Batclaw

The Batclaw is a grapple device that Batman uses to pull vent covers off of out-of-reach walls, clear obstruction from his path, and make enemies drop their weapons (not including knives).

It also allows Batman to pull thugs off ledges, and, in Combat, can pull them toward him until they eventually fall over.

Batman: Arkham Origins
The Batclaw chronologically made its first appearance in Batman: Arkham Origins, where, as in the other games, a younger Batman wielded it in order to pull enemies off their balance and open out-of-reach objects.

Deathstroke also wielded a gadget identical to the Batclaw called the Grapnel Claw. They both looked exactly the same, except Deathstroke's was stylized grey and orange to match his body armor.

Batman: Arkham Asylum
While the initial Batclaw is obtained following Batman's first visit to the Batcave, an upgrade to the weapon is equipped following Batman's last visit to the Batcave: the Ultra Batclaw.

Batclaw Upgrades include:
 * Ultra Batclaw - Enabled the Batclaw to fire three claws instead of one. The Ultra Batclaw could also pull down structurally weak walls that could not be reached by the Explosive Gel.

Batman: Arkham City
Although the Ultra Batclaw from Batman: Arkham Asylum is not a part of Batman's arsenal in Batman: Arkham City, the Batclaw was still an exceptional tool Batman used frequently to grab and disarm foes, as well as to perform some Takedowns. If on a floating platform, Batman could use the Batclaw to grab onto wall-mounted rings and the sides of buildings in order to move the platform. The Batclaw could also grab out-of-reach Riddler Trophies, unless they were frozen.

Nightwing also utilized a Batclaw, which was identical to the one used by Batman.

The Batclaw Slam is a new move introduced in Arkham City. It inflicts twice as much damage as a normal strike, but like Robin's Zip-Kick, Catwoman's Whip Trip, and the combat Ground Takedown (the Ground Pound), it is slow and leaves Batman vulnerable to attack. Therefore, it is a good idea to move far away enough from the crowd of thugs before executing it, or to use one of the special combo moves (namely Batman's Special Combo Bat Swarm or Nightwing's Special Combo Crowd Shock) to stun the surrounding crowd temporarily for an execution window.

In Arkham City combat situations, the Batclaw (like the REC, or Catwoman's whip) is primarily used against Lieutenants, making them spin and hit surrounding henchmen for extra collateral damage.

Batman: Arkham Knight
The Batclaw reappeared in Batman: Arkham Knight, and worked identically to the previous versions. It could be upgraded to allow Batman to perform an instant super stun after quickfiring the gadget.

The Batclaw (along with Robin's Zip-Kick) can be fired at electrically-charged enemies to disable the current running around their bodies. A Batclaw Slam can follow without risk of getting hit.

In Batman: Arkham City and Batman: Arkham Origins, the "Freeflow Gadgets" upgrade merely increased the area of effect, but in Batman: Arkham Knight, it also instantly knocked out the target, causing nearby thugs to flinch.

Trivia

 * In Arkham Asylum, enemies always fell down after being pulled forward the gadget. From City onwards, they would manage to remain balanced, but would fall if they touched anything while staggering.


 * In the games following Arkham Asylum, whenever Batman (and some other characters such as Azrael, Nightwing, Batgirl using similar gadgets) pulls an enemy close enough to him, he slams them into the ground with a clothesline move. This is called the "Batclaw Slam", and it adds a x2 multiplier to the combo counter.
 * The Batclaw is one of only five gadgets to appear in all Arkham games so far: the others are the Batarang, the Remote Control Batarang, the Line Launcher and the Explosive Gel.