View source for King Neptune

{{Cquote2|<center>Why it tastes so good, I think I'd like to try it a second time!</center>|King Neptune after trying SpongeBob's Krabby Patty|"[[Neptune's Spatula]]"}}
{{CTab}}
{{Character
|name = King Neptune XIV
|image = <gallery>
King Neptune model pose.png|Normal
King Neptune movie stock art.png|First movie
NeptuneIRL.png|Live-action
King Neptune's Early design-1.jpg|Prototype
</gallery>
|residence = [[King Neptune's castle]], just outside of [[Bikini Bottom]], in the [[Pacific Ocean]]
|occupation(s) = King, cook
|gender = Male
|color = Teal (normal)<br>Green (movie)<br>Black ("[[Party Pooper Pants]]")
|eye-color = Black
|species = God/Merman
|spouse = [[Queen Amphitrite]] (wife)
|siblings = Unnamed sister
|children = [[Princess Mindy]] (daughter)<br>[[Triton]] (son)
|parents = [[King Neptune's mother|Unnamed mother]]
|nieces = [[Jody]] (niece)
|ancestors = [[King Neptune XIV's family]]
|employer = SpongeBob SquarePants ("[[Neptune's Spatula]]")
|first-appearance = "[[Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy]]" (mentioned)<br>"[[Neptune's Spatula]]" (physically)
|latest-appearance = ''[[Titans of the Tide]]''
|portrayer = [[John O'Hurley]] (most episodes/''[[Battle for Bikini Bottom|BFBB]]''/''[[Battle for Bikini Bottom: Rehydrated|Rehydrated]]''/''[[The Cosmic Shake]]'')<br>[[Sergio Ristie]] (live-action; physically)<br>[[Kevin Michael Richardson]] (live-action; voice)<br>[[Jeffrey Tambor]]<br>(movie/[[The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (video game)|console game]])<br>[[Brad Abrell]] ([[The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (video game)|PC game]])<br>[[Paul Tibbitt]]<br>("[[SpongeBob vs. The Patty Gadget]]")
}}
'''King Neptune XIV''' is a recurring character on {{SBSP}}. He and his wife, [[Queen Amphitrite]], are the supreme rulers of the ocean. King Neptune's name is often used in place of God's, with [[List of Bikini Bottomite phrases|phrases]] such as "Dear Neptune," "Thank Neptune," "Neptune's preserver!," and "Oh my Neptune."

King Neptune is frequently mentioned by name, but his physical appearances are more sporadic. He first appears in person in "[[Neptune's Spatula]]," and he plays important roles in "[[The Clash of Triton]]," "[[Trident Trouble]]," and "[[High Sea Diving]]."

In ''[[The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie]]'', Neptune appears with a different design from the TV series. The movie introduces his daughter, [[Princess Mindy]].

==Personality==
King Neptune is a regal king who has a strong opinion of his rank as a deity and is known for using his powers to bully mortals and punish them for talking back to him. He often judges people for their sizes and thinks a person with a grand physical appearance is worthy of him.

In the first movie, Neptune appeared to be very gullible. As Plankton took advantage of his violent temper and used it as an advantage to his Plan Z scheme. But to do that, he used him as a pawn to scapegoat Mr. Krabs by stealing the crown and then selling it to Shell City.

==History==
King Neptune was born thousands of years ago. When his father died, he became the Roman god of the sea and later had two kids, [[Triton]] and [[Princess Mindy]]. He has an unnamed sister who has a daughter, [[Jody]] who is his niece. Both of his kids were far more compassionate toward mortals than Neptune himself, driving a wedge between the family. 

