the courage of stars

2. you people can’t do anything

3. name one hobby you have outside of media consumption

me when I get home:

me the entire weekend:

(undertale spoilers)

Together, through the genocide route, Chara and the player embark on a quest to “free everyone”. However, this partnership is something that is overlooked by many. There are players who deny any blame and place it all on Chara, trying to wash their hands clean of fault. Then there are those who insist that the player taught and guided Chara onto the path of eradication.

Both stances overlook important information from the game in favor of absolving one or the other of the crime. However, Chara makes it clear – “you” and Chara are partners.

In the following analysis, it is assumed that Chara’s partner is the player. If you believe the partner is Frisk, this theory will still apply.

The Player Guides Chara

When absolving Chara of any blame, people point to a a specific part from Chara’s monologue.

Our plan had failed, hadn’t it? Why was I brought back to life? You. With your guidance. I realized the purpose of my reincarnation. Power.

There is no denying the fact that the player guides Frisk, and thus Chara, throughout the Underground and makes the choice to kill or spare monsters. After all, the player is playing a game. They make the choices in the game, which are probably provided by both Frisk and Chara.

In neutral routes, the narration text is normally white and narrates in second person. That is, unless enough monsters are killed in the Ruins.

It takes the eradication of the monsters in the Ruins to get this red text that is associated with Chara. This is likely what is meant by Chara – the player’s actions in the “tutorial” section have helped Chara realize their purpose is gaining power. It would explain why the player doesn’t even need to reach the end of the genocide route to bring forth Chara.

Some may see this as the player corrupting Chara. Others may see it as giving Chara the power needed to take control and show their true self. Regardless of whether or not one believes Chara is corrupted by the player, consider this: the player could never complete the genocide route without Chara’s help.

Chara Guides The Player, Too

Genocide starts at twenty kills, and the kill count is added to the menu at twenty-one kills. This may possibly be because once Chara’s presence is strong enough, the stat menu reflects Chara’s care for kills. This change happens in the Ruins after eliminating all the monsters, including Toriel.

If you disagree that the stats menu is provided by Chara, then consider the save points in the genocide route, starting in Snowdin.

Chara is telling the player how many are left to kill in the area. This number is vital to the genocide route – failing to kill this many monsters before exiting the area will cause the genocide to be aborted. Interestingly, there is a specific monster that must be killed in Snowdin – the comedian called Snowdrake. If Snowdrake is not killed by the time the kill count is exhausted, Chara will berate the player.

Chara calls the player a “failure” for not eliminating Snowdrake. This happens rather early in the genocide route. It’s further proof that from early on, Chara is on board with the plan.

As the player continues to progress through the genocide route, Chara continues to keep track of how many are left to kill. In Waterfall, another interesting line of red text may appear. If the player misses any monster and is about to reach Undyne, Chara will warn the player.

Chara is the one who can feel how many monsters are left to kill. They tell the player how many are left in order to stay on the genocide route. If Chara didn’t keep track of the kills – if they didn’t guide the player – the player would be extremely unlikely to complete the genocide route without an external walk-through.

What does this mean when the player aborts the genocide route? Likely, Chara loses interest. Their purpose is eradicating the enemy. If the player fails to do so, there is no reason for Chara to be a guide anymore.

It Was Both Chara and the Player

When Chara greets the player at the end of the genocide route, they speak of their awakening, purpose, and partnership.

Greetings. I am Chara. Thank you. Your power awakened me from death. My “human soul.” My “determination.” They were not mine, but YOURS. At first, I was so confused. Our plan had failed, hadn’t it? Why was I brought back to life? You. With your guidance. I realized the purpose of my reincarnation. Power. Together, we eradicated the enemy and became strong. HP. ATK. DEF. GOLD. EXP. LV. Every time a number increases, that feeling… That’s me. “Chara.” Now. Now, we have reached the absolute. There is nothing left for us here. Let us erase this pointless world, and move on to the next.

The player woke Chara and helped them realize their purpose. However, after that statement, Chara uses “we” and “us” to refer to how both Chara and the player worked together to reach this end. There is no blame on the player. Even more so, if the player tries to back away from erasing the world, Chara will not only erase it but ask a rhetorical question.

Chara makes it clear that they are “the one in control”, not the player. They choose to erase the world – the player’s input does not matter.

Some will say the player’s input does not matter because Chara is punishing the player for their crimes. However, remember that throughout genocide, the player is following Chara’s strict guide in killing everyone. To miss any unique encounter would mean to be a “failure” to Chara. Why would Chara punish the player for being successful?

In a neutral route, the player can kill as much as they want, even enough to meet the same kill count as in genocide, but if they miss any unique encounters, then they are a “failure”.

Does Chara Really Blame the Player?

When the game is restarted after the world is erased, Chara tells the player the following once they finally appear.

Interesting. You want to go back. You want to go back to the world you destroyed. It was you who pushed everything to its edge. It was you who led the world to its destruction. But you cannot accept it. You think you are above consequences. [Yes / No] Exactly. Perhaps. We can reach a compromise. You still have something I want. Give it to me. And I will bring this world back. [Yes / No] Then it is agreed. You will give me your SOUL. [Yes / No] Then, it is done.

Notice that Chara no longer refers to “we” and “us” except to propose their deal. Chara is pinning the blame on the player for the world’s destruction, despite the fact that Chara erased the world with no regards to the player’s choice. Chara had previously emphasized that the player was their partner. What reason could Chara have to now pin the blame on the player? There is one possible reason: to guilt the player into giving up “your SOUL”.

Both the player and Chara destroyed the world, but Chara still wants something from the player. They want “your SOUL”, and the best way to obtain this is to place the player in a position where there is no choice but to give it up. Blaming the player for the world’s destruction is likely a tactic to ready the player for the deal. The player would be more willing to give into Chara’s request if they felt guilty for destroying the game. Add that with the fact that Chara is the only one who can bring back the world. The player really has no choice if they want to continue playing. 

After all, if the player refuses to give up “your SOUL”, then Chara will decide to abandon the player in the abyss "for all eternity”. If the game isn’t then closed and reopened, Chara will never, ever make a reappearance. If the game is reopened, Chara will issue the same demands as before. They will not accept anything less than the outcome they want.

The Player is STILL Chara’s Partner

Despite the blame placed on the player in the abyss, Chara will continue to refer to the player as their partner in subsequent genocide runs. They even compliment the player for choosing the correct answer.

Now, partner. Let us send this world back into the abyss. [ ERASE / DO NOT ] Right. You are a great partner. We’ll be together forever, won’t we?

They may not understand the player’s “perverted sentimentality” for keeping empty worlds, but they are clearly on board with eradicating the enemy and erasing worlds. They have no qualms about committing genocide with their partner.

Do you know there's a number higher than 9?