The Top 10 Outfits of Kylo Ren aka Ben Solo Ranked

In honor of MAY THE 4TH BE WITH YOU 2022, I’m ranking Kylo Ren’s outfits in the sequel trilogy. This may sound like a weird idea for a post. But frankly I’ve done weirder and I’m a big Star Wars fan and miss writing about it. I also think Kylo’s wardrobe is worth discussing because the man has some of the best and worst outfits in the trilogy. Now I ran this by a friend, and she was like, “doesn’t he wear the same thing in all the movies?” And you might think that too, but if you do – I don’t think you’re that big of a K-Ren fan as I am. He has at least 10, maybe 11, different outfits in THE FORCE AWAKENS (TFA), THE LAST JEDI (TLJ) and THE RISE OF SKYWALKER (TROS). Yeah. I know. Right? So today on this wonderful Star Wars day, I finally decided to type out those crazy Kylo thoughts and commit them to my blog for your entertainment and debate.

10. TLJ Pageboy look (no mask OR cape)

I actually kind of love THE LAST JEDI. It is my favorite film of the sequel trilogy and third favorite of the Skywalker Saga. But of all the things that haters claim Rian Johnson did to Star Wars, this look has to be the worst. This is a horrible outfit – especially coming off of the AWESOME robe and hood in THE FORCE AWAKENS. I know what Rian Johnson was doing here. He was trying to humanize Kyle REN by taking the intimidation factor of the TFA outfit away and increasing the audience-perceived chemistry with Daisy Ridley’s Rey during their Force connections – especially considering they did not really share the same physical space. And it works – for that. But I still don’t love the outfit. He looks like an errand boy for King Arthur. Yuck. I will say that early on in the film he has a space band-aid on while his wound from TFA heals and it helps the look.

9. TROS Post-duel outfit on Endor (after Kylo gets healed) featuring a lightsaber hole!

I just think the hole looks dumb – especially when there’s no blood spilling out after Rey heals Kylo’s wound. He just kind of looks a bit disheveled like a vagrant version of Kylo Ren. Best he gets into the next outfit quickly and luckily JJ Abrams gets him into that outfit post haste.

8. TROS The Ben Solo Outfit

And this is that next outfit. Not a huge improvement, but an improvement to be sure. Look I know this was basically his Kylo Ren pageboy look underwear (and the underwear is 100% better than the outfit), and he is metaphorically shedding the last vestiges of Kylo Ren to become Ben Solo again. BUT I STILL wish they could have maybe amped up the look just a little bit, give me shades of Luke on Bespin or even his look in RETURN OF THE JEDI. I get that it’s not exactly like he can go home and change but HE CLEARLY DOES. The new top does not have a lightsaber hole in it! So think it through before. This is the hero turn that we, as fans, have been waiting for the entire series. And Kylo Freaking Ren, I mean Ben Solo, should be given an outfit that is worthy of that turn. This isn’t quite it.

7. TLJ Pageboy look with a mask and cape – aka the “child in a mask” look

Early on in the film Snoke also manipulates Kylo into destroying his mask. But even before then we see Kylo in what is essentially a pageboy blouse and pants (as opposed to his TFA robe) and a modified off-the-shoulder floor-length cape. It will ultimately become my least favorite outfit when he loses the helmet and the cape. I know I’ve talked about how the outfit helps the act Again – I’m sure that even this modified outfit (with helmet and cape) was a lot better for fighting (and for Adam Driver’s acting) but that awesome Kylo Ren mask makes anything better. And in this case I think that it adds at least an air of mystery and menace that I think Kylo needs. Look as I already said, I get it – Rian Johnson was trying to humanize him, to strengthen his human connection to Rey, and to shade a monster with the vulnerability of a man. I think that the TLJ pageboy look strikes a nice compromise. And also in my own head-canon, I personally believe that after Kylo was bested by Rey he opted for a more mobile suit that might be better for fighting. Shrug! Kylo also ditches the cape early on in the film when he throws it off in a failed attempt to assault Snoke. And it never returns.

