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N
- Name and Name: Grim and Evil, Billy and Mandy.
- Negative Continuity: An odd example - despite many episodes ending with some sort of bizarre or apocalyptic Downer Ending that can only be resolved via Snap Back (such as the main characters dying, being erased from existence, or given a permanent Forced Transformation, everyone on earth becoming descendents of Billy, the entire universe imploding and turning into The Powerpuff Girls...) continuity nods and call backs are fairly common, and the status quo does occasionally shift around. Gets especially odd when the acknowledgement of a past episode coincides with the aforementioned Snap Back, as happened with the episodes that introduced Nergal Jr, the entire underworld court system, and Hoss Delgato and Eris's short lived relationship.
- Never Say "Die": Unsurprisingly given the premise, this is usually averted, but not always consistently - there's quite a few times where they clearly have to dance around it by using substitutes like "destroy".
- Also we have a tidbit where Grim says "Billy, what were you trying to do? Scare me to me?"
- Never Trust a Hair Tonic: Billy tries some hair tonic and ends up growing hair all over his body looking like a sasquatch. It turns out that all he has to do to get rid of it is wash it off.
- Next Stall Shenanigans: In "Substitute Teacher", Billy tries to flush a skeleton model down the toilet, screaming louder and louder as he gets increasingly frustrated. Pud'n, who is in a nearby stall, listens to everything with a worried expression on his face, which turns into sheer horror when one of the fake bones slides into his stall.
- Nice Mean And In Between: The main trio, mostly in early seasons. Happy-go-lucky Billy is the nice one (mostly because Dumb Is Good, but he has his Jerkass moments too); Mandy is a devious, cold-hearted Villain Protagonist; and surprisingly Grim mediates between the two, despite being the Grim Reaper, he's not nearly as evil as Mandy.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed:
- Principal Goodvibes is most likely based on Paul Lynde.
- Dracula is a dead-on impression of Redd Foxx of Sanford and Son, right down to calling people "dummy". There may also be a bit of Mr. T in there as well.
- No Fourth Wall: The show quite frequently breaks the fourth wall and has characters indicate that they're aware they are in a television show.
- Noisy Duck: In the episode "Duck!", a ghost duck torments people by making fart noises, making others (who can't see the duck) think they farted. It gets so bad people start getting put in jail for it.
- Nonindicative Name:
- "The Incredible Shrinking Mandy" is actually about Billy attempting to shrink Mandy but accidentally making her giant.
- "Billy's Growth Spurt" even has a Nonindicative Title Slide depicting Billy as a middle-aged hick, when in fact the episode revolved around a growth on his back that eventually detached and turned into a miniature version of Billy (affectionately named "Yop-Yop" by Billy himself for the sound it makes).
- Non Sequitur, *Thud*: Billy's first appearance in Underfist includes this.
- Noodle Incident: Several of the people stated by Boogie to have stolen Grim's scythe in Billy and Mandy's Big Boogey Adventure (including a girl scout troop, the Sleestaks from Land of the Lost (1974) / Land of the Lost (1991), and a turkey salad sandwich) were not shown stealing it in the show, leading one to speculate what may have happened during these incidents.
- No Periods, Period: Averted in "Mommy Fearest", where Billy states that his mom "is grappling with the onset of menopause."
- Not Even Bothering with an Excuse: Combined with Rule of Three to make a minor Running Gag in one of the Nigel Planter-centric episodes; whenever Nigel starts singing and playing with a puppet, two characters make up excuses to leave, while the third doesn't bother justifying themselves.Grim: I, uh... I have to meet somebody.
Billy: I left the oven on.
Mandy: You're weird. - No-Holds-Barred Beatdown : In the episode "Short TALL Tales" General Skarr threatens to sue Mandy (who's interpreting Paul Bunyan) Mandy answers him by tattling to her lawyer Beck (Who's a giant humanoid cow), said lawyer spends the entire night beating the crap out of Skarr.
