Crane Kick!
Robin convinces the Titans to return back to school with him so he can finally become the all-American class president-type he's dreamed of being.
This episode contains examples of:
- The All-American Boy: Robin is desperate to prove he’s this big time, but keeps failing.
- Bully Hunter: Robin thinks he's this, but fails horribly at it due to him bullying Beast Boy.
- Butt-Monkey: Beast Boy is the constant target of Robin's crane kicks.
- Calling Your Attacks: Robin shouts out "crane kick" every time he gives one out.
- Cloud Cuckoolander:
- Robin takes this trope up to eleven, even beating up Starfire when things don't play out as they did in his fantasies.
- In-Universe, Robin demands Raven fill this role as 'Basket Case'.
- Flat Character: Robin seems determined for this to be the case. By this standard, Beast Boy gets off light at the end with "A green guy" (who can turn into animals) and Starfire is "A space princess"; Cyborg ("A cyborg.") and Raven ("A half demon.") have particularly flat, unemotional deliveries when delivering the Spoof Aesop about who they are.
- The scene is a direct parody of The Breakfast Club, which has a less-fantastic version of this concept bookending the movie.
- Guilt by Association Gag: Even though Robin's the one giving out crane kicks, and they are the ones he is giving them to, the Titans get tossed in detention with him, then get thrown out of school.
- Hidden Depths: Beast Boy got made valedictorian. Raven likes writing.
- Hypocrite: Robin notes that one of the roles as the American Boy is to stand up to bullies, which doesn't help the fact he bullies Beast Boy because of his label as a nerd.
- Ignored Aesop: Robin learns that he shouldn't have assigned himself and the Titans their labels. What he meant was he had the labels wrong and assigns himself as the bad boy.
- Jerkass: Robin is at his absolute worst in the episode.
- Jerk Jock: Robin, despite portraying himself as The All-American Boy, comes off as this as he crane kicks Beast Boy. Averted with Cyborg who remains friends with the nerd instead of bullying him.
- It's All About Me: Robin's main motivation for putting everyone through this, as usual.
- Literal-Minded: Robin thought Student Body equals having the best body, showing off in his underwear.
- Lovable Nerd: Beast Boy is made to look and act as this trope by Robin In-Universe, and it turns out that when he's forced to use his brain he's actually really smart. His outfit consists of square-rim glasses, a sweater vest, and a tie. He also complains when Robin sends them all to detention the first time because he was supposed to compete in an academic decathlon. Beast Boy is also the one most willing to defy the stereotypes Robin's forcing them in and continue socializing with his friends, though Robin crane kicks him for trying to break expectations. In the end, he's beloved by the school enough to be the valedictorian, leading to an upstaged Robin getting violent and having them all kicked out of school together.
- Mythology Gag: The third and fourth-place best students on the valedictorian list are, respectively, Barbara Gordon (Batgirl) and Jaime Reyes (Blue Beetle).
- "Not Wearing Pants" Dream: The Titans wonder if Robin's having one of these when he's in his underwear.
- Rage Breaking Point: When Beast Boy got named school valedictorian, Robin loses it and crane kicks all of the Titans.
- Retraux: The video at the end is given an '80s VHS playback look.
- Running Gag:
- Robin using the crane kick technique to beat up Beast Boy.
- Robin labeling on the other Titans.
- Robin continuously putting the "Basket Case" label over Raven's head.
- Raven blushing after speaking optimistic words.
- The Titans getting detention for no reason, and eventually getting expelled.
- Robin calling Beast Boy a "nerd".
- The Titans being hopeful in school.
- Second Place Is for Losers: Robin becomes salutatorian instead of valedictorian, losing the position to "nerd" Beast Boy, and doesn't take it well, beating all of the other Titans up over it.
- Shaking the Rump: Robin does this while wearing his underwear in his campaign for student body president. Some students even record him doing this with their phones.
- Shout-Out: This episode is one to The Breakfast Club. Robin also uses crane kicks as well as quotes from The Karate Kid.
- Snarking Thanks: Cyborg sarcastically thanks Robin for getting all of the Titans kicked out of school despite that it was Robin who crane kicked all of them.
- Status Quo Is God: Robin is eager to crane kick Beast Boy for daring to violate high school nerd tropes.
- This Cannot Be!: Robin is infuriated that he came in second to Beast Boy in SATs.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Robin gets this from the Titans for getting all of them in detention twice and then getting all of them expelled.
- Would Hit a Girl: Starfire and Raven were on the receiving end of Robin's crane kicks.
- Wrong Genre Savvy: Robin clearly envisions himself as an '80s Brat Pack lead, as he forces the rest of the Titans to follow suit and adhere to specific character tropes.
