I won't even say that anything is, was will ever be better then Batman the animated Series, but damn it, Justice League Unlimited was pretty incredible. Using the B-Listers in seperate shows, and done very very well to their characters I might point out also, was just cool as hell. I became fans of some of the charcters just because of seeing them on the show. I followed up on Hawk and Dove, and after watching their episode a 2ne time I was pretty impressed with how they showed the differant fighting techniques between the brothers. The episode "The greatest story never told" was a great rendition of Booster Gold. A great character, a great concept. To bad we never got a Booster and Ted Kord episode. I don't thik I have to mention the episode focusing on the villains infiltrating the Watch Tower either. Deadshot, without his stupid costume. Just to cool. Connecting the stories into a larger story was something you don't see that much outside of comics either. Not the way JLU was handled. I loved the show. I miss the show. Then came along Young Justice. The first couple of shows were good at best, but being the fanboy I am I kept watching and I'm happy I did so. Thank the Lord that they stopped having Robin laugh that annoying laugh too. That almost killed it for me right there. Some of the voice over work could have used some more real actors istead of professional over acting voice actors but it's so much better now. Like JLU they are connecting the seperate stories well. I'm actually more of fan of how they are treating season 2 tho. One large story. It's a good one too so far. Plus how cool was it that they had the balls to jump the team 7 years into the future so we have a whole new team. Just cool as hell. Even if Lagoon Boy sucks. (Really? Lagoon Boy?) My favorite character, and this strange coming from me because I'm not a fan of Aquaman outside of team books, is Koldan. I have no idea how to spell his name. He is so cool tho, and he was barely explored in the comics. Plus the comics gave him those dumb ass braids. The animation is better then JLU. the action is more violent, but it's new. I keep looking at JLU as classic. I just don't which one I like better right now. Here's hoping that with the cancellation, the end of the show won't have any kind of cliff hangers like last year with the missing 16 hours. I'm wondering. Even tho JLU is classic, and was better then just the Justice League is Young Justice better. Why?

Young Justice > Justice League Unlimited

Justice League > Young Justice

Young Justice hands down.

Justice League Unlimited > Justice League > Young Justice.

JLU is still the standard by which I compare all superhero team cartoons to. As you said, it successfully uses a wide array of superheroes, both A and B listers, and manages to make all of them interesting. The dialogue and voice-acting are top-notch, the storytelling is always right and consistent, and there are so many classic episodes in the series. Plus, even though there were always one-shot episodes where some B-lister would be the lead, they still managed to tell a larger overarching storyline with each season (The whole Cadmus business, and then later there was Grodd's Legion). And they even managed to consistently follow-up on the development of several B-listers (Green Arrow, Black Canary, Question, Huntress, Supergirl etc.)

Now, don't get me wrong, Justice League was good. It had a kickass theme that's still classic until today and it was probably the first superhero animated series to do the 'team' thing right. But there are some problems with the series that make me rank it lower. At the time the production teams had a lot of problems that wouldn't be ironed out until later on in the series. Animation quirks, slightly simplistic plots with typical superhero dialogue, and Superman consistently getting his butt handed to him. Later on, as the series progressed, we would get some truly impressive episodes that would carry on until JLU, but JL's weak first season is what makes JLU the best series for me.

Now, as to the actual question itself, I would rank JLU and JL higher than YJ. Yes, Young Justice has very impressive and fluid animation. It has a superb design aesthetic, great voice acting, and incorporates many aspects of the DCU - much like JLU. But in my opinion, where it falters in, is the plot. I might be the minority here, but the ongoing plot with the Light never really captured my attention. Still, that being said, Season 1 was still serviceable. My real problem is with Season 2. The five-year gap is the first major issue I have with the series. Many were hoping that all the changes would be explained in due time, but with the episode numbers shortening, it's beginning to seem more and more unlikely. I honestly don't think it was the right choice to do, as compared to the smaller team of S1, this newer larger team makes it harder for any in-depth character development. The new team members are mostly reduced to one-note heroes in comparison to their S1 counterparts. Yes, Bumblebee has a difficult relationship with Mal, Lagoon Boy is the annoyingly overzealous boyfriend, and Batgirl is...well, Batgirl. That's it. And then there's the many loose plot ends from the five-year gap that are never really covered. I just feel like we as viewers were cheated out of those five years of growth and development.

