Takedown

A Takedown is a move that defeats an enemy in a single move. The usage of different takedowns is recommended, as the player will earn more points. In story mode, the player is rewarded with various amounts of XP and more variation means more points in Combat Challenge Maps.

Additionally, certain playable characters have can perform takedowns that others can't, such as Catwoman's Ceiling Takedown.

Silent Takedowns
Silent Takedowns are always silent, but take longer to perform. During these Takedowns, pressing the Strike button initiates a Knockout Strike, which will end the takedown faster but also creates noise.
 * Silent Takedown: The character sneaks up behind an enemy, and quietly takes them out without alerting nearby thugs.
 * Corner Takedown: While hiding behind a cover, the character can silently take out an approaching henchman, as long as they remain unseen. In Arkham Knight, the range of the takedown is extended, as the character uses the Batclaw to pull enemies from further away, and the character will now pull/hide the body behind the corner.
 * Silent Ceiling Takedown: When crawling on the ceiling, Catwoman can take down a henchman standing directly below her in a silent move which does not alert nearby enemies.
 * Reverse Ledge Takedown: When standing on a ledge directly above an enemy, a character can silently leap over the edge, and take down the henchman, while hanging onto the edge of the walkway. In Batman: Arkham City and Batman: Arkham Origins, the Takedown is limited to low ledges where the enemy is in reach, but in Batman: Arkham Knight, the character grapples down behind their enemy if they are too high.

Loud Takedowns
Loud takedowns are always noisy, and cause any nearby enemies to investigate the sound. They, however, are much faster than Silent Takedowns.
 * Double Takedown: If the character manages to get behind two enemies undetected, they could take out both of them in a quick, noisy takedown. In Arkham Knight, characters who can use the Fear Multi-Takedown require a FMT charge to perform the move.
 * Vent Takedown: When an enemy is standing near a wallmounted vent, they can be taken out quickly as the character bursts from the vent. Additionally, the vent cover is destroyed in the process.
 * Grate Takedown: When hiding below a floor grate, the character can jump from the grate to instantly take down an enemy above them. In Arkham Knight, the move is now performed silently by some characters, as they utilize a Silent Takedown instead of a knock-out.
 * Inverted Takedown: When sitting on a Vantage Point, Batman can swoop down on an enemy directly below, and drag them up to the Vantage Point. He drops them back almost immediately, albeit attached to a rope, where they will be rendered unconscious.
 * Ledge Takedown: When hanging from a ledge, a character can grab onto a nearby henchman and pull them over the edge attached to a rope. In Arkham Knight, some characters now perform the move silently, as instead of pulling the enemy down, they lock the thug between the railing and their arms, and slowly render them unconscious. As with the Corner Takedown, characters used the Batclaw to extend the attack's range.
 * Double Ledge Takedown: When hanging from a ledge, a character can grab onto two nearby henchmen, and pull them both over the edge in the same move.
 * Ceiling Takedown: If an enemy was walking on a walkway directly above a ceiling where Catwoman was attached to, she could pull them down from the walkway with her whip.
 * Weak Wall Takedown: When an enemy was standing near a collapsible wooden wall, the character could burst through in an explosive move, and take down the henchman in a single blow.
 * Tightrope Takedown: Only available in Arkham Origins. If Batman is walking on a tightrope created by the Remote Claw, he can drop on an enemy directly below him to take them out. Despite also having the gadget, Deathstroke cannot perform this move.
 * Flip Grate Takedown: Only appears in Knight. Certain larger grates can be used both ways, in that If the player is above an enemy, they can drop down to instantly take down the enemy below. If below the grate, they can grapple through the grate and knock their enemy out.
 * Grapnel Boost Takedown: Only available as Batman. Using a Grapnel Boost while grappling to a ledge where a henchman is standing, Batman will instantly take the enemy out.
 * Freeze/Glue/Snare Trap Takedown: Any enemy frozen in place by the Freeze Blast, Glue Grenade, or Snare Trap can be instantly taken out by Batman or Harley Quinn.
 * Line Launcher Takedown: While riding the Line Launcher toward an unsuspecting enemy, the character will drop onto the henchman and take them out on the ground.
 * In Arkham Origins, the move is replaced with the Zipline Takedown, which fuctions similarily, but it requires more distance to the target, and required a tighrope created by the Remote Claw. Batman will glide onto his enemy, and take them out on the ground.

Other Takedowns

 * Explosive Gel Takedown: Any character equipped with the Explosive Gel can place it on a structurally weak wall or ceiling. When one or more enemies come into range, the HUD informed the player. If detonated, the move can take down several enemies. In Knight, this now applies even to weaker, punch-through wooden walls as well.
 * Ground Takedown: Any character can take down any enemy that has been knocked to the ground. This will instantly take the enemy out, but leaves the character vulnerable during it. In Arkham Asylum during predator encounters, when an enemy was knocked to the ground with a Batarang and the player applied a Ground takedown on them, it would not alert the others, something that changed in the following games. A Combo Ground Takedown gives 75 points for each score multiplier in combat challenge maps.
 * Environmental Takedown: In Arkham Knight, some objects in the environement are highlighted in blue. Getting an enemy close to the object and pressing a certain button combination takes them down instantly in one, noisy move. The move adds 100 points per multiplier in challenge maps.
 * Combat Takedown: If the character manages to stay undetected behind an enemy before a combat encounter, they can instantly take out the enemy with a Combat Takedown. This will always initiate the combat encounter, however.
 * Fear Multi-Takedown: A move that can be used to take down several enemies in quick succession.

Combat Takedowns

 * Blade Dodge Takedown: a move specifically used against enemies with sharp weapons (thugs with knives or broken bottles, ninjas, combat experts, brutes with dual blades). All characters can perform this move, by dodging each of the two or three initial blade swipes, and dealing a decisive blow after the last swipe. The move takes down thugs, ninjas and combat experts immediately and adds 100 points per combo multiplier in challenge maps, but only results in an "Instant Takedown" in Arkham Knight on brutes.
 * Lieutenant Takedown and Titan Takedown: specific names of takedowns on lieutenants (the Abramovici Twins) and Titans in challenge maps. The former adds 50 points per multiplier just like a typical beatdown finisher on henchmen, and the latter adds 100 points.

Some takedowns could only be performed in combat situations, and only after the combo reaches 8 or 5 (when upgraded) hit count.
 * Special Combo Instant Takedown: The character takes down a single enemy with an instant knockout move, usually by breaking a limb or with a few well based blows. All characters can perform this move on all types of enemies except Titans, the Abramovici Twins and Martial Artists. In Arkham Origins, the Takedown also helps deal more damage onto bosses, destroy Venom backpacks, and the armor of enforcers which leaves them open to a beatdown. This move gives 50 points for each score multiplier in combat challenge maps.
 * Special Multi Ground Takedown: Batman or Deathstroke instantly takes down any grounded enemies on the battlefield with multiple batarangs or bullets respectively. If none are grounded, the move is wasted. It adds 20 points x the number of downed henchmen per multiplier in challenge maps.

Tips

 * Deathstroke normally could not perform an Explosive Wall Takedown. For unknown reasons, he can perform them on the PS3-exclusive map, Turning Point.