An outgoing sea sponge who lives in a pineapple under the sea, as the show's Theme Tune implies. Works as a fry cook at the Krusty Krab. Although not very bright, he has a good heart and constantly strives to help his friends...even when they don't really want it.
Ambiguously Gay: Parents made a big controversy of his sexuality .
Asexual: Stephen Hillenburg plays around with this quite a bit. He mentions that Spongebob is asexual, but since actual sponges usually (though not always) reproduce by budding, he could be referring to the biological aspect only. Because there's little indication in-series that he's ever attracted to anyone, he might be asexual in orientation as well.
Mentions that he has a crush on Sandy could mean one of four things: he is asexual but heteroromantic *
not sexually attracted to anyone, romantically interested only in the opposite gender
, demisexual, biologically asexual but heterosexual in terms of orientation, or...it's simply Ship Tease, an accepted staple of pretty much any show.
Blue Eyes: He's the only character with an iris while all but a few of the other characters have black eyes. Combined with being yellow gives the impression of a blue-eyed blond if he was human.
Break the Cutie: Subverted in "Fools in April", played straight in "Have You Seen This Snail?" and others.
Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Despite his weirdness and frequent wacky antics, Spongebob is very good at his job and loves it so much that he'll gladly work without sleep. It's obvious that this is the only reason Mr. Krabs likes having him on the Krusty crew.
Competition Freak: Depending on the Writer, Spongebob has a rather Serious Business attitude about games, he once became paranoid about Squidward winning Employee Of The Month, and took sandcastle building with Patrick to it's most surreal.
Extreme Doormat: Has shades of this, particularly around peers such as Mr Krabs, often making him a convenient patsy. Occasional stories show him attempt to gain abrasive skills, only to decide he is happy being "assertively nice". And it's almost impossible for him to say no to Sandy.
Took a Level in Dumbass: When the series began he was fairly intelligent but incredibly naive and childlike; in the later episodes he is barely smarter than pre-first movie Patrick.
Healing Factor: Being a sponge, he can regenerate lost limbs. This is exemplified in an episode where he removes an arm and a new one pops up in its place. He then removes his other one, and the process repeats until he has an entire wall of arms holding arms.
Power Creep, Power Seep: SpongeBob's strength varies from episode to episode. Some episodes depict him as so weak he couldn't even lift a straw, other depict him lifting a mailbox straight off its hinges.
Stop Helping Me!: He cannot take the hint that everyone except Patrick and probably Sandy wants him as far away from them as possible. Yes, everyone includes Gary.
Super Speed: As the Quickster in Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy V.
Workaholic: At one point, Mr. Krabs's forcing him to take a vacation nearly caused him to go insane; in "The Splinter", he frantically tries to avoid being sent home early; and this exchange from "Graveyard Shift" says it all:
Mr. Krabs: From now on the Krusty Krab is open 24 hours a day. Squidward: But Mr. Krabs...! Spongebob: Wooow! Now we never have to stop working!
Patrick Star
Voiced by: Bill Fagerbakke
A not-quite-bright starfish who works as a barber.
Berserk Button: In the first three seasons, Patrick would go a rampage if anything greatly upset him. Examples include being the only person who didn't get a gift from Spongebob on Valentine's Day, Spongebob living with the jellyfish, and being called "Tubby".
Bosom Buddies: When he thought a salesman was threatening his life, he, with SpongeBob's help, disguised himself as a girl named Patricia. Cue every other male in Bikini Bottom (especially Squidward and Mr. Krabs) falling for him.
Manipulative Bastard: This is often how SpongeBob goes along in one of his schemes. An example would be the episode in which Squidward accidentally swallowed his reed. SpongeBob was told to watch the submarine, and Patrick asked him if he looked after it from the inside as well.
Parental Neglect: In "Rock a Bye Bivalve," he repeatedly refuses to help the little scallop. Though that in his eyes seems to be a traditional father figure.
Poisonous Friend: For example, Patrick was willing to assault SpongeBob's kindly grandmother to keep him from being teased by others.