- Nothing Exciting Ever Happens Here: Endsville. Justified in that a town where Death resides is bound to be a weirdness magnet.
- Not This One, That One: Billy and Pud'n entered a pie eating contest and Billy ate all the pies he saw at a table. However, those were Pud'n's pies. Pud'n was declared the winner.
- Not Where They Thought: At the start of "Billy and Mandy Save Christmas", a very frantic Billy is in a long line. He assumes it's the line to the men's room, but a kid in front of him informs him that it's the line to see Santa Claus.
- The Nudifier: General Skarr's "Atomic Hot Pants Raygun". Well, it doesn't cause his clothes to disappear, just change, but, still.
O
- Ode to Food: "Little Rock of Horrors" has the "brain-eating meteor" singing about eating brains and manipulating Billy into bringing the townspeople to him so he can eat their brains.
- Offscreen Reality Warp: In "Modern Primitives" after Billy has thawed Fred Flintstone out:Billy: Now, don't destroy the house while I'm gone.
(Fred is standing in the living room)
Billy: (sticks his head out from the kitchen) Do you like chili on your cereal?
(living room is destroyed, Fred is in the same position he was when Billy left)
Billy: Eh, never mind. - Oh, Crap!: Jack O'Lantern displays this expression when it appears that the knight who killed him (really Irwin in a knight costume) has returned to finish the job.
- Old Maid: Parodied with the host of Grim's favorite late-night show, Atrocia, whose show was cancelled the moment she turned 30."The network said no one wants to see a worn-out old bag like me on TV anymore."
- Once More, with Clarity: The Reveal in "Wrath of the Spider Queen". We once again see the flashback when Velma believes she caught Grim cheating to win the Reaper Election. But this time, after she knocks away the bucket, we see a close up of the ballots Grim was putting in; every single one had her name on it.
- There's also the Overly Long Gag in "Here Thar Be Dwarves!", when Billy wants to go on a picnic despite having been abducted by a Sasquatch last time. The flashbacks from Grim, Mandy, and Gladys all show the Sasquatch grabbing Billy and carting him off while Grim and Mandy ignore his cries for help. Then Harold walks into the room, and his flashback reveals that he was the Sasquatch.
- Opening Shout-Out: "Big Boogey Adventure" has a scene where Mandy keeps waking up from horrible nightmares. One of the places she wakes up in is a black void, where most of her Couch Gags at the end of the theme song take place.
- Opposite Day: A short in the first episode, as reckoned once the Evil Con Carne shorts were removed.
- Our Werewolves Are Different: In one episode, Irwin gets bitten by a werewolf and transforms later that same night (whereas they typically only transform during the next full moon), not by looking at a full moon, but by looking at a butt on a billboard (apparently mooning is enough). The transformation seems to be permanent prior to curing as he remains like that into the daylight hours of the next day and, as Billy (not recognizing him) managed to tame him really fast, acts like a gentle dog instead of a wild animal or maneating monster.
- Overly Long Gag:
- DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! I'll take the chicken. DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL!
- Also, the flashback when Billy wants to go on a picnic.
- At one point, Grim's eyes catch fire and Billy keeps handing him objects of increasing pain or flammability to make the problem worse, starting with coffee, then hot sauce, then acid, then rocket fuel...
P
- Perpetual Frowner: Mandy. If she does smile, the very fabric of reality is pulled apart, as seen in "My Fair Mandy". A Crossover Punchline ensues.
- "YOU FOOLS! YOU'VE MESSED WITH THE NATURAL ORDER!"
- Also a result of Flanderization since in the Grim & Evil shorts and some episodes of earlier seasons did show her smiling more.
Not a whole lot more, but not to "must never smile" extremes. - Bit of Fridge Logic perhaps, but in previous instances of Mandy smiling, she had a reason. In the pageant, her smiling without cause broke the rules.
- Whenever she smiles and nothing bad happens, something bad's already happened, and she was merely pleased with the — often unsettling — results.
- Physical God: Eris.
