Best Playable Characters in the Batman Arkham Games

The Batman Arkham games don’t just feature the main man himself, Batman, as the hero that players can experience the game as. Across multiple Arkham games, players have been able to enjoy the new mechanics and combat prowess of a multitude of DC heroes, from Batman’s most trusted allies in the Bat-Family to his most sinister villains in his Rogues Gallery.

Every playable character in the Arkham games can be found below, and it might even interest players to see just how each of them differs from the others in terms of gameplay and combat style, and how exactly players can test out these combatants for themselves.

10

Harley Quinn

A Baseball Bat Wielding Yapper

• Playable in: Batman: Arkham Knight

The Arkham games are quite heavily involved in the evolution of Harley Quinn, and part of that comes from her dialogue, where Harley doesn’t quite know when to stop talking. Harley’s combat encounters always involve a plethora of repeated dialogue, and while Batman: Arkham Knight’s combat is extremely fluid, Harley’s style doesn’t benefit from it.

Harley’s gadgets are lackluster, which really doesn’t aid her in predator encounters, especially when she can’t actually do silent takedowns to stay in stealth, and a lack of a grappling hook means she’s stuck on the ground. As for her combat style, Harley doesn’t benefit from her special abilities, as it’s more of a fun Harley gimmick than one that provides her with killer moves.

9

The Joker

An Exclusive PS3 DLC That Has Funny Gimmicks to Fight With

• Playable in: Batman: Arkham Asylum

The Joker was a playable character, exclusive to the PS3 versions of Batman: Arkham Asylum. While some modders have been able to access the content for PC, it’s a shame that most players of Batman: Arkham Asylum have missed out on playing as the Joker and experiencing his unique animations and gadgets that make him such a wacky character to play as.

While it is fun to be the Joker at first, he lacks the necessity that makes playing Batman so great. His stealth encounters are extremely difficult, and his gadgets are gimmick-heavy, except the revolver that only has one bullet and can instantly kill whoever he shoots with it. With funny animations for his takedowns and counters, Joker is a detailed and fun character to play, but he lacks any deeper usefulness outside of some challenge maps.

8

Catwoman

The Seductive Thief Who Fights With Whip and Claw

• Playable in: Batman: Arkham City, Batman: Arkham Knight

Catwoman’s playability comes from Batman: Arkham City and Batman: Arkham Knight, and her segments aren’t always a fan favorite due to her limited arsenal. Catwoman’s preference for gadgets comes from her caltrops, which stun enemies on the spot to allow them to be open to attack, which Catwoman certainly needs since her stealth isn’t that great.

Catwoman can be sneaky on climbable ceilings, but due to their limited range, most encounters lack a necessary advantage for predator sections. When it comes to her fighting style, Catwoman’s is a tad provocative, and there’s far too much time spent on her kissing fake-out takedown, leading to detailed animations, but questionable decisions. There’s only one real notable fun aspect of Catwoman’s gameplay, and that’s the whip attacks that benefit her with stunning abilities that don’t exactly make up for her slow fighting style.

7

Nightwing

A Fast-Hitting Acrobat That Fights With Escrima Sticks

• Playable in: Batman: Arkham City Batman: Arkham Knight

Nightwing’s gameplay benefits from his origins as an acrobat, as his movement is fast and impressive with the way he can dive over enemies and vault over them with ease as he bashes them into unconsciousness with his dual-wielding escrima sticks. There’s a bundle of fun free-flow in the combat thanks to these abilities and their electrical stun capability.

While Nightwing’s combat certainly feels different from Batman’s punches thanks to his double-hitting escrima sticks, it’s his predator encounter gadgets that really make him stand out, as Nightwing has wrist darts that can instantly knockout targets if players manage to get a hard-to-hit headshot.

6

Azrael

Identical to Batman’s Combat Style, Except He Can’t Glide

• Playable in: Batman: Arkham Knight

When playing as Azrael in Batman: Arkham Knight, players might instantly enjoy his fighting style due to how it is identical to Batman’s. While that’s not a bad thing, it does lose a few points due to how it’s basically just a copy/paste with a different outfit, as it would have been fun to see how Azrael’s training as a Templar and potential for the successor of Batman for Gotham City would have held up.

