"And it's sweet, sweet, sweet victory, YEAH!"
Season 1
Season 2
- The SpongeBob Christmas special. Half of the episode was made up of awesome. Especially the song and at the end, with Squidward being nice and giving away everything for the sake of making SpongeBob happy after he made him upset in the first place. Also could count as a Heartwarming moment.
- There's SpongeBob taking on a King Jellyfish when the incredible Jellyspotters couldn't. "Everybody loves pie!"
- In "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy III", SpongeBob, despite being dumb enough to free Man Ray from his prison, knew enough about the show to incapacitate him with the "Tickle Belt". After Man Ray gives Patrick a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown after a failed lesson in being good, Patrick proceeded to torture him with the belt.
SpongeBob: Okay, goodness lesson number three.. okay, um...
Patrick: [snatches remote] I've got one! I'm thinking of a number between 1 and 100, what is it!?
Man Ray: Um... 62?
Patrick: WRONG! [presses button]
- Granted, the No-Holds-Barred Beatdown was hilarious well-deserved karma after Patrick assumed the wallet Man Ray wanted to give back to him wasn't his, even after clear evidence and repeatedly dropping a box onto his foot. Even after Spongebob turned on the tickle belt, Man Ray still continued to beat up Patrick! He was THAT dedicated to making him pay for his stupidity!
- In "Squirrel Jokes", SpongeBob's insulting jokes begin go beyond hurting Sandy's feelings and causing people to demean her openly. When she asks him to stop, and he faces a crowd who are eagerly expecting more squirrel jokes and will not respond well without them, he has an internal crisis. Initially, it looks like SpongeBob will do the right thing and has abandoned his act, only for him to burst right back out through the curtain with the squirrel insults cranked up, choosing his career over his friends. Sandy decides to punish him in an amazingly petty way by inviting him over to the tree dome and taking on the persona of a genuinely stupid hillbilly until her antics cause SpongeBob harm. She doesn't quit at the first sign of relent, either, but pushes him until she can be very, very sure he gets the picture.
- SpongeBob says this after erasing DoodleBob in "Frankendoodle":
SpongeBob: I AM SPONGEBOB, DESTROYER OF EVIL!
Patrick: Take it easy, it's just a drawing.
- Patrick actually outwitting SpongeBob (and briefly the audience) in "The Secret Box" by making him think the contents of his box is just a piece of string. Just silly old Patrick, right? Wrong!
- The end of "Band Geeks". You know what we're talking about. They rock out for Squidward after he gives up on the entire town. This ultimately ends with Squidward rocking out with them, and Squilliam getting a heart attack and being taken away. That scene, combined with the usual hilarity, is why many fans consider this the best episode ever. Undisputedly the greatest moment in the entire series. There's a reason why the scene is the page image for both this and Awesome Music.
- Before he starts conducting, Squidward is anticipating a disaster and has to deal with Squilliam smugly smiling at him. After the first verse, Squilliam is left in shock and a now confident Squidward tosses his baton away in triumph and begins leading the band with his full arms.
- Best of all is the instant when both SpongeBob and Plankton join forces on the mic for that big "YEAH!". Frequent enemies working together for a common (good) cause? AWESOME. It becomes a bit of a Heartwarming moment when you flashback to "F.U.N." from season one. Perhaps a small glimmer of SpongeBob's friendship really did stick with Plankton.
- Almost as awesome are Mrs. Puff playing the guitar (complete with rock star movements during her solo), Plankton's keyboard solo as the band members part to reveal SpongeBob standing in a spotlight with a microphone, and a sunglasses-wearing Patrick on the drums. (And honourable mention goes to Sandy on bass, Mr. Krabs on keytar, Pearl on sax, and the various fish extras for the opening trumpet fanfare.)
- Also, just before they started playing, Spongebob was nervous, and Mr. Krabs outright said he'd be sick. The moment the music starts? They rock the stadium anyway.
