Ra's al Ghul was an arch-enemy of Batman. The leader of the Society of Shadows, he used its resources to both bring what he believed to be ecological balance to the world and prolong his life to unnatural means. Ra's appears in several episodes of Batman: The Animated Series, one episode of Superman: The Animated Series, and one episode of Batman Beyond.
Overview[]
He first appearance at the very end of the episode, Off Balance. That set the stage for his subsequent appearances — each as the episode's primary villain. In the two-part episode, The Demon's Quest, Ra's adapted his attempts from the comic books to make Batman his heir and then to cleanse the world of an "imperfect" humanity. In the episode, Avatar, Ra's made an attempt at true immortality by using the Lazarus Pit.
The episode Showdown, portrayed a long-ago fight with Jonah Hex, who also battled Ra's deranged son, Arkady Duvall. Due to Jonah besting Arkady, Ra's was forced to abandon him. It took Ra's several years to locate Arkady when Batman and Robin caught up with him at an airport. Ra's revealed that the old man was his son, Arkady Duvall. As Arkady's mind and body were beyond the Lazarus Pit's power to mend, Batman let Ra's take his dying son with him so that he could be there for his last hours.
Powers and Abilities[]

- Lazarus Enhancement: Ra's was alive for centuries due to his use of the Lazarus Pits that healed his wounds and slowed down his age.
- Genius-Level Intellect: Ra's showed a vast intelligence, and knew much of science and medicine, particularly alchemy.
- Leadership: Ra's lead the Society of Shadows whose vast amount of members gave their lives for their master.
- Master Strategist: Ra's was a brilliant tactician, who planned his moves far, far in advance of when they ultimately began.
- Weapon Master: After centuries of practice and experience by using both new and old weapons alike, Ra's preferred swords as his weapon of choice.
Appearances[]
Batman: The Animated Series[]
Superman: The Animated Series[]
Batman Beyond[]
- "Out of the Past"