History Characters / UndertaleMettaton

** During the Hotland arc, Mettaton is the [[DramaQueen dramatic]], [[LargeHam hammy]] and [[{{Heel}} taunting]] Red oni to Alphys' [[NervousWreck nervous]] and [[spoiler:([[ManipulativeBitch apparently]])]] [[{{Face}} supportive]] Blue oni. They also seem to have this dynamic as friends, and when you visit Undyne in a Pacifist Route, she implies that Mettaton's eccentric personalities led Alphys into hilariously compromising situations.

** During the Hotland arc, Mettaton is the [[DramaQueen dramatic]], [[LargeHam hammy]] and [[{{Heel}} taunting]] Red oni to Alphys' [[NervousWreck nervous]] and ([[spoiler:[[ManipulativeBitch apparently]]) [[{{Face}} supportive]] Blue oni. They also seem to have this dynamic as friends, and when you visit Undyne in a Pacifist Route, she implies that Mettaton's eccentric personalities led Alphys into hilariously compromising situations.

-->'''Mettaton:''' HOW CAN THIS BE, YOU WERE STRONGER THAN I THOUGHT, ETC.

* RedOniBlueOni: [[spoiler:If you get the Mystery Key, you can discover he used to be the Red to [[TheEeyore Napstablook]]'s Blue.]]

-->''"Oh my god! Will you two just smooch already!? The audience is dying for some romantic action!"''

* CatSmile: He pulls a few smug ones here and there in his EX form.

--->'''Burgerpants''': ...And every time we try to change something for the better, he vetoes it and says "that's not how they do it on the surface." Oh! Right! Humans are always eating hamburgers made of sequins and glue.

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: [[spoiler:His efforts to become corporeal are highly reminiscent of [[UsefulNotes/{{Transgender}} transitioning]]. He even goes through a pronoun change -- Undyne, his former neighbor, only calls him "they" when you call her from his house, Napstablook's house, or the farm, implying that "they," "them" and "their" were the pronouns he used before he was able to transition into a robotic body. In all forms of his robot body, however, he goes only by "he," "him," and "his." Since Mettaton disappeared without a trace and didn't keep in touch, there would be no way for Undyne to know about the pronoun change. Another possibility is that ghosts, being incorporeal, go by "they", "them", and "their" by default, since all ghosts in the game are referred to this way, and [[AdoptingTheGenderBinary only begin to identify with a specific gender once they've inhabited a body]].]]

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: [[spoiler:His efforts to become corporeal are highly reminiscent of [[UsefulNotes/{{Transgender}} transitioning]]. He even goes through a pronoun change — Undyne, his former neighbor, only calls him "they" when you call her from his house, Napstablook's house, or the farm, implying that "they," "them" and "their" were the pronouns he used before he was able to transition into a robotic body. In all forms of his robot body, however, he goes only by "he," "him," and "his." Since Mettaton disappeared without a trace and didn't keep in touch, there would be no way for Undyne to know about the pronoun change. Another possibility is that ghosts, being incorporeal, go by "they", "them", and "their" by default, since all ghosts in the game are referred to this way, and only begin to identify with a specific gender once they've inhabited a body.]]

* ZeroEffortBoss: [[JustifiedTrope Justified]]: Mettaton NEO is the most standout example on the Genocide Run. Not only does he go down in one hit, he never attacks. That's because he's not there to FIGHT you, but to STALL you to buy the evacuation more time. It's even in his battle stance.

[[Characters/UndertaleOtherCharacters Minor]] | [[Characters/UndertaleMonsterEncounters Monsters]] | [[Characters/UndertaleSpoilerCharacters Spoilers]] ([[Characters/UndertaleTheFallenHuman The Fallen Human]])]]]]

* ActuallyPrettyFunny: During the "quiz" section that introduces Mettaton, at one point Mettaton will ask you who Alphys has a crush on. Answering either Undyne or Asgore will work, but if you answer yourself, Mettaton will declare that while that answer is completely wrong (and Alphys will have an incredulous look on her face), Mettaton [[YouRemindMeOfX finds the arrogance of this answer to be so amusing]] that he still won't penalize you for it.

* FashionableAsymmetry: In his fabulous EX form, Mettaton's PeekABangs cover the right half of his face. [[spoiler:In his NEO form, his hair is swept up to the side in [[AnimeHair anime-style spikes]]. His entire face is visible, showing that the right side of it is black with an eye shaped like a crosshair.]]

* PeekABangs: [[spoiler:Mettaton EX has his right eye covered with hair, which DummiedOut [[https://tcrf.net/Undertale/Unused_Graphics#Mettaton_EX sprites]] reveal is because the right part of his face is unfinished. Mettaton NEO, keeping with the subtle theme of left eyes being shown in serious situations, has obscured his right eye.]]

** While both of them can potentially become the ruler of the Underground in Neutral endings and neither of them have political knowledge, they handle things differently. While Papyrus has Sans to do most of the work, he at least tries to support the monsters by cooking spaghetti for them. Mettaton, on the other hand, tries to handle everything personally and miserably fails, all by transforming the Underground into a PoliceState where every non-fan of his TV show mysteriously disappears.

