Young Justice is a TV show about animated teenagers who just so happen to be superheroes within the DC Universe. Meanwhile, Teen Titans was always a TV show about animated teenagers who just so happen to be superheroes within the DC Universe. Yes, plot-wise, these shows are extremely similar, but that's where the comparisons end.

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In terms of tone and execution, it's like comparing apples to oranges, but that does not mean there aren't things that each show does better than the other. In pointing out which shows is the best in certain aspects, only then can it truly be decided which is the better show.

10 TT: The Villains

robin and slade

As much as so much praise goes to the writers' treatment of the core group of heroes (more on that later), where Teen Titans really shines is in the show's treatment of its villains. An obvious, but perfect example would be Slade, who even more so than his Deathstroke counterpart on Young Justice managed to singlehandedly decimate the Titans on a psychological level, mentally breaking each member down in compelling ways that made him a threat even after a supposed death.

Young Justice tends to focus more on developing its heroes and as a result, most of the villains feel like background fodder by comparison.

9 YJ: The Heroes

young justice

Which, speaking of, as much as we all love the depictions of the Teen Titans as they appear in the show of the same name, the heroes on Young Justice are all thrilling and pitch-perfect depictions of their comic book counterparts.

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The cast of this show very much feels like watching all of our favorite superheroes lifted from the panels of comic books. Even with original characters like this universe's Aqualad, the writing is crisp enough to make them feel like fully realized characters with understanding, complex motivations.

8 TT: Daring

Teen Titans

To call Teen Titans "daring" may be too strong a word, but for lack of a better word, the show dared to be different following the collapse of the DC Animated Universe that at the time included more narrative-driven, somewhat high stakes series like Batman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, and Justice League Unlimited.

Those shows are grounded in a dramatic reality similar to the one that Young Justice sits in, but Teen Titans went ahead and took something of a risk by steering itself closer to a more lighthearted tone, comedy, and cartoony visual gags for the most part. It paid off, though.

7 YJ: Shared Universe

image of characters from Young Justice

Speaking of shared universes, one thing that is refreshing about Young Justice is how it acknowledges the deeper established heroes under the same universe, like Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. In fact, it adds to the long-running themes kicking off in season one where the younger heroes are desperate for independence hoping to break out from the shadow of their superiors.

Disappointingly, Teen Titans only ever make minor references to people like Superman and Batman. Granted, it's great for the show to try and be its own thing without relying on more popular heroes, but it leads to some missed opportunities by hardly even mentioning who came before them. Young Justice isn't afraid of the lore it came from and goes out of its way to embrace its history.

6 TT: Ensemble Characters

While Young Justice has its own impressive roster, there is not much in regards to friendship to go around. Some heroes are closer to others - i.e. Superboy is closer to Miss Martian than, say, Aqualad - but there is not quite a cohesive friendship across the boards. It's mostly a team of co-workers who happen to be superheroes on the same team.

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Then, there's Teen Titans which thanks to having a smaller roster, has room to actually build stronger relationships among the entire main core group.

5 YJ: Action

Black Canary ducking out of Superboy's strike

Since Teen Titans focuses more on comedy and visual gags, the action and fight sequences do not seem all that memorable. When most fans sing high praise for the show, the action is one of the last things that ever get mentioned.

Thankfully, since the Young Justice narrative is heightened by high stakes drama, that means that much of the show is a nonstop fight reel. Best of all, these fights are always well drawn, well written, well-choreographed, and just filled with high octane action to marvel at.

4 TT: Why So Serious?

teen titans vs teen titans go

Teen Titans has never been afraid to get a little silly from time to time. Fans know how much the more modern interpretation is sillier and geared towards a younger demographic, but the original show had its own silliness that provided an ample break from heavier storylines, like Robin working for Slade.

Young Justice rarely leaves room for the funnier, fun moments. There are brief moments here and there, but for the most part, everything's pretty serious. It's hard for the higher stake storylines to stand out when the average storyline is so serious, to begin with.

3 YJ: Storytelling

aquaman and wonderwoman

Even with an abundance - or, arguably, the overabundance - of serious storytelling, storytelling is one of the aspects of the show that help Young Justice stand out. The show is at its best when it focuses on long story arcs and serials which span several episodes. Or an entire season, in some cases. And when it pays off by the season finale airs after countless episodes of investment, it feels so satisfying. It's satisfying to see Aqualad become Aquaman, for example, after watching three seasons of conflicted character development.

Teen Titans never offered that level of storytelling aside from the occasional two-parter. That show preferred to have recurring gags and one-off story episodes.

2 TT: Relatable

beast boy sympathizes with tara

Both Young Justice and Teen Titans are and were centered around teenage superheroes, but the former doesn't focus on the teenage part as much. The writers could have upped their ages to when they're older and nothing would change about the story. In fact, they did in season two and three. They fast-forwarded five years into the future, and virtually, the heroes act exactly the same.

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With the latter, there's much more emphasis on them being teenagers - whether it be a focus on their lovelorn crushes, Robin going to junior prom, or Beast Boy getting a day job - and by humanizing them like this, it makes the characters come off as much more relatable to the viewers.

1 YJ: More Closure

Deathstroke & Terra young justice

One of the joys of watching Young Justice continue to be on the air now is that it still has the chance to get what Teen Titans never really had the chance to have before cancelation: closure. A satisfying ending.

Both shows were near the brink of extinction as both were canceled at one point. Thankfully, Young Justice at least returned and is likely to give fans the ending they deserve. Teen Titans ended with a whimper rather than a bang, with the final episode being about Beast Boy struggling to accept Terra's death, a storyline that never had the chance to wrap up.

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