Beach Episode - Television Tropes & Idioms

Fun in the sun.

EVERY anime has a beach episode, Alex!

—Roger Van Der Weide

Art: Why does every anime series under the sun have to have a fan-service episode? An episode in which the cast all wander around in swimwear or less for no real reason? It's so low-brow.
Pip: Shall we confirm that by watching it again?
Art: Absolutely.

— Sequential Art

Simply put, an episode where the cast decided to take a break and go to the beach or a swimming pool for some wet and splashy fun.

Often combined with or immediately following a Recap Episode, the Beach Episode exists solely for the purpose of getting the female (and sometimes males too) cast into bathing suits. Sadly for the fanboys, beach episodes are usually extreme examples of Filler and treated accordingly.

Naturally, it also acts as a Breather Episode in arc-heavy stories.

Common in, but hardly limited to, anime series.

Cousin to the Hot Springs Episode, which usually takes place in highlands.

Examples

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Anime and Manga

Lampshaded by Excel Saga. The show's creators introduced one episode by saying that they needed better ratings, and as a result there would be no men in the episode, and all the women would be wearing swimsuits.
Love Hina did this twice, extending the second into a miniarc.
The Mahou Sensei Negima manga has several chapters taking place at beaches. The original Marshmallow Hell incident occurred at one of them. Also notable that most Beach Chapters do have important or at least notable events occur during them.
Ranma 1/2 did almost an entire movie as a Beach Episode as well as a regular one. An interesting note is the transition from manga to anime actually removes one as the setting was changed from a beach to a ski resort (though it also adds one as filler).
Genshiken had fun with this type of episode, as most of the cast were otaku and thus not the sort to go to the beach on a regular basis. ("What the hell am I doing in a place like this... Isn't it embarassing to go to ComiFes with a tan?".
- Also notable was Cosplay Otaku Girl Ohno, who wears some fairly risque things, being shy enough to cover most of her outfit with a long shirt.
Even the shojo Sailor Moon had at least one Beach Episode per season. Notably, the one for Sailor Moon R was absent not only from the dub, but also from the uncut DVD release; the incident is often presented as "the creators didn't like it", however it's possible that DiC simply decided to not even bother with this episode and didn't acquire it (ADV apparently used the same masters). The episode is rather silly: it isn't a part of the season's main storyline, and involves Chibi-Usa and what appears to be a baby plesiosaur.
Haruhi Suzumiya (picture above) also had a Beach Episode with a twist, a parody of a Locked Room Mystery that had been set up, Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre-style, to keep Haruhi from getting bored. And since it was taken directly from the novels, it is not filler but canon.
Practically every episode of Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch had the beach in it, though as expected for the demographic a lot of fanservice was male. There were more traditional Beach Episodes, though, such as the "Mermaid Contest" episode, where the girls try to show off talents and compete with the Dark Lovers in a beachside beauty contest. In the manga, Lucia even wins by inadvertently flashing the audience when her bikini top comes undone.
Ichigo Mashimaro has Nobue take the girls to the beach one summer break; slightly parodies the trope, as Miu comments that her friends should have "sexy" swimsuits like hers.
Pokemon had an episode named "Beauty and the Beach" that was — you guessed it — a Beach Episode with a swimsuit contest. It was originally cut from airing outside of Japan, but later aired as a lost episode with the most questionable part cut out: James entering the contest in a skimpy bikini with inflatable breasts.
Tenchi Universe had a beach episode once with the obilgatory bikini contest. Funny considering every other episode IS a Hot Springs Episode
Macross 7, never accused of being the most plot heavy of series early on in its run, had one as well...only an emergency related to an attack by the Varuta caused Basara and Mylene to get trapped in between two emergency bulkheads and nearly freeze to death in a rather ironic subversion.
Lucky Star also features a Beach Episode, complete with characters bemoaning the lack of interest from guys, the protagonist's attempts to be more appealing with an inner tube, and a scene picking apart the trope of vacation food actually being pretty terrible.
