Nightwing (Canon, DC Animated Universe)/Goulden1998

“	Hey, no one can be a Boy Wonder forever.	„
	~ Nightwing

Articles about Dick Grayson (Goulden1998)
Comics	Bat-Manga
Shows	DCAU

Summary

Richard Grayson spent much of his early life traveling in Haly's circus with his parents, who were known far and wide as the fantastic acrobats, "The Flying Graysons." However, this idyllic life on the road would be cut short when, during a stop in Gotham, racketeer Tony Zucco's men would cause the deaths of young Richard's parents as payback for the Circus' owner refusing to pay for protection. Afterward, Richard was taken in by fellow orphan Bruce Wayne (who, unbeknownst to Richard, was really Gotham's mysterious protector The Batman) but was unsatisfied with simply letting his parents go unavenged. He tracked Zucco down just as he was attempting to skip town, and nearly died in the confrontation - fortunately, he was saved by Batman, who unfortunately had to let Zucco go in order to save Richard's life. Sensing the boy's anger at his parents' murder and burning need for justice to be served, Wayne revealed his secret identity to the boy and began training him to become a crime-fighter just as he was. Years later, Grayson would debut as Batman's partner: Robin, the Boy Wonder. Grayson would continue operating as Robin until his early twenties, when an argument with Bruce caused a rift between surrogate son and surrogate father. Following this argument, Grayson left to travel the world and hone his skills. However, a bit over two years later, Grayson would return to Gotham, operating now as "Nightwing" - and as seen during "Batman and Harley Quinn," Grayson eventually made up with his surrogate father and the two became close allies once more.

Powers and Stats

Tier: 9-A, possibly 8-C

Name: Richard "Dick" Grayson, formerly known as Robin before taking the name Nightwing

Origin: The DC Animated Universe

Gender: Male

Age: As Robin in BTAS, late teens to early twenties. As Nightwing in TNBA and Batman and Harley Quinn, late twenties to early thirties.

Classification: Human

Powers and Abilities:

• Superhuman Physical Characteristics (See Attack Potency, Speed, Lifting Strength, and Durability)
• Superhuman Athleticism (Consistently shows the ability to jump higher than any IRL human, such as when he jumped to the top of a truck alongside Batman, leapt above Kyodai Ken's head from a standing position, leapt between cars for traversal, jumped over the top of a car from a standing position, jumped above a forklift, etc)
• Indomitable Will (Performed a death-defying rescue despite being infected by Scarecrow's crippling fear toxin during "Fear of Victory")
• Acrobatics (Has excelled in acrobatics since childhood, using his "tremendous gymnastic abilities" for traversal of his environment and for avoiding attacks from enemies)
• Enhanced Senses (Was trained by Bruce Wayne, and as such should have received the same training that granted Tim Drake inhumanly sharp hearing)
• Gliding (Uses his suit's wings to defy gravity)
• Hand-to-Hand Combat Mastery (Is a "master combatant," and is playable in Rise of Sin Tzu - every single playable character in Rise of Sin Tzu is regarded by the game's manual as wielding "extraordinary martial arts abilities." Has been instructed by Bruce Wayne, an exceptionally skilled martial artist, for years in order to make him the most effective crime-fighter possible, and is implied to regularly spar with him in a manner similar to this scene from "Night of the Ninja." Dodged attacks from and even landed a hit on Kyodai Ken, a martial arts master. Thought of as “a skilled and quick-minded fighter in his own right…” Forced Bane to the ground using a creative throw that involved swinging through his legs, pulling his arm downward)
• Weapon Mastery (With the escrima sticks he began using as of some point prior to Batman and Harley Quinn, as well as with his various gadgets - he's demonstrated great expertise with Batarang/Shuriken-type weapons, like when he expertly pinned a man to some crates, disarmed Kyodai Ken from a distance, disarmed two men in a single throw, cut Batgirl's restraints from a distance, etc. He's also great at using a sling, such as when he precisely hit a small hook from a good distance away. Additionally, it's very strongly implied that Bruce taught him fencing. Demonstrated perfect marksmanship with his audio-device gun, planting a bug in a doorway from a distance)
• Stealth Mastery (Was instructed for years by Bruce Wayne, who is "second to none" in terms of stealth. Tim Drake could not hear him coming despite his training seemingly granting him extremely sharp hearing. Casually snuck up on Two-Face's henchman, and would have been totally undetected by his entire gang if Batgirl had not made a sound. Hid from a criminal totally silently)
• Hacking (Hacked into STAR Labs' servers)
• Voice Mimicry (Perfectly imitated Bruce Wayne's voice)
• Vehicular Mastery (with Motorcycles - his expertise is so great that he can easily clear a jump between bridges, swerve in such a way that allowed him to pass under a moving truck, etc)
• Environmental Mastery (Was trained by Batman to be very adaptable, using objects and structures in his immediate vicinity in creative ways during combat. Took out some Joker drones by trapping them in a nearby trash can. Defeated goons in a restaurant by pulling a tablecloth out from under one of them and by slamming a dining cart into another. Knocked goons out by attaching his grapnel to a nearby roulette wheel and pulling, causing it to topple onto them. Pushed over buckets of ice in a fish market, causing criminals to slip and fall. Defeated a bear with a forklift)
• Grapnel Proficiency/Rope Proficiency (Has years of experience using grapnels and ropes, for scaling structures, swinging across gaps, facilitating swinging attacks, restraining enemies, et cetera)
• Improvised Weapon Proficiency (Used a plank of wood as a makeshift staff to disarm Miranda Kane of her whip, and used a trash can lid as a boomerang, expertly ricocheting it off a wall to knock Harley Quinn down. Used fish (yes, really) as nunchaku with great finesse. Disarmed Mr. Freeze with a plate)
• Disguise Mastery (Expertly disguised himself as someone Baby Doll knew, so well that she didn't realize it wasn't actually him)

