Star Wars fans have argued who the strongest Jedi of all time is for many years, but there is really no competition, as one stands high above everyone else. After Return of the Jedi was released in 1983, it was pretty clear to fans that Luke Skywalker was undoubtedly the strongest Jedi to have ever lived, as he defeated the Sith and did something no other Jedi had ever been able to do. However, the prequel trilogy then showed just how powerful Luke's father, Anakin, was, so fans of that trilogy then began arguing that Anakin was much stronger than Luke.
While the debate has gone on for a long time, there is a clear winner, but it actually depends on whether fans are talking strictly about canon or if Star Wars Legends (which was formerly known as the Expanded Universe (EU)) is involved. If canon is the only timeline and reference being looked at, Anakin Skywalker is absolutely the most powerful Jedi of all time. However, if the EU is being taken into consideration, then it is undoubtedly Luke.
Both characters throughout canon displayed their great power, and it is no secret that they are both extremely gifted. However, Anakin has to be given the edge in canon for multiple reasons.
Why Anakin Is the Strongest Jedi in Canon
As far as canon goes, Anakin is the strongest Jedi of all time, and it is not even close. Luke's post-Return of the Jedi powers have been briefly explored in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, but the most powerful feat Luke has achieved is probably his Force projection in The Last Jedi, which was a great feat of strength, but Anakin one-upped him in The Clone Wars.
While Anakin, Ahsoka, and Obi-Wan were on Mortis, Anakin was able to control the Son and the Daughter at the same time. The Ones (The Father, the Son, and the Daughter) were genuine representations of the Force itself, so Anakin being able to control both the representation of the Light Side and the Dark Side proved that he had immeasurable power.
That action also proved to the Father that Anakin was truly the Chosen One. Now, just because Anakin was the Chosen One doesn't mean that he is powerful. Honestly, anyone in the galaxy could be the Chosen One as long as they were somehow responsible for bringing balance to the Force. However, Anakin was born through the Force. He had no father, and his Midichlorian count was the highest ever recorded.
Midichlorians don't necessarily represent how powerful someone is, but they do indicate their potential. So, scientifically, in the world of Star Wars, Anakin had the potential to become the greatest and most powerful Force user of all time.
Now, Anakin was in his prime when he turned into Darth Vader. The period of time that he was Vader prior to getting his limbs chopped off on Mustafar was the most powerful version of Anakin ever. He technically wasn't a Jedi at that time, but he was still the same person in the same body, so that power still has to be taken into account.
The Mortis incident is the best example of proving that Anakin is the strongest Jedi of all time. However, something that comes close is when Anakin took over the Jedi Temple during Order 66. Yes, the 501st Legion was with him, and he wasn't fighting the strongest of the Jedi, but he was wiping out Jedi after Jedi, sometimes fighting four or five at the same time.
A lot of people also forget just how major it was for Anakin to defeat Count Dooku on the Invisible Hand. Dooku was known as one of the best lightsaber duelists in the history of the galaxy. He went toe-to-toe with Yoda in Attack of the Clones and defeated both Anakin and Obi-Wan in that film.
So, when Anakin was able to disarm Dooku and defeat him in Revenge of the Sith, that was an insanely impressive feat because Dooku was regarded as a top-tier duelist.
As mentioned, Luke's canon power level only grew in the Disney+ era with his appearances in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. However, so did Anakin's.
For instance, in Ahsoka, Anakin was able to appear to Ahsoka in the World Between Worlds and physically cross lightsabers with her. He was also able to appear as a Force ghost in that show, as well as in Return of the Jedi, seemingly with no training. There have been indications that Obi-Wan taught Anakin how to be a Force ghost after Anakin died in Return of the Jedi, but that has never actually been confirmed.
In Obi-Wan Kenobi, one of the biggest and most jaw-dropping moments in the show was when Vader stopped a ship from flying away and literally pulled it out of the sky. At that point, Anakin's power was hindered due to being inside the Vader suit, and he was still able to stop a ship mid-flight and then pull it down to the ground. 99% of Jedi at their full power wouldn't be able to do that, and Anakin did it while his powers were limited.
There are many other instances in Star Wars canon that prove Anakin is the strongest Jedi of all time. Throughout the prequels, canon novels, and The Clone Wars, he performed some of the greatest actions of any Force user in the galaxy's history. However, when talking about the EU (which is now known as Star Wars Legends), Luke has him beat by a mile.
How Luke is the Strongest Jedi in Star Wars Legends
After Return of the Jedi was released, many fans created their own Star Wars stories. All of those stories made up what was known as the Expanded Universe, and, in some of those stories, Luke literally had the powers of a god.
There are dozens and dozens of examples of Luke displaying unfathomable powers, but a few of them really prove he was the strongest entity in the history of the galaxy in Star Wars Legends.
For example, in the New Jedi Order series of novels, when fighting against the Yuuzhan Vong as they invaded the galaxy, Luke literally manipulated and moved a singularity, which is the center of a black hole where gravity and density are infinite. Doing so completely exhausted Luke, obviously, but he still moved something that doesn't even adhere to the natural physics of the universe.
Many Star Wars fans, even if they haven't consumed much Legends content, have likely heard of Abeloth. For reference, Abeloth was a ridiculously overpowered entity connected to the Mortis gods, and she is essentially unstoppable. In the Fate of the Jedi novels, Luke faces off against Abeloth in an entirely different realm called the Beyond Shadows.
To get to the Beyond Shadows, Luke had to separate himself from his physical body, which takes a lot of power in itself. While there, he, along with Darth Krayt (it is a long story, but they teamed up to fight Abeloth), fought and defeated Abeloth, though it almost killed him. Still, Luke doing that is far more impressive than anything anyone has ever done in canon.
Another example of Luke's power in Legends comes from The Swarm War, where Luke grounded himself with the Force to literally become immovable. It was explained in the story that Luke used the Force to root himself into the ground so that he would not be pushed back by an attack. When he did this, it was said that Luke was so grounded that a black hole would not even be able to move him.
There are other instances in Legends where Luke displayed god-like powers, and all of his feats could never be noted in one place, as there are too many. Therefore, the consensus is clear; in canon, Anakin Skywalker is the strongest Jedi to have ever lived. In Legends, though, his son, Luke Skywalker, surpasses him.
