Lightsabers are dangerous. Obviously. But if you’re looking at Star Wars Form VII, you’re talking about a style that is arguably more dangerous to the person swinging the blade than the person standing in front of it. It’s weird. It’s volatile. Honestly, it’s a bit of a miracle the Jedi Council even let anyone practice it in the first place.
Most people know it by two names: Juyo and Vaapad. But they aren't exactly the same thing. Think of Juyo as the ancient, raw foundation used by the Sith for millennia. It’s chaotic. It’s fueled by emotion. Then you have Mace Windu, who looked at this "forbidden" style and decided he could fix it. He created Vaapad.
Why does this matter? Because Juyo and Vaapad explain everything about why some of our favorite characters fight the way they do. When you see Kylo Ren hacking away like a lumberjack in The Force Awakens, or Mace Windu staring down Palpatine with that intense, scary focus, you’re watching Star Wars Form VII in action. It’s not just "fighting." It’s a psychological tightrope walk.
What Is Juyo? The "Bold" Way of the Sith
Before Mace Windu ever stepped onto the scene, there was Juyo. It’s the oldest version of the seventh form.
If Form I is about the basics and Form III is about defense, Juyo is about pure, unadulterated aggression. It’s described in the lore as "vicious" and "unpredictable." Unlike the elegant, dance-like movements of Form II (Makashi), Juyo uses bold, direct strikes. It doesn't follow a rhythmic pattern. That's what makes it so hard to block. You can’t predict where the next hit is coming from because the user isn't following a sequence. They are following their gut.
The problem? To use Juyo effectively, you have to tap into your emotions. You need passion. You need a bit of that inner fire. For a Jedi, that’s a massive red flag. The Jedi Code is all about "there is no emotion, there is peace." Juyo is the exact opposite of peace. This is why the Jedi Order basically banned it for centuries. It was a "Sith style."
Darth Maul is probably the most famous pure Juyo user we see on screen. Watch his fight against Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi in The Phantom Menace. He isn't just defending himself. He’s hunting them. His movements are acrobatic but heavy. He uses his entire body as a weapon. That’s the heart of Juyo—using physical power to overwhelm the opponent’s will to fight.
Vaapad: Mace Windu’s Great Experiment
Then we get to Mace Windu. He’s a unique guy. He realized that he had a lot of internal darkness—a lot of "inner fire." Instead of suppressing it until it exploded, he developed Vaapad.
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Vaapad is more than a combat style; it’s a state of mind. Windu described it as a "channel" for his own darkness. Instead of letting his anger consume him, he would take that energy, let it flow through him, and then reflect it back at his opponent. It’s like a lightning rod. He’s not "using" the Dark Side in the way a Sith does, but he’s definitely flirting with the edge of the cliff.
How Vaapad Actually Works in Combat
- The Superconducting Loop: This is the big one. In the Revenge of the Sith novelization by Matthew Stover, it’s explained that Vaapad creates a loop. Windu takes the power of his enemy and adds it to his own. When he fought Palpatine, he wasn't just using his own strength; he was using Palpatine’s own Dark Side energy against him.
- Constant Motion: Unlike other forms that have "ready stances," a Vaapad user is always moving. The blade should be a blur.
- The Mindset: You have to enjoy the fight. That’s the scary part. To use Vaapad, you have to find a "joy" in the chaos of battle.
Think about that for a second. A Jedi Master who "enjoys" fighting? It’s no wonder he was the only one who could truly master it. His co-creator of the style, Sora Bulq, actually fell to the Dark Side because he couldn't handle the mental strain. It’s that intense.
Why Kylo Ren’s Fighting Style Is So Messy
A lot of fans complained that Kylo Ren looked "clumsy" compared to the Prequel-era Jedi. But if you look at the mechanics of Star Wars Form VII, his style makes perfect sense. Kylo is a Juyo user through and through, but he’s an unrefined one.
His lightsaber—the one with the crossguards—is a "cracked" kyber crystal. It’s unstable. It spits sparks. His fighting style is exactly the same. He uses wide, hacking motions. He uses his physical weight to bully his opponents. In The Rise of Skywalker, his movements are less like a fencer and more like a man with a broadsword.
He doesn't have the discipline of Mace Windu. He doesn't have the "loop" of Vaapad. He just has the raw, chaotic aggression of Juyo. When he’s hitting his own wound to fuel his rage (like he does in the woods against Rey), he’s literally trying to generate the emotional fuel required to make Form VII work. It’s ugly. It’s brutal. And it’s exactly what the seventh form was intended to be before the Jedi tried to "civilize" it.
