5 Reasons Why Din Djarin Should Have Been The Mandalorian Leader (& 5 Reasons Why It Had To Be Bo-Katan)

Summary While The Mandalorian chose to make Bo-Katan Kryze Mandalore's new leader, Din Djarin would also have been a great choice.

Din Djarin displayed natural leadership in season 2, and his background would have made him one of Mandalore's unique leaders.

Bo-Katan's extensive history makes her the rightful heir to Mandalore's throne, and her leadership experience uniquely qualifies her to unite and lead Mandalore effectively.

One of the most controversial aspects of The Mandalorian season 3 is easily its trade-off of the Darksaber, which sees the role of Mandalore's leader go from Din Djarin to Bo-Katan Kryze - and thus poses the question of who would truly be the better leader. The latest installment of the live-action Star Wars series was met with mixed reviews, mostly for the ways in which it subverted expectations and storylines previously established in seasons 1 and 2. The choice of Mandalore's leader is one of the most prominent, with the mantle being passed from Mando back to Bo-Katan.

Given Bo-Katan's extensive Mandalorian history, particularly that of her family and her birthright to the throne, this choice no doubt makes sense, but the question of "what if" when it comes to Din Djarin being a leader still lingers. As a Mandalorian foundling who's become one of their most formidable warriors, viewers cannot help wondering what would have happened if Din was established as the reluctant leader of his people. There are many reasons why this should have happened, but there are also just as many for why it had to be Bo-Katan - and here are all of them.

Related The Mandalorian Season 3 Ending Explained The Mandalorian season 3 has come to an end with an action-packed finale, complete with more than a few surprise twists and teases for the future.

10 Din Djarin Was Set Up As A Leader In Season 2

Mando Became A Role Model & A Unifier For Others

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One of the biggest arguments for why some viewers feel as if Din Djarin wasn't the right fit for Mandalore's throne is that he never acted as a ruler. This, however, is disproved by the story of season 2 itself. The Mandalorian season 2 premiere highlights Mando's natural knack for leadership very well by showing how he's able to bring the people of Mos Pelgo and the Tuskens together to fight against the krayt dragon. He even sacrifices himself in the process, showing not only his bravery but also his willingness to do whatever it takes to protect others.

This only continues even more into season 2, when Din bands together more and more unlikely allies. By the end of the season, his team is composed of two ex-bounty hunters, a former Imperial sharpshooter, a New Republic marshal, and two Mandalorians who are not a part of his own religious covert. Their unifying thread is their dedication to Din, due to the way he's earned their respect and their trust, and he's able to lead them quite effortlessly in his mission to get Grogu back. This makes his reception of the Darksaber in the season 2 finale feel earned.

9 Bo-Katan Kryze Is Still The Rightful Heir To Mandalore's Throne

Taking Up The Leadership Mantle Is Bo-Katan's Birthright

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Despite Din Djarin's growth as a leader, there's no doubting that Bo-Katan is still the rightful heir to the throne, and thus deserves the title of Mand'alor. Bo-Katan has been through a lot when it comes to Mandalore's throne, from watching her sister be murdered to losing her throne along with most of her people in the Night of a Thousand Tears. Nothing about her journey to the throne has been easy, even if she is undoubtedly its rightful heiress.

Nothing about her journey to the throne has been easy, even if she is undoubtedly its rightful heiress.

Of all Mandalorians, Bo-Katan is thus the most qualified to take her rightful place. She's been through some of Mandalore's darkest moments, and also some of its most victorious. Bo-Katan's alliance with Ahsoka Tano has helped her people to squash a generations-long rivalry with the Jedi and has helped to repair the relationship between the Mandalorian and Force-sensitive warriors. This has all been made possible by Bo-Katan's familiarity with Mandalore's throne, proving that she truly deserves to be the one who takes it next.

Bo-Katan Kryze The sister of Satine Kryze, Bo-Katan allied with extremist factions of Mandalore - unwittingly dividing her people, creating opportunities for the Separatists and Darth Maul. Bo-Katan spent much of her life seeking redemption, attempting to unite the Mandalorians against the Empire, but ultimately surrendered to Moff Gideon in an attempt to save her people from a genocidal Imperial attack. In The Mandalorian era, Bo-Katan has successfully reclaimed Mandalore and become the new Man'dalore - her people's chosen ruler. Created By Dave Filoni Cast Katee Sackhoff First Appearance Star Wars: The Clone Wars Alliance Mandalorians Race Mandalorian TV Shows Star Wars: The Clone Wars , Star Wars Rebels , The Mandalorian Franchise Star Wars Expand

8 Din Djarin As A Reluctant Leader Is Extremely Compelling

Mandalore May Need A Leader Who's Less Ambitious

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As the rightful heiress, however, Bo-Katan has always displayed a sense of desire for the throne that Din Djarin has never had - which would have made his role of a reluctant leader extremely compelling. Many viewers compared a potential reluctant leader storyline in The Mandalorian to that of Aragorn's in The Lord of the Rings, though that story interweaves Din's reluctance with Bo-Katan's birthright. It still serves as evidence that reluctant leaders make for extremely compelling narratives, which would have been the case for Din Djarin.

