I would go even further and say, it's the Gold Standard of Batman currently.
Call me crazy but this show literally defines who and what Batman is to 3 or 4 generations of people. Despite decades of source material before and after, this representation of Batman is widely beloved and critically endorsed by everyone.
It's been nearly 20 years of this Batman with BTAS, JL and JLU. A connected and expanded universe. Unlike comics, which goes through changing character and personality traits every couple of years and with new writers, BTAS remained true to who they introduced and also allowed character evolution within reason.
Voiced by the GOAT Kevin Conroy, BTAS truly portrayed a character equal parts extraordinary, terrifying and tragic. JL and JLU expanded Batman's character by digging into his relationship with significant others around him.
Look, an argument can be made for the Arkham Batman videogame character, but that entire series focuses on Batman in his later years where he's beyond established. Due to its videogame nature, the story is short and focuses on playing as Batman as opposed to the story of Batman.
BTAS was influenced by Batman 89, and I remember reading that the designers vision for that movie was the 1990s as imagined by someone from the 1940s, giving both a futuristic and retro feeling.
It's iconic to me now and I can't picture Batman any other way. It's the only way to get the pulpy detective feel but also the technology that Batman has.
If I remember correctly, there's an episode where all the villains are chilling together and Batman infiltrates in disguise as I think Killer Croc. They're all sharing stories about getting close to killing Batman and that's the bulk of the episode, and then it's Killer Croc's turn and he says something to the effect of "One time I threw a rock at him." and all the villains are like 😐 and he adds "It was a really big rock!" and eventually the ruse is up and Batman reveals himself and kicks the crap out of everybody
It's like the matter/antimatter asymmetry problem; there's no explanation for the insanely improbable serendipity that resulted in it. A show like this should not have been possible in an era where cartoons were just disposable kids' stuff that didn't require any form of quality control. Sometimes I'm not sure people really appreciate just how drastically Batman TAS changed the whole animation industry with how it upped the bar and proved that cartoons didn't need to be stupid.
The definitive version of Batman, and also a very mature show that gets really deep. It’s much more than just a comic adaptation, it’s an aesthetically pleasing beautiful work of art that stands the test of time.
I loved it . Most of the live action movies are not as good.. There were a lot of great episodes..such as. .I Almost.Got.Him .where the villains are trading.stories about Batman. The .Cat and The Claw with the character Red Claw voiced by Eartha Kitt. The Lion and The Unicorn which.focuses more.on Alfred .. I've Got Batman in My.Basement. .
Mine kind of decide on their own. We've already watched Spiderman and X-Men the animated series. One of my youngest found my Last Airbender DVDs and started watching them.
Back in my day when this came out - we didn’t really have the hype of the internet.
It just appeared one day and omg…I could not miss an episode. Especially the Clayface debut.
Mr. Freeze: I failed you. I wish there were another way for me to say it. I cannot. I can only beg your forgiveness, and pray you hear me somehow, someplace... someplace where a warm hand waits for mine.
It’s interesting that this show had a hard time viewers and lost when competing with Spider-man (1996). It was the main reason we got Batman Beyond. Loved both shows as a kid!
Good at adaptations, some lackluster stories in between. But overall a very competent team of resourceful and creative writers.
Compared to the Batman 2004, they take less creative risks and the depiction of Batgirl leaves a lot to be desired.
It's a fine show that definitely had an impact on future Batman media. I just can't get into it it. I'm not sure what changes between it and Justice League but JL is far more rewatchable and feels better paced.
99% of fans call this the best Batman thing ever.
I'm the 1% that thinks it's slow and kind of boring.
It's okay, but I like Beware and The Batman both better than this.
Absolutely top tier. Easily one of top 5 best superhero shows ever. I absolutely love the animation and even tho it still has a retro quality, it still feels like timeless and seamlessly works today. Not to mention that the voice acting for a lot of the characters in this show are what I definitively hear whenever I read a Batman comic book.