Subverted in RahXephon: episode 8 is set up as a Beach Episode, with everyone wearing swimsuits, but... it's Christmas, it begins to snow, and the rest of it is played more or less like a typical Christmas episode.
Once a year in Keroro Gunsou. The anime tries to balance the fanservice by throwing in a comedy contest, whereas the original manga was a straight-up swimsuit contest. Involves at least one girl losing her top in front of many geeks, who are there for the Gundam models as much as the swimsuit models. Inverted in the manga with a women's skiing contest during a trip to the mountains, and in an episode of the anime featuring a man-only beefcake contest.
Inverted in The Prince of Tennis, where the main characters take a break to play in an unofficial beach volleyball tournament. Male ass is revealed, and the only woman in a swimsuit is pushing 50, resulting in severe nausea when she tries to be seductive.
Ai Yori Aoshi had a two-episode beach arc, which also included a Furo Scene and a festival scene.
Fanservice and plot advancement in a Beach Episode? Yep. Episode 9 of Mai-HiME managed to get (most of) the girls in bathing suits, but also included a B-story that delved into Natsuki's past (and there was the whole Laser Hallway subversion, too).
Subverted in Mai-Otome: Episode 9 looks like a Beach Episode on the surface, but the beach actually serves as the starting point for a survival test (that later goes horribly wrong).
Azumanga Daioh had several, though as a Slice Of Life series, they weren't filler. One even provided the infamous scene of Osaka waking Yukari up with a knife.
- And Nyamo's drunken lecture. And Yukari's driving. Heck, a good chunk of the memorable things about Azumanga Daioh were from the beach episodes.
This Ugly Yet Beautiful World had one right after a Hot Springs Episode.
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann plays with this. When the crew arrive at the sea for the first time and the the girls demonstrate the connection between beaches and skimpy outfits, almost everyone turns expectantly to Yoko. After "voicing" her dissatisfaction, she appears in a beach outfit that is rather more conservative than her usual attire. Considering that she normally wears a string bikini and daisy dukes, if it got any skimpier she would just be naked.
In Ouran High School Host Club, there is a Beach Episode that features guys in bathing suits, but the one main female character is of course in a tshirt and shorts, as she cannot reveal her gender. This was compensated for by having the club's customers prance about in swimwear. Hilarity Ensues? Well, not really. Instead, Kyouya acts like a creepy sexual offender, and Tamaki teaches Haruhi a vaguely sexist lesson.
Busou Renkin also involved such an episode. In the manga, it is stated that Nobuhiro Watsuki originally did not plan to do it, but insistent letters from fans and encouragement from his staff eventually won him over.
Martian Successor Nadesico has both a bonafide Beach Episode early in the series, and a swimsuit contest onboard of the titular spaceship later in the series.
- And even so, things still occurred that were quite amusing, and didn't end up as something that 'never happened.' Especially with the Admiral's fate in the first of these two.
Saber Marionette J does not have a true Beach Episode in its TV run, but it does feature a contest with several of the female characters in swimsuits instead. Also, the manga version has an actual beach chapter, complete with two beach voleyball games.
The Daughter Of Twenty Faces has a Beach Episode that furthered both plot and character development, and the actual beach scenes were rather short and almost completely devoid of fanservice. Unless you're into conservative 1950's style swimsuits or something.
Uta Kata takes place in the Japanese town of Kamakura, known for its beautiful beaches, so the occurrence of a Beach Episode is almost inevitable. In fact, there are two of those and both of them are relevant to the plot.
Hajime no Ippo had one featuring not only humor, but also some degree of plot as the guys went there not just to relax and have a good view of girl booty, but to train. In fact, Ippo realizes one of his early flaws (lack of leg strength) there.
The pilot of Kimagure Orange Road was a Beach Episode. There was another one later heavily based on it. Both of these episodes were based on the same story in the manga, with the second one (set in a skiing resort) being the accurate one.
- Even more surprising was that during these two episodes, things between Kyosuke and Madoka progressed somewhat, especially without Hikaru around as much to be a Clingy Jealous Girl.
Asatte No Houkou has this as its first episode.