Then there's the bevy of characters and subplots that are being introduced with every episode. I know the season isn't done yet, but I'm really starting to doubt that they can tie up everything before the show ends. And then there's the filler eps. Episodes like the Despero or Mongul one are entertaining, but they feel like wasted space. Small bits of the episode will be used to advance the plot forward, but most of these filler eps just feel like an attempt to showcase more DCU characters. It's especially frustrating because I went into this season with high hopes. The first ep was awesome and I remained optimistic about the 5-year gap, but I think S2 really brings the series down for me.

Sorry for the rant. In short, JL and JLU are better in my opinion. Young Justice is a good series, but there are some missteps along the way. Thanks for reading.

Justice League Unlimited easily. Young Justice really isn't that good. The central premise is just ludicrous and the tone is far too grim for a teenaged superhero show. Regardless of how many times M'Gann says "Hello, Megan!", it doesn't lighten the show any. The humour, sparse as it is, feels forced and the leader of the team has the personality of a dishrag.

Add to that the idea of the Justice League being OK with sending their proteges on black ops missions to take down incredibly violent villains and the whole series has an aura of "what the f*ck is this crap?" about it. Sure, in terms of presentation it's terrific, with great voice acting and animation, but the show itself is not especially good. They've tried to make a Batman: the Animated Series with teenagers and it just doesn't work.

And the Light, this fearsome group of the biggest bad guys in DC Earth and their main opponents are a group of teenagers, with the most experienced member being a twelve year old? Ugh, spare me.

Obviously I've only seen the first season. Which was more than enough, to be honest.

@FadeToBlackBolt said:

Justice League Unlimited easily. Young Justice really isn't that good. The central premise is just ludicrous and the tone is far too grim for a teenaged superhero show. Regardless of how many times M'Gann says "Hello, Megan!", it doesn't lighten the show any. The humour, sparse as it is, feels forced and the leader of the team has the personality of a dishrag.

agreed, i love alot of things about the show but i couldnt get into it for the longest time.

Add to that the idea of the Justice League being OK with sending their proteges on black ops missions to take down incredibly violent shows and the whole series has an aura of "what the f*ck is this crap?" about it. Sure, in terms of presentation it's terrific, with great voice acting and animation, but the show itself is not especially good. They've tried to make a Batman: the Animated Series with teenagers and it just doesn't work.

agreed again. it would have made an AWESOME Outsiders show.

And the Light, this fearsome group of the biggest bad guys in DC Earth and their main opponents are a group of teenagers, with the most experienced member being a twelve year old? Ugh, spare me.

dammit Fade, stop pointing out all the glaring faults,

Obviously I've only seen the first season. Which was more than enough, to be honest.

@Avenging-X-Bolt: Very true (regarding it being an Outsiders show). Almost seems like that was the intention, but CN wouldn't pick it up unless it had Teen Titans-esque appeal.

The first episode and first season of Young Justice is the greatest animated series I have ever seen.

Ahhhh don't make me choose! But I'd probably go with Young Justice. But only by a hair.

They were both so awesome (i use past tense because one is over and YJ is dead in the water)

I love Young Justice but JLU.

The Question and Booster Gold FTW!

JLU by far.

Justice League/JLU by far its not even close

JLU had their sh*t together better than YJ does.

As much as I LOVE Young Justice, I'll have to go with JLU. That show is legendary. I watch it ever single year, without fail.

JLU was great in showcasing the less popular characters. Young Justice is great in showcasing the less popular teen heroes from multiple generations and also has the super friends based runaways. I never thought I would see Tula again and she is also a revived character in the New 52 comics. Young Justice JLA also has some less popular characters like Icon.

