"You couldn't just take a class — you had to travel around the world!"
—Robin
After losing a fight with the thief Katarou, Robin travels across the world in the hopes of finding and training with a martial artist known as the True Master. Meanwhile, the remaining Titans pass the time by dressing up in Robin's costumes and pretending to be him.
Tropes:
- Actually Pretty Funny: Evidently the reason Robin didn't go ballistic when he saw the others wearing his costume. He even decided to play along with them.
- An Aesop: There is a difference between doing things the "Easy Way" and doing things the "Right Way". Furthermore, doing things the right way isn't always easy, but can earn better results.Chu-Hui: There is always gonna be someone who does things the easy way, but that should not stop you from doing things the right way.
- Agony of the Feet: Robin is ordered to change into a martial arts gi and remove his shoes. He hurts his feet on the rocky ground and complains, "Next time an old woman tells you to leave your shoes behind, take them anyway."
- All There in the Script: Chu-Hui's name is never mentioned onscreen, but is given in the credits.
- Batman Gambit: Katarou lied about having trained with the True Master so that Robin would seek her out and Katarou could use him to cheat his way up the mountain.
- Bait-and-Switch Comment: Cyborg tells Beast Boy and Starfire he can't believe the two of them would come into Robin's room while he's away, go through his stuff, dress up as him, and pretend to be Robin... without inviting him.
- Bears Are Bad News: The first guardian Robin has to fight is a very tough, very strong one.
- Berate and Switch:Cyborg: (angrily) I can’t believe you two would just BARGE into Robin’s room while he’s gone, DRESS UP in his uniform and PRETEND to be Robin!Beast Boy and Starfire: Um…Cyborg: (childishly) WITHOUT ME!!!
- Breather Episode: Last episode have the Titans fighting a revived Slade, Raven facing her innermost demons and the Titans getting pummeled badly as the story arc for Trigon's revival officially begins. This one in contrast is a kung-fu cinema homage with a regular human villain, a trio of animal sidekicks, the stakes lowered to Robin and Katarou trying to seek the True Master, and plenty of shenanigans back in Titans Tower with the other Titans messing with Robin's stuff.
- Calling Your Attacks: Chu-Hui calls Robin's attacks (specifically, the ones he learned on his journey) during his fight with Katarou.
- Cheaters Never Prosper: Katarou tries to see the True Master by following Robin up the mountain so he won't have to face the guardians. The True Master, having secretly observed all this while in plain sight, subsequently refuses to ever train him.
- Continuity Nod: Starfire uses her doll from Switched as part of her fantasy conversation with Robin.
- While sitting on the couch after Robin has left, Starfire’s thoughts show scenes from past episodes focusing on her relationship with him. These include their ride together on the ferris wheel in Sisters, the prom dance they shared (which actually took place offscreen) in Date with Destiny, and Robin climbing up the balcony to see her in Betrothed.
- When the "Robins" are eating pizza we can see Starfire is drinking mustard.
- Foreshadowing: There are a few hints that the old village woman (Chu-Hui) is the True Master that Robin is searching for.
- When Robin meets Chu-Hui in her field, she throws a turnip at his chest without looking. She also places subtle emphasis on the masculine pronouns when talking about the True Master, and gives an amused grin when Robin insists he’d like the True Master to personally tell him he can’t train him—because she already has.
- Throughout his journey, Robin encounters the woman after facing each guardian, and the only excuse she can give for how she keeps getting ahead of him are vague statements that make it sound simple.
- The first time Robin encounters her, she guilts him into assisting her with the “heavy burden” of the buckets of water she has on her back. While she appears to be suffering the modicum of effort one would expect a normal old woman, as soon as she passes it to the much younger and more apparently fit Robin he immediately buckles and struggles to lift it himself. This serves to imply the woman is much stronger than she appears to be.
- Funny Animal: The three mountain guardians.
- Funny Bruce Lee Noises: Made by Robin when he tries tempting the bear guardian to attack. And parodied by Beast Boy who tries mimicking Robin's fighting style while dressed as him.
- Gate Guardian: When Robin goes to train under a martial arts master, the ferry to her mountain, a cave that leads through the mountain, and the area outside of the cave all have talking animal guardians who fight Robin to test his skills and see whether he is worthy of proceeding further.
- Handicapped Badass: The Snake in the cave can't see; not that he needs to in order to fight.
- Heroic Second Wind: After Katarou knocks down Robin with his own pilfered weapons, Chu-Hui inspires Robin to get back up, reminding him of everything he's done to get to that point. Robin then proceeds to defeat Katarou using the lessons he learned fighting the three guardians.
- Hollywood Darkness: You can still see the cave from Robin's POV during his fight with the Snake, when it's supposedly pitch black.
- Honor Before Reason: The snake was perfectly willing to fight Robin with the disadvantage of being blind, but Robin insisted on a fair fight. (Not that it was really much of a disadvantage).
- Ice-Cream Koan: Robin tells Chu-Hui he thought everything she told him had some deeper meaning, including making it up the mountain before nightfall. She explains it's just easier to see the path in daylight.