* AntiClimaxBoss: Invoked with [[spoiler:the fight against Mettaon NEO in the No Mercy route in order to demonstrate the futility of the sort of level grinding that gets you into that route - after intense build-up, including his own unique theme song, he dies in one hit. He doesn't even have an attack pattern.]]
* AntiVillain: He is set-up to be a Noble Anti-Villain first, as he never tries to stab you with your back turned and you can't actually die from any of his segments, [[spoiler:before he is revealed to be a Well-Intentioned Anti-Villain that wants to kill you to stop a massive war, and to make himself a celebrity on the surface. Also goes in hand with Villain In Name Only for first not being evil to begin with, and that him desiring to kill humans is far from the truth.]]

* AnArmAndALeg: [[spoiler: During his EX fight, Mettaton will eventually lose his limbs. This happens sooner if the player [[AttackItsWeakPoint attacks his heart-shaped core. He gets better later, as seen in his cameo during the Asgore fight intervention and the true credits]]]].
* ArmCannon: He gets a prominent one as Mettaton NEO on the No Mercy run. [[spoiler: Not that he ever gets to use it.]]
* ArtificialIntelligence: Mettaton was built by Alphys, though he does apparently have his own soul. [[spoiler: [[SubvertedTrope This is because he really isn’t a robot, but a ghost possessing a metal body]].]]
* AsHimself: Though Mettaton appears in many InUniverse films and TV shows, no character names or even personas are even brought up- he's always simply playing himself.

* AwesomeButImpractical: InUniverse, as he clearly likes his Mettaton EX form very much, but due to the form's "inefficient" power usage, he can't stay in the form for very long until his battery power conks out. He gets better by the end of the game after getting fixed by Alphys. It's still unknown if the power problem got fixed or not. Exaggerated for Mettaton NEO, [[spoiler:who looks intimidating but whose defense is so poor that he dies in a single hit. In that form he never acts even if you deliberately waste time, so it's also possible that Mettaton NEO was just a bluff.]]

-->'''Mettaton''': ''(after getting shot by the protagonist)'' OOOH! OOOOOOOOH! YOU'VE DEFEATED ME!! HOW CAN THIS BE, YOU WERE STRONGER THAN I THOUGHT, ETC.
* BadBoss: Zig-zagged. [[BurgerFool Burgerpants]] affirms that he's terrible to him at least, doing stuff like punishing him by forcing him to listen to an album of songs all about berating him and telling him how bad he is at his work if he doesn't perform to Mettaton's standards. and if he becomes king of the Underground, anybody who doesn't like him just... disappears, with the implication that he's getting rid of any dissenters. However, see BenevolentBoss below.
* BeautyIsBad: Mettaton, despite looking like a calculator on a wheel, is considered gorgeous by much of the underground, and he is the antagonist of Hotland. Makes a bit more sense with [[spoiler: his [[MrFanservice EX form]]]]. Eventually [[SubvertedTrope subverted]], after [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold his]] CharacterDevelopment.

* BenevolentAI: Mettaton is an unusual example; he's [[AwesomeEgo extremely vain and conceited]], but [[HiddenDepths at the same time]], makes it clear that he cares about his employees and the other monsters (except [[ButtMonkey Burgerpants]], maybe). [[spoiler: He's actually a subversion, as he's a ghost possessing a robotic body]].

* BetaOutfit: [[spoiler: Mettaton’s first calculator-like form]].
* BigBrotherInstinct: He's very protective and supportive of [[spoiler:Napstablook, his cousin]]. [[spoiler: Them calling him during the Mettaton EX fight makes him lose the will to fight you.]]

* ChefOfIron: ''Literally.'' Actually, it's unclear how good his cooking skills actually are, but [[spoiler: he already made the cake ahead of time]], and he's a skilled combatant (with or without a chainsaw).

* CombatSadomasochist: If you choose to fight him in a neutral run, every hit you land against him results in him saying "Yeah!" and pulling an....[[https://i.gyazo.com/60c3a3b35ef042acb9cdcfb85a273caf.png interesting]] face. Once you knock some of his limbs off, he stops doing this.

* CrapsaccharineWorld: [[spoiler: How Papyrus describes the Underground in endings where Mettaton becomes ruler. See CultOfPersonality below.]]
* CultOfPersonality: In some neutral endings. [[spoiler: If Toriel and Undyne are both dead, he becomes ruler. Anyone who does not worship Mettaton "goes missing".]]
* CustomBuiltHost: Mettaton is a performing robot built by Alphys, but is actually [[spoiler: a ghost-like monster, implied to be a cousin to Napstablook and Mad Dummy, possessing a mechanical body Alphys built for them so they could live out their dreams of being a star to monster-kind.]]

* DisneyDeath: Pacifist route only. Raising his ratings to a certain threshold will result in his battery becoming completely drained, temporary 'killing' him on the spot. Justified, since you didn't outright destroy his body, and since he's fused with it now, attacking him will actually kill him for real. After his peaceful defeat, his inactive body is on Alphys' worktable undergoing repairs, which are completed in the True Pacifist Ending.

