Why Boba Fett's Armor Is Damaged & Weaker Than The Mandalorian's

 While Fetts armor was strong enough to protect him in The Book of Boba Fett it was weaker than the Mandalorians armor due to its materials and age.

Although The Book of Boba Fett displayed the importance of Fetts armor the Star Wars series also showed that his armor is weaker than that of the Mandalorian. Originally a minor character Boba Fett was introduced in Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back and seemingly died in Star Wars Return of the Jedi. However Fetts popularity led to him appearing in other Star Wars projects at different stages of his life such as Star Wars Attack of the Clones and Star Wars The Clone Wars. He even returned in The Mandalorian and his own spinoff show The Book of Boba Fett revealing that he survived his fall into the Sarlacc Pit.

Given how few lines Boba Fett had in the original Star Wars trilogy he stood out primarily due to his character design. Fett was the first character to wear Mandalorian armor inspiring the idea for the entire race and way of life. This is despite Fetts armor being heavily damaged with many scratches and even a dent in the helmet. In real life one article (via That Hashtag Show) explained that this dent was caused by an air bubble popping while the helmet was being molded and George Lucas decided to keep the flaw. In-universe an unused story arc from Star Wars The Clone Wars was going to feature Fett facing another famous bounty hunter Cad Bane in a duel. Although Bane successfully shot Fett in the head the blast bounced off his helmet permanently denting it.

While this story proves that Boba Fetts armor was tough it still contrasts the durability of Din Djarins armor in The Mandalorian. Throughout The Mandalorian Djarins armor was able to withstand blaster bolts and even block lightsabers without a single scratch. This raises the question of why Fetts armor was so much weaker than Djarins armor. The reasons behind this difference include both the composition and age of Boba Fetts armor.

How Boba Fetts Armor Is Different From The Mandalorians

Most Mandalorian armor is made from beskar one of the strongest metals in the Star Wars universe. However beskar tended to be very rare and expensive so many Mandalorians diluted beskar with other metals such as durasteel. Boba Fetts armor was made from one of these beskar alloys. Due to this Fetts armor was tough enough to save his life from blaster hits and digestion in the Sarlaccs stomach. His armor was not perfect though resulting in its signature dent and scratches. In contrast Din Djarins armor was made from pure beskar earned through the bounty on Grogu. This made Djarins armor rare and even more durable than normal Mandalorian armor allowing it to stay shiny and undamaged even when he walked into a barrage of blaster fire.

In addition Boba Fetts armor was more damaged than Din Djarins simply because it was older. According to Mandalorian culture it was common to pass down armor through generations within a family. Since Jango Fett Bobas father had been a Mandalorian foundling he followed this custom and passed his armor to his son when he died in Star Wars Attack of the Clones. In this way Boba Fetts armor was a family heirloom that had endured two generations of fighting and bounty hunter work. With time it naturally became chipped and dented. Contrastingly Din Djarins armor was new forged specifically for him in The Mandalorian season 1 episode 3 Chapter 3 The Sin. Although Djarin has been through a lot in that armor he still has not worn it long enough for it to have noticeable damage. Fetts armor was strong enough to keep him alive in The Book of Boba Fett but it was still weaker than the Mandalorians armor due to its materials and age.