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A long time ago, a human fell into the RUINS. Injured by its fall, the human called out for help.

Froggit

Chara, also known as the fallen human, is the first human to fall into the Underground. Chara is their "true name" on the naming screen, though their name typically varies on what the player enters. They are distinct from the eighth fallen human, who is the protagonist of Undertale. Their primary role is in the backstory of the Dreemurr family, though they also appear at the end of the Genocide Route to erase the world. Both of these make them a major character in Undertale.

Profile

Appearance

Chara sprite intro

Chara after having fallen into the Underground.

Chara looks strikingly similar to the protagonist, and has a "similar fashion choice," as said by Asriel Dreemurr in the True Pacifist Route.[1] Both appear to have been around the same age when they fell into the Underground. Chara's SOUL is also the same color as the protagonist's, which is indicated by the red SOUL on Chara's coffin, but any other shared traits are unknown.

At the end of the Genocide Route, Chara appears with a long-sleeve neon green sweater with a single horizontal cream stripe (which is an inverted color of the protagonist's shirt, with a single stripe) and nondescript red-brown pants and shoes. Chara has peach skin, brown medium-length hair with side-swept bangs, and rosy cheeks. Distinctly, they have open brown eyes, and a smile that contrasts the protagonist's stoic expression. In the "Soulless Pacifist" ending, Chara appears with red eyes.

Personality

Young one, when I look at you...
I'm reminded of the human that fell here long ago...
You have the same feeling of hope in your eyes.

Asgore's extended monologue if Flowey was killed in the previous run

While initially cast in a sympathetic light, Asriel admits at the end of the True Pacifist Route that Chara "...wasn't really the greatest person." Asriel states that Chara climbed Mount Ebott for an unhappy reason, and adds that Chara "hated humanity."

At the end of the Genocide Route, Chara behaves in a polite, formal, and terse manner. They thank the protagonist for teaching them the purpose of their reawakening: power. Chara informs that their determination woke them from death when entering the Underground.

If the protagonist refuses to destroy the world, Chara's eyes become wide, and rhetorically asks: "SINCE WHEN WERE YOU THE ONE IN CONTROL?", before destroying it with corrupt laughter. In the abyss, Chara is blunt, and criticizes the protagonist: "You want to go back to the world you destroyed."

After a second Genocide Route, Chara expresses confusion at the protagonist's "sentimentality," and states that they can no longer understand such emotions, implying that they, like Flowey, have lacked a SOUL, and thus emotions, since their death.

Main Story

Intro screenshot Chara

Chara approaching the entrance to the Underground

Chara can be first seen during the introduction scene of Undertale, climbing Mt. Ebott, tripping over a root and falling into the Ruins. During the fight against Asriel, a continuation of this scene can be seen, where Asriel helps Chara lift themself up after the fall after hearing their call for help, and takes them to his parents.

Chara was taken in by Toriel and Asgore as a second child and was treated with respect equal to their biological son. Chara and Asriel became not only siblings, but also best friends, and monsters spoke of how Chara filled the Underground with hope.[2]

One day, after becoming terminally ill from consuming buttercups, Chara expressed the desire to see the Golden Flowers found in their home village.[3] After their death, Chara's SOUL was absorbed by Asriel, and they shared control over his body. Chara carried their own corpse across the barrier and wanted to use their full power to destroy the humans that were attacking them. Asriel resisted Chara, which ultimately led to the humans killing the fusion of the two SOULs.

Chara's motives in this situation are uncertain. In the fourth True Lab tape, Asriel says "Y...yeah! We'll be strong! We'll free everyone.", and in the fifth "Six, right? We just have to get six..." In the Genocide Route, Flowey tells Chara that they should finish what they started and free everyone. Flowey also adds, "Then... let's let them see what humanity is REALLY like. That despite it all... This world is still 'kill or be killed!!". Asriel tells the protagonist that he came up with this philosophy because his resistance to Chara had led to both of them being killed. At the end of the Genocide Route, Chara says little about Asriel's resistance other than, "At first, I was so confused. Our plan had failed, hadn't it?" It can be inferred, then, that Chara's ingestion of the flowers was intentional, and done in order to give Asriel access to the power of their soul so that Asriel could travel to the surface and collect the human souls needed to break the Barrier and free the monsters.