The third Megami Sound Stage of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, which took place in a beach, parodied the tendency for this trope to be used as an excuse for Fanservice when Hayate cheerfully announced that she, Nanoha, Fate, and Vivio were doing the recording in swimsuits. When everyone else reacted in surprise at her comment, saying that they're all in uniform, Hayate explained that since this is an audio media, she's sure everyone listening was imagining them in swimsuits regardless of what they're wearing.
The sports-manga Beach Stars is mostly a Beach Episode-manga as the sport in question is beach volleyball.
Naruto has yet to have a Beach Episode. However, at the end of the third movie, there is a beach scene. And yes, Sakura is the focus of the scene.
- To be fair, though, that IS like putting a bathing suit on a plank of wood.
In the OVA of Nodame Cantabile the main characters go to the beach, offering Nodame a chance to show herself off in a bikini.
The Mazinkaiser OVA even had a classic Beach Episode with explicit Fan Service that may have given Kouji's perverted little brother a permanent... yeah. The Professor's shapely twin assistants need someone to oil them, for starters.
Tokyo Mew Mew had a Beach Episode that focused mainly on Lettuce trying to help a little girl learn to swim and learning to swim herself.
Gun X Sword had a plot episode where they needed to kidnap a character living in the Kingdom of ~~Mizugi~~ Missoghi, a port which only woman wearing swimwear could enter. In a solid effort it managed to provide fanservice and plot at the same time. With a nice dose of Fan Disservice in the closing moments.
The anime and manga continuities of Hana Yori Dango have two beach plot arcs, one during a summer break and one on the Domyoji private island.
Burst Angel has a beach episode with very skimpy swimsuit. And a tentacled Squid Monster.
- Made even better once you find the ''dirty'' hidden commentary on that DVD
Zero No Tsukaima may be set in a medieval European fantasy world, but that does not stop it from having a beach episode. It helps that Headmaster Osmond is a Dirty Old Man who will make up whatever excuse he can to get the girls into swimsuits that have somehow appeared from our world.
Hitohira has a dramatic beach episode in which Nono and Risaki beat each other up until they collapse.
Great Teacher Onizuka: The double beach episode is an opportunity for two of Onizuka's students to deal with their UST.
Full Metal Panic! contains several subversions. Twice, Kaname gets primed and ready for a beach vacation only to end up having Sousuke drag her somewhere else (once to a submarine, once to a military festival) instead. When Kaname does go to the beach for a vacation in the middle of the series, the episodes focus almost entirely on Sousuke's mission in the Middle East instead, with only a few brief cuts to Kaname showing her bored and worrying about him.
- An actual Beach Episode, meanwhile, takes place in Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu.
Wedding Peach averts the filler part by having the beach episode in the first part of the OVA, and it's where their new enemy appears.
There is one in the Blue Drop anime, leading to an important turning point in the relationship between Mari and Hagino.
In Axis Powers Hetalia, Germany, Italy and Japan get shipwrecked on a tropical island, and don't seem to mind too much. They actually enjoy themselves. In another strip, America and England are both stranded together, both being themselves.
Ninin Ga Shinobuden's 4th episode is parody of these. It doesn't even take place at a beach.
Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni had a beach arc (one day),which was adapted into a one episode.
School Rumble's episode the beach had an awkward moment for Eri and a very naked Harima.
In Onegai Teacher, for the honeymoon.
- And later on in Onegai Twins for...well, just a vacation, really.
- The Onegai Twins OAV also qualified, given the greater prevalence of swimsuits and absence of plot or character development.
The sixth issue of Boys Empire has Hitomi leading Makoto to a beach her family knows about and considers fairly private... only to find Ikki and [Those Two Girls already on it. Then Ikki declares it a nude beach, and... well, it's a Hentai.
Even Sonic X had a beach episode, for those of you who like to stare at Amy Rose in a swimsuit (yes, she has a prominent focus in this episode).
Mars Daybreak manages to get one despite the fact that there aren't any beaches on Mars: The pirates found a spot on the planet where The Federation's satellite surveillance system was blind for one day out of the year, and so take advantage of the situation to open up a swimming pool on top of their sub.

