Robin (Teen Titans)

Robin is the main protagonist from the Teen Titans animated series.

Robin is the leader and one of the five founding members of the Teen Titans. Before that, he was trained by, and served as the sidekick to Batman. He is also Starfire's main love interest and finally becomes her boyfriend in the series finale movie.

Appearance
Robin is usually shown in just his costume, which is consisted of green tights with black ankle-high steel-toed boots, green elbow-high gloves, a short-sleeve green t-shirt underneath a red armored vest with a yellow letter "R" inside a black circle over his left pectoral muscle, a yellow utility belt and a black cape that has a yellow interior. He always wears a black-and-white domino mask, and usually has his black hair spiked backwards. He has light skin and an athletic build. When he is briefly shown as Slade's apprentice, he wears a black bodysuit with armor plating on the legs, knees, forearms, and shoulders. The top-half of his suit is split into black and orange sides and an ash-gray utility belt.

The most notable costume change he goes through is during the movie Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo, when he briefly changes into a costume with black shades, a skinny black suit with a long jacket, and his hair down in order to hide from Tokyo Troopers when he was wanted for the "murder" of Saico-Tek. When a thug attempted to rob him in an alley, Robin quickly defeated him and took his clothes. He also briefly wore a tux in "Date with Destiny".

Robin might be short for his age. Out of his four companions, Beast Boy seems to be the only one who is shorter, and it should be noted that whilst Raven is usually depicted as the same height or a little shorter than Robin, there are occasions when she is taller. Also, in "Calling All Titans", when he gave Bushido a communicator, Bushidoseemed to be at least a couple inches shorter than him.

In the Season 3 episode "Revolution", Mad Mod drains Robin's youth, which makes Robin a frail old man and him young again. As an old man, Robin is so weak that he can't even walk. He also seems to be very thin and his arms and legs are like bones. Robin is thin everywhere on his body except for his stomach, where he seems to have grown a potbelly. While the young Robin wears his hair spiked backwards, the old and frail Robin has white hair which seems to be almost completely slicked back.

When Robin is Nightwing, he doesn't spike his hair anymore, and instead lets it grow past his shoulders. He also has a more muscular build and has grown much taller. His costume is a black jumpsuit with steel bracelets and a utility belt; he also continues to wear his steel toed boots. Nightwing's costume also has a symbol of a hawk-like bird on his torso in a dark shade of blue. The bird on his costume seems to be spreading its wings out, as if it is flying.

Personality
Robin is a natural-born leader. He is heroic, noble, kind, selfless, stoic, stubborn, brooding and usually serious in tone, but has had a fair number of funny moments. In DC Comics and other incarnations, Robin is even toned and playful despite some outbursts of rage, such as when he learns of his parents' killer and when he eventually stops working as Batman's sidekick (a situation that is mentioned in a roundabout way in the episode "Go!"). However, in this series, Robin's personality is closer to Batman's; serious, stern, strict and obsessed with hunting down criminals, which is most prominently displayed in the first season, where he goes so far as to masquerade as a villain to catch Slade. Despite this, Robin does maintain a more relaxed, at times even playful side, which he sometimes expresses when the team is not actively engaged in crime fighting.

Out of all the villains that the team has faced, the one that is most hated is Slade. Robin will stop at nothing to defeat Slade. Robin insists that the two are nothing alike, despite Slade's claims to the contrary. Several encounters with him have led dangerously close to causing rifts between Robin and his friends. Robin eventually admitted to Starfire that he and Slade are very similar, but there is still one difference: Slade doesn't have any friends.

Another flaw of Robin's is that he is very competitive, and still a little bit immature. But despite his struggles, Robin has time and time again proven to be a great leader. He cares for all of his friends deeply, and will fight to the finish to defend them. Despite that, Robin still remains as a calm, level-headed and intelligent leader who comes up with clever strategies in battles and keeps a calm head most of the time.

Robin is a bit of a loner. Beast Boy and Cyborg hang around with each other more than they do with him, and Raven and Starfire are both independent but still interact with others, yet Robin often spends long days locked in his own room, planning. He insists on doing everything himself, such as being Slade's apprentice and battling Red X. In the episode "Go!" when the Titans first met, Beast Boy (who implied that he was a loner and hasn't had anybody to talk to since he left the Doom Patrol) wanted to befriend everybody, but Robin made it clear that he didn't want to be part of a team (but eventually does form the Titans). Throughout the series, the team and everybody in it is very important to Robin.

