Ah, UNDERTALE. While the game's four years old now, the fandom's is hardly dead. .
. Even now people are dishing out fan comics, fanfiction, music, animations. Somehow it's managed to stay relevant and at the very core of this fanbase are two characters: Sans and Papyrus, the skeleton brothers.
But with popularity comes misinterpretation and flanderization. While Sans and Papyrus are both crazy popular, so few people really get what makes these characters tick. And believe me I could write an entire essay on the issues with Sans characterization, but I'd rather focus on Papyrus.
Why? Well, he's my favorite character. But also, because I feel like despite his relative popularity, he's really overshadowed by his brother and when he does get the spotlight it's just watered-down "pwecious cinnamon roll" instead of the eccentric, over-the-top, and funny skeleton that convinced me to buy this charming game.
So strap yourselves in, folks, as I discuss some common misconceptions of Papyrus as well as analyzing what makes him tick. First impressions: Papyrus is the second character we meet after leaving the Ruins. In his very first appearance, we learn several things.
First, he's a bit short-tempered, growing frustrated with his brother's laziness and lack of diligence in the face of potential new humans. He's impatient, eager to prove himself. Moreover, he seeks to join the Royal Guard, even if that's largely out of a desire to be loved and admired by others.
In contrast, he finds his brother's laziness frustrating. Here he is, readying puzzles. Doing the rounds and Sans would rather look at a lamp, and make cheesy puns.
Now, when Sans starts breaking out the puns, Papyrus gets increasingly irritated. I believe this is the root of one of the most pervasive misconceptions: That Papyrus hates all forms of puns and will wig out the moment he hears one. Except in this very same scene, he makes a pun in exchange and And Sans even points out that he's smiling despite his exasperation.
So just a quick recap: Papyrus short-tempered, ambitious, seeks friendship and admiration, seems to present himself with a bit of an ego but has hints of insecurities. Even in these short moments, we learn a lot about him so it's a shame that what most people got from this is that he's a rabid pun hater. Which brings us to that very same misconception: Papyrus and Puns See, the funny thing about this fanon is that Papyrus actually makes a ton of puns.
More than twice the amount his brother does, in fact. As a quick reference, Sans only makes puns in his introductory scene, the Grillby's hang out, the hotdog stand, and some of his knock knock jokes. It's still a noteworthy trait of his, but more than puns, Sans has a knack for pranks, as shown by the whoopee cushion in the hand trick, the unsolvable words search, the telescope in Waterfall, and his embarrassing code words.
If anything, Sans is a lover of jokes all around. Meanwhile with Papyrus. .
. If you look at the phone calls, he's a goldmine of wordplay. He makes many puns throughout the game, oftentimes with a straight face.
Why, he even proudly proclaims that his Sentry stand is made out of "cardboardhydrates" and praises Undyne on her own pun when you revisit them in Snowdin Town. All in all, Papyrus makes a total of 14 puns compared to Sans' six. Far from the angry pun hater you see in countless fan comics.
If anything, it's likely that Sans' slacking off combined with the punning is the source of his frustration. Perhaps Sans even makes cheesy puns just to get under Pap's non-existent skin. You know, typical sibling stuff.
Regardless, Papyrus' punning is likely one of his ways to appear witty with words, and his efforts often appear more subtle than Sans. But with that out of the way, let's move on to another common fan comic trait: Spaghetti Obsession As you journey through Snowdin Town, Papyrus leaves a plate of spaghetti by a microwave. Later, during his date, he once again presents spaghetti for his new human friend.
Indeed, it seems Papyrus enjoys cooking spaghetti for others, Which lead to one of the most popular fanons: That he's obsessed with the stuff, and that it's his only defining characteristic. There are even comics where he becomes astonished at the fact other pastas exist, except. .
. If you look at the phone calls, Papyrus is shown to be quite the pasta expert. At each elevator, he discusses a different type of noodle.
Right down to the more obscure ones like lumaconi. As mentioned, he even made a pasta stand using noodles. This suggests that he's actually quite fond of pastas on the whole, looking into different shapes, and uses.
He's even made lasagna in the past, leading to this Garfield inspired joke. Moreover, while Papyrus DOES cook spaghetti, a Q&A from UNDERTALE's first anniversary shows that he mostly does this for other people, and hasn't eaten it himself. Plus, as it turns out, Papyrus got his cooking interest from Undyne, who uses it as a distraction to hide the fact she sees him unworthy of Royal Guard status.