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Live Action TV

Astonishingly, a textbook example can be seen in the Star Trek Deep Space Nine episode "Let He Who Is Without Sin...". Taking place of Pleasure Planet Risa, It's played straight as an arrow, the episode takes place square in the middle of a story arc involving the emergence of the Jem'Hadar from the Gamma Quadrant and the threat of imminent war. A full review detailing point by point its awfulness can be found here. Even the writer admitted the idea was one of the worst ideas he ever had, and said that what was on his mind when writing it was "Please don't let this suck. Please don't let this suck."
Commonly seen in the first few seasons of Power Rangers, though it got both the males and females into fanservice outfits. Which explains one of the reasons why older fans of either sex may have loved the show so much. While these episodes were almost always filler as usual with the trope, it must be noted that 85% of any given early season of PR was filler anyways.
- You see a lot of the beach in Ninja Storm, what with it being New Zealand and everything.
  - Meanwhile, all the New Zealand-filmed seasons afterwards have had practically no beach episodes. Assumedly the producers wanted to use as much of the new location novelty as they could at the start, before it wore off.
  - That, and they probably didn't want to wear out the excuse that Ninja Storm used - that one of the Rangers is a surfer in her off hours.
Due to location, as many as half of all CSI Miami episodes qualify.
- This troper remembers an episode where they not only had a beach volleyball match (women's, naturally), but they managed to get a camera angle where the brand of bathing suit was clearly visible. That Jerry Bruckheimer! Always thinking!
The episode "The One at the Beach" in Friends, and its counterpart "The One with the Jellyfish", respectively the last episode of season 3 and the first of season 4. Many cast members appeared in beach clothes. Joey was given sand boobs.
In Saved By The Bell, there were a few episodes taking place at a beach club where the whole gang had jobs there.
Actor Jensen Ackles likes to joke that he's been trying to pitch the "Demon Surfer" episode of Supernatural so they can film in Hawaii and have a Beach Episode. Strangely, this tends to happen in a lot of Supernatural Fan Fic.
The short-lived Falcon Beach was pretty much nothing but this. How did this show not survive? Oh, right, Screwed By The Network, which gave it a horrible time slot. And no, this wasn't FOX's fault. Actually, FOX would be a logical place for this show...
Scrubs had The Janitor's and Lady's Wedding set in the Bahamas
The Hercules: the Legendary Journeys episode "The Apple" featured our heroes at a beach. It's heavier in plot than most beach episodes, but the fangirls get to see Hercules and Iolaus almost naked. And Iolaus invents surfing!
- Are you kiddin'? Nearly every Hercules episode, and certainly every Xena episode, was overflowing with fan service out several wazoos. How about Herc posing nude for an artists' charity benefit? Atalanta flexing her muscles for the "Olympian" Games? Let's not forget the trio of nude, go-go dancing Gabrielles, and of course Xena just being Xena. I realize the parent entry specifically addresses the trope and these additional examples do not; I'm just saying the writers never needed a beach as an excuse to dish out the eye candy.
The Office had an episode where they went to the beach. Or rather, the side of a lake. Subverted in that hopes of beachy fun and Pam in a two-piece were dashed as Michael used it as an excuse for a Survivor style event to pick his successor, and the episode features some of the best character development to date.

