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"And it's sweet, sweet, sweet victory, YEAH!"


Season 1

  • SpongeBob serving up all those patties to the anchovies at the end of the first episode, "Help Wanted". He earned his place as the Krusty Krab's fry cook.
  • Sandy beating up that clam in "Tea at the Treedome", a perfect Establishing Character Moment for her.
  • In "Jellyfishing" Squidward letting loose the Jellyfish Spongebob and Patrick captured for him(in retaliation for them severely injuring him) and it chasing after them and stinging them.
  • Squidward got one in "Pizza Delivery". After going through hell, SpongeBob finally got the pizza to the customer, who proceeds to bitch and scream about how they didn't bring him a drink (which he didn't even order) and refuses to take the pizza. SpongeBob returns to Squidward in hysterical tears, and Squidward — who, mind you, despises SpongeBob — goes back to the customer...and has a major Papa Wolf moment.
    Customer: Another one? Look, I told your little friend I ain't payin' for that!
    Squidward: Well, this one's on the house! (slams pizza box in the customer's face, knocking him out)
    • Followed by Squidward's epic line: "Ate the whole thing in one bite."
    • Of course, it's possible that Squidward was also retaliating for the guy turning his delivery from hell into a colossal waste of time. Anyone who's worked in food service for long enough will have his back through every second of that scene either way.
      • When the customer first slams the door in SpongeBob's face, Squidward looks genuinely shocked, and his first move is to try to comfort SpongeBob. When that fails, and SpongeBob loses his fake smile and collapses in tears, only THEN does Squidward get angry and give the Jerkass customer his just desserts.
    • Earlier, he saved SpongeBob's life after he nearly gets run over by a passing van. Way to go, Squiddy!
  • MERMAID MAN AND BARNACLE BOY UNITE!
    • SpongeBob and Patrick's efforts to get Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy to come out of retirement bear fruit as their attempts annoy the heroes (mostly Barnacle Boy) too much, which makes them jump into action to get rid of the two. After some failed attempts, they call on the elder fishes at the retirement home to aid them in throwing SpongeBob and Patrick far away. This ends up giving Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy a good feeling as well, signaling that they're back in action.
  • The stand-off at the end of "Pickles". After going into a funk for forgetting to put pickles in a Patty, SpongeBob loses his confidence. This leads to a Heroic BSoD sequence of him failing the order of simple tasks (from word order to cooking). After days of help from Mr. Krabs, he eventually remembers the order, and we get the badass sequence. With this music playing, we see the epic western-esque stand off between Bubble Bass and SpongeBob. The facial expressions, SpongeBob's cool, confident demeanor vs the roars of Bubble Bass, the tension, it was all worth it in the end as SpongeBob figures out that Bubble Bass was hiding the pickles for both confrontations (along with, inexplicably, someone's car keys) under his tongue. He deserved all the cheers at the end.
    • SpongeBob also gets a subtle one at the beginning of the episode. For not only managing to decipher the highly obscure restaurant lingo used to describe the Double Triple Bossy Deluxe effortlessly, but also actually managing to construct the damn thing without it collapsing!
  • SpongeBob and Gary get a moment at the end of the episode "Jellyfish Jam" when Gary makes a beat with his eyes, and he and SpongeBob get the stray jellyfish out of his house with music. Also counts as Awesome Music.
  • The end of "Opposite Day" must be mentioned. Squidward chasing SpongeBob and Patrick with a bulldozer, while laughing diabolically, as Laser-Guided Karma for ruining the meeting with the realtor. Doubles as Nightmare Fuel as well...
    SpongeBob: Patrick, you feel Squidward likes us too much?!!
    Squidward: "HAPPY OPPOSITE DAYYYY!!!!"
  • The void scene in SB-129 is one for the entire team. It might be Nightmare Fuel, but it's also got fantastic animation and pacing, not to mention the fact that it's wonderfully trippy, bringing the "Nowhere Man" sequence from Yellow Submarine to mind.
  • "Karate Choppers", mainly the ending, when Mr. Krabs catches SpongeBob and Sandy having karate-chopped the whole park after he sternly banned SpongeBob from karate. Although initially furious with the duo, he quickly realizes how to put their destructive hobby to good use when he sees all of the sandwiches they made with their karate skills, and brings them on to rapidly assemble Krabby Patties with their karate, allowing SpongeBob to keep his job, both him and Sandy to keep their hobby, all while making Mr. Krabs extra money.
  • In Neptune's Spatula, SpongeBob pulls a golden spatula out of ancient grease, fulfilling an ancient prophecy about someone destined to be Neptune's personal fry cook. Neptune doesn't believe SpongeBob has what it takes. Neptune challenges him to a cooking contest. If he wins, he gets to be the fry cook; if he loses, he has to give up his job forever. SpongeBob only makes one patty, while King Neptune is able to make hundreds. SpongeBob loses, until it turns out that the crowd hates the patties King Neptune made, while King Neptune finds SpongeBob's patty delicious. But instead of being Neptune's cook, SpongeBob becomes King Neptune's mentor.
    • In the same episode, Patrick repeatedly defending SpongeBob and standing up to King Neptune, even if he does get electrocuted by the King, it shows that, at least back then, Patrick stood up for his friend, no matter the consequences.
      Patrick: He is the new royal fry cook, and you—
      Neptune: SILENCE!!!! [Shocks Patrick]
    • And SpongeBob's response to this. Keep in mind that Neptune is a Physical God, but the yellow fellow still immediately stands up to him for being so cruel.
      SpongeBob: You hurt my friend! You're not a king! You're a bully and a liar!
    • And later when King Neptune challenges him.
      Patrick: [burnt to a crisp] Bring it on! SpongeBob can handle anyth— [gets shocked again] Ouch!
    • Before they have the cook-off, Neptune is looking for the person who pulled the spatula. When he approaches Larry, the two start a posing contest.
      Neptune: You there, crustacean!
      Larry: Who, me?
      Neptune: You have the physique of Atlas!
      Larry: Thanks, I work out.
      Neptune: (laughes) Make poses with me!
      Larry: Okay!
      (the two briefly engage in a posing contest, ending in a mutual body bump)
      Larry: BODY SLAAAM!!
      • There's also the fact that Larry, for his brief show-off with King Neptune, is quick to correct the king that it was SpongeBob who pulled the spatula. Boisterous Bruiser he may be, he's also that much of a Nice Guy.
  • The Bikini Bottomites calling out Squidward for his cruel joke on SpongeBob in "Fools In April", and as they're leaving the Krusty Krab, one promptly delivers this burn to his face:
    Customer: April Fools, jerk!
    • There's also the epic prank set up by them and SpongeBob at the end of the episode, where they trick Squidward into not just apologizing to him, but in front of them as well.
      SpongeBob: Squidward! Is all that true?
      Squidward: Yes, SpongeBob. Yes, it's all true.
      SpongeBob: Even the part about the lima beans and the car chase?
      Squidward: What the...? Yes, whatever! But you have to promise not to tell anybody.
      SpongeBob: I promise.
      Squidward: Really? (SpongeBob opens the door all the way, revealing the citizens of Bikini Bottom inside)
      Everyone: April Fools!

