Season 1 of Randy Cunningham is a masterclass in pacing. It manages to tell a serialized story about the Nomicon (the Ninja's guidebook) while delivering episodic "monster of the week" chaos. It introduced us to a world where the school mascot is a giant catfish, the janitor is the most suspicious person in the building, and being a hero means learning that you don't always know best.

The main antagonist. 800 years ago, he was the first ninja, but corrupted by power. Now a green, gluttonous specter chained beneath the school, he creates the "Monsters of the Week" by possessing inanimate objects with his "McFist" corporation's waste. He is grotesque, hilarious, and genuinely threatening.

Howard eventually gets a C+ for telling a "convincing story" about an attack to save Randy's dignity.

, an ancient evil imprisoned beneath the school. He uses "stank"—a corruptive gas—to turn emotionally vulnerable students into monsters.