King Neptune first appears in the [[season 1]] episode "Neptune's Spatula," where he spawns after SpongeBob pulls the [[golden spatula]] from the ancient grease, making him Neptune's royal fry cook. However, Neptune refuses to accept such a lowly creature like SpongeBob as the chosen one and challenges him to a cook-off where, if the latter wins, he will become a god in Atlantis, but if he loses, he must give up fry cooking forever. The challenge is held at the "Poseidome," where the first one to make 1,000 patties wins. Using his godlike powers, Neptune wins the challenge just as SpongeBob finishes his first patty. To celebrate his victory, he gives the patties to the audience, who hate it. Neptune then tastes SpongeBob's patty and loves it. He declares SpongeBob the winner and makes him a god. However, when SpongeBob learns that his friends can't join him in {{W|Atlantis}}, he does not want to go and instead, makes Neptune his "trainee" at the [[Krusty Krab]]. 

In the show, Neptune is green and has fairly realistic human features, has hair, a mustache, a beard, thick fingers, is very muscular, and has a different crown. This version of Neptune also appears in ''[[Battle for Bikini Bottom]]'' and ''[[Battle for Bikini Bottom: Rehydrated]]'', where he summons SpongeBob and Patrick to the Poseidome to defeat a robot version of {{Link|Sandy}}.

In the [[Patchy the Pirate]] segments of "[[Party Pooper Pants]]," a live-action version of Neptune is seen as a guest at Patchy's party.

Neptune plays a central part in ''The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie''. The movie also introduces Neptune's daughter, [[Princess Mindy]]. In the movie, Neptune is bald, has brighter green skin, a larger nose, and a different beard. He is also explicitly portrayed as a king rather than a god and lives in some sort of sandcastle just outside of [[Bikini Bottom]]. This version of Neptune is very brutish and tyrannical, which he tells his daughter is necessary for him to be a respected ruler. Neptune is shown to be prone to anger when someone does something (such as messing with his crown) that makes him really angry, and makes his citizens suffer constant harsh and unfair punishments (including sending his servant 20 years in the dungeon for touching his crown, even though it's his job to polish the crown). His crown is very important to him, not only because it is a symbol of his power, but because it covers his "thinning" (bald) head. When the crown is stolen by {{Link|Plankton}}, Neptune unknowingly became a pawn to Plankton's Plan Z scheme. The following day, Neptune attempts to fry {{Link|Mr. Krabs}} as punishment, who is framed for the crime with the only evidence being an obviously fake note saying he did it and a phone call by Plankton saying he took it to Shell City. (The fake note and the phone call was just Plankton manipulating the angry king to falsely accusing Mr. Krabs so he'd cover up his crimes.) While in the meantime he wears a brown paper bag on his head to cover his bald spot. When SpongeBob refuses to let him kill his boss, he threatens to fry him along with his boss until Mindy arrived and convinced her father to let him go to Shell City and get his crown back, leading to Neptune to order SpongeBob to return with the crown in 6 days (which was originally 10 until Patrick argued it down to 6) and freezes Mr. Krabs, as he will keep him that way unless he kill him when the champion doesn't return with his crown in six days. He spends the rest of the movie dealing with his bald spot (as shown through Mindy's magical clam) while Bikini Bottom has been taken over by Plankton. When SpongeBob and Patrick manage to get back with the crown, Plankton drops one of his mind-control helmets of Neptune and takes control of him as well. After SpongeBob frees everyone and Plankton is exposed as the real thief and arrested for his crimes, Neptune realizes the error of his ways at the end of the movie when he nearly fries Mr. Krabs before SpongeBob and Patrick arrived with his crown before he does so. Happily reunited with his crown and praising SpongeBob for his heroic deed, he finally takes Mindy's advice of being a loving and compassionate ruler and apologizes to Mr. Krabs for falsely freezing him.

A picture of King Neptune is shown in "[[Krusty Towers]]." Squidward refers to this Neptune as "Neptune XIV." 

Neptune appears briefly in "[[SpongeBob vs. The Patty Gadget]]," where he was sleeping until being awoken by the explosion of the [[Patty Gadget]].

In "[[SpongeHenge]]," [[Incidental 45]] denies Neptune's existence when an [[anchovies|anchovy]] tells her that Neptune must be mad, saying "Everyone knows Poseidon is the ruler of the undersea."

