History Characters / StarWarsObiWanKenobi

* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: To Anakin as Darth Vader. Despite previously defeating some of the best lightsaber duelists in the galaxy such as Cin Drallig, Asajj Ventress, Eeth Koth, and Count Dooku, the last of whom Obi-Wan never even won against, he consistently loses against his old master Obi-Wan in all-out duels. Even when outmatched in their last duel, Obi-Wan still won in the long term, since he willingly became a Force Ghost to guide Luke in becoming a Jedi. It's justified since Obi-Wan's defensive lightsaber form was a perfect counter to that of Vader's aggressive lightsaber form. Also, as Palpatine alluded in Obi-Wan's series, Vader's subconscious attachments hamper his prowess.

** He showed signs of this over for faking his death in ''The Clone Wars'', since it clearly had a negative effect on Anakin's emotional wellbeing.

* InnocentlyInsensitive: His biggest weakness. For instance, in ''The Phantom Menace'', he continued to argue with Qui-Gon about Anakin's training while Anakin is ''standing right there.'' While significantly toned down after ''Revenge of the Sith'', elements of this still persist even after Obi-Wan became a Force Ghost.

** In spite of him promising to train Anakin and fulfill Qui-Gon's dying wish, Obi-Wan (per Creator/EwanMcGregor's own discussions with Creator/GeorgeLucas) felt very embittered of having this responsibility thrust upon him. Oni-Wan also tried his best to parent Anakin, but his teachings still leaned heavily on the Jedi Order's "let the Council decide" mentality. He also struggled to deal with Anakin's grief and trauma.

* OneManArmy: Being an incredibly skilled and powerful Jedi, Obi-Wan has destroyed several Separatist droids on his own long before the Clone Wars even began. In his self-titled show, he takes down multiple Stormtroopers by himself with just a small blaster and that's ''before'' he starts regaining his lightsaber skills and using it to mow them down with ease.

* SugarAndIcePersonality: Obi-Wan can be aloof and stoic but also compassionate and friendly.

* JerkassHasAPoint: While there were times when he was too critical and insensitive towards Anakin, when Anakin as Darth Vader [[NeverMyFault starts blaming him for Padmé's "betrayal"]], Obi-Wan rightly notes that the latter's own actions (killing innocent Padawans) caused this. Also, while his assessment towards Qui-Gon about Anakin's fall into TheDarkSide is somewhat arguable, Obi-Wan definitely has a point about Anakin's personal choices in it.

** He comes to feel guilt over for faking his death in ''The Clone Wars'', since it clearly had a negative effect on Anakin's emotional wellbeing.

* NiceGuy: He is easily the nicest and most immediately personable member of the Jedi Council in the Prequel Trilogy and ''The Clone Wars''. Overall, he maintains a kind demeanor and strong moral code in spite of the vast amount of hardship he faces.

* No-Sell: After regaining his former skill and then some, [[spoiler: his duel with Vader has the Sith improvise in an attempt to put Obi-wan down; all of them fail. The first was when Vader used the ground for obi wan to fall and collapse into. He gets a second wind and continues his assault on Vader. The second was when it became clear that obi wan is gaining the upper hand in the lightsaber duel, Vader attempts to use to force to even the odds; Obi wan's response is to use even MORE aggressive attacks that eventually lead to an opening in Vader to attack is life support system. The last desperate attempt was when Vader tried to use a stone pillar to shake Obi wan off; this failed to give Obi wan any damage at all and from there Obi wan wins his battle against Darth Vader.]]

** Sidious thinks the prospect of Kenobi defeating Vader on Mustafar is absurd[[/note]]Clearly, [[EvilCannotComprehendGood Sidious didn't factor in Anakin's lingering attachments and regret]][[/note]]. PlayedWith here though, since he comes to acknowledge Kenobi afterwards, admitting in private that if the collective Jedi Order had shown as much resolve in facing the Sith, he likely wouldn't have won.

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** Anakin was taught by the strict and critical Obi-Wan, but had a more laid-back approach when teaching his own Padawan, Ahsoka Tano; Obi-Wan was taught by a comparatively easygoing Qui-Gon Jinn, but was more authoritative with Anakin during the latter's Padawan years. Anakin and Qui-Gon openly stood up for their students against the Jedi Council, whereas Obi-Wan did so mostly outside Anakin and Ahsoka's presence. This greatly strained Obi-Wan's relationship with both younger Jedis, while Qui-Gon had a less complicated relationship overall.

