Eugene Harold Krabs

Voiced by: Clancy Brown (English, Season 1-Present), Joe Whyte (English Battle for Bikini Bottom) Bob Joles (English, Truth or Square)^{additional VAs}

Debut: "Help Wanted"

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/spongebob_mrkrabs.jpg

"Let's see, a five letter word for happiness... money."

"Now, are ya gonna buy somethin' or just stand there? Cause there's a standin' fee."

The owner of the Krusty Krab and SpongeBob and Squidward's boss, who lives in an anchor with his teenage daughter Pearl. He talks like a pirate, loves sailing, and has an obsession with money. His over-the-top greed and cheapness is played for laughs.

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A-D

Abandoned Catchphrase: He liked to say "You're fired!" in the early episodes, but this was dropped after Season 1.
Abusive Parents: Zigzagged. He often neglects Pearl in post-movie episodes, and his miserly ways cause her no small level of grief, though Pearl does have her moments where she gets the last laugh (often in the form of using the cheap crustacean's Money Fetish against him by blackmailing him with money). This contrasts sharply with his original portrayal; in very early episodes like "Culture Shock", he is shown to care for Pearl more than his money. That said, more recent post-movie episodes have found a balance between the two: Krabs is still a total miser, but he does love Pearl more and can even become overprotective in order to ensure she’s happy and safe.
Accidental Pervert:
- In "New Digs", Mr. Krabs thought it was SpongeBob behind the shower curtain, but it was actually SpongeBob's mom. When she shrieks, he apologizes repeatedly and backs off. SpongeBob's dad didn't take this well.
- Another case of this happens in "The Cent of Money" when he uses Gary's ability to attract money which is later revealed to be due to swallowing a refrigerator magnet on people at the beach and gets glowered at by a woman who had loose change in her bikini. Krabs reacts by laughing nervously and running away.
Aesop Amnesia: In more than one episode, he's fired SpongeBob for some reason or another, and is forced to hire him back when the Krusty Krab completely falls apart without him. Of course, Krabs never seems to remember this. In the Season 9 episode, "SpongeBob, You're Fired", Mr. Krabs decides to fire SpongeBob to save a nickel. When it becomes apparent that the restaurant is not profitable without SpongeBob's cooking, specifically because Mr. Krabs cannot make Krabby Patties, Mr. Krabs re-hires him. He forgets that he demonstrably cannot make Krabby Patties as well as SpongeBob can by the Season 10 episode "SpongeBob's Place", and his desire to prove that he can is the driving conflict of the episode. Squidward even sums it up in that episode.
Squidward: [to Mr. Krabs] Admit it. Without SpongeBob, you'd be nothing.
Affluent Ascetic: According to the episode "Clams", he owns a treasured "millionth dollar", implying he's at the very least a millionaire, but you wouldn't know this by looking at him. He only owns one successful-but-ramshackle restaurant, and neither his sense of fashion nor his house are at all lavish. It can be assumed that he's just that much of a cheapskate.
Always a Child to Parent: Even when he’s a middle-aged Navy veteran who lives on his own with his own child, Mr. Krabs' mother still sees her son as a child and will always lay down discipline should he do something wrong in her presence. This was best seen at the end of "Mid-Life Crustacean", where he was sent to his room after raiding her drawer in pursuit of her undergarments with SpongeBob and Patrick.^note
Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: Pearl views him as this. Special mention to the time when he tried to use the slang word “coral.” This leads to Pearl angrily saying that “coral” is outdated.
An Arm and a Leg:
- In "Squid's Day Off", he loses both of his arms, setting off the episode's conflict.
- In "Squeaky Boots", he breaks off both of his legs due to a hole in his floor. They are bandaged back on the next day.
And I Must Scream: In the first movie, Mr. Krabs was still conscious while frozen by Neptune and towards the end of the movie, he, while still frozen, jumps for joy and smiles with SpongeBob and Patrick when he realizes the former has proven Mr. Krabs' innocence by returning the crown to King Neptune and that he won't be burned alive.
Anti-Hero: As far as "anti" and "hero" goes, when fighting against a megalomaniac sea plankton, he can come off as kind of heroic, but it still doesn't excuse how far his greed goes.
Asshole Victim: Mr. Krabs usually deserves the horrible fate that he gets.
Astonishingly Appropriate Appearance: His "big meaty claws" and broad belly shows off his money-grabbing and greedy nature.
Ax-Crazy: Mr. Krabs is often one step away from being dangerously insane because of his extreme obsession with the money. "Clams", for instance, has SpongeBob and Squidward rightly disturbed from seeing him go crazy over Ol' Bluelips stealing his millionth dollar. This is even more prominent after the movie.
Bad Boss:
- He has become an abusive and cruel boss, not caring about his employees or his customers and willing to do anything to get a buck, even poison them. He still showed shades of this in the pre-movie seasons; for example, in "Squid on Strike", he decides to start charging SpongeBob and Squidward for anything and everything they do that doesn't involve working, including breathing, talking, and even existing.
- In "The Krabby Kronicle", he forces SpongeBob to write sensational stories about the residents of Bikini Bottom that leads to their reputations, and lives being destroyed. To make sure he does, he takes SpongeBob's spatula hostage.
  [While confronting Krabs over the newspaper articles]
  Plankton: I lost my restaurant because of you! And I thought I was evil.
- In "Patty Caper", after a string of false leads fails to expose who stole the secret Krabby Patty ingredient, Mr. Krabs deduces that the thief was SpongeBob all along. When the police point out that Mr. Krabs has the bottle of the ingredient in his hand, he confesses that he was willing to sell out SpongeBob to keep from paying the cost of $1.99.
