Kris Dreemurr: A silent character analysis (Deltarune Theory/Discussion)

Intro 0:00-2:00
Past 2:00-12:19
Present 12:20- 25:45
Future 25:46-27:02
Special message 27:03-28:36
Hello again people and today we are going to be talking about the Introverted, dualistic pluralism, prankster Kris Dreemurr from Deltarune. This video kicks off my brand new series where I am going to be tackling the entire main cast of Deltarune. WHO they are, what they want and potentially where will they find themselves at the stories conclusion. Throughout each of these videos, I will amass and analyze everything we know about the character so far and along the way maybe we can hope to understand them better.
Outcore - store.steampowered.com/app/12...
Deltarune - store.steampowered.com/app/16...

[@explodeinto2]

At the end of chapter 2 when Kris enters the bathroom and leaves the water running so they can go slash Toriel's tires. Toriel's comment "Oh Kris does this sometimes" gives me huge self harm implications. A depressed teen that carries a knife with them going to a place where they can drown out any noise and clean up the mess afterwards. Toriel doesnt seem to realize how terrible Kris is feeling so the bathroom activity would just seem weird, which is usual for Kris. It's obvious that Kris doesn't like themself but it's scary to think that their emotions could've driven them towards self harm. This would also support them heavily identifying with Susie since she makes self harm jokes constantly.

[@matthewr6148]

The act of ripping their own soul out probably does count as self-harm, for that matter. The way it's presented in-game certainly makes it look painful, especially in Chapter 1 when Kris's face is visible, and their mouth is open like they want to scream in agony, but won't allow theirself to, to avoid waking Toriel.

[@drxtale9446]

Reminds me of Sunny from Omori honestly. Shouldn’t be surprised with the similarities between both games.

[@FlowPlex]

@@drxtale9446 i mean i remember reading somewhere that toby realized deltarune may have similarities to omori so its pretty possible

[@drxtale9446]

@@FlowPlex oh yeah I remember a tweet with Toby saying that Omori was quite similar to the game he was planning/working on at that time in 2012 or something. That being Deltarune.

[@fretzil]

yeah that part of chapter 2 really made me HMMMM, quite concerned for this troubled teen.

[@noahmasoodi184]

I don’t like the idea of the 3rd entity, mainly because it takes away the most interesting action from Kris. I think the reason that their actions are so different is just that they are moving without a soul. A soul is something that one can’t live without, as whenever it shatters the character dies. Kris is the ONLY case we’ve ever seen outside of battle where the soul is outside the body. If the soul is such an integral part of one’s being, then if course it would be difficult, even painful to move without. I’m not sure why Kris takes the actions they do when they act without the soul, but it seems more plausible and more interesting if the actions in this state were entirely their own.

[@cheezy5174]

I have to agree. The idea of a 3rd entity just sounds so boring and uninteresting to me compared to the implications of Kris making these rash decisions themselves for their own reasons. We'll have to wait and see to truly know, but I'm hoping there is no 3rd entity and the game fully focuses on the dynamic between the player and Kris, how it came to be, how it affects them and how they personally feel about it as we learn more about them and the game's world.

[@dlmkrmusic]

i agree with you that it would seem like kris walks that way because they don't have their soul, but the problem is, in chapter one, they get launched out of bed and then walk to the middle of their room, outside of our control, with their soul still inside their body. they don't rip it out until they reach the center of the room. i'm not saying it's a "third entity", but the mention of catti and kris practicing the occult together makes me wonder if nighthawk's not wrong about possession being a viable option here.

[@blackbloom8552]

​@@cheezy5174 i dislike kris kngiht for simialr reasons. Kris is currently being shown as having very little control, often only being able to rebel against our choices in small ways and having to go as far as to rip off their own soul just to wrestle back control for a time. Making Kris some kind of secret mastermind undermine that dynamic and kind of make it seems that what we are doing isnt all that bad since kris was able to do a tons of stuff while we weren't looking.

[@Unsmart_pineaplle]

He takes his form of action becuase he does not have a soul to feel any empathy, just like flowey

[@XDNighthawkXD]

I always thought Kris made plenty of interesting choices with the soul (in cutscenes). Example. moving to protect Susie. Its the duality of Kris' actions that really make me believe that there is another entity. Kris has reasons for protecting Susie; but there were other options when Kris slashed the tires. Opening up dark fountains and scarfing down a whole pie by yourself is pretty interesting :) Admittedly Kris is a difficult character to pin down because of there more introverted nature so most of there motivations change depending on how the person interprets it.

[@matthewr6148]

A counterpoint to the question of "Would Kris really endanger Toriel?" is that, just like when they get grabbed by Susie, or King, or Queen, or when Lancer is threatened, Kris might already know ahead of time how Toriel would react to such a situation. If they do indeed know what will happen ahead of time, as their unreactive behavior implies, then they wouldn't bat an eye at doing something dangerous if they know it will work out in the end. Undyne is another factor that supports this interpretation. Sure, Kris can only talk to her due to the player's control, but I think it's noteworthy that she's the only Light World character with a dialogue option to try to tell her about the Dark World. At the very least, we can be sure she wouldn't possibly believe that Dark Worlds are real unless she sees one herself. So what does Kris do? They prowl about, slash Toriel's tires, and get her to call the cops. They even leave the door open for Undyne at the end of Chapter 2. There's also another factor to consider, when comparing Kris's movements with the soul, and without. The moments where Kris moves theirself are all incredibly brief. A single step backwards here, a single dash to save Susie there, and then it's back to doing nothing. At most, they walk in a straight line. By comparison, the soulless scenes are long, drawn out. Kris moves a lot more than usual, in multiple directions, while doings complex actions, both on screen and off-screen. This makes me believe that, while they can move on their own at any given time, their capabilities are heavily restricted by the soul, so long as it resides in their body. Their jerky movements can easily be the result of the excruciating pain from having just *violently ripped their own soul out of their chest.* Just in general, that seems like a pretty unhealthy thing to do. They could easily be fighting just to keep conscious, or even struggling to stay alive, depending on how vital the soul is to their continued survival.

[@gianni50725]

"If they do indeed know what will happen ahead of time, as their unreactive behavior implies, then they wouldn't bat an eye at doing something dangerous if they know it will work out in the end." **Will** it work out in the end? If you do snowgrave, their friend was just killed because of your intervention. Who's to say Toriel might not be killed? Or Undyne? If another person is opening the dark worlds, then opening another one only means the roaring inches closer while they waste time on Kris' extra dark world. This frankly doesn't make sense at all unless Kris is omnipotent while also being dumb enough to open an extra dark world and loses all sense of risk management. "They prowl about, slash Toriel's tires, and get her to call the cops" Okay, why not just call the cops themselves with a fake reason instead of _slashing their mother's tires_ and hoping Toriel notices and calls the cops? They have a phone, you know. Why the extreme mental gymnastics to try and justify actions that don't make sense if Kris is doing them? Like, all logic seems to go out the window the moment third entity is mentioned because people desperately want Kris to be the one in control at night. I know most of you guys would normally _never_ give this much credence to a theory with this many holes in it, but for some reason two entity theory gets a pass because fanon has decided it's true. "Their jerky movements can easily be the result of the excruciating pain from having just violently ripped their own soul out of their chest." Wrong. Chapter 1 shows them shambling about and being thrown _before_ the soul is ripped out. It looks like a scene out of the exorcist but for some reason this is interpreted as Kris being the one throwing themselves out of the bed.