Season 2

  • The SpongeBob Christmas special. Half of the episode was made up of awesome. Especially the song and at the end, with Squidward being nice and giving away everything for the sake of making SpongeBob happy after he made him upset in the first place. Also could count as a Heartwarming moment.
  • There's SpongeBob taking on a King Jellyfish when the incredible Jellyspotters couldn't. "Everybody loves pie!"
  • In "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy III", SpongeBob, despite being dumb enough to free Man Ray from his prison, knew enough about the show to incapacitate him with the "Tickle Belt". After Man Ray gives Patrick a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown after a failed lesson in being good, Patrick proceeded to torture him with the belt.
    SpongeBob: Okay, goodness lesson number three.. okay, um...
    Patrick: [snatches remote] I've got one! I'm thinking of a number between 1 and 100, what is it!?
    Man Ray: Um... 62?
    Patrick: WRONG! [presses button]
    • Granted, the No-Holds-Barred Beatdown was hilarious well-deserved karma after Patrick assumed the wallet Man Ray wanted to give back to him wasn't his, even after clear evidence and repeatedly dropping a box onto his foot. Even after Spongebob turned on the tickle belt, Man Ray still continued to beat up Patrick! He was THAT dedicated to making him pay for his stupidity!
  • In "Squirrel Jokes", SpongeBob's insulting jokes begin go beyond hurting Sandy's feelings and causing people to demean her openly. When she asks him to stop, and he faces a crowd who are eagerly expecting more squirrel jokes and will not respond well without them, he has an internal crisis. Initially, it looks like SpongeBob will do the right thing and has abandoned his act, only for him to burst right back out through the curtain with the squirrel insults cranked up, choosing his career over his friends. Sandy decides to punish him in an amazingly petty way by inviting him over to the tree dome and taking on the persona of a genuinely stupid hillbilly until her antics cause SpongeBob harm. She doesn't quit at the first sign of relent, either, but pushes him until she can be very, very sure he gets the picture.
  • SpongeBob says this after erasing DoodleBob in "Frankendoodle":
    SpongeBob: I AM SPONGEBOB, DESTROYER OF EVIL!
    Patrick: Take it easy, it's just a drawing.
  • Patrick actually outwitting SpongeBob (and briefly the audience) in "The Secret Box" by making him think the contents of his box is just a piece of string. Just silly old Patrick, right? Wrong!
  • The end of "Band Geeks". You know what we're talking about. They rock out for Squidward after he gives up on the entire town. This ultimately ends with Squidward rocking out with them, and Squilliam getting a heart attack and being taken away. That scene, combined with the usual hilarity, is why many fans consider this the best episode ever. Undisputedly the greatest moment in the entire series. There's a reason why the scene is the page image for both this and Awesome Music.
    • Before he starts conducting, Squidward is anticipating a disaster and has to deal with Squilliam smugly smiling at him. After the first verse, Squilliam is left in shock and a now confident Squidward tosses his baton away in triumph and begins leading the band with his full arms.
    • Best of all is the instant when both SpongeBob and Plankton join forces on the mic for that big "YEAH!". Frequent enemies working together for a common (good) cause? AWESOME. It becomes a bit of a Heartwarming moment when you flashback to "F.U.N." from season one. Perhaps a small glimmer of SpongeBob's friendship really did stick with Plankton.
    • Almost as awesome are Mrs. Puff playing the guitar (complete with rock star movements during her solo), Plankton's keyboard solo as the band members part to reveal SpongeBob standing in a spotlight with a microphone, and a sunglasses-wearing Patrick on the drums. (And honourable mention goes to Sandy on bass, Mr. Krabs on keytar, Pearl on sax, and the various fish extras for the opening trumpet fanfare.)
    • Also, just before they started playing, Spongebob was nervous, and Mr. Krabs outright said he'd be sick. The moment the music starts? They rock the stadium anyway.
    • During a four-day marathon of Nicktoons programming held throughout Thanksgiving 2007 called the Nicktoons Superstuffed Weekend, a countdown was held of the top 100 Nicktoons moments of all time (as voted on by users of Nick.com). This was number one, as it should be.
    • It has led to its own Youtube fad in which the uploaders sync the footage to Awesome Music of their choice.
    • Not just the song "Sweet Victory" itself, but the fact Squidward got A Day in the Limelight which ended with him as a victor for the first time in the series.
    • The episode is so beloved, in fact, that dozens of animators collaborated together to make a reanimated version on Youtube for free.
      • While it was unfortunately taken down by Viacom, it can still be seen thanks to dedicated fans.
    • What rating of this episode on IMDB? 9.7!
    • Earlier in episode, we have this:
      Squidward: Hold it! It just so happens that I don't sell fast food, I do have a band, and we're gonna play that Bubble Bowl! How do you like that, Fancy Boy?!
  • The entirety of "Graveyard Shift" counts: The humor, the animation and the voice acting all make the episode one of its best.
  • "Krusty Love", where after Mr. Krabs has SpongeBob going to store for something and then get on him for spending his money, SpongeBob snaps and actually swears. He also "cursed" Shiva. (all we hear is gibberish and we see Mrs. Puff pull out a dictionary and blush at what he's saying, but it's still awesome).
  • SpongeBob utterly losing it at the end by screaming and bursting out the door at the end of "I'm With Stupid". One of the very few scenes in the pre-movie era where he gets genuinely angry.
  • The jellyfish in the episode "Jellyfish Hunter" get one when they are freed and give Mr. Krabs his just desserts.
  • In "Procrastination," Patrick, of all people, calls Spongebob out for calling him just to avoid his homework.
    Patrick: SpongeBob, you and I both know that you're just using me as a distraction, so you don't have to write your essay.