I really loved JLU but I'll have to give it to YG.

JLU but YJ has better graphics

@argusx:

That isn's really fair, though. YJ is newer, of course the graphics are better.

With that said, I think I prefer JLU's character designs.

YJ looked to be "the next JL", but it got handled very poorly along the way. Shame it's going out on the note it is.

@BlueLantern1995 said:

Young Justice hands down.

JLU
 
Not contest.

JL/JLU

Justice League Unlimited! That was my favorite show, and wraps up my childhood into complete awesomeness, so I can't vote against it. The only thing that might beat it is Justice League.

I love both but JLU wins for featuring THE QUESTION!

Young Justice

I'd have to say JLU by a hair. Young Justice is still superior to Justice League. The timeskip could have been handled better, but I think DC was just trying to introduce new characters to boost toy sells while figuring that older comic fans would probably know simple stuff like Robin becoming Nightwing. While these newer characters didn't really get a lot of backstory, neither did the original 5 really. It's a trade off that comes with adding more characters. I consider YJ to be the spiritual successor of the DCAU. The animation is awesome and the storyline and tone of it is great. It just falls a little short when dealing with multiple characters and multiple intertwining storylines (something that JLU excelled at).

@MadeinBangladesh said:

I love both but JLU wins for featuring THE QUESTION!

^ and also this.

Justice League Unlimited.I seriously enjoyed that show a lot.It made me a fan of a lot of characters and until this day I continue loving them and when I get bored I put some of my favorite episodes and the day is lightened up for me.

Young Justice. I'm interested in the serious tone, characters, and the graphics are a big plus. Doesn't mean I don't like JLU and JL but they never caught my attention as greatly as YJ.

@mk111: Agreed completely. No other superhero show matches up to JLU.

@TDK_1997: Right, that show got me interested in John Stewart, Martian Manhunter, and Vixen. They made Batman really cool without overpowering him. Gave everybody that matters their moment to shine. Its just the best. What I liked too was that Wonder Woman, Green arrow and Black Canary, Hawkgirl and John all got their own small story arcs.

@blackadamFTW: The way JLU was handeled was almost perfect. They got every aspect of each character and relationship. The story was intense my only complaint would be MM. JL was great but it was like story arcs and no story. Only second to JLU.

People referring to animation as graphics makes me sad.

Justice League Unlimited had a fantastic first half,and it wins due to that alone.But in the second half it started suffering from the same problems as YJ,too many characters,Secret Society of ever plotting,calculating villains that ended up doing absolutely nothing,etc.

@Veshark said:

Justice League Unlimited > Justice League > Young Justice.

JLU is still the standard by which I compare all superhero team cartoons to. As you said, it successfully uses a wide array of superheroes, both A and B listers, and manages to make all of them interesting. The dialogue and voice-acting are top-notch, the storytelling is always right and consistent, and there are so many classic episodes in the series. Plus, even though there were always one-shot episodes where some B-lister would be the lead, they still managed to tell a larger overarching storyline with each season (The whole Cadmus business, and then later there was Grodd's Legion). And they even managed to consistently follow-up on the development of several B-listers (Green Arrow, Black Canary, Question, Huntress, Supergirl etc.)

Now, don't get me wrong, Justice League was good. It had a kickass theme that's still classic until today and it was probably the first superhero animated series to do the 'team' thing right. But there are some problems with the series that make me rank it lower. At the time the production teams had a lot of problems that wouldn't be ironed out until later on in the series. Animation quirks, slightly simplistic plots with typical superhero dialogue, and Superman consistently getting his butt handed to him. Later on, as the series progressed, we would get some truly impressive episodes that would carry on until JLU, but JL's weak first season is what makes JLU the best series for me.

