The Sans the Fandom Forgot | Undertale Character Analysis

Out of all the characters in Undertale, Sans overshadows the rest. The memes, the fanworks, the Smash Bros. Mii skin, and the pervasive impact of Megalovania all speak for themselves. Yet, for as popular as Sans is, his characterization has been exaggerated to hell and back and the real core of his character lost to the hype of his boss battle and the endless ocean of fanworks inspired by it. People know what Sans is, but who he is has been obscured with time, along with why he works. So, let's take a step back. Forget the fanworks. Forget the

memes. We're sticking strictly to Undertale, Deltarune, and any offshoot material written by Toby Fox, such as the first anniversary Q&A, the alarm clock dialogue, and other extras, such as the casino in the Xbox release. So, with that said, let's start from the very beginning. Sans' first notable appearances were in promotional materials for Undertale's kickstarter as well as the dialogue at the end of the demo. These early materials established Sans as a laid back guy who enjoys making playful jabs at his brother's expense and cracking bad jokes. However, while Sans does poke at his brother with

a little playful ribbing, even in the demo, he looks out for Papyrus' interests, asking you to play the full game so you can see Papyrus' "cool outfit." And I think this little bit of early material really sets the stage for Sans as a character, at least as far as his more easygoing, surface traits go… But this actually makes for a fascinating contrast to his first in-game appearance. Starting off as a spooky silhouette, the game builds the tension with atmospheric ambience and echoing footsteps. A branch snaps. The snow crunches as Sans makes his approach… Only to

lead into his goofy theme song, matches with an equally goofy voice blip sampled from Patrick Star. Maybe it's the way you're dressed Maybe it's How Sans interacts with you will differ depending on a few factors. If it's your first playthrough, and you aren't doing the murder run, you get his typical spiel. The whoopee cushion in the hand trick continues as planned, and he establishes his job and how he's supposed to watch for humans, yet doesn't have the motivation to do so. It's solid foreshadowing the Hotland date, where he reveals that the reason he took such

a passive approach was due to a promise to Toriel. For now, though, it just adds to his vibes as a lazy slacker. It's also worth noting that this dialogue changes if this is a second run, with Frisk turning around and Sans noticing the lack of surprise at his antics, as if they'd heard it before. This is the first of many dialogue variations he has based on reload antics, though contrary to popular belief, Sans does not have reset-proof memory like Flowey. He's just really good at reading people, and he even gets back to his usual spiel

before long. Through these interactions, Sans does poke a little fun at his brother, whether it's the poor construction of the bars or his deep desire to capture humans, but it's overall a very friendly, playful interaction even though Frisk is by all accounts a stranger. In more 'normal' runs, he urges you to play along, tries to frame everything in a positive light. While he annoys Papyrus with bad puns and presumed laziness, it's immediately clear that he thinks the world of his brother and is really just trying to motivate him. He sees this human as an opportunity

to bring some joy into Papyrus' life, and he's perceptive enough to see through Papyrus' bombastic demeanor and recognizes his brother's pervasive loneliness and insecurities. And throughout Snowdin Forest, he remains very good-natured. Even his teasing can be seen as a way to push Papyrus and bring out the best in him. He also keeps appearing throughout Snowdin, claiming to keep an eye out for you, and this establishes Sans' tendency to just follow Frisk throughout Undertale's world. It's more excellent foreshadowing for that big reveal in Hotland. Sans anticipates a fight with his brother throughout all of Snowdin, and

he tries to teach you how to prepare for it, even if it's with goofy stop sign metaphors. His little pranks like teleporting across the Gyftrot room, coupled with his tendency to walk off in the "wrong" direction also set up that he has some strange abilities, though it's mostly played for laughs. And that's the key thing with Sans in normal, first-time runs. There's tiny teases at a greater mystery, but on the whole, he's part of a comedic duo. Such a stand up, positive presence that everyone seems to know his name and eagerly anticipates his visits to

Grillby's. While he and his brother only showed up somewhat recently, according to the Snowdin shopkeeper, QC, they've made quite a splash. And there's even a comic from one of the newsletters that goes into greater depth about this. According to this comic, Sans showed up one day like he was a regular, asking for the usual. This comic also establishes that Grillby and Sans have a friendly rapport despite Sans always putting orders on his tab. Sometimes he even helps at the bar, covering for Grillby. This ties in quite well with Sans working odd jobs throughout the game,

as you also see him manning multiple different sentry stands from Snowdin through Hotland, as well as doing standup at the MTT resort. Spare Papyrus, and you get more mysterious teases toward Sans, thanks to the psychedelic light show going on under his door, which, with Deltarune in mind, hits quite a bit differently. After all, it bears a striking resemblance to the warp doors in the Dark World. As of yet, we don't have any real explanation for this similarity, but I've covered one of the bigger theories about this, which I'll link up top and in the description.

