The SpongeBob SquarePants Anime is a Web Animation by Narmak depicting the cast of SpongeBob SquarePants in a stereotypical Animesque style as an Affectionate Parody of both the cartoon and basic Fighting Series tropes. It initially began as a series of Anime Opening Parodies.
The age-old question has never been answered: what if SpongeBob was made by an anime studio? The answer is this series of videos. Join SpongeBob and the Krusty Krew as they fight to save Bikini Bottom against the evil forces of the Chum Bucket.
The first video
, titled "The SpongeBob SquarePants Anime - OP 1" was uploaded to YouTube on August 23, 2017 and quickly went viral, currently sitting at over 17 million views. A sequel was also made by Narmak and published on February 3, 2018. The third video was published on March 24, 2019. Additionally, an ending song video was also published on Nov 13, 2019. A compilation of all four videos was released on November 15, 2019.
The creator has said that he intends to create a series of shorts and has uploaded songs from the OST. The first short was uploaded on July 23, 2020.
Tropes:
- Acrofatic: Bubble Bass is scary fast for a man of his weight.
- Patrick qualifies too. He's a very capable fighter in spite of his weight.
- Actionized Adaptation: A comedic cartoon series is turned into an action-packed fighting anime, complete with speed lines, Take a Moment to Catch Your Death, and explosions.
- Adaptational Attractiveness:
- Squidward has a much more humanoid design, looking less like a bipedal squid and more like a bald, muscular man with two sets of legs. His nose is also much smaller and more realistically proportioned in comparison to the rest of his face and head than it is in the cartoon.
- Sandy similarly looks much more like a slender humanoid female with a squirrel's ears and a tail. She also lacks an overbite this time around.
- A minor case with SpongeBob himself: while he retains his square proportions, his arms and legs have more visible muscle tone and his face has been redesigned to look less cartoonish and more Kenshiro-esque. Like Sandy, he also lacks his prominent buck teeth.
- Patrick now has a more revealing outfit combined with a slightly more trim and muscular build. The key phrase here being "slightly".
- Adaptational Badass:
- While SpongeBob in the Cartoon is pretty much a wimp (except in the few episodes which he practices karate with Sandy), here he shows to be completely able to hold himself during fights. In the first short he ends up decapitating Bubble Bass with his bare hands.
- Plankton is a Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain in the cartoon, with his mirobolant plans to get the secret formula always failling. In the OPs he shows to be an evil mastermind that caused much more harm than he ever caused in the cartoon (without considering The Movie).
- Adaptational Intelligence: Patrick. His spiritual monologue about SpongeBob and Squidward's bravery and physical attractiveness is NOT something you would hear from the original Patrick.
- Adaptation Personality Change: Naturally, since all of the characters conform to anime archetypes:
- SpongeBob is just as histrionic as the canon version, but here he is perfectly willing to fight to protect his friends, and can be rather violent while doing so, straight up decapitating Bubble Bass while avenging Squidward, and not even being fazed by it.
- Squidward has become The Lancer who has only a friendly rivalry with SpongeBob, and is a devoted employee at the Krusty Krab, wishing that he could be as cool and beloved as SpongeBob is. Of course, the Squidward from the actual cartoon thinks SpongeBob is an annoying prick and doesn't care one bit about his job.
- Sandy is a Neutral Female who breaks down when seeing Squidward's and Bubble Bass's fight, which is a far cry from the rough-and-ready karate-user and scientist of the original cartoon. She is also clingy towards SpongeBob in some scenes, while in the original cartoon, she was way tougher than him. Though in the openings she is shown to still be a skilled fighter. SpongeBob also mentions that she and Patrick are "some of the most skilled sea dwellers he knows".
- Patrick of all people delivers the sage monologue about the characters and their will to fight on, instead of being, well, Patrick Star.
- Mr. Krabs's greedy nature is hardly mentioned, being more of The Mentor, though he's still rather cavalier about people's lives.
- Adaptational Skimpiness: Instead of his Bermuda shorts, Patrick now wears a thong.
- Adaptational Villainy:
- Squidward is a Jerkass in the original cartoon, but here he's The Dragon to the Big Bad and implied to have undergone a Face–Heel Turn. Subverted at least in the actual first episode, where he's just The Rival to SpongeBob.
- Plankton as well, to a lesser extent. In the original cartoon he can be a rather comedic antagonist and has some redeeming qualities, though here he appears to just be a cruel mastermind.
