Originally posted by DarthDuelist9
Loses at 5. Is there anything to suggest that Wibdu grew notably between TPM, AotC,...
1. Wartime experience- Windu's primary combative experience as both a martial combatant and force wielder would've been the Clone Wars, and that would've also spurred the greatest necessity for an emphasis on his combative ability.
2. Inner Darkness- Windu's inner darkness is stated to be something he feared until after his experiences on Haruun Kal, and that his fear of his own inner darkness gave it more power over him and would make him recoil from it. Obviously if you don't understand a part of yourself you're less comfortable wielding it, and Windu notes his own inner darkness as being both his weakness and the strength upon which he built his entire fighting style, so his ability to understand and wield the cornerstone of his fighting style would definitely impact his effectiveness as a fighter.
3. Feats- Obviously if his best feats take place at a certain point, it's more justifiable from a debating perspective to say he's at a certain level once he acquires those feats, which is inevitably later in the timeline. So in this sense it's justifiable to say he improved because the evidence of his abilities provided points higher the later on you go in the timeline.
4. Depa Billaba- the argument can be made that if Mace considers her bladework on par with or greater than his own as of the Akk Dog fight well before the start of the Clone Wars, and that if Mace's circumstantial fight with her on Haruun Kal proves him having considerably superior bladework, then consideration of both instances suggests improvement on Mace's part.