Season 3

  • In the episode "One Krabs' Trash", Mr. Krabs has to get back the #1 hat from a graveyard. This leads to him beating up an entire army of undead skeletons with one of the skeleton's (a swordfish) head. And he does this from the dead of night straight through to dawn, fighting his way through the entire cemetery!
    "LOOK AT ME! I'm Errol FIN!!!"
  • The climax of "Can You Spare a Dime" where, after months of Squidward's abuse, SpongeBob goes to Mr. Krabs to get Squidward his job back and when Mr. Krabs doesn't, SpongeBob snaps, grabs Mr. Krabs, lifts him over his head and chokes the living hell out of him.
    SpongeBob: LISTEN, YOU CRUSTACEOUS CHEAPSKATE! SQUIDWARD'S BEEN LIVING AT MY HOUSE DRIVING ME CRAZY! AND YOU'RE NOT GONNA HIRE HIM BACK ALL BECAUSE OF A STUPID DIME?!?!?!
    (a giant stone wheel drops out of Mr. Krabs' back pocket)
    SpongeBob: (quickly calms down) What's that?
    Mr. Krabs: (gasps) Me first dime!
    • Just the way SpongeBob reacts to Squidward clearly taking advantage of the situation shows why the pre-movie version of SpongeBob's character will always be the best. He's not stupid.
    • Much earlier for Squidward himself, when Mr. Krabs accuses him of stealing his first dime and demands to search through his suction cups, he responds by grabbing his eye stalks saying "Here, here"! See them?!" and them promptly quits.
  • A minor one, but Sandy kicking Spongebob's rear end at the end of the "The Great Snail Race" for having made a sexist comment.
  • "No Weenies Allowed", which featured SpongeBob trying to get into a tough bar, and failing miserably. At the end, SpongeBob pretends to get into a fight with Patrick, and the ensuing fight that follows is pretty awesome. The man is so impressed, he finally lets SpongeBob in. Note that Patrick was beating himself up. Brutally.
  • In "Squilliam Returns", Squidward's plans to make Squilliam think that he is the owner of a five-star restaurant end up starting to derail at the last minute. Luckily, SpongeBob manages to transform the Krusty Krab into a five-star restaurant within seconds, and Squidward succeeds in having another victory over Squilliam (even if it didn't last long). This episode, along with "Band Geeks", both show that SpongeBob has the power to help out Squidward when he's in need. (Well sure, the fact that he was given a book called "How To Become A Fancy Waiter in Less Than 20 Minutes" may have helped as well.)
  • In "Born Again Krabs":
    • SpongeBob snapping at the Flying Dutchman and sticking up for Mr. Krabs, vowing he wouldn't sell anyone's soul for anything.
      SpongeBob: Wait just a burger-flipping second!
      Flying Dutchman: Who dares back-sass the Flying Dutchman?!
      SpongeBob: That would be me: SpongeBob BACK-SASS PANTS! I say you got the wrong crab! This Mr. Krabs is the most generous, big-hearted, non-skinflinted crab in the whole sea!
      Flying Dutchman: He'd sell your soul for a couple of bucks!
      SpongeBob: I'd bet my soul he wouldn't!
    • After Mr. Krabs sold SpongeBob's soul for 62 cents, Squidward, who usually hates SpongeBob with a passion, called out Krabs on this:
      Squidward: Mr. Krabs, I can't believe I'm saying this, but how could you sell SpongeBob for 62 cents?
      Mr. Krabs: You think I could have gotten more?
      Squidward: He stuck up for you and you sold him out. [points at Krabs] YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF!
  • Just preceding that: just when the Flying Dutchman is about to collect Mr. Krabs's soul for failing to follow up on his promise to be a better person. SpongeBob bets his soul to prove that Krabs isn't a total skinflint and that there's a heart in him. When the deal falls through, Krabs is crestfallen. However, the mood is alleviated thirty seconds after SpongeBob goes for another CMOA: he gets out of being stuck in Davy Jones's Locker by accidentally annoying the Flying Dutchman.
  • "Pranks a Lot": After Mr. Krabs accidentally uncovers SpongeBob and Patrick by washing the invisible spray off them, he reassures them that things are okay because he also used to be a prankster in his youth. Mr. Krabs then warns them that they'd better get home before somebody sees them naked. SpongeBob and Patrick walk into the Krusty Krab's dining room... only to discover that Mr. Krabs invited the entire town to the restaurant as payback for the pranks they pulled.
    Mr. Krabs: The Krusty Krab presents: live nude pranksters! Starring the Bikini Bottom Ghosts!

