faq

the frequently asked questions are divided into four categories for your convenience. if you cannot find your question here, send us an ask or submission! you can also use our custom google search!

about the blog | chara specific | frisk specific | other

about the blog:

Q: WHO RUNS THE BLOG?

the blog was first founded by nochoco, who wrote and managed most of the theories in the first year. since then many mods have come and gone, and leadership of the blog was eventually passed to ellipsis. nochoco and felt’s focus has shifted to creating the caretaker-au, though they do continue to provide limited support when they can. our newest mod, date, has recently been added to the team and assists ellipsis with responding to asks.

Q: WHERE DID YOU GET YOUR THEME?

we commissioned this theme from estersand! she’s absolutely amazing – super kind and patient! her way with colours is wonderful, and she makes beautiful graphics as well as themes. you should definitely check out her blog!

Q: [ANY COMMENT THAT ISN’T A QUESTION.]

we love to read your comments, but asks with questions will have to take priority! sometimes we may not reply, but we do read every ask in our inbox! instead of sending your comment in an ask, we recommend that you use the reply button on our posts.

Q: WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR IMAGES FROM?

our images are either personally taken or sourced from crashergale’s undertale text project, which we contributed with our own screenshots! all of these screenshots were taken in the png file format for the best quality.

Q: HOW DO YOU VIEW THE CODE?

by using decompilers found online, we’re able to view the code from undertale and deltarune. if you are really interested in the code, check out /r/underminers.

Q: WHY SHOULD I BELIEVE YOUR THEORIES?

you don’t have to! our theories are just our interpretations. we do our best to make sure they line up well with facts presented in the game, but many things in undertale are left purposely ambiguous. the theories here are not the be-all and end-all. you should feel free to come to your own conclusions if you don’t like ours!

Q: I DON’T AGREE WITH YOUR THEORY.

that’s reasonable; we don’t expect everyone to share the same interpretation. if you have evidence we’ve missed, shoot us an ask or submission.

Q: [ANY ASK THAT OUR THEORY IS WRONG WITHOUT ANY EVIDENCE.]

there is nothing wrong with disagreeing with our theories! however, if you send us an ask or submission stating opinions or ideas without any supporting evidence from the game, then the message will be ignored. we are not here to change your mind. likewise, please do not attempt to change our minds unless you can provide factual evidence from the game.

Q: WHAT IF I DON’T BELIEVE THE PLAYER IS AN ENTITY?

if you substitute the player with frisk, usually our theories will still make sense.

Q: WHAT DO YOU THINK OF <INSERT BLOG NAME>’S THEORY/POST/HEADCANON?

good question, but the nochocolate blog does not review, critique, or debate other people’s theories unless the author personally asks for our feedback. we’ll gladly answer questions about your own ideas or general ideas!

Q: <INSERT BLOG NAME> SAID THIS ABOUT YOU. WHAT SHOULD I DO? ARE YOU GOING TO SAY ANYTHING?

thank you so much for the concern, but the best thing you can do is to not engage with them on the matter. we operate under a strict “make as little drama as possible” policy, and we ask that our followers respect this.

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chara specific:

Q: DO YOU HATE CHARA?

no! none of the mods hate chara. chara is actually nochoco and felt’s favourite character in undertale (and ellipsis appreciates them too, though no one can dethrone sans in her eyes). we couldn’t talk about a character all day if we didn’t like them! chara is a complex and well written character. the information about them is cryptic and scattered, so piecing it all together is like a puzzle. it’s fun to put theories together about a character like that.

Q: WHY ARE YOU BLAMING CHARA FOR THE GENOCIDE ROUTE? IT WAS THE PLAYER’S FAULT.

neither chara nor player bear all the responsibility for the genocide route. the player is the one who chooses to kill everyone, but chara is definitely on board with the plan as early as the ruins – they provide kill counts, and they require that all unique monsters are eliminated for the route to continue.