- During a four-day marathon of Nicktoons programming held throughout Thanksgiving 2007 called the Nicktoons Superstuffed Weekend, a countdown was held of the top 100 Nicktoons moments of all time (as voted on by users of Nick.com). This was number one, as it should be.
- It has led to its own Youtube fad in which the uploaders sync the footage to Awesome Music of their choice.
- Not just the song "Sweet Victory" itself, but the fact Squidward got A Day in the Limelight which ended with him as a victor for the first time in the series.
- The episode is so beloved, in fact, that dozens of animators collaborated together to make a reanimated version on Youtube for free.
- While it was unfortunately taken down by Viacom, it can still be seen thanks to dedicated fans.
- What rating of this episode on IMDB? 9.7!
- Earlier in episode, we have this:
Squidward: Hold it! It just so happens that I don't sell fast food, I do have a band, and we're gonna play that Bubble Bowl! How do you like that, Fancy Boy?!
- The entirety of "Graveyard Shift" counts: The humor, the animation and the voice acting all make the episode one of its best.
- "Krusty Love", where after Mr. Krabs has SpongeBob going to store for something and then get on him for spending his money, SpongeBob snaps and actually swears. He also "cursed" Shiva. (all we hear is gibberish and we see Mrs. Puff pull out a dictionary and blush at what he's saying, but it's still awesome).
- SpongeBob utterly losing it at the end by screaming and bursting out the door at the end of "I'm With Stupid". One of the very few scenes in the pre-movie era where he gets genuinely angry.
- The jellyfish in the episode "Jellyfish Hunter" get one when they are freed and give Mr. Krabs his just desserts.
- In "Procrastination," Patrick, of all people, calls Spongebob out for calling him just to avoid his homework.
Patrick: SpongeBob, you and I both know that you're just using me as a distraction, so you don't have to write your essay.
Season 3
Season 4
- Plankton's Bedtime Brainwashing to SpongeBob to tell him the formula fails completely when it instead gives him a dream which miraculously cures his fear of krabby patties, something he did not expect in the first place.
- Squidward finally ripping SpongeBob and Patrick a new one in "Good Neighbors" after having enough of them getting in the way of his Sunday relaxation. Props to Rodger Bumpass for sounding genuinely enraged during the entire thing.
- In "Dunces and Dragons", SpongeBob does battle against the Medieval version of Sandy Cheeks, the Dark Knight. Not only does SpongeBob end up winning thanks to a combination of his karate skills and sheer unpredictability, but it's against a version of Sandy who's arguably more dangerous, since she's clearly not holding back in fighting SpongeBob like Canon!Sandy seems to do.
- In "Selling Out", Mr Krabs decides to sell his restaurant to Howard Blandy to retire with his money. When he discovers that Blandy and his cronies are making Krabby Patties with unnatural materials and a conveyor belt, Krabs refuses to stand for it and exposes the truth to everyone. He then rounds it off by voicing his disgust at Blandy and co, buying back the restaurant and getting rid of them. The way he calls them out is especially awesome.
- In "Krusty Towers", Mr. Krabs gets the idea of running a hotel just so he could charge extra for a Krabby Patty. Squidward is put through hell and back by Patrick making many absurd requests of services after checking in, as "[We] shall never deny a guest even the most ridiculous request". Eventually, Squidward turns this against Krabs by quitting, checking in as a regular customer, and making a variety of ridiculous requests himself at Krabs's expense.
- In "Whale of a Birthday" after Pearl's 16th birthday ends up being a Shoddy Shindig as always, SpongeBob saves everything by buying all the presents Pearl wanted with Mr. Krabs' credit card, even hiring Boys Who Cry to perform.
- Plankton finally getting his dream to grow an extra hundred feet or rather, centimetres, considering his scale to be able to crush his enemies in "Wishing You Well". One of the very few episodes to leave him on a happy note, merrily smashing large buildings to a pulp.
