SpongeBob SquarePants/Characters

SpongeBob SquarePants

An outgoing sea sponge who lives in a pineapple under the sea, as the show's Theme Tune implies. Works as a fry cook at the Krusty Krab. Although not very bright, he has a good heart and constantly strives to help his friends...even when they don't really want it.

Ambiguously Gay: Parents made a big controversy of his sexuality .
Anti-Hero: Type I or IV, Depending On the Writer.
And Call Him George: His attitude towards Squidward, Mrs. Puff, Gary, Barnacle Boy...pretty much everyone in Bikini Bottom at some point or the other.
Annoying Laugh: Sounds like a sheep's bleating
Asexual: Stephen Hillenburg plays around with this quite a bit. He mentions that Spongebob is asexual, but since actual sponges usually (though not always) reproduce by budding, he could be referring to the biological aspect only. Because there's little indication in-series that he's ever attracted to anyone, he might be asexual in orientation as well.
- Mentions that he has a crush on Sandy could mean one of four things: he is asexual but heteroromantic ^[1], demisexual, biologically asexual but heterosexual in terms of orientation, or...it's simply Ship Tease, an accepted staple of pretty much any show.
Big Guy, Little Guy: The little to Patrick's big.
Blue Eyes: He's the only character with an iris while all but a few of the other characters have black eyes. Combined with being yellow gives the impression of a blue-eyed blond if he was human.
Break the Cutie: Subverted in "Fools in April", played straight in "Have You Seen This Snail?" and others.
Bunny Ears Lawyer: Despite his weirdness and frequent wacky antics, Spongebob is very good at his job and loves it so much that he'll gladly work without sleep. It's obvious that this is the only reason Mr. Krabs likes having him on the Krusty crew.
Burger Fool: Subverted
Butt Monkey / Chew Toy: When he's not the one causing the abuse.
- Iron Butt Monkey: Justified, seeing he's a sponge; but it's still shown to be painful.
Chaste Toons: In one of the comics, he has three nephews.
Cloudcuckoolander: Though Depending On the Writer, he can on rare occasions play the role of Only Sane Man.
Competition Freak: Depending On the Writer, Spongebob has a rather Serious Business attitude about games, he once became paranoid about Squidward winning Employee Of The Month, and took sandcastle building with Patrick to it's most surreal.
The Dragon: Unwitting one to Mr Krabs.
The Ditz: More so as the series progresses.
- Genius Ditz: He can flip burgers to suit a royal palate! A running gag is that he's also great at math.
Drives Like Crazy: Probably the king of this trope in Western Animation.
Everything's Better With Bob
Extreme Doormat: Has shades of this, particularly around peers such as Mr Krabs, often making him a convenient patsy. Occasional stories show him attempt to gain abrasive skills, only to decide he is happy being "assertively nice". And it's almost impossible for him to say no to Sandy.
Failure Is the Only Option: He can never get his boating licence. Ever. Not even in his dreams!
Famed in Story: Depending On the Writer, he is often portrayed as a local celebrity for being the Krusty Krab's frycook.
Four-Temperament Ensemble: The Sanguine
Flanderization: After season 3, he gravitated steadily towards the role of The Fool.
- Took a Level In Dumbass: When the series began he was fairly intelligent but incredibly naive and childlike; in the later episodes he is barely smarter than pre-first movie Patrick.
Healing Factor: Being a sponge, he can regenerate lost limbs. This is exemplified in an episode where he removes an arm and a new one pops up in its place. He then removes his other one, and the process repeats until he has an entire wall of arms holding arms.
Ho Yay: With Patrick and Squidward.
Idiot Hero
Idiot Houdini: Oh, so much.
Keet
Kindhearted Simpleton: The large majority of times, he at least means well, anyway.
The Kirk: More rational than Patrick; still not as level-headed as Squidward or even Mr. Krabs.
Man Child: "Too tough? I'll have you know I stubbed my toe last week and I only cried for twenty minutes!"
Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: Feminine Boy to Sandy's Masculine Girl.
No Sense of Personal Space: As Squidward says in one episode: "Spongebob, do you remember that little talk we had about personal space?"
The One Who Wears Shoes
Papa Wolf: To Gary, his pet snail.
- Also shows up when he's left to care for a bunch of baby worms.
Ping-Pong Naivete: Is capable of surprising bouts of resourcefulness and wisdom and can even play the Straight Man on occasion, but can never figure out that half the town wants him to leave them alone.
The Pollyanna
Power Creep, Power Seep: SpongeBob's strength varies from episode to episode. Some episodes depict him as so weak he couldn't even lift a straw, other depict him lifting a mailbox straight off its hinges.
The Power of Rock: Crowning Moment of Awesome in The Movie, along with one of the earlier episodes.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: The red to Squidward's blue.
Ridiculously Cute Critter
Rubber Man
Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Sensitive Guy to Patrick's Manly Man.
Small Annoying Creature
Small Name, Big Ego: Depending On the Writer
Species Firstname
Stalker With a Crush: On Squidward.
Stepford Smiler: Some episodes imply that he's one.
Stop Helping Me!: He cannot take the hint that everyone except Patrick and probably Sandy wants him as far away from them as possible. Yes, everyone includes Gary.
Super Speed: As the Quickster in Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy V.
Talking to Himself: With Gary.
Too Dumb to Live: At his worst.
Wide Eyed Idealist
Workaholic: At one point, Mr. Krabs's forcing him to take a vacation nearly caused him to go insane; in "The Splinter", he frantically tries to avoid being sent home early; and this exchange from "Graveyard Shift" says it all:

