In Luke Skywalker’s death, and betrays Rey. But when Kylo returns to the light side, he destroys the Knights of Ren and revives Rey, after she gives her life to defeat Emperor Palpatine.
From the moment he marches off his shuttle in Ben never completed his Jedi training - so which version is more powerful?
Throughout the power belonging to a Force dyad (two individuals who the Force bonds together as one), which The Rise of Skywalker's reveals them to be. This illustrates he is finally allowing the Force to flow through him, rather than trying to control it as Kylo did.
As well as Force powers, there is also Kylo Ren’s lightsaber form, which is developed from the Knights of Ren’s mentality and Darth Vader’s technique. His fighting is driven by anger, but Kylo’s greatest skill is working with Rey as a team. In The Last Jedi’s fight against Snoke’s Elite Praetorian guards, Rey and Kylo are well-synchronized, ing Luke’s lightsaber back and forth. This shows how in tune they are with each other. Kylo also uses leverage and coordination as he fights off four of the guards at once. Still, at times his haphazard swings feel tantrum-like, and his lightsaber skills don’t match Obi-Wan Kenobi's or Anakin Skywalker's. But after Ben returns to the light side, he has agility like never before. On Exegol, his lightsaber handling is reminiscent of Anakin’s in the Star Wars prequels. Ben deflects attacks from the Knights of Ren, overcoming them much more easily than the guards in The Last Jedi, despite their Force-sensitivity and greater numbers.
Kylo Ren is a powerful Force who channels his anger to overpower opponents. But when he returns to the light side, his lightsaber and Force skills are more focused, leaning on the Force instead. As Yoda teaches in Star Wars Rebels episode “Twin Suns,": “If you define yourself by your power to take life…to dominate, to possess, then you have nothing.”
This means that the dark side’s promise of power through hatred, tyranny, and corruption is empty. In ending in The Rise of Skywalker ties in with the theme illustrated by Rey’s power over the darkness in The Force Awakens: a tiny spark of light shines out all the darkness.