- In "Rule of Dumb", Patrick becomes king after it's discovered that he is of royal descent. He proceeds to be an asshole by taking other peoples' things and doing whatever he wants. When he attempts to destroy Squidward's house in order to build a personal amusement park, wait for this...SQUIDWARD, the biggest Butt-Monkey in the show, is able to get the construction workers to stop messing with his house and convince them that Patrick is an incompetent ruler who shouldn't be listened to! Then, when SpongeBob tries to get Squidward to comply by signing a treaty, Squidward (non-fatally) puts it through SpongeBob's forehead.
- Mr. Krabs and Plankton team up for the first time in the series in "Best Frenemies" to steal the Kelp Shake's recipe. Despite occasional arguing, they get along throughout the entire episode. Even at the end, when the Kelp Shake restaurants are shut down, the two have a friendly chase as Plankton runs with a Krabby Patty with Mr. Krabs chasing him after giving Plankton a ten-second head start.
Season 5
- SpongeBob gets one in the beginning of "New Digs," when he is running to work and is able to leap past a huge "bridge out" gap!!
- "Krabs à la Mode'" has a really well thought out plan on Plankton's part. He changes the thermostat, knowing that Mr. Krabs is too much of a tightwad to change it back as long as he thinks it's how it was. Although...
- SpongeBob's creative ways of keeping business following such as using frozen Krabby Patties as ice stakes with Mr. Krabs even commending him for it. Hell, Krabs gets in on it too and starts offering rides on the Clamboni to make even more money.
- The Warden in "The Inmates of Summer" manage to pull off an incredibly rare win over giving Spongebob and Patrick a bad ending. Seeing that all he could ever do to them is their equivalent of fun, as soon as the Warden finds out what the Sun-N-Fun Island camp does, which is the most basic and child friendly stuff out there, he immediately knew that Spongebob and Patrick would undeniably hate it and sent them there, and hate it they did, leaving them in misery on how much fun Inferno Island was.
- After an electric shock affects Squidward's brain in "A Breath of Fresh Squidward", he ends up as friendly, competent and beloved as SpongeBob, to the point of finally winning Employee of the Month and breaking the latter's winning streak. Extra points for spending most of the episode basically getting indirect payback on SpongeBob and driving him crazy with his own clingy, over the top antics.
- "Goo Goo Gas" is a minor one for Plankton. Not only is his plan fairly effective (if unstable), but it consists of a moment he finally gets Karen to shut up. When she begins snarking about how he hasn't thought his plan through, he agrees, and uses her as a test subject, the gas downgrading her into a calculator.
Season 6
- "House Fancy" represents another rare triumph for Squidward over his hated rival, Squilliam Fancyson. After seeing Squilliam's ridiculously opulent house on the in-universe series House Fancy, Squidward tells presenter Nicholas Withers (voiced by guest star Alton Brown, host of Good Eats) that his own house puts Squilliam's to shame, and with only two hours to make good on his claim, he reluctantly enlists SpongeBob's help in re-decorating. Inevitably, SpongeBob destroys or otherwise mars everything he touches, and when he tries to vacuum up the debris, the out-of-control cleaner sucks up all of Squidward's possessions until the bag explodes and takes out Squidward's entire house... just as Withers and Squilliam arrive. However, the pieces of the house land in a rather attractive minimalist formation, and Withers declares it the next great thing in home decoration, announces an hour-long special on Squidward's house, and proclaims him the winner of an award that was intended for Squilliam, who promptly faints in despair.
- Patrick defeating the championship wrestlers in "Krusty Krushers" thanks to his iron bun.
- Squid's Visit revolves around SpongeBob recreating the interior of Squidward's house in his pineapple. This makes Squidward so amazed that he struggles to believe it, because the replica is in perfect detail, from a small painting failure to a room filled with 492 portrait paintings (which he finds better than his ones).
- In "Ditchin", SpongeBob surviving a Disney Death in the tar pits when he remembers Mrs. Puff's bathroom key, which he never returned, and some fish aside cheer him.
- As divisive as "Gone" is, SpongeBob shoving Patrick off the bus was absolutely cathartic, especially since he was one of the people who was participating in "National No SpongeBob Day.