Mr. Krabs: From now on the Krusty Krab is open 24 hours a day.

Squidward: But Mr. Krabs...!

Spongebob: Wooow! Now we never have to stop working!

Patrick Star

Voiced by: Bill Fagerbakke

A not-quite-bright starfish who works as a barber.

Acquired Situational Narcissism : All the freakin' time.
Anti-Hero: Type II/IV and occaisonally Type V in earlier episodes, later a type I.
Acrofatic
Adipose Rex: In "Rule of Dumb".
Berserk Button: In the first three seasons, Patrick would go a rampage if anything greatly upset him. Examples include being the only person who didn't get a gift from Spongebob on Valentine's Day, Spongebob living with the jellyfish, and being called "Tubby".
Big Guy, Little Guy: The big to SpongeBob's little.
Bosom Buddies: When he thought a salesman was threatening his life, he, with SpongeBob's help, disguised himself as a girl named Patricia. Cue every other male in Bikini Bottom (especially Squidward and Mr. Krabs) falling for him.
Big Eater
Bumbling Sidekick: And considering whose sidekick he is, it's an accomplishment.
Butt Monkey: At times.
Deadpan Snarker: In the earlier episodes.
- In later episodes he tries to be snarky, but is ultimately too dumb to pull it off.
Diabolus Ex Machina: occasionally starting in season 7.
The Ditz: SpongeBob isn't all there. Patrick isn't even in the time zone.
Exposed Animal Bellybutton
Fat Bastard: In some episodes.
Fat Best Friend
Fat Idiot
The Fool: Along with SpongeBob.
Four-Temperament Ensemble: The Phlegmatic
Idiot Houdini
Jerkass: On occasion Depending On the Writer, though as usual this was emphasized more due to Flanderization in later episodes.
- Jerk With a Heart of Gold: The other half of the time.
Ho Yay: With SpongeBob
Lack of Empathy: At his worst (at his best he's just too dumb to know any better).
- Granted it's another case of Depending On the Writer, in some cases he just blows off any pain or anguish he causes, in others he can be brought to tearful remorse for stealing someone's donut.
Large Ham: Moreso in earlier episodes, but still somewhat in later ones.
Man Child: ~~Almost~~ as much as SpongeBob, if not more.
The McCoy
Manipulative Bastard: This is often how SpongeBob goes along in one of his schemes. An example would be the episode in which Squidward accidentally swallowed his reed. SpongeBob was told to watch the submarine, and Patrick asked him if he looked after it from the inside as well.
Parental Neglect: In "Rock a Bye Bivalve," he repeatedly refuses to help the little scallop. Though that in his eyes seems to be a traditional father figure.
Poisonous Friend: For example, Patrick was willing to assault SpongeBob's kindly grandmother to keep him from being teased by others.
Ridiculously Cute Critter
Rubber Man: As the Elastic Waistband in Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy V.
Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Manly Man to SpongeBob's Sensitive Guy.
Species Surname
Stock Sound Effects: His Big Eater moments are often punctuated by the sound of a Hoover vacuum cleaner.
Too Dumb to Live: At times, like when he forgets how to breathe.
Walking Shirtless Scene: Fan Disservice.