- The Flying Dutchman, Kevin and Bubble Bass too, in OP 3. Like Plankton, these three were minor comedy villains in the original cartoon. Here though, they're fighting right at Plankton's side. In the anime proper, Bubble Bass even comes close to killing Squidward and feels no remorse for it; his only regret being that Squidward's supposed death would be going against Plankton's orders.
- The way Princess Mindy from the first movie is portrayed in OP 3 implies there's something secretly sinister about her.
- Adapted Out: Mrs. Puff and Pearl are the only main characters in the original show who don't make an appearance here.
- Affectionate Parody: Of SpongeBob and anime in general, with a focus on fighting anime from the 80s and 90s.
- Alternate Continuity: Possibly between the OP trio and the episodes. Another option is that the episodes are a sequel to the OP trio, as its "theme" is mostly the third OP and Sandy is missing the arm she lost in the first OP.
- Ambiguously Bi: Despite the suggestive images between Squidward and SpongeBob in OPs 1 and 2 (see below), SpongeBob is shown kissing Sandy in OP 3. It may be the reason Squidward was looking to "regain his honor" against Bubble Bass.
- Ambiguously Gay: Patrick's comments about both SpongeBob and Squidward being very attractive sound rather homoerotic.
- An Arm and a Leg:
- Sandy loses her arm in a fight with Squidward in the first OP.
- Squidward loses both arms in the fight against the hooded figure in OP 3. Ditto for Bubble Bass who also lost an arm earlier in the opening, mirroring his fate in the first episode.
- Angry Collar Grab: SpongeBob grabs DoodleBob's bowtie in their fight in OP 3.
- Anime Opening Parody: This originally began as fully-animated anime opening parodies of SpongeBob before becoming a series of shorts.
- Animesque: The point of the series is that it's SpongeBob portrayed as an action-oriented anime.
- Artifact of Doom: The 5-Pickled Patty: The Krabby Patty of darkness from which Mr. Krabs's Secret Formula originated.
- Back from the Dead: The third opening implies that Patrick was resurrected, a scene of him jumping right to a hooded figure with his build. Actual starfish can regenerate up to three limbs.
- Backup From Other World: Patrick's ghost shows up to give SpongeBob the strength to fight Squidward in the second video.
- Big "SHUT UP!": SpongeBob yells "Shut the hell up!" after Bubble Bass mocks both him and Squidward.
- Bloodier and Gorier: The original cartoon had little to no blood, while this series has plenty.
- Bowdlerization: Inverted. The Krabby Patty formula is just a recipe in the Nicktoon, and written on a piece of paper in a bottle. Here, the formula is some kind of drug injected with a syringe.
- Can't Catch Up: The reason Squidward tried to fight Bubble Bass alone is that he was upset SpongeBob had everything better and thought maybe things could improve if he won.
- Comically Serious: Patrick is a composed and dignified samurai warrior, who by himself is not particularly funny. His... daring fashion choices and rather odd opinions on the other hand serve to contrast his stoic persona rather hilariously.
- Completely Different Title: In-Universe. The title cards for all three parts have the 'SpongeBob SquarePants' title in English and a little Japanese subtitle alongside it: フポンジ・ボブ. One might assume this reads 'SpongeBob' but it actually reads 'Fuponji-bob'.note This misspelling is referenced in the first episode, in which Bubble Bass tells SpongeBob he should change the "S" in his name to an "F," changing his name to FpongeBob, thanks to his inability to stop Squidward from taking him on alone.
- Dark Secret: Not just the truth of the Krabby Patty formula, but the mysterious "five pickled patty" also has some alleged dark power. Krabs also hints there's one about SpongeBob that not even the sponge himself knows.Mr. Krabs: Spongebob... One day you will learn the truth. The horrible power that lies within the 5-Pickled Patty, and the dark secret of what you really are.
- Darker and Edgier: The original show had it's fair share of naughty jokes and dark moments but it was still a light-hearted comedy for kids at its core. The anime on the other hand is a serious Shonen action series that contains plenty of blood and gore as well as some sexually suggestive moments and mild profanity.
- Deal with the Devil: Squidward signs a contract with the Chum Bucket presumably to gain more power.