- Okay, so SpongeBob is weak enough to barely lift 2 stuffed animals, right? But in "Pets or Pests", when he is left with a litter of worms, he gets so protective of them that not only does he tackle Larry, one of the strongest sea creatures around, when Larry threatens to eat them, but when a speeding truck is about to run the worms over, he stops it by ripping open the grille to get into the hood, then removing the entire engine block! SpongeBob was pumped up with awesomeness right there.
- "Suctioncup Symphony" focuses on Squidward writing a symphony while SpongeBob and Patrick loudly play doctor outside his house. After hours of struggling, he finishes his symphony, only to realize he put his neighbors' antics into it. The best part, however, is that the audience actually loves it.
- The fight scene in "Sand Castles in the Sand". They just had enough badassery to create all of that with nothing but sand. The battle also ends in the most awesome way possible. After Patrick nukes SpongeBob's castle, SpongeBob kamikazes his fighter jet into the giant robot head Patrick was piloting, as well as Patrick firing a cannonball at SpongeBob's forces.
Season 7
- Plankton gets another moment in "Tentacle-Vision" when he managed to blast Mr. Krabs with his Death Laser. Unfortunately, Krabs did survive it, but he was charred pretty badly.
- Even "A Pal For Gary" has an awesome moment - upon seeing his master in danger of being eaten, Gary immediately overcomes his fear of Puffy Fluffy and bravely whips the monster to knock SpongeBob out of his mouth and drive him away. It becomes twice as awesome when you remember that SpongeBob has treated Gary like crap throughout the whole episode, yet Gary STILL chooses to come to the rescue instead of leaving SpongeBob to die. Despite that, SpongeBob still thinks Gary was responsible for it all, but Gary did make the right choice.
- On a minor note, Puffy Fluffy trying to eat SpongeBob alive is the proper comeuppance for his jerkish behavior toward Gary.
- While it was a relatively small scene, especially with the latter getting a ticket at the last scene, Squilliam's statue melting due to the stench and Squidward pointing and laughing at him in "Keep Bikini Bottom Beautiful" was pretty awesome in of itself .
- "SpongeBob's Last Stand" is a giant moment of awesome - from Sponge and Pat's insanely catchy "Jellyfishing Song," to the two of them going to every length to keep Jellyfish Fields from getting turned into a highway, to their surprisingly awesome "Give Jellyfish Fields a Chance" John Lennon parody (which leads to them getting arrested for their peaceful protesting), to everyone in Bikini Bottom teaming up to save Jellyfish Fields, to the reprise of the aforementioned "Jellyfishing Song".
- In "One Coarse Meal", SpongeBob actually pulls an Everybody Has Standards moment as he calls Mr. Krabs out for scaring Plankton into eventual suicide. It's no doubt our favorite sponge wants to defend his worst enemy.
- For further points, he even helps Plankton get back at Mr. Krabs for torturing him by telling him his secret fear of mimes (although he scares Plankton again with a holographic whale projection in the end).
- The episode "Back to the Past" gains an undeniable CMOA when we meet the young Mermaidman and Barnacle Boy... Because they're voiced by Adam West and Burt Ward!
- Also because of how badass it is.
- Squidward trying to get SpongeBob to cry in "A Day Without Tears", but amazingly, SpongeBob manages to resist every move and hold in his tears all the way until midnight, with plenty of Mood Whiplashes where he instantly snaps out. It's amazing to see how determined he is to control his crying.
- Before this, when Squidward utters to him out loud that he wants to win the bet, this shocks SpongeBob and he thinks out loud: "I am not gonna cry, I am not gonna cry!"
