Chara

Chara
Character Information
Also known as	The First Human The Fallen Human
Relationships	Toriel (adoptive mother) Asgore (adoptive father) Asriel (adoptive brother)

Greetings.
I am <Name>.

Chara's introduction at the end of a Genocide Route

Chara (/ˈkærə/ KARR-ə), also known as the first human or the fallen human, is the first human to fall into the Underground. Chara is also the fallen human that the player names at the start of the game, and not the controllable character who is played throughout the entirety of Undertale.

Profile

Appearance

File:Chara.png

Chara after having fallen into the Underground

Chara looks strikingly similar to the protagonist, down to a "similar fashion sense," as said by Asriel Dreemurr, and just like the protagonist, is nonbinary. Both appear to have been around the same age after falling 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.

At the end of the Genocide Route, Chara is seen to be wearing a lime and cream colored striped shirt (which is an inverted color of the protagonist's shirt) and red-brown pants and shoes. Chara has peach skin and brown hair, rosy cheeks, open eyes, and a smile that contrasts the protagonist's stoic expression.

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, deliberate manner, thanking the protagonist for guiding them, and teaching them, by doing it themselves, killing was the reason they awoke. They tell them that their determination woke them from death when entering the Underground. However, if the protagonist refuses to destroy the world, Chara becomes frustrated and confused, wonders what the player wants instead, and then finally gives in to the frustration, erasing the world anyway.

Main Story

File:Chara-0.png

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

After falling into the Underground, 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 best friends, and monsters spoke of how Chara filled the Underground with hope.

One day, after becoming terminally ill from consuming buttercups, Chara expressed the desire to see the Golden Flowers found in their home village. After their death, Chara's SOUL was absorbed by Asriel, and they shared control over a body. Chara carried their own corpse across the barrier and wanted to use their full power. 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?"

File:CharaCoffinNeutral.png

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 she left Asgore, Toriel carried Chara's body to the Ruins and gave them a proper burial.

In the Genocide Route, Chara says that the protagonist's "determination" and "human soul" awakened them from death. There is evidence 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 can be 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

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... 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 player 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.

File:FloweyDeathGeno.gif

The protagonist killing Flowey at the end of the Genocide Route

Chara seems to be in control of the protagonist's scripted sequences, as the sequences in the Genocide Route differ from the Neutral and True Pacifist Routes. Instead of following commands of other NPCs, the protagonist defies them as Chara seems to become corrupt while the route progresses. The first example of defiance occurs when the protagonist ignores Sans's request to hide behind the conveniently shaped lamp; the last is when the protagonist kills Flowey after the player presses Z or Enter on their keyboard before Chara makes their appearance.

File:CharaTogetherWeEradicated.png

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.

File:CharaChoiceErase.png

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.

• 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, they then seem to shake it off and Chara's eyes widen, saying the protagonist was never 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 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

File:GenoEnd.gif

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

"Chara" appears briefly after the True Pacifist Ending Credits if a Genocide run 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 a 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 they can't feel these things anymore, and suggests you take a different path if you create the world again. 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

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. Despite unfortunate incidents between the two, 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.

Flowey

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

The protagonist only learns about Chara if a 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 the protagonist has a perverted sentimentality that drives this odd behavior.

Toriel

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.

Asgore

Similarly to Toriel, Asgore acted as much of a father to Chara as he did to Asriel.

Chara In-Game

Note: The following section contains conjecture and heavy speculation and is not necessarily official information.

In several moments throughout the Genocide Route, the player's input is temporarily disabled and it is believed that Chara takes direct control of the protagonist.

• The protagonist does not hide behind the conveniently-shaped lamp when Sans asks them to.
• During the puzzles with Papyrus, the protagonist seems to ignore Papyrus, and walks forward independent from the player.
• Before the battle with Undyne the Undying, the protagonist turns away and then approaches Monster Kid aggressively.
• During the two encounters with Mettaton, he notices the human's eagerness to fight him.
• During Sans's judgement, the protagonist takes another step forward to provoke him into fighting.

File:SansBleedCrop1.gif

The second strike dealt to Sans, which comes without input from the player

• With no player input, the human deals the killing blow to Sans after he dodges the player's final attack, dealing 9999999 damage.
• In the Throne Room, without any input from the player, Asgore is struck without hesitation.
  • They continue on to murder Flowey, dealing several strikes to him even if the player presses "ENTER/Z" a single time.

Furthermore, 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 (A list of them can be found on the Genocide Route page). The narration of various objects also changes depending on the route, most notably the Heart Locket and Worn Dagger, which is narrated as being simply "The Locket" and "Real Knife" in the Genocide Route.

Dialogue

The following dropdown may contain spoilers.

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...?
• Hmmm...
• How curious.
• You must have misunderstood.
• SINCE WHEN WERE YOU THE ONE IN CONTROL?

Abyss

[After a completed Genocide Route, after the player waits ten minutes after booting up the game.]

• 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]

[After six seconds...]

• 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.

[No]

• Then stay here for all eternity.

[Yes again]

• ...
• Then, it is done.

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 anymore.
• Despite this.
• I feel obligated to suggest.
• Should you choose to recreate 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.

Trivia

• Chara's jumper's color scheme (yellow and green) is a color negative of Frisk's (blue and purple).
• "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" (pronounced "Kera"). This matches the katakana for the English word "character", which is written as "キャラクター Kyarakutā".
• 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.
• Chara is the only character whose dialogue is never accompanied by voice bytes.
• 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.".
• The Locket may belong to Chara as "right where it belongs" displays when the protagonist equips it.
• 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 at Toriel's Home; it is possible Toriel kept it in her fridge in memory of Chara's tastes.

File:Spr charad 0.png

• 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 resemblance to the character Kris, the protagonist of Toby Fox's later game Deltarune. It's possible this was an early prototype design of the character, as Deltarune was planned since before the release of Undertale.
• The music as Chara introduces themselves to the protagonist has the filename "mus_zzz_c," with the jump scare music named "mus_zzz_c2."
• The comment that Chara makes about being "the demon that comes when people call its name" may be a reference to naming a character in an RPG. The player assigns a name to their avatar and, in a typical RPG, kills enemies to gain power.
• 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 a 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".
• Chara appears to be left-handed like the protagonist. During the Genocide Route, the slicing attack animation curved to the right when attacking the sleeping Sans who dodges the slash. The same animation is visible when attacking Asgore and Flowey.

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