History Fridge / Undertale

* During the battle with Flowey's final form, Flowey regains the power to save and load, meaning he's the only boss in the game that could actually ''kill you'' for good if he felt like it... but he doesn't. He keeps bringing you back with that power so he can keep killing you. Why? He's been ''unbelievably bored'' with the Underground for goodness knows how long... and finding out how many different ways he can kill you is the first exciting thing to happen to him in ages. The fact his ''true'' form is a child makes this make even more sense: Flowey is a child who'd gotten bored with his entire toy box and is now obsessed with his brand new toy: you. Of course, this comes back to seriously bite him in the butt, but it fits the character.

* When you abort a Genocide run, Flowey is annoyed that "Chara" quit after getting so close to succeeding but decides they must want to try everything else out first and tells them he'll be waiting when they're done messing around. People have pointed out that he still says this even if you reset at the screen to ''kill him'' in the Genocide run -- after he (rightfully) got scared Chara would kill him, betrayed them by running off to Asgore, and broke down into tears with Chara advancing on them to kill. Why on earth would he react to the reset with such nonchalance when he was so scared of Chara? Well, we know Chara used to make creepy faces for Asriel's entertainment, and we know that Asriel ''adored'' Chara and has a huge blindspot for them even as the soulless Flowey. From Flowey's perspective, Chara made a creepy face at him, but crucially ''never actually attacked him;'' so when they reset without actually attacking or killing him, all he could assume is that that's all it was -- oh, it was just Chara making a face to scare him like they used to, golly it's embarrassing he still falls for it. Now that he thinks Chara isn't really out to kill him, he's exasperated that they pulled a joke like that, but he accepts it as their type of humor. No, most people wouldn't react to Chara the same after that; but both Flowey and Chara are sadistic soulless killers at this point, so ''Flowey'' would think it's not a big deal.

* Toriel seems weaker than Asgore, with simpler attack patterns and no flashy weapons, but she knocks him away easily in the True Pacifist ending. Why is that? Because she was treating you with kid gloves to scare you back into staying with her. We honestly can't gauge her real capabilities because, unlike Asgore who is fighting to kill-she's only ever seen fighting to frighten. She may be ''stronger'' than him.

* Toriel says she wants you to prove you're strong enough to survive before engaging the battle, yet even if you've been treating the game like a typical RPG and killing every encounter thus far (but not going full Genocide in the sense that you're deliberately seeking out everything), bringing yourself to hurt her isn't easy. She's not just testing if you're strong enough physically, but ''mentally'' as well — all the fighting power and ability in the world won't help you if you're not willing to make use of it, so she wants to know if you'd be willing to fight someone who's been nothing but kind to you if your life depended on it. If you can kill someone under those circumstances, then you can take on anyone, so she knows she won't have to worry about you.
** It seems to be a major reason she lets you go even if you simply stand your ground and don't fight back. By refusing to back down, you've shown a different kind of strength — the resolve to stand up and face danger head-on, but also able to find a peaceful solution while being attacked.

* Toriel keeps a chocolate bar in her fridge. While at first it looks like Fridge Horror [[AccidentalPun (no pun intended)]] because chocolate is poisonous not just to dogs but also to ''goats'', it goes back to Fridge Brilliance because it was for Chara, and it was [[TrademarkFavoriteFood their favorite.]]
* A Froggit admits that everyone in the Ruins is intimidated by Toriel, which seems odd, since she's perfectly friendly and welcoming. This comment makes a ''lot'' more sense when you find out Toriel used to be queen of the Underground (and most monsters likely still consider her to be such, even if she left the castle). While most of the Underground isn't sure where Toriel went after she left Asgore, everyone in the Ruins would know ''exactly'' who she is. Wouldn't ''you'' be a bit intimidated if your country's ruler suddenly moved in next door?

** Their personalities also extend to the typography of their speech — the excessively enthusiastic Papyrus is all capital letters and exclamation marks. Even if he means well, he ''is'' trying a little too hard. Sans, on the other hand, is too lazy to even capitalize properly (except in certain... instances).