Season 4

  • Plankton's Bedtime Brainwashing to SpongeBob to tell him the formula fails completely when it instead gives him a dream which miraculously cures his fear of krabby patties, something he did not expect in the first place.
  • Squidward finally ripping SpongeBob and Patrick a new one in "Good Neighbors" after having enough of them getting in the way of his Sunday relaxation. Props to Rodger Bumpass for sounding genuinely enraged during the entire thing.
  • In "Dunces and Dragons", SpongeBob does battle against the Medieval version of Sandy Cheeks, the Dark Knight. Not only does SpongeBob end up winning thanks to a combination of his karate skills and sheer unpredictability, but it's against a version of Sandy who's arguably more dangerous, since she's clearly not holding back in fighting SpongeBob like Canon!Sandy seems to do.
  • In "Selling Out", Mr Krabs decides to sell his restaurant to Howard Blandy to retire with his money. When he discovers that Blandy and his cronies are making Krabby Patties with unnatural materials and a conveyor belt, Krabs refuses to stand for it and exposes the truth to everyone. He then rounds it off by voicing his disgust at Blandy and co, buying back the restaurant and getting rid of them. The way he calls them out is especially awesome.
  • In "Krusty Towers", Mr. Krabs gets the idea of running a hotel just so he could charge extra for a Krabby Patty. Squidward is put through hell and back by Patrick making many absurd requests of services after checking in, as "[We] shall never deny a guest even the most ridiculous request". Eventually, Squidward turns this against Krabs by quitting, checking in as a regular customer, and making a variety of ridiculous requests himself at Krabs's expense.
  • In "Whale of a Birthday" after Pearl's 16th birthday ends up being a Shoddy Shindig as always, SpongeBob saves everything by buying all the presents Pearl wanted with Mr. Krabs' credit card, even hiring Boys Who Cry to perform.
  • Plankton finally getting his dream to grow an extra hundred feet or rather, centimetres, considering his scale to be able to crush his enemies in "Wishing You Well". One of the very few episodes to leave him on a happy note, merrily smashing large buildings to a pulp.
  • In "Rule of Dumb", Patrick becomes king after it's discovered that he is of royal descent. He proceeds to be an asshole by taking other peoples' things and doing whatever he wants. When he attempts to destroy Squidward's house in order to build a personal amusement park, wait for this...SQUIDWARD, the biggest Butt-Monkey in the show, is able to get the construction workers to stop messing with his house and convince them that Patrick is an incompetent ruler who shouldn't be listened to! Then, when SpongeBob tries to get Squidward to comply by signing a treaty, Squidward (non-fatally) puts it through SpongeBob's forehead.
  • Mr. Krabs and Plankton team up for the first time in the series in "Best Frenemies" to steal the Kelp Shake's recipe. Despite occasional arguing, they get along throughout the entire episode. Even at the end, when the Kelp Shake restaurants are shut down, the two have a friendly chase as Plankton runs with a Krabby Patty with Mr. Krabs chasing him after giving Plankton a ten-second head start.

Season 5

  • SpongeBob gets one in the beginning of "New Digs," when he is running to work and is able to leap past a huge "bridge out" gap!!
  • "Krabs à la Mode'" has a really well thought out plan on Plankton's part. He changes the thermostat, knowing that Mr. Krabs is too much of a tightwad to change it back as long as he thinks it's how it was. Although...
    • SpongeBob's creative ways of keeping business following such as using frozen Krabby Patties as ice stakes with Mr. Krabs even commending him for it. Hell, Krabs gets in on it too and starts offering rides on the Clamboni to make even more money.
  • After an electric shock affects Squidward's brain in "A Breath of Fresh Squidward", he ends up as friendly, competent and beloved as SpongeBob, to the point of finally winning Employee of the Month and breaking the latter's winning streak. Extra points for spending most of the episode basically getting indirect payback on SpongeBob and driving him crazy with his own clingy, over the top antics.
  • "Goo Goo Gas" is a minor one for Plankton. Not only is his plan fairly effective (if unstable), but it consists of a moment he finally gets Karen to shut up. When she begins snarking about how he hasn't thought his plan through, he agrees, and uses her as a test subject, the gas downgrading her into a calculator.