**Squidward Quincy Tentacles (Ikardo Tentacles)**

Voiced by: Rodger Bumpass

A cranky perfectionist squid/octopus. Works as a cashier at the Krusty Krab.

Amazing Technicolor Wildlife
Annoying Laugh: A very honky sounding one due to his nose.
Anti-Hero: Type I or Type II.
Born Unlucky: Nothing ever goes right for him, he is injured, humiliated and/or driven insane almost every episode.
Burger Fool
Butt Monkey
- Iron Butt Monkey
Can't Stand Them Can't Live Without Them: In "Squidsville", towards Spongebob.
The Chew Toy
The Comically Serious
Cranky Neighbor
Deadpan Snarker
Designated Monkey: His Butt Monkey role was justified more in very early episodes due to his Jerkass persona and treatment of others, his abuse has leaned more towards Comedic Sociopathy and Kafka Komedy in later episodes, with a lot of the cast (and even inanimate objects) just baring an instant hatred towards him. The people who do like him aren't much help either.
Dreadful Musician: Squidward loves his clarinet. But it doesn't seem to love him.
Exotic Eye Designs: He has rectangular red pupils.
Forgot Flanders Could Do That: Does occasionally get the chance to display some actual musical or other talent. He was, in fact, initially characterized by Plankton as a "mediocre clarinet player," but has usually been shown as an abysmal one.
Four-Temperament Ensemble: The Melancholic
Freudian Excuse: Suffered a miserable childhood and lives with neighbours who harass him everyday.
Grumpy Bear
Hair-Trigger Temper: Early on, Squidward would be upset by SpongeBob and Patrick playing dumb games with each other. Downplayed later, then brought back again, even worse than before.
Hates Being Touched
Jerkass: Just how much of a Jerkass he is varies according to the writer.
- Jerk With a Heart of Gold: Sometimes sympathetic towards SpongeBob.
- Took a Level In Jerkass: In seasons 1-3, Squidward acts like a jerk towards SpongeBob and Patrick most of the time, but at some points can be shown to actually care about them. In later seasons he takes the first possible opportunity to Kick The Sponge. Not that it's not Justified...sometimes.
Karma Houdini: In "Grandma's Kisses" he harasses SpongeBob for simply being a devoted grandson. "Can You Spare a Dime?" sees him take advantage of SpongeBob's hospitality. In both cases, he gets off scot free. This is very surprising when you realize that in several episodes Squidward is punished just for being disagreeable.
Kick the Dog: He does this EVERY time SpongeBob's near him.
Lack of Empathy
Large Ham
Lazy Bum: Common theme of the Krusty Krab episodes is that Squidward often dumps his workload on SpongeBob. Since the latter is easily manipulated and very much a Workaholic, he takes the extra work without a second thought.
Lethal Chef: The krabby patty he made in "The Grass is Always Greener" deserves special mention.
- And this priceless little snippet:

Customer #1: You call this food!? My sandwich tastes like a fried boot!

Customer #2: My sandwich is a fried boot!

- Don't forget this:

Customer #1: He burnt my Krabby Patty.

Customer #2: He burnt my fries!

Customer #3: He burnt my shake.

Magma Man: As Captain Magma in Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy V.
"No Respect" Guy: One episode revolves around Spongebob thinking Squidward has died and is now haunting him. When he arranges a funeral for him, where the guests have this to say:

Mr. Krabs: Oh, Squidward...we came as soon as we were sure you were dead.

Non Standard Character Design: Many characters are made to look cute, or at least marketable. Squidward is less so.
Only Sane Man
- Not So Above It All: If Squidward does partake in Spongebob's tomfoolery, he'll end up taking the games too seriously, ruining them for everyone else.
Perpetual Frowner
Pet the Dog: Sometimes shows compassion for others. "Pizza Delivery" is the most obvious where a fish pretty much crushes SpongeBob's spirit for no good reason and Squidward gets ticked off and shoves the pizza down the offender's throat. Interestingly, episodes like this downplay his Butt Monkey status considerably.
Red Eyes, Take Warning
Red Oni, Blue Oni: The blue to SpongeBob's red.
Small Name, Big Ego: Just to give you an idea -- all of Squidward's art projects are self-portraits.
The Sociopath
The Spock
Straw Loser: Let's face it, it takes one heck of a Butt Monkey to make the likes of SpongeBob and Patrick look like winners.
Surrounded By Idiots
This Loser Is You: Probably the most Closer to Earth character in the show, though despite his superior logic and sanity over the rest of the cast, he is often depicted as a Small Name, Big Ego who is talentless and unexceptional in reality.
Ungrateful Bastard: In Squidtastic Voyage when he told SpongeBob and Patrick to leave his body without even a thank you for getting the reed out of his throat.
- Also on Good Neighbors, Squidward had set up a security alarm in his house as SpongeBob and Patrick come in without any problem to give him an apology cake and apologize for unknowingly ruining his Sunday. But Squidward tries to get them kicked out instead of accepting their apology.
Voluntary Shapeshifting: Into a non-anthro octopus ("Squid's Day Off") and an amorphus liquid ("Suction Cup Symphony").

