Best SINGLE Episode of Any Cartoon!

Kim Possible - "Emotion Sickness": I was growing to love this show the more episodes I saw, but this episode really made me a fan. It offers a lot of intrigue with Ron's attraction to Kim, and it's absolutely hilarious the whole way through. Opens the door for the developments that came later in the series.

Daria - "The Misery Chick": an episode that explores Daria's character, and does so a lot better than anything in the later seasons. It begins like any other episode, with the usual sarcastic humour and amusing idiots, and then suddenly makes a sharp turn to the dramatic, after an unexpected, tragic incident. Again, this is an episode that cemented me as a fan of its particular series.

I concur on "Almost Got 'Im", but I think "Two-Face" deserves a mention as well.
 
Agreed 100%. And for the record, the "Two-Face" two-parter actually did end up being my friend's favorite episode from the entire run. That ep's got some serious game.
 
Futurama-"The Sting"
Without a doubt my favorite episode of anything. Ever. The expression of emotion is just amazing.
Ed Edd n Eddy-"Mirror, Mirror"
A fantastic episode.
Fosters Home for Imaginary Friends-"Mondo Coco"
Coco is an interesting enough character, and with her on adventures, everything is a little bit better.
 
Can we count two parters?

Avatar: The Last Airbender: "Siege of the North", both parts. I liked Avatar but these were the episodes that truely set it apart from almost every cartoon airing. TIGHT direction and pacing and animation, great writing, heartfelt emotion, just everything.

Danny Phantom: "The Ultimate Enemy." Best Danny Phantom episode ever, and I think this is where the series hit it's peak.

Futurama: "The Sting." Hit all the right notes. I don't really like the series all too much really, but this episode really sticks in my mind.

Family Guy: "Stewie Kills Lois"/"Lois Kills Stewie." Proof that not all the newer episodes stink.

Fullmetal Alchemist: "Sealing the Homunculous." This was hard, as I loved all the episodes but this was my favorite and stands out because it had a lot to deal with and the pacing, writing, and animation were still great.
 
Pucca: "Hex Door Neighbor." It centers around a very minor character who is one of my favorite characters in the show. She is a force to be reckoned with! I've always wanted to see more episodes centered around her. Oh, and her voice is awesome!

Teen Titans: "Apprentice (Part 2)." This is what really got me into the show. I consider this to be the best episode of Teen Titans. Just about everything was perfect! Really dark but at the same time, it had some humor to back it up. Just awesome!

Spongebob: "Chocolate With Nuts." This is such a classic episode! Great animation and humor all around! Also a very original plot. This was when the show was great!

Dragon Ball Z: "Transformed At Last." This is simply because Goku finally becomes a super saiyan in this episode. The music that plays and the entire transformation is so powerful!

Ed Edd n Eddy: "Pain in the Ed." This is an all around feel good episode. Downright clever and funny. I loved just about everything about it.
 
More:

Teen Titans: I'm stuck between "Haunted," "X," and "The End Part 2," and I think Haunted wins. Seriously a great episode through and through and it proved that despite the FLCLisms, Teen Titans can handle drama well.

Rugrats: The Mysterious Mr. Friend. Laugh-out loud funny.

Gargoyles: Deadly Force. I remember seeing this when I was younger and I think this is where I get my anti-gun stance from. It touched me that much.
 
I love that one too, as well as the story paired with it, Home Movies, which featured animation drawn by the producers' children.

(Angelica's home movie shows her eating pancakes and all kinds of sweets for breakfast)
Chuckie: Hey, Angelica, I've been to your house for breakfast, and you don't eat stuff like that!
Angelica: QUIET, MORTAL!!!
 
SpongeBob SquarePants: Survival of the Idiots.

A fun episode, that took the underwater creatures lack of overworld knowledge and ran with it. I especially loved the Dirty Dan/Pinhead Larry role-playing and Sandy's raging fits.

Ed Edd n Eddy: Honor thy Ed

So many great moments, from Ed's description of the earwax phantom to Eddy's comments in the love ride. Despite the bad end, it's probably one of the episodes that never gets old to me.