Forgot Flanders Could Do That: Does occasionally get the chance to display some actual musical or other talent. He was, in fact, initially characterized by Plankton as a "mediocre clarinet player," but has usually been shown as an abysmal one.
Hair-Trigger Temper: Early on, Squidward would be upset by SpongeBob and Patrick playing dumb games with each other. Downplayed later, then brought back again, even worse than before.
Took a Level in Jerkass: In seasons 1-3, Squidward acts like a jerk towards SpongeBob and Patrick most of the time, but at some points can be shown to actually care about them. In later seasons he takes the first possible opportunity to Kick The Sponge. Not that it's not justified...sometimes.
Karma Houdini: In "Grandma's Kisses" he harasses SpongeBob for simply being a devoted grandson. "Can You Spare a Dime?" sees him take advantage of SpongeBob's hospitality. In both cases, he gets off scot free. This is very surprising when you realize that in several episodes Squidward is punished just for being disagreeable.
Kick the Dog: He does this EVERY time SpongeBob's near him.
Lazy Bum: Common theme of the Krusty Krab episodes is that Squidward often dumps his workload on SpongeBob. Since the latter is easily manipulated and very much a workaholic, he takes the extra work without a second thought.
Lethal Chef: The krabby patty he made in "The Grass is Always Greener" deserves special mention.
Magma Man: As Captain Magma in Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy V.
No Respect Guy: One episode revolves around Spongebob thinking Squidward has died and is now haunting him. When he arranges a funeral for him, where the guests have this to say:
Mr. Krabs: Oh, Squidward...we came as soon as we were sure you were dead.
Nonstandard Character Design: Many characters are made to look cute, or at least marketable. Squidward is less so.
Pet the Dog: Sometimes shows compassion for others. "Pizza Delivery" is the most obvious where a fish pretty much crushes SpongeBob's spirit for no good reason and Squidward gets ticked off and shoves the pizza down the offender's throat. Interestingly, episodes like this downplay his Butt Monkey status considerably.
This Loser Is You: Probably the most Closer to Earth character in the show, though despite his superior logic and sanity over the rest of the cast, he is often depicted as a Small Name, Big Ego who is talentless and unexceptional in reality.
Ungrateful Bastard: In Squidtastic Voyage when he told SpongeBob and Patrick to leave his body without even a thank you for getting the reed out of his throat.
Voluntary Shapeshifting: Into a non-anthro octopus ("Squid's Day Off") and an amorphus liquid ("Suction Cup Symphony").
Sandy Cheeks
Voiced by: Carolyn Lawrence
An athlete/scientist squirrel from Texas.
The Ace: Particularity as her appearances get less frequent.
Badass Bookworm (Easily the most intelligent in the main cast, but often shown to be as physically strong as Larry the Lobster. Also likes life-threatening stunts.)
Berserk Button: Never ever insult anything/anyone from Texas, or even the state itself. You will regret it, as SpongeBob and Patrick faced the serious consequences.
Or rip all of her fur off (Sponge Bob and Patrick do this to her during the hibernation episode, when she finds out she beats them and then uses them as bikinis), or kick her in the butt (Squidward is trying to put a band together, when Sponge Bob asks him if they can start kicking now, Squidward replies that they only do that during chorus lines, then Patrick responds by saying he wants to kick something, he does kick Sandy in the butt, causing her to clobber him with a trombone, he later does it again with the same effect happening).
The Chew Toy: Not as much as the others but Sandy suffers some physical damage at times, such as being mauled by a gorilla, having her fur torn off by Spongebob and Patrick, being plagued with fleas, being hit by a car off of a mountain and so on.
Closer to Earth: Flip flops with this. While she is far more intelligent than most of the cast, she is occasionally shown to have a very rowdy and abrasive temperment when pushed. She is also sometimes more aware of her position in this trope than she really is. Granted as the rest of the cast became Flanderized more and more, her own flaws became less significant.