Other things of note are Sans' tendency to leave socks on the floor and engage in silly arguments and sticky note trolling. Papyrus describes Sans as trying to make a sugary, egg-free quiches, which is most likely a Butterscotch Cinnamon pie, given his connection with Toriel. This is further reaffirmed by a phone call conversation later where Papyrus describes Sans as buying snail-shaped pasta, which can be further connected to Toriel and her love of snails. His pranking goes beyond socks on the floor, however, by somehow fitting joke books inside quantum physics books, which is one of our earliest

hints at Sans' scientific interests. And, of course, we can't forget Sans plaguing his brother's life with incidental music, busting out the trombone from within his room just long enough to be a little stinker. But really, I'd say that besides that tease at Sans' room and the locked door being so enticing, our first real look at a more introspective side of Sans comes during the Grillby's hangout. Sure, it starts out with more of Sans' trademark humor, from either pranking Frisk with a whoopee cushion and making the ketchup ooze all over their food or drinking it straight

from the bottle and then scratching his butt, but the conversation soon shifts to his brother, and we reach an interesting dialogue fork. Most players will probably tell Sans that Papyrus is cool and get the adorable dialogue about his battle body. However, if you say that Papyrus is uncool, Sans instead reveals that Papyrus pushed him to get that sentry position out of a desire to motivate him… And states that while it's nice that Papyrus thinks he's lazy, it couldn't be further from the truth. This tucked away nugget of foreshadowing once again adds to Sans' mysterious feeling,

even if he soon jumps back into talking about his brother's escapades, but the real show stopper in this scene is when Sans shifts the subject to a talking flower and Premonition plays. Not only is the atmosphere striking, with the spotlight shining over Sans and Frisk while the rest of Grillby's freezes up, but while at first the yellow text suggests he'll be talking about Flowey, Sans shifts gears to Waterfall's Echo Flowers… Yet the way he describes this flower's interactions with Papyrus makes it all too clear that this is, in fact, Flowey, and though Sans downplays what's

happening, he urges you to keep an eye out. And I think this is one thing about Sans that often gets misconstrued. He cares about his brother, looks out for him, but isn't a helicopter sibling. He has immense faith in Papyrus, is his number one hype man, and cares so much that if you kill Papyrus, he disappears for the entire game until the last corridor, taking his music with him from every area it would otherwise play… Except in one sole exception: Shyren's battle, where instead of giving out tickets made of toilet paper, he watches with his

hood up. Watches, but doesn't act. So it's not that Sans doesn't care about his brother's death or that he turns into a sobbing mess. The truth is that Sans hides these feelings between a cold, controlled front, which becomes all the more apparent if you do a neutral run with Papyrus killed. Because with neutral runs, his judgment typically has him ask you to look inside yourself, and as long as you feel confident in what you did, that's all that matters. However, if you DID kill his brother, his eyes go dark, and he either accuses you of

being a "dirty brother killer" or coldly asks why you killed Papyrus, if you say you did the right thing. I'll have more to say regarding Papyrus' death when I get to the neutral ending characterization, but with the stage set, let's move on to the lands beyond Snowdin… For most of the game after Snowdin, Sans plays a very passive role. You'd be forgiven for mistaking him as a gag character with how he keeps popping up in silly situations, like covering a telescope with pink paint as part of a prank and falling asleep at his sentry station

during the final Undyne chase. Sometimes he'll interject during calls with Papyrus just to tease and troll his brother some more, though if you call outside the laboratory, he hints that there may be dogs inside the lab. And that's interesting, because it shows that Sans is aware of what's going on with the True Lab, but if you haven't yet experienced True Lab, you won't get the full context. This and a bit of the banter in the pacifist epilogue hint at a friendship between Sans and Alphys, though it's never fully explored in-depth. But that mystery, if anything,

only adds to the intrigue, given Sans and Alphys' shared scientific interests, which Papyrus first teases at during some phone calls. Phone calls where he not only mentions that Sans loves science and science fiction, but that Sans never tells anyone anything about himself. And this is very consistent with his character, as he mostly talks about his brother. This phone call calls to attention how little we truly know about Sans that isn't his brother, his alleged laziness, or his overall comedic tendencies. In fact, I think it's rather noteworthy that the one time Sans truly and honestly opens

up about himself in neutral and pacifist runs is at the MTT resort. So, there's a few things to unpack here. First, there's the meeting between Sans and Toriel. First of all, it's incredibly sweet how Sans formed such a genuine connection with someone through a closed door. Something as simple as knock-knock jokes and making other people laugh… It goes to show that, at his core, Sans is someone who wants to make others feel good. He can be a genuinely kind person, which is why it bothers me when he's portrayed as distantly apathetic, when in reality, it's

not that simple. Sure, Sans hates keeping promises. I think on some level, he wants to distance himself, especially when you take into account that he's trailing an anomaly that can rewind time at its whims, yet despite himself, he still keeps that promise. Despite himself, he doesn't lift a finger even when you kill innocent monsters. He'll still open up about this if the only enemy you've spared is Papyrus. But what else I find fascinating here is the way Sans talks about how he can relate to Frisk's desire to go home. When you consider his Lost Soul

dialogue, where he says "you'll never see 'em again," coupled with his comments in his boss fight about "giving up on going back," there's an air of unsolved mystery further intensified by the photo in his secret lab of monsters you've never seen before and the "don't forget" drawing. Of course, even taken on its own, this exchange still carries that element of intrigue… And moreover, the way he encourages Frisk to just enjoy life in the Underground in some respects works as subtle foreshadowing for Alphys' later reveal, that leaving the Underground is seemingly impossible without taking Asgore's soul.

