jedi Master trained Obi-Wan Kenobi in the force and made it so that Anakin Skywalker would also be taught the way of the Jedi, due to Qui-Gon sensing great power in Anakin.
Qui-Gon was therefore responsible for every event after The Phantom Menace, good or bad. Before Qui-Gon was sadly killed by the deadly Darth Maul, he was one of the first to ever learn about becoming a force ghost after death, he would encourage both Jedi Master Yoda and his former Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi, to learn the same ability.
2 Luke Skywalker
There are few Star Wars characters more iconic or more powerful than the legendary Luke Skywalker. Luke stood against his father and the Emperor, and with the help of his Rebel Alliance, defeated the might of the Empire, ending their hold on the galaxy. From there, Luke made it his duty to help train others infused with the force by forming his own Jedi Academy and took on students like Ben Solo and of course, Grogu.
Luke Skywalker has possessed some incredibly impressive force abilities, including mind tricks, force jumping, levitation, and force ghost, but his most impressive was being able to project himself onto the battlefield of Crait, where Luke and his former Padawan, Kylo Ren, have one final face-off before it’s revealed that Luke was actually on Ahch-To the entire time. This ability was so strenuous that it sadly led to his death.
1 Yoda
While little is known about Yoda’s species, we do know, however, that their entire race is 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. Throughout Star Wars canon, Yoda has shown off some incredibly impressive abilities.
He learned how to project himself as a force ghost, as well as reflect force lightning with his hands. Yoda has taught some of the best Jedi in the galaxy, from Luke Skywalker to Count Dooku. Most notably, however; Yoda’s skills with a blade are unlike anything we have ever seen. Yoda flips and whips around the battlefield and in a duel, getting the edge on his enemies.