10 Best Mr. Krabs Episodes of 'SpongeBob SquarePants', Ranked
Eugene Krabs (Clancy Brown) is Bikini Bottom's most recognizable businessman. He is the owner and proprietor of the Krusty Krab, the home of the best fast food under the sea, the Krabby patty. He is also a crustaceous cheapskate who hoards his wealth and horribly abuses his employees, SpongeBob (Tom Kenny) and Squidward (Rodger Bumpass).
Krabs has become the textbook definition of the penny-pinching boss, and plenty of episodes across SpongeBob SquarePants show why. Yet Krabs is not totally without merit and occasionally surprises the audience with moments of generosity and compassion. Which are the best episodes that capture the iconic character?
10 "Born Again Krabs"
Season 3, Episode 16b
When SpongeBob finds a moldy Krabby patty under the grill, Mr. Krabs orders him to sell it instead of throwing it out. When nobody buys it, Krabs eats the patty and becomes so ill that the Flying Dutchman (Brian Doyle-Murray) comes to claim his soul. Krabs manages to get a second chance a life, but only if he acts generously.
"Born Again Krabs," is an interesting look at someone trying to change their ways after a near-death experience. Unfortunately, Krabs relapses to his miserly ways, including selling SpongeBob to the Dutchman for sixty-two cents. This leads to a small but important scene for Krabs and Squidward's characters: Squidward calls Krabs out for his actions, and a remorseful Krabs rejects money for SpongeBob for the first time in the show's run.
9 "Krabs vs Plankton"
Season 4, Episode 2b
Plankton (Mr. Lawrence) slips on a wet floor in the Krusty Krabs and decides to file a lawsuit in order to get the Krabby patty formula. Krabs does manage to get a good lawyer, but he ends up slipping on the wet floor as well. This leaves SpongeBob as the only person left to fight for Krabs' innocence.
"Krabs vs Plankton" is a fun way to introduce kids to the judicial system. It has everything you'd hope for from the setup, including Krabs making his case worse, Squidward throwing him under the bus, and SpongeBob interrogating a mop. The ending is also well done and makes good use of how much Krabs and SpongeBob know Plankton's weaknesses.
8 "Squeaky Boots"
Season 1, Episode 8b
After Pearl (Lori Alan) rejects her father's cheap birthday present, Krabs finds himself stuck with a pair of rubber fishing boots. He passes them off to SpongeBob by telling him they're elite fry cook boots, so SpongeBob refuses to take them off. Unfortunately, the boots squeak with every move, which drives Krabs to wildness.
This episode is a child-friendly version of Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The Tell-Tale Heart." While Krabs doesn't murder anyone, it's still a good story about paranoia and repetitive sounds making someone wild. The climax captures this perfectly, building tension with flashing images and plenty of squeaks before Krabs finally snaps.
7 "Mid Life Crustacean"
Season 3, Episode 15b
One day, Krabs wakes up and begins to feel his age. To try and feel young again, he joins up with SpongeBob and Patrick as they head out for a night of excitement. Unfortunately, their definition doesn't line up with what Krabs was hoping for.
"Mid Life Crustacean" is a good way to introduce to kids the concept of a midlife crisis and how adults get upset at being old. It's also full of plenty of iconic jokes, such as SpongeBob repeatedly asking, "Are you feeling it now, Mr. Krabs?". Sadly, Paramount banned it in 2021 due to the climax involving a panty raid.
6 "Arrgh!"
Season 1, Episode 17a
After playing a game of The Flying Dutchman's Treasure Hunt with SpongeBob and Patrick (Bill Fagerbakke), Krabs becomes obsessed with it. This leads to him arriving at their houses with his own pirate ship and treasure map. The two eagerly join his crew and set off for real buried treasure.
"Arrgh!" is one of the best examples of the strengths of classic SpongeBob. It's packed full of memorable jokes, ranging from a running gag of Patrick getting fired, to one of the most iconic uses of the, "my leg!" running gag in the cartoon. As for Krabs, the climax has a good example of his greed getting him punished while the hard work of SpongeBob and Patrick is rewarded.
5 "One Krab's Trash"
Season 3, Episode 6b
Krabs decides to host a garage sale and sells SpongeBob a soda hat for ten dollars. Moments later, four different collectors offer to buy the hat for millions, so Krabs tries to get it back. He succeeds when he lies and says the hat belongs to a dead fish, but amazingly, SpongeBob finds the fish and returns the hat to his grave.
Even though Krabs sinks to new lows when he decides to grave rob, it's hard not to be impressed when he fights off an entire army of skeletons in a single night. Fortunately, the ending doesn't reward his actions and gives a bit of commentary about collector items in general. There's a lot of dark humor in this episode as well, like Squidward placing flowers at the grave of his hopes and dreams.
4 "Krusty Love"
Season 2, Episode 16b
When Krabs meets SpongeBob's boating instructor, Mrs. Puff (Mary Joe Catlett), it's love at first sight. The two seem to hit it off well, but Krabs is devastated to learn that he's so head over heels that he can't help but spend all his money on their dates. To fix this, he asks SpongeBob to keep his spending in check, only to send him mixed messages.
"Krusty Love" is a sweet episode that depicts older characters in a kid's show trying to find love. It also has a good moral about keeping your budget balanced and not lavishly showering your partner with gifts, especially if they don't ask for them. There are also plenty of jokes to laugh at, with the best being SpongeBob's growing frustration at Krab's mixed signals.
3 "Selling Out"
Season 4, Episode 5a
Krabs gleefully sells the Krusty Krab to corporate tycoon Howard Blandy and drives off to enjoy his retirement. Unfortunately, retirement isn't all it's cracked up to be, so he goes back to work at the new Krabby O'Monday's as a dishwasher. This lets him see how the restaurant has become corporatized and corrupt.
"Selling Out" is one of the best episodes of the legendary cartoon for showing Mr. Krabs' ethics. While he starts off singing a song praising greed, he objects to how sterilized the restaurant has become and how the quality of Krabby patties dropped. This gives the episode some good commentary about the qualities of small businesses vs mega-corporations.
2 "Shell of a Man"
Season 4, Episode 1b
Krabs is excited to attend a reunion of his old Navy buddies. Unfortunately, he molts his shell hours before the reunion and fears that his buddies won't accept Armor Abs Krabs if he shows up soft. To save face, he dresses SpongeBob up in his shell and has him attend the reunion.
"Shell of a Man" has one of the most heartfelt endings in all of SpongeBob. When the ruse is exposed, Krabs' buddies reveal that each of them has changed as well in an embarrassing way. It shows that true friends will accept you no matter what and that sometimes being strong doesn't come from physical strength.
1 "Friend or Foe"
Season 5, Episode 1
After yet another failed theft attempt by Plankton, Krabs tells SpongeBob about his history with his bitter rival. In their youth, the two were close friends who were ostracized by their peers. They attempt to make a new burger recipe to become popular, but this spells the end of their friendship.
"Friend or Foe" is a beautifully tragic story about how a rivalry can ruin a good relationship. Both Krabs and Plankton have their own warped version of what ended their friendship, and as is so often the case, the real story is something in-between. It also explains Krabs' greed by showing that he was picked on for living in poverty.
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