Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo

Plot

Jump City is attacked by a Japanese ninja called Saico-Tek. The Teen Titans manage to capture him, having their tower damaged in the process. Under interrogation, Saico-Tek reveals the identity of the one who sent him - Brushogun - then he ruptures the room's fire extinguisher system and mysteriously vanishes. Subsequently, the Titans head to Tokyo, Japan, to search for his master.

Upon arriving Tokyo, after overcoming the language barrier (Starfire kisses a Japanese boy and learns how to speak Japanese, much to Robin's shock and jealousy) and fighting a Gorgo-like giant reptile, the Titans meet Tokyo's own supernatural defense force - the Tokyo Troopers - led by Commander Uehara Daizo. He shows the Titans around the Tokyo Troopers headquarters, and when Robin questions him on Brushogun, Daizo claims that Brushogun is nothing more than an urban legend.

Left with no villains to pursue, the Titans can do nothing else than to enjoy Tokyo as tourists. Beast Boy follows a girl around and is eventually lured to a karaoke bar, while Cyborg goes to an "all-you-can-eat" restaurant. Raven searches for book stores to read and incidentally finds a book describing the origins of Brushogun. Robin and Starfire explore Tokyo, then while sitting on Tokyo Tower they finally start to express their feelings for each other. They are about to share a kiss together, when suddenly Robin starts to focus on Brushogun again, and tells Starfire that they are heroes and can't be anything more. Upset, Starfire flies away with tears in her eyes.

Investigating alone, Robin is attacked once again by Saico-Tek and they get into a violent fight, which ends with Robin pummeling the ninja into the ground. When Saico-Tek does not rise, the crowd watching believes Robin has killed him. Despite his protestations of innocence, Robin is apprehended by Daizo. Elsewhere, Beast Boy and Cyborg are being chased by Beast Boy's fangirls from the karaoke bar (because they were infatuated with his performance) and the chefs from the restaurant (because Cyborg's bottomless appetite aroused their ire). Starfire is alone by herself, when a little girl manages to help her overcome her depression as she finally realizes that Robin does in fact have feelings for her.

The Mayor of Tokyo announces Robin's arrest and orders that the other Teen Titans must either turn themselves in or leave Tokyo at once. Starfire calls the other Titans for emergency. They are about to regroup when Brushogun sends out his minions to destroy each of the Titans. Cyborg is beset by a giant yellow robot who keeps trying to eat him, Beast Boy is attacked by a pink cat girl who turns out to be the girl he was following earlier, Raven is pursued by a ghostly figure in a graveyard, and Starfire is attacked by a small blue robot boy in the sky.

Robin is transferred, but during the ride a slip of paper bearing the name "Brushogun" fits into the armored car carrying him and turns into a bomb and explodes, freeing him. Now on the run, Robin co-opts the identity of a Shinjuku mugger to collect information that Brushogun is in fact real, but the Tokyo Troopers cover up his existence to prevent inspiration for criminals. He is eventually found by the Tokyo Troopers, which leads to a car chase. Robin is surrounded front to back when Starfire comes to his rescue. Starfire takes Robin to a shrine hideout, where they try to kiss again when suddenly Cyborg, Raven, and Beast Boy, who have come back safely, barge in on them.

Cyborg then shows that he done a chemical analysis on the stains on Robin's uniform and discovered that it wasn't blood but ink, just like the similar stains the others got during their fights. As Raven relates from the book she found, Brushogun was an artist who dreamed of bringing his beloved drawings to life using Japanese dark magic. The spell ultimately turned against the young artist, and he was transformed into Tokyo's first super villain, Brushogun, a being of paper and ink - capable to bring any creation he could imagine to life - until he suddenly disappeared. Robin then realize that he didn't kill Saico-Teck, because he wasn't real to begin with, just making Robin look like he did to make him look like a criminal. Robin dons his costume again before they are discovered and chased around the city by the Tokyo Troopers, Beast Boy's fangirls, the angry cheifs, and the villains from earlier. With the knowledge they've gained, Robin deduces Brushogun's hideout: the comic book publishing factory that they encountered earlier in the film. Breaking in, the Titans discover the withered form of Brushogun, trap-wired into a cursed printing press that taps into his powers to create the enemies the Titans have faced. He reveals that he had sent the first Saico-Tek to the Titans to lure them to Tokyo in order to stop the real culprit who had enslaved him: Daizo himself, who used Brushogun's power to create both his Tokyo Troopers and the monsters that they captured in order to gain a reputation as a hero.

However, Daizo drops in on the heroes and forces Brushogun to create an army of animated ink minions. A mass battle ensues, culminating in Robin facing Daizo. With no options of escape left, Daizo hurls himself from a catwalk into the ink reservoir of the press, taking control of Brushogun's magic and transforming himself into a giant, hulking mass of ink and machinery, with Brushogun at the center. As the other Titans battle the creatures Daizo hurls at them, Robin frees Brushogun, causing Daizo to loss control of his power and burst. As the old man peacefully fades away in his arms into the afterlife, his powers disappear and Daizo is left defeated and exposed. With the battle concluded, Robin tries to explain his true feelings for Starfire, but getting the message, she silences him. The two romantically share their first real kiss as the other three Titans look on, with Cyborg stating, "Well, it's about time".

Later on, with Robin's name cleared, and Daizo sent to prison, the Titans are awarded medals of honor by the mayor for their actions of unlocking the truth, and the inhabitants of Tokyo welcome their new heroes. Robin and Starfire are seen as a romantic couple, Cyborg earns his own "all-you-can-eat" meal, Beast Boy remains popular among the girls from the karaoke bar, and Raven has been made a mascot for Japanese confections. Robin remarks that even superheroes need a vacation once in a while, to which Beast Boy declares that he wants to go to Mexico on their next vacation. This prompts Raven to slap him on the back of the head (albeit offscreen).

The end credits roll as each of the Titans sing the karaoke version of their theme song.

Voice cast

Reception

Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo received generally positive reviews from critics.

Filip Vukcevic of IGN said in his review, "Something's missing here. Teen Titans the television show is a fun, vibrant series that's a lot more entertaining than it looks. Following the show's recent cancellation, it seems like Trouble in Tokyo is the last we'll get of our intrepid heroes. Unfortunately, as a swan song or otherwise, when squeezed Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo reveals itself for what it really is: a suspiciously average direct-to-DVD movie that looks good, but doesn't do anything to conceal the fact that underneath it's fake."

In Cinema Blend's review, it says "Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo is a decent follow up for the cancelled series that should make fans happy to see their favorite characters again, although a few of the characters seem to get the shaft on screen time."

Soundtrack release

A soundtrack to the movie was released on July 22, 2008 through La-La-Land Records. The track listing is as follows.

All tracks written by Kristopher Carter, Michael McCuistion, and Lolita Ritmanis.

DVD release

The DVD release date was February 6, 2007. The special features included are "The Lost Episode", featuring the villain Punk Rocket, and a game entitled "Robin's Underworld Race Challenge".