[@XDNighthawkXD]

That is a really good point Kris could know that Toriel would be okay because it has happened before. Also a good point in regards to Kris' movements within cutscenes. Honestly it was hard to find examples of the movement because they are so brief. I think that after more examples are given we'll get even more context for who is truly in control.

[@matthewr6148]

@@gianni50725 "If you do snowgrave..." Snowgrave is only possible because Kris was left alone with a vulnerable teenager who was too trusting/weak-willed to go against Kris's manipulative and forceful behavior, to the point of rationalizing a lot of their behavior for them. I highly doubt those same tactics would work on mature and assertive adults like Undyne and Toriel. Snowgrave itself is actually a big question mark regarding Kris's character, just in general, and now that I think about it, it is a wrench in even this video's three-soul interpretation. While Kris definitely feels disturbed after the fact, a notable example of them seemingly moving on their own in present in this route. In the second Annoying Mouse Puzzle, when making Kris tell Noelle to proceed, they walk towards her repeatedly, forcing her to back up closer and closer to the electric barrier. This is movement that Kris seemingly does on their own, no player input required beyond making them say Proceed. "Why the extreme mental gymnastics to try and justify actions that don't make sense if Kris is doing them?" Because, quite frankly, Kris becomes a notably less interesting character, if anything strange they do at night is just the work of a third entity. The way I see it, the third entity theory as a whole is just giving up on trying to find out why Kris might make some morally or even logically dubious decisions when they're out of sight of the other characters. "Chapter 1 shows them shambling about and being thrown before the soul is ripped out..." Well, sure, it's wrong to say they'd be shambling exclusively from the pain of losing their soul, but they are clearly fighting the soul's control every step of the way, whether 'they' are Kris theirself, or the third entity. But their movement is still unstable, even after that, which is why I attribute that to pain and/or general soullessness. At the very least, I doubt it's the direct result of possession. We possess Kris all the time and that doesn't make their movements choppy. Why would the third entity's control be so crude in comparison?

[@aidencalhoun4893]

​@@gianni50725I can't remember what's it's called, but a video said that Kris could've done that because Kris knew that Toriel and Undyne are adults, less easier to manipulate, and even if Kris I forced to kill, Undyne could stop it and maybe even arrest Kris and stop us. So that could be the reasoning.

[@nickfarace9339]

I always thought it was blatantly obvious Kris slashed the tires to get Undyne involved, and thats why they specifically left the door open in their "setup" of the dark world at the end. Sometimes story beats happen because they just have one expected result, not a bunch of deeper ones. I don't think what would happen if Toriel drove the car without knowing was ever a consideration because at the end of the day, the series of events was just done to give her a reason to call the police, to hint that Undyne would be coming to the house, and give a reason for why she is very likely going to show up in Chapter 3 dark world. Also I still am convinced Kris is making the Dark Worlds currently and intentionally is targetting specific people to "know" about them.

[@cosmicspacething3474]

I think the reason Tori doesn’t talk about the harsh stuff with Kris (like the divorce, or the fact that they’re not a monster) is that she thinks the blunt truth will emotionally damage Kris. Ironically that’s what’s happening anyways.

[@demi-femme4821]

It's just like in Undertale.

[@MeloniestNeon]

Kris is easily one of the most fascinating videogame protagonists ever, there's so many intricacies and unexplained mysteries surrounding them, and despite them being a silent protagonist they never once feel bland or robotic, in fact they're one of the most fun and enjoyable characters in the game from the little bit of characterization we get. Outside of the obvious big threads like Dess, Gaster and, y'know, the main plot of the game, Kris is definitely one of the most exciting mysteries to unravel in future chapters! One "quick" addendum after watching the video: As another comment has already pointed out, I don't believe Kris' staggering in the chapter-end cutscenes is due to another entity, but rather the lack of the soul. I also don't believe these actions go against Kris' will whatsoever, should they either be the Knight, or show Toriel and maybe Undyne about the dark fountains and get more serious help from adults, this possibly even being the planning Kris and Ralsei talk about when the player isn't watching. Why slash the tires? Makes Toriel keep Susie over and call the cops. Why make a dark fountain in their own home? To show Toriel and Undyne the Dark World and that they're a threat. Obviously, this is all just theorization as well, and I don't think I'm 100% right either. What I do believe, however, is that Kris being double-dip possessed by some other random guy (Be it Gaster, Asriel, or the dreaded Matpat-pilled Chara theory) entirely takes away from the unique relationship and dynamic between Kris and the Player without adding much outside of theory-bait and unneeded complexities to the plot or story. It'd also take away significantly from both Kris and the player's agency both as characters and in gameplay; it would be like if Flowey could also still save and load in Undertale, and just randomly popped up halfway through the Pacifist route, deleted your save file, and then killed a bunch of people before saving over it. It feels unsatisfying and narratively confusing, while also making the time you can play the game and enact your choices upon the matter feel much less impactful, and sure it'd hammer home the "Your choices don't matter" narrative, that seems to be a fakeout, a theme that the game wants to push onto you that you'll need to break free of to get whatever the happy ending (or the happier variation of the supposed singular ending) for both you and Kris.

[@belleoehler2024]

Yes, I completely agree. I feel like simply using a difference in animation style for the "Kris removes soul" scenes isn't enough of a basis to claim that some other third entity is controlling them, especially when that would do nothing but confuse an already unique narrative. No shame to the youtuber tho, it's an interesting theory, but I don't think it has enough evidence, and as you put in your comment, Kris has reasons to be doing those actions anyway.

[@XDNighthawkXD]

Agreed, Kris is up there with Gordon Freeman and the doom slayer. Almost all of Kris' character is revealed in subtext. I have no doubt that Kris' movement is due to the lack of soul; but my reference to the movement was to point out why I believe they are being controlled by an outside force. The simplicity of their movement is what tells me that this is not direct control of the body but instructions being sent from far away. Kris is in control during cutscenes, the player is in control in all other instances. I could see how you would say that the third entity takes away from the relationship between Kris and the player; but to me you still have that. I prefer to think that we are trying to help Kris get there freedom back from whatever this entity is and when dealt we will leave Kris to live there life. I have to admit a third entity would clutter up the story. I don't think it would take away agency. I just think the third entity is using there own agency to subvert the ability of the player and Kris. This would be the main antagonizing force that Kris and the player would have to overcome, forming a bond between them. Thanks for watching

[@Habbitual]

​@@XDNighthawkXDCould it not be that due to the lack of soul, Kris could only stagger like that? You imply the actions themselves are so simple as to imply outside force, but upon my first viewing of the scene I believed the most common interpretation to be that Kris is simply struggling to move without the soul, thus the staggering.

