Flowey

Howdy!
I'm FLOWEY!
FLOWEY the FLOWER!

Flowey introducing himself.

Flowey (/ˈflaʊi/)^[1] is the first major character that the protagonist encounters in Undertale. Flowey serves as the main antagonist for the majority of the game, specifically the Neutral and True Pacifist routes, and can be considered a deuteragonist for the Genocide Route. He provides an introduction to the mechanics of encounters by sharing "friendliness pellets," which are actually harmful bullets, revealing his philosophy of "KILL or BE KILLED".

Profile

Appearance

Flowey has the appearance of a conscious golden flower. His structure has a white androecium, six yellow petals, and a light-green stem. Flowey can contort his face to show various expressions and can mimic the faces and voices of other characters. He mimics Toriel and Asgore in some situations, as well as his old self at the end of the Genocide Route. He also mimics the protagonist's face before the Neutral Route's final battle.

Personality

I wonder... What happens when something without a SOUL gains the will to live?

Entry Number 8, Alphys, True Lab

Initially, Flowey operates under a facade of friendliness and politeness. He often greets the protagonist with southern slang, such as "Howdy!", calls himself "your best friend," and, like his father, appends polite words such as "gosh" and "golly" to the ends of his sentences. Whenever he drops this guise of friendliness, he often calls the protagonist an "idiot."

Flowey has a malevolent and cruel disposition, berating the protagonist for not following his "kill or be killed" philosophy. Despite this, he also criticizes the protagonist at the end of the Ruins if they killed any monster.^[2] He is manipulative, devious, and a cunning planner and subtle if the circumstances require it.^[3] He retains his memories between SAVEs because he was once able to SAVE. He is also shown to be extremely cowardly, as he kills his former father to appease the protagonist in a vain attempt to save his own life in the Genocide Route's conclusion.

Main Story

Ruins Start

Flowey introduces the concept of the bullet board and calls his bullets "friendliness pellets."

• If the protagonist dodges three times, his friendly act slips and he hypocritically snaps at the protagonist for leeching off of him.
  • The background music lowers by one semitone each time the bullets are dodged, before slowing, lowering the pitch, and stopping entirely.
  • Before his third attack, Flowey questions the protagonist's mental capacity,^[4] before bellowing in frustration "RUN. INTO. THE. BULLETS!!!" before quickly looking directly at his text and changing the "BULLETS!!!" in the speech bubble to "friendliness pellets."

When the protagonist runs into his bullets, he announces his central philosophy.^[5] Regardless of whether the protagonist dodged Flowey's bullets or not, he then attempts to kill the protagonist with an unavoidable ring of bullets, but Toriel intervenes and saves the protagonist.

If the protagonist killed Flowey on a previous Neutral Route, he does not appear. If the protagonist spared him, he reminds the protagonist not to kill anyone. If the protagonist gained no EXP, he reminds them to befriend everyone.^[6] After resetting a Neutral Route multiple times and repeating Flowey's initial encounter, he becomes annoyed and questions if "you have anything better to do."

If the protagonist resets a Genocide run after killing Sans, Flowey says "Really, <Name>? Well, do what you will. I'll be waiting for you!" before leaving.^[7]

Ruins End

At the exit to the Ruins, Flowey judges the protagonist's actions up to that point. Flowey does not appear to judge the protagonist if he was killed in a previous Neutral Route.

The following dropdown may contain spoilers.

