Undertale has shaken the gaming world like few other indie games have managed to. To this day, it’s a series that fans get hyped for, buy merchandise for, and hope to see more of. With the exciting release of Delta Rune Chapter 2 (the follow up to Undertale), there is no better time to go over the original game’s best characters.
Muffet
This spider has taken the internet by storm. Muffet has an interesting character design that combines a spider with the likeness of Miss Muffet. Even though she runs her own bake sale, it might be wise to buy your spider cookies somewhere else. Muffet is one of the best examples of how Undertale is written because she illustrates how even the smallest details in the game matter. Her boss battle also boasts one of the best songs in the game, which adds a little something extra to help lock her character into the minds of players.
Dogamy and Dogaressa
Sometimes the best characters are simply good dogs. Despite having small roles in the game, these hooded puppers offer one of the funniest fights in the game. From the second you meet them, it’s nearly impossible not to be charmed by them, and they work as a perfect lead-in for the dog jokes that are played up from that point on. It’s a fun moment when you get to teach these dogs that they can pet other dogs, which makes them extra happy.
Napstablook
The saddest ghost boy around truly made an impression right from his debut. While simple and only around for a little while, he has a neat secret house. He’s a memorable miniboss thanks to the song that plays when he’s around and he works as a nice introduction to the boss characters in Undertale. Figuring out how to dodge the crying attack pattern is a particularly memorable part of the game. The fight with Napstablook serves to reinforce the idea that the player should try to be nice to the characters in this world since they do have feelings.
Toriel
Who doesn’t want this fluffy gal to be their mom? The fight with Toriel is the first one where the player doesn’t have an obvious method of sparring with a monster. It makes the player think she has to kill a person and introduce the character to the game’s special feature of remembering what you did even if you reset the game. Then the game adds an amazing layer to the fight where, when the player is low enough on health, Toriel simply won’t hurt her, letting attrition show you that the answer is to just wait. She might be a bit over-protective, but she stands out as a warm, comforting character. Plus the way she throws shade at her ex-husband at the end is fantastic.
Flowey
The worst flower in history is also a huge part of why Undertale is so popular. He taunts the player for having killed characters and is always around, which means that the player gets to know Flowey better than any other character in the game. You get to see where he draws a line if you become a serial killer as well as what makes him tick if you treat him with kindness. He also presents players with a final boss song that’s a total banger.
Alphys
This nerdy, anime-loving dinosaur works as a funny character because the game really lets her be messy. Alphys is a sapphic woman⏤she’s done a lot of bad things trying to help monsters, is nervous and lies all the time, yet she’s also sweet and endearing. Her ability to have all the layers of complexity makes investing in her romantic life and helping her link up with Undyne even more satisfying. You know this is a person who makes mistakes and is growing, and it’s nice to watch and help make that growth happen.
Papyrus
The spaghetti and date master Papyrus is certainly a unique character. By the time you meet this silly skeleton, you’ll probably have decided whether or not the game’s humor is for you. If you find Papyrus grating, chances are the rest of the game might not be very enjoyable for you. Papyrus has some of the funniest encounters in the game and serves as a linchpin to capturing many characters and gaining both friends and popularity.
Mettaton
This flamboyant robot also has a catchy boss song and the little arc that leads to fighting him gives him some of the most focus of any character in the game. He plays a zany TV host in the Underground, and the final boss fight against him finds mechanics and narrative meeting each other in a fascinating and exciting way. There’s a lot to love about this pretty-boy robot⏤just look at his costume!
Sans
Sans is the most memorable character in the whole game, filling the internet with hype so big he ended up in Super Smash Brothers as an outfit. He follows the player around the whole game sharing bad puns. If you’re a nice player, he’s an endearing and funny man, but if you’re evil, he becomes a looming threat. He is one of the only characters that can read into the meta level of the game, making him also care about the player’s actions, both past and present. If you were evil enough to fight him, he stands as a hero of the story against you, persistent to the end, and instead of giving up makes the player the villain of the story by mashing their face against the hero over and over until they win.
Undyne
The angriest fish girl around made the hearts of sapphics swoon. She is aggressive, strong, well-designed, scary, and presents the player with one of the hardest puzzles on how to beat a character. It takes many players an almost ridiculous amount of time to figure out that the way to win is to run away. It’s such an interesting way to utilize a mechanic that the player is likely, out of habit for how RPGs work, to have never even considered touching. Keeping her alive and following her story is so worth it. She isn’t given a ton of background tragedy, but instead is interesting in the present. Plus her dating Alphys is super cute and we’re definitely here for a pair of adorable lesbians.