[@JoegeffreyHampnerman]

​@@HabbitualYou can see in the video around 24:13 that they move strangely even before taking out the soul.

[@Chipsfish1]

@@XDNighthawkXD The only problem with this is that in the examples you give in the video, Kris's actions while having their soul removed are infinitely more complex than any of their actions without their soul removed. Non-soul-removed actions include moving in a straight line to save Susie, moving backward away from the closet Dark Fountain, walking towards the classroom, etc. All of these actions are very standard movements, perhaps with the exception of raising the shield to save Susie. Meanwhile, all of the "simplistic" actions that you posit that would be "commands from far away" are way more complicated. Slashing tires, crawling out of a window and back again, throwing the soul into a cage, flashing the knife, eating the pie, turning on the TV, opening the door, creating the Dark Fountain at the end of chapter 2...all of those would take far more effort for some outside force to command than you imply. Alongside all the other narrative reasons why a third entity would muddy the narrative driving a wedge between Kris and the Player, it just seems super unlikely to me that a third entity exists at all. No disrespect of course, feel free to disagree. Thanks for the cool video!

[@matti.8465]

Really love the idea that Kris has already played through the entire game as themselves, but now we wrote over their save and are playing through it again. That explains why Kris isn't fazed by anything, or why they like Susie so much (they already befriended her). It could even explain why they dislike Ralsei, as they know something about him we don't.

[@vanceler3855]

I'm not 100% sure if Toby would really go for that considering this is basically what happened with Flowey in Undertale, I doubt he'd want to re-use concepts like this.

[@bumbabees]

@@vanceler3855 yeah, it feels a bit predictable. i highly doubt toby would want to go for that given hes already made it abundantly clear deltarune is its own thing.

[@rook8808]

There's also the bit in Queens Castle where Kris (well the player) opens the door to Asriels room, and Kris fights against us the only way they are able, by closing their eyes. I always thought this was a really cool bit of Kris trying to resist us...Also, if you get the hot chocolate from the diner and drink it right away it affects Kris quite strongly it seems, it says something like "It tastes delicious, your throat tightens..." I think there is a lot of emotions unexplored that Kris feels towards Asriel, maybe they even feel abandoned by him and feel resentment that is squished down far under the surface.

[@thumtak_]

I thought Kris closes their eyes when looking into Asriel's room because Azzy's a gooner

[@schalomforever]

​@@thumtak_That could be not so far off honestly since when Susie's with you she says something like: "Who's room is that? Your brother's? HAHA better hope I never meet him." Now if you remember that Asriel has a certain "How to draw Dragons" book with a purple dragon that's dressed "immodestly", that's kinda sus if you ask me xD

[@ARACHNIDPARTY]

@@thumtak_that would be the funniest possible reason as to why kris rebels

[@astuffedalpaca5365]

I’m liking the video so far. But, you asked that we write a comment if we still disagree with your point about Kris being possessed while they take the soul out, so I will do that. From my first playthrough I have always assumed that Kris moved slowly during these cutscenes because they were in a lot of pain or not having the soul made it difficult to move. The soul is represented by a heart and Kris needs to reach inside their body to remove it, that sounds very painful. They might even be slowly dying when they don’t have it inside them. Secondly, Kris’s actions, especially in the chapter 1 cutscene, feel very in-character to me. By holding out the knife they’re literally pranking the player, who they may resent for controlling them. Eating an entire pie is in line with Kris having an uncontrollable sweet tooth (Toriel has to hide the chocolate in her room to stop them) and Susie mentions that food eaten in the Dark World doesn’t seem to matter, so they were probably very hungry. As for the second and third cutscenes, I think those can be explained too. It’s a common theory that Kris slashed Toriel’s tires so she would call the police and get them to come to the Dark World. This is supported by how they open the front door before making a fountain, and by there being an option to tell Undyne about the Dark Worlds, which she doesn’t believe in. It makes even more sense that they would want the police to know about Dark Worlds on the Snowgrave route. I also think Kris made the fountain so they could go on another adventure. They’ve seen how Dark Worlds improved Susie and Noelle’s lives and got them to change for the better, and as you said their relationship with Toriel isn’t perfect, so they may want that for her too. Kris may know the fountains are dangerous, but just one won’t cause the Roaring on it’s own. Susie believes in the Roaring, but questions if the fountains existing in the first place is really a bad thing too. I feel like the theory that Kris is being possessed by yet another entity during these scenes rather than personally rebelling against the player is just less thematically interesting. The game explores the relationship between player and protagonist, adding an unknowable middleman undermines that for me.

[@staryoshi5303]

Just wanted to point out, Noelle is VERY likely to be part of the Main Cast. Given her, Susie's, and Kris's names give special responses with the Vessel/Vessel Creator naming thing. Plus with the Spamton Sweepstake focusing on Noelle's blog and stuff. It could be implying she holds more importance. Otherwise, great video!

[@sirrtbufxx6736]

yep, toby fox even posted concept art of what he called "the main characters" and it was kris, susie, ralsei and noelle

[@theprinceofawesomeness]

Small idea, the prophesy tells of a Human, monster, and Prince From the Dark. what if the grafic is just Ralseis representation and he got all three of them wrong. if it was Kris and Noelle falling down, would the Prophesy depict her? Noelle have proven to be more important than just a side character, she basicly have main character status and even if a lot of people loves susie as the character she is there is a whoal many people who prefers Noelle. the prophesy have never sat right with me how they Depict Kris, Susie, and Ralsei especially after it became evident the game tells a meta story. so Kris is obviusly the Human since he's the only human and he's special because of his soul, the human soul we are, so maybe the human in the prophesy is us the player. if deconstructed like this then who the hell are the other two? maybe we can chose who the others are, maybe we can chose who the monster is, if it's Susie, Noelle, or someone else. and the Prince? we can only go on that ralsei tells us he's a prince, and that Lancer is the son of a king makes him auto maticly a prince (i have no idea what a Jack actually is in normal words but where i'm from that type of card is called Knight/soilder (kneckt)). we Know ralsei have knowledge of the players existence but can't talk about them to Kris (seemingly) so when talking to us he pretends to talk to Kris, so then Ralsei says a human is in the prophesy they can 100% talk about the player. Besides, Kris, Susie, and Ralsei might not be the Heroes, they appear as the heroes to early, the prophesy states the earth will draw it's last breath as they appear

[@XDNighthawkXD]

I probably will do a video on Noelle. When I said "Main cast" I should have probably said the main members of the fun gang.

