Nightwing fans often point to his costume as the height of superhero style, and it turns out that's because it's designed around Dick's skills.
One of the biggest character moments in the DC universe was when Dick Grayson graduated from Robin to become Nightwing. Another big moment for Dick was when he took over the mantle of Batman from Bruce Wayne. But neither transition was smooth, with Dick's hatred of Batman's costume revealing how well-designed his own outfit is to cater to his fighting style.
Dick Grayson's story is an important one in the DC universe - arguably the most important. After his parents died in a circus acrobatic accident, Dick was famously adopted by Bruce Wayne, who shortly began training him to become his partner Robin. But Dick wasn't destined to be the Boy Wonder forever. As he grew up, he eventually graduated into his own hero called Nightwing. Donning a new costume, Dick moved to the city Bludhaven to separate himself from Batman's Gotham.
When Bruce Wayne temporarily died following Final Crisis, Nightwing took up the cowl to become the Batman in Bruce's stead. Although he was honored to have the role, Dick found certain limitations with Batman's costume. In Batman #688, written by Judd Winick with art from Mark Bagley, Dick complained that the Dark Knight's cowl restricted his peripheral vision, and that the iconic cape felt like a giant circus tent on his back. The reason for this, Alfred pointed out, was because Dick spends more time in the air while fighting compared to Bruce. Bruce had developed his Batman costume based on his own fighting style, which is why Dick felt so uncomfortable in it.
Batman's costume proving unsuitable to Dick's moves shows just how perfect his own costume is. Dick's complaints highlight the sleek, low-resistance design of his own suit, as well as the visibility offered by his domino mask. These details, it appears, are actually intended to complement Nightwing's acrobatic flair - a holdover not from Bruce's training, but from his origin as a circus performer. Fans often hold Nightwing's costume up as a near-perfect look for the hero - one which has seldom changed over his modern history - and it appears this is no coincidence. The aesthetic of Nightwing's costume is built around his origin and the skill set it gave him.
Nightwing's costume exemplifies even more development of character when compared to what Dick wore as Robin. The Robin costume wasn't designed by Dick, but by Bruce to be his sidekick. When Nightwing was able to graduate from the role of sidekick to become his own hero, he removed the elements that didn't suit his personal fighting style, ending up with a costume which - while simple - is clearly precision-engineered to get the most out of his abilities.
