Star Wars: What Lightsaber Form Does Cal Kestis Use?

We know Cal Kestis is one of the most popular Star Wars characters in recent memory due to the massive success and popularity of the ‘Star Wars Jedi’ video games. He is a survivor of Order 66 and is a Jedi living through adversity during the time of the Empire, and that means that he has to fight his way through the Empire using the different things that he learned from his mentors. So, what lightsaber form does Cal Kestis use?

Cal Kestis uses a wide variety of different lightsaber forms that are incorporated into his stances. He initially used Form I: Shii-Cho but eventually used Form VI: Niman more. However, he eventually adopted stances that make use of different lightsaber forms for certain situations.

The fact that Cal Kestis uses stances instead of forms makes him unique among the Jedi as he is now trying to adjust and evolve during the time of the Empire. In that regard, he has adopted a style quite different from the other Jedi survivors that lived during the Empire’s reign, as he wasn’t the most traditional Jedi. That said, let’s look at what we know about Cal Kestis’ lightsaber form.

Cal learned and improved

Ever since he was introduced as the star of the ‘Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order’ video game, Cal Kestis has since become one of the most popular characters in the entire lore of Star Wars. He was a Padawan that survived the events of Order 66 when his master, Jaro Tapal, sacrificed himself to make sure that his apprentice lived through the purge of the Jedi. Cal hid for five years before the Inquisitors finally found him when he used the Force.

So, because of that, Cal was forced into a situation wherein he now needed to fight his way through the Empire instead of hiding out in a remote system in the galaxy. But the problem was that he had to re-learn the things he learned when he was still a Padawan under Tapal because he didn’t use any of his powers or skills while working as a scrapper during the reign of the Empire. And that was the reason why Cal used a more rudimentary style during the earlier parts of the game.

Cal used Form I: Shii-Cho, which is the most basic lightsaber combat form that all Jedi have to master before they get to the other forms. Shii-Cho is the most popular form used by Padawans due to how basic it is. It involves the fundamental use of swordplay and is great at teaching Jedi how to perform basic wide-sweeping attacks and slashes that may be simple but are still very effective for various purposes.

But as Cal improved during the events of ‘Fallen Order,’ he eventually adopted a fighting style that suited a seasoned Jedi. Jedi Master Cere Junda eventually knighted him and was able to become stronger during the events of the game. So, in the latter parts of ‘Fallen Order,’ Cal became well-versed in Form VI: Niman, which is the standard lightsaber combat form that most Jedi use because of how it balances offense, defense, and the use of the Force really well.

Cal incorporates a good combination of Niman with his Shii-Cho techniques throughout the game. Cal also adopts the use of a dual-bladed lightsaber that allows him to take on multiple enemies at the same time. The dual-bladed lightsaber combat style also incorporates the basics of both Niman and Shii-Cho.

As such, Cal became a more careful lightsaber duelist because Niman incorporates some of the basics of Form III: Soresu and Form V: Shien and Djem So in the sense that it is also a defensive stance with a good combination of offense and the use of the Force.

That is why Cal has a fighting style that is quite balanced and is not entirely focused too much on offense or defense. In fact, most players would know that the best way to use Cal is to focus more on defense before going out on the offensive using a combination of different attacks and Force powers.

Cal makes use of stances instead of forms

But while Cal Kestis was known for using more of Form I and Form VI during the events of ‘Fallen Order,’ his fighting style saw a few changes during the events of ‘Star Wars Jedi: Survivor,’ which is the sequel game that takes place five years after the first game.

In ‘Survivor,’ Cal now uses stances instead of restricting himself to two different fighting styles. Cal’s different stances incorporate many of the different lightsaber combat forms into his fighting style. 

For example, Cal can use Jar’Kai, the art of dual-wielding a lightsaber. This stance is known for using defense before going on a quick flurry offense, similar to what Form V: Djem So is known for. Even the standard single-bladed lightsaber stance uses a combination of forms, including Form III and Form V, especially regarding the defensive fundamentals they incorporate. 

Cal can also use a blaster stance, which was never something that the Jedi were known to use. The blaster stance allows Cal to equip a blaster in one hand and a lightsaber in the other. When using the lightsaber in this stance, Cal uses fencing-like attacks that are quick and precise but not entirely strong or good for taking out multiple opponents. As such, the form he mostly uses in the blaster stance is Form II: Makashi, which is the same stance Count Dooku mastered and favored.

There is also the crossguard stance, which uses a larger and stronger lightsaber that moves slowly but packs a punch.

Because the lightsaber that Cal uses in the crossguard stance is heavier than the usual one, it uses basic moves that don’t require him to move swiftly and acrobatically. That is why Cal often uses Form I basics and fundamentals when using the crossguard lightsaber stance, as he cannot perform the more advanced strikes that other forms use while using a heavier lightsaber.

Of course, Cal uses a more versatile way of fighting that incorporates different stances because of his own way of adjusting to the different demands of fighting the Empire during a time when the Jedi Order no longer existed.

He needed to change how he fought to adjust to how the Empire fought him. And because he knew that the Sith and the Empire defeated the Jedi Order, which failed to evolve, he needed to evolve and break tradition to become more versatile in his fight against the Imperials.

This explains why Cal Kestis doesn’t restrict himself to the standard forms that the Jedi are known to use and isn’t restricting himself to one single lightsaber form that he needs to master. Instead, he uses stances incorporating lightsaber forms with his own special twist.

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