Looking for Superhero Cartoons that can be enjoyed by teens and adults?
Does anyone miss Teen Titans? I mean the 2003 animated TV series, not Teen Titans Go! (2013) which by the way, isn’t too bad. But despite having Teen Titans Go! around I still crave for the OG show. But the show did conclude with a great movie. As a fan of the show, I didn’t want the creators to ruin a great ending with a forced continuation with no direction.
So, instead of waiting for the possibility of a new Teen Titans with the old style and seriousness, you can binge these shows instead. The list has a bunch of good cartoons that have a lot in common with the OG Teen Titans.
10. Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir
Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir Trailer
Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Adrien Agreste, two Parisian teenagers gain the ability to transform into their superhero personas, Ladybug and Cat Noir through the use of jewels called “Miraculous”. The two of them are not aware of each other’s identities but still make the best crime fighting duo in all of Paris. Their main goal is to stop a mysterious villain called Hawk Moth who has been transforming the people of Paris into evildoers by the use of their negative energy.
Who doesn’t love a good superhero show? Teen Titans was probably one of those cartoons that got me heavily invested in the world up superheroes. Of course, I carried that love for superhero shows up to my adulthood and still squeeze in those kid friendly shows in-between. Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir have been one of those gems of a kid friendly superhero show I’ve picked up in recent years. We saw glimpses of the Titans struggling to be heroes while still wanting to act as teens, but due to their city relying on them, they need to be the mature ones and step in harm’s way for the benefit of their city. In Miraculous you see both Marinette and Adriene struggle to balance their teen life with the life of being a superhero. The biggest problem is they have to keep their identity a secret.
9. Codename: Kids Next Door
Codename: Kids Next Door Trailer
Is an American Cartoons that primarily focuses on the members of Sector V, a small part of a global organization called Kids Next Door. The kids, who call themselves via their codenames (Numbuhs 1,2,3,4, and 5) carry out the orders from the main KND branch by fighting adult and teen villains using high-tech weapons. They operate in a treehouse base where all the members have their own respective rooms. Members of the KND are sworn to protect other kids until they are forcibly decommissioned by the age of 13 (the age once they reach teenhood).
If the Teen Titans had a Tower as their base, then these crime fighting heroes known as Sector V’s KND team have their base on a treehouse, what do you expect from a bunch of kids? You’ll be surprised once you see the inside. “Evil’ for this bunch are basically teens and adults forcing their ways on their kids. There have been a bunch of episodes in Teen Titans that show how important teamwork is and how each member should treat each other as a friend. For KND, while the kids are sometimes at odds with each other you’ll see all of them come to terms and work hard as a team to save other kids in trouble.
8. Big Hero 6 (2014)
Big Hero 6 Movie Trailer
Hiro Hamada is a high school graduate and robotics genius prodigy who lives with his aunt and older brother Tadashi, in the futuristic city of San Fransokyo. Hiro, who has no great ambition in life, spends his time gambling by doing robot fights. His brother decides that Hiro needs a little push to the right direction and brings him to his university where he meets his brother’s friends and eventually Tadashi’s last project—Baymax, an inflatable healthcare robot. The events caused Hiro to want to get into the same university and signs up for a showcase to present his own creation: microbots. After the showcase the family decides to celebrate, since Hiro managed to win his application to the university. However, before they get a chance to celebrate the big win a fire breaks out trapping a few people. Tadashi rushes in but gets caught in an explosion and presumably dies. After two weeks of mourning the death of his brother, Hiro accidentally reactivates Baymax and the truth of the incident starts to piece together.
While Teen Titans is loosely based on a DC Comic, Big Hero 6 is also based on a Marvel Comic. If you look closely, you can’t help but notice a few similarities between the characters of the two shows as the cast members are also based on the same archetypes. You also have the basic “teens vs the forces of evil” trope thrown into the series. If by any chance you want to check out the animated shorts of Big Hero 6, it’ll oddly feel like watching Teen Titans Go.
7. Justice League (2001)
Justice League Trailer
The Justice League is part of the DC animated universe and serves as prequel to Batman Beyond and as a sequel to Batman the Animated Series and Superman the Animated Series. The show follows the adventures of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Hawkgirl and Martian Manhunter as they build the Justice League.
If you’re looking for something like Teen Titans but more adult in themes, then you can try out Justice League, another animated TV series that is loosely based off a DC Comic series with the same name. Similar to the Titans, the League is built of superheroes who are sworn to protect society. Once you’re done with this version, you can also check out Justice League Unlimited which features additional members, similar to Teen Titans who gained allies further into the story.
6. Teen Titans Go
Teen Titans Go Trailer
The parody of the original Teen Titans series. Meet the Titans: Robin. Beast Boy, Cyborg, Raven and Starfire in their regular to not-so-regular everyday life outside saving Jump City. Unlike your normal superhero series, Teen Titans Go focuses on being comedic, crazy and well, a parody counterpart to the original. Usually, the main cast are shown to be more exaggerated as compared to the OG Titans.