In "[[The Clash of Triton]]," it is Neptune's 5,000th birthday and he's spending it at the Krusty Krab, but he can't enjoy himself because he misses his son Triton too much. He imprisoned his son for thousands of years because he was more interested in mortals and benefiting them than using his powers. To cheer Neptune up, SpongeBob and Patrick go to the prison where Neptune trapped Triton years ago. The boys free Triton and Triton begins to take his revenge on Neptune by trapping him in the same cage and wreaking havoc on Bikini Bottom. SpongeBob saves Neptune and the king goes to confront his son on his actions. However, when Neptune sees that Triton used his powers at long last, he accepts Triton for who he is, and the two return home, now closer than ever. 

He later makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in "[[Hello Bikini Bottom!]]" during the song "[[High Tide Time]]."

"[[Trident Trouble]]" marks King Neptune's first speaking appearance since "The Clash of Triton." SpongeBob accidentally gets ahold of his trident and Neptune gets SpongeBob's spatula, causing trouble. Eventually, Neptune realizes the mix-up and is defeated by a monster. Neptune appears in the city and points out the error to SpongeBob before getting the trident back. After Neptune fixes damage to the town, they team up to defeat the monster and her child with a monster patty.

Neptune appears again in "[[High Sea Diving]]." At the end of the episode, he appears in Bikini Bottom and is angry at [[Old Man Jenkins]] for tricking the town with his made-up stories and impersonating him. As punishment, Neptune then zaps the deluded and now scared old man with his trident.

In ''[[The Patrick Star Show]]'', Neptune also makes appearances in a few episodes, beginning with and most notably in "[[Neptune's Ball]]," where he is revealed to be ''The Patrick Show!''<nowiki/>'s biggest fan.

In "[[SpongeBob and Patrick's Timeline Twist-Up]]," the [[time closet]] brings [[Bunny Star]] into the events of "Neptune's Spatula." In the altered timeline, Neptune lets [[Bunny Star|Bunny]] take over his role after faking a stomach ache, but challenges her to a duel against a [[Wise kraken (character)|kraken]] when she becomes too popular with the townsfolk.

===Video games===
[[File:King Neptune and Queen Amphitrite sprites.png|thumb|260px|King Neptune and Queen Amphitrite's sprites from Bikini Bottom Chess.]]
*''[[Employee of the Month (video game)|Employee of the Month]]'' - An amusement park called Neptune's Paradise is a destination for SpongeBob and Patrick.
*''[[Battle for Bikini Bottom]]''/''[[Battle for Bikini Bottom: Rehydrated]]'' - King Neptune invites SpongeBob and Patrick to the Poseidome to face off against a giant Robo-Sandy which they manage to defeat. Additionally in ''Rehydrated'', a photo of King Neptune, alongside Triton and Queen Amphitrite, is visible on a television set inside of the [[Shady Shoals Rest Home]].
*''[[The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (video game)]]'' - King Neptune's role is the same as in the Movie: his crown goes missing and he accuses Mr. Krabs of taking it. He later sends SpongeBob and Patrick to find it, allowing Plankton to take Bikini Bottom for himself. His crown is returned and he frees Mr. Krabs. Under the control of Plankton, he is the final boss of the game.
*''[[SpongeBob's Atlantis SquarePantis]]'' - King Neptune makes a cameo in a painting in the Bikini Bottom Museum as an object SpongeBob must photograph. The painting is also unlockable in the gift shop with The Sirens added in it.
*''[[SpongeBob and the Clash of Triton (video game)|SpongeBob and the Clash of Triton]]'' - Triton, King Neptune's son, captures King Neptune on his birthday at the Krusty Krab. After his and Queen Amphitrite's tridents fall near SpongeBob and Patrick they gain powers and defeat Triton's underlings. They defeat Triton, restore Bikini Bottom to its former glory, and reunite Triton with his proud father.
*''[[Bikini Bottom Chess]]'' (online Nick.com game) - He is the king of SpongeBob's "good" side, while Amphitrite is the queen.
*''[[Plankton's Robotic Revenge]]'' - The gizmo called Neptuning Fork is named after King Neptune.
*''[[The Cosmic Shake]]'' - He appears in the game's final cutscene where he is trapped by [[Madame Kassandra]] using jelly before SpongeBob and Patrick free him. He also makes a small cameo in [[Karate Downtown Bikini Bottom]].
*''[[SpongeBob Simulator]]'' - His movie variant appears in the King Neptune clam and his normal variant is obtained as a morph by doing a quest.
[[File:TotT Promo Screenshot 3.png|thumb|220px|King Neptune and the [[Flying Dutchman]] in ''[[Titans of the Tide]]'']]
*''[[SpongeBob Tower Defense]]'' - He appears at the [[Poseidome Colosseum]].
*''[[Titans of the Tide]]'' - King Neptune will play a major role in this game. He enters into conflict with the [[Flying Dutchman]], forcing SpongeBob and Patrick to settle their differences before Bikini Bottom gets destroyed in their feud.