- In "Krabs vs. Plankton", when Plankton tries to sue Mr. Krabs to get the Krabby Patty recipe, SpongeBob brings Squidward to the witness stand, where he asks Squidward if he thinks it's true that Mr. Krabs is cheap and to mention how generous he is. Squidward gives a flat "yes" and "nope" to the respective questions, and reveals that the day he had to go testify in court was his first day off in three years.
- Mr. Krabs hates the idea of overtime pay so much that in "The Abrasive Side", he believes the idea of overtime to be incredibly offensive, and forces SpongeBob to go home when the abrasive side mentions it a second time.
- In "Enemy In-Law", when Krabs finds out that his mother has a date, an idea he finds appealing because it means not having to buy her stuff himself, he tells SpongeBob to stay several more hours and cater a romantic dinner that night with no overtime, an idea SpongeBob finds exciting.
- In "Squidward in Clarinetland", when Squidward complains about not having a place to put away his clarinet, Mr. Krabs just brushes him off. When Squidward brings out the "Bikini Bottom Labor Regulations" book, Mr. Krabs breaks out in hives at the thought of being legally obligated to provide a safe and comfortable workspace for his employees.
- In "Mutiny on the Krusty", he bluntly tells his employees that he refuses to pay them.
Bad People Abuse Animals: Mr. Krabs is not above exploiting living things in the name of financial gain. He once stole Clamu's egg in "The Smoking Peanut" - mistaking it for a pearl - which caused her to have a temperamental outburst. Additionally, he once milked an abundance of jellyfish for all their jelly's worth to boost the Jelly Patty sales in "Jellyfish Hunter", and used Gary as a magnetic coin detector in "The Cent of Money" before the snail eventually collapsed and was subsequently hospitalized.
Barefoot Cartoon Animal: Wears pants and a shirt, but no shoes.
The Barnum: A surprisingly mild example, considering his extreme Money Fetish. It helps that SpongeBob is quite possibly the best frycook under the sea (to the point that he once outperformed King Neptune with his cooking skills), if not on the entire planet Earth, and the Krusty Krab has a loyal clientele that Krabs would be stupid to cheat... at least, blatantly cheat. Doesn't stop him from charging customers a dollar a tomato to throw at Squidward's ill-fated interpretive dance show. Although, in that last case, they said "It's worth every penny." Squidward's dancing was that bad.
Benevolent Boss: At least toward SpongeBob when no money was involved, less so in later seasons, but SpongeBob still sees him as one.
Berserk Button:
- NEVER mess with his money. Or any other money in general. You'll regret it pretty badly. It's also not a good idea to mention words he'd perceive as "foul" (as in, bad for money, such as overtime, day off...).
- As he reveals in "Krabs à la Mode", touching his thermostat is also a good way to anger him. Again, money-related.
- On a non-money related note, never insult or offend his claws. Harold found out the hard way when he picked a fight with him by pushing this button.
Big Good: Zigzagged. While he may be SpongeBob’s boss and always protects the Krusty Krab from Plankton, he is always greedy and is obsessed with money.
Big "NO!": He gives one sometimes, such as at the end of The Great Patty Caper.
Big, Thin, Short Trio: The Big to Squidward's Thin and SpongeBob's Short.
Borrowed Catchphrase: "I'm ready, I'm ready!, for me money."
Broken Pedestal
- He used to worship the entrepreneur Howard Blandy, until seeing him turn the Krusty Krab into a soulless franchise with synthetic food.
- Krabs goes through this frequently with SpongeBob. The latter idolizes Mr. Krabs, who constantly lets him down due to his greed and short-sightedness. Despite this, SpongeBob rarely seems to waver in his devotion to Mr. Krabs, to the extent of making it a Parodied Trope.
Butt-Monkey: He becomes this in some episodes as a result of his greed and obsession with money going too far. Examples include "Squeaky Boots", "Born Again Krabs", "Krabby Land", and "Squid On Strike".
Card-Carrying Jerkass: He's well aware of what a cheap, penny-pinching miser he is, and takes open pride in it. In "The Play's the Thing", when Squidward laments being underpaid during his play, Mr. Krabs laughs and remarks, "It's funny 'cause it's true!"
Character Catchphrase:
- "SpongeBob, me boy!"
- "MR. SQUIDWARD!"
- “…or you’re fired.” (when coercing SpongeBob or Squidward into aiding him)
- "I'm ruined!" (especially in recent episodes)
Characterization Marches On: In the first season, Mr. Krabs was actually shown to be a decent chef in his own right, having made a plate of Krabby Patties into a pizza in a few seconds. Later seasons show him to be worse in the kitchen than Squidward, although he did co-create the Krabby Patty Formula.
Child Hater: Mr. Krabs' greed extends to antagonizing children to raise profits.
- In "Can You Spare a Dime?", when he's asked to Think of the Children!, he selfishly asks what the children have ever done for him.
- The episode "Krabby Land" has Mr. Krabs open up an outdoor playground near the Krusty Krab during the summer and falsely advertise it as a Disneyland-esque place, only for it to be a hazardous wasteland consisting of junkyard materials, letting the children down in the process.
Clutching Hand Trap: In "Squid's Day Off", he falls prey to one when he tries to retrieve a dime from the sink... and gets his hand stuck. When SpongeBob tells him that he just has to let go of the dime to get loose:
Mr. Krabs: I can think of ten good reasons to never let go of a dime, boy.
Comedic Sociopathy: After the first movie it became even more pronounced that he's prone to antics that are devoid of concern for the people he hurts and (mostly) hilarious.
Comically Lopsided Rivalry: The Krusty Krab is the most popular restaurant in Bikini Bottom, while the Chum Bucket can't even get one customer because the food is so awful.
Companion Cube:
