When fans are introduced to Kylo Ren in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, it is clear from the start that he idolizes Darth Vader, not only because he was his grandfather, but because of Vader’s strong connection to the Dark Side of the Force, which he used to become the most powerful warrior in the galaxy. However, after looking deeper into Kylo Ren’s origins and learning the specifics of how he came to be who he is, it becomes clear who his real greatest inspiration was.
Ben Solo is the son of Han Solo and Leia Organa and the nephew of Luke Skywalker. He was taken under Luke’s wing at a young age, given his immediately apparent connection with the Force. During his training, however, Ben gradually turned away from Luke’s teachings and began listening to a powerful Force-user known as Snoke who slowly and secretly indoctrinated Ben into the ways of the Dark Side. After years of Ben Solo being influenced by Snoke, Luke considered slaying him to prevent him turning to the Dark Side. However, Ben sensed his intent and attacked, escaping with his life as Luke’s new Jedi Temple burned to the ground behind him - a traumatic event that set the course for the rest of Ben’s life.
In Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren #2 by Charles Soule and Will Sliney, Ben encounters a gang of raving Force-users while on a mission with Luke to recover lost Jedi artifacts, years before his uncle’s assassination attempt. The gang are Dark Side users known as the Knights of Ren. While Luke is able to swiftly defeat them, the leader of the Knights of Ren, a man known as Ren, removes his helmet and places it on the ground of this hidden Jedi outpost, extending Ben an invitation to join the Knights of Ren. After he escaped his uncle, Ben returned to that outpost where Ren’s helmet still sat, hoping the invitation to join the Knights of Ren still stood as he wished to grow stronger in the Dark Side. Luckily for him, the Knights of Ren were waiting for Ben’s call.
This issue makes it clear that Ren is Kylo Ren’s greatest influence, not only because he taught him the ways of the Dark Side after Ben joined his team, but because he instilled into him a way of life that Kylo Ren carried with him from that point forward. As revealed in the sequel trilogy, Kylo Ren is not a Sith as he does not adhere to their rules or ways of life. Instead, Kylo Ren uses the Dark Side as a Knight of Ren, just as Ren taught him. Darth Vader, on the other hand, is the perfect example of a Sith as he believes in order and domination as opposed to the Knights of Ren’s anarchistic chaos, and would be disgusted by how Kylo Ren was taught to wield the Dark Side of the Force.
Not only does Kylo Ren follow the ways of the Ren, both in name and in practice, but he is actually the leader of the Knights of Ren after proving himself to be the strongest among them, revealing that his place is with them and not with the Sith. Since Kylo Ren didn’t become a Sith and instead latched onto the teachings of the Knights of Ren and adopted them as his own, Star Wars confirms Kylo Ren’s greatest inspiration was actually Ren and not Darth Vader as the sequel trilogy would have fans believe.