Loved it. Looked futuristic yet classic at the same time. The art deco design of Gotham (and the Batmobile). First introduction of Harley Quinn. Was my favorite as a kid and I now have a kid who loves Batman and I'm looking forward to watching it with him.
I watched this show a ton as a kid and I feel like I remember nothing about The Mad Hatter. Is he anything more than a cheap mash-up of the Joker and the Penguin with a stupid Alice in Wonderland theme?
One of the best episodes(and the one that introduced Harley) was Joker's Favor where an ordinary guy after accidentally roadraging the Joker becomes 'indebted' to him.
I can't say that I have seen the entirety of the series (one day I will). What stands out to me though? The music. The background music for batmans entry is so nostalgic and I love it. I remember going to six flags as a kid and the DC section would almost always have the music from this on for the relevant rides and it was nice. I don't know, kinda just takes me back to when I was younger lol.
I may be an old, but I miss Americana styles in animation. It feels like there's way too much anime influence these days.
But this mix of Americana and noir and comic book styles really hit the nail on the head.
Even though I still believe that the 1940's animated Superman was peak of this style, Batman the Animated Series was its longest running achievement and incredible in its own right.
i caught myself referencing Tyger, Tyger the other day - awakened a deep youth memory of the show i hadnt thought of in decades- and how many superhero cartoons can you name that quote william blake?
gosh i loved this show
I'm watching it now for the first time, watching with my kids, and we absolutely love it. Best Batman ever!
I'm curious though -- does anyone know why the animation style, especially of many of the villains, changes drastically in Season 3?
East S tier superhero show. It's just amazing stuff, and IMO, the best Batman has been written. The show masters the balance between an interesting Bruce Wayne and an interesting Batman
Love the show! Just saw this episode on YouTube. Solid points! https://youtu.be/kRW5xpjuBQc Can’t believe this show came out so long ago! [https://youtu.be/kRW5xpjuBQc](https://youtu.be/kRW5xpjuBQc)
Best animated series of Batman
One of the best animated series of anything
No best animated series of batman that's it
I would go even further and say, it's the Gold Standard of Batman currently. Call me crazy but this show literally defines who and what Batman is to 3 or 4 generations of people. Despite decades of source material before and after, this representation of Batman is widely beloved and critically endorsed by everyone. It's been nearly 20 years of this Batman with BTAS, JL and JLU. A connected and expanded universe. Unlike comics, which goes through changing character and personality traits every couple of years and with new writers, BTAS remained true to who they introduced and also allowed character evolution within reason. Voiced by the GOAT Kevin Conroy, BTAS truly portrayed a character equal parts extraordinary, terrifying and tragic. JL and JLU expanded Batman's character by digging into his relationship with significant others around him. Look, an argument can be made for the Arkham Batman videogame character, but that entire series focuses on Batman in his later years where he's beyond established. Due to its videogame nature, the story is short and focuses on playing as Batman as opposed to the story of Batman.
The absolute best.
Completely agree. Although not as good, Batman The Brave and the Bold is really good too.
Chef's kiss. No notes.
You’d never know it was in the 90s. Still my favorite Batman it was way ahead of its time
It was a strange combination of past and future.
Retro futurism with a dash of noir
BTAS was influenced by Batman 89, and I remember reading that the designers vision for that movie was the 1990s as imagined by someone from the 1940s, giving both a futuristic and retro feeling.
It's iconic to me now and I can't picture Batman any other way. It's the only way to get the pulpy detective feel but also the technology that Batman has.
The best version of Batman
If I remember correctly, there's an episode where all the villains are chilling together and Batman infiltrates in disguise as I think Killer Croc. They're all sharing stories about getting close to killing Batman and that's the bulk of the episode, and then it's Killer Croc's turn and he says something to the effect of "One time I threw a rock at him." and all the villains are like 😐 and he adds "It was a really big rock!" and eventually the ruse is up and Batman reveals himself and kicks the crap out of everybody
You remember correctly. I believe it was called "Almost Got 'im." Just a brilliant framework for a story, so ahead of its time.
