EVERY Hero Batman Has Defeated
9. Azrael - Legends Of The Dark Knight #63
Batman's troubles with Azrael are well known to any brave soul who managed to make their way through the 400+ pages that comprised Knigtfall and KnightsEnd, which would end in a fight between the two.
It's easy to say that Azrael was a villain because of his aggression, but that downplays the fact that Batman himself has had similar problems with controlling his anger against those he fights.
In actuality, it's fairer to say that Azrael was a very misguided hero at this time - and that Batman regards him as such, given his takedown of Jean-Paul is significantly more delicate than you'd expect after all the build up to it.
Instead of just beating Azrael down, Batman crafts an elaborate plan that sees Valley take off the armor coating him piece by piece in order to try and catch the Dark Knight, who then manages to talk his ex-successor out of fighting. While it's still definitely a victory for our hero, it's also a welcome change from endless brutal battles, as well as showing us Batman's more empathetic side.