5. "Things Change" - Teen Titans
Cartoon NetworkTeen Titans was a unique breed amongst the DC Animated Universe, as it captured an entire generation of fans by playing with iconic characters in fresh and unique ways. It wasn't deadly serious, but it also wasn't built on some of the silly premises it created. It was a fun, lighthearted show that you couldn't help but enjoy; which made the incredibly brutal series finale, "Things Change", all the more heart-wrenching and shocking. A show that had done episodes that included a character called Bunny Raven couldn't possibly end like this, could it? Well, yes, actually. "Things Change" paints a stark, solemn portrait of the fractured relationship between Beast Boy and Terra that is done in such a deep contrast to the previous episodes, it almost exists outside of itself. The tragic implications of Terra choosing to forget her friends and choose a life of solitude over the pain that she had caused them before shattered the hearts of every viewer who watched it during its initial airing. There's a ton of pathos in it, and the dark way that it's presented was so unlike any other children's cartoon finale at the time.