Competition Freak: Sandy is used to being the best at multiple talents and sports, so gets rather aggressive with when challenged.
Demoted to Extra: Inverted: She and Gary are more common in merchandise than the show.
Positive Discrimination (Arguable example. Is the most gifted and least flawed central character by miles, though partly due to excessive Flanderization of the bipedal, male characters. Admittedly it is also balanced by frequent Not so Above It All moments).
Her occasional ego and temperament can provoke some unfortunate situations in the show (eg. ''Pressure), that said, she is arguably the one recurring character that hasn't had her flaws Flanderized over her redeeming aspects.
Depending on the Writer: He can either be a sympathetic guy who has a genuine good core, a Jerkass who abuses his employees and doesn't care about his daughter that's Played for Laughs, or a ruthless Smug Snake who commits extremely dark and serious Moral Event Horizon acts such as relentlessly torturing Plankton that isn't meant to be funny.
His obsession with money also varies between episodes.
Flanderization: Was initially a quirky but rather fair natured boss character, just he liked money ''a bit'' too much. And even then his greed was often played for laughs, and he had redeeming qualities, such as genuine care for his daughter Pearl, and for SpongeBob. Now at times he's just a total jerk to anything without a currency value. There's still some episodes that show him as a good guy though.
Freudian Excuse: One could easily argue that his greed stems from his bad memories of living in poverty until striking it big.
I Fight for the Strongest Side: In "Neptune's Spatula", he gives a little pep talk to SpongeBob... before betting his money on King Neptune.
Jerkass: More and more so each season. Arguably the best example in the show.
Knight Templar: His occasional treatment of Plankton leans towards this, early on he was merely defending his business from his schemes, now he seems to take offense even when his rival is making legitimate profits or merely isn't miserable.
Karma Houdini: In the later seasons, most of his actions go without consequences. Most jarring being One Course Meal where he basically gets away with nearly driving Plankton to suicide.
MONEY FETISH: His defining character trait. He frequently takes this tropeto ridiculous levels, to the point of taking money-baths, getting into a fight with Squidward over a dime, stalking Spongebob for a penny, and almost losing Spongebob forever in exchange for some pocket change (sixty-two cents to be exact).
Mr. Vice Guy: When the show started out, he was a decent guy, but a bit greedy.
Krabs' business rival and arch-enemy. Is always after the formula for the Krabby Patty, the burger that SpongeBob fries up to the customers. Barring that, he ultimately aims for crushing all of Bikini Bottom beneath his feet.
Last Name Basis: Though in his case, he considers Sheldon an Embarrassing First Name. Unlike Mr. Krabs, he's simply called Plankton instead of Mr. Plankton (sans one episode where he sees what it's like if they switch places).
Took a Level in Badass: After stint of Villain Decay Plankton returned to his threatening and menacing self by Season 7 and became much more competent villain. Particulary in episodes "Frozen Face-Off", "Spongebob's Last Stand" and even "One Coarse Meal'. In "Frozen Face-Off" he he organized entire race as a distraction just so he could steal Krabby Patty formula without trouble and to throw off the suspicion he placed his robot doppelganger to participate in the race and it took all the main characters to stop his evil plans. In "Spongebob's Last Stand" where he built a super highway, which directly led to Chum Bucket, and it drove away all jellyfish from their fields and took over entire town and almost all of Bikini Bottom's population supported him. It was so bad that Mr. Krabs was going to give him secret formula willingly. This and "Frozen Face-Off" are more dramatic and action packed episodes of the series. Even in "One Coarse Meal', where he was Driven to Suicide due to Krabs masquerading as Pearl and scaring him, Plankton was very effective villain. To clarify: he drops a powerful explosive the size of a TV remote on the Krusty Krab's roof; he is said to build a transmutator (a machine with the power to make an element in nature into another element, like iron into gold, fire into air, etc.); and a robotic bomb-shaped object that is actually a disguised, robotic, telescopic claw that can crush a sea creature. And during the end of episode, Plankton uses mime to scare Mr. Krabs, who is very afraid of mimes, as the revenge for Mr. Krabs scaring him and driving him to suicide and from looks of it, Mr. Krabs' fear of mimes is bigger than Plankton's fear of whales, since Plankton managed to remain rational while being scared by whales, while Mr. Krabs was completely irrational.