==Trivia==
[[File:SpongeBob's missing eyelashes mistake in Lost and Found.png|thumb|260px|Neptune's crown in "[[Lost and Found]]."]]
[[File:Insecurity Guards 161.png|thumb|260px|Neptune's crown in "[[Insecurity Guards]]."]]
[[File:Jared-krichevsky-throneroom-v3-1-7-15.jpg|thumb|260px|Concept art from an earlier version of ''[[The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run]]''  with King Neptune on his throne, watching his minions encircling SpongeBob and Sandy.]]
*According to [[Sherm Cohen]], King Neptune's redesign in ''The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie'' was to reflect the characterization in the movie.<ref>https://x.com/ShermCohen/status/1612329020141756416</ref>
**The redesign not carrying over into the series was due to a firewall between [[Nickelodeon]] and [[Paramount]] content at the time.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20191008160318/https://twitter.com/VincentWaller72/status/1114208160208674816</ref> This resulted in other elements created for the first movie not being allowed to be used in the series from {{Time|2005}} to {{Time|2014}}.
***After the firewall was lifted, King Neptune's crown from the 2004 movie made appearances in the episodes "[[Lost and Found]]" and "[[Insecurity Guards]]."
***The designs are also poked fun at in the 20th anniversary character poster, which featured series Neptune and movie Neptune back-to-back.
****This poster also implies that the two are separate characters. 
*Neptune was originally depicted with five fingers on each hand, which carried over to the movie version. Starting with "[[SpongeBob vs. The Patty Gadget]]," Neptune has four fingers on each hand.
**In "[[SpongeBob and Patrick's Timeline Twist-Up]]," which revisits the events of "Neptune's Spatula," he has five fingers again.
*In "[[Party Pooper Pants]]," he is portrayed physically by Sergio Ristie and voiced by [[Kevin Michael Richardson]].
*King Neptune was originally supposed to appear in a scrapped storyline of ''[[The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run]]''. He would have captured {{Link|Gary}} in order to clone him. He also would have had a different design in this version.
*Despite having curly red hair, his hair highly resembles the hair that Anemia from KaBlam's Anemia & Iodine and Dr. Hutchison from Rocko's Modern Life have.
{{Clear}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Wikipedia|King Neptune}}
[[ar:الملك نبتون]]
[[es:Rey Neptuno]]
[[fr:Roi Neptune]]
[[id:Raja Neptunus]]
[[ja:ネプチューン王]]
[[nl:Koning Neptunus]]
[[pl:Król Neptun]]
[[pt-br:Rei Netuno]]
[[ru:Нептун]]
[[zh:海神王]]
[[Category:Royalty]]
[[Category:Mermaids]]
[[Category:Movie characters]]
[[Category:Kings]]
[[Category:The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie]]
[[Category:Gods]]
[[Category:Video game bosses]]
[[Category:Characters portrayed by Guest Stars]]
[[Category:Minor characters]]
[[Category:Characters from other eras]]
[[Category:Characters portrayed by Paul Tibbitt]]