- "The Cent of Money":
- Mr. Krabs discovers Gary has a "talent" for finding spare change, but SpongeBob is against it because it simultaneously causes Gary extreme discomfort and risk for his health; so he begins to take Gary around Bikini Bottom, stealing all the spare change he can find while keeping SpongeBob distracted by assigning him multiple tasks at the Krusty Krab. Eventually, one of Mr. Krabs' victims bumps into SpongeBob on the street, indirectly claiming his change was stolen by Mr. Krabs. The writers could've easily made SpongeBob dismiss the whole thing, but instead, he goes full Papa Wolf, confronts Mr. Krabs at his next heist, and straight up stands up against his own boss for abusing Gary. Considering how he seldom does that, it was great seeing that SpongeBob was setting that Jerkass straight. Unfortunately, this glorious moment is cut short considering that during the whole confrontation, Gary was collecting an entire tidal wave of change, distracting Mr. Krabs and prompting SpongeBob and Gary to make a break for it. Mr. Krabs ended up in the hospital, and all the change he heisted was used to pay his health bills. Served him right.
- Made even more awesome if you remember that SpongeBob has been acting like a doormat to Mr. Krabs in the later seasons.
- Better not forget SpongeBob's reaction when he realizes what Mr. Krabs has been doing to Gary, which is the complete opposite of his shocking behavior in "A Pal for Gary".
SpongeBob: (on the verge of Tranquil Fury) Mr. Krabs...what have you done to my Gary?
- Patrick in "The Great Patty Caper" manages to outrun the train not once, nor twice, not even thrice, but four times, and managed to throw a boulder in front of the train on his last outrunning!
- SpongeBob epically transforming into a hang-glider to catch up.
- At the end of "Enchanted Tiki Dreams", SpongeBob and Patrick, even after ruining the paradise they created for him, still try to make Squidward relax by building him a swinging pirate ship and hurting themselves when it sways. If that's not Squidward winning once again, then nothing is.
- This scene in "The Abrasive Side". Even though SpongeBob is desperately trying to hold off his abrasive side, when he tries to apologize to Mr. Krabs after his abrasive side requests Krabs pay him overtime, this happens:
SpongeBob: Mr. Krabs! Mr. Krabs!
Mr. Krabs: (panicking) What do you want now, Mr. Pottymouth?!
SpongeBob: But Mr. Krabs, I never use immoderate language, like— [transforms into abrasive side] OVERTIME!
Mr. Krabs: [screams in terror]
- Even though it was supposed to be serious and accidental, SpongeBob standing up to Mr. Krabs and striking such fear into him earns it this spot.
- Gary beating the crap out of Plankton in "Shellback Shenanigans", which earns him a job as a bouncer and scaring Plankton off when he sees him disguising himself as a local. It's practically cathartic considering the abuse he went through this season.
- Plankton also deserved it since he showed no sympathy when SpongeBob was crying when he thought "Gary" was going to be gone for good.
Season 8
- The ending of "Accidents Will Happen", a similar episode to "Can You Spare a Dime". After making Krabs wait on him hand and foot by threatening to report his workplace accident to the authorities, Squidward is revealed to have had his accident while sleeping on the job, and is forced to wait on Krabs hand and foot in revenge.
- "Frozen Face-Off". How badly does Plankton want the Krabby Patty formula? He goes as far as to rip a piece of the safe holding it off, before ripping THAT in half, and then proceeds to rip apart an ATOM, all with his BARE HANDS! This results in an atomic blast, destroying the Krusty Krab, as well as the safe...but NOT PLANKTON! Plankton, a being so small that he is defeated by being stepped on, SURVIVES AN ATOMIC BLAST, while being right in the center, something that would kill ANYONE, he survives. All because he wants the Krabby Patty formula.
- Mr. Krabs gets one in "Mr. Krabs Takes A Vacation". While Mr. Krabs and SpongeBob tour the Ocean Mint, at one point, two robbers try to rob the money, and try to harm the other tourists. Mr. Krabs defends them, and uses SpongeBob to lasso them out of the Mint and into a police boat. This shows Mr. Krabs can care about others, not just money. If you want a redeeming example from his mean actions in the past few seasons, this should do it.
- In "Way of the Sponge", SpongeBob beating up Sandy's karate master Fuzzy Acorns without even trying whilst doing his fry cook duties.