His arsenal grants him: Paralysis Inducement (Can restrain foes with this batrope-esque gadget)

With his Optional Equipment (consisting mostly of his gadgets he used as Robin), he can use:

• Explosion Manipulation (As Robin, used a throwable explosive)
• Fire Manipulation (Uses a torch that can instantly liquify metal)
• Electricity Manipulation (Uses an electrified Batarang)
• Smoke Manipulation (Carried a smoke pellet)
• Paralysis Inducement (with his Bola and Grapnel)

Due to being a close ally of Batman who has access to the Batcave, it stands to reason that his optional equipment could include all of Batman's equipment, as he could reasonably access it and use it in battle, which would give him a tremendous amount of additional abilities.

Attack Potency: Small Building Level, possibly Building Level (Can fight those who can harm him. Hit Batman so hard he crumpled to the ground, and by the time he becomes Nightwing should be generally comparable to him. Hurt Kyodai Ken with a kick - Kyodai Ken could trade blows with and harm Batman. Along with Batman, managed to harm The Floronic Man, who took hits from Batman and beat him down. Knocked The Joker back with a swing kick. Fought and repeatedly harmed Ricky The Hook, who took a kick from Catwoman that sent him into a large wooden desk hard enough to split it in two and took hits from and harmed Batman. Given a running start, knocked Mr. Freeze to the ground with a kick, and was strong enough to tackle him to the ground despite Freeze having time to brace himself. Overwhelmed Harley Quinn while holding back, only losing consciousness because Harley injected him with Joker Venom. Stated to be "much stronger" than Batgirl. Casually ragdolled Ubu with a kick, with Ubu being so strong that he elbowed a thick steel door hard enough to bend it like a piece of paper. Knocked Poison Ivy back with a kick. Overpowered Catwoman. Shouldn't be any weaker than The Penguin's henchwomen, who kicked Batwoman through a thick stone wall. Punched a goon into concrete hard enough to notably crater it. Decapitated a giant robot with a kick. Knocked a criminal into a row of metal lockers hard enough to completely total them. Struggled with a Polar Bear. Kicked a door off its hinges. Swing-kicked a man so hard he slammed into a car door, slamming it off its hinges. Every playable character in Rise of Sin Tzu can beat up the game's common goons, who, during one story mission, are shown to, over time and with several minutes of constant attack, wear down and damage the Batcave's thick metal security doors)

Speed: Hypersonic (Moved this fast while caught off guard. As Robin, the novelization of Sub-Zero takes care to note that he and Batman moved “as one” and “in the same motion” when dodging attacks. Moved this fast during his time as Robin. Tagged The Floronic Man, who could tag Batman. Kept up with Kyodai Ken, who in turn fought evenly with Batman. Casually dodged whip cracks. Can roll forward in tandem with a bazooka rocket. Alongside Batman, dodged fireballs. Leapt above a speeding van at extremely close range), possibly Relativistic or higher reactions and combat speed (As mentioned above, scaling to Batman. As fast as Harley Quinn, who Static had significant trouble tagging), at least Superhuman running speed (Can consistently keep pace with and even run side-by-side with Batman, who wouldn't have any reason to hold back his running speed in these instances), Subsonic travel speed with his Motorcycle (Should be as fast as, if not faster than, IRL motorcycles)

Lifting Strength: At least Class 1, possibly Class 5 (Struggled with a furious polar bear, with IRL polar bears having Class 1 lifting strength. Stronger than Poison Ivy, who snapped a man's neck with ease. Effortlessly won a tug-of-war against a circus strongman. Can casually lift and throw huge wooden crates. Threw Tony Zucco, a grown man, around. As he is comparable in power to Batman, he likely approximates his lifting strength: Batman having feats such as pulling a massive limestone statue and base against the pull of gravity. In one low-end, struggled to lift a file cabinet)