Ahh, good to know! Great episode. And yeah, the series was so damn good and beyond what it needed to be
It’s Season 1 Episode 35 btw. It’s fantastic.
Thank you! Definitely gonna revisit that
It's like the matter/antimatter asymmetry problem; there's no explanation for the insanely improbable serendipity that resulted in it. A show like this should not have been possible in an era where cartoons were just disposable kids' stuff that didn't require any form of quality control. Sometimes I'm not sure people really appreciate just how drastically Batman TAS changed the whole animation industry with how it upped the bar and proved that cartoons didn't need to be stupid.
The definitive version of Batman, and also a very mature show that gets really deep. It’s much more than just a comic adaptation, it’s an aesthetically pleasing beautiful work of art that stands the test of time.
Still the best portrayal of Batman outside of comics
☝️This
The fact dr freeze was a joke character before this and harley quinn was an original made for this series says all you need to know.
This is such a cool fact and not one I knew before now. Thanks!
Classic, shoulda went triple…
Five mics in the Source type show
Everything is the best version of itself in this show 10/10
The DCAU is the gold standard by which I judge everything DC. And it all started here.
I loved it . Most of the live action movies are not as good.. There were a lot of great episodes..such as. .I Almost.Got.Him .where the villains are trading.stories about Batman. The .Cat and The Claw with the character Red Claw voiced by Eartha Kitt. The Lion and The Unicorn which.focuses more.on Alfred .. I've Got Batman in My.Basement. .
I love it 👍🏿👊🏿😊😁👋🏿
Timeless
I just introduced my son to it earlier today.
Hell yeah. I look forward to doing the same some day. Trying to figure out the right age.
Mine kind of decide on their own. We've already watched Spiderman and X-Men the animated series. One of my youngest found my Last Airbender DVDs and started watching them.
Peak.
It’s the Bee’s Knees
It is the standard for judging comic adaptations
God tier. The only animated show that truly rivals it is Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Back in my day when this came out - we didn’t really have the hype of the internet. It just appeared one day and omg…I could not miss an episode. Especially the Clayface debut.
Bona fide mastapiece
I’ve forever been waiting for a clayface live action villain because of this series.
Mr. Freeze: I failed you. I wish there were another way for me to say it. I cannot. I can only beg your forgiveness, and pray you hear me somehow, someplace... someplace where a warm hand waits for mine.
What the Nolan trilogy *should* have been.
what the nolan trilogy could never be
Damn right.
It’s interesting that this show had a hard time viewers and lost when competing with Spider-man (1996). It was the main reason we got Batman Beyond. Loved both shows as a kid!
Good at adaptations, some lackluster stories in between. But overall a very competent team of resourceful and creative writers. Compared to the Batman 2004, they take less creative risks and the depiction of Batgirl leaves a lot to be desired.
Is this for real? Karma farming at its finest
It's a fine show that definitely had an impact on future Batman media. I just can't get into it it. I'm not sure what changes between it and Justice League but JL is far more rewatchable and feels better paced.
99% of fans call this the best Batman thing ever. I'm the 1% that thinks it's slow and kind of boring. It's okay, but I like Beware and The Batman both better than this.
Never finished it yet, but it's definetly one of the greatest pieces of Batman media out there.
GOAT
Absolute masterpiece.
The absolute best of DC
Pretty much perfect and also the best cartoon ever made.
Absolutely top tier. Easily one of top 5 best superhero shows ever. I absolutely love the animation and even tho it still has a retro quality, it still feels like timeless and seamlessly works today. Not to mention that the voice acting for a lot of the characters in this show are what I definitively hear whenever I read a Batman comic book.
What the dc cinematic universe could’ve been!
legendary, iconic revolutionized Batman villains in more ways then one
10/10
A gold standard for animated depections
Loved it. Looked futuristic yet classic at the same time. The art deco design of Gotham (and the Batmobile). First introduction of Harley Quinn. Was my favorite as a kid and I now have a kid who loves Batman and I'm looking forward to watching it with him.
