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Jerkass / SpongeBob SquarePants

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Schadenfreude is the one thing that always livens up Squidward's day.
SpongeBob: Sorry to interrupt your gloating, sir. I just thought it would be pertinent for you to know that Plankton is laying on the street. Forlorn.
Mr. Krabs: (gasps) Really? He's a mess! (heartily laughs)

Bikini Bottom is practically a Crapsaccharine World, so underneath the bright exterior, one is bound to find no shortage of rude, mean, and spiteful people.


  • Mr. Krabs has wrecked SpongeBob's house, eaten him when he was shipped back home after a failed attempt to infiltrate Pearl's slumber party, tried to tear a guy's arm off over a penny, stole a $1.25 secret ingredient and tried to frame SpongeBob for it, and sold SpongeBob's soul to the Flying Dutchman for 62 cents after SpongeBob stood up for him. Even Squidward, who hates SpongeBob enough to let it happen, called him out on the last one, not believing that Mr. Krabs could be THAT big of a Jerkass, and Krabs himself realizes he went too far there and throws the money back. It only gets worse as the seasons go on where Krabs does anything in his power to get money even if it involves causing extreme misfortune for others ("The Krabby Kronicle" and "The Krusty Sponge" are prime examples of this) and let's not even get started on what Krabs does to Plankton in the later seasons. For the most part, the callousness of Mr. Krabs's and everyone else's character (everyone is a Jerkass at times) is a case of Depending on the Writer; they can shift back to their more likable early characterizations at times, though when they play this trope, they play it very straight. For example, in "SpongeBob You're Fired", he fired SpongeBob (who's his best employee) because it would save him 5 cents.
  • Squidward. He's pretty mean due to behaving like an asshole to SpongeBob or others unprovoked. He also comes off as arrogant, narcissistic, and rude on many occasions..too many to list here so he (as well as Krabs) has his own page.
  • Squilliam is Squidward without his good traits. He takes pride in trying to humiliate Squidward, only to be Hoist by His Own Petard.
  • Plankton, when he's the main villain, will be as mean as he is evil. Best exemplified in "Walking Small", where he decides to mold SpongeBob into one in order to get rid of everyone else at the beach (since he's too small to do it himself) so that he can build the Chum Bucket Mega Bucket.
  • A few other side characters, like Bubble Bass from the episode, "Pickles" where he makes SpongeBob think he forgot to put pickles on his Krabby Patty, thus getting a refund from Mr. Krabs, and breaking SpongeBob. Also in "Moving Bubble Bass" where he tricks Spongebob and Patrick into moving all of his possessions out of his mother's house by promising them lunch in return (which he eats in front of them, no less), and for no other reason than because he's too lazy to move his stuff himself.
  • Kevin C. Cucumber from the episode, "I'm Your Biggest Fanatic"; he's the leader of the Jelly Spotters, a group of jellyfish enthusiasts, and he looks down on SpongeBob, even asking him to perform some "tests" because he wants to see SpongeBob hurt himself.
  • Flats the Flounder from the episode "The Bully" is hellbent on "kicking SpongeBob's butt", even after SpongeBob saves his life via CPR and takes him to the hospital after an accident. He seems to have quite the reputation among the people that know him, as even his father is afraid of his threats.
  • The bus driver from "Rock Bottom", who throws SpongeBob and Patrick off his bus in Rock Bottom when they need his help to get back home. And this all because he had enough of being hit with SpongeBob's balloon.
  • All of the restaurant bosses from "SpongeBob You're Fired" qualify for firing him without giving his patties a chance (except for the Taco Sombrero boss, who does test it). In particular, the boss at the Wet Noodle decides to throw the noodle patty at SpongeBob after kicking him out.
  • The townsfolk are prone to being Jerkasses on the regular, as well, even despite them being background characters. Of note are "The Bully", where they beat up an innocent old man twice for mistakenly thinking he's the one who's out to kick SpongeBob's butt; "The Sponge Who Could Fly", where they attempt to lynch SpongeBob for him rightfully calling them out on them mocking his dreams and later exploit SpongeBob's ability to fly thinking that he owes them favors; "Gone", where they celebrate National No SpongeBob Day as a way to get away from him while burning a wooden statue of him and dancing on the ashes; "Someone's in the Kitchen with Sandy", where they publicly humiliate and ridicule Sandy for allegedly being naked; and "Little Yellow Book", where they join Squidward in reading SpongeBob's diary and laugh at his misfortunes, only to turn on Squidward when SpongeBob finds out the truth, not taking responsibility for their own actions.
  • Even the kids are cruel. At best, it amounts to simple bullying, like when a young Plankton and Mr. Krabs are outcasted as freaks in "Friend or Foe" or when the teenagers assault all of Bikini Bottom with balloons filled with ketchup in "Picture Day", and at worst, it amounts to downright sadism, like when the children uproariously cheer for SpongeBob's physical abuse and disfiguration whilst using his arms and legs as boomerangs in "Krabby Land".
  • The customer from "Pizza Delivery", who, after seeing that SpongeBob's pizza delivery didn't come with the drink he may or may not have orderednote , then viciously berates SpongeBob and slams the door in face while refusing to pay for the pizza, even when it's clear SpongeBob genuinely had no idea about the drink. This appalls even Squidward (granted, this was before his dislike of SpongeBob was Flanderized into often murderous hatred), who proceeds to smash the pizza into the customer's face.

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