But I don't think it's just about Asgore. In his fight, he mentions how he thought that the anomaly was unhappy, and that giving them positive experiences might help put them on the right path. This adds a lot of depth to his motives here, showing that despite viewing "the anomaly" as a threat, is still empathetic enough to consider their perspective. And in normal play, Sans' "dead where you stand" comment is a genuinely impactful moment. It comes out of nowhere. The simple edit of blacking his eyes out makes it just so chilling, especially when the music screeches

to a halt… And this is essentially the essence of Sans. His comedic moments being so prevalent are what makes little scenes like this so powerful, because you see something beyond his goofy smile, and it sits with you. It leaves you craving more… And that desire for more can lead to… interesting outcomes. The MTT resort scene sets the stage for the last corridor by giving the first real tease at Sans' hidden depths, but even with that dialogue in mind, seeing him in shadow, giving the explanation of LV and EXP is so chilling on a first playthrough.

It shows Sans has a deep understanding of the game's mechanics, but it also hits you hard with blatant deconstruction of those mechanics most players wouldn't think too deeply on in any other RPG. While Undertale does treat character deaths with more weight than the average RPG encounter, Sans cuts straight through to the core. When you kill in an RPG to level grind, it becomes simpler the more you do it. Like clockwork, muscle memory. It becomes easier to distance yourself, especially if this isn't a first playthrough, or especially if you're a seasoned veteran of the genre. If

this is a blind run, and you haven't really thought about the consequences by now, this may be where it finally clicks, if Flowey's end of Ruins speech and Undyne's monologues didn't do the trick… Though some people feel attacked by this. They think the game is blaming them for playing a video game, and to that I say, keep in mind that Sans is an in-universe character, discussing this meta aspect of Undertale from an in-universe perspective. Undertale treats the act of defeating enemies like killing people in that world, and so Sans judges you accordingly… Though what's interesting

is the lack of specificity in the neutral judgments, other than the aforementioned Papyrus examples. Unless you reload the game, you won't get unique judgments for your LOVE. However, he has quite a few unique speeches depending on how much LV you get, many of which are actually fairly cheeky, even saying that you suck at being evil if you get to him at a high LV, but not LV 19. What makes these judgments so funny is he's effectively roasting you for going back just to see what he has to say after killing monsters. After all, if you've

already gotten the usual spiel, you clearly haven't learned anything from it, if you're just messing around. However, Pacifist is another story entirely, providing one of the most impactful scenes in the game. If you made it this far without killing anyone, the music swells, and you can tell from Sans' reaction that he's just so proud. Being kind and not killing anyone doesn't make you naive, but that you carried a tenderness with you despite the hardship, gaining love from the world around you instead of gaining level of violence. This speech ties directly into one of Toby's greatest

influences, Moon: Remix RPG Adventure, and I actually recently put out a video discussing this, if you'd like to check it out! I'll link it up top and in the description. But back to the speech, Sans emphasizes how dire the situation is with the impending battle with Asgore, but applauds your determination. He believes in you. Sans, who, as you find out in the more murderous run, does not believe easily. In that run, Sans outright admits to having little motivation in life because he knows everything he does will just get swept away, including going to the surface.

There, he's jaded. There, he's tired, and the only reason he stands up and fights is because he's the last one standing and the only one who can make you quit. Yet here, Sans believes. He still knows that you could do it all again. He still knows it could all be wiped away, but in this moment, he's willing to hold out hope and uplift you before it all goes downhill. And it's a shame that you'll only ever see this speech if your first run is a pacifist-neutral, because it's SUCH a poignant moment and such an incredible

testament to Sans as a character. And then, if you reload on this passive run, Sans speaks of time travel in a far more positive light. How he'd always wanted to meet a time traveler, the codewords he'd use to to distinguish a time traveler… But it's not just one codeword. No, Sans keeps giving more codewords, each one sillier than the last, requiring you to reload multiple times before you tell him that you're the "legendary fartmaster" and finally get the key to his room. Sans says it's your chance to learn the truth… …that you just got owned,

making even this dramatic reveal into a joke in true Sans fashion. However, while you do become the punchline, his room still proves rather revealing, not to mention a little sad. While the silly treadmill and the trash tornado fit Sans' goofy demeanor, and the sock collection and thank you letter to Santa bring some cute characterization, the crumpled up blanket on an otherwise bare mattress can reflect the hidden sadness and nihilism pervading Sans as a result of the anomaly. Take his key, and you get to see his lab, with photos of a time gone by, the don't

forget drawing if you met the Clamgirl NPC, and mysterious blueprints that may relate to Gaster or Alphys… There's also a mysterious badge, and a broken machine covered in cloth, that to this day remains a mystery. Our only real hint is an old Toby Fox tweet back when he used to give personal insight on the game. It said, "You've all seen the happiest outcome. Neither of them could fix the machine, no matter how hard they tried. No one can." Perhaps Deltarune will address these mysteries, or perhaps they'll remain an open book with pages blank for you

to fill with your imagination. Either way, when you pair his Pacifist speech with his encouraging words when you free his Lost Soul, it really goes to show how significant a pacifist run is to someone as jaded and bitter as Sans. I see some people say that Sans isn't depressed because they equate depression with sobbing extensively or just general, explicit sadness. The thing is, depression can simply be a lack of motivation or pervasive apathy, and smiling depression is a very real thing. So I think such an interpretation of Sans is valid. Depressed people can still cope