Glimpses of this are seen in The Mandalorian season 3, when Din still possesses the Darksaber. His petition to his covert in "Chapter 21: The Pirate" offers a preview of what it would have been like for Din to call his people to a higher cause. His insistence upon earning a life where their children could enjoy the sunlight shows what his goals would have been as the leader of their people. Rather than seeking power and influence, Din would have gently urged his people to fight for a better life, which would have been very compelling.

7 Bo-Katan Deserved To Have Her Redemption As The Leader

After The Great Purge, Bo-Katan Deserved Another Chance To Lead

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Still, there's no denying that Bo-Katan deserved to have her redemption as the leader of Mandalore. Perhaps of any Mandalorian leader, Bo-Katan has had the most tumultuous time hanging on to her title, mostly due to the circumstances of the changing galaxy around her. Her leadership position just after Maul's capture was quickly thwarted by the Empire, and her rise to leadership in Star Wars Rebels ended when Moff Gideon and his forces swept in during the Great Purge.

This chance at rebuilding her people and her world, then, deserved to be taken. Bo-Katan is at a new low in The Mandalorian season 3, when she's lost just about everything - from the Darksaber to her people and her home on Kalevala. Getting to watch her understand Din Djarin and the Children of the Watch and grow into a more unifying kind of leader is very beautiful, and it's been more than earned over the course of her entire history. It's a story that certainly deserved to be told.

6 Din Djarin Could Have Given The Darksaber A New Legacy

The Darksaber's Tumultuous History Could Have Been Changed For The Better

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The Darksaber has long since been a complicated topic in Mandalorian history, especially considering its ritual of being passed on in combat. This ritual wasn't born with the blade itself, as its creator, Tarre Vizsla, was the first Mandalorian Jedi who crafted it simply to blend his two cultures together. Only after it was stolen from the Jedi Temple by Mandalorians of House Vizsla did it take on a new meaning, establishing itself as a symbol of leadership that could only be earned by doing what Mandalorians loved to do: fighting.

Even if Din had mastered it as a leader, he still would have given it a new meaning.

Din Djarin earning the Darksaber in combat from Moff Gideon could have allowed this ancient weapon to have a much better legacy in the long run. Din was indifferent to the Darksaber, and he was more than willing to give it to Bo-Katan after winning it from Gideon. It frustrated him that he couldn't, and thus it's likely that even if Din had mastered it as a leader, he still would have given it a new meaning. This could have prevented the weapon from being destroyed, and perhaps could have seen it instead displayed for all Mandalorians.

5 Bo-Katan's Skill With The Darksaber Is Unmatched

She Proves This Weapon Deserves To Be Used The Traditional Way

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Bo-Katan's use of the Darksaber, however, proves that this weapon deserves to have a wielder like her. After being handed the Darksaber by Sabine Wren in Rebels, Bo-Katan was never actually seen using it in action until The Mandalorian season 3. The way she picks it up with ease and defeats Din Djarin's cyborg captor proves that this ancient blade is not only powerful, but also deserving of a wielder who will do it justice.

Of all the Star Wars characters who have wielded the Darksaber thus far, Bo-Katan is easily the best of them all - aside from Force-sensitive, non-Mandalorian wielders such as Maul and Darth Sidious. The grace with which she's able to move the blade proves that it calls to her, and it shows why the Darksaber is so revered as a weapon for all Mandalorians. Though the blade has since been destroyed, it proves that Bo-Katan is the right fit for leader, simply by the way she has no problem mastering it - which is something Din could never do.

4 Din Djarin's Leadership Could Have Easily Brought Unity

His Background As A Foundling Would Have Made Him Very Relatable

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While it's already been discussed that Din Djarin is great at unifying unlikely groups, he could have been even more effective at doing so simply by sharing his life's history as a leader. It's said by Din in The Book of Boba Fett that according to the Mandalorian Creed, "loyalty and solidarity are the way," and that being a Mandalorian is much more than blood. With Din being a foundling himself, his journey to becoming one of Mandalore's strongest warriors would no doubt serve as inspiration to all Mandalorians, especially other foundlings.