* ImprobableAimingSkills: Like most Jedis, despite having a low opinion on blasters, Obi-Wan is an incredibly deadly sharpshooter. He manages to score impressive shots with a sniper rifle in "The Box" during a test to see how good his shooting skills are, managed to kill General Grievous by shooting him several times in the chest without missing once, and in his own series, is able to gun down multiple Stormtroopers on his own with just a small blaster in Mapuzo.

** Zigzagged regarding his InnocentlyInsensitive attitude. While Obi-Wan was far more patient and understanding towards Luke than towards Anakin, his actions when Luke confronted him about Vader's true identity were arguably insensitive. That said, he seems to have fully learnt his lesson by "From a Certain Point of View: Return of the Jedi".

* WarHero: Not just a legendary Jedi, but a general in the Clone Wars. This is why Leia seeks him out.

* AdaptationalSexuality: In the prequel novel ''Padawan'', Obi-Wan is revealed as a biromantic asexual in the canon, whereas he was straight in ''Legends''.

** At times, Obi-Wan had a black and white view of things, which clouded his overall judgement. In one case, while making a deal with jewel thieves, Qui-Gon laughed at Obi-Wan's display of moral absolutism.

** Count Dooku was this to Obi-Wan during the Clone Wars. Obi-Wan has defeated, whether by force or wit, Maul, Ventress, Jango Fett, Darth Vader, General Grievous, various [[CListFodder minions of the CIS]], and Maul and Savage Opress simultaneously. However, even in his mid-thirties, Obi-Wan was ultimately outmatched against Dooku in their final battle. That said, this was more from Dooku's sudden use of the Force, rather than a gap in lightsaber techniques.

* ParentalHypocrisy: Slightly. Obi-Wan can be somewhat exasperated with Anakin for rebellious behavior, when ''Master and Apprentice'' reveals that he used to be just as rebellious. Like many adults with this issue, it's clear that Obi-Wan just wants what's best for his student.

** Count Dooku was this to him. Obi-Wan has defeated, whether by force or wit, Maul, Ventress, Jango Fett, Darth Vader, General Grievous, various [[CListFodder minions of the CIS]], and Maul and Savage Opress simultaneously. Count Dooku is the exception to this, having consistently defeated Obi-Wan with ease until their last confrontation (Though given Kenobi later stalemated Anakin, it's possible Palpatine was weakening Obi-Wan to get him out of the way). While it's possible Kenobi surpassed him later in life, there was no point where Dooku was alive where Kenobi could've bested him.

* CynicalMentor: He [[DownplayedTrope could sometimes be one towards Anakin]]. Despite being TheAce, Obi-Wan simply wasn't ready to mentor someone as special as TheChosenOne. Though maturity on both sides help their relationship by "The Clone Wars", there are moments when Obi-Wan can be somewhat tactless towards Anakin, such as: not understand Anakin's grief over R2-D2's disappearance, and pointing out Ahsoka's decision to leave the Jedi Order.

** With Anakin, he tends to be strict and at times critical, even chastising him once in public. Though Obi-Wan frequently praised Anakin, [[DeconstructedTrope it wasn't enough for him]], since he eventually chafes under Obi-Wan's teaching methods, feeling hurt by Obi-Wan's InnocentlyInsensitive actions. Palpatine ends up using this to his own advantage, alienating Anakin from Obi-Wan and the Jedi Order.
** Having learnt from his mistakes, Obi-Wan takes more of a Gentle Touch towards Luke's training, acting as a [[ParentalSubstitute nurturing father figure]]. It also contrasts him with Luke's second mentor Yoda, who is more skeptical of Luke and employs BrutalHonesty.

** When Qui-Gon offers to take Anakin on as his Padawan, Obi-Wan is heartbroken, seeing it as Qui-Gon casting him aside. That Qui-Gon says it's because Obi-Wan is ready to be promoted to Knight does a lot to patch up the wound, the fact remains that he was blindsided by it and greatly hurt.
** He was distraught by Qui-Gon's death, but doesn't let it affect him too much, and he manages to defeat Maul not long after he fatally wounds Qui-Gon.