[@stray1239]

question: was Noelle a naming easter egg in chapter 1? and if so, was berdly/anyone else

[@staryoshi5303]

@@stray1239 nope it was exclusively Kris, Susie, and Noelle that gets '[Name], YOU ARE ABOUT TO MEET SOMEONE VERY, VERY WONDERFUL' However a bunch of other Lightners get responses such as '[Name], HOW INTERESTING'. Namely all the UT main cast (not flowey or mettaton), Berdly, QC, Rudy, Bratty, Catty, Catti, and Jockington, and Gerson This will only effect naming them the Creator If naming the Vessel any of the names, it'll say '[Name], AN INTERESTING COINCIDENCE'. Surprisingly none of the Darkners will give a response.

[@KhanShotFirst]

In kris's past, you forgot to take note of the search results Queen accrued - most of them aren't particularly noteworthy, but they help inform at least a little bit of self-motivated learning of piano music and, especially, reinforce the occult reference by actively searching how to do magic. And in kris's present, you completely ignore the way kris imposes a surprising amount of influence on almost every choice we make. The most obvious case is after spamton neo, where regardless of our choice kris makes it *very* clear to susie that they *aren't* fine after that experience - and without our input decides to tell susie and ralsei to stay away after spamton says to "come alone". And from there, looking more into the details of our control slowly unveils more and more personality. Kris's wildly differing reactions to snapping the electrified gate shut *on* versus *close to* Noelle, the consistent dry humor that Noelle fully understands but confuses other characters for a second or two, and even the dialogue options that almost *demand* some subtle input from kris, like "Give gift to Berdly" and "Scented markers. Yes/No". You can chalk this up to humor... but there's enough different instances of it that it's still VERY coherent characterization even on its own. As for third entity... yeah, no. Kris is missing a vital organ when their soul's out, jumping in front of susie isn't meaningfully distinct from a lurch with a cool ending pose, and it muddles the player vs character dichotomy way more than is narratively satisfying. And my called shot for the distant future... is that I think chapter 7 will end like undertale's geno/pacifist routes. Comparisons are waaay overdone, yeah, but both still are attempts to recreate toby's original dream. With undertale having been twisted here and there, the fact that both "special" routes end with a character diagetically talking to you, the player, about the choices you've made up to there is out of place enough in undertale that it feels RIGHT to place it in the game where player/character interaction is so much more emphasized. But whether that guess is right or wrong, I absolutely trust toby fox to do it well regardless.

[@cutiepie120048]

I heavily agree with this, and another example I vaguely remember is how Kris can either agree to something or joke about disagreeing with something (they howl) that the other character knows that they actually agree 🤔

[@funnilywordedfunnyman824]

here ill boost your engagement I really think having another entity takes so much away from so much of Kris. I think it detracts with their relationship with Susie, as it's so interesting to me how both Susie and Kris rebel against our control. That simply wouldn't be the case if Kris was being possessed by another entity. It takes away from that layer of rebellion against us that, at least for me, endeared me to the character. I really think the reason they walk like that is because they've not got their soul in. It also detracts massively from their connection with Spamton NEO because it implies that Kris is fine without their soul, it's just the third entity causing All That. Spamton falls down and is defeated without his strings, same as Kris is weakened and struggling without the soul. If it really is a third entity causing them to move like that, then what was the point of that emphasis on Spamton not being able to live without his strings? Why was Kris so shaken by that if they're fine without their soul? Ultimately it's too soon to tell if Kris really is under the affects of a third party, but I think the story would lose a lot for it.

[@XDNighthawkXD]

I get the rebellions angle, and you have a point with the spamton imagery connection; but the way I see it the third entity theory would bolster how they feel against Spamton. I deliberately chose not to cover the optional bosses because of their optional nature. The player themselves would have to show interest in them for the fight to happen. 2 different entities controlling your body at different times would make you feel like just a toy being played with and I always felt that was why Kris reacted the way they did. Like you said, too early to tell; but wither way I'm sure the answer will be satisfying.

[@BigElbows]

I thought the title meant "a character analysis that is silent", not "a character analysis on a character that is silent", and I spent a few seconds trying to understand how would the video work

[@nobleoxidation]

I think not discussing the optional bosses is a massive disservice to this analysis. Specifically Normal Route Spamton. It hammers hoke the fact that while the SOUL might control Kris, he does still have an agency within the choices made. When asked if Kris is okay, Kris apparently screams his response based on Ralsei and Susie's reactions, suggesting that what happened with Spamton REALLY affected Kris. That scene alone says a lot about the SOUL vs Kris control.

[@nobleoxidation]

*they do still have agency

[@Left4Cake]

That and it also ignores narrative tools that don't depend on who has agency over Kris such as Parallels and such things.

[@sirrtbufxx6736]

Only thing I disagreed with in the video was the part about a third entity. I think something you touched on as evidence FOR the third entity actually works against it. You noted that Kris's own actions during cutscenes look identical to player-controlled actions, yet when Kris rips out the soul, they move differently than usual which suggests they're being controlled by a third entity. Why would a third entity controlling Kris cause this unusual movement, but the player controlling Kris doesn't cause unusual movement? I don't see a pattern here that would indicate a third entity is what dictates how Kris moves, because we already know that an outside force controlling Kris (such as the player) does not cause this effect. I think this could be much more adequately explained if you consider that Kris likely needs a soul to live, and it's very strenuous to do anything without a soul in their body. This would also explain why Kris always ends up putting the soul back in their body shortly after removing it. Lastly I'd like to say that on top of finding it more sensical that Kris isn't being possessed to take out their soul, I also find it to be much more interesting. We really don't get much characterization for Kris, and I would dislike it if their most intriguing actions are just chalked up to some outside force that doesn't reflect Kris as a character. Kris is the most interesting character to me and I don't want what little characterization we have of them to be written off. Either way though, aside from all that I really enjoyed your analysis and I look forward to your future analyses!

[@blackbloom8552]

I generally perceive kris as someone who wants to do good, but is deeply trouble and stuck in a bad situation. A lot of their actions would be motivated by desperation and they may grow increasingly reckless as the chapters progress. I would not be surprised if the conflict between them and us become one of, or even the main focus of the endgame.

[@OmegaChip]

I like this interpretation of the influence of the player vs Kris moving by themselves

[@Colddirector]

The theory I find most compelling for why Kris slashes Toriel's tires is that they feel in over their head, and they're trying to get the authorities to recognize these dangerous magic fountains opening up everywhere. If you talk to Undyne in the Light world, you can bring up the Dark World, but she'll just brush it off. By this logic, Kris slashes Toriel's tires so she'll call the police, then creates a Dark fountain so it's undeniable that the dark world exists.