- Mr. Krabs anthropomorphizes his cash register and nicknames it "Cashy". He in fact shares such a close bond with it that when Squidward is about to destroy it in "Krab Borg" to prove whether he's a robot or not that he genuinely starts to cry and reminisce his memories with it, ultimately proving him to be the real Krabs.
- He does the same thing to money on a frequent basis. It hits its epitome in "Money Talks", where he wishes that the eponymous metaphor could become literal; the following day, his wish is granted and all his dollar bills demand to be spent on various goods.
Compressed Vice: In "SpongeBob's Place" he's actually jealous of SpongeBob's popularity and cooking ability, despite showing no sign of it in any other episode.
Control Freak: He seems to believe that he has full control over SpongeBob's personal life; for example, in "Karate Choppers", he orders SpongeBob to give up karate altogether or else be fired, and in "My Pretty Seahorse", rather than tell SpongeBob to simply not bring Mystery to work anymore, he explicitly orders him to get rid of her entirely ("It's either you or Mystery."). In both cases, they were directly injuring his business, but he just as easily could have banished them from his establishment rather than demanding that SpongeBob give them up entirely.
Corrupt Corporate Executive: He was originally almost an Honest Corporate Executive, at times, with some greedy tendencies, but he was progressively Flanderized into being unscrupulous and mean - especially in the post-movie seasons.
Corrupted Character Copy: At first, he appears to be a less successful and slightly less sane exaggeration of Scrooge McDuck. He's a greedy Mr. Vice Guy with a Money Fetish and a house full of valuable artifacts and antiques who's saved his #1 Dime and First Dollar, who's been known to fight supernatural entities for treasure (under circumstances that prevent him from keeping it), has a Running Gag of how little he pays his eccentric employees (and unwilling accomplices in said treasure hunts), and has 3 nephews and a daughter. They both also have last names that are based on their species, McDuck and Krabs being crabs with a K. However, that's where it ends. While Scrooge is known for his love for money, he's also unwilling to make a dishonest dollar, priding himself in doing things fair and square, never stealing or scamming others, and is willing to put in the money if it means not selling a substandard product or avoiding unnecessary risks. As the series goes on, Mr. Krabs shows numerous times he's willing to endanger others, steal and find the cheapest solution to problems even if it's incredibly shoddy. Suddenly, his being less successful and less sane make more sense.
Cutting Corners: He's notorious for this, especially in the post-movie seasons. Referred to by name in "The Sewers of Bikini Bottom", where the sewer pipes underneath the Krusty Krab Stadium are made of cardboard (which Mr. Krabs says was also used for his grandmother's dentures) and ended up almost flooding the stadium.
Dad the Veteran: He was in the Navy as a youth, and is now a father to Pearl. The Krusty Krab Training Video indicates that he is the veteran of a war that is analogous to — if obviously not — World War I.
Death Is Cheap: He dies in "Born Again Krabs" and "Wishing You Well", but comes back from both instances.
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 Kick the Dog acts such as relentlessly torturing Plankton that isn't meant to be funny.
- His obsession with money also varies between episodes. Sometimes there are things he values more than money and sometimes he cares about money more than his own well-being.
- His level of competence when faced with adversity varies greatly, depending on what's convenient for the plot. In some episodes, he's as tough and brazen as Sandy, even displaying similar Super-Strength, while in others, he's as meek and helpless as SpongeBob or Squidward when faced with a serious threat.
- His relationship with his daughter Pearl. Some episodes show him sincerely loving her and valuing her well-being more than money - which was more prevalent in the pre-movie episodes - while in others he couldn't be bothered to give a damn about her and in fact prioritizes his money much more.
- The Krusty Krab is either highly successful or always on the brink of bankruptcy. The former is convenient for episodes with Plankton while the latter is convenient for episodes dealing with Mr. Krabs' greed.
- His willingness to cut corners varies from episode to episode. Sometimes he'll sink to any low to turn a quick buck, other times he has a strict standard of professional quality and business ethics that sets him apart from his rivals.
- Mr. Krabs' concern (or lack thereof) over the health standards of his restaurant tends to vary. For instance, in "Suds", he sends the sick SpongeBob home from work in fear that he will sneeze on the food, and in "Eek, an Urchin!", he brags that the Krusty Krab is a standard in the cleanliness of fast food. By contrast, "Born Again Krabs" has Mr. Krabs refuse to let SpongeBob cook more patties until he sells a rotten one found under the stove (although Mr. Krabs eating the rotten patty after insisting that it hasn't gone bad suggests that he was just very oblivious to how sick it would make someone), and "The Krusty Sponge" has him sell rotten Krabby Patties as "Spongy Patties" because their yellow color resembles SpongeBob and fit with his new merchandise plan.
Dirty Coward: He's fearless in some episodes, to be sure, but in others, he's an iron-clawed tyrant of an employer who nonetheless cowers as soon as a bigger bully than him shows up (or Plankton manages to get the upper hand). He's used SpongeBob and Squidward as human shields more than once.
Dirty Old Man: "Mid-Life Crustacean" shows that he knows the concept of a panty raid and was willing to partake in one in a bid to feel young again.
Drama Queen: Depending on the episode. There are times when Mr. Krabs tends to get worked up and have breakdowns over losing money, when said money can be less than $10.
Dub Name Change:
- In French, he's Capitaine (Captain) Krabs.
- In Brazil, he's "Seu Siriguejo" ("Seu" is a colloquial form of "Mr.", and Siriguejo is a portamanteau of Siri and Caranguejo, with both words meaning crab).

