Is Kylo Ren a Sith?

At first glance, Kylo Ren is the brooding antagonist of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, so he must be a Sith, right? He wears all black. He has the red lightsaber. He uses the dark side. And he’s Darth Vader’s grandson. For most people, it’s that simple.

Sith Lord Darth Vader is the main antagonist of the Original Trilogy. Better known as Emperor Palpatine, Darth Sidious is the antagonist of the Prequel Trilogy. By that logic, Ren is undoubtedly the Sith antagonist of the Sequel films.

But what if we told you he is not a Sith at all? While he does share many similarities with Sith Lords, he is also distinctly different in many ways. While definitely a dark side Force user, he challenges the binary distinction between Jedi and Sith.

He is emotionally raw rather than composed, conflicted rather than resolved, chaotic rather than calculating. His journey isn’t about seizing power through dark side mastery — it’s about identity, legacy, and the tension between light and dark.

Let’s explore Ben Solo’s alignment with the Force and answer the question: is Kylo Ren a Sith?

Is Kylo Ren a Sith Lord?

No, Kylo Ren is not a Sith. He is defined by intense emotional conflict, torn between the light and dark sides, making him far more unstable and impulsive than the typically calculating and composed Sith Lords.

While Sith cultivate their passions as tools for power and long-term plans, Kylo acts on raw emotion and often makes decisions impulsively, embodying the “marauder” style of the Knights of Ren rather than the cunning of the Sith.

His Force abilities and training draw from both Jedi and Sith teachings, making him a hybrid rather than a pure representative of either order.

Unlike Sith Lords who fully embrace the dark side, Kylo Ren is constantly tempted by the light, feeling the pull of his former identity as Ben Solo. This ongoing conflict openly contradicts the Sith ideology of rejecting the light entirely.

Who Is Kylo Ren?

Kylo Ren was born Ben Solo, the son of Han Solo and Leia Organa. He was trained as a Jedi by his uncle, Luke Skywalker, before falling to the dark side under the manipulation of Supreme Leader Snoke.

Created by the resurrected Emperor Palpatine, Snoke exploited Ben’s emotional vulnerabilities, steering him toward rage. He served as a student under the Knights of Ren, learning to draw on his raw power and emotional intensity. Eventually overthrowing Ren, Kylo took control of the group and embraced a brutal, aggressive, and emotionally charged philosophy.

Ren appears as the primary antagonist in the Sequel Trilogy, first appearing as Snoke’s apprentice in 2015’s The Force Awakens. He overthrows Snoke to lead the First Order in 2017’s The Last Jedi before undergoing a quest to find the resurrected Palpatine’s Final Order in 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker. Ren is portrayed by Adam Driver throughout the trilogy.

What Makes a Sith?

But before explaining whether Kylo Ren is a Sith, it’s important to understand what defines a Sith in Star Wars lore. The Sith are Force users who embrace the dark side, seeking power through passion, anger, and hatred.

Originating thousands of years before the events of the Star Wars films, the Sith are cold, calculating, and ruthless. Unlike the Jedi, who seek to control and suppress their emotions, the Sith embrace and harness their strongest feelings as sources of power. Anger, hatred, fear, and aggression are not viewed as weaknesses to be overcome but as natural forces to be channeled toward achieving goals.

The Sith view compassion and altruism as fundamental delusions that limit potential. By rejecting these emotions, Sith claim to achieve a clearer understanding of reality’s true nature and their place within it. This philosophical stance justifies their ruthless behavior and provides a framework for viewing others as either tools to be used or obstacles to be eliminated.

Sith Lords like Darth Sidious and Darth Vader embody this philosophy: cold, methodical, and committed entirely to the dark.

Reasons Why Kylo Ren Is Not a Sith

Supreme Leader Kylo Ren is not a Sith for several reasons, but the biggest is that he lacks discipline. Traditional Sith Lords like Darth Maul and Count Dooku channeled their emotions strategically, often executing long-term plans with discipline. Their actions served Palpatine’s decades-long scheme to overthrow the Republic.

In sharp contrast, Ren is prone to outbursts, impulsive violence, and self-destructive behavior. While he channels the dark side, he is often little more than an ill-tempered and impatient child.

