Original air date: 7/5/2010 (produced in 2008)
King Neptune celebrates his 5000th birthday at the Krusty Krab. Neptune can't enjoy his birthday party after SpongeBob brings up his estranged son Triton, who Neptune locked away due to his obsession with mortals. Hoping to cheer Neptune up, SpongeBob decides to free Triton, but this turns out to be a bad idea.
"The Clash of Triton" contains examples of the following tropes:
- Birthday Episode: King Neptune celebrates his 5000th birthday.
- Bittersweet Ending: Triton's rampage results in Neptune reconciling with him, but SpongeBob and Patrick are chased by an angry mob for allowing Triton to go on said rampage.
- Chased Off into the Sunset: The episode ends with SpongeBob and Patrick being chased by the Bikini Bottomites to parts unknown, upon learning Triton's rampage was all because of SpongeBob.
- Cutting the Knot: The lock to Triton's cage is in the form of a slider puzzle. SpongeBob is unable to figure it out, but Patrick solves it by peeling off the stickers and putting them in the right order.
- The Dog Bites Back: Triton locks Neptune in the same cage after he escapes.
- Failed a Spot Check: SpongeBob and Patrick hide inside a grill and inch right in front of Triton in order to free King Neptune. You would think he'd notice a grill suddenly appearing right in front of him.
- Faint in Shock: Mr. Krabs has this reaction after SpongeBob cooked 5000 Krabby Patties (one for every year King Neptune has been alive), since each patty costs $3.99, Neptune is getting $19,950 worth of Krabby Patties.
- Floating Continent: Triton is imprisoned on the Island in the Sky; which is really more of an island floating below the ocean's surface and above the seabed.
- Gone Horribly Right: As punishment for not smiting people with his powers, Neptune locks Triton away. When he's released, he becomes vengeful and destroys Bikini Bottom, though it's this last part that helps Neptune reconcile with his son.
- Handy Feet: In honor of "Work Without Your Hands Day", SpongeBob uses his feet to answer the phone.
- Jerkass Gods: Neptune was furious that Triton wanted to do things like play baseball and cure diseases rather than use his powers to smite people. Neptune only reconciles with his son after Triton becomes one himself and goes on a rampage through Bikini Bottom.
- Karma Houdini: Triton never suffers punishment for the destruction he causes and is instead praised by Neptune for it. Instead SpongeBob and Patrick are chased by the angry townsfolk after they learn that they were the ones who released Triton in the first place.
- Punished for Sympathy: King Neptune reveals that the reason he is sad during his 5,000th birthday is because he misses his son Triton, whom he locked in a cage on the Island in the Sky for 10,000 years (although specifically, Triton has only been in the cage for 1,000 years) because he made a cure for all diseases, hoping that would teach him how to be a god.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Triton goes on one after being released from his prison.
- Sadly Mythtaken: Amphitrite was the Greek Goddess of the Sea and wife of the Greek god Poseidon. The Roman Neptune had a wife named Salacia, but she wasn't as prominent a figure to the Romans as Amphitrite was to the Greeks.
- Shout-Out: The episode's title is a parody of Clash Of The Titans.
- So Proud of You: Upon seeing all the destruction Triton caused during his Roaring Rampage of Revenge, Neptune reconciles with Triton.
- Special Guest: John O'Hurley returns as King Neptune, Victoria Beckham as Queen Amphitrite, and Sebastian Bach as Triton.
- Take Me Instead: After being imprisoned along with the rest of his associates in a cage by Triton, Neptune appeals to his son to free the others but that he himself will stay in the cage. Triton refuses seeing no sympathy for them as well.
- Used to Be a Sweet Kid: As a kid, all Triton wanted to do was play baseball and cure mortal diseases.
- You Need a Breath Mint: While talking to Triton in his cage, SpongeBob gets horribly close to the point where Triton can smell his bad breath.