[@rubberduckydj]

I've never heard this interpretation before. this is really interesting.

[@amethsys]

I don't like the third entity stuff its giving off the energy of "Oh no kris can't be doing this because it contradicts x story we heard from y town member" it's like. its like trusting a secondary account of what kris used to be like instead of trying to understand kris themselves, maybe they were just tired, they havent been sleeping much over the couple nights we've seen, maybe it is a thrid entity, who knows, but i'd prefer to just try and understand it of the perspective that kris is doing that, and trying to understand why theyre doing that

[@Null82085]

I don’t think there’s a third identity, I think the reason why Kris moves like a zombie without their soul is because they’re slowly dying without it, and they probably act irrationally because of how desperate they are to get things done. The time they have without their soul is the only time they have consistent control, add on that they have a time limit, if course they’re going to do things that aren’t necessary but in the heat of the moment, are.

[@LuceroDeAlbas.]

I have my theory that Kris opens fountains because it's their escapism, they want to escape from suffering and an fantasy world like that is the perfect way, Kris just doesn't want it to end and even wants to make more people join it (that's why they slash toriel's car)

[@lukematzner7996]

I disagree with the idea that there even is a third entity in Kris. There’s evidence that says that Kris is in control of themselves during the ‘Creepy Kris sections’. So when you boot up ch 2, you can check the save point before you bring in the dark era you’ll see the ch 1 save menu instead of the chapter 2. This menu shows the previous save point and its location, showing that ‘Kris’ saved in Ralsei’s Castletown. This could have only happened during the time between ch 1 and ch2 right after ‘Creepy Kris’ threw the soul out. So this ‘Creepy Kris’ traveled all the way to the dark fountain in the school and saved. However, keep in mind that when we control Kris and save, our name shows up. It means that who ever is controlling Kris will have their name show up on the save menu. However since we have Kris’s name (or the third entity is also named Kris if Toby hates us) that means Kris is ‘Creepy Kris’ and is responsible for all the ‘Creepy Kris segments’.

[@gianni50725]

"It means that who ever is controlling Kris will have their name show up on the save menu" Not necessarily. I agree this is a problem with third entity theory, but this is not how Undertale worked, and apparently saving in the light world will always use Kris' name a la Undertale (unsure if this is intentional, but it matches up with Undertale's save file name weirdness). I doubt "Kris" went into a dark world since: 1. The closet was locked, and the school would be locked at night as well. There's also no tangible differences in the castle dark world, nobody mentions seeing Kris, and there doesn't seem to be any reason why Kris would go there anyway if they didn't talk to anyone. 2. It's unlikely they were the one who opened the library dark world, but I guess that's possible... except: 3. You also _can't_ exit a normal dark world without a soul, as Ralsei mentions in Chapter 1 (something like, "Kris holds the key to sealing the fountain/getting us out of here". Not to mention that Kris has needed their soul to seal the fountain anyway so far.) Also, they didn't save in "Castle Town". The save menu will show your current location even before saving in chapter 2. It's unknown where they or someone else saved.

[@existenceispain_geekthesiren]

4:47 I concur- _they_ aren't slamming their hand onto the keyboard, _we_ are. That's why they looked so pissed about it- Now Susie thinks they can't actually play piano, even though they can, and it's just us who are incapable.

[@ClypssiusStar]

I always felt bad for kris I always saw kris and toriel interactions uncomfortable, a mother trying to be good for a kid they can't understand but kinda being ignorant to the damage their doing holding kris hand (Basically coddling them), not wanting to discuss the divorce, and especially how bare their side of the room is. I would imagine kris being the only human makes them self conscious, especially since instead of explaining how kris can't grow horns she fed into the idea that they were just a monster who has no horns, Imagine growing up realizing you're different and not just some late bloomer with no one to relate to.

[@PlumpProductions3545]

Right now, everything is a little too vague to say that there are 3 entities in one body

[@taffles7498]

i hate that idea i really really hope thats not how the story’ll go

[@PlumpProductions3545]

@@taffles7498 It still make question, Why would Kris slash the tires? They’re putting their mother in danger.

[@blackbloom8552]

​ @alexandertorres3545 The exact motive is unclear, but im pretty sure the whole sequence is a single pre-meditated plan to get Susie, Toriel and possibly a cop inside the dark world. One particular thing to take into account is that slashed tires are very obvious. There very little chance Toriel would try to drive without noticing them..

[@taffles7498]

@@PlumpProductions3545 so kris could get toriel and susie in one place. kris probably slashed a tire that would be really obvious to see and slashed it really bad to make sure toriel notices

[@PlumpProductions3545]

@@blackbloom8552 Toriel’s in a rush, do you think she would check the freaking tires?

[@kutielkalupto6818]

While not impossible, i feel like a third entity just ruins the underlying power dynamic that already exists between the player and kris. Having a third evil, entity almost excuses the player for manipulating this individual by looking less bad by comparison. Additionally, the way Kris acts in the epilogues is not necessarily out of character for them. From what we know of Kris prior to the events of the game, they are usually, quiet, antisocial (to the point Toriel doesnt mind Kris being out so late because shes delighted they have a friend) and prone to wandering away (when toriel says "kris does this sometimes" when they dont come back to help with the pie) these traits seem to match up with the epilogue kris much more than the friendly, social kris that we know is in fact, the player. Kris is a creepy, troubled kid with some sort of agenda. They know we control them and deliberately do not want us to know much about them. The instances were Kris avoids their past or their amily seem to be not just them avoiding their issues, but explicitly hiding them from us. (Closing their eyes so we wouldnt know what was in asriels room, closing any books that have to do with humans before giving a detailed description.) And also, Kris definitely slashed Toriel's tires. I think that thinking they wanted to make Toriel crash their car is an extreme conclusion. They most likely wanted to make sure Toriel and/or Susie would be stuck in the house for when they opened the dark fountain. Why? Who knows.

[@blackbloom8552]

So far, i think the two most plausible explanations for opening a dark fountain are 1: Kris believes that a dark world adventure could fix their family relationship since it already helped noelle and Susie. 2: Kris is getting overwhelmed by either the player control or dark world stakes and is trying to get adults involved to help them.

[@zincorelearn980]

I remember I had something like absence seizure once, in my biology class. I remember tilting my head backwards, and the girl behind me jokingly threw it back up, and I came back to my senses.