Took a Level in Dumbass: Sometimes. He varies from being on Sandy's level in terms of intelligence to being barely smarter than other characters.
Unknown Rival: Sometimes SpongeBob doesn't acknowledge him as an enemy.
Karen
Voiced by: Jill Talley
Plankton's business computer and robotic spouse. Being blessed with a complex sentient programming, Karen is well aware of her "husband's" stupidity and is very verbal about it as well.
A.I. Is a Crapshoot: Seems more competent and intelligent than Plankton, but also has the personality of a nagging housewife, and thus is usually more preoccupied in nagging at her husband's failures or whining for affection.
Flanderization: Her Deadpan Snarker mannerisms. Initially merely acted frustrated and sarcastic on odd occasions due to Plankton's bumbling. Now she is perpetually throwing insults at her spouse.
Hyper Competent Side Kick: She successfully stole a Krabby Patty first time she tried alone with near zero effort (then again, it was against Squidward).
Robotic Spouse: Yes and no. Yes, Karen is a robot (okay, she's technically an extremely sarcastic computer...). But no, it's never fully explained how/when she was built, or when she and Plankton were married (if they're even married). Plankton may have originally built her to be the perfect wife or just a generic computer, but since A.I. Is a Crapshoot, her AI may have evolved into the snarky computer you see today.
Satellite Character: She has pretty much no interaction with anybody other than Plankton. Justified, seeing as how she's a computer...
Amplified Animal Aptitude: Varies. Sometimes he acts like any other domestic animal, other times he can use Raymanian Limbs and understand SpongeBob well enough to hold conversations.
Cats are Mean: Under the show's theory of snails existing as an Expy for cats. Subverted for the most part, though he has his occasional Jerkass moments like most of the cast (Dumped shows he can be a rather fickle bastard).
Closer to Earth: Despite the occasional dark tint, she's one of the more level headed characters. Spongebob is constantly grating on her sanity however.
Dark and Troubled Past: According to at least one conversation, she has previously skipped town under a different name.
Your Cheating Heart: He's apparently married (although we never see his wife), because he hit on a female fish at a party, who eyed him skeptically and noticed his wedding ring.
Heel Face Revolving Door: Seemed to pull a Heel Face Turn in his first appearance, but afterwards reverts to his evil status by the next time we see him.
Not So Harmless: A minor villain in the normal series, but a Bad Future where he won proved he was actually able to take over the world and turn it into a dictatorship where everyone was enslaved to his will.
The Other Darrin: His first appearance in "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy V" was voiced by Guy Siner and John Rhys-Davies.
Squidward's rival from high school. Squilliam is essentially everything Squidward dreamed of being. Whereas Squidward is a middleclass jackass stuck in a deadend job and considered a joke by everyone except SpongeBob and Patrick, Squilliam is a successful, filthy stinking rich jackass beloved by all. He loves rubbing his success in Squidward's face.
The Bad Guy Wins: Won twice, but normally his appearences are a sign Squidward will win this one.
Eviler than Thou: Well neither are exactly evil, but he's this to Squidward. Take Squidward, add some Smug Snake and several levels in jerkass, and remove any redeeming qualities. That's Squilliam.
Villainous Breakdown: At the end of "Band Geeks", he has one. Seeing Squidward completely succeed in an absolutely epic way causes him to have a heart attack!. Has another one at the end of "House Fancy" were Squidward's house being declared even fancier than his leaves Squilliam laying on the ground crying his eyes out.
Unsatisfiable Customer: Type 4, since he was making false complaints for SpongeBob's flawless service, either for a free Krabby Patty or just to Mind Screw SpongeBob For the Lulz.
