12 Reasons Why 'Young Justice' Is Better Than 'Teen Titans'

Young Justice makes a point to avoid being just another DC animated series that lopes along with the status quo. It actively takes a fresh approach to the DC universe, giving the audience a new perspective on characters they may already be intimately familiar with. This leads to richer character development for heroes like Robin, as the series takes time to delve into each star's personality and motivations. The show also regularly includes obscure characters and ideas from the greater pantheon of DC comics, something Teen Titans rarely ever does. 

Throughout the run of Teen Titans the heroes never break from their not-so-secret identities. Whether they're heading to school or going out for pizza, they're always in costume and no one in Jump City seems to mind all that much. It's almost like they're public figures, rather than normal people with alter egos. 

Young Justice takes a different route, and instead gives most characters two distinct personalities. This allows the series to explore nuanced ideas such as how the life of a superhero meshes with being an adolescent who is approaching adulthood in "normal" life.

One of Young Justice's standout elements is the show does not shy away from including established members of the Justice League. Whereas DC could have left the sidekicks alone to get on with their work, they instead chose to have the heroes interact with and work under the supervision of comic legends like Batman.

While the Justice League does give the younger heroes some room for autonomy, Team members are trained by Red Tornado and Black Canary. This mentorship gives fans a peek at the human side of older characters that's too often overlooked, as they struggled to come to terms with their proteges growing up and becoming powerful in their own right.

While Teen Titans isn't afraid of tackling adult themes, it's overall a more lighthearted approach to showing the lives of superhero sidekicks than Young Justice. The more recent show constantly put its cast of characters in dangerous situations. These instances often involve severe consequences and bleak violence, meaning the characters appear to authentically fear for their lives. This gives Young Justice a level of gravity rarely seen in animated shows, as there is usually a lot at stake. 

As Young Justice and Teen Titans deal with traditionally supporting characters rather than DC's main heroes, they are both able to dig deeply into the DC universe. This gives writers the chance to explore people, places, and ideas that Hollywood blockbusters tend to avoid.

While both series employ obscure DC characters to some extent, Young Justice does a much better job of introducing the more obscure parts of the DC universe. Teen Titans sometimes includes lesser-known characters (the Doom Patrol, the cast of Titans East, etc.) these cameos are often brief and rarely allow time for thorough examination of figures' motivations.

While the world featured in Teen Titans doesn't really change until the heartbreaking series finale (aptly titled "Things Change"), the Young Justice universe appears to be in constant motion. Characters come and go, either due to Team roster swaps or faraway missions. In addition to locale variance, the motivations of individual members change as they encounter new problems. There are even ongoing conflicts that arise between characters, be it within the hero teams or with their foes.