Sandy Cheeks

Voiced by: Carolyn Lawrence

An athlete/scientist squirrel from Texas.

The Ace: Particularity as her appearances get less frequent.
Action Girl
Badass Bookworm (Easily the most intelligent in the main cast, but often shown to be as physically strong as Larry the Lobster. Also likes life-threatening stunts.)
Balloon Belly: in a recent episode
Berserk Button: Never ever insult anything/anyone from Texas, or even the state itself. You will regret it, as SpongeBob and Patrick faced the serious consequences.
- Or rip all of her fur off (Sponge Bob and Patrick do this to her during the hibernation episode, when she finds out she beats them and then uses them as bikinis), or kick her in the butt (Squidward is trying to put a band together, when Sponge Bob asks him if they can start kicking now, Squidward replies that they only do that during chorus lines, then Patrick responds by saying he wants to kick something, he does kick Sandy in the butt, causing her to clobber him with a trombone, he later does it again with the same effect happening).
The Chew Toy: Not as much as the others but Sandy suffers some physical damage at times, such as being mauled by a gorilla, having her fur torn off by Spongebob and Patrick, being plagued with fleas, being hit by a car off of a mountain and so on.
Closer to Earth: Flip flops with this. While she is far more intelligent than most of the cast, she is occasionally shown to have a very rowdy and abrasive temperment when pushed. She is also sometimes more aware of her position in this trope than she really is. Granted as the rest of the cast became Flanderized more and more, her own flaws became less significant.
Competition Freak: Sandy is used to being the best at multiple talents and sports, so gets rather aggressive with when challenged.
Demoted to Extra: Inverted: She and Gary are more common in merchandise than the show.
Everything Is Big in Texas
Fish Out of Water (Played straight, though she's actually a squirrel IN water)
Four-Temperament Ensemble: The Choleric
Invisibility: As Miss Appear in Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy V.
The Ladette (by many fan interpretations.)
Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: Masculine Girl to SpongeBob's Feminine Boy.
Only Sane Woman
Out of Focus (Appears less and less with each season, it seems).
Panty Shot: Frequently
Parody Sue: A few episodes, especially in the Second Season, seem to make light of her somewhat lengthy amount of talents and positive aspects, it also usually being these points she was portrayed in a more flawed light. May count as an example of Rescued From the Scrappy Heap with those elements considered.
Positive Discrimination (Arguable example. Is the most gifted and least flawed central character by miles, though partly due to excessive Flanderization of the bipedal, male characters. Admittedly it is also balanced by frequent Not So Above It All moments).
- She played it undeniably straight pre-Character Development however.
Small Name, Big Ego (Albeit not as consistently as Squidward).
The Smurfette Principle: Sandy is the only female who can be considered a main character, and even then her appearances are becoming less frequent.
Southern-Fried Genius.
Token Good Teammate: The only main character that isn't either a Jerkass or a moron.
- Her occasional ego and temperament can provoke some unfortunate situations in the show (eg. Pressure), that said, she is arguably the one recurring character that hasn't had her flaws Flanderized over her redeeming aspects.
Too Clever By Half

**Eugene Harold Krabs (Capitaine Krabs)**

Voiced by: Clancy Brown

A scheming skinflint crustacean and owner of the Krusty Krab. His over-the-top greed and cheapness is played for laughs.