Din's background plays a unique role, in that his earliest experience with the Mandalorians was them saving him from certain death as a young child. This has clearly carved his own path as a Mandalorian warrior, and it no doubt would have continued to do the same on a grander scale if he were on the throne. Other foundlings would have felt empowered to see him in such a role, and in turn, other Mandalorians would have appreciated them more, making Din seem like a much more relatable authority figure.

Related The Mandalorian Cast & Characters Guide The Mandalorian has created a long list of new Star Wars characters and brought back some familiar ones, with an incredible cast to match.

3 Bo-Katan's People Would Have Only Followed Her As Leader

Din Djarin Could Not Have Changed Her People's Minds

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While the sentiment of Din changing people's perspective on foundlings and other types of Mandalorians is inspiring, the reality is that it wouldn't have happened so easily, which is something The Mandalorian season 3 has already shown. Axe Woves is a representation of the rest of Bo-Katan's people when he speaks up about Din not having a drop of Mandalorian blood in his veins, and he even refuses to follow Bo-Katan until it's revealed that she's won back the Darksaber. At the end of the day, they would only follow someone like Bo-Katan.

She's also the only one of the two who knows how to relate to her people. Din's only experience with the Mandalorians has been within his tribe, aside from Bo-Katan herself. In contrast, her time spent with the Children of the Watch has helped her to understand them as well as those she grew up with and once ruled. This allows Bo-Katan to understand more perspectives, and thus confirms why only she could rule both her people and all other Mandalorian groups.

2 Din Djarin's Leadership Would Have Set Up Grogu As Mandalore's Heir

A Mandalorian Jedi Could Have Taken The Throne Next

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If Din Djarin had truly become the next Mandalorian leader, then he would have established his own lineage, which would have started with Grogu. Though Grogu has abandoned the path of a Jedi for now in favor of becoming a Mandalorian, it's still possible that he could take that path later on down the line, which could have set him up to be a Mandalorian Jedi ruler. Given Grogu's connection to the Mythosaur at the end of season 3 and his overall lovability and strength, Grogu could have been a very different but very effective leader.

His power mixed with his heart, and all his training from his father, would no doubt make him one of the best in Mandalorian history.

Still, Grogu would have a lot of growing left to do before he could be put in a role such as this. He still cannot speak, and he lives far longer than any human does - which means it would be time for him to take Din's place much sooner than he may have been ready for. There's no denying, however, how unique it would be for someone like Grogu to be Mandalore's heir. His power mixed with his heart, and all his training from his father, would no doubt make him one of the best in Mandalorian history.

Grogu Grogu is a former Jedi youngling who is now training as a Mandalorian apprentice under his adopted father, Din Djarin. A survivor of Order 66, Grogu was hunted by the Empire for his blood amidst their cloning experimentation. Rescued by Din after initially being his bounty, Grogu went on to be trained briefly by Luke Skywalker as a Jedi Padawan, but has ultimately chosen the path of the Mandalorians instead to remain with his father. Grogu is now traversing the galaxy with Din to fight the Imperial Remnant and learn the Mandalorian Way. Created By Jon Favreau , Dave Filoni First Appearance The Mandalorian Alias The Child Alliance Jedi, Mandalorians Race Unknown Movies The Mandalorian & Grogu TV Shows The Mandalorian , The Book of Boba Fett Franchise Star Wars Expand

1 Bo-Katan Has The Chance To Establish A New Way Of Electing A Leader

Bo-Katan Doesn't Have Any Family To Succeed Her

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Not all hope is lost for Grogu's future as the Mandalorian leader, even if Bo-Katan is on the throne instead of Din. As far as viewers know, Bo-Katan's line has no rightful successors left, and the Darksaber has now been destroyed. This means that Bo-Katan could, and has to, find a new way to choose the planet's next leader.

It's fair to assume that Bo-Katan could look at Grogu to take her place, should he grow into a formidable Mandalorian warrior under Din's training. What's more likely, however, is that Bo-Katan appoints Din first, considering their close alliance and his vitality to her efforts to reclaim the planet. This would still allow Grogu to be the heir to Mandalore, and his long reign would no doubt bring the planet through a golden age. Either way, it seems as if The Mandalorian has made the right choice with Bo-Katan, even if the idea of Din leading is still extremely compelling.