Season 6

  • "House Fancy" represents another rare triumph for Squidward over his hated rival, Squilliam Fancyson. After seeing Squilliam's ridiculously opulent house on the in-universe series House Fancy, Squidward tells presenter Nicholas Withers (voiced by guest star Alton Brown, host of Good Eats) that his own house puts Squilliam's to shame, and with only two hours to make good on his claim, he reluctantly enlists SpongeBob's help in re-decorating. Inevitably, SpongeBob destroys or otherwise mars everything he touches, and when he tries to vacuum up the debris, the out-of-control cleaner sucks up all of Squidward's possessions until the bag explodes and takes out Squidward's entire house... just as Withers and Squilliam arrive. However, the pieces of the house land in a rather attractive minimalist formation, and Withers declares it the next great thing in home decoration, announces an hour-long special on Squidward's house, and proclaims him the winner of an award that was intended for Squilliam, who promptly faints in despair.
  • Patrick defeating the championship wrestlers in "Krusty Krushers" thanks to his iron bun.
  • Squid's Visit revolves around SpongeBob recreating the interior of Squidward's house in his pineapple. This makes Squidward so amazed that he struggles to believe it, because the replica is in perfect detail, from a small painting failure to a room filled with 492 portrait paintings (which he finds better than his ones).
  • In "Ditchin", SpongeBob surviving a Disney Death in the tar pits when he remembers Mrs. Puff's bathroom key, which he never returned, and some fish aside cheer him.
  • As divisive as "Gone" is, SpongeBob shoving Patrick off the bus was absolutely cathartic, especially since he was one of the people who was participating in "National No SpongeBob Day.
  • Okay, so SpongeBob is weak enough to barely lift 2 stuffed animals, right? But in "Pets or Pests", when he is left with a litter of worms, he gets so protective of them that not only does he tackle Larry, one of the strongest sea creatures around, when Larry threatens to eat them, but when a speeding truck is about to run the worms over, he stops it by ripping open the grille to get into the hood, then removing the entire engine block! SpongeBob was pumped up with awesomeness right there.
  • "Suctioncup Symphony" focuses on Squidward writing a symphony while SpongeBob and Patrick loudly play doctor outside his house. After hours of struggling, he finishes his symphony, only to realize he put his neighbors' antics into it. The best part, however, is that the audience actually loves it.
  • The fight scene in "Sand Castles in the Sand". They just had enough badassery to create all of that with nothing but sand. The battle also ends in the most awesome way possible. After Patrick nukes SpongeBob's castle, SpongeBob kamikazes his fighter jet into the giant robot head Patrick was piloting, as well as Patrick firing a cannonball at SpongeBob's forces.

Season 7

  • Plankton gets another moment in "Tentacle-Vision" when he managed to blast Mr. Krabs with his Death Laser. Unfortunately, Krabs did survive it, but he was charred pretty badly.
  • Even "A Pal For Gary" has an awesome moment - upon seeing his master in danger of being eaten, Gary immediately overcomes his fear of Puffy Fluffy and bravely whips the monster to knock SpongeBob out of his mouth and drive him away. It becomes twice as awesome when you remember that SpongeBob has treated Gary like crap throughout the whole episode, yet Gary STILL chooses to come to the rescue instead of leaving SpongeBob to die. Despite that, SpongeBob still thinks Gary was responsible for it all, but Gary did make the right choice.
    • On a minor note, Puffy Fluffy trying to eat SpongeBob alive is the proper comeuppance for his jerkish behavior toward Gary.
  • While it was a relatively small scene, especially with the latter getting a ticket at the last scene, Squilliam's statue melting due to the stench and Squidward pointing and laughing at him in "Keep Bikini Bottom Beautiful" was pretty awesome in of itself .
  • "SpongeBob's Last Stand" is a giant moment of awesome - from Sponge and Pat's insanely catchy "Jellyfishing Song," to the two of them going to every length to keep Jellyfish Fields from getting turned into a highway, to their surprisingly awesome "Give Jellyfish Fields a Chance" John Lennon parody (which leads to them getting arrested for their peaceful protesting), to everyone in Bikini Bottom teaming up to save Jellyfish Fields, to the reprise of the aforementioned "Jellyfishing Song".
  • In "One Coarse Meal", SpongeBob actually pulls an Everybody Has Standards moment as he calls Mr. Krabs out for scaring Plankton into eventual suicide. It's no doubt our favorite sponge wants to defend his worst enemy.
    • For further points, he even helps Plankton get back at Mr. Krabs for torturing him by telling him his secret fear of mimes (although he scares Plankton again with a holographic whale projection in the end).
  • The episode "Back to the Past" gains an undeniable CMOA when we meet the young Mermaidman and Barnacle Boy... Because they're voiced by Adam West and Burt Ward!
    • Also because of how badass it is.
  • Squidward trying to get SpongeBob to cry in "A Day Without Tears", but amazingly, SpongeBob manages to resist every move and hold in his tears all the way until midnight, with plenty of Mood Whiplashes where he instantly snaps out. It's amazing to see how determined he is to control his crying.
    • Before this, when Squidward utters to him out loud that he wants to win the bet, this shocks SpongeBob and he thinks out loud: "I am not gonna cry, I am not gonna cry!"
  • "The Cent of Money":
    • Mr. Krabs discovers Gary has a "talent" for finding spare change, but SpongeBob is against it because it simultaneously causes Gary extreme discomfort and risk for his health; so he begins to take Gary around Bikini Bottom, stealing all the spare change he can find while keeping SpongeBob distracted by assigning him multiple tasks at the Krusty Krab. Eventually, one of Mr. Krabs' victims bumps into SpongeBob on the street, indirectly claiming his change was stolen by Mr. Krabs. The writers could've easily made SpongeBob dismiss the whole thing, but instead, he goes full Papa Wolf, confronts Mr. Krabs at his next heist, and straight up stands up against his own boss for abusing Gary. Considering how he seldom does that, it was great seeing that SpongeBob was setting that Jerkass straight. Unfortunately, this glorious moment is cut short considering that during the whole confrontation, Gary was collecting an entire tidal wave of change, distracting Mr. Krabs and prompting SpongeBob and Gary to make a break for it. Mr. Krabs ended up in the hospital, and all the change he heisted was used to pay his health bills. Served him right.
    • Made even more awesome if you remember that SpongeBob has been acting like a doormat to Mr. Krabs in the later seasons.
    • Better not forget SpongeBob's reaction when he realizes what Mr. Krabs has been doing to Gary, which is the complete opposite of his shocking behavior in "A Pal for Gary".
      SpongeBob: (on the verge of Tranquil Fury) Mr. Krabs...what have you done to my Gary?
  • Patrick in "The Great Patty Caper" manages to outrun the train not once, nor twice, not even thrice, but four times, and managed to throw a boulder in front of the train on his last outrunning!
    • SpongeBob epically transforming into a hang-glider to catch up.
  • At the end of "Enchanted Tiki Dreams", SpongeBob and Patrick, even after ruining the paradise they created for him, still try to make Squidward relax by building him a swinging pirate ship and hurting themselves when it sways. If that's not Squidward winning once again, then nothing is.
  • This scene in "The Abrasive Side". Even though SpongeBob is desperately trying to hold off his abrasive side, when he tries to apologize to Mr. Krabs after his abrasive side requests Krabs pay him overtime, this happens:
    SpongeBob: Mr. Krabs! Mr. Krabs!
    Mr. Krabs: (panicking) What do you want now, Mr. Pottymouth?!
    SpongeBob: But Mr. Krabs, I never use immoderate language, like— [transforms into abrasive side] OVERTIME!
    Mr. Krabs: [screams in terror]
    • Even though it was supposed to be serious and accidental, SpongeBob standing up to Mr. Krabs and striking such fear into him earns it this spot.
  • Gary beating the crap out of Plankton in "Shellback Shenanigans", which earns him a job as a bouncer and scaring Plankton off when he sees him disguising himself as a local. It's practically cathartic considering the abuse he went through this season.
    • Plankton also deserved it since he showed no sympathy when SpongeBob was crying when he thought "Gary" was going to be gone for good.