[@thattimestampguy]

*Intro* 0:55 Kris, The Silent Protagonist 1:02 Kris isn't acting like they usually do *Past* 3:07 Disclaimer, Nighthawk is not a psychologist. 3:30 Speaking about Absence Seizures. 3:58 The Egg Test _Stress on Kris' Life_ 4:17 Kris has a very stressful life. 4:23 _How to care for humans_ the book. 4:47 Learning to play an instrument can alleviate stress, but it won't defeat the source of the stress. 4:59 Stress may be a contributing factor to Kris' irregular brain activity. _Kris is an Orphan with Divorced Parents_ 5:13 Kris' Stress stems from being an Orphan, being alone. _Toriel is not addressing her divorce from Asgore, indirectly harming her child Kris_ 5:58 Toriel seems like she is ignoring the problems that are troubling her children. 6:28 Asgore still loves Toriel, Toriel has contempt for Asgore. 7:36 It is difficult but needed to tell someone "I Don't Love You anymore. I Won't Love you again." (painful) 8:00 Toriel ignores rather than engages with the problem. 8:35 Toriel and Kris' Headband. 10:18 What we know - Kris is a Prankster. A harmless prankster. 11:08 - Kris and Catty studied the occult together. 11:18 - Kris was targeted and bullied by Susie. 11:46 + Kris values Susie's life. *Present* 12:18 Caveats. 13:05 Kris' Self-Consciousness. _About Kris' Behaviors_ 14:23 Kris, when in peril, doesn't take action, doesn't struggle, doesn't try to get out of danger. 15:37 Kris doesn't care about Kris' own life. 16:17 What is Depression? Is Kris Depressed? 16:43 Kris knows The Player is controlling Kris. 17:45 Kris is that this is all a game, and can be saved and loaded and deleted by The Player. 19:05 Kris saves Susie. Kris moved to protect Susie. 20:00, 20:13 Kris wants to help friends in need. _Kris' Episodes of Demonic Possession_ 20:27 Kris' movements. 20:37 Kris is being possessed. 20:54 Kris' 3 Different Movement Styles #1 The Heart/Soul #2 The Cutscene Movements 21:49 #3 Removing The Soul Cutscenes. 22:28 The Red Soul is connected to us, The Player. 22:52 Kris cares about Toriel. 23:41 This Demon doesn't care about Kris' love for others. 24:40 This entire world is a game simulated on our computers. 25:18 That's it. *Future* 25:46 Looking to the future. 26:06 Kris will continue to look out for Susie's well-being. 26:12 The Dark Fountains will continue to pop up. 26:26 Kris has to Come Face to Face With The Past! 26:37 Where is Asriel? 26:57 There you have it *Special Message* 26:59 Next Episode will be about Susie. 27:05 About the poor audio quality of some of Nighthawk's videos. 27:30 Nighthawk got a new CPU Liquid Cooler. 27:53 Nighthawk will backup his audio recordings. 28:03 Nighthawk will be less lazy with his audio editing.

[@trilby3447]

I feel like kris removing the soul and the meta-narrative of kris being controlled and the themes of depression could possibly be connected to a theme of having no control in your life, kris had no control of being abandoned by their human parents or them dying, being the only human in a town of monsters, the divorce of their adopted parents and their only other friend (Asriel) going away for a long time and on top of all that POSSIBLY being controlled by an outside force (the player)

[@BluerayIsPog]

The only real advice I have for audio quality is to get multiple opinions when you've changed your setup / filters / settings. People run drastically different audio setups, so I think multiple opinions across different setups would absolutely help. Anyway, I actually really like the audio mixing so far. The music is quiet, with your voice being much more standout, and I honestly think its relaxing since everything is kept so low-key. Its just nice to listen to.

[@RandomDude1487]

Strange actions: In Undertale, soulless = your emotions just fucking die Slow and creepy movement: bro you just ripped your heart out what do you expect

[@lourdespachla6516]

theory: each type of movement foreshadows the 3 entities inside kris. 1. Player movement, soul present=Soul/Player/THE ANGEL(proof: isnt it obvious already?) 2. Non player movement, soul present=Kris(proof: the ones you showed) 3. No player, Souless=Kris's determination(proof: he acts kinda careless, not caring about pain or the morality, sorta like flowey, who is literally just asriel's DT, kinda.) Or in other words. We have our Asriel, Chara/Frisk, and Flowey counterparts. Asriel in UT is The angel, Player in DR is 60% The Angel. Frisk in UT Acts almost 50% like Kris, and Kris' mantle in the dark world is like a slightly colour corrected frisk's sweater, in the sence its a crimson and purple-ish Cyan. And Flowey Is Care free, he doesnt care if it harms other or not, just like souless Kris.

[@PNats-fg4bw]

Something I see very few people mention are the similarities between Kris and Toby Fox: -Both play the piano since a young age -Their elder brothers used to make crappy videogames on the computer -They are both their families youngest member -Grew up in a small town where religion was very important -Toby fox has said before that his childhood sometimes consisted of him and his super nintendo, and we know from toriel that kris and asriel had both a SNES and a N64 -From what we see of Toby Fox's general way of being, I do believe he is some sort of prankster There is probably even more obscure coincidences, but I find these very interesting. Its either on purpose, or Kris is just what Toby Fox thinks the most stereotypical teen is like. Whichever it is I find it quite concerning that self harm and control issues could actually be autobiographical in some way

[@TheSoulCalledZuzia]

Just bacause some aspects of a character may or may not be inspired by real life that doesn't mean *all* of them are. Both self harm and control issues seem to be more connected to actual lore than environmental.

[@Unsmart_pineaplle]

To debunk the #3 soul movement I think Kris moves normally because he still has a soul, in the cutseens where he rips it out hes probably in pain as he screams and, just imagine trying to move without a heart? and he acts strange because he has no soul and can feel no empathy, like flowey

[@gianni50725]

Wrong. Watch the ending of Chapter 1 again and tell me what happens _before_ "Kris" rips out their soul.

[@online2223]

WOW, YOUR THEORY JUST LED ME TO A NEW THOUGHT İ dont like theory of third entiry, i think movement 2 and 3 is only Kris İ think pulling out knife in first chapter is just sigh for us to leave And tire cutting is Kris actually wanting to go in family trip when Asriel arrives, so to avoid argues he leaves only Asgore's car as an option.

[@dyci]

Kris Dreemurr is a Anagram for Murder Risk like how Asriel Dreemurr is for Serial Murderer, I wonder if that's on purpose, its pretty vague and could mean Snowgrave or the third person possessing kris

[@ac-gf4zt]

Great video! I don’t have anything special to say, I just enjoy your Deltarune videos, so letting you know. Really looking forward to the Susie one.

