My Top 10 Lightsaber Duels (TCW)

Now that I've done a Top 10 list for the best lightsaber duels in Episodes I-VI, I thought it only right to do a Top 10 for the best lightsaber duels to come out of the Star Wars: TCW cartoon (second one). Certainly, I wasn't wanting for options, but I was still able to narrow it down to my favorites. 

Number 10: Luminara Unduli Vs. Asajj Ventress (Season 1): Besides being the lightsaber duel that actually made Luminara impressive as a duelist, this lightsaber duel also deserves mention for the coolness of the location: the interior of the burning ship makes it feel like a fusion of Mustafar and the Death Stars, and it also gives the lightsaber duel a feeling of desperation, particularly as Ventress starts to get the upper hand. I'd have mentioned Ahsoka Tano, but after she shows up, the duel doesn't go on for much longer. No, the meat of this one is the one on one between Luminara and Ventress, and the duel overall is one of the best Season 1 gave us. 

Number 9: Anakin and Obi-Wan Vs. Darth Tyranus (Season 6): Anakin and Obi-Wan have had so many fights with Dooku both individually and together, that it's hard to make any of them stand out after a while. But, some of them do. Besides the first and last duels seen in Episodes II and III respectively, this one in particular is also nice. The changing scenery and the excellent choreography in the duel both make it more fun to watch, and the visual of the platform surrounded by mist is cool. As always, Dooku shows off his stuff by holding his own against both Jedi at once, and overall I'd call this the single best lightsaber duel between him and the Jedi A-Team outside of the movies proper. And that is really saying something. 

Number 8: Ahsoka Tano Vs. Barriss Offee (Season 5): We may not know it's Barriss (yet), but this is still a fun lightsaber duel. That mask/helmet, very reminiscent of the Sith Stalker armor from Force Unleashed, is seriously awesome, and combined with the dark clothing and the silent treatment Barriss gives Ahsoka, add to the menace of the character as she engages Ahsoka and ultimately beats her. As was the case with the Luminara/Ventress match, the fires really add to the feeling of desperation on the part of the heroine as she starts to get overwhelmed, helped also in this respect by the fact that the character is already on the run. In all, a good lightsaber duel, and one of many in the show to have a nicely dark tone. 

Number 7: Kit Fisto Vs. General Grievous (Season 1): Lot of people harp on how the second Clone Wars cartoon treated Grievous. But honestly, he had a few good lightsaber duels throughout the course of the show, and this one is one of the best. Kit's one of the best lightsaber duelists the Jedi Order ever produced per factual accolade, not to mention knowing Shii-Cho, which is good against multiple lightsaber blades. Between both of those things it makes sense that Kit would do well here. The fact that Grievous could still give Kit a fight rather than get creamed in seconds is telling, and really this is perhaps the BEST display of skill from Grievous in the entire show. And of course, the visual of three lightsaber blades versus two is fun, and like with my Number 9 pick, I like the foggy/misty location for the fight. In all, the best of the Season 1 lightsaber duels. 

Number 6: Darth Tyranus Vs. Asajj Ventress and Nightsisters (Season 3): Yet another excellent showing for Count Dooku and proof of how awesome a lightsaber duelist (and villain) he is. Dooku's beaten Ventress before, and the fact that even when drugged and blinded he can STILL hold his own against her with back-up? Awesome. Really, just for being such a great indicator of how skilled Dooku is even when not at his best makes this a winner in my book. The Force Lightning heavy finish at the end might seem a bit cheap, but it's such a cool display of power that I really don't mind. And what's Force Lightning for anyway?

