Zhihu, are Squidward Tentacles cartoons copyrighted?

There is copyright. Anime characters have no portrait right but copyright. Anime characters are products created by authors and belong to the scope of copyright protection. If it is to be used for commercial purposes, even fictional characters must obtain the consent of the original author and pay royalties, otherwise it is infringement. Legal basis: Article 123 of the Civil Law of People's Republic of China (PRC), in which civil subjects enjoy intellectual property rights according to law.