His infamous temper tantrums and erratic decisions reflected his lack of self-control. While murdering Snoke is reminiscent of the Sith tradition of overthrowing one’s master, it was driven by passion, not cold ambition. In effect, he didn’t want to listen to his master, and he acted out in rage.

But he wanted to rule the galaxy with Rey, right? That’s what he said, but there is no cohesive plan to do so. He was fine to rule under Snoke until he wasn’t. He wanted to rule with Rey until she rejected him. And then he took control for himself, only turning one of his top commanders against him.

It’s also important to consider the source of his dark side training. Snoke and the Knights of Ren prioritized brute strength over philosophy. Yet, they never guided Ren toward any greater purpose. He has no true Sith master, and he takes a chaotic, less disciplined approach to both learning and using his power.

Also, the Sith Order ended with Darth Vader and Palpatine in Return of the Jedi, breaking the lineage and disconnecting Ren from that line. Despite saying he wants to live up to his grandfather’s legacy, he has no clear agenda for achieving that goal.

While Vader was more ruthless than Ren, he instilled loyalty through fear. You see this in how Captain, and later Admiral, Piett responds to him throughout The Empire Strikes Back. The First Order stormtroopers fear Kylo Ren, but unlike Vader’s troops, they show little respect or loyalty. They are more concerned with avoiding his wrath than following his lead.

But What About the Sith Rule of Two?

One of the hallmarks of Sith lore is the Rule of Two. At least that is how some part of the fandom sees it, and many cite this as a major reason why Kylo Ren is not a Sith.

What is the Rule of Two? Well, it’s the idea that there can only be two Sith at any time. One is a master, the other is the apprentice. Eventually, the apprentice defeats the master and recruits their own apprentice.

The concept comes from one single line of dialogue from Yoda in The Phantom Menace: “Always two there are, no more, no less. A master and an apprentice.”

The idea has since become one of the central concepts in the Sith philosophy. The Rule of Two was established by Darth Bane in both the Legends and current canon Star Wars timelines.

But here’s the problem. We have repeatedly seen more than two Sith. Even before we associated the term “acolyte” with the Sith, we consistently see several Sith disciples in Star Wars stories.

Dooku, as Darth Tyranus, uses Asajj Ventress as a Sith assassin. But then he takes on Savage Opress as a Sith acolyte. And then Maul is effectively resurrected. But maybe those are just clever plot points from The Clone Wars, right?

Well, Palpatine also recruits a bunch of disenfranchised and fallen Jedi to create the Inquisitorious. From the Grand Inquisitor in Rebels to the Second Sister in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order to Reva in Obi-Wan Kenobi, we know about more than a dozen Inquisitors so far.

And then there is the ill-fated Acolyte. We first meet the disciple Mae. And then the presumed master “The Stranger,” who uses the presumed alias Qimir. But then we see another mysterious figure, who the Star Wars databank confirms is Darth Plagueis. Not to mention that it’s Osha, not Mae, who ends up as the Sith acolyte.

So, how does any of this answer the question: is Kylo Ren a Sith? Well, it doesn’t. And that’s exactly why it’s not part of our argument.

But since the majority of sources do mention the Rule of Two, we are obligated to mention it, even if it’s not necessarily a credible talking point.

If He Is Not a Sith, What Is Kylo Ren?

So, if he is not a Sith, how do you define Kylo Ren within the context of the Force?

The Force is often defined by the binary Jedi-Sith dynamic. And yet we see Force users existing outside these two roles throughout the Star Wars universe. Ahsoka leaves the Jedi Order, remaining aligned with the light side of the Force. Similarly, Baylan Skoll channels the dark side without becoming a Sith. And the Bendu exists in balance with both sides of the Force.

As stated in The Rise of Kylo Ren, he was “neither Jedi nor Sith,” but a product of both.

Future Star Wars stories may explore and define the exact nature of his powers, but for now, he is best described as a dark side Force user. He channels his anger and rage to amplify his Force connection, but he lacks the patience and clarity to be considered a Sith.

Kylo Ren stands not as a successor to the Sith, but as a symbol of a fractured galaxy where the lines between Jedi and Sith no longer hold. As Joseph Campbell may muse, he is merely a fallen heir, torn between destiny and identity.