One of the most heartbreaking stories in Star Wars is that of the Chosen One, Anakin Skywalker. Anakin is one of the most complicated characters in the Saga, a man full of love and fear whose life was never easy. The events of his life informed every event in all of the movies as his trials and tribulations were instrumental to the end of the Republic and the beginning of the Empire.
Anakin tried to do the right thing pretty much up to the end of the time of his life as a Jedi but often suffered for it, whether it be because he ignored the lessons of his mentors or listened to the lies of his enemies.
10 Loaning Ahsoka Part Of The 501st Legion During The Siege Of Mandalore
Anakin and his Padawan Ahoka Tano had a close relationship, playing off each other well until she left the Jedi Order. She returned to the Order to free the people of Mandalore and Anakin, looking to help his friend, loaned her elements of the 501st, including his right-hand man, Captain Rex. On the surface, this doesn't seem like a decision that would make Anakin suffer, but it did.
If Rex would have been with Anakin on Coruscant during the events of Revenge Of The Sith, there's a good chance he would have been able to help his Jedi friend out and make better choices, possibly even going with him to arrest Palpatine and helping out in that entire situation. Things would have been very different if Rex was still around.
9 Rushing To Fight Dooku On Geonosis
This bit of suffering is rather literal but Anakin rushing in to fight Dooku when he and Obi-Wan confronted him on Geonosis caused the young Jedi a lot of suffering and cost him an arm. Obi-Wan wanted the two of them to attack the Sith Lord together but Anakin ran in and thought he could do it all on his own.
Dooku would quickly prove him wrong, outmatching the Padawan, and while Anakin would be able to hold his own against Dooku for a time using two lightsabers, Dooku's superior skill would allow him to strike a blow that would cut Anakin's right arm off, causing him a lot of pain.
8 Killing Count Dooku During The Battle Of Coruscant
Anakin and Obi-Wan's battle with Count Dooku was one of the most important moments of the Battle of Coruscant. It robbed the Separatists of their leader and set them down the road to ruin. However, it also signaled the beginning of Anakin's road to darkness as he listened to Palpatine to kill a helpless enemy.
Anakin had no problem with killing, but killing a literally unarmed foe like Dooku went completely against everything he had been taught and made it easier for him to commit more crimes in the future--a slippery slope that would spell doom for many.
7 Growing So Close To Ahsoka
The relationship between Master and Padawan is different for every pair of Jedi. Anakin was given a Padawan to teach him responsibility, and his only example was his own relationship with Obi-Wan, which was not the typical Padawan-Master relationship. He ended up treating Ahsoka like Obi-Wan treated him, growing close to her.
This would cause him grief when she was accused of bombing the Jedi Temple and when she left the Order. Later, as Vader, when he found her lightsabers, it definitely affected him in ways he wouldn't have imagined, which was made worse when he had to fight her later in life.
6 Growing So Close To Obi-Wan
Anakin and Obi-Wan were like brothers, which makes the violent dissolution of their relationship all the more tragic. Anakin and Obi-Wan worked well together, with Anakin's impetuousness being tempered by Obi-Wan's more responsible attitude. Their bond seemed unbreakable, which made it all the worse when it finally did break.
Anakin's closeness to Obi-Wan turned to hatred when Obi-Wan "turned against him" in his eyes. His anger at his mentor's perceived betrayal, causing the battle that would make Anakin's final transformation in Darth Vader complete.
5 Being Such An Efficient Warrior In The Clone Wars
The Clone Wars were a massive con, a way for Palpatine to gain more power and begin a new Sith dynasty. On the Republic side, Anakin was one of the Jedi's most efficient warriors, wracking up victories and doing the Chancellor's bidding. However, if the Republic had started to lose the war, things would have been different.
Anakin's victories made Palpatine's policies look good; if the Republic was losing the war, more people, including the Jedi, would have questioned Palpatine and his rule, perhaps even working to depose him so someone else could take over. This would have changed everything, and if Anakin hadn't been so victorious, the war's failures could have been pinned on Palpatine, with things ending up very differently.
4 Going To Rescue His Mother From The Sand People
Anakin's rescue of his mother had major repercussions for the galaxy and was another step down his dark path. While it was definitely the right thing to do--a Jedi's mandate is to save the innocent--the discovery of her fate opened up a whole can of worms that would end with Anakin slaughtering an entire village of Sand People.
Anakin finding his mother and watching her die changed him; before, he could imagine that she was still alive, giving him a chance to reunite with her and free her. Seeing her die ended that, and his decision to take revenge against the Sand People would be a dark precursor to future events.
3 Loving Padme Opened Him Up To Corruption
Anakin losing his mother played into the fear that had plagued him since his earliest days as a Jedi. This fear influenced his relationship with Padme, and it was only made worse after they married. Anakin's vision of losing Padme in childbirth influenced his action throughout the events of Revenge Of The Sith and made his fall to the dark side inevitable.
His love for Padme drove him down a dark road, one that he never would have predicted. Love is usually a good thing, but Anakin's love would cause him pain and suffering that the galaxy would soon share.
2 Making Friends With Palpatine Was One Of His Biggest Mistakes
Sheev Palpatine was a force for change in the galaxy- terrible, terrible change. One of the things that made the horrors he wrought on the galaxy so easy was his relationship with Anakin, one that Anakin started because he felt like it was good to be friends with a "good" man like Palpatine. He believed the relationship would be beneficial for the Republic and the Jedi, but it led to their undoing.
Palpatine manipulated Anakin's friendship from the beginning, using the young Jedi in ways subtle and obvious to further his agenda. It all led to Anakin choosing Palpatine over the Jedi and would end on the second Death Star with both Anakin and Palpatine's deaths.
1 Helping Qui-Gon & Padme In The First Place
Anakin was a sweet young boy, one who was prone to help others when they needed it. So, when a Jedi and a young woman walked into Watto's shop, he wanted to help them. This act of kindness would lead to untold suffering for everyone involved and the galaxy as a whole.
If Anakin just didn't offer to help them, events would have turned out very differently. Qui-Gon might not have died, Padme would never have had her heartbroken or died from it, Palpatine's plan would have been easier to thwart, and Anakin would have eventually been freed by Cliegg Lars when he began his relationship with Shmi. So much suffering was caused by one act of kindness.
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