In short, it wasn't even his own interests that got him started, but his mentor trying to led him down a different path. So, he hasn't eaten it yet, but perhaps he does wants to try. Afterall, he does ask if Frisk saved any for him back in the woods.
So, even if it's not his favorite food, this doesn't rule out him enjoying it. Especially since he likes to slurp marinara sauce, like it's some kind of fancy drink. Moving on, let's talk about incompetence.
Noodles aside, there's this mindset that Papyrus is an incapable idiot, Reliant on people such as Undyne, Sans and even Frisk. Someone who's hopelessly dense, essentially a joke. Frankly, I find this incredibly inaccurate.
Don't get me wrong, I can understand on some level. Afterall, he starts off very comedic, and seemingly unaware. At first, he doesn't even realize Frisk is a human!
However, Papyrus is far from the only monster to make this mistake. Humans are rather unknown in the UNDERGROUND, As it's been a long time since the last one fell. Though this isn't the only scene that contributes to his poor reputation.
The electricity maze also backfires on him; making him out to be a bumbling fool with no puzzle making skills. The food he left as a distraction is too cold to eat, So, by all accounts, Papyrus does seem like a joke. But, if you look closer, there's actually a lot more going on.
Later Snowdin puzzles are much more challenging. For example, the second X/O puzzle requires much more careful observation. While there's ultimately a secret switch, the fact that it's there at all suggests some mechanical knowledge.
Fast forward to the Gauntlet of Deadly Terror, and. . .
We have cannons, spears, flamethrowers and other assorted weaponry, and a complex mechanism that Papyrus built by himself. While he never actually uses it, it proves he's quite capable of machinery. Nevermind the fact that he painted a rock formation to resemble a convincing bridge.
In addition to enhancing this puzzle's atmosphere, this also shows that he has decent artistic skills. Which is proven further if you look at his snow sculpture early on. And even beyond the realm of puzzles art, Papyrus is far from weak!
His battle presents an early game challenge, and more importantly shows that he has a great deal of restraint. See, Papyrus is the only boss in the game who cannot, or rather will not kill you. He almost stops when Frisk is at 1HP.
Then heals them fully when he brings them to his shed. This shows that he has a remarkable level control over his magic. As even Toriel can't make her bullets do 0 damage.
And she absolutely doesn't wanna kill the human. Indeed, this coupled with the aforementioned healing, suggests a surprising amount diversity in his skill set, beyond mere bones. To top it all off, Undyne out-right admits that he's strong.
And like I said, the only reason he's not a guard already is because he's so kind. But his stats are still 20 times higher than his brother's. And it's likely he also had Gaster Blasters.
Seems he was perfectly ready to fight Frisk on the Genocide Run. But was heh, cut short due to his kindness. Moving on, let's talk about innocence.
This is probably my biggest pet peeve of all! The idea that Papyrus is this "pwecious little snowflake who can do no wong! " I think a big part of this stems from the Genocide Run.
Here, despite Frisk's murderous spree, Papyrus gives them a chance. He urges them to be a better person. Even in death, he gives them helpful words.
It's a powerful moment, which often drives players to quit their Genocide Runs altogether. However, he knows the severity of the situation. After his fight, he pleads with Undyne not to kill Frisk.
At least in more passive runs. He's nervous, perhaps even guilty knowing his actions disappointed, if not infuriated his mentor. Granted, some people cite the Neutral Endings as Papyrus not knowing about death.
Certain outcomes lead to Sans telling him his friends are "on vacation. " This often leads to the assumption that he's unaware of death, but here's the thing. .
. Papyrus knows Undyne wants to kill Frisk. Moreover, if you look at the "King Papyrus" Ending.
. . Papyrus is much more emotionally burdened than he lets on.
In this ending, he out-right admits that he's suspicious of what happened. It's implied he knows his friends are dead. Just look at his hesitation, his expressions!
In these trying times when the kingdom is struggling for hope and recovery, It's likely easier to pretend he'll get a postcard than to accept he never will. Because if Undyne contacts him, that means she's okay. .
. That means he will see her again. .
. When in reality, he won't. .
. This is a continuing trend in other endings, too, such as the "Betrayed Undyne" Ending. He states that if Frisk ever returned, Undyne would kill them.
And Toriel wouldn't be able to stop her. . .
No attempts to lighten the mood, no unwavering optimism. It's just. .
. Goodbye. This proves there are times when even he knows things won't get better, when you have to face reality.