[@swe3t_coffe326]

Ah yes, Kris. The character that's so painfully relatable it's like a knife that goes straight through the heart. Nice vid 👍❤

[@BladeLightsteel]

One of my favorite theories is that our soul is the one from the genocide route, or at least undertale. Which explains why we're able to change soul color almost at will

[@user-it2kq4ty9q]

wasnt expecting an outcore shoutout in this video

[@theprinceofawesomeness]

i actually believe there used to be some kind of affection between Kris and Noelle when they were younger (in a kid crush way), it's all more on Noelles side and it's from her i have the evidence. as someone who have had depression and currently have a lighter version (coming out of a period), Kris 100% must have depresion talking from experince and thought about doing that to my self. i belive Kris is controlled by 3 entities, US, Kris, and "The Knight" (i call it the Knight since that one opens a fountain), i have several reasons why but the Movement is the most damning evidence, i also believe that if we are harmful against Kris why would they not get rid of us? beacuse they, Kris Can't, but "The Knight" can. when we select a dialogue option it's Kris who choses what and how to say it. it's also somewhat implied that when they were playing the Piano at Noelles house they kind of knew if they were seen and if they got seen they would tense up and stop playing and this tensing is the Knight and Kris vowing for control, it might not be Kris who know how to play the Piano but the Knight. Dess disappearance is the catalyst that created the mess we play in. it seems that Between the Dreemurrs and Holidays everything was fine untill Dess disappeared, it's at this point i believe Kris Depression begun, it seems like it was here Kris stopped pulling pranks (i think Kris is biologically male and it's common for small boys to pick on girls they like) Kris basicly became a diferent person. when our Vessal is Discarded the Typer information of the one who discarded it is not linked to anyone we currently can meet in game however we know the typer information of everyone except Kris, it is 100% possible that kris discarded our Vessal and "Kidnapped" us. after all Kris found them self in a messed up world that might be of thair own or partially thair own doing and now they need someone to fix this mess. there is also the possibility that Kris is the Knight and he do all of this to "date" Susie (it's implied Kris in in love with Susie). i do hope in the future we have the effect to build or burn bridges between al characters, creating Friendships, Romances, and Enemies, because boy thair world can sure need some fixing (as do our) and sometimes you need someone to give a push or force the hand of fate to move a chess pice, be it throe an unreceipted date in a ferries wheal or by making frozen chicken

[@superdbz456smashbros4]

The thing I envy about Kris is he has friends . . . welp time to possess a 15 year old emo child with a goat mom and a miserable father to destroy the universe because I'm lonely 🥺

[@Kyumifun]

They*

[@goofygoobergaming]

@@Kyumifun🤓

[@infernogaming4671]

@@goofygoobergamingwhat a well thought out and amazing response, let’s mock the person trying to nicely inform people of basic politeness and decency

[@The1Floridiot]

@@infernogaming4671🤓

[@TheSoulCalledZuzia]

Same, lol

[@JezElectro13]

20:54 First movement is Player's, second is Kris's with Soul and in public, and third is Kris's without a Soul and right before that, just them more privately. This is first time we see someone be able to survive without a Soul, and Kris seems to struggle with movement (which would explain the low framerate). Why they remove their Soul? Well, would you like to be controlled by unknown entity from outside your world? Also, I don't really see why Kris would not want to eat a pie or continue adventures that helped them make friends. I hear some Snowgrave arguments, but in Chapter 3, there doesn't seem to be a weird route, so Kris can continue their adventures and we can't go on a rampage there (Susie, Toriel and Undyne don't seem like people that would go genocide on a world). As for the tires, probably because that way Toriel would be worried and insist on Susie staying. Kris probably figured Toriel won't need to leave in a hurry, or just hoped so (also one of your theories is "Kris knows ahead of time what will happen"). Also, Kris probably assumed Toriel wouldn't agree for Susie to stay (this specific argument is a big stretch). This is my whole argument. Feel free to disagree, or point out mistakes.

[@sherbetlemon6198]

I enjoy listening to this video at work.

[@robsu7377]

I think about the moment when Kris, asnwers a question after the optional boss fight, spamton. "Are you alright?" and when saying no They yell, when saying yes it's like a whisper.

[@GwainSagaFanChannel]

Aight so this means more Nighthawk content? Sign me up.

[@renownerd.276]

Gonna try outcore now!

[@Mad_Ancient_Computer_700AD]

So glad someone else' favorite character is kris, too. Easily the most interesting character of all.

[@protol5683]

First of all: FANTASTIC work with this video, this is EXACTLY the kinda analysis content I love to see on KZbin, especially when it’s centered around the all-you-can-eat buffet of characterization and subtext that is DeltaRune. Second of all: Iiiii’m sorry, but I still can’t buy that there’s a 3rd entity or anything else controlling Kris in those particular scenes. You make a point of how different the animation is when Kris removes the soul vs. when Kris just moves on their own with the soul still there, but I feel like there’s simpler explanations for most of them. Most of what we see Kris do on their own aside from the end-of-chapter cutscenes are very simple movements. Grabbing Toriel hand, stepping away from the closet, stepping away from Spamton, helping Noelle hide from Queen, they’re all the kind of blink and you’ll miss it actions that the player doesn’t really NEED to preform. I take this to mean the player’s control over Kris is relaxed by some small amount during cutscenes, giving Kris a chance to do a few small things of their own autonomy. Even when Kris has the soul, they’re more than happy to rebel against the player in whatever way they can. Multiple times in chapter 2, we select a dialogue option and another character responds something along the lines of, “You said that in a way that makes me doubt you’re telling the truth.” And if you try and look in Asriel’s room in Queen’s mansion, Kris closes their eyes. All these are very small acts Kris preforms in order to still have things go their way despite the player’s control of them. Kris ripping out the soul is for when they want to preform much, much LARGER acts that go against the player, acts so large it might take a lot more effort to do them. The slow, shambly way Kris moves is probably just a result of how unbelievably hard it must be to resist the player’s input, or even the player’s LACK of input, they are FORCING their body to move at a point where it’s not supposed to be. You aren’t moving, so Kris should be able to either, their body probably feels like a solid statue and Kris is pushing it from the inside through sheer grit. I don’t like the 3rd entity theory because Kris resisting the player’s control this way is another shining example of their incredible willpower, just the same as when they shield Susie from the Spade King.

[@ChimeraLotietheBunny]

Lovely analysis of my fave characters

[@pickashoev248]

I like your voice! Its soft and it makes me sleepy (thats a compliment)

[@ZKDVoid]

I have a theory, you know Deltarune is basically a canon Undertale AU? With different versions of our characters and such, I believe Kris is an incarnation or reincarnation of Chara. This may sound like a stretch but hear me out, when you think about it the similarities line up. They wear the same clothes, they are both asriel’s sibling, both live with only monsters although for different reasons. Both have fascinations with knives. Both of them have a sweet tooth determined by dialogue about stealing chocolates and pie. Both are pretty mischievous naturally lets face it. And both represent a running theme of control or maybe lack there of when it comes to the player, for chara its at the end of the genocide route and for Kris the epilogues. They’ve got some obvious similarities and personally im pretty convinced, all we need now is conformation on what kris’ views on humanity are. If it is revealed that Kris has a distain for humanity its 100% confirmed no argument Kris=Chara. Maybe this was the “next world” chara was talking about 🤔

[@stray1239]

question: have you ever tried to walk after literally ripping your soul out? I think this is definitely Kris trying to somehow take back their life, doing anything they can to gain control of themself again.