» read more: chara’s partner

Q: IS CHARA EVIL?

we don’t think chara is evil. chara’s actions aren’t always morally sound, but calling chara simply “evil” renders their motives meaningless. chara is much more than just some one-dimensional force of destruction. they are intelligent, funny, and have an entire past of untold experiences that shaped them. it’s also important to remember that “evil” is very subjective. while one might argue that planning to indiscriminately kill humans is “evil,” it’s possible that chara may have seen their plan as “good” if they believed that all other humans were “evil.” it’s all a matter of perspective.

Q: IS CHARA A DEMON?

in life, chara was human. after death, at the end of the genocide route, chara describes themself as “the demon that comes when people call its name.“ more than likely, chara is describing themself as something that is neither human nor monster, but rather something in between. this distinct lack of humanity and compassion is noted by several monsters in the genocide route.

although chara may have been more caring in life, the game suggests that they lost their compassion for monsters after asriel betrayed them by refusing to kill humans. it’s uncertain what a soulless-human-essence-bound-to-a-human-child entity technically should be called, but chara uses the word “demon” to describe themself after coming back from the dead to possess frisk’s body (and soul). chara may have found the word “demon” to be a convenient term to identify with.

Q: IS CHARA THE VILLAIN/ANTAGONIST OF UNDERTALE?

no. the antagonist is one who gets in the way of what the protagonist is trying to do. a protagonist is not necessarily “good” or “bad” either. frisk is the main character, and flowey is the one who attempts to foil their efforts. therefore, flowey is the game’s antagonist. chara, as a result, is the protagonist’s accomplice. even in the genocide route, frisk/chara are the protagonists.

Q: HOW CAN CHARA DO SO MUCH IF THEY’RE SO YOUNG?

children can be surprisingly capable and are often underestimated.

» read more: a child’s maturity

Q: IS IT POSSIBLE THAT CHARA’S LAUGH IS A COPING MECHANISM?

it is extremely unlikely that chara’s laughter is a panic response.

Q: IS CHARA CORRUPTED BY THE GENOCIDE ROUTE?

chara actively encourages the events of the genocide route from the start, so this is unlikely.

Q: WHAT EXACTLY DOES CHARA DO IN THE GENOCIDE ROUTE?

in the genocide route, the majority of the atrocities are committed by the player. however, chara assists the player at every possible opportunity (for example, letting them know how many monsters are left in each area and instructing the player not to proceed to the bridge in waterfall without first clearing the area). at the end of the route, chara kills sans, asgore, and flowey without the player’s input. (like all bosses, asgore does not die immediately. he does, however, lose all his hp from chara’s single attack, a contrast to the neutral route wherein frisk leaves asgore with a sliver of hp. flowey’s final hit was unnecessary.)

Q: DOES THE PLAYER MAKE CHARA KILL FLOWEY BY PRESSING [Z]?

no.

Q: AFTER CHARA’S RESURRECTION, HOW DO THEY FEEL ABOUT MONSTERS?

flowey’s question shortly before sans’ battle seems to suggest that chara feels betrayed by him as a result of the failed plan (“…No hard feelings about back then, right?”). this perception may have caused chara to now regard monsters in the same way they do humans (“Chara hated humanity” and “they felt very strongly about that”).

Q: HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE NARRACHARA THEORY?

the idea that chara is the narrator in all routes makes sense, so a few of the theories here are related to that. most of these theories can stand on their own without it, but there is certainly strong evidence to support the narrachara theory.

Q: DID CHARA LOVE THE DREEMURRS?

it’s unconfirmed, but certainly possible that chara truly loved the dreemurrs before their death. regardless, their behaviour towards asriel was still highly questionable.

Q: WAS CHARA ABUSED ON THE SURFACE BY HUMANS?

chara’s abuse at the hands of humans is just one of many possibilities with regards to their past. chara’s past is left up to interpretation – they didn’t even tell asriel why they hated humanity (“Chara hated humanity. Why they did, they never talked about it.”).

Q: DOES CHARA PROVIDE INFORMATION BASED ON MONSTERS (CHECKS) BECAUSE THEY KNEW THEM?

probably not. chara would have died years before many of the monsters encountered in undertale were even born.

