Starfire and Raven are seemingly juxtaposing characters with many similarities. Both original members of the Teen Titans, the alien and the demon's daughter, derive their powers from their emotions. Starfire's ultraviolet energy is intensified in bouts of happiness and rage (does that last bit sound like someone else you might have met in a comic book?), while Raven has been taught to carefully control her emotions in case she accidentally invokes her father Trigon.
Both characters are undeniably powerful, but which Titans member is ultimately the strongest? That's a tough one to call, as there's a strong case to be made for both of them. Let's take a look at five times Starfire was the most powerful Titan, alongside five times Raven probably deserved the title.
10 Starfire: Took On The Amazons
During the second volume of the New Teen Titans, initially released in the 1980s, Starfire finds herself in a tournament in Wonder Woman's home country of Themyscira. Despite being seemingly outmatched by opponents with far more combat experience, the Tamaranian princess takes on each one of them - and beats them all.
Starfire has been depicted with a cheerful innocence to her character, but she is not to be taken lightly. Not only does she possess the Tamaranian strength and ability to fly, but she also has powerful star bolts at her disposal.
9 Raven: Crashed The Wedding
Raven is the conduit for her demonic father Trigon's devastating power. Because of this, she has trained all her life to control her emotions, lest she accidentally unleashes the darkness within her. During the New Teen Titans, Raven's evil alter-ego takes over and she lays waste to her team, crashing the wedding of Dick Grayson and Starfire in the process.
This version of Raven is near limitless. With the power of Trigon inside her, it took all of the Titans to take her down and restore the pacifist Raven that they and fans knew best.
8 Starfire: Sided With The Amazons
In a reversal of her previous incarnation battling the Amazons, Starfire has also assisted the super-powered women of Themyscira on multiple occasions. During the Flashpoint event, the alien is shown to be a member of the Amazons' Furies in an alternate timeline.
Ultimately, things do not work out well for this version of Starfire, who is killed by Dick Grayson alongside the Amazons in a gasoline explosion. Nevertheless, she demonstrates throughout the story that she is a worthy addition to the Amazons' ranks and an incredibly powerful opponent.
7 Raven: Can Unleash Her Soul-Self
Despite being the daughter of a demon, Raven was raised in a pacifist society by her mother Arella and the monks of Azarath. There, she learned to control her emotions and use her powers for healing, until she had a fateful encounter with Trigon.
The demon attacks Azarath and uses his powers to rapidly accelerate Arella's aging, causing Raven to feel fear for the first time and unleash her soul-self. This version of Raven is said to have the power to destroy the universe, making her a valuable tool of destruction for Trigon.
6 Starfire: Gave Her Power To The Titans
Starfire's powers are visually impressive, and during Teen Titans: Earth One she gives some of her powers to Kole, Impulse, Cyborg, Tempest, Jericho, Terra, and Changeling. In this timeline, the alien is captured upon escaping her world and fleeing to Earth by STAR Labs, who use her DNA to give humans superpowers for Project Titan.
It is a dark representation of Starfire's background (which is already canonically tragic), but it demonstrates how valuable the power she possesses is.
5 Raven: The White Raven
Raven's immense power has frequently made her a target. During the New Teen Titans, the minions of Brother Blood attempt to capture her and sacrifice her to revive their leader. Raven and the Teen Titans defeated them and prevented Brother Blood's resurrection, after which Raven donned her white cloak for the first time.
This symbolizes Raven rejecting the darkness of Trigon and embracing her desire to help rather than harm. It also represents a significant increase in Raven's already formidable arsenal.
4 Starfire: Liberated The Tameranian People
There have been two massive upheavals in DC Comics' history, with the New 52 revamp in 2011 and 2016's DC Rebirth relaunch. Like many characters, Starfire's background was altered slightly in Prime Earth, adding a heroic conclusion to a tragic origin story. After being taken and experimented upon by the Citadel, Starfire uses her new-found powers and the training she received from rebel Citadelian Orn to overthrow the ship - the S.S Starfire - and liberate the rest of the Tameranians onboard.
This adds a happier note to Starfire's horrifying background, as well as showcasing the Tameranian's compassion and willingness to help others. Considering that she derives her powers from her emotions, a more loving Starfire is only more powerful.
3 Raven: Manipulated Her Brothers
In the 2008 series Titans, Raven learns that she is not the only human offspring of Trigon. After several members of the Teen Titans are killed, Raven meets her three brothers who, unlike her, are fully devoted to their demonic father.
The brothers use Raven as a portal for Trigon once again, but not before Raven uses her powers to amplify their greed. This causes them to try and steal Trigon's powers, as well as over-inflating their own belief in their abilities.
2 Starfire: Defeated Donna Troy
Donna Troy has featured heavily in the Teen Titans and has been depicted as one of the founding members of the team. As her teammate, Starfire has generally had a good relationship with the original Wonder Girl, though this hasn't stopped the Tamaranian from gaining the upper hand during several sparring sessions.
Donna is a worthy opponent, possessing superhuman strength and speed as well as the ability to fly (and years of extensive training with the Amazons). The fact that Starfire has been able to defeat her is a testimony to the alien's incredible powers.
1 Raven: Defeated Headcase
After overcoming her brothers and Trigon's influence once more in Titans, the team finds themselves battling Superboy-Prime in the final issue. Raven single-handedly destroys Headcase during the fight: her soul-self takes out the villain in seconds.
Raven was only using a fraction of her power whilst possessed by her soul-self to destroy Headcase, and it's absolutely possible that, at her peak, she is the most powerful member of the group.