Season 8

  • The ending of "Accidents Will Happen", a similar episode to "Can You Spare a Dime". After making Krabs wait on him hand and foot by threatening to report his workplace accident to the authorities, Squidward is revealed to have had his accident while sleeping on the job, and is forced to wait on Krabs hand and foot in revenge.
  • "Frozen Face-Off". How badly does Plankton want the Krabby Patty formula? He goes as far as to rip a piece of the safe holding it off, before ripping THAT in half, and then proceeds to rip apart an ATOM, all with his BARE HANDS! This results in an atomic blast, destroying the Krusty Krab, as well as the safe...but NOT PLANKTON! Plankton, a being so small that he is defeated by being stepped on, SURVIVES AN ATOMIC BLAST, while being right in the center, something that would kill ANYONE, he survives. All because he wants the Krabby Patty formula.
  • Mr. Krabs gets one in "Mr. Krabs Takes A Vacation". While Mr. Krabs and SpongeBob tour the Ocean Mint, at one point, two robbers try to rob the money, and try to harm the other tourists. Mr. Krabs defends them, and uses SpongeBob to lasso them out of the Mint and into a police boat. This shows Mr. Krabs can care about others, not just money. If you want a redeeming example from his mean actions in the past few seasons, this should do it.
  • In "Way of the Sponge", SpongeBob beating up Sandy's karate master Fuzzy Acorns without even trying whilst doing his fry cook duties.
  • "Demolition Doofus": SpongeBob manages to avoid every single attack, from the derby racers to a furious Mrs. Puff, and end up winning the competition. Why? Mrs. Puff completely forgot two things about him: 1, he's a sea sponge, who are invertebrates, meaning he's too squishy to be crushed to death and can sling people right back, and 2, because he Drives Like Crazy, this makes him a completely impossible target!
    • The first competitor that gets knocked out drives into SpongeBob's mouth, stretching his upper body out, and is slung back into the wall. Because he's a sponge, if the top of his body would've been ripped off, he could've just regrown himself!
  • "Are You Happy Now?":
    • The finale has Squidward violently tearing apart a room full of paper-mache SpongeBob replicas. It is HUGELY cathartic after all the crap SpongeBob puts Squidward through.
    • SpongeBob seems more like a Nice Guy to Squidward throughout the episode instead of an annoying neighbor, as he tries to help Squidward find a happiest memory, and none of those mishaps Squidward went through were SpongeBob's fault. Even when he sees Squidward destroy the paper-mache SpongeBobs and claims that is his happiest memory, SpongeBob is brought to Tears of Joy as his mission was complete.
  • The climax of "Free Samples", where SpongeBob saves the Krusty Krab by giving the customers the real krabby patties but calling them new with a different taste.
  • Gary doing all sorts of tricks (from art sculpting to a classic motorcycle jump over trailers and a hoop of fire) just to earn Snail Bites in "Treats!"
    • And how does Gary finally stop meowing for Snail Bites in the end? All SpongeBob had to do was just say a simple "No."
  • "Restraining SpongeBob":
    • Squidward finally gets a restraining order on SpongeBob, even though it's portrayed as a bad thing.
    • SpongeBob going against the restraining order to save Squidward from Patrick thinking he's a monster, knowing that he sees Squidward as a friend and will do anything to protect him. His line before interfering even sums it up.
      SpongeBob: I'm sorry, restraining order... BUT MY FRIENDS NEED ME!!
  • The utterly gorgeous duet between SpongeBob and Squidward at the end of "Hello Bikini Bottom", with SpongeBob on ukulele and Squidward, beautifully, playing his clarinet.