Azrael can enjoy the combat moves and fear multi-takedowns that Batman frequents, but he also lacks some of the better gadgets, and cannot glide around, which makes some predator situations a tad trickier than they would be if players were doing challenge maps as Batman.

5

Batgirl

Fights Like Batman, With a Higher Reliance on Gadgets

• Playable in: Batman: Arkham Knight

Batgirl plays a lot like Batman, almost like a clone except with a different character model. However, that’s not exactly a bad thing considering how well Batman plays in Batman: Arkham Knight. Batgirl does have a few downsides, like her lack of fear of multi-takedowns for stealth segments.

The reason Batgirl gets to rank so high despite her initial playstyle seemingly like a replica of Arkham Knight’s version of Batman, is due to how she gets her own story DLC with Batgirl: A Matter of Family. The story is a good prequel, but even outside of it, Batgirl herself plays well with her extended gadgets and reliance on her hacking abilities that would later translate to her time as Oracle.

4

Deathstroke

The Terminator Who Can Heal In Combat and Use An Assortment of Gadgets

• Playable in: Batman: Arkham Origins

Deathstroke has always been a cool addition to DC Comics for a lot of fans, so being able to play as this ultimate assassin in Batman: Arkham Origins, especially after fighting him in an incredible boss fight will make players want to see how Deathstroke the Terminator deals with contracts when they aren’t as powerful as Batman.

Deathstroke’s gadgets and gimmicks are a lot of fun, and his remote claw makes for some interesting plays in predator challenges. Speaking of predator challenges, Deathstroke has passive healing that can be used in combat situations, and the use of his staff makes him a slower fighter, but definitely a powerful one.

3

Red Hood

Shoot Everyone With Dual-Wielding Pistols

• Playable in: Batman: Arkham Knight

Surprisingly, a lack of a cape and gadgets actually benefits playing as Red Hood in his challenge maps. Red Hood is extremely different from the other characters since he has a gadget like no other: dual-wielding pistols. Players can use these pistols to counter enemies, instantly kill them, and fire off rapid-firing rounds for quick damage at the pull of a trigger, but at the risk of opening themselves up to attack due to the vulnerable stance Red Hood takes here.

Red Hood’s brutal killings make him a memorable character to play, so being able to go full gun-ho and kill everyone with a neck snap or a bullet to the head proves how brutal this character can be, and being able to experience that first-hand is a lot of fun.

2

Robin

Unique Gadgets and a Bo Staff Make Robin an Interesting Fighter

• Playable in: Batman: Arkham City, Batman: Arkham Knight

Robin’s combat is a lot like Batman’s but with more of an emphasis on fun over power. Robin’s gadgets are essential to his fun tool kit, and his zip kick grapple gun is a testament to that, as Robin can launch himself towards an enemy to kick them instead of pulling them towards him. These fast attacks are common with Robin, which makes him fun and fluid to play in combat encounters.

Whether it’s knocking enemies down with his snap-flash or making them ragdoll away with the bullet shield, Robin’s arsenal is a lot of fun, especially with his bo staff that can hit multiple enemies. There’s a lot of detail in Robin’s attacks, and while he’s no Dark Knight, it’s clear to see why he’s the protégé.

1

Batman

Free-Flowing Combat and a Mastery of Gadgets Shows Why Batman is the Best

• Playable in: Batman: Arkham Asylum, Batman: Arkham City, Batman: Arkham Origins, Batman: Arkham Knight

From Batman: Arkham Asylum to Batman: Arkham Knight, there can be no doubt that Batman takes the top spot for the best playable character in his own gaming series. Batman always benefits from the most attention, and this truly shines across all games where his combat is fast and powerful, while also providing players with the challenge to master his fighting style with the addition of new gadgets.

Each Batman Arkham game has Batman at the top of the list, unlocking further skills and abilities that are just so much fun to try out. Without Batman in the top spot, the previous heroes before this entry simply wouldn’t exist. His fighting style is so fast and fluid that getting critical strikes is rewarding with each tap of Square/X, and will continue to be years after the finale.