The Darksaber is the only black lightsaber in Star Wars canon and its properties and history make it even more unique than its color suggests. Lightsabers are a core part of what makes Star Wars special, with them being weapons of both the Jedi and Sith - and all-powerful weapons at that. Almost nothing in the galaxy can block a lightsaber, but pure beskar can, which is one of many reasons that Mandalorians have been at odds with Jedi for thousands of years.

Interestingly enough, there is one thing that the Jedi and Mandalorians share: a lightsaber. The Darksaber may not look like a traditional lightsaber, but it still functions like one and it was originally used by the first Mandalorian Jedi, Tarre Vizsla. After his death, the Darksaber was kept in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant but was later stolen by a group of Mandalorians from Clan Vizsla, because they felt it belonged with Vizsla's people. It then became a symbol of the Mandalore, the Mandalorian ruler; whoever wields the Darksaber can lay claim to the Mandalorian throne. That person is now Din Djarin, but he may not know what he's wielding.

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Fundamentally, the Darksaber is like any other lightsaber. It's heavy at first, as Kanan Jarrus emphasizes to Sabine Wren in Star Wars Rebels, but once someone becomes attuned with the blade, it starts to lighten. Plus, the Darksaber can cut through any object just like lightsabers do; however, while the Darksaber is merely another lightsaber, its color and how it reacts to materials are what make it unique. In canon, the Darksaber can pull another lightsaber's blade towards it, almost like a gravity well. Similarly in Legends, the blade will crackle when it comes into contact with other material as well as produce a higher-pitched sound than most lightsabers, while also absorbing some of the light from those objects.

Moff Gideon vs Mando Darksaber in The Mandalorian

Furthermore, it's been revealed in canon that the blade itself reacts to a person's emotions, something other lightsabers don't do. A person's emotional state can affect how a lightsaber is created, particularly when choosing a kyber crystal, but it's not typically a facet of wielding a lightsaber. Adding to its uniqueness, the Darksaber is shaped more like a traditional sword - including its hilt - and its blade is flat, not to mention shorter than most lightsabers. It's not as short as Yoda and Ahsoka's shoto blades, but it's still shorter than the average lightsaber seen by most Jedi and Sith.

The Darksaber was originally created in the Clone Wars animated series to give Pre Vizsla a weapon that could combat a Jedi's lightsaber, since a simple vibrosword wouldn't be strong enough. It certainly worked, and the lightsaber has since taken on a bigger role in the Star Wars franchise, now appearing in The Mandalorian. But it's interesting to note that while it's functionally a regular lightsaber in every way, it's highly representative of the Mandalorians. It was created by one, after all.

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