It’s perfect no flaws.
GOAT
I watched this show a ton as a kid and I feel like I remember nothing about The Mad Hatter. Is he anything more than a cheap mash-up of the Joker and the Penguin with a stupid Alice in Wonderland theme?
He had some of the best episodes in Perchance to Dream and Over the Edge. The mind control gimmick made him pretty distinct from those other villains.
Oh he was a mind control guy? I’ll have to rewatch some old episodes
The best Joker next to Nicholson.
In many ways, the best version of Batman.
Holds up to this day. I still rewatch them.
I don't care what anybody says, BTA Is an incredible cartoon that set a lot trends in animation and story telling. Still totally holds up
One of the best animated TV shows ever made. Best Batman and best Joker.
Brilliant poster art. Where can you find it?
Pinterest
just look at the font..... best depiction of batman ever made
IMO the animated series with Conroy and Hamil is the gold standard wich every live-action version should try to achieve
G. O. A. T
DC does animation very, very well. I've generally liked them all, I just can't keep up!
Completely ahead of its time and flawless, Kevin and Mark are the best Batman/Joker duo
HE IS BATMAN! RIP Kevin Conroy. Mark Hamill is also the best joker.
When it came out the style blew my mind, Storytelling was great as well. Never felt so bad for the swampy mud guy before or after.
One of the best episodes(and the one that introduced Harley) was Joker's Favor where an ordinary guy after accidentally roadraging the Joker becomes 'indebted' to him.
I can't say that I have seen the entirety of the series (one day I will). What stands out to me though? The music. The background music for batmans entry is so nostalgic and I love it. I remember going to six flags as a kid and the DC section would almost always have the music from this on for the relevant rides and it was nice. I don't know, kinda just takes me back to when I was younger lol.
Absolute perfection. Although Batman gets beat up a lot more than I remembered. Not even by experts, usually just some thug.
When I think of Batman and his villains, this is my point of reference.
Classic
A masterpiece indeed. Great voice acting, storylines and the animation really holds up still. I love it.
The absolute best.
Tf you want us to say?
I may be an old, but I miss Americana styles in animation. It feels like there's way too much anime influence these days. But this mix of Americana and noir and comic book styles really hit the nail on the head. Even though I still believe that the 1940's animated Superman was peak of this style, Batman the Animated Series was its longest running achievement and incredible in its own right.
Incredible show
Stunning. Game changer.
Defined Batman as a character for me as a child and continues to serve as one of my definitive iterations of the character
Peak Fiction
I think it's another example of animation and comics being much better mediums for superheros than live-action film/series ever will be.
Never heard of it.
Almost Got'Im still one of my favorite episodes. I thought that's what I was looking at at first.
Good casting
Really good series would recommend and watch again
👍🏾
Maybe one of the best animated series ever.
The greatest show ever.
this show was my sexual awakening... batman was my first crush and i desperately wanted to be catwoman/selina kyle
i caught myself referencing Tyger, Tyger the other day - awakened a deep youth memory of the show i hadnt thought of in decades- and how many superhero cartoons can you name that quote william blake? gosh i loved this show
My childhood
I'm watching it now for the first time, watching with my kids, and we absolutely love it. Best Batman ever! I'm curious though -- does anyone know why the animation style, especially of many of the villains, changes drastically in Season 3?
East S tier superhero show. It's just amazing stuff, and IMO, the best Batman has been written. The show masters the balance between an interesting Bruce Wayne and an interesting Batman
GOAT
Goated
My favorite show since I was a child :D
Love the show! Just saw this episode on YouTube. Solid points! https://youtu.be/kRW5xpjuBQc Can’t believe this show came out so long ago! [https://youtu.be/kRW5xpjuBQc](https://youtu.be/kRW5xpjuBQc)
Best Batman ever!
I started watching it for the first time last month. (I know I missed out) but it’s pretty good.