E-J

Easily Forgiven: No matter how badly he treats SpongeBob or how heinous his actions may be, he will always be back in SpongeBob's good graces by the end of the episode. A particularly noticeable example is in "The Cent of Money", in which he uses (and abuses) Gary to steal money and loose change from all of Bikini Bottom, completely uncaring that attracting money causes Gary great discomfort. Usually, what happens is that Mr. Krabs does something bad, SpongeBob calls him out and gets back at him for it, and then forgives him. Then they'll be doing the same thing over and over again upon the next heinous deed. Not to mention, he has made various dangerous or scam-made contraptions for his customers. No matter how much the customers were affected or injured by it, and subsequently, call him out for it, they'll come back to his restaurant, supporting him.
Embarrassing Middle Name: While it's unknown if he's embarrassed by it, his middle name is "Harold", which has never been used in the actual show (Unless you count the time he tried to pass himself off as Harold Flower to the Flying Dutchman).
Establishing Character Moment: The first time we see him in the series' pilot, he is shown happily sniffing a handful of dollar bills while standing behind the cash register.
Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: He's very caring of his mother, though with the fact that his mother hardly shows up anymore it's hard to tell.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Not exactly "evil", more like "unforgivably greedy". Still, despite it all, there have been episodes where Mr. Krabs has shown genuine care for SpongeBob, and as cheap as he is, he does genuinely love his daughter, Pearl, and will always try to do right by her. Also he's genuinely in love with Mrs. Puff, calling her "one of his two loves" (with the other one being his money), and in "Krusty Love" he even spent thousands of dollars to make her happy.
Even Evil Has Standards: "Evil" might be a bit too far, but his Greed became much more serious in later seasons. Despite this...
- 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 drew the line at.
- In the episode "Little Yellow Book", Mr. Krabs is among the many that are utterly disgusted with Squidward for stealing SpongeBob's diary and reading it to everyone, explicitly telling Squidward, "That's low, even for you." What makes this moment stand out is that Mr. Krabs was NOT one of the people laughing at SpongeBob's secrets, meaning he can't be a Hypocrite.
- The one thing that no amount of money could change his mind over is the love that goes into making Krabby Patties. In "Selling Out", he barely hesitated to sell the Krusty Krab to a corporation for an obscene amount of money, but after coming back and finding out that they used synthetic goo to make the burgers on a conveyor belt, he sabotaged their operation and didn't hesitate to spend every cent they gave him to buy the restaurant back, even when he only needed half.
- "You had to kill him. The boy cries you a sweater of tears, and you kill him. How are you gonna live with yourself?"
Everyone Has Standards: Greedy as he truly is, there are moments when he has his limits.
- For instance, in "Yours, Mine and Mine" when he sees SpongeBob and Patrick fighting over Patty Pal, he calls them out for letting a single toy nearly ruin their friendship and quickly resolves the feud by giving another toy to each of them.
- In "Born Again Krabs", after Squidward chewed him out for selling SpongeBob to the Flying Dutchman for 62 cents after he stuck up for him, he realizes his greediness got the better of him which led to losing his best fry cook, and decides he doesn't want the money.
Evil Is Hammy: Krabs can be hammy when it comes to money and has his evil moments.
Evil Is Petty: Tying in with his Money Fetish; he is willing to go to extreme lengths to get or save as much as a single penny. He will rip a man's arm off for one, sell his fry cook's soul for less than a dollar and in "Plankton's Regular," he becomes obsessed with taking away Plankton's first (and only) customer simply because he "just can't afford" letting Plankton have any business, legitimate or otherwise, despite this meaning he wouldn't have to worry about the safety of the Krabby Patty formula anymore.
Evil Parents Want Good Kids: His antagonistic traits have become more villainous by the post-movie era, and some episodes showcase him as acting like an Amazingly Embarrassing Parent to Pearl in an attempt to discourage her conformity to toxic stereotypes.
Evil Versus Evil: Him versus Plankton, more often in post-movie seasons. He's become just as villainous and cruel as Plankton, if not more so; a perfect example is in "The Krabby Kronicle", where he forces SpongeBob to publish fake news stories with no regard to how many people's lives will be ruined in the process. Plankton himself is disgusted by Krabs' behavior in this episode ("And I thought I was evil!").
Eye on a Stalk: A prominent part of his design is his long eyestalks, which are the most expressive eyes of any character. His eyes can form the shape of a dollar sign or even bars of gold, stretch or contract as needed, and even serve as extra appendages.
Fatal Flaw: Greed. He craves money so much that he's prone to being manipulated or making monumentally stupid decisions for a sum as small as a mere cent. Squidward uses this to his advantage in "Krusty Towers" where he offers him money to check in as a guest and uses his hotel's policy "We shall never deny a guest even the most ridiculous request" to make Krabs miserable by making him do incredibly difficult tasks like carrying Squidward to the top floor using the stairs and making him eat a disgusting Krabby Patty. In "Born Again Krabs", he ends up selling Spongebob out to The Flying Dutchman because he offered Krabs a measly 62 cents. Squidward calls him out for this and makes Krabs realize that he just sacrificed his biggest source of income and would have had to live with that decision had Spongebob not been so annoying that the Dutchman decided to return him to Krabs.
Fat Bastard: He's not particularly obese, as his large weight is a natural trait of his species. That said, Mr. Krabs is an extremely greedy jerkass of a Bad Boss who puts finance over the well-being of others.
Father Neptune: He has some characteristics of being a seasoned sea captain, especially before his Flanderization. He once was an old Navy deckhand and certainly carries the accent and slang around.
Flanderization: Very early on, while he did have greedy tendencies, he was even an Honest Corporate Executive some of the time. He was gradually turned into an outright Corrupt Corporate Executive with a Money Fetish so extreme he'd go through all kinds of hell just to get a single penny.
Foil: To Squidward. While both of them have no tolerance for funny business, have good hearts every now and then in spite of their jerkassery, respond to SpongeBob's childish behavior with sarcasm, and have gone as far as to plot fatal schemes to get him killed, they're different from each other in that:
- Mr. Krabs is considerably armed and served in the Navy, ultimately justifying his power to take down various antagonists.
- Squidward is emotionally sensitive and insecure when in private, becomes timid whenever he suffers a horrible fate, and has become an exploit of Mr. Krabs' horrible schemes himself.
Flat-Earth Atheist: In "Wishing You Well", he refuses to believe in magic, even when faced with several things that his wishing well granted (Sandy getting a telescope, Mrs. Puff getting a hot rod, and Plankton becoming a giant), and goes so far as to wish that he was steamed and served with melted butter just to spite SpongeBob's belief in it. His wish is immediately granted, much to his horror.
Forever War: With Plankton over the Krabby Patty formula, for more than 25 years.
Four-Legged Insect: While real crabs have 10 limbs (two claws and eight legs), Mr. Krabs has only two legs. When he walks, however, they blur in a manner that gives the appearance of more legs.
Four-Temperament Ensemble: The Choleric (shares this with Sandy). He's hard-working and loves a challenge.
Freudian Excuse: One could easily argue that his greed stems from his bad memories of living in poverty until striking it big; as a kid, his clothing came out of the trash. And that's not even getting into the depression he suffered through serving in the Navy.
Gag Nose: Has a thin, crooked nose often used to sniff out money.
Given Name Reveal: The Krusty Krab Training Video revealed his first name to be Eugene, which has since been used occasionally.
Greed: His entire life revolves around money, to the point where he has physical difficulty just giving up a penny. Heck, he's greedy enough to put Eddy, Wario and even Scrooge McDuck to shame.
Greed Makes You Dumb: Some of his money-making schemes fall into this. In "SpongeBob, You're Fired", he figures out that he can save a nickel by firing SpongeBob and taking over the cooking himself. As it turns out, his terrible cooking nearly puts the Krusty Krab out of business, while SpongeBob finds himself being fought over by four other restaurant managers who want him as an employee for his amazing cooking skills.
Green-Eyed Monster: Though not normally this, "SpongeBob's Place" has him get jealous of SpongeBob's fame in making Krabby Patties, resulting in him sending the sponge home and cooking the patties himself in an attempt to gain some of said fame.
