“Then reality set in”: George Lucas Was So Infatuated With Japanese Movies He Admitted Darth Vader’s Most Distinctive Feature is Inspired by Samurais

George Lucas not only created a brilliant space opera franchise full of distinct features and elements, but he also created one of the most iconic villains of all time, Darth Vader. From showing his brutal life journey, of being a loving and promising Jedi to turning into one of the most formidable men in the universe, Star Wars‘s main antagonist is as unique as the franchise itself.

Loved for being the ‘monster’ he becomes and then his eventual character redemption, Darth Vader will forever be worshiped for being a villain ‘who loved too much’. Even his iconic look has now become part of popular culture, which Lucas states was a result of his love for Japanese movies.

George Lucas Modeled Darth Vaders on Samurais

Creating the iconic look of Darth was no easy job for George Lucas. A young director creating a universe unlike any other, it was important for him to get things absolutely done right. Designed by Ralph McQuarrie, the director and his team went through a lot of variations of the same design for the iconic outfit, to make the suit as mobile as possible. Yet one thing stuck through: the Samurai mask.

While talking to Rolling Stone, decades ago, Lucas revealed how the visual evolution of Vader came about,

 Darth Vader has pretty much always been Darth Vader. When he’s first mentioned in the script, he’s a guy in a helmet with a breathing mask who can’t breathe because of this fight with Obi-Wan. And I took that description to [designer] Ralph McQuarrie. He did different drawings, but they’re almost all the same: a guy with a cape, a portable iron lung, a mask, a samurai helmet and a chest piece that had electronics on it.

Lucas then revealed Darth Vader’s most distinct feature, aka the Samurai mask, was a result of his fondness for Japanese movies growing up,

I was introduced to samurai movies in film school. And I became infatuated with Japanese culture; I was going to do my first film, THX 1138, in Japan. Then reality set in.

Fortunately, the whole suit along with the iconic Samurai mask came together as the series progressed. And now the Darth Vader, despite being an evil despotic character, has become one of the most-loved villains of all time.

George Lucas Explains Why Fans Love Darth Vader

Heroes or protagonists are often depicted as perfect creatures who can do no wrong and will go through just about anything and everything to do the right thing. On the other hand are villains or antagonists, who often seem to lack even basic morality and are driven by some or the other evil gain.

Yet, fans throughout the history of cinema, seem to have a soft spot for villains despite their countless evil deeds. The same more or less goes for Darth Vader. While talking to Rolling Stone, George Lucas explained why fans have come to focus more on his iconic Star Wars villain,

People like villains because they’re powerful and they don’t worry about the rules. And as you go through puberty, you have to break off your social bondage and become your own person. So when you have a film aimed at adolescents, the movie is there to say, “Well, all well and good, but this is what happens to you when you do that. This is why you’re compassionate, and why you join together as a group to help each other.” These are the same basic stories that have always been told.

Vader, as Lucas later explained, is just a flawed guy who has done some evil deeds and is not even the one true evil antagonist that everyone is afraid of. Instead, he is more of a flunky villain who gets pushed around and treated as the Emperor’s goon, with some very startling ‘family issues’. His ability to remain relatable and humane, despite his evil deeds, is why fans have ultimately come to love Darth Vader.

The Star Wars franchise can be streamed on Disney+.