If The Protagonist Spared Toriel (If they have earned EXP) Clever. Verrrryyy clever. You think you're really smart, don't you? So you were able to play by your own rules. You spared the life of a single person. Froggit, Whimsun. Vegetoid, Loox. Migosp, Moldsmal. Think about those names. Do you think any of those monsters have families? Do you think any of them have friends? Each one could have been someone else's Toriel. Selfish brat. Somebody is dead because of you. (If they have not earned EXP) I bet you feel really great. You didn't kill anybody this time. But what will you do if you meet a relentless killer? You'll die and you'll die and you'll die. Until you tire of trying. What will you do then? Will you kill out of frustration? Or will you give up entirely on this world... ...and let ME inherit the power to control it? I am the prince of this world's future. Don't worry, my little monarch, my plan isn't regicide. This is SO much more interesting. (If the protagonist killed Toriel before) Clever. Verrrryyy clever. You think you're really smart, don't you? So you were able to play by your own rules. You spared the life of a single person. But don't act so cocky. I know what you did. You murdered her. And then you went back, because you regretted it. Ha ha ha ha... You naive idiot. Do you think you are the only one with that power? The power to reshape the world... Purely by your own determination. The ability to play God! The ability to "SAVE." I thought I was the only one with that power. But... I can't SAVE anymore. Apparently YOUR desires for this world override MINE. Well well. Enjoy that power while you can. I'll be watching. If The Protagonist Killed Toriel (First time) I hope you like your choice. After all, it's not as if you can go back and change fate. In this world, it's kill or be killed. That old hag thought she could break the rules. She tried so hard to save you humans. But when it came down to it... Hee hee... SHE COULDN'T EVEN SAVE HERSELF. WHAT AN IDIOT!! (Second time) Ha ha ha ha ha... You disgusting animal. You didn't even TRY to spare her. (Subsequent times) Wow, you really can't get enough. You kind of remind me of myself. (If Toriel was spared before) Wow, you're utterly repulsive. You spared her life... Then you decided that just wasn't interesting enough for you. So you murdered her just to see what would happen. You killed her out of boredom. Truly disgusting... Ha ha ha ha... You naive idiot. Do you think you are the only one with that power? The power to reshape the world... Purely by your own determination. The ability to play God! The ability to "SAVE." I thought I was the only one with that power. But... I can't SAVE anymore. Apparently YOUR desires for this world override MINE. Well well. Enjoy that power while you can. I'll be watching. If Genocide Route Requirements Are Met Hahaha... You're not really human, are you? No. You're empty inside. Just like me. In fact... You're <Name>, right? We're still inseperable, 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. An audio clip then plays of Flowey exclaiming "Hmm...That's a wonderful idea!" If Toriel Hasn't Been Fought Error! Flowey's sound is heard repeatedly and dialogue box can't be closed by "Z"[8]

Neutral Route

If you let me live... I'll come back. I'll kill you. I'll kill everyone. I'll kill everyone you love.

Flowey, if spared after his boss battle.

After the Ruins, Flowey will be seemingly absent until the end of Asgore's battle. However, backtracking in some rooms allows the protagonist see Flowey burrowing back into the ground on the edge of the screen.^[9]

Flowey also leaves a message on an Echo Flower in the vertical room before the bridge in Waterfall that changes if the protagonist spared or killed Toriel.^[10][11]

If the protagonist decides to kill Asgore, Flowey appears, destroys Asgore's SOUL, and absorbs the six bottled human SOULs. If the protagonist spares Asgore, Flowey appears and kills Asgore himself. Then, the game crashes and Flowey's battle begins after opening the game again.

After he is defeated, the protagonist has the chance to spare or kill Flowey. Flowey requires the protagonist to offer him mercy multiple times before he flees, unsure why the protagonist is being nice to him.^[12]

If the protagonist loads or finishes another Neutral Route, Flowey does not absorb the SOULs because he knows that they would rebel again.^[13] Instead, the protagonist will be able to exit the room and receive Sans's Neutral Route phone call.

Well. You DID do what I told you. I guess it's up to me to get you a REAL happy ending.

Flowey

If spared after his battle, Flowey advises the protagonist during subsequent Neutral Routes.^[14] If the protagonist gained EXP before his battle, he asks the protagonist to prove his philosophy wrong, as he thinks it may be meaningless.^[15] Flowey also offers unique dialogue if the protagonist only killed Asgore and tells the protagonist that they wasted everyone's time.^[16] If the protagonist earned no EXP, yet they have not met all the requirements for the True Pacifist Route, he mentions that the protagonist should get closer to one of the main characters, depending on who they previously befriended.^[17]

The protagonist can then recover their previous SAVE file and follow his advice.