6. TROS no mask with pageboy uniform and cloak 

Not my favorite outfit for Kylo but at least he gets a little cape/cloak back which gives him a slight intimidation factor and at least puts my preference for it a bit higher than the TLJ version. His pageboy outfit also has a modified collar that seems a little meaner, a little more closed off than what we saw in THE LAST JEDI. Makes sense.

5. TROS broken mask with pageboy uniform and cloak

This should arguably higher on my personal list but IDK. The repaired helmet with the red cracks, held together by the lava of mustafar (my own head canon), while I LOVED it, it probably objectively felt more like a step back – so I have it here instead of slightly higher. Still I dig the helmet. Again in my own head-canon I believe Kylo went to Mustafar and used the lava and an ancient Sith curse to cull the helmet back into one piece. Now I know that backstory was probably the furthest thing from JJ Abrams brain when he wrote that into the movie and probably just liked the helmet and was passive aggressively upset at Rian Johnson. But I love Star Wars so damn much so I am going to continue to believe the Mustafar thing. Anyway, I think that the helmet’s return, cool as it is, signals both JJ and Kylo’s regression to safer environments and there probably is nothing really cool about that. So while I liked and savored the chance to see Kylo in a helmet once again – people both in universe (like General Hux) and in our universe were clearly less than enthralled. It is true what Thomas Wolfe said, “you cannot go back helmet again”.

4. TLJ Shirtless Kylo Ren

This was one hell of a meme and yet another (this time more successful) try by Rian Johnson to make Kylo more of a human – this time however it was not to create empathy but to create, for lack of a better word, sex appeal. Johnson wisely downplays the reveal when Rey asks him if he can put something on, “a towel of something”. And the tension is cut with a laugh. But the meme remains! I do dock this a few points for the high waist pants. But I bet they’re comfortable and keep you really tucked in.

3B. TFA robe without mask (interrogation room)

And now we come to Kylo REN’s iconic outfit seen in THE FORCE AWAKENS for our top three positions. To me, this was THE outfit that made Kylo (albeit I prefer the mask). His massive robe, hood, and wrapped forearms and gloves. The robe itself has just the right about of weathering to suggest that Kylo has seen his share of action and also does not give a fuck. It is better without a mask but the high color and hood/neck wrap are so much more intimidating and cool than anything in that damn pageboy look. Also 3B and 3A are the same outfit but I am splitting them up because the snow vibe is killer. 

3A. TFA robe without mask (in the snow)

There really isn’t any difference between this outfit and the previous but the environment of being in the snow really makes it pop. Remember JJ Abrams/Disney used that iconic shot of Kylo Ren, back to camera, stalking Finn and Rey in the snow, as the final shot of the first teaser that they dropped way back in 2014.

2. TFA mask and robe, no hood

Kylo ditches the hood after Jakku, and once he gets back on his starcruiser permanently and frustrations with Rey and BB8 begin to set in. Bu I think removing the hood is a mistake. The mask is still very cool and I like the subtle nods to Vader’s helmet that are revealed without the hood. BUT the hood rules and please note it is the NUMBER ONE OUTFIT.

1. TFA mask and robe AND hood – AN ALL TIME GREAT STAR WARS OUTFIT

There is a reason that when you go to Black Spire Outpost at Disneyland or Disney World you see THIS version of Kylo Ren walking around and why Kylo is dressed like this on RISE OF THE RESISTANCE (even though the events of Black Spire/Batuu) take place closer to the pageboy outfit of TLJ): it is flat out iconic. And what makes it even more iconic than the previous two looks: the damn mask. We all know the stories about JJ trying to create the perfect iconic mask that will be both scary and yet also something that children would marvel at (something that George Lucas was also looking for in the original Darth Vader helmet). And I think it was a success. Love or hate the sequel trilogy, there were basically ZERO fans that were not enthralled with the TFA look of Kylo Ren when it was first unveiled. We thought we were getting a meaner/faster/stronger version of Darth Vader, one of the famed Jedi hunters that we had heard about in the EU or Rebels. Did we? I thought so. And his iconic look in this #1 ranked outfit set the table for that.