Striking Strength: Small Building Class, possibly Building Class

Durability: Small Building Level, possibly Building Level (Should be capable of withstanding the force of his own blows. Was totally unfazed by landing on a rectangular table with enough force to destroy it. Got up after being struck by The Floronic Man, who overpowered both him and Batman with relative ease. Took several hits from Harley Quinn (including a kettlebell swing that made this crater) and kept fighting, unperturbed. Took a kick from Catwoman. Should be no less durable than Amanda Waller, who was unhurt by this explosion. Should be just as durable as Shaquille O'Neal (yes, really), who shook off a kick from Kangor. Just as if not more durable than a 13-year-old Tim Drake, who shook off a hit from an incomplete Clayface, whose kicks could shatter a stone bench)

Stamina: Peak Human (Considering he was trained by Batman, a notorious perfectionist who, in his own words, demands excellence from everyone who works with him, it’s downright illogical to assume that Dick’s training didn’t involve having him develop peak-human stamina - which makes sense, considering as Robin, Dick would have to function with little to no sleep and still be in fighting shape every night. The entire latter half of Sub-Zero, during which Dick is constantly exerting himself, happens whilst Dick is suffering from several broken ribs)

Range: Standard Melee Range physically, Extended Melee Range with Escrima Sticks, at least Several Meters with Throwing Wings (IRL Ninja, who physically pale in comparison to Nightwing, were able to hit foes with Shuriken from 30 feet away), and Tens of Meters with Rope (His rope stretched at least a few meters and then wrapped around a grown man three times over)

His Optional Equipment has the following ranges:

• Tens of Meters with Batarangs (Mid-level athletes compete in boomerang-throwing competitions where they're expected to throw their boomerangs 50 meters)
• Tens of Meters with Bola (Is far stronger than IRL humans, who can hit targets accurately with bola from 30 to 45 meters away)
• Hundreds of Meters with his Sling (In Medieval Europe, Sling users could send projectiles upwards of 150 meters - and Grayson should be far more physically strong than said sling users)

Standard Equipment:

• Throwing Wing: A shuriken shaped like his emblem, only named in "Rise of Sin Tzu."
• Grapnel Gun: A gun-shaped gadget that fires a lengthy steel cord upward, attaching to the nearest overhead structure and then pulling the user toward it.
• Escrima Sticks: Two handheld metal batons, debuting in "Batman and Harley Quinn."
• Rope: A rope gadget used to restrain foes, attached to a throwing wing.

• Optional Equipment: His motorcycle, most of Batman's gadgets. See Note for his boat.
• Batarangs: Bat-shaped, razor-sharp boomerang blades that can be thrown to knock enemies out or slice through cables.
• Batrope: A strong cable that can be used to intercept and restrain foes, as well as move things from a distance.
• Grapnel Gun: A gun-shaped gadget that fires a lengthy steel cord upward, attaching to the nearest overhead structure and then pulling the user toward it.
• Grapple: A silver gadget that fires a hook into something, allowing Robin to pull on the steel cord to move whatever the hook has attached to.
• Sling: A sling he can use to throw a metal ball, appearing in "Night of the Ninja" and "Christmas with the Joker."
• Explosive: A small explosive he can throw with his sling, appearing in "Christmas with the Joker" and "Lock-Up."
• Rope Bola: A rope attached to a Bola, which he used to ensnare one of Tony Zucco's goons in "Robin's Reckoning" and to disarm a Two-Face henchman in "Shadow of the Bat: Part 2."
• Bola: A gadget composed of two metal balls and a cord, that can be thrown at foes - upon contact, it will wrap around and restrain a part of their body.
• Torch: A super-potent torch that can melt through metal, shown during "Robin's Reckoning."
• Wire Tap Gun: A gun that fires small one-way microphones to allow Batman and Robin to snoop on criminals' conversations.
• Batcycle: A souped-up motorcycle, with one distinct special feature - a press of a button can eject its front, allowing for limited flight.
• Scalpel: A small scalpel blade that Robin used to cut his bonds.
• "R" Shuriken: Shuriken shaped like the letter R, seen in "The Terrible Trio."

Intelligence: At least Gifted, with incredible combat prowess (Was trained for years by Batman to be the most effective crime-fighter possible. Hacked into STAR Labs' servers, which was thought of as borderline impossible, in a very short time. Was able to solve The Riddler's Chinese box puzzle in less than a minute)

Standard Tactics: Tends to go for a one-hit knockout if possible, and is not at all opposed to sneak attacks.

Weaknesses: Refuses to kill. Normal human weaknesses, though likely to a lesser extent than the average human due to his peak physical fitness.

Note: Bruce Timm has stated that the original DCAU tie-in comics are not canon, with the only tie in comics that have statements to the contrary (other than Batman: The Adventures Continue, which has so many continuity issues that it's essentially impossible to argue it's canon) being Justice League Infinity, the Batman and Harley Quinn tie in comics, and specifically the first annual of Batman Adventures. Ergo, I only consider those three comics canon.