Not to put any serious critical thought into the universe of Teen Titans Go but Nightwing having a Batman Beyond picture on his wall in the future is really funny for a few reasons. First of all, it implies Bruce retires WAY earlier in this universe and Terry takes over pretty much right away. So Old Man Bruce is like 40 in this dimension.
It also implies Terry and Dick are such great friends that Dick would get a picture of Terry printed out and put it up. Which I can totally believe would be a logical thing to do given the nonsensical nature of this universe but it’s funny specifically because he put Terry up instead of Bruce which I think probably says a lot
I can't believe Teen Titans is officially 20 years old today. My favorite animated show and one of the best imo. It got me through a lot of shit & means the world to me
Starfire- the Heart
My favorite character on Teen Titans, and still my favorite hero.
A joyful person who loved the world around despite its cruelty. An immigrant who loved her culture yet always struggled w/ her sense of place and being an outsider like me. Her journey becoming more sure of herself & her place & an advocate for other outsiders like Red Star is beautiful one.
Cyborg- The Lynchpin
A extroverted, disabled black hero who had a deep internal struggle to accept that his disability doesn't contradict, but strengthens his humanity
His main arc on what it means to be a 'man' - that he doesn’t have to prove anything to anyone but instead be sure of himself. As a black hero, his defiance being rewarded, not shamed, resulting in victory in the end is still one of my favorites TT03 arcs
Raven- The Inspiration
When I was younger, I was embarrassed to admit how much I was like Raven bc I hated feeling like a closed-off outcast.
But now understanding Raven as a closed-off person who hid her emotions in spite of how she cared (which was the most out of anyone) to protect everyone. Who constantly fought for good despite being deemed a curse bc she hoped for better- Raven is an inspiration
Her journey to accept her emotions & forge her own destiny and not give into despair is one of the best arcs in all animation
Beast Boy, the Wild Card
To be honest, I despise his immaturity when I was younger.
Now I know he was just a kid trying to be happy despite his hardships (like terrible parentals & Terra).
His season of growing up, learning to let go, and building a team of underrated/inexperienced heroes like himself to defeat Brotherhood of Evil against all odds when all hope was lost was peak
Robin- the Leader
Finally, the Boy Wonder, what else is there to say?
A character so flawed, struggling w/ anger, darkness, and obsessiveness, but will go to war for his friends, & sacrifice all for those he loved.
Learning to let people in and that he can be more than hero. Best Robin adaptation we have seen.
Not just the core 5, but the entire Titans family was amazing. Characters who left an impact despite limited screentime. Más y Menos, Thunder and Lightning, Titans East, Speedy, Hotspot, Kole, and too many to name. With the best Bumblebee we have ever had in any media.
Thank you so much to Glen Murakami, David Slack, Amy Wolfram, Sam Register, Derrick Wyatt (RIP), Scott Menville, Hynden Walch, Khary Payton, Tara Strong, Greg Cipes, and so many countless others in the cast & crew for giving this to me and so many others.
Forever grateful for the Titans' stories & memories & for Robin, Cyborg, Starfire, Raven, and Beast Boy