- The Dragon: Plankton is shown to have made Squidward his ace against the Krusty Krab in the first and second OP.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: The first opening was the only music video that didn't have a song covered (or written) by ROMI. Justified in that OP 1's song, "Colors of the Heart" wasn't yet covered by ROMI.
- Evil Twin: Implied with DoodleBob in OP 3.
- Eye Color Change:
- Squidward's eye color changes from red to green after Plankton injects him with the Chum formula.
- SpongeBob's eyes go from an innocent blue to Red Eyes, Take Warning whenever he uses the Secret Formula.
- Face–Heel Turn: Squidward is shown to have turned evil and joined the Chum Bucket in the beginning of the first video.
- Fan Disservice: Done for parody, with the series being completely aware that the characters still resemble the very cartoony source material that will negate any sex appeal certain scenes would otherwise have.
- The Freeze Frame Bonuses of Squidward and SpongeBob in the first and second openings feature them in some rather suggestive scenarios.
- Patrick wears a speedo instead of shorts like in the cartoon and his "package" is shown bouncing during OP 1.
- Mr. Krabs is shown having a visible erection while counting his money during the Ending Song. Note that unlike the prior two examples, Mr. Krabs is not depicted as Animesque here and is more or less in the original show's artstyle.
- Fighting Series: The videos are an Affectionate Parody of the genre, jabbing at its clichés through the context of SpongeBob SquarePants.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus:
- Pausing the first video any time between 1:06-1:08 reveals some rather suggestive images of Squidward and SpongeBob.
- The second video also features a somewhat explicit image of Squidward and SpongeBob at 0:45.
- One of the items left on Patrick's grave in the second video is a rather, uh, questionable photo of SpongeBob and Gary.
- The third video features Velma from Scooby-Doo and the Hoopla fish among Kevin's minions at the 1:18 and 1:22 marks.
- Green and Mean: Except for DoodleBob, all of the show's villains are green (Squidward had green eyes when he was evil).
- Green-Eyed Monster: Envy is Squidward's main reason for his animosity toward SpongeBob.
- Handicapped Badass: Sandy lost her arm in OP 1, but that doesn't stop her from winning a fight with Kevin in OP 3.
- Heroic BSoD: SpongeBob freaks out after seeing Squidward kill Patrick. In the second opening, this leads him to inject himself with the Secret Formula to gain enough power to fight Squidward.
- In the first episode, it's Bubble Bass having seemingly pummeled Squidward to death that drives him to use the formula.
- Honor Before Reason: Patrick and Sandy don't interfere with Squidward's battle with Bubble Bass because of this; SpongeBob calls them out on this since Squidward isn't strong enough to battle Bubble Bass by himself.
- Hotter and Sexier: Mostly just due to the more humanoid proportions of the cast, and sometimes played up for comedy. Some of it veers right into Fan Disservice, though.
- The show especially enjoys detailing character's rear ends.
- I Did What I Had to Do: Mr. Krabs claims that everything he's done, all the way up to sending Squidward on what SpongeBob believes is a Suicide Mission, was to protect SpongeBob.
- Improbable Weapon User: SpongeBob and his spatula. Similarly, Doodle Bob uses a giant pencil as his personal weapon against SpongeBob.
- Killed Off for Real:
- Patrick dies in the first video after getting decapitated by Squidward. But he comes back.
- In the anime proper, Bubble Bass gets his head sliced off by SpongeBob in retaliation for seemingly killing Squidward.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Squidward slices off Patrick's head and left arm in the first OP. Squidward loses both arms fighting the hooded figure in the third OP. Doubly the case if the hooded figure is indeed Patrick.
- Love Triangle: SpongeBob and Sandy share a kiss in OP 3 as a teary-eyed Squidward watches. Meanwhile, the very next scene shows Sponge and Squid sitting at both sides of a brick wall. Combined with some... suggestive images of Sponge and Squid and it seems Squidward's actions stem from some unresolved feelings.
- Malicious Misnaming: Bubble Bass once calls SpongeBob as FpongeBob, referencing how the first letter in the Japanese title reads as F, instead of S, because of a typo.
- Mecha-Mooks: Plankton has a supply of robotic drones modeled after him that serve as his minions.
- Multi-Armed and Dangerous: Squidward sprouts two additional arms during his fight with SpongeBob in the second OP, a reference to the fact that he canonically has eight limbs but is only ever depicted with six.
- Mythology Gag: Lots.