Abusive Dad: Type I
A Father to His Men: At least toward SpongeBob, less so in later seasons.
- Sometimes.
Annoying Laugh
Anti-Hero Type III --> Type V.
Arch Enemy: Plankton.
Berserk Button: Several.
Corrupt Corporate Executive
Depending On the Writer: He can either be a sympathetic guy who has a genuine good core, a Jerkass who abuses his employees and doesn't care about his daughter that's Played for Laughs, or a ruthless Smug Snake who commits extremely dark and serious Moral Event Horizon acts such as relentlessly torturing Plankton that isn't meant to be funny.
- His obsession with money also varies between episodes.
Even Evil Has Standards: As recently as "The Masterpiece" he did have far more limits and nobilities in his greed (or at least felt really bad when he overstepped them, like selling SpongeBob's soul in the spur of the moment and poisoning people at the Krusty Sponge). Prior to his own development, Plankton often represented boundaries and methods in money making that Krabs drawn the line against.
Faux Affably Evil: Under a more negative light post-Flanderization, under a more positive one he falls into more Knight Templar or Well-Intentioned Extremist territory.
- Generally how cruel Krabs acts tends to be a case of Rule of Funny or Depending On the Writer, even in later episodes.
Flanderization: Was initially a quirky but rather fair natured boss character, just he liked money a bit too much. And even then his greed was often played for laughs, and he had redeeming qualities, such as genuine care for his daughter Pearl, and for SpongeBob. Now at times he's just a total jerk to anything without a currency value. There's still some episodes that show him as a good guy though.
Freudian Excuse: One could easily argue that his greed stems from his bad memories of living in poverty until striking it big.
I Fight for The Strongest Side: In "Neptune's Spatula", he gives a little pep talk to SpongeBob... before betting his money on King Neptune.
Jerkass: More and more so each season. Arguably the best example in the show.
- Jerk With a Heart of Gold: More prominent in earlier episodes, though still has shades of this Depending On the Writer.
Knight Templar: His occasional treatment of Plankton leans towards this, early on he was merely defending his business from his schemes, now he seems to take offense even when his rival is making legitimate profits or merely isn't miserable.
Karma Houdini: In the later seasons, most of his actions go without consequences. Most jarring being One Course Meal where he basically gets away with nearly driving Plankton to suicide.
Lack of Empathy: To a great extent.
Last-Name Basis: Almost everyone calls him Mr. Krabs, rarely using his first name.
Laser-Guided Karma: In the earlier seasons, and "The Scent Of Money".
Lethal Chef
MONEY FETISH: His defining character trait. He frequently takes this trope to ridiculous levels, to the point of taking money-baths, getting into a fight with Squidward over a dime, stalking Spongebob for a penny, and almost losing Spongebob forever in exchange for some pocket change (sixty-two cents to be exact).
Mr. Vice Guy: When the show started out, he was a decent guy, but a bit greedy.
The Pesci
Pointy-Haired Boss
Ridiculously Cute Critter: As a baby.
Token Evil Teammate: In later seasons.
Took a Level In Jerkass: After the movie.
Villain Protagonist (post-Movie).

Sheldon James Plankton

Voiced by: Doug Lawrence

Krabs' business rival and arch-enemy. Is always after the formula for the Krabby Patty, the burger that SpongeBob fries up to the customers. Barring that, he ultimately aims for crushing all of Bikini Bottom beneath his feet.

Arch Enemy: To Krabs, and sometimes SpongeBob.
Big Bad: In episodes dealing with him and the Chum Bucket.
Body Snatcher -- A few of his plans involve mentally or physically enslaving someone with or without them being aware of the situation.
Butt Monkey
- Iron Butt Monkey: sometimes.
Card-Carrying Villain
Catch Phrase -- "I went to college!"
- "Ouch."
The Chew Toy
Corrupt Corporate Executive: Although the Chum Bucket could hardly be considered a corporation...
Cut Lex Luthor a Check: Trope Codifier
Cyclops
Deadpan Snarker: Though not nearly as profound an example, he can dish it back to Karen at times.
Depending On the Writer: How much he is evil.
Designated Monkey
Driven to Suicide
Embarrassing First Name: Karen had a really good time with this one.
Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: In "Walking Small", he's driven to a Villainous Breakdown after SpongeBob resolves to be "aggressively nice".

Plankton: Too...much...love...need...hatred...

