Squidward J. Quincy Tentacles is one of the ten main characters of the SpongeBob SquarePants franchise. He is SpongeBob and Patrick's grumpy next-door neighbor and the former's coworker at the Krusty Krab who lives in an Easter Island moai head. He is a mostly unpleasant artist and musician, and his favorite hobbies are painting self-portraits and playing the clarinet.
Even though Squidward's name contains the word "squid," he is an octopus, not a squid, as confirmed in many interviews and episodes. In "Jeffy T's Prankwell Emporium," it is revealed that he was named that by his dad because he thought it was funny and used it as a prank. Squids have ten limbs, many more than Squidward has. The series' animators believed that giving him eight limbs would be too burdensome and difficult to animate, which is why he is usually depicted with six limbs. Notable exceptions are brief scenes in "Pressure" and "Sold!," in which he has a full set of eight legs. In "Feral Friends," his exact species is identified: a giant Pacific octopus.
He is a very cynical, selfish, sassy (as Patchy the Pirate stated in a deleted scene), introverted (as he stated himself), and a stick-in-the-mud individual. He works as the cashier at the Krusty Krab, a job he usually hates, due to SpongeBob's annoyance and Mr. Krabs' cheapness. Squidward is frequently annoyed by SpongeBob's loud and cheerful behavior, but he sometimes sticks up for SpongeBob and sees him as a friend. He can also have a supportive side for his boss on occasion. Patrick also annoys him due to his stupidity and both Patrick and SpongeBob unknowingly annoy and trespass into his house.