Summary
In the Wizarding World ofHarry Potter, duels can either be a matter of life and death or a simple sparring battle for sport, similar to an activity like fencing in the muggle world. Despite its importance and prevalence in the Wizarding World, only a small number of witches and wizards are well-versed in the arts of dueling since it requires a mastery of both spells and minds alike to read certain situations.
The gifted duelists ofHarry Potter’s Wizarding World have a rich history of dueling matches that they won the majority of. Therefore, many of these duelists are influential in their respective fields, such as a certain headmaster of a famous wizarding school and the leader of a notorious group of dark wizards.
7Severus Snape
A Competent Duelist Thanks To Legilimency
The Potions Teacher who was Hogwarts' headmaster for a short period is surprisingly also a good duelist thanks to his charm competence and, most importantly, his talent forthe art of Legilimency. By reading his opponents' minds in duels, he can guess all the incoming spells and cast counterspells accordingly, ensuring a winning duel.
Moreover, his battle-hardened history also strengthens his position as a duelist. Unfortunately, circumstances during the main story ofHarry Potterdisallow him to showcase his full dueling prowess, although a glimpse of it is seen when he is dueling Minerva McGonagall at Hogwarts inThe Deathly Hallows - Part 2.
6Alastor Moody
Most Famous Auror Of All Time
As the only Auror who managed tofill half of Azkabanwith his prisoners, Alastor Moody deserves to be recognized as a competent and skilled duelist. His paranoid and suspicious nature allows him to be extremely careful in all situations, including duels, making him quite difficult to defeat, as he will be sufficiently prepared for every harmful incoming spell.
However, his reputation was also his shortcoming, as he always became concerned about his own safety in his later life. His dueling prowess is also left unused during the last moments of his life, as Voldemort immediately kills him with a Killing Curse.
5Filius Flitwick
Dueling Champion Of Hogwarts
As the designated Charms Master at Hogwarts, Filius Flitwick is naturally gifted at dueling. He is adept at both formally dueling at competitions and informally, when casting a spell slower can mean an instant death. His trained knowledge ofcharms and various spellsgives him an edge to beat his opponents in duels.
As the former Dueling Champion, Flitwick also has the credentials to back up his prowess as a dueling master with a shelf full of trophies. He managed to help Professor McGonagall chase Severus Snape out of Hogwarts in the books and also defeated the infamous Antonin Dolohov, who managed to murder Remus Lupin in the Battle of Hogwarts.
4Kingsley Shacklebolt
One Of The Order Of The Phoenix’s Most Powerful Members
Although movie watchers might not know his full prowess, devoted fans of theHarry Potterseries will know how underrated Kingsley Shacklebolt is. He is one of the most powerful members of theOrder of the Phoenixdue to his impressive dueling skills, which makes him able to survive the Battle of Hogwarts and become the Acting Minister for Magic.
Shacklebolt’s variety of well-balanced skills proves to be useful in duels, as he can conjure the perfect spells and counterspells when facing Death Eaters. Even Voldemort himself seems to regard Shacklebolt as one of the most powerful wizards during his lifetime.
3Voldemort
The Notorious Dark Lord Of Death Eaters
The notorious Dark Lord, Voldemort, is known to be feared due to his brutality as the leader of the Death Eaters and his respectable skill as a wizard. His cunningness and viciousness allow him to wield a repertoire of dark magic that permits him to cast a variety of Dark Art spells, including the Unforgivable Curses, with great ease and conviction.
However, this seems to be his undoing as well, since his fear of mortality makes him desperate enough toconstruct Horcruxes and divide his soul, which makes him vulnerable in his last duel against Harry Potter. One might argue that in his prime, Voldermort could be an equal in a duel against Dumbledore.
2Gellert Grindelwald
The One And Only Wizard To Match Dumbledore’s Prowess
Devoted fans of theHarry Potterseries will be aware of how a duel between Gellert Grindelwald and Albus Dumbledore shook the Wizarding World as it became the most famous duel in wizarding history, leading to the end of the global wizarding war. The legendary aspect of the duel boils down to the fact thatGrindelwald’s skills in duelingare more than enough to give Dumbledore a hard time during the duel.
Grindelwald is also quite proficient in the Dark Arts and uses this expertise to aid him in duels, making any confrontation with him so tricky that a wizard or witch will most likely consider avoiding a battle with him out of fear of defeat. Though Grindelwald is arguably one of the best duelists in the entire Wizarding World, a certain headmaster proved that he wasn’t invincible.
1Albus Dumbledore
The Undisputed Best Duelist Of The Wizarding World
Simply being known as the headmaster of Hogwarts would not do too much justice to Dumbledore’s dueling prowess, as he was able to defeat every opponent he faced in the past. Dumbledore’s spotless dueling history also comes from the fact that he wields the most powerful wand in existence, the Elder Wand, which complements his mastery over a plethora of powerful spells.
His genius intelligence further enhances his dueling ability, as he canoutwit his opponentsin a duel, which proves to be incredibly useful when he ends the global wizarding war by defeating the infamous Gellert Grindelwald. InThe Order of the Phoenix, he proved himself capable during his battle against Voldemort by successfully countering the Dark Lord’s spells at every turn.