* EvenTheGuysWantHim: Oh, yes.[[note]] [[{{Catchphrase}} OHHHHHHH YEEEEEEEEES!]] [[/note]] Papyrus calls him his "favorite sexy rectangle," and remarks that he wishes he lived in Hotland so that he could meet him. This is after Papyrus mentions about three times before how glad he is he doesn't live there...
* EvilCounterpart: Mettaton represents what Papyrus would be if he became a serious threat similar to Flowey and Mad Dummy before him, if his quest for glory implied betraying the people who love him and if his narcissism overshadowed his qualities. Both are [[{{Camp}} campy]], [[LargeHam hammy]] and [[SmallNameBigEgo narcissistic]] characters who have [[GloryHound dreams of glory]], challenge you with deadly puzzles, are the emotional support of a more introverted character[[note]]Sans for Papyrus and Alphys for Mettaton.[[/note]] and are more dangerous than they appear:

** While you have to cross the peaceful Snowdin Town before reaching Papyrus, Mettaton traps you into the trapped-filled CORE where you have to fight countless mercenaries.

** While you can befriend Papyrus no matter the path you choose and being in good terms with him matters to reach the best ending, it's impossible to interact with Mettaton between the end of his arc and the True Pacifist ending.

* FaceDeathWithDignity: [[spoiler: If you kill him on a Neutral path, he'll GoOutWithASmile, coolly (and dishonestly) saying Alphys can fix him and wishing the player luck, thanking them for giving him the chance to "perform" for them. Even when you one-shot him in a No Mercy run, he'll go out with a smirk and a dry one-liner (or mocking you, if you flubbed the requirements for a No Mercy run at the very last point where it's possible to do so). On the Pacifist path, he acknowledges that his EX form has a FatalFlaw in its poor battery life (not that the batteries can't be replaced until Alphys fixes the problem off-screen later). He postpones his debut in the human world to remain a cultural icon in the underworld, thanks everyone for tuning in, and lets his battery life finally run out.]]

* FashionableAsymmetry: In his fabulous EX form, Mettaton's PeekABangs cover the right half of his face. [[spoiler: In his NEO form, his hair is swept up to the side in [[AnimeHair anime-style spikes]]. His entire face is visible, showing that the right side of it is black with an eye shaped like a crosshair.]]
* ForegoneVictory: You cannot actually lose during his quiz; his penalty attack always inflicts half of your HP ''rounded down'' in damage and thus cannot actually kill you. You also cannot die to any of his subsequent challenges along the way to the MTT Resort; if you fail, either he does something that spares you at the last second (such as abruptly going to a commercial break) or Alphys steps in to save you. [[spoiler: As it turns out, this is all because Alphys and Mettaton rigged the entire journey so that she can come off as a hero. Mettaton's EX form averts this trope, as by then he's gone against Alphys' plans and is trying to kill you for real. Played straight once more with Mettaton NEO, as he not only goes down in a single attack, but also doesn't even bother to attack you.]]

** If you turn on the TV in Papyrus' house, one of Mettaton's [[{{Leitmotif}} leitmotifs]] will play. Papyrus also has action figures shaped like "sexy robots."

** Mettaton's own behavior during his show foreshadows that [[spoiler: the show you're participating in is just a setup to make Alphys look good. For example, a human SOUL is obviously much too precious to be made into a cake, being necessary to escape the Underground. Mettaton also seems strangely apathetic about defeat.]]
-->'''Mettaton''': HOW CAN THIS BE, YOU WERE STRONGER THAN I THOUGHT, ETC.

* GlassCannon: Mettaton Neo: 90 ATK. 9 DEF. [[spoiler: He dies in one hit; if you failed the No Mercy requirements at the end of his battle, he even lampshades it as he dies by saying that Alphys should maybe have worked a bit more on his defenses. Subverted, as he doesn't even attack you, thus rendering his stats irrelevant.]]
* GloryHound: A very sympathetic version. Since he still gets a soul by killing you, he knows that he'll be able to get through the barrier and get fame in the human world as a hero. [[spoiler: He does honestly want to help both species, and by helping his ratings, you get him to realize you're a worthy hero to stop the war yourself and people already appreciate him, so he allows you to go on in peace.]]

* GoOutWithASmile: No matter what the player does, the last they see of Mettaton is a smile [[spoiler: including if they kill him]].

* AffablyEvil: He's still a lot more "entertainment robot" than "killer robot"; he treats you like an honored guest on his show, and he shows absolutely no malevolence towards monsters. [[spoiler:Subverted; he doesn't hate humans in general either (he actually adores them), he just wants to kill you to stop a massive war.]]
* AgentPeacock: Especially [[spoiler:in his EX form, which has very pretty looks, a near-perpetually-flirtatious range of facial expressions, attacks implementing his pink stilettos and heart-shaped core, and the honor of being arguably the toughest pre-endgame boss.]] Even before it's introduced, he's vain, flamboyant, cross-dresses during the opera segment, and by all accounts has a fixation on the finer things in life while also demonstrating that he's clever, charming, and competent.