And if you kill Mettaton after Undyne's hangout, it gets even darker. . .
Not only has Undyne lost the will to keep going, but Papyrus suggests enacting revenge, just to make her feel better. If he was so innocent, why would he do that? Like before, there is a lot of weakened optimism, a hope that a human can undo what happened to make Undyne happy.
But yet again, it's laced with sorrow. But that's not all! Papyrus shows a clever and manipulative side in Undyne's hangout.
Where he uses reverse psychology to convince her to befriend Frisk. As you can see here, he's very aware that Sans has his share of secrets that he won't tell anyone. And after his meeting with Undyne, Papyrus tries to subtly aid Frisk, torn between his mentor and his new friend.
He likely knows what he's doing is risky, so he bends the rules by calling in secret. He adapts to a tricky situation as best he can, and while there's no guarantee it'll work. .
. He calls them and encourages them to hang out together, in the hopes they put aside their differences. In the Genocide Run he establishes that his puzzles aren't the greatest.
And if you spare him, he admits he was afraid of Frisk, and didn't expect them to show mercy. And while a lot of people use "Peek-A-Boo with Fluffy Bunny" to suggest he's childish, he holds that book in the same regard as "Advanced Puzzles for Critical Minds". So, it's not like he only reads children's books.
Perhaps most importantly, after Alphys's date, he suggests the human better check up on her. This suggests that he picked up on her distress and nudged Frisk her way, in order to make sure she really was okay. True, Flowey's probably another factor.
. . But given his comments in the endings, as well as his knowledge of Sans's own secrecy, I think it's safe to say that Papyrus is pretty perceptive of people's failings.
So, while he may be a little naive in some areas, he's certainly not completely detached from reality. As a matter of fact, Papyrus's complexities go even deeper. It's clear throughout Snowdin Forest, that Papyrus is very eager for friendship.
While he's set out to capture the human, throughout the journey he treats them with friendliness and support. Which his brother pushes even further by reminding players just how cool he is, as well as his many acomplishments. When you finally get to his fight, he delivers a speech that further cements his loneliness.
And while he ultimately projects this onto the human, to me, it reaches a deflection of his inner feelings. Afterall, Papyrus doesn't really have any friends. In fact, it's likely even Undyne isn't truly his friend at first.
Or at least he doesn't perceive it that way. He refers to her a boss, and suggest they both befriend Undyne. Curious, isn't it?
But it further cements his desire to be popular. There's more, too. Like his comments about wanting to be friends with during in Waterfall.
The fact he lies about his opinions to please others, too. Just look how he starts off berating Grillby's, until Undyne voices her love for the place. Then he immediately changes his tune.
Whose not bad of a desire to look more favorable by sharing opinions. Then he does the same thing by making fun of anime, certainly implies this much. And consider how Sans is extremely popular.
Everyone knows him! Everyone seems to adore him! He has a full mailbox while Papyrus's is empty.
True, Papyrus could just check his mail more frequently, but when you put together the all the pieces, it paints a rather sad picture for our skeletal friend. A skeleton whose only close companion is a flower with dubious intentions. Whose implied to got him close with flattery and predictions.
For someone who wants to be loved, having this strange little plant support him, certainly rocked his world. Given he was willing to start a fanclub in a few of Flowey's rooms, and speak so fondly of him over the phone. There's no denying their bond.
A bond that's likely one sided. But for someone as idealistic, and desperate for friendship, it likely didn't matter. He just wanted to be important to someone.
Moving on, let's talk about fighting! For some reason, people think Papyrus is a pure pacifist. This once again seems based heavily on his genocide dialogue.
But there's plenty of evidence against it! First of all: his boss fight is the first to introduce new battle mechanics. And it's through misdirection.
Up until this point, blue attacks are treated merely as an attack projectile that requires you to hold still. But Papyrus subverts expectations by turning this seemingly harmless move into a surprise, forcing players to adapt to new entirely new physics. And despite the aforementioned insecurities, he puts his all into the fight in order to seize his dream of become of a Royal Guard.
True, his heart's not truly in it, but he'll still beat Frisk down to 1HP repeatedly. It's only after they fail several times that he's willing to let them pass without a battle. And through this battle, his attacks get more and more elaborate.
To the point where he's spelling the words "COOL DUDE" with bones, making a show of it all. Plus, if you're on the Neutral Path, and visit Undyne's house, he calls himself a "brutal" kind of guy. And he mentions how fighting is a great way to make friends in some of the phone calls.