Evil Laugh
Failure Is the Only Option: With an exception in 'Wishing You Well'.
Glad I Thought of It: He's guilty of this, especially when he takes an idea Karen says to him.
Harmless Villain: In FUN and Spy Buddies, he does nothing really evil.
Henpecked Husband: Has shades of this around Karen.
Impossible Thief: In one episode, Mr. Krabs tempts a "reformed" Plankton with a krabby patty. Despite the fact that the patty is always visible and untouched on the table throughout the exchange, it somehow ends up replaced with a cardboard cutout, which Krabs should have seen from his angle, even when it was propped up.
Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain: In later seasons, but it varies, as sometimes he manages to be the clear cut villain. Depending On the Writer.
Jerk With a Heart of Jerk: In the first season episode "FUN".
Last-Name Basis: Though in his case, he considers Sheldon an Embarrassing First Name. Unlike Mr. Krabs, he's simply called Plankton instead of Mr. Plankton (sans one episode where he sees what it's like if they switch places).
Laughably Evil
Lethal Chef: The reason why he doesn't have customers.
Likes Older Women: He is attracted to Mr. Krabs's mother in one episode.
The Napoleon -- Being constantly literally stepped on and flung around like a piece of trash will mess with a plankton's mind, man.
Nice Guys Finish Last: Says this word-for-word in "Walking Small".
Not So Harmless: In the movie and "Plankton's Army". There are other episodes that demonstrate this though.
Red Eyes, Take Warning
Smug Snake
Species Whole Name
Take Over the World: His secondary goal, Depending On the Writer.
Took a Level In Badass: After stint of Villain Decay Plankton returned to his threatening and menacing self by Season 7 and became much more competent villain. Particulary in episodes "Frozen Face-Off", "Spongebob's Last Stand" and even "One Coarse Meal'. In "Frozen Face-Off" he he organized entire race as a distraction just so he could steal Krabby Patty formula without trouble and to throw off the suspicion he placed his robot doppelganger to participate in the race and it took all the main characters to stop his evil plans. In "Spongebob's Last Stand" where he built a super highway, which directly led to Chum Bucket, and it drove away all jellyfish from their fields and took over entire town and almost all of Bikini Bottom's population supported him. It was so bad that Mr. Krabs was going to give him secret formula willingly. This and "Frozen Face-Off" are more dramatic and action packed episodes of the series. Even in "One Coarse Meal', where he was Driven to Suicide due to Krabs masquerading as Pearl and scaring him, Plankton was very effective villain. To clarify: he drops a powerful explosive the size of a TV remote on the Krusty Krab's roof; he is said to build a transmutator (a machine with the power to make an element in nature into another element, like iron into gold, fire into air, etc.); and a robotic bomb-shaped object that is actually a disguised, robotic, telescopic claw that can crush a sea creature. And during the end of episode, Plankton uses mime to scare Mr. Krabs, who is very afraid of mimes, as the revenge for Mr. Krabs scaring him and driving him to suicide and from looks of it, Mr. Krabs' fear of mimes is bigger than Plankton's fear of whales, since Plankton managed to remain rational while being scared by whales, while Mr. Krabs was completely irrational.
Took a Level In Dumbass: Sometimes. He varies from being on Sandy's level in terms of intelligence to being barely smarter than other characters.
Unknown Rival: Sometimes SpongeBob doesn't acknowledge him as an enemy.

Karen

Voiced by: Jill Talley

Plankton's business computer and robotic spouse. Being blessed with a complex sentient programming, Karen is well aware of her "husband's" stupidity and is very verbal about it as well.

AI Is a Crapshoot: Seems more competent and intelligent than Plankton, but also has the personality of a nagging housewife, and thus is usually more preoccupied in nagging at her husband's failures or whining for affection.
Beleaguered Assistant
Character Development: Was originally a generic computer in her debut in "Plankton". Was granted a sentience in later episodes.
Deadpan Snarker: Of the tallest order.
Demoted to Extra
Flanderization: Her Deadpan Snarker mannerisms. Initially merely acted frustrated and sarcastic on odd occasions due to Plankton's bumbling. Now she is perpetually throwing insults at her spouse.
Green Eyes
Hypercompetent Sidekick: She successfully stole a Krabby Patty first time she tried alone with near zero effort (then again, it was against Squidward).
Just a Stupid Accent: Had an obnoxious Boston accent even before she had a personality.
Pet the Dog: Perpetually snarky and nagging towards her husband, and is suggested to even find some of his suffering amusing, nevertheless she does love him, deep, deep down.
Robotic Spouse: Yes and no. Yes, Karen is a robot (okay, she's technically an extremely sarcastic computer...). But no, it's never fully explained how/when she was built, or when she and Plankton were married (if they're even married). Plankton may have originally built her to be the perfect wife or just a generic computer, but since AI Is a Crapshoot, her AI may have evolved into the snarky computer you see today.
Satellite Character: She has pretty much no interaction with anybody other than Plankton. Justified, seeing as how she's a computer...
Smug Snake

Gary

Voiced by: Tom Kenny

SpongeBob's pet snail, who meows like a cat.

