the courage of stars

(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?

(undertale spoilers)

Determination is “the will to keep living… the resolve to change fate.” It’s the power that gives human souls “the strength to persist after death.” It is so powerful that it brought Flowey to life and gave him the power to control the underground’s timeline. 

Because many people believe the red soul represents determination, some players associate determination with the color red. Many also incorrectly cite that determination is written in red in the genocide route. This is false.

Determination isn’t unique to the red soul. It is found in all human souls, and there is evidence that all of the fallen humans had the power to save, load, and reset. Furthermore, there is a strong link between determination and yellow – the save point.

In Entry Number 5, the word “Determination” is in yellow (and contrary to popular belief, “Determination” is never written in red). The lab entry is written by Alphys, so she would know the color of the determination she extracted from the souls. While it is not the exact same color as the save point, it is extremely close. Closer than the other yellows found in the game, such as the golden flowers. Coincidentally, Flowey is also the same color yellow as the save point. It’s possible he became this brighter yellow after being injected with determination.

However, the most conclusive evidence is from the Undertale Demo’s instruction pages – specifically the TITLE SCREEN page.

The save point is literally “the manifestation of your own DETERMINATION.” While these instructions are not included in the official release of Undertale, the statement makes sense. Determination is the source of the power to SAVE and CONTINUE/LOAD. It also ties in nicely with the facts that the color yellow is used for selection in the main menu and the save menu turns yellow on a successful save.

Ultimately, there is more evidence that determination is the color yellow rather than red.

(undertale spoilers)

each fallen human has a specifically coloured soul associated with them. these colours can be seen on the coffins in new home, asgore’s soul containers, and the photoshop flowey boss battle. little is known about these souls, but what can be inferred is that each soul colour represents a unique trait. accessing this information requires multiple rounds of “ball game” in the snowdin forest. if the game is completed fast enough and the red flag is obtained, the following message appears.

however, red soul’s trait is never mentioned. or is it?

determination is not a trait

before exploring the red soul’s trait, it’s time to explain why determination is not the red soul’s trait. while it is a popular choice, it ultimately does not work for a few reasons. unlike the other traits, every human soul has determination. 

rather than being a trait, determination is more akin to willpower or resolve. it’s a power that gives human souls “the strength to persist after death.” furthermore, this determination is extracted from the six human souls and injected into a golden flower, bringing flowey to life and giving him the power to control the underground’s timeline. this same power is what gives the humans the power to save and load.

unlike all the other traits, determination is inherently inside all humans. furthermore, “determination” is never mentioned in the ball game. it’s also never specifically linked with the red soul nor is it ever written in red text. the word “determination” is only written in white or yellow. 

there is nothing that suggests determination is an exclusive trait to the red soul. it is merely a component in all the coloured human souls.

» read more: determination is yellow

the ball game

the different soul colours each represent their own positive traits according to “ball game.” the first time the red flag is achieved, the following message appears.

these are the positive traits of all the souls besides the red soul. when the ball game is won a second time in the conditions for the red flag, a new message appears.

it’s important to note that the ball game can only be played as long as snowdin is not cleared of monsters. if genocide is successful in snowdin, then the snowball will be gone, rendering the ball game useless. this is the only time the ball game cannot be played. in the neutral and pacifist routes, the game can be played even after reaching snowdin or after defeating papyrus.

the mirrors

from the red flag, the phrase “be yourself” is important. the idea of “being yourself” is seen repeatedly throughout the game, so long as the genocide route is not in motion. if frisk is still on the neutral route, frisk can look into the mirror in toriel’s home, and the following is said:

in new home, frisk can look into a second mirror and see the following:

this text appears in every route, except the genocide route. whether this is a reflection of frisk is up to interpretation.

in a pacifist route, after defeating asriel, frisk can look into the mirror in home once more to see this:

one of the most important elements of the pacifist route is the reveal of the protagonist’s true name, frisk. it highlights how frisk’s identity, or even their true self, is only revealed at the end of a pacifist route.

in contrast, the genocide route makes it clear that frisk is not themself from the start.

the red soul’s trait: being yourself

ultimately, the ball game holds the most important clue. the statement seems rather vague, until the one-word limitation is removed and the trait is seen as a phrase.

“being yourself” is seen in two ways in the context of undertale. the first is more obvious, with the phrase referring to how frisk is only themself in the neutral route and pacifist route. once the genocide route is in motion, frisk is no longer in predominant control – chara is. interestingly enough, when chara is in control during the genocide route and the snowdin forest is cleared, the ball game is unavailable, perhaps highlighting the fact that frisk is no longer truly themself.

the second way the virtue of “being yourself” is used in game is by its definition. “being oneself” means to be genuine, honest, or true to one’s character. along with determination, it is what allows frisk to keep going, especially in the pacifist route. sans alludes to this when he judges frisk in the last corridor.

“so as long as you do what’s in your heart” can be seen as another way to say “be true to yourself.” there is another reference to this trait in sans’ judgment should frisk have killed any monster.

while subtle, sans stresses the importance of being true to "yourself,” even in the face of committing a terrible crime.

“being yourself” may seem synonymous with integrity, but there is a difference. integrity is defined as “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles.” while both are a quality of being honest, there is a difference to what that honesty is towards. those with integrity are righteous, fair, and of good character. however, integrity is not needed to be yourself. being yourself is to stay true to who you are, regardless of what that may be. perhaps a word for this could be “individuality,” “nonconformity,” or “sincerity.”

conclusion

I don't want to run away anymore

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