5 Best Lightsaber Designs In Star Wars, Ranked

Lightsabers are easily one of the coolest parts of the "Star Wars" franchise. The colorful light swords are unique to each person, allowing for customizations that show who they are as a fighter, and sometimes they are even representative of someone's personality. Made with kyber crystals, lightsabers can help identify someone's allegiance, since the crystal will bleed to red if someone joins the Sith. 

While there is a traditional lightsaber design, that hasn't stopped some Force users from getting creative. Some have made small changes, while others have created something entirely unique to them. One example that comes to mind is Ezra Bridger's first lightsaber, which was both a lightsaber and a blaster in one. Since you build your own, it really provides you the chance to develop what works best for you.

With that in mind, there are some lightsabers that stand out above the rest. Some were intentionally made to suit a specific fighting style, while others were accidents that worked well with the character. After searching the galaxy, these are the ones that made the short list for best lightsaber design in "Star Wars."

Asajj Ventress is a member of the Sith, actively fighting against the Jedi Order during the Clone Wars. She's one of the strongest bounty hunters in the galaxy, utilizing her lightsabers well in fights. While she has wielded a yellow lightsaber, her split saber with the red blades is one of the best lightsaber designs in "Star Wars."

Because she trained under Count Dooku, it should come as no surprise that her lightsabers share the same unique hilt style as his. They have a curved hilt, which can then attach together to create a double-bladed lightsaber. With the curved hilt, she can use one lightsaber in each hand, making her incredibly dangerous.

When Asajj Ventress combines them into one lightsaber, it works just as well. While it might seem like the curved blades wouldn't work when linked together, it actually seems to give them even more mobility, which she uses in her favor against adversaries. 

Though this lightsaber doesn't belong to just one person, the lightsaber design used by the guards of the Jedi Temple has several unique features that make it one of the best designs in the galaxy. It combines a rare kyber crystal color, a lightsaber pike, and a hinge to create a multi-purpose lightsaber that works well for all forms of defense.

A lightsaber pike is like a double-blade lightsaber, but the blades are a bit shorter and connected by a staff. For Jedi Temple guards, this causes them to have a large defensive saber that offers a lot of opportunity for movement. Some even have a hinge, allowing them to collapse in half, creating more defensive options.

As a whole, this doesn't seem like that interesting of a design, but what puts it over the edge is the yellow blade. The color has become synonymous with this type of lightsaber, and is one of the rarest kyber crystal colors, adding to the unique design.

The Darksaber is a Mandalorian-made lightsaber. Yes, you read that correctly. While Mandalorians aren't typically associated with the Jedi Order, there have been Mandalorian Jedis. The first, Tarre Vizsla, created a lightsaber that is as unique as her appointment to the Jedi Order was at the time, and it's easily one of the best designs.

The Darksaber's blade is black, unlike the colorful nature that is associated with lightsabers. The blade is designed more like a traditional sword, with an angled edge, and is shorter than that of a typical lightsaber. The hilt is also black, resembling a Mandalorian weapon more than a Jedi one since it's made of Mandalorian steel or beskar. It is also more angular and rectangular compared to a standard Jedi-made hilt.

While many have wielded the Darksaber over the years, it always comes with a price. It is a lightsaber meant to pass between people by winning it in combat, with the victor earning the power to lead the Mandalorians. However, that doesn't always happen, and those who have not rightfully won its allegiance often use it. There is a belief in some that in these cases, the blade becomes cursed, and could kill all Mandalorians in the wrong hands.

Kylo Ren, known as Ben Solo to his parents Han Solo and Leia Organa, is the primary antagonist of the sequel trilogy. He's not technically a member of the Sith Order, hence the lack of "Darth" in his moniker, but it's clear from his red kyber crystal that he's turned away from the ideals of the Jedi. His lightsaber is just as unique as his personal history, and it makes it one of the best designs in the franchise.

His lightsaber is unique in that it is a crossguard lightsaber. This means that it has the standard blade of a lightsaber, but also two smaller ones set perpendicular to the main one, acting as a blocking mechanism for the hilt. In Kylo Ren's case, this was necessary because when he forced his kyber crystal to change from blue to red, it actually cracked the crystal, causing excess energy to come out. The two smaller blades act as funnels for that excess.

While it wasn't an intentional design by Ren, it works well with how the writers built his character and how he fights with it. With the damaged crystal, the saber crackles, which perfectly captures the anger that Kylo Ren has at the system. It's a design that's reflective of his internal conflict between the two ideologies, and it fits well with his more offensive style of fighting.

Count Dooku, later known as Darth Tyranus in the Sith Order, is not only one of the most interesting characters in the prequel trilogy, but he has one of the best lightsaber designs in the galaxy. He turns on the Jedi Order, changing his alliance to the Sith and aiding in the planned kidnapping of Chancellor Palpatine (Darth Sidious).

While Dooku does have a red kyber crystal like those who shift their allegiance to the Sith, his lightsaber design is interesting because his hilt is curved. Rather than the traditional straight hilt seen on most lightsabers, Dooku crafted what would be his second lightsaber with a curve on the end to compliment his combat style. It allows him to use only one hand while wielding his lightsaber, and lets him be completely in control of even the smallest movements.

"Dooku fights like a fencer, which is a one handed sport," Reddit user helpful__explorer wrote, due to how he'd lunge at individuals he was fighting with. While this isn't confirmed as the intent of the design, it's what it comes across as to many fans, and it provides a better understanding of his unique hilt. Fencing requires complete control over the foil with a single hand, and Dooku's curved hilt allows him to have a similar level of control. He knew how he wanted to fight, and he built a lightsaber that would accommodate that. The change is simple, but it works well for him.