with humor and making others happy. So if you see Sans in such a way, I totally get it. I don't think it's that outlandish. The neutral endings contain vital characterization for Sans, given that they're largely narrated by him, with other characters weighing in, depending on the ending you got. Flawed Pacifist is probably one of the more common endings you'll see on a first time playthrough. In it, there's an air of bittersweetness. Sans calmly explains how things are going in the Underground, and the complications brought about by the souls' disappearance and Asgore's death, but between Toriel's

efforts and everyone else's hopes to find a way, Sans assures Frisk that they aren't losing hope. That's consistent with the Sans you see in pacifist-neutral. He's found the strength to hope again, even through hard times. He even ends the call by calling Frisk his buddy and saying that he'll be seeing them, showing how much he's grown to care. It's all downhill from here, though. In the Toriel branch, assuming Undyne hasn't taken over, Sans' speech is more or less the same. However, we learn from Papyrus that Undyne has since moved in with the skeletons and works

at Sans' "illegal hotdog stand," showing that, if nothing else, Sans, like his brother, is willing to help Undyne when she's fallen on hard times. In the empress Undyne ending where Papyrus is killed, you see a ton of passive aggression from Sans. He blatantly points out the innocent civilian deaths, how Toriel was banished and Undyne is more vehement about killing humans than ever, only to casually bring up how he moved in with her. It goes to show how much Sans values Toriel that, rather than leaving her to her banishment alone, he goes to live with her,

brings some books, and all the fun they have as roomies. It's almost sweet… until you remember that you killed Papyrus, and Sans is not afraid to call it out. The way Sans' eyes black out and the music cuts as he mentions how he doesn't have the heart to talk about Papyrus' murder… absolutely chilling, and it once again shows that Sans cares about others' happiness, even if it means burying a painful truth and the loss of a loved one to preserve Toriel's hopeful memories. And then, like a badass, he says to never come back, further affirming

just how angry he is. It's a chilling note to end the call on, but fitting all the same. The other related ending branches with Papyrus are a bit more hopeful. If Undyne dies and the people rebel, Sans and Papyrus simply visit Toriel instead of moving in, but they allow her to leave sometimes by watching over her house and the ruins. This once again shows Sans' loyalty to the people he cares about. He doesn't beat around the bush that things are bad, but he's much less cold and cutthroat, no doubt because he still has his brother

in his life. If Toriel dies and Undyne takes the throne, Sans is a lot less direct, but he still deliberately brings up Toriel's absence, playing it up like he doesn't have a clue. However, if you killed Papyrus, he doesn't feign ignorance at all. The music once again cuts, his eyes turn dark, and he chilling says, "or maybe she isn't feeling anything at all…?" and ends the call with a threat. What this shows, above all else, is how Sans is willing to restrain himself for his brother's sake, because Papyrus still cares. But when it's just him,

and he doesn't have to pull punches, he does not mess around. Interestingly, the Mettaton ending branch doesn't follow up on this trend. In both endings, Sans simply becomes Mettaton's agent, and even if Papyrus dies, his dialogue doesn't really change. The difference is that in one ending, Papyrus is still alive and well, working alongside his idol, though in both cases, the skeletons are fairly aware of the disturbing dystopia they now find themselves in. Perhaps in this case, Sans simply doesn't have it in him to talk about all the deaths, given that at minimum, Toriel and Undyne

must die to get this outcome, and Papyrus in at least one variant. Papyrus is more outgoing and willing to talk to Frisk in this case, and in his absence, Mettaton just takes center stage, far more outgoing and likely less resentful. But it's interesting, too, how Sans treats death with regards to his brother. In multiple endings, Papyrus states that Sans told him that the dead "went on vacation." This aligns with Sans refusing to tell Toriel that Frisk killed his brother in the Undyne ending where Papyrus died. Sans really seems reluctant to be honest with his loved

ones regarding heavier topics, but what I find so interesting is that in the King Papyrus ending, Papyrus shows that he knows the truth… But he only brings this up when he's sure that Sans isn't around. Sans clearly thinks the world of Papyrus, but I think he values Papyrus' hope and optimism so much that he tries to hide harsher realities from his brother to preserve that happiness. You see this in the murder run as well, where he asks you to pretend to be human for his brother's sake, even though he doesn't see you as one after

all the monsters you've slain. Papyrus seems aware of this, because if you call him in the laboratory, where Sans doesn't answer, he shows he knows what a laboratory is, yet when you call him outside, where Sans is around, he plays up an ignorant facade. And I think this adds an interesting undercurrent to the brothers' relationship. Sans has faith in his brother, certainly, but I think there are times where, like Undyne, he sees the innocence and wants to shield Papyrus, even when Papyrus is mature enough to face reality. And then we get to the two endings

where you kill all the other main characters. It's funny how in one, you get a silly ending where the Annoying Dog takes over, everything seems to be doing fine, and Sans describes this as the best possible outcome even with his brother dead. This definitely feels like more of a gag ending, especially when juxtaposed with the far darker leaderless ending… No music. Just a cold, chilling wind. Sans emphasizes how dire it's gotten. It's dark, it's quiet, and everyone suspects they'll die there with no hope of freedom. Sans didn't become leader because he's not cut out for

the job. What starts as a joke about taking it easy abruptly shifts when he says that THIS is what happens when he takes it easy, with the return of his cold, dark eyes. What's interesting is there are two branches to this ending. One ends with a simple "see ya," but kill enough monsters, and he really tears into you. It's less crowded! Doesn't that feel good? The passive aggression is strong here, and the cherry on top is when he tells you to go to hell. These endings all demonstrate that Sans has a very cool, controlled anger.