Chara overworld coffin

Chara's body was originally laid to rest in a coffin in the basement of the castle, where the bodies of the other fallen humans would later be put. When Toriel left Asgore, she carried Chara's body to the Ruins and gave them a proper burial.[4]

In the Genocide Route, Chara says that the protagonist's "determination" and "human soul" awakened them from death. There is evidence to suggest that some narration, as well as descriptions of certain actions and events, is by Chara themself. However, the narrator throughout the entirety of Undertale is up to speculation.

Neutral Route

When the protagonist gets a Game Over, Asgore's voice is heard as he urges Chara to "stay determined." The messages seen on the game over screen are identical to what Asgore said to Chara while they were on their deathbed.

<Name>, huh?
That's a nice name.
My name is

Asriel Dreemurr introducing himself to Chara, in a reminiscence at the Garbage Dump

The protagonist also hears Chara's name in their dreams. If the protagonist sleeps in the bed in Toriel's home, Asgore's voice can be heard as he pleads, "<Name>, please... Wake up! You are the future of humans and monsters." When the protagonist first falls into the Garbage Dump, Asriel's first words to Chara appear on the screen, narrated with Asriel's voice byte.

True Pacifist Route

<Name>! You have to stay determined!
You can't give up... You are the future of humans and monsters...

VHS tape recording of Asgore from the True Lab

His Theme soundtrack

The royal family with Chara, who is hiding behind a bouquet of flowers

In the True Lab, VHS tapes of Chara interacting with their family can be played back. None of these VHS tapes include visuals and provide narration alone. Most of these tapes are of Asriel and Chara, and prove that Chara had a "plan." In one of the tapes, Asriel tells Chara to wake up and that "he doesn't like this plan anymore." Asriel's quote is speculated to be something that he said to his dying sibling because this same VHS contains the quote seen on the game over screen.

Towards the end of the fight against Asriel, when the protagonist calls out "someone else"'s name, flashbacks of Chara and Asriel play. They show Chara's fall into the Underground, Asriel's discovery of Chara, and the royal family spending time with Chara. After the fight, Asriel recognizes the protagonist as Frisk.

During the epilogue, Frisk may return to the room containing the coffins of the other humans. This leads to the discovery that all of the coffins are empty and that there are mummy wrappings at the bottom of Chara's coffin.

Genocide Route

We're still inseparable, after all these years...
Listen. I have a plan to become all powerful.
Even more powerful than you and your stolen soul.
Let's destroy everything in this wretched world.
Everyone, everything in these worthless memories...
Let's turn 'em all to dust.

Flowey, upon assuming the protagonist is Chara.

While traversing the Genocide Route, many characters comment on the protagonist's creepy smile. Sans comments that it would be great if the protagonist continued pretending to be a human, and Asgore inquires what kind of monster the protagonist is. At the end of the Ruins and when going through New Home, Flowey determines that the protagonist is empty inside, just like himself. He concludes that the protagonist is Chara, and informs them of a plan he has to become omnipotent.

Chara screenshot eradication

Chara discussing their collaboration with the protagonist

The only instance in the game where Chara makes an in-person physical appearance is at the end of the Genocide Route. They appear as an overworld sprite and speak into the fourth wall. Chara could be speaking directly to the player in this sequence.

After this appearance, Chara reveals that the protagonist's "human soul" and "determination" were the cause of their reincarnation and that the merciless events that occurred during the route lead Chara to realize that the "purpose" of their awakening was power. Chara states they are the embodiment of the feeling received whenever STATS increase and proposes erasing the world and moving on to the next.

Chara screenshot erase

Chara offering the choice to erase the world or to not

The protagonist is given the choices to "ERASE" the world, or "DO NOT." Both choices lead to the same result, and are the last chance for the player to not suffer the consequences post-genocide.

  • If the protagonist chooses to "ERASE," Chara calls the protagonist "a great partner." Additionally, their eyes widen, and Chara says to the protagonist that they will be "together forever."
  • If the protagonist chooses "DO NOT," Chara seems confused, but then seemingly shakes it off. Chara's eyes widen and they rhetorically ask the protagonist "SINCE WHEN WERE YOU THE ONE IN CONTROL?" Afterward, a jump scare occurs, in which Chara approaches the screen with twisted laughter. The screen (or game window) shakes while a loud droning sound loops in the red background.