I figured that this show still belongs in the list. While definitely not as serious as the OG Teen Titans, the show is pretty much a fun watch—in fact, that’s all it basically is. But we’re in it to see more of the cast and it’s great to see them make fun of each other and the situations they get themselves in. They don’t just make fun of themselves, but there are those out of the blue DC references that pop-in the show every now and then. If you’re into those types of inside jokes, give Teen Titans Go! a shot. Admittedly, I had my doubts on this show but I decided to stick with it and had a blast watching it.
5. Ben 10: Alien Force
Ben 10: Alien Force Trailer
The series is set 5 years after the original Ben Ten series. Benjamin “Ben” Tennyson, now a teenager has to once again don the Omnitrix to protect not only the earth but now the universe from villainous alien activity at the same time he is also searching for his Grandpa Max, who went missing at the start of the series. The Omnitirix grants Ben the ability to transform into several types of aliens giving him access to all their unique abilities. Ben is also joined by his cousin Gwen, and his former enemy Kevin Levin.
A lot of us enjoyed Teen Titans because it was just jammed packed with action, just as how a superhero show should be. Another great show that delivered great action scenes was another Cartoon Network show called Ben 10. Now, if a lot of you grew up watching Ben 10, then rejoice! There is a sequel! Ben 10: Alien Force features Ben and his cousin as teens, about the same age as the Teen Titans, now on a mission to save their grandpa Max and the rest of the universe.
4. Xiaolin Showdown
Xiaolin Showdown Trailer
4 teenagers from different areas of the world get chosen to be the next generation of Xiaolin Dragons. These warriors are tasked to search the world for the Shen Gong Wu, magical artifacts that grant the user special abilities. They must get these artifacts and bring them back to their temple before the Heylin side will get them and use the artifacts for evil. In order to win an artifact, both sides must challenge the opposing team to a duel called a Xiaolin Showdown where one member from each team will face off in a race-like challenge to the Shen Gong Wu.
Through the journey of the Teen Titans, they learn to build a sense of comradery among their fellow Titans. While they were already a strong team to begin with, they become an even better force once they learn more about each other’s past and learn to trust one another. In Xiaolin Showdown, these 4 teens are at first aloof with one another but later learn to trust the other with their life and the faith of the world. Despite occasionally losing some duels, they work hard to build each other up for the next duel.
3. Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse
Spider-man: Inot the Spider-verse Trailer
A Brooklyn teen named Miles Morales already has so much on his plate dealing with his new life at his boarding school. Now let’s add getting bitten by a radioactive spider to the list. Miles is suddenly granted the same powers as his universe’s one and only Spider-Man. Suddenly he gets into trouble with Wilson Flisk who is bent on getting access to several parallel universes to find alternative versions of his son and wife who died in a car crash. To make things more complicated he meets up with people with the same ability as him from the different universes and they eventually team up to correct the different dimensions.
With great power comes great responsibility, we all know this proverb due to the Spider-Man comics. In Teen Titans we see a band of teens who have the ability to save the world, and they take it upon themselves to do just that. No one asked them to take-on such lengths for humanity, but they decided to do so with their abilities. We can see Miles learn the meaning of the proverb through the movie. Originally, he is unwillingly since he cannot seem to grasp the full capability of his powers but later, he eases himself with his role as the new Spider-Man.
2. My Hero Academia
My Hero Academia Trailer
Izuku Midorya, a quirkless superhero fanboy, dreams of entering UA and eventually join the ranks of the pro-heroes. By a chance encounter he ends up meeting the hero he looks up to the most: All Might and eventually inherits his quirk “One for All”. Now equipped with a Quirk of his own, Izuku begins his path as a new hero-in-training.
What does it mean to be a hero? While we see glimpses of what it means to save the world and your friends in Teen Titans, you can also learn more about the meaning of being a “hero” in My Hero Academia. In a world where almost everyone has a special ability it’s tough to really set yourself as someone special enough to take on the mantle of being a hero. The students of 1-A may just be teens but they prove themselves time and time again, by standing side-by-side with the pros. With the anime and manga still ongoing, it’ll still be a while before we run out of My Hero Academia episodes.
1.Young Justice
Young Justice Trailer
Young Justice focuses on the sidekicks of some of the members of the Justice League. Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash and Speedy are invited by their respective mentors to sit in a meeting of the Justice League but are called away at the last minute. Upset, Speedy then resigns from being a sidekick. The other three teens use this opportunity to prove themselves as heroes of their own right. While on their mission they end up rescuing a clone of superman named Superboy. Batman who is impressed decides to form Young Justice, a team of “new age” heroes who run secret missions for the League.
Both shows focus on the teens of the DC animated universe. While Teen Titans doesn’t really follow their comic counterpart as much as Young Justice, they still have the same troubles as crime fighting heroes in their teens. Their ages show with how they act around certain situations as compared to more seasoned heroes. However, Teen Titans does have a tendency to be more lighthearted and gag-centered between the two. While both shows do revolve around teens, it seems Teen Titans is geared towards the much younger teens as compared to Young Justice.