He doesn't yell. Hell, he's not always direct about it, often opting for passive aggressive jabs to really make his feelings known, but I think this cold, collected fury is honestly really impactful with how understated it is. Through strong dialogue and that dark-eyed portrait, the feeling cuts through to your core. And then there's the Alphys ending… It's interesting how, unlike in the leaderless ending, Sans does take a more direct role. While not the leader, he stays by Alphys' side, supporting her through her loneliness and grief in the aftermath of so many casualties. He barely talks in

this one, simply handing the phone off to Alphys. He clearly doesn't WANT to say anything, because what's the point? This is Alphys' time to let it all out. It's a subtle thing, but I love how he puts her first, even though his grief is undoubtedly just as strong. But with this bleak ending out of the way, we must go to even darker pastures. At long last, it's time to discuss the no mercy run and Sans' role as the final boss. I'm not going to start with Sans' boss fight because I think the buildup to it

matters significantly more than people give it credit for. While the start of Snowdin in the game's more murderous run starts similarly to neutral, the first signs of change begin when Sans notices the lack of reaction or any real emotion coming from Frisk. He still tries to play along, but if this isn't your first run, it gives the distinct feeling that something's off, and it fits very well with Sans' perception when it comes to expressions and reading other people. Sans comes across as very confused with how off script things already are, but doesn't push it. As

mentioned, he asks Frisk to continue "pretending" to be a human, and in my larger video on this run, I talk about the significance of the different characters dehumanizing Frisk in more depth. As you progress, Sans keeps showing disappointment at the lack of reaction to the overall high jinks. He tries to encourage you to play along. There's a persistent tension. When you consider that Sans can pick up on LV and EXP, it hits even harder because he knows the entire time what's going on, but is subtly nudging you to stop. Subtly trying to get you to

just have fun, enjoy their skeletal shenanigans. I think, while he doesn't show it outright, he fears for his brother's safety. This is more or less confirmed after the Gauntlet of Deadly Terror, where he gives his final plea not to kill Papyrus. Sans' eyes darkening, the iconic "you're gonna have a bad time," and his sudden disappearance are all so striking and equally chilling. Interestingly, if you killed Papyrus in a previous run and get to this room on neutral, Sans will tell you not to fight Papyrus outright. It's far more casual than the no mercy variant, but

worth noting as it's yet another example of his perceptiveness at play. But then Sans disappears for the rest of the run until the last corridor, much like in neutral runs where Papyrus dies. That's not to say he didn't watch, however. His speech in the last corridor echoes Papyrus' final plea before his death, asking if even the worst person can change. Though, by this point, Sans has given up on such prospects, calling back to his earlier "bad time" comment in his final warning. But Frisk moves forward automatically, and in the moment preceding the fight, he apologizes

to Toriel. His hatred of promises comes to fruition, and it shows a bit of guilt in Sans, that he waited until NOW to take action. And so we get his opening speech, interestingly quoting Asgore in the neutral run. But, of course, it's just a distraction, and Sans shows that he won't be like the other monsters in this run or even the game. He'll attack mid-monologue, he'll dodge your attacks, he'll even attack the UI as the fight progresses. Sans knows he's weak, so he uses cheap tactics to make up for what he lacks in raw power,

trying to be as obnoxious as possible to fight in order to drive you to quit. Yet, for players desperate for more Sans, they get what they want in spades. Talk of spacetime anomalies, "our reports…" This line alone has fueled speculative fanworks for years. Is it Sans and Gaster? Sans and Alphys? To this day, we still don't know, yet Sans shows a clear awareness of the nature of resets, even if he doesn't actually remember them and can only make educated guesses based on your reactions and expressions and whatever data he's collected. Sans detects the end of

everything, blaming it on you, and it's interesting in that Flowey undoubtedly contributed to these anomalies. But because Flowey hides from Sans after his own bad experiences, Sans has very little to go off of, and so he focuses on what's right in front of him: the human killing everything in their path, not because they have to, but because they can. His awareness of how his actions are futile due to the fact that they could be wiped away explains so much. Not only did he make his promise to Toriel, but any attempted interventions would have been meaningless

before, when he'd either end up killed or his efforts would get wiped away again and again. It's a frightening existential dilemma, never knowing when it'll all be undone, and so Sans' cynicism makes perfect sense. In this run, you don't give him hope. In this run, you don't make him believe there's a future where he's happy and free. He gave up "going back," he gave up on the surface, but even he acknowledges that these are just excuses for his inaction, and at this point, he has no choice but to fight, because there's no one left to

do so who even remotely stands a chance. But I think his final plea to your emotions is a genuine one. What makes this so striking is that, in many cases, this speech holds true. Many people play the game normally before seeking out Sans' fight, and that better person Sans describes, lonely and wanting a friend, reflects the pure, first-time Undertale experience for those who truly immerse themselves in the world and the characters, growing attached… And yet, is it not attachment, in some twisted way, that brings you here? The desire to see another side of Sans, the