» read more: monster checks

Q: WHAT HAPPENED TO CHARA’S SOUL/ESSENCE AFTER THEY DIED?

according to one of the library books, a person’s essence is stored in their remains. toriel brought chara’s corpse to the ruins when she left asgore in order to give chara “a proper burial.” clues suggest the burial site is the place where frisk fell down, where the golden flowers are. when frisk falls down onto chara’s grave, their determination comes into contact with chara’s essence, and this essence somehow latches onto frisk.

Q: WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF NAMING CHARA?

there are several layers of significance: 1.) to mislead the player into believing that they are frisk. 2.) to overtly connect the player to chara. 3.) chara claims that they are “The demon that comes when people call its name.” there are two people who call chara’s name: flowey says he was “calling” chara before the events of the genocide route, and the player calls chara when they name them.

Q: WAS CHARA SUICIDAL?

unknown. however, it is clear that chara’s fall into the underground was accidental.

» read more: chara didn’t jump

Q: IS CHARA SELF-LOATHING?

nothing in the game suggests that chara hates themself – all that is known is that they “hated humanity.”

Q: DID CHARA REALLY PLAN TO ATTACK THE HUMAN VILLAGE?

yes. the plan was to take six human souls. however, chara, controlling asriel’s body, took their own body to the village, presumably to antagonise the villagers into attacking asriel. with the villagers attacking asriel, chara would have a reason to “to use our full power.”

Q: WHY DIDN’T CHARA TAKE ANY BOSS MONSTER SOULS TO FULFILL THEIR PLAN?

it’s risky. since a human has never absorbed a boss monster soul, the results are completely unknown and thus could cause chara problems.

Q: WHO IS SAVED AT THE END OF ASRIEL’S FIGHT? IS IT CHARA?

while the text “you reach out and call their name” seems ambiguous, the full context proves that asriel is the last person to be saved in the final fight.

Q: CAN CHARA BE SAVED IN UNDERTALE?

the game does not suggest chara is saved in the duration of the game. however, redemption could be possible after a true pacifist route, as long as no genocide route is played.

Q: DOES CHARA DESERVE TO BE SAVED?

this is outside theory territory and entirely left up to the interpretation of the player. we leave the answer to you!

Q: IS CHARA THE ANGEL OF THE PROPHECY?

chara is one of the angels of the prophecy – the angel of death.

Q: HOW IS CHARA ABLE TO TAKE CONTROL OF FRISK?

close examination of the genocide route and the neutral route reveals that chara’s control is based on number of kills and the cooperation of the player to meet the kill count requirements.

Q: DOES CHARA HAVE ANY POSITIVE TRAITS/REDEEMING QUALITIES?

examples of chara being kind are cryptic and open to interpretation.

Q: DIDN’T CHARA’S PLAN INVOLVE SAVING THE MONSTERS?

chara’s plan involved “freeing” monsters, not necessarily saving them. the word “free” is ambiguous in undertale.

Q: WOULD CHARA HAVE KNOWN THEY COULD CONTROL ASRIEL’S BODY?

while unlikely, it is possible that chara knew, considering that a monster has absorbed a human soul in the past. the records of this phenomenon are in waterfall, and there is one ancient plaque that is defaced and another that is unreachable. chara may have been able to read these during their time in the underground.

Q: DID CHARA KNIT THE SWEATER FOR ASGORE?

while not confirmed, evidence suggests that chara did knit the sweater.

Q: WHY DID CHARA KILL THEMSELF USING BUTTERCUPS?

there are several potential reasons, including to have their death look natural to keep others from discovering their plan.

Q: IS CHARA CONSCIOUS DURING TAPE 5 IN THE TRUE LAB?

no. given how each dreemurr pleaded with chara to wake up, it is unlikely that chara was conscious. asriel tried to stir chara from their sleep, but nothing indicates that he was successful: “Psst… Chara… Please… wake up… I don’t like this plan anymore.”