If the protagonist kills Flowey, he recognizes that the protagonist can kill^[18] before becoming "just a regular flower."

If he was killed after his battle, Flowey does not leave a message for the protagonist after the credits close, and, after a reset, does not appear until after the resolution of Asgore's battle. Flowey then berates the protagonist for thinking that killing him solved anything.^[19] He explains that he was brought back when the protagonist loaded their SAVE file and that they still cannot achieve their happy ending.

If the protagonist nearly completes a Genocide Route but resets after killing Undyne the Undying, Flowey becomes upset with the protagonist.^[20] However, he then proclaims that the protagonist just wanted to see everything in the Underground and will eventually return to their malicious ways.^[21]

True Pacifist Route

For further information, see Asriel Dreemurr#Main Story.

Genocide Route

For further information, see Asriel Dreemurr#Genocide Route.

In Battle

Attacks

For an in-battle description, see Photoshop Flowey/In Battle.

As a flower, Flowey uses only three attacks: a five-bullet spread that slightly home in on the protagonist's SOUL, a large ring of bullets which surround the SOUL and cannot be dodged and a vertical row of bullets which come from the side of the Bullet Board, from outside it. This attack is only used before his battle as Asriel Dreemurr. He can speed up the spread although the limits of his attacks and speed are unknown. Getting hit by his five-bullet spread in his first encounter deals 19 damage per bullet whereas the unavoidable ring attack heals 19 HP regardless of whether it hits the protagonist. Before his battle as Asriel Dreemurr, the bullets deal 7 damage until 6 HP where it is 5.

Relationships

For further information, see Asriel Dreemurr#Relationships.

Gallery

Trivia

• Flowey and Mettaton represent the two characters with voice clips; Flowey says "That's a wonderful idea!" at the end of the Ruins on a Genocide Route.
  • This phrase is a higher-pitched clip of an old McDonald's commercial originating from the 1960s as seen in this video by Adam Powell.^[22]
  • There are other clips within the commercial which also match voice and sound clips within the game. Examples are times 2:47 and 3:05, where Photoshop Flowey's "hurt" sounds originate.^[23]
• Flowey's laugh is not a new asset and can be recognized in other media. It was originally a Warner Bros. sound effect^[24] mostly used in Pink Panther cartoons and has appeared in titles such as the PlayStation title Tomba!^[25] and the Homestuck soundtrack The Lordling, also by Toby Fox. The full, unedited laugh can be heard here.
  • It can also be heard as part of the background music on page 7677 of Homestuck.
• If the player attempts to name the fallen child "Flowey," the screen reads "I already CHOSE that name" and prevents the name from being used.
• In Hard Mode, Flowey appears alongside the Annoying Dog after the protagonist finishes Toriel's boss fight.
• In a joke thread on Starmen.Net, when Undertale was called "UnderBound 2," it was revealed that Flowey was planned to be the reincarnation of "Face," who was the protagonist of the non-existent EarthBound hack, UnderGround.^[26]
  • The artbook mentions that Flowey was partially inspired by Face from the "NES Godzilla Creepypasta" written by Cosbydaf.
• Flowey's character might be inspired by flowers from EarthBound, which Toby did include in one of his hacks.

• Flowey has the most battle sprites of any character; he has dozens of expressions that he uses in the battle room.
• In the Japanese translation, Flowey uses "boku" and refers to a person with "kimi" alongside his past self Asriel.^[27]
• When Flowey surrounds the protagonist with a circle of friendliness pellets during his initial encounter, he commands you to "Die." This is noticeably written in a font that is a no-spacing variant of the Korean typeface Gulim Che in bold, making him, Sans, Papyrus, and W. D. Gaster the only characters with the ability to speak in a typeface different from Determination Mono, the standard typeface of Undertale.
  • It should be noted that Flowey will still usually speak in Determination Mono; he only speaks in this font once.