* HeroesPreferSwords: Just like all Jedi, Obi-Wan uses a lightsaber as his weapon. He in fact considers blasters to be "uncivilised".

* HumbleHero: It seems that Obi-Wan is the only being who doesn't understand how great a Jedi he is--when the Council proposes to send their "most cunning and insightful Master" after Grievous, he has no idea who they mean. He's also surprised when Mace Windu--the guy who created his own form of lightsaber combat--refers to him as "the master of the classic form....Not ''a'' master. ''The'' master".
* {{Hypocrite}}: Despite being hurt by Qui-Gon's occasional InnocentlyInsensitive actions, Obi-Wan could be thoughtless towards Anakin as well, if mostly stemming from lack of experience. Likewise, [[YMMV/HomePage depending on what side of the linguistic debate your on]], his infamous quote that "Only a Sith deals in absolutes".

* ImprobableAimingSkills: Ironically, for a guy with a low opinion on blasters, Obi-Wan is an incredibly deadly sharpshooter. He manages to score impressive shots with a sniper rifle in "The Box" during a test to see how good his shooting skills are, managed to kill General Grievous by shooting him several times in the chest without missing once, and in his own series, is able to gun down multiple Stormtroopers on his own with just a small blaster in Mapuzo.

* LovedINotHonorMore: Obi-Wan clearly had feelings for Satine and stated in "[[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsS2E13VoyageOfTemptation Voyage of Temptation]]" that he would've left the Jedi Order had she asked. However, he's dedicated to the ways of the Jedi and refuses to begin a relationship with her.

** Obi-Wan's rather poor timing on Mustafar pretty much erased any chance of Padme convincing Anakin to rethink his choices as Darth Vader. Likewise, since Anakin was of little threat after losing their duel, Obi-Wan could have either finished him off or saved him. If Obi-Wan did so, Palpatine might have lost the chance to reconvert Anakin into a servant for the Galactic Empire.

* SternTeacher: He's very adherent to the Jedi code, and frequently criticizes Anakin for his mistakes and his bending of the code increasingly often. This drives Anakin to seek a mentor who is a less strict and more accepting figure, [[EvilMentor like Palpatine]].

* TookALevelInBadass: Obi-Wan goes from a polished Padawan who gets ''very'' lucky against an overconfident Sith apprentice to a powerful Jedi Master who has defeated the terrifying General Grievous, strikes down Darth Maul again with almost no effort (having previously taken on both Maul ''and'' Savage alone and sent them running after he nearly killed Savage, a feat only Palpatine could match) and bested Anakin, the most powerful Force User in the galaxy, in a straight fight as Darth Vader.

** Sidious thinks the prospect of Kenobi defeating Vader on Mustafar is absurd[[/note]] Clearly, [[EvilCannotComprehendGood Sidious didn't factor in Anakin's lingering attachments and regret]][[/note]]. PlayedWith here though, since he comes to acknowledge Kenobi afterwards, admitting in private that if the collective Jedi Order had shown as much resolve in facing the Sith, he likely wouldn't have won.

** Him and Qui-Gon had a teacher-student version of this. Qui-Gon was a fairly rebellious Jedi with a lot of out-there ideas, who regularly clashed with the Jedi Council over his unorthodox ways while Obi-Wan was a conservative, by-the-books Jedi, one who followed the Jedi Code far more strictly than his Master. This is a major reason why Obi-Wan was granted a seat on the Council, while Qui-Gon never was, despite being among the Jedi's best and brightest.

* WellDoneSonGuy: In ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'', there is a scene where Obi-Wan apologizes for criticizing Qui-Gon's sometimes peculiar actions (taking Jar Jar with them and betting their ship on Anakin winning the podrace). Qui-Gon quickly praises Obi-Wan for his willingness to learn and tells him he would someday become a greater Jedi than Qui-Gon himself ever was.

* RebuiltPedestal: Unlike Qui-Gon and Luke, Obi-Wan initially did not believe in Anakin's redemption, deeming him as a lost cause. After proven otherwise though, Obi-Wan greets Anakin as an old friend and hero in their reunion.

* TookALevelInKindness: Not that he wasn't always kind, but he's definitely less high-strung than he was in his younger days. He’s also considerably more mindful and respectful to droids than he used to be, as seen in A New Hope. Furthermore, he becomes a great deal more patient in teaching, essentially being the mentor Anakin needed as a Padawan. Compared to his conversation with Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan has also eased up with blaming Anakin for becoming Darth Vader, hence their reunion in the afterlife.

* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: To Anakin as Darth Vader. Despite previously defeating some of the best lightsaber duelists in the galaxy such as Cin Drallig, Eeth Kothlig, Eeth Koth, and Count Dooku, the last of whom Obi-Wan never even won against, he consistently loses against his old master Obi-Wan in all-out duels. Even when outmatched in their last duel, Obi-Wan still won in the long term, since he willingly became a Force Ghost to guide Luke in becoming a Jedi. It's justified since Obi-Wan's defensive lightsaber form was a perfect counter to that of Vader's aggressive lightsaber form. Also, as Palpatine alluded in Obi-Wan's series, Vader's subconscious attachments hamper his prowess.

* InnocentlyInsensitive: Hs biggest weakness. For instance, in ''The Phantom Menace'', he continued to argue with Qui-Gon about Anakin's training while Anakin is ''standing right there.'' While significantly toned down after ''Revenge of the Sith'', elements of this still persist even after Obi-Wan became a Force Ghost.

* OneManArmy: Being an incredibly skilled and powerful Jedi, Obi-Wan has destroyed several Separatist droids on his own long before the Clone Wars even began and multiplied the amount of Separatist droids in the galaxy. In his self-titled show, he takes down multiple Stormtroopers by himself with just a small blaster and that's ''before'' he starts regaining his lightsaber skills and using it to mow them down with ease.

* StrongAndSkilled: Proficiency in academic pursuits aside, there's a reason that Anakin labeled him as being "as powerful as Master Windu" and "as wise as Master Yoda". He passively [[MagicKnight has the Force enhancing his physical attributes to superhuman levels]] at all times, is one of the most powerful Force users to ever live (he and Vader try to use Force attacks on each other in their duel, and only succeed in stalemating ''exactly'' both times), is a cunning tactician, and is a MasterSwordsman who excels at his defensive-based lightsaber combat form. His final defeat of Grievous (along with his duels with Maul and Vader) involved him tricking his opponent in some way (e.g. Gambling that Vader would attack him while Obi-Wan had the environmental advantage).

* TalkingTheMonsterToDeath: He attempted it when he showed pity for Darth Maul, believing that Maul didn't choose the dark side of his own volition. Maul gleefully proves him wrong by murdering Satine.

** Sidious thinks the prospect of Kenobi defeating Vader on Mustafar is absurd. PlayedWith here though, since despite this, he gains a small measure of respect for Kenobi after the fact, admitting in private that if the collective Jedi Order had shown as much resolve in facing the Sith, he likely wouldn't have won.

** He would later have this dynamic with Anakin, albeit {{Inverted}}. Obi-Wan was the strait-laced Jedi who always thought with his head and not with his heart, while Anakin was as rebellious as they came and practically rushed into a situation with his lightsaber blazing.
* WeakButSkilled: Downplayed on the "weak" part. Compared to the heaviest hitters of his era, he lacks the age, wisdom, and experience of Yoda and Sidious and the raw talent of Anakin. However, he is able to close the gap through sheer technical discipline; Mace Windu describes him as ''the'' master of Form III, and he is one of only a handful of people in the galaxy able to face Darth Vader in his prime in open combat and live to tell the tale.

* BewareTheNiceOnes: Even after two decades of growing old on Tatooine, Old Ben is fully willing to slice off your arm, should you threaten his friends. And as seen with Maul, he's initially cordial, but as soon as he feels like Maul could pose a threat to Luke, he puts him down in ''two strikes''.

* TheDreaded: ''Very'' much a DownplayedTrope, but in the Empire's time, he is this to none other than ''Sidious himself''. Much like his master Qui-Gon, this isn't because of his personal power, Sidious is more powerful than him. However, Obi-Wan defeated (or trained the man who defeated) all of Sidious' apprentices, stayed alive despite Sidious' countless attempts to get him killed, killed General Grievous, and crippled Anakin. The last of these gave Sidious some degree of respect for the Jedi Master, who admits he is very thankful most Jedi of the era were ''not'' akin to Kenobi. Sidious ultimately bars Vader from pursuing Kenobi after Kenobi beats him again, realizing explicitly that Vader is being unbalanced emotionally (and may even turn back from the light if this continues). Implicitly, it's because Palpatine knows Kenobi has a strong chance of killing Vader if they fight again. Lastly, Tarkin is [[OhCrap mildly intimidated]] (and initially makes capturing or killing him a priority before Vader demands to face him alone) when he knows Kenobi is on the Death Star. Tarkin's reaction ends up being spot on, as Kenobi indirectly kills Tarkin that same day by giving Luke the last push he needs to destroy the Death Star.