Hair-Trigger Temper: When it comes to money, he can get explosively angry. Seriously you can hurt and kill his employees and he won't care, but so much as touch his money and he will flip the entire world around trying to hurt you.
He Who Fights Monsters: In the pre-movie seasons, Mr. Krabs was the Big Good to Plankton's Big Bad, simply defending his business against Plankton's Evil Plans. Post-movie, due to Flanderization, he's often shown to be just as evil and cruel as Plankton, if not worse, and often makes it his personal duty to sabotage Plankton when he's making legitimate profits or simply isn't miserable. In "The Krabby Kronicle", Plankton himself is actually disgusted at how low Krabs is willing to stoop just to make a quick buck:
Plankton: And I thought I was evil!
Hoist by His Own Petard: Whenever he gets a comeuppance, it's usually a result of his own schemes coming back to bite him in the ass.
- In "Wet Painters", after admitting that the "permanent" paint was saliva-soluble and telling SpongeBob and Patrick that he told them differently just to mess with them, he laughs so hard at his own joke that he splatters spittle all over the room and washes off all of the paint.
- In "Krusty Towers", he opens the titular hotel, giving it the policy "We shall never deny a guest, even the most ridiculous request." He learns to regret this when Squidward gets fed up with waiting on Patrick hand and foot, quits his job, and then returns as a guest so he can milk the policy for all it's worth.
- In "The Krabby Kronicle", he starts a tabloid newspaper for money, forcing SpongeBob to write defaming lies in the paper that ruin the reputations of the townspeople before eventually telling SpongeBob to "surprise him" with a great story. SpongeBob does so by printing the truth about the stories and what Krabs made him do, which leads to an angry mob taking all of their money back from Krabs en masse.
- In "Slumber Party", he recruits SpongeBob to stop Pearl and her friends from destroying his house during their slumber party. SpongeBob successfully gets into the house, but while trying to show Pearl that he's fun, ends up destroying Krabs' house himself.
Honest Corporate Executive: Before his flanderization, he was greedy but ethical.
Humanity Ensues: Happens to him briefly in the movie when King Neptune tries to unfreeze him, accidentally setting his trident to "real boy ending". Thankfully, he is turned back to normal seconds later.
Human Popsicle: In the movie, when Plankton frames him for stealing King Neptune's crown, the angry king freezes the poor crab so he won't escape. This, of course, gives Plankton a chance to steal the Krabby Patty formula and take over Bikini Bottom.
Humiliation Conga: Gets one at the end of "Krabby Land", where the children take back the money they gave him and he's forced to watch this while a pair of burly guys force-feed him lima beans.
Hypocrite: Often shows signs of being hypocritical. For example, in "Slumber Party", he becomes convinced that Pearl and her friends will destroy his house and recruits SpongeBob to stop them from doing so... after he acts it out by personally destroying SpongeBob's house. His interactions with Plankton prove far more prominent though with him resorting to Unsportsmanlike Gloating and kicking Plankton while he's down with any moment Plankton gets the upper hand against Krabs resulting in him flipping into Sore Loser mode in a very violent and enraged manner.
Idiot Ball: He can completely lose rational thought in the face of money.
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.
In the Blood: "Grandpappy The Pirate" implies his cheap methods stem from his grandfather's pirate lineage. After spending the whole episode pretending to be a pirate like him, only to to confess at the end that he's just a restaurant owner, Grandpa Redbeard is actually impressed with how much money he's charging for the food, and how he should be considered a pirate anyway for it.
Mr. Krabs: I knew I got me talent from someone! [laughs]
Inspector Javert:
- In "Karate Choppers", he orders SpongeBob to give up his obsession with karate for good, or he's fired. As SpongeBob is leaving the Krusty Krab, contemplating how to break the news to Sandy, Sandy herself comes in and starts attacking him, dismissing SpongeBob's attempts to explain what Krabs said. Mr. Krabs comes out at that exact moment and sees it, and despite the fact that SpongeBob was literally standing there doing absolutely nothing while Sandy was trying to instigate, automatically assumes that SpongeBob was disobeying his orders and fires him on the spot.
- In "Can You Spare a Dime?", when his first dime goes missing, he automatically assumes that Squidward stole it on the basis that Squidward has been manning the register all day and is thus the only one who could have taken it. As it turns out, the dime was in his pocket the whole time; even then, instead of assuming the logical thing and realizing that he had it in his pocket all along, he states that Squidward put it there because "dimes don't just fly into people's pants."
Interspecies Romance:
- Falls hard for Mrs. Puff in "Krusty Love". He's remained in a romantic relationship with her ever since. And of course, the fact that his daughter is a whale and is strongly implied to be his biological daughter.
- The SpongeBob Trivia Book states that Pearl takes after her mother, confirming that she came from a whale. He was undoubtedly married to a whale at some point.
It Amused Me: In "Wet Painters", Mr. Krabs convinces SpongeBob and Patrick to paint the inside of his house, but states that the paint in question is permanent and if they get even a single drop on anything but the walls, he will chop their butts off and mount them over the fireplace. They accidentally get it on his first dollar, and Mr. Krabs simply licks the paint off and reveals that the paint is actually saliva-soluble. When he tells them that he told them as such just to mess with them, Sponge and Pat are not happy and immediately leave in disgust.
It's All About Me: Arguably the most selfish character on the show, he will put money over the very lives of others, including himself.
Jerkass: He started out as a Jerk with a Heart of Gold in the pre-movie seasons, as he was a rather quirky but fair-natured boss; he just liked money a little too much, and his greed was played for laughs. Plus, he still had some redeeming qualities such as genuinely caring for his daughter Pearl and SpongeBob, bordering as a father figure to the latter. By the post-movie seasons, however, he's become an utterly cold-hearted, power-hungry, greedy bastard with barely any respect for anyone or anything but money and himself. He was mean and unsympathetic a lot of the time too in early seasons, though not as much as he is in later seasons.
Jerkass Has a Point:
- Generally, episodes like "Krusty Love" and "Born Again Krabs" would have him establish how one reason for his cheap ways is so he can at least afford enough money to stay in business and pay for services.
- In "Karate Choppers." While forcing SpongeBob not to do karate anymore period is a dick move, and firing him on the spot for seeing Sandy trying to do provoke him into fighting even more so, Mr. Krabs does have a valid point; SpongeBob's obsession with karate had begun to interfere with his business, considering that he attacked Squidward, a random customer, and Krabs himself while he was using the bathroom thinking they were Sandy trying to provoke him into another match; after all, there's a time and a place for everything.
- He’ll occasionally call out Squidward for his laziness.
  Squidward: I always thought the most important rule was ‘why do today what you can put off till tomorrow?’
  Mr. Krabs: What is today, but yesterday’s tomorrow?
  Squidward: Huh?
- In "Krusty Love." While he repeatedly chews out SpongeBob for buying Mrs. Puff gifts and spending his money when he asked him to do so, he does have a leg to stand on, since he specifically told SpongeBob not to let him spend any money, no matter what he might say or do to convince him otherwise. The problem is, Mr. Krabs should know that SpongeBob's Undying Loyalty and Extreme Doormat tendencies really don't leave him equipped for a task like that.
  Mr. Krabs: Lad, I can't help it if you're loose with other people's money.
Jerkass to One: While he's become a cold-hearted, greedy Jerkass who only cares about making money at the expense of everyone else, he seems to have a special hatred for Plankton, making efforts to actively sabotage Plankton when he's making legitimate profits or simply trying to make him miserable. He's at his lowest in "One Course Meal", where Krabs relentlessly torments him psychologically by dressing up as Pearl (since whales eat plankton), to the extent that Plankton is nearly Driven to Suicide, all for the sake of a cheap laugh. Of course, Plankton’s feelings towards Krabs are pretty mutual.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: On his better days - Krabs may be greedy and selfish, but he still genuinely loves his daughter Pearl and has done legitimately kind things like using his money to cheer SpongeBob up in "Best Day Ever" and calling out Squidward for reading SpongeBob's diary in "Little Yellow Book".

