Mace Windu; Master of Vaapad
Form VIII: Juyo/Vaapad, both of which were known as "the way of the Vornskr" or "the ferocity form", were very aggressive styles of lightsaber combat. Juyo and Vaapad were very similar and therefore they were combined into one form.
Description[]
Juyo[]
Darth Sidious; Master of Juyo.
Juyo was described as the most vicious form of lightsaber combat, and was said to be filled with both fury and malignant grace. The form was given the title of the most difficult and demanding form in all of lightsaber combat. According to the Sith Lord Darth Traya, the form was both chaotic and erratic, with a heavy focus on offense.
Jedi battlemaster Cin Drallig listed bold, direct motions as characteristics of Juyo, qualifying them as more open and kinetic than Djem So but with a less elaborate appearance than Ataru. Drallig contrasted the tactics of Juyo as not nearly as graceful or linked as those of Ataru, instead referring to them as "seemingly unconnected staccato sequences." He also listed one of the strengths of the form as its unpredictability. The form was said to necessitate greater energy than Form V, due to a broader wielding of a user's focus and a deeper emotional link. Despite the challenges inherent in the use of the form, it could serve as a pathway to great power.
Vaapad[]
Vaapad was described as more than a fighting style; it was a state of mind that led through the penumbra of the dark side, requiring the user to enjoy the fight, and relish the satisfaction of winning. The practitioner of Vaapad would accept the fury of their opponent, transforming them into one half of a superconducting loop, with the other half being the power of darkness inherent in the opponent. The form was also mentioned with a cautionary warning by the Jedi that use of Vaapad led the user perilously close to the dark side. Vaapad required a constant and sizable stream of Force use from the user, with a barely contained explosion of Force power essential to both variations of Form VIII as another prerequisite for its use. The form's attacks appeared to be unconnected, its motions seemingly unpolished to an untrained observer.
During the latter years of the Republic, Jedi Master Mace Windu developed Vaapad with the aid of fellow master Sora Bulq, by drawing inspiration from the movements of a creature, known as both the Vaapad and the Juyo, native to the planet Sarapin. Vaapad users appeared to wield many lightsabers at once, moving too fast to see, just as the vaapad creature would attack with blindingly fast tentacles that were impossible to count until the vaapad was dead. A Vaapad masters attacks would flow into each other with liquid precision, creating the constant near-invisible weave of energy which was the ready-stance of Vaapad. It was also possible to apply Vaapad in unarmed combat, with the user's arms becoming too fast to see, as well as in the use of dual lightsabers.
After his fall to the dark side prior to the Clone Wars, Count Dooku described the power of Vaapad as skirting the dark side of the Force, but stated during a duel with Sora Bulq and Tholme that the form was bridled and weak without direct use of the dark side. Mace Windu proved him wrong by mastering Vaapad without turning to the dark side.
Stance and maneuvers[]
Both Vaapad and Juyo employed the same opening stance; the user would hold the hilt of their lightsaber close to the body with both hands with the tip pointed straight at the opponent. From this position they could attack with a powerful stab. A master of Juyo or Vaapad could look as though they were wielding several lightsabers at once, using the Force to speed up their movements. This was called Vornskr's Ferocity for a Juyo practitioner and Tempered Aggression for a Vaapad practitioner.
One of the Juyo techniques was known as Assured Strike, wherein the user traded sheer power for a near-certainty of landing a hit. Those skilled in the Vaapad style were known for their use of the Swift Flank technique, where they leaped or dashed around an opponent to make a quick strike.
Practitioners[]
Juyo[]
- Darth Sidious
- Darth Maul
- Darth Vader
- Grievous
- Asajj Ventress
- Darth Plagueis
- Aurra Sing
- Rahm Kota
- Even Peill
- Mace Windu
- Vrook Lamar
- Zez-Kai Ell
- Kavar
- Atris
- Kas'im