After the protagonist makes their choice, an attack animation occurs, followed by red "9"s covering the screen. The game is forced into windowed mode and shakes similarly to a monster's death animation as the game closes. The player cannot exit the game before the crash unless they use their OS's Task Manager or Force Quit (on Mac).

Upon reopening the game, the screen is black and accompanied by a sound similar to howling wind. After 10 minutes, Chara speaks to the protagonist and is doubtful yet intrigued at the fact that the player wants to go back to the game's world. They remind the player that their actions caused the world's destruction, and after they ask the protagonist if they think they are above consequences, Chara offers to restore the world in exchange for something, later revealed to be the protagonist's SOUL.

  • If the protagonist agrees to this trade, the world is restored, but the True Pacifist ending is permanently altered.
  • Refusing this offer causes Chara to abandon the protagonist, only to offer the same choice again after the game is restarted and another 10 minutes elapse.

Post-Genocide Game

True Pacifist Route

True Pacifist Route screenshot Soulless ending photo

The photo seen at the end of a "Soulless Pacifist" run

"Chara" appears briefly after the True Pacifist Ending Credits if the Genocide Route has been completed beforehand. If the protagonist chose to stay with Toriel, the after-credits scene continues briefly after Toriel closes the door, showing Frisk turning to face the screen with red eyes. The game cuts to black, with Photoshop Flowey's laugh playing at a lower pitch, presumably being Chara's laugh.

Similarly, if the protagonist decides to have "places to go," the photograph after the credits has the face of everyone crossed out in red, except for Chara's sprite, which replaces Frisk's. The "THE END" text is red, and a slowed down version of Anticipation plays. The Annoying Dog does not appear to sleep under the ending screen.

Genocide Route

After completing the Genocide Route a second time, Chara takes on the description of "the demon that comes when people call its name." Chara blames the player for destroying and recreating the world because of their perverted sentimentality, explains that the SOUL they currently hold resonates with strange feelings that they can no longer understand, and suggests that a different path should be taken should the world be recreated once more. Chara gives the protagonist the "choice" to erase the world again.

  • If the protagonist chooses "ERASE," Chara once again calls the protagonist "a great partner," saying they will be together forever.
  • Choosing "DO NOT" causes Chara to tell the protagonist that these feelings were exactly what they were just talking about. Chara then reminds the protagonist they made their choice a long time ago, causing another jump scare, as the world is destroyed again. However, when the game is rebooted, it loads normally.

Relationships

Asriel Dreemurr

I always was a crybaby, wasn't I, <Name>?

Asriel about Chara after the battle

After falling into the Underground, Chara was found by Asriel and adopted by his parents, Toriel and Asgore. The two of them grew together as siblings and best friends. But despite this, Asriel is willing to see past Chara's flaws since such defects are what made Chara unique and special to him, as witnessed by Asriel's confession to the protagonist during the epilogue and the walk through New Home on the Genocide Route.

Toriel

<Name>... Can you hear me? We want you to wake up...

Toriel speaking to Chara during their illness

When Chara fell into the Underground, Toriel took on the role of Chara's mother. She cared for Chara very much, equally as much as Asriel. Chara clearly enjoyed spending time with Toriel. They were cooking pie and knitting, and Chara got close to their foster mom, as they also say "greetings". When Chara got sick, she was very worried, After their death, Toriel took their body and buried it in a field of golden flowers.

Asgore

<Name>! You have to stay determined!
You can't give up... You are the future of humans and monsters...

Asgore speaking to Chara during their illness

When Chara fell into the Underground, Asgore took on the role of Chara's father. He also took care of them like his own child along with Toriel. Asgore saw in Chara the hope that they were the future of humans and monsters. Even though they poisoned him with buttercup pie, he clearly didn't hold a grudge against them. When Chara got sick, he worried about them. After their death, Asgore never ceased to remember them.

Flowey

But you... YOU'RE different.
I never could predict YOU, <Name>.