Powerpuff Girls: Meet the Beat-Alls

As a Beatles fan, I managed to get most of the references in this episode. As I grew older, I caught even more of them. The fact that it's also a villain team-up where they remain powerful until the break-up is an added bonus.
 
Best Simpsons: "Homer Bad Man". Fantastic satire of talk shows, every single gag is brilliant, and the Little Mermaid parody has me in stitches every time I watch. Close runner-ups would be "Cape Feare" and "Homer Goes to College".

Best Futurama: "The Fansworth Parabox". Great story, fantastic humor, and very good use of every character. The definite Futurama episode.

Best Rocko: "Wacky Delly". "Do we really need the cheese at all?"

Best Dexter's Lab: "Dexter's Lab: A Story". This has got to be one of the funniest things ever. That talking dog is still the funniest dialogue I've ever listened to.

Best Powerpuff Girls: "Him Diddle Riddle". If only for the ending alone. "The Proffesor Will Pay". Brilliant!

Will post more soon.
 
Well, I do know of one person who also had ?The Academy? as her first episode and got it all well enough, but for obvious reasons, I?ll refrain from using her NAME.

But still, you ultimately are right, ?Academy? does fall back on a lot of continuity, which does probably lose itself on newbies their first time around. I?ll then add that my first episode, ?Act 4, Scene 15?, is probably a better choice for a first viewing. A lot of what made Jake and Rose?s characters and their relationship tick was present in it, while not calling back on the little bit of revelations the show had at this point, and I?d say that it?s one of the few season 1 episodes that really holds up. I just think that most of it?s impact can still be present to a newbie, while ?Homecoming? definitely takes some viewing of the series to really get it.

Another choice that comes to mind to me is the Ed, Edd, n? Eddy episode ?Ed in a Halfshell?/?Mirror, Mirror on the Ed?. The show has had a great half hour of episodes before and after, but I think these shorts might just be the perfect example of what makes the show what it is in general. In the first episode, we see how manipulative Eddy can be, as well as how deliciously evil Jimmy can be, while in the second, the Ed?s were able to prove how well-adjusted the Ed?s are to each other?s quirks, and how hysterical they can be with and without each other. You?d never think that a show can make the lead characters switch places with each other work as well as this episode did, but the staff really pulled off a unique and funny episode, with great lines like ?I have caused pain, as I am Eddy.?

It really saddens me to see this show never be nominated for an Emmy, or any other award, when it could make episodes as daring and well-written as these on a regular basis. We may never get a show like this again.
 
"Don't Touch That Dial" from Teen Titans is seriously (in my opinion), one of the best. Sure it may just be a filler epsiode, but I think that it's actually quite hilarious. Everything was perfect because it wasn't too wacky of a filler (Mad Mod) or too pointless of a filler (Car Trouble). I especially loved the Road Runner and Coyote reference.:D Pure genius!
 
Some more of mine.....

King of the Hill..."Hilloween"....An overly religious woman tries to cancel Halloween in Arlen,because she considers it an "evil" holiday,she ends up convincing Bobby and Luanne to help,and it's up to Hank and his friends to stop her...I just found the episode hilarious,and it has one of my favorite Hank lines (to Luanne) "Just when I think you've said the stupidest thing ever,you keep on talkin'!!!!"....

Family Guy..."The King is Dead"...Peter ends up producing his own version of "The King and I",completely taking over Lois' job as director,and majorly annoying her in the process....I just found it extremely funny,especially all of Peter's constant changes to the original work....

American Dad..."Francine's Flashback"....Stan forgets his wedding anniversary,so he decides to wipe Francine's memory,only he goes back 20 years instead of 20 hours...This episode was the one that made me love this series...it has my favorite dialogue between Stan and Haley...

Haley: Mom stole my boyfriend!!!!

Stan : Your boyfriend stole my wife!!!...Let's get back at them by dating each other........Wait a minute.....Daddy didn't think that one through....


Gargoyles....I think the episode is called "The Mirror"....it's the episode where Demona has Puck doing her bidding.....I thought it was interesting seeing a reversed situation,where Elisa is a Gargoyle,and Goliath and his clan are humans....