K-P

Karma Houdini:
- In post-movie seasons, he is essentially the living, breathing incarnate of avoiding comeuppance from one's actions, considering that he somehow gets away scot-free with anything he does nowadays (ranging from theft to poisoning his customers to even driving people to suicide), sometimes leaving someone to take the blame/pay the price. There are even times near the end of some episodes when it looks like Krabs is about to receive his comeuppance (or in rare cases, actually does), but something happens at the end that puts the situation in Krabs's favor, if not lets him escape punishment entirely. This changed in post-sequel seasons, however.
- Mr. Krabs' treatment of Plankton in "One Coarse Meal": Mr. Krabs torments Plankton psychologically by dressing up as Pearl (since whales eat plankton) to such a degree that he is Driven to Suicide. And Mr. Krabs just laughs it off. SpongeBob later on realizes this is going too far and tells Plankton the truth, but in the end he protects Mr. Krabs and he never gets his comeuppance or shows even a grain of remorse for his deeds.
Karma Houdini Warranty: While he does get away with a lot of horrible deeds in the post-movie seasons, episodes such as "The Cent of Money" (where he loses the money he obtained using the refrigerator magnet in Gary's stomach when the doctor takes it as payment for the medical bill) and "Patty Caper" (where he is forced to give away free patties as punishment for stealing his own secret ingredient to get out of paying for delivery) end with him getting a suitable comeuppance.
Kick the Dog: Rule of Claw: If there's money involved, then Krabs will cross lines to either save it or earn more. Firing his best frycook to save an nickel, abusing Jellyfish for his Jelly Patties and harshly berating Spongebob for using too much mustard are just an few examples.
- One really nasty case that didn't even involve money was "One Coarse Meal" where he nearly drives Plankton to suicide and laughs upon hearing the news.
Knight of Cerebus: Becomes a serious threat in "One Coarse Meal" where he almost drives Plankton to suicide and loves every minute of it.
Knight Templar: His occasional treatment of Plankton leans towards believing that he's in the right by going to extremes. 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.
Lack of Empathy: Exaggerated in later seasons. Especially in "One Coarse Meal", where he drives Plankton to suicide just to get a cheap laugh.
Large Ham: When it comes to anything involving money, he will get particularly hammy.
Last-Name Basis: Almost everyone calls him Mr. Krabs, rarely using his first name; in "Sleepy Time", his driver's license even says "Mr. Krabs." It wasn't until "Krusty Krab Training Video" that his first name was revealed.
Laser-Guided Karma: He often gets punished immediately after his misdeeds in earlier seasons, and again in most recent ones such as "The Cent Of Money" (where he loses the money he obtained from abusing Gary when the funds he's amassed is taken by the doctor to pay for the medical bill of extracting the refrigerator magnet from Gary's stomach).
Leitmotif: And accordion version of the classic shanty "What Shall We Do With A Drunken Sailor."
Lethal Chef: Zigzagged. Usually, he's a terrible cook, creating a disgusting and freakish "appetizer" in "Squilliam Returns", which eventually comes to life and begins attacking the restaurant's patrons. By contrast, he portrays himself as a Supreme Chef in his story in "Pull Up a Barrel" (albeit one who's forced to serve slop by his captain), but it's all a yarn anyway. However, he is also considered the creator of the Krabby Patty Formula, which is considered delicious by almost every character in-universe.
A Lighter Shade of Black: His more "greedy and villainous" traits make him act just as ruthless and self-centered as his rival, Plankton, but despite that, Krabs still has the slightest moral ground because he's not an outright devious schemer and in fact has the ability to care (occasionally). Granted, he's still a greedy, self-centered, and highly despicable Jerkass either way.
Like a Son to Me: In "SpongeBob, You're Fired", he considers SpongeBob something of a son. Of course, he can't argue with a nickel.
Love at First Sight: Usually with money, but it also happens with Mrs. Puff in "Krusty Love."
Made of Iron: His shell is nearly impossible to scratch. It makes sense because he is a crab.
Manly Tears: Mr. Krabs is a manly man who fears nothing because of his experience as a veteran. Despite this, he openly cries whenever he suffers his worst fate yet.
Mean Boss: On his bad days. He would yell at his employees whenever they're screwing things up or when they're goofing off, which is something SpongeBob can attest to.
Money Fetish: Mr. Krabs is one of the most infamous examples in Western Animation. His defining character trait is that he's obsessed with money. He frequently takes it to ridiculous levels, to the point of bathing in money, 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).
Moral Myopia: Played for Laughs. He is the first to call out Squidward for his bad attitude towards customers and remind him of the policy "the customer is always right" whenever their demands become unreasonable. This will of course only stay true so long as there is money in the equation. If a customer fails to pay or presses his cheapskate buttons, Krabs will surpass Squidward in harassing or even violently assaulting them. In cases such as "Bubble Buddy" this often comes with a bit of I Warned You from Squidward.
Mr. Vice Guy: When the show started out, he was a decent guy, but a bit greedy.
Naked People Are Funny: One notable example is in "The Algae's Always Greener", where Plankton's switching lives with Mr. Krabs affects their wardrobe as well as their careers.
Plankton: Good grief, he's naked!
Necessarily Evil: Krabs is a greedy restaurant owner and thoroughly a Jerkass to all of the cast in his pursuit of money (and even then, when he gets it, he's too selfish to know what to do with it); and yet, as we learn in Sponge Out of Water, without his signature fast food restaurant, the entirety of Bikini Bottom falls into ruin. Also, in the first film, while he's frozen by King Neptune the entire time, Plankton is given the opening to transform Bikini Bottom into an egopolis.