Amplified Animal Aptitude: Varies. Sometimes he acts like any other domestic animal, other times he can use Raymanian Limbs and understand SpongeBob well enough to hold conversations.
Cats Are Mean: Under the show's theory of snails existing as an Expy for cats. Subverted for the most part, though he has his occasional Jerkass moments like most of the cast (Dumped shows he can be a rather fickle bastard).
Furry Confusion: Averted
Red Eyes, Take Warning: Subverted
Ridiculously Cute Critter
Odd Name Out: The only one of the main characters whose full name has nothing to do with his species.
Out of Focus: more of a background character nowadays. Unlike Sandy, he pretty much is sticking to this.
Silent Snarker
Snarky Non Human Sidekick: Despite all of them being sea creatures and all (except Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy). Even if the audience will never be able to figure out what he's saying, SpongeBob's retorts to whatever he says show that he is rather snarky.
Talking to Himself: With SpongeBob.
Token Good Teammate: One of the few characters who is not a Jerkass, an antagonist, or a moron.

Mrs. Poppy Puff

Voiced by: Mary Jo Catlett

Neurotic boating school teacher, driven (almost literally) to wit's end by Spongebob's constant disasterous attempts to gain a boating license.

Adults Are Useless: Sort of. She's far more level headed than Spongebob, but she shows occasional incompetance as a teacher.
Butt Monkey
Closer to Earth: Despite the occasional dark tint, she's one of the more level headed characters. Spongebob is constantly grating on her sanity however.
Dark and Troubled Past: According to at least one conversation, she has previously skipped town under a different name.
Nervous Wreck
Out of Focus: Post movie.
Stepford Smiler

Larry

Voiced by: Doug Lawrence

Amazing Technicolor Wildlife: Has the color of a boiled lobster
The Big Guy
Chick Magnet
Demoted to Extra: Post movie. He wasn't seen at all in season six.
Only One Name
Talking to Himself: He and Plankton have the same voice actor.
Walking Shirtless Scene

Mermaid Man

Voiced by: Ernest Borgnine

Cloudcuckoolander
Expy: Of Aquaman, and a deconstruction at the same time.
- He's also clearly modeled off of Batman.
Leitmotif: The Lineman.
- "Grand Theft Auto" Effect: It has existed before Spongebob was created, but most people think of it as the "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy" theme.
  - Fittingly, it's also The Jimmy Hart Version of the Adam West Batman theme.
Old Superhero: Was retired, but became "semi-retired" thanks to SpongeBob.
- Senior Sleep Cycle
Token Human

Barnacle Boy

Voiced by: Tim Conway

Butt Monkey
Expy: Oddly, more of an Expy of Robin than of Aqualad.
Face Heel Turn: He turned back to normal by the end of the episode though.
Leitmotif: See Mermaid Man.
Older Than They Look
Old Superhero
Token Human

The Flying Dutchman

Voiced by: Brian Doyle-Murray

Hair-Trigger Temper
Leitmotif: suffers the "Grand Theft Auto" Effect.
Our Ghosts Are Different
Reality Warper and Voluntary Shapeshifting: A prime source of the Nightmare Fuel associated with him, especially in "Ghost Host."
Your Cheating Heart: He's apparently married (although we never see his wife), because he hit on a female fish at a party, who eyed him skeptically and noticed his wedding ring.

Patchy the Pirate

Voiced by: Tom Kenny

The Chew Toy
Chuck Cunningham Syndrome
Excited Kids Show Host
Token Human: Notably the only recurring character who is live action.

SpongeBob's Gramma (Grandma SquarePants)

Voiced by: Marion Ross

Covered in Kisses (Done to SpongeBob on an implied regular basis)
Supreme Chef
Out of Focus: Post-movie, borderlining on Chuck Cunningham Syndrome, as she didn't appear at all in seasons six or seven.

Pearl Krabs

Voiced by: Lori Alan

A spoiled, bratty whale. Daughter of Mr. Krabs.