I think if Papyrus truly was really against fighting, he'd never give the Royal Guard a second thought. Instead, it's his passion. So while Papyrus IS willing to give people a fair chance, and is against killing, it's safe to say he enjoys a good brawl.
Finally, let's talk about the elephant in the room. . .
"the sans problem. " Now, before I go on, let me just say that I do like Sans as a character. My issue is more how the fandom treats him and Papyrus in relation to each other.
See, one thing I've noticed is that people tend to attribute a lot of traits strictly to Sans, even when those traits are shown with other characters. For example, let's talk about reloads. As you can see here, Papyrus has rather clear deja vu.
This is particularly clear right before his battle, if you've done a Pacifist Route before. Also worth noting is: Sans doesn't remember reloads in full. Just like his brother, he only has inklings of deja vu to play with.
What I find fascinating is how specific Papyrus's deja vu is. A trait shared with Undyne. Could this be because Papyrus is more ambitious than his brother?
Afterall, DETERMINATION is connected to SAVEing and LOADing. Though I wouldn't go as far to call him DETERMINED, he does have an incredible willpower. While his brother's assumed a far more apathetic stance.
He is still sharp enough to warn players not to fight his bro, and pick up on Frisk's rapid reloading if you mess around in the Last Corridor. But I still think it's a fun angle to consider. Also, while people love to give Sans nightmares and insomnia, We have this call here.
Where Paps says his least favorite nightmare. Implying he has enough nightmares to even categorize them. He also doesn't seem get much sleep at all; although he does mention cruising while he snoozes during his date.
You could interpret as him not wanting to sleep much due to productivity. And I think that's definitely part of it. But you can also consider Undyne's presence a factor.
As he does want to appeal to her, and be a worthy Royal Guard. Moreover, I think there is some room for darker interpretations. It's just ambiguous enough to say that Papyrus is just a little troubled.
Still, one huge thing players miss is that Papyrus is the reason Sans become a sentry in the first place. Indeed, Papyrus was a driving force in his brother's life. This neatly fits into his established behaviors, like pushing Sans to be more active.
To pick up his socks, and do his job. He cares about his brother, and wants him to succeed. He's very supportive in his own bossy and exaggerated way.
And in turn, Sans is eager to help Papyrus by urging players to befriend him. And talking up his strong points. It's a very balanced relationship, overall.
Sans reaches out to improve his brother's reputation, while Papyrus keeps Sans from slipping into complete sloth. Therein lies my biggest problem. Because if you look at most fanworks, Papyrus is so often used as a weep hole for Sans's angst.
Sans's stories. Instead of this balanced and healthy dynamic, we see Sans being overprotective, and saving his brother time and time again. When his own apathy keeps him from mustering up the will to do so in Neutral Runs.
When Papyrus dies, Sans does nothing. When Undyne dies in Neutral Runs? Papyrus waits outside her house for her to come back.
If you didn't give her water, he will try his best to help her, standing watch. Overall, Papyrus is very active. Papyrus cares.
I'd argue Papyrus is the unspoken hero of UNDERTALE. As when you get down to it, he's the sole reason pacifist even happens. Just think about it!
Without his encouragement, Frisk would never have befriended Undyne. Without befriending Undyne, would never have given Alphys the letter. Prompting the date, and her confession.
If he hadn't nudged Frisk toward the lab, Alphys would've never found the courage to tell the truth about the undergrounds. Or release the Amalgamates. And if he hadn't gotten all the monsters together, Flowey never would've gained the power to become Asriel again.
And eventually, break the barrier. Of all the characters, Papyrus is the most consistent companion. Through his calls, and through his actions.
So, to me, he really is a big part of UNDERTALE's narrative. At the very least, he's a huge chunk of the heart: the humor. So, ultimately, the issue was the Sans idealization is that it takes one character involved in so much, and sidelines him for the character who does so little.
In closing: Papyrus is a very complex character, with a lot of nuance and weight to UNDERTALE's story. Many of his depths are revealed through phone calls, neutral endings, and closer inspection of his dialogue and interactions. In fact, there's so much to explore, that if I went into every detail, we'd be here for hours.
So, if you're interested in about learning more Papyrus, I've left some links in the description. At any rate, thank you for watching! If you have another character you'd like, whether it be Undertale, Kingdom Hearts, or some other series, Let me know in the comments section below!