Never My Fault: This is one crab who refuses to own up to anything he does.
- In "Nasty Patty", he blames SpongeBob for "killing" the health inspector with their Nasty Patty even though he himself made the idea in the first place. When SpongeBob reminds him that it was his idea, Krabs retorts, "Well, you could've talked me out of it!"
- As revealed in "Friend or Foe", his rivalry with Plankton began when they blamed each other for messing up the Krabby Patty formula, as it resulted in the death of their first customer. Both of them would later forget about this over their other motivations.
- In "Krusty Love", he brings SpongeBob along on his date with Mrs. Puff and puts him in charge of his money to make sure he doesn't spend it all, but he nonetheless keeps demanding that SpongeBob buy increasingly unnecessary items for Mrs. Puff, all while lashing out at him for spending his money when he was the one who asked him to do so in the first place. When SpongeBob calls him on it, Mr. Krabs retorts that it's not his fault that SpongeBob is "loose with other people's money." At this point, SpongeBob snaps, gives Mr. Krabs a hell of a tongue-lashing, and storms off.
- After he re-hires Squidward in "Can You Spare A Dime", Krabs has another argument with Squidward about the latter putting the dime in his pants. Mr. Krabs refuses to own up to the fact that Squidward never really touched his dime and that he simply just misplaced it.
Nice, Mean, and In-Between: The in-between one when paired with SpongeBob and Squidward. He can be nice on occasions, but is a bit of a money-grubbing boss. In the post-movie episodes, Krabs and Squidward switched places, with the former becoming a ruthless bureaucrat while the latter remained the Snark Knight Anti-Hero he's always been.
Nominal Hero: In post-movie seasons (and some episodes prior), he's as unethical if not more so than Plankton, and is only better off due to attempting to defend his belongings, and even then he is often needlessly cruel and sadistic in doing so.
No Plans, No Prototype, No Backup: As revealed in Sponge Out of Water, Mr. Krabs made a rule that only one copy of the Krabby Patty formula could exist and that no one was allowed to memorize it. This comes back to bite him when Burger-Beard steals the formula right when more patties need to be made.
The Nose Knows: This is how he's able to differentiate the types of dollars and coins he comes across.
Ocular Gushers: He is shown to cry immense showers of tears in both "Clams" and "Mr. Krabs Takes a Vacation".
Offended by an Inferior's Success: He hates Plankton for trying to rob him sure, but he also seems to get offended by the idea of Plankton gaining success via legitimate means. "Plankton's Regular" takes the cake, as even when Plankton agrees to stop trying to steal the Krabby Patty Formula, Krabs insists on trying to take Plankton's one customer.
Official Couple: With Mrs. Puff. As of "Whirly Brains", they have been dating for sixteen years in canon.
One of the Kids: This gets Invoked on him in "Mid-Life Crustacean", where he hangs out with SpongeBob and Patrick at night to engage in the most mundane of activities to feel young again after suffering a mid-life crisis.
Only in It for the Money: He does everything he can to make more money. Even his worst moments can be traced back to this.
Only Sane by Comparison: Despite often acting as a voice of reason to his employees, he's still incredibly greedy and cheap and prone to fits of insanity himself, mostly because of his greed. All the same, though...
Only Sane Man: Krabs often acts as the straight man to the Krusty Krew. Between SpongeBob's relentless optimism and energy, Squidward's terrible attitude and laziness and Patrick's stupidity, it often falls to Mr. Krabs to keep them all in line and lead them to whatever goal he has in mind.
O.O.C. Is Serious Business:
- Anytime he willingly lets his customers leave, such as in "Arrgh!" where he throws Fred out of the building all because he interrupted his game; or in "Clams" where he forces all of his customers to leave so he could cherish his millionth dollar to himself.
- Despite loving money more than anything else in the world, no amount of it will make him part with or reveal the Secret Formula, since his entire livelihood rests on it.
- In "Nasty Patty", he was so afraid of going to prison, that he's willing to give money away to the cops.
Overly-Nervous Flop Sweat: Nervous may be pushing it, but Mr. Krabs is infamous among his peers for being an extremely profuse sweater. In "Arrgh!", SpongeBob points out how sweaty he is twice in a row, while Patrick points it out once and nicknames him "Sweaty", and in "Sailor Mouth", Patrick calls Mr. Krabs, "the red, sweaty guy you work for." This seems to also be part of his success as a business owner according to "Krusty Krab Training Video".
"The story of the Krusty Krab is a story of one man's hard work, perseverance, vision, determination, and sweat. But mostly, his sweat."
Parental Substitute: In some early episodes, he acts as a father figure and mentor to SpongeBob, teaching him not to play on dangerous hooks ("Hooky"), say bad words ("Sailor Mouth"), or fight with Patrick over toys ("Yours, Mine, and Mine").
Penny-Pinching Crab: Trope Codifier. He is an anthropomorphic crab, and the wealthy owner of the fast food restaurant the Krusty Krab. Krabs is shown to have a Money Fetish, caring about money more than anything else and often doing whatever it takes to get more of it.
Pet the Dog: Even in later seasons, there are still some episodes that show him as a good guy. He can sometimes be nice to SpongeBob, despite his greed and Jerkass tendencies.
Pointy-Haired Boss: He's either an incompetent boss or Mean Boss, Depending on the Writer.
Prone to Tears: Not to the extent of his daughter or SpongeBob, but he'll be quick to break down in tears whenever it seems he's bankrupt, or money is involved in a negative way, like when he loses it or it (seemingly) gets destroyed. This is most prominent in post-movie episodes.
Psychopathic Manchild: Mr. Krabs is a full-grown man who served in the Navy, yet he's a borderline deranged sociopath who will go to disturbing lengths in pursuit of a penny, anthropomorphizes his money and bathes in it on a regular basis, and cries very often and longs for his mother whenever he meets his own end.

