There’s nobody in SpongeBob SquarePants who’s as greedy as Mr. Krabs. His love for money nearly destroys every relationship he has. However, despite Mr. Krabs’s constant selfishness, there are times where it’s hard not to feel sorry for him.
Mr. Krabs is often entitled, selfish, and uncaring, but he does have a soft side under his hard shell. Throughout the show, he demonstrates that he values Pearl, SpongeBob, and even his arch-nemesis Plankton at times. Here are five times Mr. Krabs was a horrible person, and five other times he was deserving of sympathy.
Felt Bad: When He Lost His Shell
Before the SpongeBob SquarePants series, Mr. Krabs used to serve in the Navy. In the episode “Shell of a Man,” SpongeBob learns that Mr. Krabs has an upcoming Navy Reunion. As Mr. Krabs reminisces, he shows SpongeBob his Navy memorabilia and tells him about his old nickname of “Armor Abs Krabs.”
Everything seems to be going well until Mr. Krabs suddenly molts his shell. Without his shell, he’s worried that his old Navy friends won’t accept him. It was sad watching Mr. Krabs’s excitement turn to misery in only a matter of seconds.
Hated Him: When He Stole Treasure
When Mr. Krabs wants to go on a treasure hunt with SpongeBob and Patrick in “Arrgh!,” it seemed like it would be harmless fun. However, throughout the hunt, Mr. Krabs let his own greed and selfishness trump his care for SpongeBob and Patrick. When they finally find the treasure, Mr. Krabs wants to keep it all for himself.
To make matters worse, Mr. Krabs hardly does any work during the treasure hunt. Instead, he makes SpongeBob and Patrick do all the heavy lifting. So, for him to claim the treasure for himself was inconsiderate.
Felt Bad: When SpongeBob Fired Pearl
Pearl and Mr. Krabs can argue from time to time, but, at the end of the day, they truly love one another. An example of this is in the episode “Bossy Boots,” where Mr. Krabs hires Pearl to work at the Krusty Krab. While working there, Pearl makes so many expensive changes that Mr. Krabs can’t afford to keep her on board.
Mr. Krabs doesn’t want to fire her himself, so he makes SpongeBob do it. SpongeBob knows that Pearl secretly wants to get fired, but Mr. Krabs doesn’t. When Mr. Krabs hears SpongeBob fire her, he believes she’ll be so distraught that he passes out. Fans learned that money doesn’t just evoke emotion from Mr. Krabs, but Pearl can, too.
Hated Him: When He Harassed Plankton
Plankton and Mr. Krabs are sworn enemies, but there are times when both sides take their rivalry too far. An example of this is in the episode “One Coarse Meal,” when Mr. Krabs learns that Plankton is afraid of whales. Throughout the episode, Mr. Krabs dresses up as Pearl and torments Plankton.
Mr. Krabs keeps doing this to the point where Plankton lies down on the road and waits for a bus to run him over. When Mr. Krabs hears about this, he doesn’t show concern or remorse, but he laughs. It’s hard to root for Mr. Krabs when he enjoys pushing someone to that point.
Felt Bad: When He Lost SpongeBob To Plankton
There have been times where SpongeBob stopped working at the Krusty Krab, but never like in the episode “Welcome to the Chum Bucket.” When Mr. Krabs loses a card game to Plankton, he has to give up SpongeBob as his employee. They have a tearful goodbye and hug before Plankton pulls them apart.
Later, SpongeBob and Mr. Krabs sing a heartfelt song about how they miss each other’s company. Over the years, SpongeBob grew to be more than an employee to Mr. Krabs, and that’s evident in this episode.
Hated Him: When He Accused Squidward
In the episode “Can You Spare a Dime?”, Mr. Krabs discovers that the first dime he ever earned is missing. Since Squidward works at the cash register all day, Mr. Krabs believes he stole it. Squidward didn’t steal it, but Mr. Krabs repeatedly accuses him. Because of this, Squidward quits his job at the Krusty Krab.
SpongeBob tries to make up for it by giving Mr. Krabs several dimes, but he refuses. That’s when they learn that the dime was actually in Mr. Krabs’s pocket all along. Mr. Krabs berated Squidward and caused him to quit his job when Squidward never even touched the dime in the first place.
Felt Bad: When He Was Framed
Mr. Krabs has been wrongly accused of things himself, as was the cases in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. In the movie, Plankton steals King Neptune’s crown and frames Mr. Krabs for it. King Neptune believes that and goes to the Krusty Krab to fry him.
To save Mr. Krabs’s life, SpongeBob and Patrick tell King Neptune they can get the crown back. King Neptune agrees, and he freezes Mr. Krabs solid until they return. Though Mr. Krabs has done terrible things in the past, this time he was completely innocent.
Hated Him: When He Ordered SpongeBob Around
Pearl’s mother is never shown in SpongeBob SquarePants. In spite of this, Mr. Krabs does find romance in the episode “Krusty Love.” When Mr. Krabs meets Mrs. Puff for the first time, he wants to impress her by buying her extravagant items.
He gives SpongeBob money to buy these things, but, every time he comes back, Mr. Krabs gets mad at him for spending his money. It made no sense for Mr. Krabs to be angry with SpongeBob when he’s the one who told him to do it in the first place.
Felt Bad: When He And Plankton Became Enemies
Mr. Krabs is rich now, but he wasn’t always living comfortably. In the episode “Friend or Foe,” it’s shown that Mr. Krabs was extremely poor as a child, but he was also kind and had Plankton for a friend. Since birth, the two were inseparable and did everything together.
Their friendship would change when they created a new burger. They fought over ownership of the recipe and accidentally tore it in half. With their pieces of the recipe, Mr. Krabs makes the Krabby Patty, while Plankton is left with chum. When Mr. Krabs lost his friendship, fans watched him go from selfless to selfish.
Hated Him: When He Sold SpongeBob’s Soul
Mr. Krabs will often do anything for the smallest amount of money. This is proven in the episode “Born Again Krabs,” where the Flying Dutchman wants to punish him for being greedy. However, SpongeBob sticks up for him and tells the Dutchman that he’s generous.
They decide to test that, and the Dutchman offers him sixty-two cents for SpongeBob’s soul. Mr. Krabs joyfully accepts, and the Dutchman takes SpongeBob away. Though Mr. Krabs later regretted the choice, it was incredibly awful to sell SpongeBob.