** Not to mention Sans... is a comic. And in a No Mercy run, he loses all his comedic intent and his font changes to 8bitoperator. On top of that, it's a sans serif font, which is also a semi-homophone for 'seraph,' an angelic rank. What are angels often depicted doing? ''Opposing the demonic forces of evil.''

** Ironically, while Papyrus' CHECK text in the No Mercy route describes him as "forgettable", out of any other monster you can kill, Papyrus gets mentioned the most. Undyne drops all of her [[LargeHam energetic]] [[HotBlooded theatrics]] and coldly promises to kill you. Sans, meanwhile, drops out of the game entirely should you kill Papyrus until the very end of the game, where he delivers a much more scathing judgement than he would even if you'd killed every monster except Papyrus. (He'll also refuse to make fun of your level if you keep reloading before the judgement, and won't congratulate you for any self-imposed challenges in the end-of-game phone call.)

-->'''Sans:''' ''"[[YouBastard You dirty brother killer.]]"'', or ''"Then why'd you kill my brother?"'' depending on how you answer his question.

** There's one area in Snowdin where Sans will teleport back and forth using his OffscreenTeleportation to the point of parody. He's deliberately dropping a hint towards his knowledge about the temporal paradoxes and his shortcuts. Also, while Sans normally turns his sprite to face the player character when spoken to, he's unceasingly staring right at the screen. Since the No Mercy path makes it clear that he's aware that Frisk and the player are separate entities, he's flaunting his powers while staring at ''you'' to let you know he's aware of your existence.

** If you call Papyrus outside of Alphys' lab, he, [[CloudCuckoolander being Papyrus]], winds up pronouncing it "Labrador-y" and wonders if that means there are dogs inside of it. Sans chimes in with a wink that he wouldn't rule it out. The True Lab has Endogeny, meaning Sans knows, at the very least, the dog sentries' parents never left Alphys' lab, though he doesn't drop any hints that he knows [[BodyHorror their fate.]]

* Why does Sans hate making promises and try to avoid it? He is [[HyperAwareness extremely observant and perceptive]] (guessing correctly what happens in other timelines in spite of not actually remembering them based on simple clues, anticipating and dodging Fallen Child's attacks ''even while asleep''), and is implied to be rather close to [[TragicVillain Asgore]] (not as close as [[TheDragon Undyne]] or [[ReluctantMadScientist Alphys]], but still closer than most monsters). Asgore's whole life was ruined by one promise he made in a fit of rage and despair and now has to fulfill, even though he ''really'' doesn't want to. He makes an effort to [[StepfordSmiler hide it behind a nice, happy attitude]] and is good enough at it to convince most monsters, including the aformentioned Alphys and Undyne, that he really wants to free them at any cost — but Sans wouldn't be fooled. He avoids making any promises, because he doesn't want to make the same mistake.

* One combined with sadness. Snowdrake's father comments that Snowy ran away after his mother died, and both Snowy and his father imply that their relationship is very, very strained. Then you go to the True Lab, and find out that Snowy's mother is there — she had "fallen down" and was comatose, and was sent to Alphys for experimentation. Alphys meant to send the dust back to the families of the monsters for funerals, but they didn't crumble after they were injected with Determination. ''Then'', they woke up, and Alphys wrote to the families, Snowy and his dad included, that everyone was alive. And then... she never responds to anyone's calls or letters, says anything about what's going on, or sends the supposedly-alive subjects home. Unintentionally or not, Alphys really [[YankTheDogsChain yanked the dog's chain here, giving the families a flicker of hope before snatching it away, without so much as an explanation.]] Snowy's not just acting out because he lost his mom; he's acting out because he's emotional and angry, and because he never got any real closure, which could've helped him process, grieve properly, and cope in a healthy way. It makes even more sense when you consider that Snowy's a teenager. Teens aren't known for being the most rational of creatures at the best of times, but a teenager that's gone through what Snowy has? Of ''course'' he'd lash out at his father and do something impulsive, like run away from home.