Season 9

  • The first five minutes of "Little Yellow Book", in which Squidward finally gets back at SpongeBob by reading embarrassing entries in his diary, regardless of the entire town alienating him for the remainder of the episode. At the end he also reads SpongeBob's other diary while the town is pelting him with fruit and is laughing so hard he doesn't even care.
  • The end of "Bumper to Bumper", Sure, the test may have been null and void due to Mrs. Puff crossing over the county line 3 miles back, but SpongeBob finally got all of the driving requirements correct! It's possible that it might happen again, unless of course Negative Continuity takes effect.
  • Towards the end of "Plankton's Pet", Spot saving Plankton's life again from the other dangerous pets that are trying to attack him. He grows in size and barks at them, scaring them into submission, and they quickly go back into their cages. Another rare episode that gives Plankton a happy ending.
    • Admit it, Krabs immediately seeing though Plankton's baby disguise is awesome.
  • Even with all the terrible things Mr. Krabs has done throughout the show (especially in recent seasons), he was able to have an awesome moment in "Seance Shemeance" when he single-handedly defeated and rounded up all the ghosts and ghouls into the bubble... with a mop!
  • In the SpongeBob, You're Fired special, SQUIDWARD of all people saved SpongeBob from the other restaurant owners who were fighting over him and brought him back to the Krusty Krab to work again.
    • A mild one in the same episode, where after the pizza restaurant owner fires SpongeBob, he angrily mutters that he hopes his pizza costume topping falls off.
    • The hard realization that Mr. Krabs has that SpongeBob is irreplaceable. When Mr. Krabs tries to run the kitchen himself, he nearly burns the restaurant down with his terrible cooking. He realizes that without SpongeBob, there is no Krusty Krab.
  • Patrick manages to escape from prison at the end of "The Executive Treatment" by abusing Clark Kenting:
    [Patrick rips off prisoner uniform, revealing his tie underneath; puts on his glasses]
    Guard: [gasp] What happened to Prisoner #665321?! '[sounds the alarm]
  • "The Sewers of Bikini Bottom" has one in the form of that sewer architect calling out both Mr Krabs and stadium manager but also fighting that sewer snake.
  • In "Married to Money", SpongeBob manages to save the Krusty Krab from a dozen sea bears. He went from hiding in a circle on the ground in "The Camping Episode" to being able to calm down twelve with only his hands and honey.
  • Patrick manages to win the eating contest in "What's Eating Patrick?". While he struggles at first, remembering the little boy with the broken leg gives him the motivation to start, and he ultimately wins by remembering the taste and eating one more patty (the little boy's) through sheer willpower - dethroning previous champion Oswald McNulty and breaking the score counter in the process.

Season 10

  • Feral Squidward eating the fish that was about to eat him in "Feral Friends". Save for Pearl, he's the biggest and strongest of the sea creatures hit by Neptune's Moon.
    • An unintentional example, but Squidward is the only one to actually break himself free of the hypnosis of Neptune's Moon (he had to use the bathroom).

Season 11

  • In spite of being literally scared out of his skin in "The Legend of Boo-kini Bottom", SpongeBob manages to save his friends from the Flying Dutchman by scaring him with the Sugar Bowl inside his mind.
  • At the end of "Krabby Patty Creature Feature", SpongeBob saves the day with nothing but his wits, a pair of sporks, and a pile of chum.
  • "Larry the Floor Manager" has the battle between SpongeBob and the starving customers against Larry and his bodybuilders. One particular scene stands out, in which Bubble Bass is cornered with his foe baring down at him. What does Bubble Bass do? He turns around smirking to reveal a slingshot-wielding SpongeBob strapped to his back. That's right, SpongeBob and Bubble Bass collaborated.
  • In "ChefBob", SpongeBob barely tolerates ChefBob insulting himself, the customers, and even Mr. Krabs. But when ChefBob makes fun of Squidward, SpongeBob acts very defensive and finally tries to destroy him.
    SpongeBob: Alright, that's it! You can't talk to Squidward that way! He is one of my best friends!
  • SpongeBob saving Patrick from DoodleBob in "Doodle Dimension".
  • In "Shopping List", it’s revealed that that all the ingredients SpongeBob was sent to collect were fake. Normally, SpongeBob wouldn’t have minded risking his life for nothing and Mr. Krabs would have got away scot free. SpongeBob is relieved that he didn’t cause the "apocalypse" by letting Plankton get the ingredients. Unfortunately for Mr. Krabs, Sandy was helping his porous employee, and she doesn’t take it well. She proceeds to beat the tar out of him for endangering her best friend and losing her submarine.
  • The sheer lengths Squidward goes to in order to help Pearl in "Whale Watching". He manages climb up the side of a mountain with his bike through sheer determination. Then he manages to save Pearl from dying from sun exposure (after she got beached) through some quick thinking using a bicycle pump to inflate her.
    • Also Pearl and Squidward getting back at Jerkass Dylan (who convinced Pearl to go the breach party and abandoned her when she got beached) by torturing him with Spongebob.
  • In "Krusty Kleaners" Sponge and Patrick defeating the rampaging robot and electronics with a freaking tank.
  • SpongeBob in "Drive Happy" repeatedly reminding Coupe that he has to go to work even when Coupe refuses and takes advantage of SpongeBob by doing things for himself. Finally when SpongeBob has enough he forces Coupe to pull over by threatening to pee in the car and afterwards forcibly installs a steering wheel to take control of the car.