desire to understand him, and the desire to see what he's made of… a perverted sentimentality indeed. Even when you spare him, he acknowledges how hard of a choice it is. Before the moment he dunks you, he shows some level of understanding. Even after the prank, he affirms that if you were ever friends, you should stop. That's really all he wants. And that's what makes it so sad if you persist and get to that point again, where he laments that if you kept going, then you never were friends. When he brings up "other Sanses," this further

cements that he himself doesn't have full memory of preceding runs, especially when combined with his pre-battle dialogue variants, where he deduces the number of deaths based on the look on Frisk's face and makes some dark jokes all the while. Even in this darkest hour, that comedic edge of Sans never completely fades. Nor does his compassion, with how he truly thought the anomaly was lonely, and that being kind to it would help change its ways. Between his promise to Toriel, his fear of his actions not mattering, and this faint glimmer of hope, it contextualizes Sans' overall

passivity in the rest of the game and why he brings along jokes and humor. He wants to connect. He wants to guide you on the right path and make you feel like you don't have to simply treat the timeline as a toy. This shows in the way that Sans is genuinely happy if you abort the route at Papyrus. One simple change, and he'll get back to his usual routine. Even in the pacifist run, Sans doesn't have this sappy belief that everything will turn out fine. He hopes that it will, but that's just a hope. Even

still, he does believe there is humanity to be found even in a timeline-destroying "anomaly." They must have a reason behind their actions, and if they have a reason, then they can be challenged and changed… So, in some regards, you can read his inaction prior to this point as banking on that possibility. Waiting, watching, observing and trying to see if the anomaly will recognize the power they hold and reflect. I think that's likely why most of his neutral judgments encourage reflection, even at high LV. His respect for Toriel combined with his brother's more optimistic outlook are

also likely factors in addition to the pervasive nihilism about his situation. But by this point, he knows there's no turning back, and so all he can do is give it his all until you quit. If you quit, but he'll keep throwing everything he can to make that a reality… Until he's worn himself out and all he can do is never end his turn, and even then, he passes out. His cheap tricks run out, and in his dying moments, he plays it off like he's just gonna go back to Grillby's. I think a part of it

is not wanting to give the satisfaction of breaking down in front of his killer, despite his ominous final warning. This is further justified in the way that he goes offscreen, so you don't even get to see his death. His final words once again show how deeply Papyrus matters to him, when he asks his brother for an order before finally turning to dust… But that's the worst possible outcome. What about the Pacifist ending and all the extended materials that come after? First and foremost, we see Sans and Toriel's friendship in full force, between their adorable meeting

during the reunion scene, where Toriel shares a joke and Papyrus must suffer more horrible puns and the absolutely charming text messages that Sans and Toriel exchange through the epilogue backtrack. You get gems like Sans taking Toriel's phone and making silly jokes at her expense, only for Toriel to do the same with Sans. Even though this is their first time being together in person, the fact that they organically play off each other like this, having fun and trolling at each other's expense really encapsulates the strength of their connection and just how much joy their meeting has

brought. One huge moment in the reunion scene comes during the "Don't Give Up" section where Sans acts genuinely surprised that you haven't beaten Flowey yet, showing how far he's come and how sincerely he believes in Frisk by this point. The same holds true when you save his Lost Soul, and he genuinely roots for your victory. It's a very triumphant turn for his character that becomes downright tragic if you follow up this run with another playthrough. Another highlight in the epilogue is how Sans and Alphys jinx each other, with Alphys predicting Sans' joke ahead of time.

It's a subtle thing, as the two have so few onscreen interactions, but for as brief as it is, it's such an organic behavior between friends and shows just how close these two nerds are. Oh, and we can't forget how casually Toriel brings up whether or not you flirted with her, called her mom, or all of the above, with Sans pointing out how weird the latter is in particular. But oh, he's eager for more embarrassing stories, tapping into that goofy uncle or older brother energy he channels so well. But otherwise, most of Sans' comments during this

part of the game are more of his silly quips. But he and Toriel are having fun texting, despite being right next to each other. While his presence otherwise is understated, even when they finally see the sun, you can tell just how happy he is all the same. Something that carries over into the post-game canon materials, such as the tumblr Q&A and the alarm clock dialogue. The Q&A mostly focuses on silly shenanigans regarding Papyrus' favorite food, but the Sans and Toriel question is worth noting because it establishes that the skeletons and Toriel have such a close

rapport that Toriel even prepares lunches for Papyrus and cuts little mazes into his sandwiches. She also buys Sans pizza lunchable, only for Sans to eat the ingredients separately like a goblin. They have a cute back and forth, where Sans says she thought he was cool, only for her to say otherwise, and we learn that Sans and Toriel are drinking buddies, and that when drunk, Toriel throws the pizzas like frisbees. Sans definitely isn't afraid to embarrass her a little, but it's all in good fun, and this closeness continues into the alarm clock scenarios. Like with the