* Another moment with Undyne makes a lot more sense in hindsight — you're wandering through the darkness and you find an echo flower... which ominously says "behind you." Naturally, Undyne is lurking and ready to fight you. The brilliance kicks in once you realize that someone had to say "behind you" to the flower — it was Undyne, going off the VoiceGrunting, who believes that anime is real and set up a suitably dramatic encounter.
* In a more literal case of Fridge Brilliance than most: Undyne's "hot fridge" might seem like a bad idea... unless you've spoken to the toothy monster at Grillby's and remember that monster food doesn't spoil. For monsters, whether a fridge is cold or hot really is just a matter of preference.

* Why does Mettaton NEO go down so easily in a Genocide Run? When you think about it, it's very likely he was a rushed production on Alphys' part. To elaborate, Mettaton has an infatuation for the human world, so there's no way he would ask Alphys to intentionally turn him into a human-killing machine from the get-go unless ''absolutely'' necessary, and when Frisk started to gain an advantage over Undyne the Undying, that was probably the point when she deemed things went to shit, forcing her to make some last-minute adjustments to Mettaton whilst also evacuating the monster population.

* Why did Asgore destroy the "Mercy" button? ... Because after all he's done, he feels that he doesn't deserve mercy.

** Another interpretation is that he knows you will keep loading, and is only attacking you [[SuicideByCop to make absolutely sure you kill him]].

** You can only Talk to Asgore to damage his will to FIGHT and lower his offense and defense if you haven't killed anything. This is presumably because on a neutral run, someone, probably Sans, is sending word that the player is willing to kill in self-defense, so he can bring himself to dehumanize you, whereas if you're on a Pacifist run, your telling him to stop makes him face the reality of the situation — he's trying to kill a harmless child who doesn't deserve to die, and while he still feels he can't surrender, he can't muster the same justification to attack you with intent to kill.

** If a popular fan theory is indeed correct,YOU are actually the reason Chara/The Fallen Child becomes evil on the Genocide Route. Your mass murder convinces them that they were revived from the dead solely to kill, and they therefore help you towards that goal. The Fallen Child's own dialogue seems to support this.

* If you choose to comfort Asriel by hugging him, you'll see a piece of dialogue that says: "I don't want to let go...". While many assume this is Asriel, one ''important'' detail that is often overlooked is that Asriel's face doesn't show up in this segment. [[SuddenlyVoiced This is Frisk talking.]]

** It's also a reference to a style of play in another game: ''VideoGame/NetHack''. In ''Nethack'', if you kill enough instances of a species, it stops appearing during that run. Some players take it as a challenge to make this happen to as many species as possible. Like with the PacifistRun, Undertale takes an optional challenge and makes it cannonical.

** It's also a reference to a style of play in another game: NetHack. In NetHack, if you kill enough instances of a species, it stops appearing during that run. Some players take it as a challenge to make this happen to as many species as possible. Like with the PacifistRun, Undertale takes an optional challenge and makes it cannonical.

* The bit under Fridge Horror about how much the plot is reliant on Flowey being present veers into this when you realize that him begging you to do a True Reset is actually a BatmanGambit on his part; Asriel is asking you to make him forget because he's aware Flowey is the reason breaking the barrier was even possible. Thus, he's willing to sacrifice his memories for the chance that you'll eventually bring everything back to the GoldenEnding again. [[SarcasmMode Hope you feel good]] [[YouBastard about going for a No Mercy run next time!]]

* If you try to play the game again after completing the No Mercy route. Chara has some choice words for you, wondering if you think you're above consequences. The thing is, ''they're more right than they know.'' No matter what you named them, Chara is not you. They're still a video game character, bound just like all the other [=NPCs=] within the rules of the game. You, on the other hand, [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters are a real person, and can delete your save files from the outside]], [[KarmaHoudini erasing all knowledge of the atrocities you committed]], [[CosmicRetcon as if you had never played,]] and not even Chara will know any better. [[WhatYouAreInTheDark Think you can live with yourself after that,]] [[YouBastard player?]]

