Adventure Time (S01E25)

Episode #025
'His Hero'
Season 1, Episode 25

Finn and Jake stumble upon a hidden cave where a legendary hero named Billy spends his days. Billy used to fight and save people as Finn and Jake do, but he's given up hope that any of the lives he saved made any difference at all and beleven non-violence is the only real way to make a difference. His disillusionment leads to Finn and Jake contemplating whether or not they need to find non-violent ways to help people as well.

Billy isn't the most interesting characer around, but his presence near the end of several seasons of the show usually ushers in some truly compelling drama and plot development. Here, he doesn't make a huge impact like he will later on, but still manages to shake things up enough to change the way Finn and Jake approach conflict -- even just temporarily. Watching our heroes attempt to face their foes without the use of violence leads to some funny moments, as it takes a great deal more effort for them not to just punch evil in the face as they normally would. The scene where Finn dumps a potion into some gruel he made for townsfolk and give LSP a makeover with the use of a magic nail is...well, too great to spoil here. The ending leaves Finn and Jake where they were before it started, not really learning much of anything apart from their contributions through violence, but the journey was very entertaining.