Season 12

  • In the climax of "Jolly Lodgers", Squidward finally gets peace and quiet when he calls pest control, who fill Hotel Halibut with green haze, which results in everyone, including SpongeBob, Patrick and the whole Jelly-Con, to evacuate.
  • In "Handemonium", Plankton brings the Chum Bucket glove to life and takes it to arm wrestle with Mr. Krabs. He effortlessly lifts him up, then slams him into the ground, throwing all the other arm wrestlers into the hole with him.
    Plankton: Sucker!
  • "Krusty Koncessionaires" ends with a victory for Squidward. While serving food at a concert, he gets the lead singer Claire St. Claire's clarinet, which can't play any wrong notes. When he plays it at the end, it sounds surprisingly good, and even Krabs and SpongeBob play along. The band members, including Claire St. Claire himself, then compliment Squidward on his playing. Squidward literally dies of happiness.

Season 13

  • "Say Awww!" has everyone working together to escape Q.T.-π.'
  • The sheer fact that Plankton managed to defeat Mr. Krabs and managed to open a restaurant and sell krabby patties in the episode "Plankton and The Beanstalk".

Other

  • The video game, Battle For Bikini Bottom, turns SpongeBob into a badass. He fights King Jellyfish to get his jelly to fix Squidward's stings, transverses a completely wrecked downtown to find steering wheels, fights through waves of robots to get the sun lotion back, shuts down the security system of the Mermalair and stops a villain from escaping, goes through Rock Bottom to retrieve the museum's paintings, beats speed records on Sand Mountain as well as destroying all the robots on the slopes, survives Kelp Forest, wins a battle against robot-controlled pirate ship using the Flying Dutchman's own ship, and defeats robot versions of Sandy, Patrick, himself and Plankton! His final power, Cruise Bubble, is a remote-controlled bubble-missile. He can use it as many times as he wants, so the final power SpongeBob gets is a unlimited remote-controlled rocket launcher!

Comics

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  • Patrick beating the literal pulp out of Gourdy in "Gourd of Horror".
  • SpongeBob epically chewing out Randy Albacore in "The Liar!" for humiliating him when no-one would believe that SpongeBob had met him.
    SpongeBob: You... RUINED MY LIFE! EVERYONE THINKS I'M A LIAR NOW BECAUSE OF YOU! Why don't you leave me alone? Why didn't you ignore me? I'm not a liar! But because of you, no one believes me now!
  • "Untidaled" has many characters take a level in badass. Notable moments are:
    • Plankton chewing out Mr. Krabs for not caring about Pearl, twice. The second time, he sends Mr. Krabs into a Heroic BSoD.
    • Mr. Krabs breaking everybody out of the Krusty Krab using "the strongest force under the sea— —A DADDY'S LOVE FER HIS DAUGHTER!"
      • Then he tries to use this same power to rescue Pearl, but Plankton decides to save her instead, since he wanted to redeem himself.
    • Patrick trying to shatter the glass jar everyone is in using his head. This line alone lets out all kinds of badass:
      Sandy: PATRICK— YER HELMET'S MELTING!
      Patrick: Never mind that! RAMMING SPEED!
      • Even better, he actually predicted it by invoking Chekhov's Gun in part 1, and in the cliffhanger he even said he wasn't sure how his helmet would save the day. Now he has the perfect use for it! Well, almost...
  • The Free Comic Book Day 2018 issue. They managed to fit nearly the ENTIRE Mermaid Man Rogues Gallery into both the front AND back covers, as well as add in a few non-Mermaid Man villains. Heck, some of the villains on the cover includes villains only Nickelodeon Magazine subscribers would recognize, such as the Mad Dancer!
    • Then there's the story that the cover is based on, "Super Villain Team Up," where Plankton does a Villain Team-Up with Man Ray (and eventually Man Ray's entire rogues gallery thanks to SpongeBob's obliviousness to his motives) to steal the Krabby Patty formula. If they hadn't destroyed the Krusty Krab for 8 hours straight, they would've won, and their plan is ultimately thwarted by Mermaid Man and Golden Doubloon, AKA Mr. Krabs who's been trained by Mermaid Man to become a superhero. The Gilded Guardian manages to use his coin weaponry to easily take down all of the Mermaid Man villains EXCEPT Man Ray, who easily deflects the coins with his Galactic Glove, so SpongeBob makes Man Ray vulnerable by using an "Oven Mitt of Destiny" to easily yank the glove out of Man Ray's hand, allowing Golden Doubloon to finish the job. Once all that's said and done...
      Mr. Krabs: Mermaid Man, all your hard work and super-mentoring saved me business and future earnings... but since we never agreed on an exact number, I'm sure this handshake will be all the payment you'll need.
      Mermaid Man (who suddenly has the Galactic Glove in his hand): Oh, sure... I don't mind eating sea applesauce for the rest of my days...
      Mr. Krabs: Er… isn't that Man Ray's Galactic Glove?
      Mermaid Man: Sure is! I traded the sponge kid a few signed comic books for it. (presses a button) Let's see what the "Tightwad" button does...
      (an explosion destroys the Krusty Krab)
      Mermaid Man: Yep, I'd say that handshake covers your bill perfectly.
  • "Tube Newb" involves Sandy and Patrick inviting SpongeBob to float down a river on inner tubes. SpongeBob has no experience, and as such ends up popping his tube and being left with only his pushing stick. A tidal wave comes out of nowhere, and while Patrick and Sandy make it to safety, SpongeBob is caught up in it. Sandy and Patrick begin to mourn him, until it’s revealed he's surfing the wave on his pushing stick.

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