The Risks: Why Most Jedi Stay Away
If Form VII is so powerful, why isn't everyone using it? Why did Yoda stick to Form IV (Ataru)?
The answer is simple: The Dark Side is addictive.
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Form VII requires you to open a door in your mind. Most Jedi spend their entire lives keeping that door locked and bolted. When you practice Juyo or Vaapad, you’re cracking that door open just a tiny bit to let the light in—or out. For 99% of Force users, once that door is open, they can't close it again.
The Casualty List of Form VII
- Sora Bulq: Helped Windu develop Vaapad. Ended up becoming a Dark Jedi and working for Count Dooku.
- Depa Billaba: Windu’s own apprentice. She mastered Vaapad but suffered a mental breakdown during the Clone Wars (as seen in the Shatterpoint novel and Kanan comics).
- Quinlan Vos: He dabbled in various forms and dark arts, and while he survived, his path was incredibly rocky.
It’s a "cursed" style. It gives you the power to beat almost anyone—including a Sith Lord—but the cost is often your own soul. Windu was the exception, not the rule. He had a specific kind of mental fortitude that allowed him to walk the line without falling.
Form VII in the Modern Star Wars Canon
In the current Disney canon, the specific numbering of forms (I through VII) isn't mentioned as often as it was in the "Legends" books, but the DNA is still there. We see it in the way the Inquisitors fight. We see it in the aggressive posture of characters like Baylan Skoll from the Ahsoka series.
While Baylan uses a style that feels more like a "Heavy Form V" (Djem So), the sheer intimidation and emotional weight he puts into his strikes carry the spirit of the seventh form.
The most important thing to understand about Star Wars Form VII is that it is a reflection of the user's internal struggle. When you see a character using it, you aren't just watching a fight. You’re watching a character grapple with their own shadow.
How to Spot Form VII in the Movies
If you want to look like an expert next time you're watching a marathon with friends, look for these specific "tells" of a Form VII user:
- The Staccato Rhythm: Instead of fluid, connected movements, the strikes are disconnected. It looks like a series of "bursts."
- The Facial Expression: Most Jedi are calm. Form VII users usually look like they’re grit-teeth angry or intensely focused.
- The Physicality: Look for punches, kicks, and shoulder checks integrated into the saber work. Juyo is a full-body sport.
- The Desperation: Even when they’re winning, Form VII users look like they’re fighting for their lives. There is no "relaxed" Form VII.
Practical Takeaways for Fans and Roleplayers
If you’re writing a story, playing a tabletop game like Edge of the Empire, or just trying to understand the lore deeper, remember that Form VII isn't a "win button." It’s a trade-off.
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You get:
- Unpredictability that bypasses most defenses.
- The ability to use an opponent's momentum against them.
- Sheer physical dominance.
You lose:
- The ability to defend against multiple shooters (it sucks at bolt deflection).
- Emotional stability.
- Energy (it’s the most physically exhausting style).
Ultimately, Star Wars Form VII remains the most fascinating part of lightsaber lore because it blurs the line between the Light and Dark sides of the Force. It proves that "good" and "evil" aren't just about which color crystal you have in your hilt—it's about how much of yourself you're willing to lose in the heat of the moment.
To really get the "feel" of this style, go back and watch the duel between Mace Windu and Palpatine. Don't just watch the blades. Watch Mace’s face. He isn't the stoic monk we see in the rest of the trilogy. He’s a hunter. That’s Vaapad. That’s Form VII.
If you want to see how this evolves in the later years, pay close attention to the fight choreography in the sequel trilogy. You’ll notice that as Ben Solo moves further away from the Light, his footwork becomes wider and his strikes more "thudding"—a classic sign of someone leaning into the raw power of Juyo because they've lost the inner peace required for anything else.
To get a better grip on how these forms differ, compare the frantic energy of Form VII with the defensive stillness of Form III (Soresu), famously used by Obi-Wan Kenobi. You'll see two completely different philosophies of life, not just two different ways to swing a glowing stick.
The best way to appreciate the nuance of Form VII is to look at the "Shatterpoint" concept in the Expanded Universe. It’s the idea that everything has a breaking point. A Form VII master doesn't just hit you; they hit the exact spot where you are most likely to break, both physically and mentally. It’s precision through chaos. It's the most "human" of the forms because it acknowledges that we all have a little bit of darkness inside us, and sometimes, the only way to beat the monsters is to use a little bit of that monster ourselves.