Number 5: Darth Maul Vs. Pre Vizsla (Season 5): Annoying as it is that people use this duel to "prove" how "weak" a duelist Maul is, let's remember that Maul was actually slumming it here per Dave Filoni. That's right. Maul was holding back for the sake of putting on a show. His way of showing that, even when holding back he could still take the Mandalorian. Much like with Dooku Vs. Ventress and company, we see here how good Maul is even when not at his A-game. That, and because Pre Vizsla is a Mandalorian warrior he brings much more to the table than his darksaber (awesome as that is). We see blasters, grenades, and of course, lots of jetpack love. Really, this fight manages in some ways to even surpass Obi-Wan's excellent fight with Jango in Episode II, and as one of my all-time favorite fight scenes from the movies, that's saying a lot. I especially love the way this one ends, with Vizsla looking to his men for help and them just staring down at him with cold contempt. And of course, how can we not love Maul's brutal finish of Vizsla? All in all, a great lightsaber duel, and one that's unconventional nature helps elevate it to the Top 5. 

Number 4: Yoda and Anakin Illusion Vs. Darth Sidious Illusion (Season 6): The only real lightsaber duel Yoda had in the series, this one does not disappoint. The fact that it's a "What If...?" scenario makes it especially fun, as we get to see what might have happened had Yoda and Anakin gotten to corner Sidious before the villain could corrupt Anakin. The visual of Palpatine's Coruscant lair is also really cool, and something I wish we'd seen just a bit more of in the movies and other media. While this duel lacks the gravitas of the Yoda/Sidious fight in Revenge of the Sith, it's still not wanting for dramatic feeling, and Anakin's presence is welcome as well. Also, the finish, with Yoda and Sidious plummeting together is not only a cool visual, but also feels like a reference to the Sherlock Holmes story "The Final Problem". Nice.

Number 3: Obi-Wan Kenobi Vs. Darth Maul and Savage Opress (Season 5): Normally, I wouldn't want to see Obi-Wan dual-wield, as I feel he's more of a "keeping it classic" kind of Jedi when it comes to his lightsaber. That said, this is definitely an occasion that calls for dual wielding, as Obi-Wan found himself alone against the badass and dangerous duo of the Dathomir brothers. The fact that Obi-Wan was able to beat Savage Opress before Maul beat him via TK is a great moment, as it reminds us that Obi-Wan is indeed a lightsaber duelist of great skill. Also, I'm in the minority for loving Darth Maul's "chicken legs", and this is the last lightsaber duel he had them in. So this fight gets points for that as well. And again, I also loved seeing Darth Maul's display of telekinetic power, as he blasted Obi-Wan back and even collapsed a tunnel. Not bad.

Number 2: Obi-Wan Kenobi and Asajj Ventress Vs. Darth Maul and Savage Opress (Season 4): And so here we find that the way to surpass the Obi-Wan Vs. Maul and Savage fight is to have Obi-Wan AND Ventress Vs. Maul and Savage! The environment may seem compact, but it's multi-layered design keeps it fun, especially as we see Maul make good use of his chicken legs to navigate the area and kick Obi-Wan around. Getting to see Darth Maul fight and do well for the first time since TPM (or the Vader fight if we're talking non-chronologically), is also a real treat. This is a great and satisfying two on two, one that ends with Obi-Wan and Ventress just narrowly making their retreat from the brothers grim. And, just like how Obi-Wan beating Savage in the later fight is a nice indicator of skill for him, I also love how here he can duel Maul as a perfect equal, showing he's come a long way since losing to him way back in TPM. 

Number 1: Darth Sidious Vs. Darth Maul and Savage Opress (Season 5): And so, how does one surpass an Obi-Wan AND Ventress Vs. Maul and Savage fight? Why, with a SIDIOUS Vs. Maul and Savage fight of course! Far from nerfing Sidious for the sake of drama, this fight has him holding back on purpose for the sake of toying with the Dathomir brothers, and STILL being able to cream them both. This fight does such an excellent job of conveying the utter badassery and awesome might of Darth Sidious, and the accompanying music really helps in that regard. The environment for the fight is also very nice, and the level of acrobatics and power on display here is something else. And, to top it all off, we not only get as good a death as Savage Opress was ever going to get, we also got Darth Maul using his lightsaber and the Darksaber together for a sweet visual of red and black blades. Sure, it all came to nothing, as he got creamed but come on. We all knew there was only one way this fight could end. Say what you will about TCW, but they know Sidious is the most powerful and most skilled Sith, and this duel definitely shows him earning that and then some. 

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