Q: WAS CHARA ABUSIVE TOWARDS ASRIEL?

while perhaps not intentional, evidence suggests chara was emotionally abusive towards asriel, given that asriel exhibits symptoms of an abuse victim.

Q: DOES ASRIEL KNOW WHY “CHARA HATED HUMANITY”?

no. asriel explicitly states that “they never talked about it.”

Q: DOES ASRIEL KNOW WHY CHARA CLIMBED THE MOUNTAIN?

yes. however, asriel does not share this reason with frisk. all he says is that “It wasn’t for a very happy reason.” however, this reason is not the same reason for hating humanity.

Q: WHAT IS CHARA TALKING ABOUT WHEN THEY MENTION “A PERVERTED SENTIMENTALITY”?

chara is perplexed by the player’s desire to keep around the world after having killed everyone that could be killed. when chara mentions that they “cannot understand these feelings any more,” they are referring specifically to the player’s choice to not erase the world: “This feeling you have. This is what I spoke of.”

Q: DOES CHARA BLAME OR CRITICISE THE PLAYER FOR THE GENOCIDE ROUTE?

chara does not blame nor criticise the player at the end of the genocide route. instead, when the player returns to the game after the world is erased, what appears to be chara blaming the player is more likely an effort to guilt the player into giving up “your SOUL.”

Q: WHAT DOES CHARA DESTROY AT THE END OF THE GENOCIDE ROUTE – THE PLAYER? THE GAME?

chara destroys the world, as they propose to the player: “Let us send this world back into the abyss.” they do so regardless of the player’s wishes.

Q: IS THE SOULLESS PACIFIST END CHARA’S WAY OF PUNISHING THE PLAYER FOR COMMITTING GENOCIDE?

no. this would not make sense as chara works with the player to complete the genocide route. chara considers themself and the player to be partners. moreover, the act of slaughtering all of frisk’s friends and denying them happiness forever doesn’t particularly reek of justice. as chara suggests in a repeated genocide route that the player should take “another path” next time, it seems that the soulless pacifist route is chara’s end goal. the force that drove them from the very beginning was their hatred of humanity, and on the surface, chara can finally “eradicate the enemy.”

Q: DURING ASRIEL’S FIGHT, ARE THOSE FLASHBACKS ACTUALLY CHARA’S MEMORIES?

yes. these are most likely chara’s memories, considering that frisk experiences other memories that do not belong to them throughout the game – the memory in waterfall and the memories of asgore’s voice that occur upon death, for example. perhaps even the memory of chara tripping into the hole at the start of the game was shared with frisk upon falling onto the flowerbed, where chara was buried.

Q: DOES CHARA EVER SHOW REMORSE OR APOLOGISE FOR THEIR ACTIONS?

no. at no point of the game does chara ever show remorse, even in the pacifist route. this sharply contrasts with flowey/asriel, who ends up genuinely apologising in both forms. not only does flowey say he’s sorry with his words, he attempts to make amends by sacrificing his quality of life in order to save all the monsters in the underground. his actions speak to someone who wants to help others. in the genocide route, chara has a chance to apologise to flowey or at the very least start to repair their relationship, but instead violently cuts him down. chara’s actions show that they have no interest in things like apologising or making up for the past.

Q: DOES CHARA HATE KILLING? DO THEY BERATE THE PLAYER FOR KILLING?

they do not. chara actively helps the player during the genocide route, keeping track of the kill count at save points and pushing the player to continue killing. if anything, they berate the player for failing to kill snowdrake.

Q: I’M CONFUSED – JUST WHAT DID CHARA AND ASRIEL DO?

to over simplify: chara planned to “free everyone” by having asriel absorb 7 humans souls (starting with chara’s). while asriel did absorb chara’s soul, asriel refused to kill humans and both children died. then a strange series of events unfolded that brought both asriel and chara back into existence in the underground.

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frisk specific:

Q: WHAT ARE FRISK AND CHARA’S PRONOUNS?

both children are referred with they/them pronouns in canon.