Bratty Teenage Daughter
Distressed Damsel: in Dunces and Dragons
Give Geeks a Chance: Her boyfriend was (unexpectedly) a nerdy little baitfish...although she describes him as incredibly "long, tan, and handsome"
Huge Schoolgirl: Considering she's a whale among little animals like starfish and squirrels.
Oblivious Adoption (It's never openly stated that they're related by blood, but come on. Her father is a crab.)
- They never even mention her mom, if Mr. Krabs is even married.
  - He did mention he looked like her mom though. So either he knew her mom or he is her biological father.
Out of Focus: In later seasons.
Valley Girl: Borderline Case -- she actually falls somewhere between this and a deconstruction of the Alpha Bitch.

Man Ray

Voiced by: Bob Joles

Arch Enemy
Expy of Black Manta.
Heel Face Revolving Door: Seemed to pull a Heel Face Turn in his first appearance, but afterwards reverts to his evil status by the next time we see him.
Human Popsicle: He was frozen in tartar sauce since Mermaid Man's prime, until SpongeBob and Patrick freed him.
Not So Harmless: A minor villain in the normal series, but a Bad Future where he won proved he was actually able to take over the world and turn it into a dictatorship where everyone was enslaved to his will.
The Other Darrin: His first appearance in "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy V" was voiced by Guy Siner and John Rhys-Davies.
Pet the Dog
Red Eyes, Take Warning
Token Human: Well, he's human-like, it's still not clear if he's actually human or not.

Squilliam Fancyson

Voiced by: Dee Bradley Baker

Squidward's rival from high school. Squilliam is essentially everything Squidward dreamed of being. Whereas Squidward is a middleclass jackass stuck in a deadend job and considered a joke by everyone except SpongeBob and Patrick, Squilliam is a successful, filthy stinking rich jackass beloved by all. He loves rubbing his success in Squidward's face.

The Bad Guy Wins: Won twice, but normally his appearences are a sign Squidward will win this one.
Eviler Than Thou: Well neither are exactly evil, but he's this to Squidward. Take Squidward, add some Smug Snake and several levels in jerkass, and remove any redeeming qualities. That's Squilliam.
Hoist By His Own Petard: In "Band Geeks" and "House Fancy"
Humiliation Conga: In the iconic scene of "Band Geeks"
- Gets another one at the end of "House Fancy".
Jerkass
Red Eyes, Take Warning
The Rival: To Squidward.
Screw the Rules, I Have Money
Smug Snake
Villainous Breakdown: At the end of "Band Geeks", he has one. Seeing Squidward completely succeed in an absolutely epic way causes him to have a heart attack!. Has another one at the end of "House Fancy" were Squidward's house being declared even fancier than his leaves Squilliam laying on the ground crying his eyes out.

DoodleBob

Voiced by: Dee Bradley Baker

SpongeBob and Patrick's creation, a crude doodle of SpongeBob come to life, and on an Unstoppable Rage.

Anti-Villain
Big Bad: Of "Drawn to Life" SpongeBob
The Grotesque
Kill and Replace: "You Doodle, ME SPONGEBOB!!!"
Nightmare Face
The Unintelligible
Vile Villain Saccharine Show

Scooter

An undead surfer fish who appears mostly in the background, but has some major roles.

Bubble Bass

Voiced by: Dee Bradley Baker

Fat Bastard
Jerkass
Remember the New Guy: Somewhat of an example; in his few appearance he was treated as a recurring nemesis.
Smug Snake
Unsatisfiable Customer: Type 4, since he was making false complaints for SpongeBob's flawless service, either for a free Krabby Patty or just to Mind Screw SpongeBob For the Lulz.

The Dirty Bubble

Chuck Cunningham Syndrome
Eyes of Gold
Weaksauce Weakness: "Watch the POINT!!!"

Tom

A fish well known for saying "CHOCOLATE!"

Palette Swap: Into red and lime green.
Trademark Favorite Food: do we even have to say it? 'CHOCOLATE! CHOCOLATE!'

Betsy Krabs

Voiced by: Sirena Irwin

Mama Bear
Older Than They Look
The Other Darwin: was originally voiced by Paul Tibbit.

Uncle Sherm SquarePants

The Ghost

Fred

Catch Phrase: MY LEG!!! and DEAUUGH!!
Demoted to Extra: The blue version is rarely seen after the second movie.
- Except in Season 7,the blue version is seen very commonly.
Palette Swap: He is in both brown and blue versions.
- There is a brown-green version used only once, in Professor Squidward.