Bleach...."Stars and the Stray"....Rukia and Renji's backstory...it's kind of sad,but I enjoyed seeing them as children,and how much Renji loves Rukia (he was willing to let her go to a better life,even though he didn't want her to,and has been actively working on getting her back up to this point)...After Futurama's Fry and Leela,this is the couple I'm most hoping happens....
 
I agree with your other picks, but let me just state my opinion on KOTH's best episode.

King Of The Hill - A Firefighting We Will Go

This, in my opinion, is the defining episode of the entire show. In this episode we get a Rashoman style viewing of the events that transpired over the previous few days from the viewpoints of all four of the main characters. This gives us a real in depth look at who they really are and what they think of themselves and other characters. The narration from each character merely discusses the events, but if you pay attention you can see little details like the color of the environment, or subtle appearance of character that differs from reality. It's very fascinating to watch.

But, on top of that, it's really damn funny. You see exactly what happens when the guys are given free reign over something, and not only are they incompetent without Hank, even Hank himself is shown as powerless without his friends.

It's the funniest episode of KOTH, easily. But it's also got a lot of great character moments. Definitely the best episode.

As for characters, the best episode for each character is:

Hank: Nine Pretty Darn Angry Men
Dale: Soldier Of Misfortune
Bill: Pretty, Pretty Dresses
Boomhauer: Patch Boomhauer
Peggy: Lupe's Revenge
Bobby: Bobby Goes Nuts
Luanne: Buckley's Angel

Another great, though pure comedy, episode is Three Coaches & A Bobby. I really wish AS would show the 3rd season.

Agreed. I think it's a tie between Super Fun Time and Tsst for my favorite SP episode.

In Super Fun Time, every character shines, it's got that wonderfully over the top-ness South Park is known for, and the fact that there's no real B-story. The B-story is simply another group dealing with another aspect of the A-plot, which I really like.

Plus, the Die Hard-esque villains robbing a Burger King is such a great reveal.

As for Simpsons... That's a hard call. For humor, I would pick Homie The Clown. It's a simple 'character swap' episode, but to the extreme. Plus, my all time favorite scene- "STOP! STOOOOP! He's already dead!"

But in general, probably Bart Sells His Soul. The main plot is pretty emotional, and the B-story is hilarious, so you get a nice balance of both. I would definitely show this episode to get someone into the series.

Futurama is easily Roswell That Ends Well, as it has everything Futurama is known for. Great characters, unpredictable situations, and manages to be really funny at the same time. For emotion, I would pick Jurassic Bark, as it manages to have a real punch most shows don't have.
 
That's definitely a top ten. You've got the powerhouse of John Swartzwelder AND David Silverman, and as a result the episode is both funny from the jokes themselves and the animation/timing on them. I could make a list of my favorite jokes, but that would be pointless because pretty much all of them succeed.
 
Neon Genesis Evangelion Episode 26 "Take care of yourself"
While many may complain that it was no the violent EoE ending with nudity and death galore it still was good. The ending taught us not to fear ourselves and that you should love who you are no matter what you might be. It also had one of the coolest imaginary school moments ever.
 
Cowboy Bebop, "Jamming With Edward"
Ed is, was, and will probably always be my favorite character in this show. What better choice is there for me than her debut episode?

Azumanga Daioh, "Yamamayaa"
Not since Snoopy Come Home as a child had anything animated brought a tear to my eye.

Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi, the mecha and Hollywood episodes
Insanity. Pure, unbridled, delicious insanity.

Tenchi Universe, "No Need for a Genius"
MECHA-WASHU PUUUUUUUNCH!!!

Outlaw Star, "The Strongest Woman in the Universe"
Aisha Clan-Clan became my favorite character on the show immediately after I started watching, and she shines in this one. Plus, hey...Gene in drag.

Paniponi Dash, "A Time of Crisis"
One of the best episodes I've ever watched with subtitles.

Samurai 7, "The Offering"
Everything after the eyecatch is just EPIC.
 
Freakazoid: House of Freakazoid/Sewer or Later

Gintama: The Shinsengumi Bathroom Episode (I forget the actual title)

Cowboy Bebop: Toys in the Attic

Fosters Home For Imaginary Friends: Again I forget the episode title but "Hot in Topeka"
 
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