- Ironic Echo: Before Robin leaves to improve his martial arts skills, Cyborg points out that Robin takes things way too seriously. After Chi-Hui revealed that she is the True Master and that Robin never asked, she tells him that he takes things much too seriously.
- Mass "Oh, Crap!": Played for Laughs. Having donned his costumes and played with his weapons, the Titans see Robin return and fear he'll admonish them for fooling around with his stuff. Surprisingly, he doesn't as he grabs a slice of pizza to eat and agrees with them that the mask makes him feel cool as well.
- Mythology Gag:
- When Katarou boasts to Robin that he "trained with the best", Robin responds with a "So have I".
- When he is discovered wearing Robin's costume, Beast Boy says to call him the "Beast Boy Wonder." Furthermore, he says this in an imagine shot mimicking the cover of Detective Comics #38 (Robin's first appearance) but adapted for Beast Boy (e.g., the date referenced is the year that Beast Boy first appeared).
- No-Gear Level: Robin has to leave behind his gadgets, uniform, and even his shoes before embarking his journey to seek the True Master. Meanwhile Katarou pulls a So Long, and Thanks for All the Gear and steals Robin's weapons.
- Not So Above It All: Raven is the least willing to mess with Robin's stuff. The next scene she's in, she's wearing Robin's outfit, and admits the mask makes her feel cool.
- Old Master: Chu-Hui is a rare female example of the Trope.
- Personal Raincloud: Once it sinks in that Robin has left, Starfire gains one of these.
- Priceless Ming Vase: The opening scene when Robin interrupts Katarou's theft in a Chinatown antiques store, the villain distracts Robin by hurling a Ming Vase to the ground, and making a run when Robin pauses to catch it. Unfortunately Robin couldn't stop Katarou from wrecking most of the store on his way out.
- Protagonist-Centered Morality: Minor example, but after defeating Katarou and realizing Chu-Hui is the real True Master, Robin then offers her Katarou's golden staff as a gift - nevermind that was the same staff Katarou stole from a Chinatown antiques store at the beginning.
- Race Against the Clock: Subverted; Robin is told he must reach the top of the mountain where the True Master lives before sunset. But instead of it being for anything important like he risks not being trained if he doesn't arrive on time, he is told that it is simply much easier to see the path when it isn't dark.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Chi-Hui gives one to Katarou and tells him that he will never be trained by the True Master.Chi-Hui: You did not make it up on the mountain on your own skills. You tried before on your own, but could not make it. You are a thief and a cheater. The true master will not train you. Not now, now ever!Katarou: But...Chi-Hui: Take him off my mountain!
- Roof Hopping: The opening fight has Robin and Katarou pursuing each other while hopping over rooftops in Jump City's Chinatown.
- Rule of Three:
- Three strikes to defeat Katarou.
- Robin needs to bypass three guardians to reach the True Master.
- Samus Is a Girl: Chu-Hui, the True Master.
- Shameful Shrinking: Beast Boy and Starfire both have this response when Cyborg caught them barging into Robin's room when he's not arpund, and dressing up in his uniforms. But then...Cyborg: [sternly] I can't believe you two would just barge into Robin's room when he's gone, dress up in his uniform, and pretend to be Robin!...*[Beat]* ... without me!
- Ship Tease: Plenty of it in this episode from Starfire, who has flashbacks of all her previous Ship Tease moments with Robin when he first leaves and fantasizes conversations in which Robin compliments her appearance.
- Silly Simian: The third guardian is likely the most entertaining of the three.
- Snakes Are Sinister: The second guardian seems that way with his creepy Sssssnake Talk, but this is a case of Dark Is Not Evil.
- Step into the Blinding Fight: Robin's second challenge, where he faces a snake while in total darkness and his vision's limited.
- Strong as They Need to Be: A rather egregious example, but Robin in previous episodes have fought gigantic monsters (Cinderblock, Plasmus), wiped out armies of robots and took on superpowered opponents. Now he's struggling to defeat Badass Normal Katarou, for no reason other than just because.
- Take It to the Bridge: Robin's first obstacle - defeat the bear to gain access to a bridge.
- Talking Animal: The bear, snake and monkey all have the ability of speech, just because. Robin lampshades it when meeting the bear: "You can talk?"
- Tempting Fate: Robin objects to fighting the Snake due to the Snake's blindness. The Snake proceeds to even the playing field by putting out the lights.
- Time Zones Do Not Exist: Robin's training to hone his skills in China, while the rest of his team remains in Jump City in the States. Somehow it's daytime in both areas.
- Wham Line: The old lady commanding the mountain guardians to take Katarou away, revealing that she's the True Master.
- What the Fu Are You Doing?: Beast Boy tries imitating Robin's usual kung-fu moves while twirling a bo staff, only to accidentally hit himself in the head.
- Wuxia: The series' sole foray into a kung-fu cinema-inspired storyline.
- You Didn't Ask: Chu-Hui, when she reveals that she is the True Master.