- "Demolition Doofus": SpongeBob manages to avoid every single attack, from the derby racers to a furious Mrs. Puff, and end up winning the competition. Why? Mrs. Puff completely forgot two things about him: 1, he's a sea sponge, who are invertebrates, meaning he's too squishy to be crushed to death and can sling people right back, and 2, because he Drives Like Crazy, this makes him a completely impossible target!
- The first competitor that gets knocked out drives into SpongeBob's mouth, stretching his upper body out, and is slung back into the wall. Because he's a sponge, if the top of his body would've been ripped off, he could've just regrown himself!
- "Are You Happy Now?":
- The finale has Squidward violently tearing apart a room full of paper-mache SpongeBob replicas. It is HUGELY cathartic after all the crap SpongeBob puts Squidward through.
- SpongeBob seems more like a Nice Guy to Squidward throughout the episode instead of an annoying neighbor, as he tries to help Squidward find a happiest memory, and none of those mishaps Squidward went through were SpongeBob's fault. Even when he sees Squidward destroy the paper-mache SpongeBobs and claims that is his happiest memory, SpongeBob is brought to Tears of Joy as his mission was complete.
- The climax of "Free Samples", where SpongeBob saves the Krusty Krab by giving the customers the real krabby patties but calling them new with a different taste.
- Gary doing all sorts of tricks (from art sculpting to a classic motorcycle jump over trailers and a hoop of fire) just to earn Snail Bites in "Treats!"
- And how does Gary finally stop meowing for Snail Bites in the end? All SpongeBob had to do was just say a simple "No."
- "Restraining SpongeBob":
- The utterly gorgeous duet between SpongeBob and Squidward at the end of "Hello Bikini Bottom", with SpongeBob on ukulele and Squidward, beautifully, playing his clarinet.
Season 9
Season 10
- Feral Squidward eating the fish that was about to eat him in "Feral Friends". Save for Pearl, he's the biggest and strongest of the sea creatures hit by Neptune's Moon.
- An unintentional example, but Squidward is the only one to actually break himself free of the hypnosis of Neptune's Moon (he had to use the bathroom).
Season 11
Season 12
- In the climax of "Jolly Lodgers", Squidward finally gets peace and quiet when he calls pest control, who fill Hotel Halibut with green haze, which results in everyone, including SpongeBob, Patrick and the whole Jelly-Con, to evacuate.
- In "Handemonium", Plankton brings the Chum Bucket glove to life and takes it to arm wrestle with Mr. Krabs. He effortlessly lifts him up, then slams him into the ground, throwing all the other arm wrestlers into the hole with him.
- "Krusty Koncessionaires" ends with a victory for Squidward. While serving food at a concert, he gets the lead singer Claire St. Claire's clarinet, which can't play any wrong notes. When he plays it at the end, it sounds surprisingly good, and even Krabs and SpongeBob play along. The band members, including Claire St. Claire himself, then compliment Squidward on his playing. Squidward literally dies of happiness.
Season 13
- "Say Awww!" has everyone working together to escape Q.T.-π.'
- The sheer fact that Plankton managed to defeat Mr. Krabs and managed to open a restaurant and sell krabby patties in the episode "Plankton and The Beanstalk".
Other
- The video game, Battle For Bikini Bottom, turns SpongeBob into a badass. He fights King Jellyfish to get his jelly to fix Squidward's stings, transverses a completely wrecked downtown to find steering wheels, fights through waves of robots to get the sun lotion back, shuts down the security system of the Mermalair and stops a villain from escaping, goes through Rock Bottom to retrieve the museum's paintings, beats speed records on Sand Mountain as well as destroying all the robots on the slopes, survives Kelp Forest, wins a battle against robot-controlled pirate ship using the Flying Dutchman's own ship, and defeats robot versions of Sandy, Patrick, himself and Plankton! His final power, Cruise Bubble, is a remote-controlled bubble-missile. He can use it as many times as he wants, so the final power SpongeBob gets is a unlimited remote-controlled rocket launcher!
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