Q: ARE FRISK AND CHARA CHILDREN?

yes. there is evidence in game to suggest that they are children, and it seems to be confirmed by toby fox.

Q: IS FRISK A REINCARNATION OF CHARA?

there’s not enough evidence to conclude this. the only things that tie frisk and chara together (aside from sharing the same body) are their red souls and their fashion sense.

Q: IS FRISK KIND?

one interpretation: frisk is the one who owns the body, so their kind personality is the default. that kindness can be seen in the pacifist route’s independent actions. the genocide route shows that apathetic or cruel independent actions belong to chara. so, in neutral routes, both extremes sort of blend together to create a more natural person. the more frisk kills, the closer they get to chara’s influence, the more they think like chara. the less they kill, the less influence chara has over them.

another interpretation: frisk is just kind of a glob of clay who can be moulded into whatever the player chooses.

Q: WHY DOES FRISK’S SOUL SHATTER UPON DYING?

it’s unknown! we have our own speculations for the reason, but nothing in game clearly states why this occurs.

Q: CAN FRISK SAVE AND LOAD ON THE SURFACE?

it is extremely unlikely that the humans can save and load on the surface. if they could, they could have loaded to a save point before falling into underground!

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other:

Q: [ANY QUESTION ABOUT ANALYSING THE GAME’S SOUNDTRACK.]

sorry, but none of us have the expertise to answer musical technical questions regarding the undertale original soundtrack! questions about the soundtrack will, unfortunately, be ignored.

Q: DOES THE PLAYER EXIST AS AN ENTITY IN UNDERTALE?

it’s possible. frisk and chara both exist as their own characters separate from the player, and the dynamic between chara and the player heavily imply that the player is necessary to the story as a third party. other characters also hint that the player exists as an entity, especially alphys. mettaton pokes fun at how “ALPHYS BELIEVES THERE IS SOMEONE OUT THERE,” to which she mentions that “There are alternate universes out there!” additionally, flowey’s “someone like that’s watching right now” speech potentially alludes to people who exist outside the world of undertale.

Q: DID ASRIEL HAVE ANY RESERVATIONS REGARDING THE PLAN?

absolutely. when chara first proposes the plan, asriel tearfully voices his doubts about it: “I… I don’t like this idea, Chara.“ in response, chara asks if asriel is crying, then persuades asriel to go through with it regardless.

Q: WHOSE THEME IS MEGALOVANIA?

the theme could belong to either chara or the player, as both strive for power in the genocide route.

» read more: megalovania

Q: DOES UNDERTALE REALLY TAKE PLACE IN ONE DAY?

yes. a froggit in the ruins confirms the game takes place in one day.

Q: DOES UNDERTALE TAKE PLACE IN THE FUTURE?

yes. chara was the human who fell in the year 201X. given that toriel hasn’t seen a human in a long time, frisk fell a long time after. hints suggest frisk fell in 211X.

Q: DOES SANS SURVIVE THE ATTACK IN THE GENOCIDE ROUTE?

probably not. the increase in LOVE right after the “death” sound effect is extremely convincing. the reason as to why there is no increase in the kill count could be that chara is the one who delivers the final blow that kills sans.

Q: DOES SANS HAVE DETERMINATION?

we’re going to have to say no until evidence is given suggesting otherwise. there is nothing in game that supports the idea that he has determination.

Q: WHAT IS THE MINIMUM AMOUNT OF MONSTERS THAT HAVE TO DIE IN GENOCIDE?

before sans, the minimum amount of monster kills that will be in the stats menu is 102. this kill count does not increase after sans is defeated – perhaps because the killing blow was from chara and not the player/frisk.

Q: CAN FLOWEY FEEL THINGS?

yes. while flowey claims he cannot feel, his behavior contradicts this and suggests he can feel both negative and positive emotions, albeit not the same as he did before.

Q: WHY DOES CHARA HATE SNOWDRAKE SO MUCH?

we have no idea!

Q: WHAT ARE [CHARACTER]’S PRONOUNS?

check out this handy list!

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