* Everyone seems to warn you about not going further with the Genocide route. Sans is the last person to do this, after telling you about how the he is aware someone is messing with the timelines over and over but it comes off as more of a threat after it's obvious he can't win. It is indeed too late to reset after this point. All this time you have had control, resetting after dying and doing as you wish. Sans was giving you your last chance to do a full reset and maybe make a more merciful run, but no. You pressed the issue and ended up in Chara's hands. They are resetting the world now and you can only reset because they allow it. Every playthrough after a full genocide is tainted by your actions and ends badly even if it's a full Pacifist route. Each one is reset only to end badly. Your own actions have corrupted Chara and you have damned yourself to the same fate that each and everyone else is in. A world of resets and you are more aware of this than everything else, even Flowey. [[NiceJobBreakingItHero Good job, Partner.]]

*** You also ''have'' to get past Papyrus on the No Mercy route (read: '''kill him in cold blood''') to even ''get the chance'' to face Undyne the Undying and Sans. In other words, [[ViolenceIsTheOnlyOption force can indeed become the only option when dealing with those who adamantly refuse mercy.]]

** On the No Mercy route, Papyrus never even puts up a fight — he literally will not attack you, and you will kill him in one hit. The only way to actually experience his BossBattle — and his Blue SOUL mechanics — is to play on the Neutral or Pacifist route. So if you were stupid enough to do a No Mercy run before anything else in the game, Sans's Blue SOUL mechanics will come from completely out of nowhere and most likely [[DidntSeeThatComing catch you utterly off-guard]] — and the way Sans' fight works, being caught off-guard means you're dead in about two seconds at the ''most''. [[LaserGuidedKarma Which serves you right for sweeping Papyrus aside like mere garbage.]] YouBastard. ReadTheFreakingManual next time.

** On the No Mercy route, Papyrus never even puts up a fight — he literally will not attack you, and you will kill him in one hit. The only way to actually experience his BossBattle — and his Blue SOUL mechanics — is to play on the Neutral or Pacifist route. So if you were stupid enough to do a No Mercy run before anything else in the game, Sans's Blue SOUL mechanics will come from completely out of nowhere and most likely [[DidntSeeThatComing catch you utterly off-guard]] — and the way Sans' fight works, being caught off-guard means you're dead in about two seconds at the ''most''. [[LaserGuidedKarma Which serves you right for sweeping Papyrus aside like mere garbage.]] YouBastard. ReadTheFreakingManual next time. Or, you know, ''[[WhatTheHellPlayer stop the mindless killing]]'' and '''[[WhatTheHellPlayer don't do a Genocide run, you horrible human being.]]'''

* Asriel's name is a combination of his parents' names, Asgore and Toriel... because Asgore is terrible at naming things. It was probably the only thing he could come up with. (Another rationalization would be that Asgore just followed the Germanic naming convention of combining the parents' names to name the child.)

* What does Muffet has in common with the Purple [=SOUL=]/Perseverance? Well, minus the obvious fact that she's trying to ''preserve'' the spiders in the Underground... Try to remember that whoever was the Purple Soul had a notebook. Now, if you have a some lined paper, try to draw a heart on one of the lines.

* What does Muffet has in common with the Purple [=SOUL=]/Perseverance? Well, minus the obvious fact that she's trying to ''preserve'' the spiders in the Underground... Try to remember that whoever was the Purple Soul had a notebook. Now, if you have a some lined paper, [[VisualPun try to draw a heart one one of the lines]].

* What do Muffet has in common with the Purple [=SOUL=]|Perseverance? Well, minus the obvious fact that she's trying to ''preserve'' the spiders in the Underground... Trt to remember that whoever was the Purple Soul had a notebook. Now, iff you have a some lined paper, [[VisualPun try to draw a heart one one of the lines]].