References

1. ↑ Toby Fox [tobyfox] (September 20, 2015). "personal pronunciation for some undertale characters (dont care if u say diff)" Archived April 8, 2016.
2. ↑ "Each one could have been someone else's Toriel. Selfish brat. Somebody is dead because of you." – Flowey
3. ↑ "LET'S JUST SAY... A TINY FLOWER HELPED ME" – Papyrus explains how he knew to call the other characters to New Home.
4. ↑ "Is this a joke? Are you Braindead?" – Flowey
5. ↑ "In this world... It's KILL or BE killed!" – Flowey
6. ↑ "Remember... THIS time, you've GOT to become friends with everyone. OK? If you DON'T, you'll be miserable FOREVER." – Flowey
7. ↑ Resetting a LV 20 SAVE before encountering Asgore – YouTube
8. ↑ Meeting Flowey before Toriel Fight *Error – YouTube
9. ↑ Undertale - Flowey following the Player – YouTube
10. ↑ "Where am I...? It's so cold here... And so dark... Someone help me... Anyone... please... Help me... ... But nobody came." – Flowey's Echo Flower message if Toriel was killed.
11. ↑ "Where oh where could that child be...? I've been looking all over for them... ... Hee hee hee. THAT'S not true. She'll find another kid, and instantly forget about you. You'll NEVER see her again." – Flowey's Echo Flower message if Toriel was spared.
12. ↑ "I just can't understand... I can't understand! I can't understand. ...why are you being... ...so nice to me?" – Flowey
13. ↑ "Hee hee hee. Don't worry. I know there's no REAL point in fighting you. The human souls would probably just revolt again." – Flowey
14. ↑ "Say. What if I told you... I knew some way to get you a better ending?" – Flowey
15. ↑ "I've been thinking. Is killing things really necessary? ... Prove to me you are strong enough to survive. Get here from the beginning. Without killing a single thing... ...and I won't kill the king. ...and, maybe... Then you'll have your so-called 'happy ending.'" – Flowey
16. ↑ "So you went the whole way through without killing... And then you decided to kill ASGORE? What the hell is WRONG with you? You COMPLETELY missed the point. Are you trolling me? Because. No. You are only trolling yourself. What a waste of everybody's time." – Flowey
17. ↑ "Are you friends with all of them yet? Maybe you should go back and... "hang" with them. The power of friendship... That always saves the day, right?" – Flowey
18. ↑ "I knew you had it in you!" – Flowey
19. ↑ "So, even with everything you did... The outcome's still the same. In the end, your choices were an illusion. NOTHING you do really matters! Hee hee hee!" – Flowey
20. ↑ "We were on our way to REAL victory... Why'd you have to SCREW IT UP?" – Flowey
21. ↑ "Well, I'll let you mess around. I know you'll come back eventually. And when that time comes... I'll be waiting for you." – Flowey
22. ↑ Adam Powell's video demonstration – YouTube
23. ↑ McDonald's Commercials 1960's Collection – YouTube
24. ↑ The real original source of Flowey's laugh - YouTube
25. ↑ Let it Haunt Your Nightmares – Oct 28, 2010, YouTube
26. ↑ Toby Fox (4 February 2013). "UnderBound" Retrieved on 9 December 2015.
27. ↑ Tumblr

Start a Discussion Discussions about Flowey

• 

  Why True Pacifist isn't a "happy ending"... And why you should consider genocide.

  221 messages
  • 
    Sonicmaniac2434
    Me: Good point Also me: I AM A PACIFIST U CAN"T STOP MEH 2020-07-07T18:12:25Z
  • 
    LesserD0geUwU
    chara is legally cursed and i would probably just do genocide to listen to megalovania (sans theme if you somehow didn't know) but pacif... 2020-07-08T22:50:07Z
• 

  Most underrated part of Undertale in your opinion?

  208 messages
  • 
    KnockKnockOpenUpItsMe
    the mad mew mew fight 2020-07-04T18:09:22Z
  • 
    Rainbowbirdie
    The royal canine unit. I never really known why I like them so much, it could just because I'm a dog fanatic. 2020-07-06T14:51:35Z

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