Teen Titans (TV series)

Did You Know?

• The series is based primarily on stories by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez from the 1980s.
• Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo aired on September 15, 2006 as the series finale, featuring the Titans traveling to Japan to find a villain named Brushogun.
• Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part Three, released on July 16, 2024, contains a cameo where Titans Tower from the animated series can be momentarily seen.

Cast and characters

Scott Menville voices Robin, Hynden Walch voices Starfire, Khary Payton voices Cyborg, Tara Strong voices Raven, and Greg Cipes voices Beast Boy. Unlike most superhero series, the characters maintain their superhero identities at all times, with alter egos rarely explored. Robin's secret identity is never explicitly revealed, but hints suggest he is Dick Grayson: his alternate-dimensional counterpart is named Nosyarg Kcid (Dick Grayson backwards); his future self becomes Nightwing; his romance with Starfire mirrors Grayson's comic relationship; and a glimpse into his consciousness shows acrobats falling from a trapeze, referencing his parents' death. The Teen Titans Go! episode "Permanent Record" satirizes the mystery by giving his name as "Robin v.3: Tim Drake" with "Dick Grayson" and "Jason Todd" crossed out, though later episodes establish him as Dick Grayson. Starfire and Raven are their real names in the comics; the show acknowledges "Starfire" as an English translation and uses her native name Koriand'r, but does not use civilian aliases Kory Anders or Rachel Roth.

Production

The series features both an English and Japanese version of its title theme song, created by Andy Sturmer and performed by Japanese band Puffy AmiYumi. Some regions played only one version, while Japan and English video editions used both depending on the episode's tone: English for serious stories, Japanese for comedic ones. The first-season episode "Mad Mod" also featured another Puffy AmiYumi song, "K2G". In the film Trouble in Tokyo, a literal translation of the Japanese song is performed for comedic effect. In mid-November 2005, TitansTower.com reported that a sixth season was unlikely, and fans were urged to show support. The fifth season was announced as the last; series story editor Rob Hoegee and director Heather Maxwell stated Cartoon Network chose not to renew the show, and the ending was written knowing it would likely be the finale.

Legacy

The series was revisited as a series of shorts in 2012 for the DC Nation programming block on Cartoon Network, titled New Teen Titans, featuring the Titans in chibi form with the original principal cast returning. Ciro Nieli, a director on the show, later created Disney's Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!, which featured Beast Boy's voice actor Greg Cipes as the main protagonist. Sam Register created Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi in 2004, based on the pop duo who performed the theme song. Teen Titans Go! was announced as an updated version (not a spin-off) with many of the same voices but not significantly related in story; it premiered on April 23, 2013. Richardson, Payton, Strong, Cipes, and Walch reprised their roles as Trigon, Cyborg, Raven, Beast Boy, Starfire, and Blackfire in DC Super Hero Girls. Payton reprised Cyborg in multiple Lego DC Comics productions and Justice League Action. Character details from Teen Titans, such as Raven's incantation Azarath Metrion Zinthos and Beast Boy's super-werewolf form, were incorporated into the animated film Justice League vs. Teen Titans.

In other media

Warner Bros. first released the show on DVD in three volumes between September 28, 2004, and September 20, 2005, covering the entire first season and the first six episodes of season two, though further volumes were scrapped. Complete season sets on two-disc collections followed from February 7, 2006, to July 22, 2008. A complete series box set on seven discs arrived on October 2, 2018, with a Blu-ray version on December 3, 2019. DC Comics ran a tie-in comic, Teen Titans Go!, from 2004 to 2008, written by J. Torres and Todd Nauck with art by Larry Stucker. Its stories were self-contained but avoided contradicting the show, often referencing or expanding on episodes. In July 2024, DC released Primer: Clashing Colors, written by Thomas Krajewski and Jennifer Muro with art by Gretel Lusky, centering on Ashley Rayburn proving herself to join the team. Bandai produced a toy line featuring 1.5-inch mini figures, 3.5-inch figures with playsets like the Launch Tower and Command Center, Battling Machines, T-Vehicles, T-Sub Deluxe Vehicles, 5-inch figures, 6.5-inch plush Super-D Toys, and 10-inch figures. Characters included the main Titans, Titans East, and various allies and villains. A Game Boy Advance video game, Teen Titans, launched on October 16, 2005, with a plot about Brother Blood stealing DNA to build a clone army and playable characters Robin, Raven, Beast Boy, Starfire, and Cyborg. A console version and a sequel, Teen Titans 2, came out in 2006.