Now, as to the actual question itself, I would rank JLU and JL higher than YJ. Yes, Young Justice has very impressive and fluid animation. It has a superb design aesthetic, great voice acting, and incorporates many aspects of the DCU - much like JLU. But in my opinion, where it falters in, is the plot. I might be the minority here, but the ongoing plot with the Light never really captured my attention. Still, that being said, Season 1 was still serviceable. My real problem is with Season 2. The five-year gap is the first major issue I have with the series. Many were hoping that all the changes would be explained in due time, but with the episode numbers shortening, it's beginning to seem more and more unlikely. I honestly don't think it was the right choice to do, as compared to the smaller team of S1, this newer larger team makes it harder for any in-depth character development. The new team members are mostly reduced to one-note heroes in comparison to their S1 counterparts. Yes, Bumblebee has a difficult relationship with Mal, Lagoon Boy is the annoyingly overzealous boyfriend, and Batgirl is...well, Batgirl. That's it. And then there's the many loose plot ends from the five-year gap that are never really covered. I just feel like we as viewers were cheated out of those five years of growth and development.

Then there's the bevy of characters and subplots that are being introduced with every episode. I know the season isn't done yet, but I'm really starting to doubt that they can tie up everything before the show ends. And then there's the filler eps. Episodes like the Despero or Mongul one are entertaining, but they feel like wasted space. Small bits of the episode will be used to advance the plot forward, but most of these filler eps just feel like an attempt to showcase more DCU characters. It's especially frustrating because I went into this season with high hopes. The first ep was awesome and I remained optimistic about the 5-year gap, but I think S2 really brings the series down for me.

Sorry for the rant. In short, JL and JLU are better in my opinion. Young Justice is a good series, but there are some missteps along the way. Thanks for reading.

Sums up my problems with YJ.

JLU. There will never be a moment in YJ that will top the "world of cardboard" speech.

JLU. JLU is actually seen as some to be better than Batman: TAS

jlu

That's not even a question.

JLU curb stomps YJ

jlu

Both. But I would've had a new JL show with the YJ graphics.

I prefer the format of the Justice League cartoons first 2 seasons where you have a small core and then have guest stars like Aquaman, Demon, New Gods, etc. For the next Justice League cartoon, I prefer a small core of Supes, Bats, WW, Barry and Hal. The Martian Manhunter and Hawkman are not so popular and should be guest stars only.

JLU but YJ was really really good and ended too soon.

Tough question. JL and JLU had some really epic episodes. But, in my opinion, it had its fair share of flops as well. Young Justice (after the first 5 or so episodes) never again had a bad episode as far as I'm concerned. So as far as consistently excellent stories go, I'll vote Young Justice. Plus, I think YJ handled its hero characters more effectively than did JL/JLU and that it made better use of a season-long ongoing story. Of course, the downsides lie in the show's portrayal of villains, all of who were either one-dimensional (Ra's, Lex) or just poorly depicted (Joker, Riddler). So I'd say JL(U) deserves more credit in its portrayal of non-heroes but YJ deserves more credit in its portrayal of actual heroes (the entire team in season one, Red Tornado, Shazam, Dr. Fate, Blue Beetle etc).

So... I'd say YJ wins 7 out of 10 times.

I have a hard time separating my love for the DC animated stuff by individual show.

I see a clear tradition if not continuity between most of them: Batman the Animated Series, Batman Beyond, Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, and Young Justice. Even some of the shows that don't really fit into the larger picture were great, such as Batman the Brave and the Bold. Asking me to choose between them would be really, really difficult.

I'd probably put my love for Batman Beyond up top, but that'd be mostly just because (as can be seen from my avatar) I love that particular mix of genres: superhero cyberpunk.

jlu. no contest. yj was good the first season. second total crap.

I was rewatching some JLU episodes the other day. It was then I realized not only was the animation in Young Justice better but so where the stories. More complex, more layered. I've gotta lot of love for both but Young Justice was a bit of a step up from JLU.

JLU

Justice League Unlimited.

Nothing compares to the character development of JLU, something which was abysmmal in YJ after Season 1. JLU turned Hawkgirl, someone who's basically a footnote in the DCU, into someone who didn't look out of place among the likes of 6 of the most iconic heroes in comics.

Young Justice