- Patrick Star's gravestone in the second video is a giant #1 similar to Smitty Werbenjagermanjensen's, and the items left there as a tribute include a jellyfishing net, a Goofy Goober peanut hat from the movie, a copy of The Ugly Barnacle, and a rather disturbing photograph of SpongeBob and Gary.
- SpongeBob finds Patrick and Sandy watching Squidward's fight with Bubble Bass next to a pine tree with scuba diving gear, like the one from "I Had An Accident" that caused SpongeBob's titular accident.
- When arguing with Patrick and Sandy for letting Squidward fight Bubble Bass by himself, he brings up their code: "'F' is for 'Friends'"!
- Patrick isn't worried about SpongeBob and Squidward dying in their battle with Bubble Bass, because according to the Ugly Barnacle Prophecy, they'll both live; turns out he was right.
- SpongeBob finds, not a boulder, but a rock, a weapon of the pioneers.
- At the end of the credits for the first episode, a Krusty Krab Pizza box is shown as another reference to the same episode.
- Bubble Bass mocks SpongeBob for failing to cook him a Krabby Patty with pickles.
- Gary sings the third opening onstage in front of a curtain, a reference to his "poetry reading" from the season one episode "Culture Shock". The same opening also shows him in his Dream Librarian outfit from "Sleepy Time".
- The third opening has Sandy wearing the yellow Bruce Lee tracksuit from "Karate Island".
- SpongeBob and Squidward are shown in the opening hanging out on opposite sides of a brick wall just like in the episode "Dying For Pie", with a cheerful SpongeBob on one side of the wall and a gloomy Squidward on the other side, though in this case, Squidward seems to be brooding over his Face–Heel Turn and not because SpongeBob has a pie bomb in him.
- The dedication to Stephen Hillenburg shown after the third opening shows Potty the Parrot hanging among Stephen's possessions in his drawing room; Hillenburg did the voice for Potty until he left the show and was replaced by Paul Tibbit and Doug Lawrence.
- A drawing shown of Stephen and SpongeBob has SpongeBob labeled "SpongeBoy", which was Stephen's original name for the character.
- Non-Standard Character Design: Inverted - Mr. Krabs is the only character who hasn't been given a a more conventionally humanoid redesign, looking almost exactly the same as he does in the original cartoon except for his eyes and face.
- Not Quite Dead: Lampshaded. SpongeBob believes Squidward is dead after getting thrashed by Bubble Bass, but after the fight turns up revealing he only lost consciousness. He even berates SpongeBob for just assuming he was dead without thinking to check his pulse.
- Off with His Head!:
- Squidward kills Patrick by slicing off his head.
- Ditto for how SpongeBob finishes off Bubble Bass.
- Psycho Serum:
- The chum serum Plankton injects Squidward with appears to have made Squidward more blood-thirsty.
- The Krabby Patty Secret Formula also may be this, if the sinister face shown after SpongeBob injects himself with it is anything to go by.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Bubble Bass gives one to SpongeBob about how much of a pushover Squidward is, and how SpongeBob was unable to save his friend.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning:
- Plankton's eye glows when he's first seen in OP 1.
- SpongeBob gains red eyes after injecting himself with the Krabby Patty Secret Formula.
- Inverted with Squidward, whose normally red eyes turn green after being injected with chum.
- The Rival: Squidward to SpongeBob as a parody of most anime rivalries.
- Satire: This is a satire on how cliché-ridden a lot of anime tends to be.
- Spoiler Opening: Every opening spoils the plot of the entire nonexistent season, showing things like Squidward getting brainwashed and killing Patrick.
- Thong of Shielding: Patrick of all people is wearing a green thong.
- Took A Level In Bad Ass: The openings depict the SpongeBob and Sandy undergoing this. If he is the hooded figure from the third opening, than Patrick even moreso, as he can actually kick Squidward's ass this time around.
- Vocal Dissonance: In the English dub, the characters more or less have similar voices with the original cartoon characters, but still have the super-serious anime dialogue. This is quite jarring, especially with Patrick going on a spiritual monologue with a Simpleton Voice.
- What the Hell, Hero?: SpongeBob tears into Mr. Krabs for ordering Squidward to fight Bubble Bass alone, and Sandy and Patrick for allowing Squidward to do so. Given how badly beaten he gets, you can see why.
- You Killed My Father: SpongeBob wants revenge on Squidward in the second video for killing Patrick.
