15 best Anakin Skywalker moments in Star Wars
By Tom Farr
13. Anakin versus Obi-Wan
The most climactic moment in the prequel trilogy is the moment Anakin and Obi-Wan face one another as bitter enemies in Revenge of the Sith, leaving behind the friendship and brotherhood that previously marked their relationship before Anakin’s turn to the Dark Side. Obi-Wan follows Anakin to the lava planet of Mustafar by hiding in Padme’s ship. Anakin, blinded by the Dark Side and believing Padme brought Obi-Wan to kill him, Force chokes Padme before Obi-Wan steps in, demanding him to stop.
The two then begin one of the most epic lightsaber battles of all time, moving across the fiery landscape of Mustafar. The battle demands both of them to give all that they’ve got, drawing from opposite sides of the Force. Anakin is young, confident, and powerful, and given that he just defeated Mace Windu before killing all the younglings at the Jedi temple, he seems to be more than powerful enough to defeat his former master.
But Anakin isn’t just confident; he’s overconfident, blinded by his own arrogance. In the end, Obi-Wan has the high ground, and Anakin is defeated, his limbs cut off and his broken body ignited by the flames of Mustafar. Both literally and metaphorically, Anakin is broken. This moment demonstrates the corrupting nature of the dark side of the Force, turning Anakin’s love for Obi-Wan into bitter hatred.