In The Early Days Of Batman And Robin, Around The Time Of Robin Joining His Own Teen Superhero Team,

In the early days of Batman and Robin, around the time of Robin joining his own teen superhero team, Robin finally convinced Batman that he “can’t just ride around in the Batmobile forever, he needs his own ride! His own way to drive around and carry people if Batman isn’t there.”

Bruce, of course, is quietly devastated at the reminder that his son is growing up (he nearly started crying when Dick outgrew his booster seat in the Batmobile, they still have a little spot for it in the Batcave), but agrees that Robin has a point. This is how Robin gets his first motorcycle, under the agreement that he will be extremely careful and always wear the appropriate helmet while riding.

Of course the first thing Robin does is turn around and teach himself how to do the Akira slide on his bike.

And of course Nightwing makes sure this is one of first things he teaches Robin when he and Jason are bonding for the first time. It’s one of their best memories, messing around on an empty lot, burning tires and picking up scrapes. Dick has never seen Jason grin so widely before.

But then Jason dies. And suddenly the little silly things like bike tricks don’t feel like enough anymore. Not when one of the only other people who would have understood that reference is so devastated by his failures that he’s putting people in urgent care every night and close to ending up there himself.

So when Tim comes around, stubbornly shoving his way under Batman’s cape, for his own damn good, Dick hesitates to teach him the little things that he taught Jason. But he gives in anyways, because Robin needs to feel supported and cared about, and in a silly way, that’s what the Akira slide is about. That was why Bruce gave Dick his first motorcycle in the first place.

A few years pass, a new few players join the scene. A new crime lord starts rising through the ranks, he also whips through the streets on a motorcycle (honestly, there’s no other way to blow through the static Gotham traffic).

And then, the Red Hood does it. Right in front of Nightwing, on a midnight chase through the city. The mother-fucking Akira slide.

“Jason?”