Q&A, it's strongly implied that the skeletons live with Toriel post-Pacifist, and we see more of Sans and Toriel's silly shenanigans, with Sans calling Toriel out in the cold for a serious talk, just to put his chilly hands on her face. A really sweet touch happens in Papyrus' part of the alarm clock, where he sees Sans sleeping peacefully without a blanket. Papyrus picks up on how Sans genuinely seemed to have such a good time at the Christmas party, surrounded by friends and, more notably, that it's been quite some time since he saw his brother in such

high spirits. On Undyne's page, she mentions a few noteworthy antics, like when Papyrus passed the puck to Sans during the hockey game, forgetting they weren't on the same team, and Sans just passed it back. Then Sans and Toriel wasted a ton of time slapping their hockey sticks together and asking each other, "Is this how you play?" This shows that Sans is finally starting to heal after Pacifist. He and his loved ones are safe on the surface. They can all enjoy simple pleasures like holiday parties, ice hockey, and funny party pranks, like taking bones from the

dinner Papyrus was cooking and placing them in inconvenient places. In Sans' section, he gives Papyrus so much loving, if teasing praise, about the party. Though, much like during the game, Sans hardly talks about himself, instead focusing on the other partygoers, but appreciating that the party happened at all despite it being a mess. The Papyrus interviews in the newsletter reveal some small things, from Sans' appreciation of mayonnaise to the fact that if he was Papyrus' mom, he would cut up an apple for him into slices without being asked. We see him troll Papyrus by leaving a

shower running with bubble bath, without actually going in the bath and waiting for the bubbles to run out. He also tricked Papyrus into trying mayonnaise on pizza by calling it "awesome sauce," and admits that sometimes he'll trick his bro to push him outside of his comfort zone. Lastly, in the 9th anniversary Q&A also shows that Sans, Alphys, Toriel, Undyne, and Papyrus often get together for lighthearted activities like potlucks. While the conversation itself features more Sans being playfully contrarian with his brother and doesn't reveal a ton of new depths per se, we do learn that he

and Papyrus can speak binary, so that's neat. Before we move on to Deltarune, I just want to touch on some interesting character details from the Xbox-exclusive Sans casino dialogue, because I think there are some fun insights. For instance, interacting with the fast food box reveals that while Sans enjoys burgers, he has a greater fondness for the restaurant at the MTT resort, in large part due to the atmosphere. This also confirms his standup routine and how, during one show, he said just one pun, and Asgore kept laughing nonstop, to a point where they just closed the

curtains. Despite this abrupt finish, Sans fondly remembers the show and considers it his best, showing that Sans is rather close to Asgore, or at least holds him in high regard. Get enough particles, and Sans will also talk about how, during a blizzard, Asgore still came out to hand out presents. Aside from mentioning the Undertale versions of Noelle and Dess, Sans fondly remembers getting a gift from Asgore, even though they were strangers. It was just a pair of socks, but given Sans' sock collecting habits, it likely meant a lot to him. We get a taste of

Sans and Alphys' friendship with the gamer's treaty, where he went to Alphys for game recommendations for Toriel, only for Sans to remember that Alphys tends to fixate on specific games at a given time, including an RPG he's interested in trying if it ever comes out on gamerbox. It's not that surprising for Sans to have an interest in video games, especially with his other nerdy interests, like science, but it's still fun to see how his friendship with Alphys connects to his desire to introduce Toriel to new things. Plus, we find out with the energy drink how

Sans is fully aware of Alphys' habit of downing the stuff while collecting scrap metal for her inventions. It's even possible that she used these cans in Mettaton's construction, suggesting that Sans and Alphys go back to before her royal scientist days. It's a bit unclear, since a lot of Undertale's timeline is up in the air, including when exactly the skeletons arrived. At the very least, Sans knows her well enough to be in on the amalgamates' existences, and his Gaster blasters directly connect him to her predecessor. Interact with the dog statue, and Sans jokes about unhealthy fried

food is and to not trust anyone who offers it to you. Ironic, given his Grillby's date earlier in the game. As a followup to the poker table being too tall to play, he'll later add a stretched out JPG silhouette of himself as a sign, after joking about being the tallest person around. At low particles, Sans comments on how after the annoying dog tears through the house, Papyrus accuses him of shedding. This also ties into Papyrus' other weird remark in a phone call, where he states that Sans emits slime. Whether or not that's true is unclear,

but at the very least, Papyrus seems to blame Sans for a lot of the messes in their lives. Sans also recounts about how ecstatic Papyrus gets during the snow, despite how mundane it is, and how even when Sans reminds his brother, Papyrus is already outside, making buff snowmen. It's a cute glimpse into their more mundane lives outside the main story of the game. Apparently, Sans also likes to attend MTT's gaming shows, in no small part due to the comedy of him modding himself to replace the main characters, while the animations stay the same. Thus, you

get Mettaton rigged to Yoshi's animations, long tongue and all. I do like how the Gamerbox interaction also lampshades how most people are going to watch the casino footage online, since by the time the Xbox version of Undertale had dropped, it was already out on PC, Switch, and Playstation consoles. It also fits with Sans' character to do just that when it comes to exclusive content. Deltarune doesn't bring a lot of new material to the table where character analysis is concerned, but what I find so fascinating about him here is that we see the laid back, funny,

and trollish side of Sans really is a genuine part of his personality in the absence of his existential woes in Undertale. Granted, it's possible that Deltarune Sans harbors a similar dark secret. After all, there's the aforementioned theory that Sans and Papyrus came from Deltarune's world, and while my earlier videos discuss this theory in more depth, it would explain several ambiguities regarding Sans' character. There's the fact that he speaks of understanding what it's like for Frisk to want to go home, the photo of the monsters Frisk doesn't recognize in his lab, the mysterious badge, and his