Flowey talking to Chara on the way to the New Home

Flowey perceives Chara as his partner and best friend, despite his inability to love. Seeing Chara as a creature akin to him, he helps by clearing all obstacles in the way. He says that Chara would never give him any "worthless pity" and is the only one who understands him.

The Protagonist

Right. You are a great partner.
We'll be together forever, won't we?

Chara if the protagonist agreed to erase the world

The protagonist only encounters Chara if the Genocide Route is completed. As the protagonist kills monsters and gains more EXP, Chara, or something, seems to grow stronger. "Chara" refers to the protagonist as a "partner" if the player accepts their offer to erase the world. If the protagonist completes another Genocide Route, Chara questions why they continuously recreate and destroy the world. Chara then goes on to say that they can no longer understand the protagonist's feelings and behavior, and suggests it must be driven by a "perverted sentimentality".

Chara In-Game

The text that the protagonist sees changes depending on what some believe may be Chara's voice and thoughts. These narrations are sometimes, but not always, red in color. The narration of various objects also changes depending on the route, most notably the Heart Locket and Worn Dagger, which are narrated as being simply The Locket and Real Knife in the Genocide Route.

Dialogue

Genocide Route Ending

  • Greetings.
  • I am <Name>.
  • 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.
  • "<Name>."
  • 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.
  • [ERASE]
    • Right. You are a great partner.
    • We'll be together forever, won't we?
  • [DO NOT]
    • No...?
    • Hmm...
    • How curious.
    • You must have misunderstood.
    • SINCE WHEN WERE YOU THE ONE IN CONTROL?

Abyss

  • 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.
  • Exactly. [Yes]
  • Then what are you looking for? [No]
  • Perhaps.
  • We can reach a compromise.
  • You still have something I want.
  • Give it to me.
  • And I will bring this world back.
  • [Yes]
    • Then it is agreed.
    • You will give me your SOUL.
    • [Yes]
      • ...
      • Then, it is done.
  • Then stay here for all eternity. [No]

Second Genocide Route Ending

  • Greetings.
  • I am <Name>.
  • "<Name>."
  • The demon that comes when people call its name.
  • It doesn't matter when.
  • It doesn't matter where.
  • Time after time, I will appear.
  • And, with your help.
  • We will eradicate the enemy and become strong.
  • HP. ATK. DEF. GOLD. EXP. LV.
  • Every time a number increases, that feeling...
  • That's me.
  • "<Name>."
  • ...
  • But.
  • You and I are not the same, are we?
  • This SOUL resonates with a strange feeling.
  • There is a reason you continue to recreate this world.
  • There is a reason you continue to destroy it.
  • You.
  • You are wracked with a perverted sentimentality.
  • Hmm.
  • I cannot understand these feelings any more.
  • Despite this.
  • I feel obligated to suggest.
  • Should you choose to create this world once more.
  • Another path would be better suited.
  • Now, partner.
  • Let us send this world back into the abyss.
  • [ERASE]
    • Right. You are a great partner.
    • We'll be together forever, won't we?
  • [DO NOT]
    • No...?
    • Hmm... This feeling you have.
    • This is what I spoke of.
    • Unfortunately, regarding this...
    • YOU MADE YOUR CHOICE LONG AGO.