He cares deeply about each of his friends, but it's Starfire that he has romantic feelings for. Everyone can very well see that they're smitten by each other, including the villains, but neither of them admitted their feelings until the movie Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo. During the film, Robin expresses horror when Starfire kisses a random Japanese boy to learn Japanese. Later, he and Starfire talk and nearly kiss twice, before they finally confess their true feelings for each other and actually kiss at the end of the film.

Abilities
Though Robin technically possesses no true superhuman powers, he has undergone a vigorous and intensive training regimen under Batman, conditioning his body and mind to peak human levels, to such a scale that he has been called a "one-man army" by the Master of Games. Some versions of the Teen Titans have suggested that the reason for his obsessive training is that he feels he must be at his very best at all times in order to be the same level as his teammates, as they all have superhuman powers of some sort. He is arguably the strongest non-metahuman on Earth, seen punching out invulnerable opponents like Cinderblock, and he could support a large bear guardian on his back. He has often defeated opponents whose size, strength, or other powers are much higher than his own. Robin's durability is such that he can be struck large amounts of blunt force trauma, and his endurance allows him to go a long period of time without stopping, both in the physical and mental sense. He is shown to be able to scale city buildings, leap the length of a rooftop, and maneuver through the air in battle with ease. Robin is particularly stealthy, and can infiltrate and sneak up on opponents, and silently leave an area without a trace. His balance and coordination are superb, and he has incredibly quick reflexes, which allows him to dodge energy blasts and gunfire at close range. He can also run at an above average speed for a human in small bursts, sufficient to chase down vehicles.
 * Peak Human Condition: Robin represents the pinnacle of human physical ability possible for his age, with his physical characteristics greater than that of even an Olympic level athlete. He was raised in an acrobat family known as the "Flying Graysons" and began agility training at the earliest age, and continues to engage in intense regular rigorous exercise (including aerobics, weight lifting, gymnastics, and simulated combat) to keep himself in peak condition.

Other Skills

 * Martial Arts & Hand-to-Hand Combat: Robin is one of the finest human combatants on Earth, his skills honed to such a level even superhumans and armed adversaries can be overpowered by them. He has mastered several different martial arts styles from across the world, learned from Batman and the True Master. He also has knowledge of Tamaranean fighting techniques.
 * Genius Intellect: Robin holds expertise in numerous areas, both academic and physical. He is the second most technologically adept Titan (after Cyborg), and helps maintain the security and computer systems of Titan's Tower. He has impressive understanding of various sciences, like physics and chemistry, and is a skilled mechanic and engineer, building all of his own gadgets and equipment. He is a trained detective, with a keen eye and experience in forensics. He is an expert interrogator, and has a very logical mind; he is able to create plans and strategies to effectively take down his opponent. Robin is a master escapologist, marksman, pilot, thief and impersonator, having masqueraded as various identities for infiltration.
 * Exceptional Leadership Skill - He is the most driven of the team (sometimes to a fault) and is very good at focusing on his goal, having a one-track mind. He is well disciplined and exercises what he has learned from his mentor onto his teammates, occasionally to the point of their aggravation - as Cyborg said in "The Quest", "[Robin] takes himself way too seriously."

Equipment
Robin's main mode of transport is the R-Cycle, which he always rides with a specialized helmet that has lights built into it. He also uses a jetpack on occasion.
 * Robin suit: Robin's costume is composed of light body armor that protects from forceful impact (including bullets), yet still allows for ease of movement. It incorporates a cape made of high-density polymerized titanium that serves as flexible armor, and has resilience to heavy artillery and various kinds of high-intensity flame, even that generated by superhumans, such as Hot Spot. His boots have platforms made of metal, giving traction in most terrains and weighing his kicks for considerably more power. He has mentioned upon occasion that parts is his uniform (namely his cape) is one of a kind, but in "The Quest", we see that he has many versions of his uniform.
 * Utility Belt: Robin wears a utility belt, giving him access to a wide array of tools and weapons inside the various compartments. These include:
 * Birdarangs: Small, bladed objects that can be thrown like boomerangs.
 * Bo Staff - A collapsible metal staff, this is Robin's main weapon. It can be used to strike and attack, and spun around as a makeshift shield. The composition of the staff is strong enough to block blasts of energy and support a large amount of weight. It can also be separated into 2 Eskrima sticks (which in other media are Nightwing's iconic weapons). This indicates that he is quite skilled in the art of bojutsu.
 * Smoke Pellets - Capsules that release a grey smoke over a wide area, effective for confusing a large number of opponents and for covering escape.
 * Flash Bombs - Each marble sized bomb explodes in a burst of bright light, blinding his opponents.
 * Ammunition Discs - Easily thrown discs that contain various substances, such as freezing gas, extinguishing foam, and explosives. Robin can also attach these onto a specific target, then set a timer on them for a delayed release.
 * Grapple - Most often used to swing on buildings and catch himself from falling, it can also be used to tie up an opponent, or launched as a makeshift projectile.
 * Bola - Used for typing up criminals, and also to constrict the limbs of foes in battle.
 * Mini Supercomputer - Can scan the area, analyze evidence and hack into computer systems
 * Lock picks
 * Tracking devices
 * Flashlight