comments about giving up on "going back" and his lost soul lamenting on never seeing "them" again. With his ties to Gaster in Undertale, there could be more to come. However, for the sake of this video, I want to focus on the concrete and less on the hypothetical. So, Chapter 1 introduced Sans as a fairly recent resident who runs the local convenience store, which seems to have been built out of an abandoned Grillby's building. We don't know if Grillby used to run a business in Hometown but was outdone by QC, and no mention of Grillby is

made in-game. What we do learn is that Sans remains this chill, easygoing, and upbeat guy, who's not afraid of cracking jokes and trolling. For instance, he gives Kris a phone number for the "Hotline for Idiot Babies," which leads to different pranks depending on the response that you choose. There's also the often memed "befriended" your mother comment, which he plays straight, revealing how he and Toriel have a friendly rapport since she started shopping at his store, even telling him about Kris. Chapter 2 builds on this by showing the two interacting and sharing bad egg jokes and

puns until Asgore very awkwardly crashes the party. One subtle detail I like about this scene is how Sans turns his back once the two start their awkward conversation, showing that he's fully aware of the divorce-driven tension and wants no part in it. Even after Toriel leaves, Sans is incredibly awkward when Asgore tries to ask him how to get back with Toriel, comparing his antics to a movie, presumably Beauty and the Beast. He isn't cruel, but he also doesn't humor Asgore, which I think shows that this Sans has a great deal of social awareness, but also

doesn't want to play wingman to a guy who's made one of his friends uncomfortable with his advances. It is worth noting, though, that Sans is the one supplying Asgore with pickles, the one food item in his otherwise empty refrigerator, unless you give him the egg in chapter one. So, Sans has a pleasant enough rapport with Asgore despite some discomfort and is willing to help out a guy who's fallen on hard times. Similar to in Undertale, Sans also shows a great deal of concern for his brother, encouraging Kris to hang out with him, since Papyrus doesn't

seem to get out much or have any real friends. We've yet to see a followup, but it's nice to see the kind older brother side of Sans shining through here. His love of pranks also extends to Susie in Chapter 2, where he trolls her hard when she tries to ask for the boss, then the cashier, by Sans joking about being a janitor, how he can't pay for other employees on a janitor's salary, and just generally ruffling her feathers. When she takes note of the jerky and peanuts in the candy selection, he continues to grill her

by messing with her with his legume comment. It's all good natured ribbing, though, and never dips into the malicious. Thus far, he and Alphys aren't especially close, and he seems to find her a rather oddball customer with a flair for the dramatic.The impression I get with Sans here, compared to Undertale, is that he isn't quite somebody that everyone knows yet, but he's likable enough and fairly approachable. Whether or not he has any greater relevance to the story, whether it's the Dark World narrative or the Home Town story remains to be seen, but with the Dreemurrs

being so integral to the light world story, Sans' closeness to Toriel, and the unresolved hook with Papyrus, I suspect we'll learn more about this goofy skeleton in some capacity. As one final bit of Deltarune trivia, someone brought to my attention that Sans' theme was originally conceived as a track for Deltarune's earlier iteration, originally titled "Muscles." This places it alongside Bonetrousle and Heartache as tracks that were repurposed for Undertale. I think a big part of the reason Sans is so misunderstood is because it's easy in fanart or fan comics to focus on really big, memorable character

traits. With the impact of Sans' battle and the hype surrounding it, it's led to this gradual flanderization, both toward his more serious and tragic elements and in the opposite extreme, treating him as apathetic or solely the funny joke guy, when the truth is that BOTH sides of Sans are pivotal aspects of his character. Serious Sans works because it's so seldom seen. Because your first impression is this fun, lighthearted character, the rare glimmers of something more draw you in and keep you guessing. So, while Sans isn't my favorite character Toby Fox has created, I still think

he's an important one and while, yes, he overshadows many great characters and has led to oversaturation in fanworks, it also makes perfect sense. "Overrated" is an annoying term because it's so often used to put something down that people genuinely love. Popularity is often the result of something resonating with an audience, and passionate audiences tend to get really loud about the things they love, which can be grating to those who are less enthused. I just think that sometimes it's worth stepping back and remembering the source material, because after nearly a decade, it can be easy to

forget where we started. But please feel free to give your thoughts in the comments! If there's a specific character you'd like to see a video on in the future, let me know. Also, please consider checking out my other videos, such as my recent leitmotif video series, covering a wide range of game series including Toby Fox's games and many more. I'll link the playlist in the end screen, along with my recent video on one of the most obscure sources of inspiration for Undertale, Moon: Remix RPG Adventure. I've got some fun video projects cooking in the future,

including one on Metanarrative and the 4th wall in video games and a long term plan for a Goro Akechi analysis for any Persona fans. Before that, I'm looking to do a smaller video on Maruki, as there are some aspects of his character that are woefully overlooked. Both will take a bit more time in the oven, though, so the best way to stay up to date is to support me on Patreon! You'll also get access to scripts, video drafts, concept art for various projects and more. To everyone who made it this far, thanks so much for

watching, and have a fantastic day!