Evade

Evade is a maneuver in the Batman: Arkham game series.

Animations
Most characters in the Arkham games have unique Evade animations:
 * Batman and Robin jump and roll on the ground
 * Catwoman does a cartwheel or handspring
 * Nightwing does an acrobatic aerial

If you Evade as you move toward an enemy, the maneuver is called a Redirect instead:
 * Batman and Catwoman cartwheel over enemies
 * Joker playfully vaults over them as if he was playing leapfrog
 * Nightwing simply does an aerial over them
 * Prior to Batman: Arkham Knight, Robin walks over them
 * Notably, when you Redirect over a regular-sized enemy, their character model may pop so that they'll always face away from you

In Batman: Arkham Asylum, if Batman Redirects toward Bane in the Story Mode boss fight, he will slide below his groin, even though Batman is still capable of cartwheel over large enemies such Titans, Lieutenants, Enforcers, and even Bane in Batman: Arkham Origins. Robin's animations were recycled for Deathstroke in Origins.

In Batman: Arkham Knight, Robin no longer has unique Evade animations but instead uses Batman's. Apart from Robin, all recurring characters retained their old animations, and all new characters simply used animations recycled from other characters'. New Redirect animations were also introduced with new enemy types:
 * Male characters and Batgirl roll sideways on the back of a charging enemy, making him quickly trip and fall forward. They also do so on an enemy that is staggering because he was pulled by the Batclaw; prior to Knight, Batman and Nightwing only normally Redirect over him and he simply falls at whatever point where the Redirect occurs. Catwoman and Harley Quinn vault over such an enemy like Joker did in previous games.
 * As for large enemies such as Brutes or Albert King, Batman, Robin, Nightwing and Azrael roll forward on their back. These enemies were never included in challenge maps for Catwoman, Batgirl, Harley Quinn and Red Hood, so they don't have that animation.
 * There are two more different Redirect animations if you play as Batman and Nightwing against Killer Croc. If Croc crawls on all four and charges toward you, your character will walk over him. If he stands on his feet, your character will slide below his groin.

Gameplay
To Evade or Redirect, hold a directional command (left stick on console, WASD on PC), and double tap the "run button" (A on XBox, × on PlayStation and Space on PC).

Evade is a maneuver meant for dodging melee attacks or gunshots. You can also Evade to give yourself time to switch to a better position, or to adjust the camera.

In Asylum, it is generally difficult to dodge thrown objects, so it's best to deal with enemies that hold those objects as soon as possible, for example by throwing a Batarang at them.

Although Evade allows you to dodge enemies' attacks unharmed, there are certain rules to consider: In Asylum, you cannot strike an enemy with a Stun Baton head-on without getting damage and breaking the combo. The only safe way to strike him is to Redirect over him first. This explains why enemy character models may pop so that they face away from you. Redirecting then striking from the back remains a staple way to deal with Stun Baton-wielding enemies throughout the series.
 * If you Evade on the ground twice in a row, your combo will break. However, you can Redirect as many times as you like.
 * You cannot Evade or Redirect over a charging Titan or Bane, but you can Evade or Redirect away from them instead.
 * Evading on the ground can still leave you open to an enemy's attack. For example, you can still get hit if you Evade on the ground with poor timing as a Titan is charging toward you, or if an enemy with a Stun Baton is in your way. The only way to safely dodge all attacks without fail is to Redirect over a nearby enemy.

A Redirect counts as a combat variation in combat encounters or challenges.

In Knight, if you play as Batman, Azrael, Nightwing or Batgirl, you can take advantage of the new Redirect animation to get an enemy to where you want. For example, you can use the Batclaw to pull an enemy, then Redirect over him and propel him forward toward a spotlight or an AC unit, so that you can do an Environment Takedown on him later.