R-Z

Real Men Wear Pink: In the episode "Nasty Patty", Mr. Krabs is cited to wear hair curlers to bed, despite not having any hair on his head.
Reasonable Authority Figure: Tends to play in episodes where he's oddly kinder than usual, even the dark ones:
- In "Model Sponge" when SpongeBob is confessing to him, he promises not to fire him as long as he does his job.
- In "A Pal For Gary", he was actually remorseful for SpongeBob thinking Gary is lonely and lets him attain to his pet, and in the end when SpongeBob brings Gary to the Krusty Krab, he is happy to let the snail work with him.
- In "Yours, Mine and Mine", he was upset at SpongeBob and Patrick's brawl over Patty Pal and quickly resolves the argument.
Red Baron: Was known as Armor Abs Krabs back in his Navy days.
Red Live Lobster: He is an anthropomorphic red crab, placing him in the next two tropes below.
Red Is Heroic: Zigzagged. While unscrupulous at times, is generally a decent guy with some noble acts and is often depicted as one of the main heroes of the show.
Red Is Violent: At the worst of times, he can be this. Notable examples include destroying Plankton's gift shop in "New Leaf" and attempting to kill Squidward in "Out of the Picture".
Retired Badass: Was an extremely tough Navy Crab in his younger days, as shown in several episodes.
Ridiculously Cute Critter: As a baby, he's pretty adorable.
Sadist: In the post-movie episodes, he takes enjoyment out of other's suffering. Especially when it comes to Plankton, perfect examples of this are in "One Coarse Meal" (where he tries to drive him to suicide by scaring him with his fear of whales).
The Scrooge: He is very cheap and reluctant to spend money, so much that he makes Scrooge McDuck look like a spendthrift.
Seadog Peg Leg: His legs very much resemble peg legs.
Self-Made Man: For all his faults (and he has plenty), he did work his way up from almost nothing to get where he is.
Semiaquatic Species Sailor: Although the whole series takes place underwater, it's notable that the character who uses the most stereotypical sailing motifs is Mr. Krabs. Crabs can live both on land and in the water, as even lampshaded in one episode when he goes into Sandy's treedome without a helmet.
Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: The Manly Man to SpongeBob's Sensitive Guy. Mr. Krabs is a strong and armed Retired Badass who served in the Navy, while SpongeBob is a cowardly doormat and fragile flower who's In Touch with His Feminine Side and openly cries out loud whenever upset.
- He's also the Manly Man to Squidward's Sensitive Guy, given that Squidward's interests (clarinet playing, art, and interpretive dancing) are less manly than his own (money grubbing).
Serious Business: He will put other people's lives in danger, even his own, just to make a quick buck.
Seven Deadly Sins: Embodies greed. He's a Penny-Pinching Crab who will stoop to any and all lows just to make a quick buck.
Shell-Shocked Veteran: "The Krusty Krab Training Video" implies he used to be a veteran who was traumatized by what he saw.
Signature Laugh: "Ar-ar-ar-ar-ar-ar-ar!"
Signature Sound Effect: His scuttling feet create a distinct ticking noise.
The Sociopath: Especially after the movie. He is quite often immoral and insensitive whenever he wants to make easy money (which is pretty much all the time).
Sold His Soul for a Donut: The end of "Money Talks" reveals that Mr. Krabs regularly sells his soul for any number of things, to the point where there's a waiting line for his soul that includes SpongeBob (Mr. Krabs was 5 dollars short on payday).
Species Surname: Eugene Harold Krabs. Subverted, since the "K" replacing the "C" and the "s" at the end. It does, however, still apply since Mr. Krabs is a crab and that's how his last name is pronounced.
Spotlight-Stealing Squad: Beginning with Season 6, Mr. Krabs has gained an unhealthy amount of focus alongside SpongeBob and Plankton. There have been streaks of episodes centered on Mr. Krabs, giving most of the recurring characters less focus in favor of him as the seasons pass by.
Strong as They Need to Be: Since he served in the Navy, Mr. Krabs can easily take down even the highest people of authority. However, his strength tends to fluctuate, as "Patty Caper" shows him weak enough to be restrained by the police.
Stupid Evil: He takes his Money Fetish to such extremes that he often wastes money on being greedy.
- In "Born Again Krabs", SpongeBob sticks up for Mr. Krabs to save him from the Flying Dutchman, wagering his own soul that Mr. Krabs is indeed generous... and is Instantly Proven Wrong when Krabs agrees without hesitation to trade him to the Dutchman for all the change in the Dutchman's pocket (a mere 62 cents). It's only afterwards, in part due to Squidward giving him a What the Hell, Hero?, that he realizes that sacrificing his best fry cook for less than a dollar wasn't exactly a smart move.
- The same episode opens with him demanding a rotten and moldy patty get sold, despite the fact that it will naturally lose them money in the long run, which it does. All he thinks about is the immediate satisfaction of the paying customer.
- In "Patty Caper", just when he's about to have SpongeBob arrested, he ends up pointing at him with the stolen secret ingredient itself, which results in him having to confess everything; that he stole the secret ingredient to save $1.99 and planned to let SpongeBob take the fall. Even if he did get away with framing SpongeBob, he just got rid of the only fry cook who could make the Krabby Patties with the secret ingredient that he went through the trouble of trying to save less than two dollars on. Clearly Mr. Krabs Didn't Think This Through, at least not with who he should have framed.
- In "Penny Foolish", Krabs sees SpongeBob pick up a penny off the street, and becomes so obsessed with getting the penny that he's willing to spend millions of dollars on building a movie theater just so he can charge SpongeBob one cent for entering.
- In "SpongeBob, You're Fired", he decides to fire SpongeBob simply to save a nickel and cook the Krabby Patties himself, choosing SpongeBob rather than Squidward, despite SpongeBob being a much better and more competent employee, on the grounds that Squidward has seniority. Sadly, Mr. Krabs proves to be even more of a Lethal Chef than Squidward, and the Krusty Krab soon goes downhill.
Super-Strength: At times, he has been shown to move the Krusty Krab establishment without much effort!
Talk Like a Pirate: His iconic voice uses a growly tone with a pirate accent.
Team Dad: He serves as one to SpongeBob and Patrick when it comes to keeping them on the right track from time to time. Examples include "Hooky" and "Sailor Mouth".
Those Two Guys: Occasionally with Squidward in the earlier seasons, considering how both of them act more like adults in contrast to SpongeBob and Patrick.
Tiny Guy, Huge Girl: He's a crab and his daughter is a whale. If supplemental materials are to be believed, he was also this with his wife.
Token Evil Teammate: In later seasons, he's at least the most unscrupulous and dishonest of the main characters.
Too Dumb to Live: Surely eating an old Krabby Patty that's been under the grill for God knows how long was the best he's had in mind, right? The fact that he told SpongeBob to wrap it up to finish the rest later? Bonus points!
Took a Level in Jerkass: Over the course of the series, Krabs went from a decent, if money-obsessed, businessman, to a horrendous boss who has a Money Fetish.
The Unfettered: Depending on the Writer, Mr. Krabs will do anything to make a quick buck.
Ungrateful Bastard: In "Born Again Krabs": SpongeBob sticks up for Mr. Krabs to save him from the Flying Dutchman, even making a Deal with the Devil to do so... and Krabs repays him by trading SpongeBob to the Dutchman for 62 cents without hesitation. This was such a Jerkass move that Squidward, who hates SpongeBob, gave him a scathing What the Hell, Hero? over it. In the end, Krabs only regretted it because he realized that sacrificing his best fry cook for a meager direct profit was a very stupid move.
Unscrupulous Hero: In the pre-movie seasons at least. He was still incredibly greedy and often unethical, but he was simply defending his intellectual property from Plankton and demonstrates more redeeming characteristics.
Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonist: Especially in later seasons, where his love of money is taken to rather selfish extremes.
Vague Age: Mr. Krabs is old. How old he is, on the other hand, seems to vary from episode to episode. Mr. Krabs’s driver’s license says he was born on 30 November 1942, but “Can You Spare a Dime?” shows that his first dime was a giant rock, implying that he’s been around much longer than that. In "Mall Girl Pearl", however, his birthdate is 25 September 1960. Further complicating things, both his mother and his grandfather are still alive.
Villain Protagonist: Post-Movie, he's blatantly unethical and cruel. Though it still depends.
Villain with Good Publicity: Calling him a villain is a stretch but despite his (sometimes) law-breaking schemes, the Krusty Krab's reputation is still among the best in Bikini Bottom and it is practically the town's meeting place. It’s a bit downplayed since many customers often display disgust or exasperation with him, especially for his various get-rich-quick schemes, even if he’s generally one of the leaders of the community.
Vocal Evolution: As Clancy Brown has been voicing the character for two decades, Mr. Krabs’s voice has gotten more gravely and squeakier as Brown has aged.
We Used to Be Friends: With Plankton. It was the Krabby Patty Formula that caused them to become Arch Enemies with each other.
White-Collar Crime: There have been instances in which Mr. Krabs has committed multiple acts of corporate corruption to increase his fortune.
X Must Not Win: Even when Plankton is making legitimate profits, Krabs will go out of his way to sabotage it. It reaches truly ridiculous levels in "Plankton's Regular", where he becomes obsessed with ruining Plankton when he gained one customer.

Characters / SpongeBob SquarePants: Mr. Krabs

Eugene Harold Krabs

Voiced by: Clancy Brown (English, Season 1-Present), Joe Whyte (English Battle for Bikini Bottom) Bob Joles (English, Truth or Square)^{additional VAs}

Debut: "Help Wanted"

Video Example(s):

Mr. Krabs greedy moments

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Mr. Krabs greedy moments

Characters / SpongeBob SquarePants: Mr. Krabs

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Eugene Harold Krabs

Debut: "Help Wanted"

Video Example(s):

Mr. Krabs greedy moments

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Mr. Krabs greedy moments