May is Asian/Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and there’s been no better time to look back on the history of AAPI Teen Titans. As an Asian American kid growing up in the early 2000s, I took a liking to the Teen Titans, thanks to the 2003 animated television show on Cartoon Network. Today, I feel incredibly honored to be able to share such a diverse list of Asian Titans. Without further ado, let’s jump in!
 

Roundhouse

The first Teen Titan on our list is Billy Wu, also known as Roundhouse. Roundhouse is of Chinese descent and is from Long Island, New York. He is “a human wrecking ball,” and has the power to transform himself into a ball. Roundhouse was created by Adam Glass and Bernard Chang on their Teen Titans run in 2018, where he was introduced as part of a “package deal” with Wallace West’s Kid Flash. At first, Damian Wayne’s Robin wasn’t convinced that Roundhouse had what it takes to be a permanent member of the Teen Titans, but Billy has proven himself to be a mainstay of the Teen Titans ever since.

Part of what defines Roundhouse is his happy-go-lucky attitude, which clashed with the more serious personalities on the 2018 team like Damian Wayne and Emiko Queen’s Red Arrow. To bring more awareness to the Teen Titans, Roundhouse also grew his popularity on social media by sharing videos of himself using his powers. I mean, who wouldn’t want to see a kid hurl himself at his foes like a bowling ball? But despite his positive attitude, Roundhouse has a sensitive side. The accident that gave him his powers also took the life of his twin sister, Claire.
 

Damian Wayne (Robin)

Damian Wayne is the son of Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul, and is Batman’s fifth Robin. Through his mother, Damian is of Chinese and Arab descent. Unlike Batman’s previous Robins, Damian was trained to be an assassin early on in his life, though his days of killing are fortunately long gone now. During Glass and Chang’s Teen Titans run, Damian was the leader of the team. Previously, however, at the start of the Rebirth era, Damian led a Teen Titans team composed of Beast Boy, Starfire, Raven and Wallace West’s Kid Flash during Benjamin Percy and Jonboy Meyers’ time on the book.

Just like his father, Damian has the tendency to assemble teams under cryptic pretenses, delivering lines like, “You are probably wondering why I gathered you here today.” While this is amusing even for a grown man like Batman to say, it’s even funnier when it’s said by a thirteen-year-old kid like Damian. Because of his unusual upbringing with the League of Assassins, Damian isn’t on the same timeline of reaching milestones, like making friends, as other kids. But he’s working on it, and his time on the Teen Titans is a testament to his efforts to right his own path.
 

Red Arrow

Speaking of former child assassins, we can’t leave out Emiko Queen’s Red Arrow! Emiko, also known as Emi, is the younger sister of one of the greatest heroes the DC Universe has ever known: Green Arrow. Emi is of Japanese descent and was created by Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino during their stellar run on Green Arrow. She joined the Teen Titans alongside Roundhouse and a couple other members of this list during Glass and Chang’s run—which, if it’s not becoming clear, was a pivotal run for AAPI representation!

Emi proved to be one of the most well-adjusted members of the Teen Titans. She taught her teammate Crush how to manage her rage without destroying things. And like any other good Bat-Family and Arrow team-up, Emi keeps Damian Wayne’s secretive tendencies in check. Still, Emi has lots of questions about her past and her assassin mother, Shado.
 

Djinn

One could argue that Djinn isn’t actually a teen superhero because she’s, well, thousands of years old. However, she still was a member of the Teen Titans, so she qualifies for this list! Djinn is a Sila, a female djinn, which are incredibly rare. Her story begins more than four thousand years ago when she was imprisoned by her brother, Elias, who wanted to punish all of humanity for their poor treatment of djinn. She later joined the Teen Titans, once again during Glass and Chang’s run. And despite being the member of the team with the most life experience, Djinn approaches most situations with a sense of genuine earnestness. This contrasts with the hardened personalities of Damian Wayne and Emiko Queen, even though like them, Djinn would love nothing more than to clear the red from her own ledger.

Over the course of the series, Djinn had a brief romance with her teammate, Crush, and the two were able to bond over their unresolved childhood traumas. She eventually had to put an end to her brother Elias’s evil plans and left the Teen Titans after they defeated him.
 

Ravager

No list of the Teen Titans would be complete without the daughter of the assassin Deathstroke, Rose Wilson, also known as Ravager. Rose is of Cambodian descent and is every bit as formidable as her father, Slade Wilson. She was created by Geoff Johns and Tom Grummett during their time on Teen Titans in 2004, where she continued the time-honored tradition of the Titans fighting against their greatest, white-haired foe. While initially a Titans villain, Rose rejected her father’s influence once and for all and became a full-fledged member of the team.

Ravager is far from the first member of the Teen Titans to have a villain for a father, and her relationship to Deathstroke neatly ties together two different eras of Teen Titans comics. The Teen Titans have long been a place where troubled young people in the DC Universe can find acceptance, family and healing, and Rose’s time on the team is certainly no exception.
 

Solstice

While Teen Titans stories can often get intense, Solstice offered a lighthearted break from this. Solstice is from India, and as her name suggests, she is powered by the sun. She joined the team in 2011’s Teen Titans #93, and was created by J.T. Krul and Nicola Scott. Kiran is the daughter of two archaeologists, and she brought in the Titans for help when her parents and Cassie Sandsmark’s Wonder Girl went missing at a dig site. Solstice and the Titans ended up fighting demons in order to save Kiran’s family and Cassie.

Demons have been a part of Teen Titans lore ever since Raven was revealed to be the daughter of the demon Trigon. Solstice brought in elements of Hindu folklore that had not yet been explored in Teen Titans comics. Her relationship with Raven was compelling because Solstice’s powers seemed to trigger Raven’s demonic heritage. If there’s anyone due for a return to Titans comics, it’s Solstice.
 

Tooby

Rounding out our look at Asian Teen Titans is our friend Tooby, short for Totally Tubular. He is of Japanese descent and was created by Tim Sheridan and Rafa Sandoval for their 2021 series Teen Titans Academy. As Tooby’s name suggests, he can turn himself into a tube, which makes for some hilarious interactions with fellow Teen Titan, Roundhouse.

Tooby’s real name is Martin Murakami, and he was part of a new era for the Teen Titans, who had set up shop at the Roy Harper Titans Academy. Longtime Titans like Nightwing, Starfire, Cyborg, Raven and Beast Boy mentored two classes of younger heroes, with previous Teen Titans like Roundhouse and Red Arrow serving as upperclassmen at the Academy, while Tooby and his classmates like Stitch and Megabat were the newbies.
 

Jules Chin Greene writes about comics for DC.com, and his work can also be found at Nerdist, Popverse and Multiverse of Color. You can follow him on Twitter and Bluesky at @JulesChinGreene.

NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Jules Chin Greene and do not necessarily reflect those of DC or Warner Bros. Discovery, nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.