* Hypocrite: His insistence to Luke about confronting Darth Vader comes as this, since Obi-Wan himself relinquished two separate opportunities to stop the Sith Lord.

** A platonic example to Anakin in ''Revenge of the Sith''. After Anakin [[FaceHeelTurn becomes]] a Sith Lord, the former friends duel and Obi-Wan wins after cutting off Anakin's non-robotic hand and both legs. Obi-Wan then [[NotSoStoic tearfully]] screams that Anakin was his brother and he loved him.

* AntiMentor: Made so by Darth Sidious. Qui-Gon Jinn planned to train Anakin but left the task to Obi-Wan after he was mortally wounded by Darth Maul. Obi-Wan tried his best, but struggled due to his inexperience. While he certainly made mistakes, however, his mentorship of Anakin was actively sabotaged by Sidious who billed himself as a second mentor and intentionally played the role in a way that made Obi-Wan look bad.

** Unlike Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan had a strict adherence to the Jedi Order, something Dave Filoni notes partly led to Darth Vader's creation. Similarly, while admitting that mistakes were made in Ahsoka's expulsion, Obi-Wan still chose to pin some blame on Ahsoka herself during the Siege of Mandalore, an act which furthered Ahsoka's feelings of distrust.
** At times, Obi-Wan arguably falls into a black and white view of things. In one case, while making a deal with jewel thieves, Qui-Gon laughed at Obi-Wan's display of moral absolutism.

** Anakin was taught by the strict and critical Obi-Wan, but had a more laid-back approach when teaching his own Padawan, Ahsoka Tano; Obi-Wan was taught by the more carefree Qui-Gon Jinn, but was more authoritative with Anakin during the latter's Padawan years. Anakin and Qui-Gon openly stood up for their students against the Jedi Council, whereas Obi-Wan did so mostly outside Anakin and Ahsoka's presence. This greatly strained Obi-Wan's relationship with both younger Jedis, while Qui-Gon had a less complicated relationship overall.

* InnocentlyInsensitive: One of his biggest weaknesses. For instance, in ''The Phantom Menace'', he continued to argue with Qui-Gon about Anakin's training while Anakin is ''standing right there.'' It took until ''Revenge of the Sith'' for Obi-Wan to see just how harmful this attitude was.

* JerkassHasAPoint: While there were times when he was too critical and insensitive towards Anakin, when Anakin as Darth Vader [[NeverMyFault starts blaming him for Padmé's "betrayal"]], Obi-Wan rightly points out that the latter's own actions (killing innocent Padawans) caused this. He also has a good point about Anakin's choices in turning to TheDarkSide and into a Sith Lord, if admitting partial fault for it.

* TheChessmaster: He attempts to steer Luke towards stopping or destroying Darth Vader throughout the original trilogy. Luke then redeems Vader.

*** There’s debate about whether Obi-Wan did this to manipulate Luke into killing his father. Lucas himself has said no while Filoni said yes.

* MetaphoricallyTrue: The former TropeNamer. In ''Return of the Jedi'', when Luke calls him out on lying and claiming Darth Vader killed his father when [[LukeIAmYourFather he]] ''[[LukeIAmYourFather is]]'' [[LukeIAmYourFather his father]], Obi-Wan explains that "from a certain point of view", that wasn't a lie; as far as he's concerned, Anakin Skywalker [[DeathOfPersonality died]] when he fell to the dark side, and only Darth Vader is left. This is expanded on in his series when Vader says ThatManIsDead, that he killed Anakin, which Obi-Wan sadly accepts, calling him "Darth" and leaving him to his new life.

* TookALevelInKindness: Not that he wasn't always kind, but he's definitely less high-strung than he was in his younger days. He’s also considerably more mindful and respectful to droids than he used to be, as seen in A New Hope. Furthermore, he becomes a great deal more patient in teaching, essentially being the mentor Anakin needed as a Padawan.