- Playing Pictionary: Dracula's Pictionary drawing of Abraham Lincoln is mistaken for successively more absurd things.
- Poor Communication Kills: Played for Laughs in "King Tooten Pooten". The episode ends with Irwin deciding to finish building the pyramid like his grandfather, King Poppin Lockin, wanted… but he didn’t realize that the pyramid would become his tomb because Poppin Lockin failed to mention that until the last minute.
- Popular Is Dumb: Mindy, definitely.Mindy: But as beautiful and popular as I am, I bet there are some people who've never even heard of me: people in countries like Paris or Toronto, or in cities like Africa!
- Portal Pool: One episode featured Grim's scythe reflecting sunlight onto Billy's pool. Naturally, everyone jumps in.
- Potty Emergency: The episode "Terror of the Black Knight" is all about this. Billy wants a badass knight costume just like Irwin, so Grim gives him one, but unfortunately, Billy drank too much punch that he has to use the bathroom, and he can't get the knight armor off unless he wins a challenge with someone. He then wins a breakdancing contest against Mandy, but as soon as he gets his armor off, he doesn't have to use the bathroom anymore. You can also hear splashing sounds during the breakdance scene.Mandy: So, aren't you gonna rush over to the boys' room?
Billy: You know the funny thing? I don't need to go anymore.
[Billy walks off]
Mandy: Ew.- In the Christmas special, Billy mistakes the Mall Santa line for the line to the bathroom. "I feel like my bladder's gonna explode!" After rattling off his long Christmas list to Santa Skarr, the latter asks him "Have you been relieving yourself on me this whole time?"
- Also happens in the episode "Tricycle of Terror", after Billy drinks too much lemonade.
- Power Trio: Mandy (evil), Billy (stupid), Grim (hapless)
- Pragmatic Villainy: In "The Grim Adventures of the Kids Next Door", Mandy and the Delightful Reaper get into a Giant Mecha style fight. Once Grim and Numbuh One get on the scene, she allows herself to be assimilated so she can join the winning team, and also seems to totally take over the Delightful Reaper's Hive Mind in the process.
- Precision F-Strike: In Billy and Mandy's Big Boogey Adventure, Skarr at one point yells "Damn".
- Production Throwback: The film grain effect during the title sequence hides this, but the gravestones are inscribed with the names of three fellow series (Evil Con Carne, Time Squad, and Whatever Happened to... Robot Jones?), all of which were cancelled during the production of the show's first solo season.
- Properly Paranoid: Gladys, Billy's mom. She has every right to be paranoid of Billy hanging out with the Grim reaper, considering he reaps souls and all.
- Pumpkin Person: Jack, a trickster who was decapitated. After a deal with Grim (Returning his scythe in exchange for immortality), Grim cut off his head. He then replaced it with a Jack-O' Lantern.
- Pun: During the Christmas Episode, Grim and Mandy are busting into the lair of a vampire, coming to a locked door, which does nothing to deter Grim. Mandy asks how they expect to get through, to which he replies "A skeleton key!" He is then pelted with a snowball.
- In "The Firebird Sweet", Mandy asks what type of cereal box comes with a phoenix. Grim looks at the box and says, "Well, this cereal came from Arizona." In other words, Phoenix, Arizona. (except we see it came from "Eris-zona" - a place owned by the Goddess of Chaos, Eris.
- Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: In "My Fair Mandy": "IMPORTANT! COMMERCIAL! MESSSAAAGGGEEE!"
- Pun With Pi: In the episode "Test of Time", Billy is reading a book on theoretical physics and when he gets to a formula with pi in it, he goes to get pie from the fridge.
- Put on a Bus: Billy's mom Gladys goes away to live with her sister in the first episode of the main series, but comes back in the same season. (Which, for strange scheduling reasons, was 11 months later.)
R
- Rage Breaking Point: In "A Kick in the Asgard", when the Viking that Billy replaced when he went to Asgard takes his place at home, Harold claims that he was fine with the Viking being rude, destroying furniture, running up phone bills, shaving Milkshakes and harassing Gladys, but he won't tolerate the Viking cutting off his pompadour (which is where his brain is stored).
- Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: Underfist in a nutshell- a spectral exterminator, a hybrid mummy-vampire-nerd, an ex-paramilitary officer, a giant talking spider, and a little elephant-demon creature, all of whom find themselves working together to put an end to an invasion of demonic candy.
- Raised by Wolves: Pud'n was raised by wolves. Funnily, said wolves are seen watching TV in his backyard after he reveals this.
- According to Mandy's parents, a band of wolves stole her away shortly after she was born to invoke this trope. They're both still unsure if getting her back was really for the best.
- The Real Spoofbusters: According to Grim in "Billy & Mandy Begins", this is how the title characters became friends, with Billy donning a proton pack and brown jumpsuit and catching Grim in a trap.
- Rejection Projection: Nergal Jr writes in his diary about how alone he is and how he wishes somebody would reach out to him, only for his thoughts to be interrupted by a classmate shyly asking him to walk home with her after school. Nergal Jr immediately rejects her, yelling, "Can't you see I'm trying to write my dark thoughts!"
- Relax-o-Vision: In "Here There Be Dwarves", a drill sergeant (voiced by R. Lee Ermey, no less) pops up to explain they'll be showing a cute koala instead of the overly-violent battle between the dwarves and the elves.
- Reminder of Impossibility: When Billy and his dad enter a metal competition, Billy's dad decides to make a flashy entrance by flying onto the stage. However, the moment Billy says "I didn't know you could fly," his dad immediately realizes what Billy is saying and falls.
- Repeated Cue, Tardy Response: In season 6 "Goodbling and the Hip-hop-opotamus", when the school announcer tries to introduce Principal Goodbling:School Announcer: Attention. Attention. Introducing... Principal Goodbling!
(A spotlight appears at his office door.)
School Announcer: Uh... Principal Goodbling! (beat) I said...
Goodbling: Girl! I dun heard you the first time! The stupid door is stuck again! Someone get me out of here! - Reverse Cerebus Syndrome: The early episodes are a lot darker and morbid in tone. After a few episodes, the series hit its stride and evolved into the wacky, nonsensical show it's known as.
- Retcon: Grim's origins have been fairly inconsistent throughout the series. In "A Grim Prophesy", his parents teach and instruct him to be the reaper as a child, and make him reap during the stone age. In the episode where he explains why his father loves country rock more than him, the flashback shows that he just stumbles upon the reaper scythe while walking along a street, contradicting the other episode. The Spider Queen special shows that he gains the role of Reaper through some underworld middle school class election, where he must prove he is capable of getting said role.
- Retraux: One episode had the trio wind up in a world made to homage the black and white cartoons from The Golden Age of Animation. Too bad Mandy puts a stop to it, since she despises retro cartoons.
- Ridiculously Alive Undead: Grim is seen eating several times and gets sick in "Night of the Living Grim". Billy and Mandy are surprised that the grim reaper can get sick.
- Ridiculously Cute Critter: Milkshakes, Billy's pink cat.
- Right on Queue: The episode "The House of Tomorrow" has a seemingly short line for a rollercoaster, but it turns out that's the line you have to wait in to get in line for the rollercoaster. And apparently, somebody died in the line and a baby was born in it.
- Road-Sign ReversalDean Toadblatt: Hey, jerkwad, you're going the wrong way! The Enchanted Meadow is in that spooky cave, and the deadly Manticore is in that happy meadow! Can't you read?
- Robot Me: Billybot and Mandroid in the first movie are robot versions of Billy and Mandy sent back from the future.
- Rogues' Gallery Transplant: General Skarr was a Villain Protagonist working for Hector Con Carne in Evil Con Carne. However, the show's early cancellation led to Skarr moving into Endsville and becoming a minor enemy to Billy and Grim instead.
- RPG Episode: Grim's idea of breaking Billy and Irwin's video game addiction, didn't work as intended.