Trivia

 * Robin is the only member of the Teen Titans who does not have any superpowers.
 * Technically though, Cyborg doesn't have any actual superpowers. He uses the technology that makes up half his body.
 * Robin refers to Batman briefly in "Apprentice - Part 2". When Slade says that Robin may even come to view him as a father figure, he replies,"I already have a father." Bats are subsequently seen flying out of the building.
 * After attempting to steal a weapon for Slade in "Apprentice - Part 2", Robin escapes to the roof, where he fights the rest of the Titans. One of the giant signs on the roof says Wayne Enterprises, indicating that Robin had been made to steal from Wayne Industries, Bruce Wayne's (Batman's) company.
 * In the DC comics, there have been several different Robins. There was Dick Grayson (the original Boy Wonder), Jason Todd (kidnapped by The Joker, tortured and killed, then resurrected to become the Red Hood), Tim Drake (who became Red Robin), Stephanie Brown (the first female Robin), and Damian Wayne (Bruce's son with Talia al Ghul). The producers incorporated traits from all of them into the one for this show.
 * In a Cartoon Network 2004 commercial/bumper, Robin has his own energy drink and vending machine.
 * Gizmo calls Robin "Bird Brain". The name "Bird Brain" was used by Poison Ivy to refer to Robin in the 1997 film Batman and Robin.
 * Robin has appeared in the most episodes, only missing in the episodes "For Real" and "Lightspeed".
 * In the episode "Calling All Titans", Robin is titled by The Brain as the King, while Starfire is the Queen, and the rest of the Titans are the pawns (referring to chess pieces). This may also be a slight, as the King is not a very powerful chess piece (only able to move one square at a time) and the Queen is generally considered to be the "best".
 * Robin is only seen on 2 occasions without his mask, each time being only for a few moments. The first instance was in "The Sum of His Parts" in which Cyborg grabs Robin by the collar and jerks him back, his mask "following" his body; and for a few frames his eyes are visible as white circles with thick, black outlines. The second is during the film, Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo, when the other Titans walk in on Robin's second attempt to kiss Starfire, and his glasses fall down to reveal his eyes, and they look the same as they did in "The Sum of His Parts".
 * However, since both instances were comedic in context, his eyes may not actually look like this. This is not solid fact, however, as for a few episodes, Gizmo's eyes were the same style, even outside of comic scenes.
 * Cyborg's comment of "...four feet tall and smells of cheap hair gel" in "Divide and Conquer" is not entirely untrue. Robin has been shown on numerous occasions to style his hair, namely in "Mother Mae-Eye", when he was shown actually using hair gel after getting up.
 * Robin's hatred and obsession with Slade is eerily similar to Batman's hatred and obsession with The Joker. Like The Dark Knight against The Clown Prince of Crime, Robin will do whatever it takes to stop Slade before he could harm another innocent person and see Slade locked up in a cell.
 * The Robin from the animated series The Batman shares a striking resemblance to this version of Robin. Both shows are produced by Glen Murakami. Leading some fans to believe that they are set in the same universe.
 * According to the producers, he is 5'4": the same height as Raven, two inches shorter than Starfire, and three inches taller than Beast Boy.
 * However, like Beast Boy, his height "fluctuates" depending on the episode, and sometimes in individual scenes. At times he is shown to be taller than Raven, at other times they are the same height. Similarly, at times he is the same height as Starfire (or possibly even slightly taller), whereas usually he is clearly shorter.