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Video Games

Dead Or Alive: Extreme Beach Volleyball and its sequel are the video game equivalent of this.
There is a set of "vacation" missions set in Costa Del Sol in Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core, with Fan Service for both the girls (Zack in swimming trunks) and the boys (Cissnei in a bikini).
Bikini Karate Babes is an entire video game made of this trope! More specifically, a large group of motion captured women get stranded on an island and have to wait for a rescue boat to come. So how do they pass the time? By fighting in front of each other. The winner gets to rip off either the top or bottom half of her opponent's bikini. Yes, this is a real game, and no, it's not very good.
Late in Tales Of Symphonia, there is a sidequest that allows you to get some beach-based alternate costumes for some of your characters. It takes a minimum of three plays to get all eight characters' costumes.
- In the same game, there is not one, but two Hot Springs scenes.
Being a game masterfully covered in Anime Tropes, Persona3 has one of these taking place at Yakushima. A transvestite and robot are involved.
Valkyria Chronicles has a feature that lets you purchase extra chapters- some are just story, some have missions that can gain you extra cash and XP. The most expensive of all of these? "Squad 7's R&R", where they all head to the beach...
"Goodbye, Shingala," Chapter 3 of Dark Cloud 2, is set at the beachside village of Veniccio. The action segments take place in the Ocean's Roar Cave dug into the nearby cliff.
The upcoming Wii Sports Resort seems to basically be a beach episode version of Wii Sports.
Super Mario Sunshine is set on the tropical Isle Delfino. Two of the stages are calm, relaxing beaches (one of which even has a hotel).
If you get a high enough total score in Elite Beat Agents, you can unlock a picture of the agents at the beach with some rather fanservicey material for both genders (J surfing with a dolphin, Spin playing volleyball with Missy, and Chieftain apparently checking out Foxx's body). The tenth stage is also on the beach, essentially, with lots of Gainaxing.
Xenosaga, being a game of cutscenes, has a beach "episode" around the half-way point of Der Wille zur Macht. Also sprach Zarathustra quickly gets a scene of Shion in a bikini on the beach.

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Western Animation

WITCH has one in the second season episode I is for Illusion where the girls go to the beach to relax on summer vacation, though unlike other examples it's anything but filler as The Chessmaster Nerissa attempted to sow seeds of discontent amongst the girls, and very nearly managed to steal Will's Heart of Kandrakar. In the very next episode, "J is for Jewel," Irma is still at the beach with her family as they decided to stay a few extra days while the other girls leave, which leads to a big problem when she's needed to help fight and is separated from the rest of the girls.
One Season 3 episode of Avatar The Last Airbender is entitled, "The Beach." ...If you hadn't already guessed, yes, it is indeed a Beach Episode, featuring Ozai's Angels (+Zuko) in swimsuits. The preview images, particularly Ty Lee's, erupted into quite a scandal in the fandom.
- The Grand Finale also had a brief scene at a beach.
Ben10 does this in both series. In the first, they're children, and it's summer vacation, so there's nothing surprising or scandalous about them going to the beach (and a water park). In Alien Force, they're teenagers, and it's apparently later in the year (as everyone's normal day clothes have long sleeves, a jacket, etc), but they still find a reason to go to a lake and splash around for five minutes. The boys wear typical swimtrunks, but Gwen's swimsuit has gone from a high-necked one piece to a very revealing white bikini in the style of Ty Lee's up there...
The Backyardigans had an episode about surfing, but the surfing was left for the near end, since they were looking for the perfect waves. Bonus points go for Austin and his "Mystery Lifeguard" song.
- "Legend of the Volcano Sisters" was also a beach episode. Better because the three boys are shirtless. And they look cute.
  - Uh... wh at!?
Several episodes involving Shego in Kim Possible, since she does enjoy sunbathing during her vacations. Come to think of it, she doesn't even need a beach...
Although several Chip And Dale Rescue Rangers episodes involve beaches, the one true beach episode is "Shell Shocked" because Gadget is wearing a swimsuit. A one-piece swimsuit with attached skirt, but a swimsuit.
The Futurama episode "The Deep South" is primarily a beach episode, and the movie Benders Big Score features a prominent scene with everyone at a nude beach (also highlighted in the DVD packaging).