Ranking Batman's Animated Batsuits
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Since the debut of Batman: The Animated Series back in 1992, the caped crusader has gone through a multitude of animated reimaginings and iterations, each sporting a new cape and cowl. Here are our picks for some of the best batsuits in Batman’s animated outings.
6. Batman: The Brave and The Bold (2008-2011)
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Drawing inspiration from the golden age comic of the same name, this version of Batman got a visual design that perfectly aligned with this show’s more lighthearted tone whilst also feeling like a throwback to an era gone by. One of the batsuit’s most distinct features is its blue cape and cowl reminiscent of Batman’s designs from publications of Detective Comics in the 1940s. This show’s art style also gave this version of Batman a bulkier look whilst keeping his silhouette instantly recognizable.
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5. The DC Animated Movie Universe (2014-2020)
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This time drawing loose inspiration from DC’s polarizing “New 52” comics, this batsuit is particularly sleek and modern, whilst also feeling reminiscent of Christian Bale’s batsuit in the Dark Knight trilogy, sporting incredible hand-drawn detail. This batsuit made its debut in the animated film Son of Batman and was Batman’s go-to suit during his film quadrilogy and multiple other appearances in DC’s Animated Movie Universe, with some variations in Batman: Hush and Justice League Dark: Apokalips War.
4. Batman Ninja (2018)
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What happens when you drop Batman into feudal Japan? You get possibly one of the coolest and most unorthodox batsuits. Designed by Takashi Okazaki and brought to life by the animation studio Kamikaze Douga, this outfit embraces this new setting, reimagining the traditional batsuit as black samurai armor (despite the movie being named Batman Ninja) with striking gold detailing on all the armor plating and the bat insignia. This is the perfect batsuit for feudal Japan, and one of the coolest-looking batsuits in animation.
3. The Dark Knight Returns (2012)
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The Dark Knight Returns Parts 1 and 2 were a faithful adaptation of Frank Miller’s 1986 comics run following an aging Bruce Wayne donning the cape and cowl after a ten-year hiatus, and the batsuits present in these films fit the gritty dystopia of 1980s Gotham. Their influence would carry over into live-action films; most notably, two of the three batsuits in The Dark Knight Returns served as the basis for Ben Affleck’s batsuit in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (first with the mostly gray suit and large bat insignia on the chest, then again with the bulky powersuit worn when Batman throws down against Superman in both The Dark Knight Returns and Batman v. Superman).
2. Batman Beyond (1999-2001)
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The only batsuit on this list to not be worn by Bruce Wayne, this suit was instead used by Terry McGinnis, the Batman of a distant future. This batsuit is also rather distinct, with its sleek all-black design and red bat symbol instead of the traditional yellow and black. Another interesting detail is the inclusion of a full mask instead of the traditional cowl, though McGinnis somehow still has a visible mouth on the mask. We don’t really know how this works, but it gives the suit a very interesting look that is fitting for the Batman of Neo-Gotham.
1. Batman: The Animated Series (1992-1993)
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Without a doubt the most iconic batsuit on this list, Bruce Timm’s Batman: The Animated Series is the gold standard for any animated adaptation of Batman. The batsuit of this series, which drew inspiration from Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman film along with comics of the time, has served as the base for many iterations of the cape and cowl, and also received updates and redesigns when the series gave birth to an expanded universe of shows and movies, such as “Batman: Mask of the Phantasm”, “Superman: The Animated Series”, and “Justice League Unlimited.” When most people think of an animated batsuit, this design is the first that comes to mind.
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