Gallery

Trivia

  • The child being "fallen" can refer both to the child having fallen into the Underground, or to the phrase "to fall from grace" (to become morally corrupt). It is also a word used to describe someone who has died.
  • Toby Fox suggests naming the Fallen Child the player's own name, though he then replied to that Tweet with "I mean, if you can't think of anything else lol."[5]
  • "Chara" is likely short for "Character," as all internal references of either Frisk (mainchara) or Chara (truechara) use "chara."
    • The official Japanese translation of the game translates Chara's name as "キャラ Kyara".[6] This matches the katakana for the English word "character", which is written as "キャラクター Kyarakutā".
    • "Chara" is also an alternate spelling of "Cara" and "Kara", both names having their roots in Latin, meaning "darling," "beloved," "dear" or "loved one."
  • When attempting to name the fallen child "Chara," the response becomes "The true name." Removing the name from a SAVE file results in the name "CHARA" being given by default. These are the only two instances where the name "Chara" appears in-game.
  • Chara is referred to with singular "they/them" pronouns.[7]
  • Chara is implied to like chocolate; in the Genocide Route, should the protagonist check the refrigerator in Asgore's Home, the text reads "No chocolate."
    • While there is no chocolate in Asgore's home, there is a bar of chocolate in the fridge in Toriel's Home; it is possible Toriel kept it in her fridge in memory of Chara's tastes.
    • It is also implied that Chara has an interest in knives, as the text upon inspecting Toriel's kitchen in the Genocide Route reads "Where are the knives." This is further evidenced by the Real Knife.
  • The Locket may belong to Chara, as the text "Right where it belongs." displays when the protagonist equips it during a Genocide Route.
  • Chara's jumper's color scheme (cream and green) is a color negative of Frisk's (blue and purple).
  • Chara is the only character whose dialogue is never accompanied by voice bytes.
  • The music as Chara introduces themself to the protagonist has the filename mus_zzz_c, with the jump scare music named mus_zzz_c2.
  • If the game is not in windowed mode during the jump scare, the game will automatically go into windowed mode.
  • Toriel and Chara both greet new figures using "greetings" (Toriel to the protagonist at the beginning of the game, Chara to the protagonist at the end of the Genocide Route). It is likely Chara assimilated this behavior from Toriel.
  • In the Japanese translation, Chara uses "watashi" and "jibun" for themself and refers to a person using "omae". Their speech is also written in "proper" Japanese, that is to say, it employs a standard level of kanji usage (Chinese characters), which puts it in stark contrast with the rest of the game, which hardly ever uses kanji in its text. This gives their speech an air of high formality.[8]
  • In the Undertale Greenlight Trailer, Chara's name appears in some of the battle shots.
Unused Human sprite
  • Within the game files, there are look-alikes of Chara with their yellow-and-green shirt and pants, with a different skin tone and lacking a face but having shading under the eyes. In debug mode, it is possible to have these sprites appear as the protagonist's reflection in puddles and mirrors; it has been speculated that this was going to be a feature in post-Genocide Route timelines.
    • This sprite bears a resemblance to the character Kris, the protagonist of Toby Fox's later game Deltarune. It is possible this was an early prototype design of the character, as Deltarune was planned since before the release of Undertale.
  • It is implied in the scrapped Undertale Alarm Clock dialogue that they overfill their glasses of water, and that Asriel adopted that method.[9]

Notes

  1. Distorted title "Fallen".

References

  1. Frisk... You really ARE different from <Name>.
    In fact, though you have similar, uh, fashion choices...
    - Asriel
  2. Moldsmal A: Over time, ASRIEL and the human became like siblings.
    Moldsmal B: The King and Queen treated the human child as their own.
    Moldsmal C: The underground was full of hope.
    - Moldsmal
  3. Vegetoid A: The sick human had only one request.
    Vegetoid B: To see the flowers from their village.
    Vegetoid C: But there was nothing we could do.
    - Vegetoid
  4. She must have taken you when she left.
    And decided to give you a proper burial, rather than...
    Hanging out in the basement forever.
    - Flowey
  5. Some people say "What am I supposed to name the fallen child?" Your own name. - Toby Fox (@tobyfox) on Twitter, September 16, 2015. Archived on March 20, 2016.
  6. アンダーテール PS4版 ハードモード - YouTube
  7. <Name> hated humanity.
    Why they did, they never talked about it.
    But they felt very strongly about that.
    - Asriel, True Pacifist Route
  8. The Fallen Child uses watashi, but they use the kanji for it. Asgore and Toriel also use watashi, but they spell it out in hiragana. The Fallen Child actually uses a ton of kanji when they speak, way way way more than anyone else in the game. It's really jarring. (The narration does not use kanji in general, including the red text.) - zarla-s on Tumblr, August 22, 2017.
  9. A long time ago, I knew someone that always filled up their glass, so the liquid was just peeking over the brim.
    It was the most efficient way to fill it, they said.
    Regardless of how thirsty they were.
    Because of that, my son started doing it too, and...
    There were a lot of spills in the house.
    - Toriel, Undertale Alarm Clock dialogue

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