[@MrGamernova]

1. Ask any Genocide players. 2. What about when he has his soul and still walks like that to the middle of the room.

[@niffwasau1815]

I love kris too much for my own good Beautiful video, anticipating the next ones

[@VeryRGOTI]

Man this fancy bird really knows his stuff

[@JezElectro13]

15:59 I want this to be true just so that I can feel deeper connection to Kris.

[@emeraldiontut2401]

Interesting analysis not a fan of the third entity theory alot of it can be explained by saying that not using your soul can make you weaker hence the limping and slow movement though why kris slashed the tires and created a dark fountain is mysterious those are your strongest peices of evidence but I personally think its something else

[@kuba4ful]

What I think may have happened in Toriel-Asgore divorce, and what causes Asgore to still chase after her is that here, in Deltarune, he doesn't believe he did something wrong. Or at least, wrong enough to warrant them splitting. If we compare it to Undertale, where Asgore started a war against humanity, he knew he did something bad, and he fully knew why Toriel left and understood that decision, even if it pained him. That's why I believe, after she came back, while still pained, he didn't chase after something he knew is impossible, because he knew it's his fault,that those were the consequences of his actions. In reality we tend to be more accepting of consequences when we believe ourselves we deserve them, that what we did caused this bad situation to happen and it's our fault. Of course that's only one of the many "points" that decide whether we should try to accept it, or try to pretend it's not over and we can still do somethnig about it. Of course, that's just my theory, but there must be a reason why he behaves differently about the divorce in both games.

[@toppleton]

great video! but yeah putting another comment to disagree about the third entity theory haha. since mostly everyone brought up points i already have, here's my counterargument to "would kris really endanger toriel" and that whole section of the argument. personally i don't care for the interpretation that kris slashed the tires to get undyne to the house and I'm all in camp Kris-Slashed-the-tires-to-keep-susie-there-longer. (not that that really matters rn lol) As someone who has a hard time verbalizing my wants, even when I have very supportive parents, a lot of the time you find yourself doing really out-there actions to get what you want (a big thing with neurodivergent people). I can imagine Kris not only has a hard time speaking unless spoken to while the player is possessing them but also they were always described as a weird and quiet kid. I like the idea that Kris did in fact want to spend time with Noelle, but I also wouldn't say that Kris didn't /not/ want to spend time at Noelle's house specifically for her piano. They might've just found it easier to say "let's play at your house" rather than asking "Can I use your piano?" Someone brought up the point that Kris might've known (in a meta sense) that Toriel wouldn't have been in danger with the slashed tires, but I also want to mention that even if they didn't, sometimes characters make wrong decisions. Kris totally could've decided hey, what's the easiest way to prevent Susie from going home? Get rid of the /thing that gets her home/ and Kris knows their mother enough to assume she's probably notice the slashed tires immediately. They could've ruled it out as a threat. TLDR: Kris probably just also sucks at communication and finds it easier to take things into their own hands (when they can). Even if that means really weird and threatening actions. Which hey, fits into their really weird, quiet, and offputting personality that we so far know (from npcs) is what they were like pre-chapter 1. The video's great, like I said, and I'm glad to see that you're open to different takes on theories and stuff! This is just my two cents as I'm a massive fan of Kris and have overanalyzed like, all of their actions and options over and over again

[@taliapp5106]

I feel something that is being overlooked about Kris' depression is that they're developing or they already have some eating disorder, in specific binge-eating disorder. I saw really stressful how when they ripped out the red soul that, apart of oppening a new fountain, they ate the whole pie. Also, they have limited their chocolate consume by Toriel because she knows Kris is anxious, but it was more saw by the fandom like "it was funny and less worriful". Not only that, when you have the option of eating the chocolate box from Undyne to Alphys, you don't just eat the whole box, also Kris binge-eat in it, but when they feel sick, they just accept it in a really hopelessness way, like if they were already used to. Maybe I'm overthinking it but normally binge-eating disorders in kids are looked as just a childish phase or a normal thing even with therapists who treat eating disorders warn about it often, normally people start to worry when they see purging, something Kris is not doing, that's the difference between binge-eating disorder and bulimia. I feel even the fandom infantilize it.

[@lilacpenguin5329]

I really like your videos, thanks so much for exploring these topics and ideas and for sharing your speculations and thoughts. You're the first person i feel like to differentiate the different "Kris behaviors" as different kinds of movements and how the soul is involved. (or isn't involved.) I can't wait to hear more of your thoughts in other videos. Take care during the holidays everyone and happy new year.

[@witheringlunatic]

WAIT HAVE I BEEN HAVING ABSENCE SEIZURES?? Like I always stared off into space sometimes and it felt like the world wasn’t there and then I would snap back and I actually liked it when it happened so idk if it was an absence seizure or just me. I liked to be quiet and daydream a lot (and still do) and these spacing out moments happen a lot for me.

[@PurelessAgama]

I believe the reason Kris slams the keys on the piano now Is because the player/soul doesnt know how to play piano while the real Kris can.

[@lolguy91wastakenbyanidiot]

lessgooo, new character analisys Just realized: Based on the way you pronounce "Ralsei" you might be Russian

[@XDNighthawkXD]

I actually used to pronounce it Ral-see but there is dialogue between the characters that heavily implies its pronounced Ral-say. IMO I think Ral-see fits better because it sounds cuter.

[@lolguy91wastakenbyanidiot]

@@XDNighthawkXD I pronounce it Ral-zee because of my mother tongue just being stronger than English lol,

[@philershadi6037]

The horned headband never disappeared. Kris has it on their person at all times. When they enter the dark world, it turns into Ralsei, Kris's idealized goal-monster self.

[@Laff700]

Now that you mention it, it's weird how Kris is in that zombie state immediately before and after removing the soul, but they can move perfectly normally during cutscenes.

[@fissure12fish39]

great video

[@Awesomeness-iz3dh]

My two personal interpretations for Kris' inaction when in peril (which are not mutually exclusive) are that either they're used to being controlled by the player most of the time and thus don't try to fight when the player isn't guiding them or it's a continuation of the classic Toby Fox bit of his protagonists just stiffly standing there like a board when things are happening to them, as seen in Undertale such as in the scene where Undyne destroys the bridge Frisk is walking on or when Undyne picks up Frisk in the kitchen for the cooking section of her date. Though if you do want to take it the route of Kris simply choosing not to struggle, there are a few more possibilities, such as them simply having a defeatist mindset and believing in their own futility even when they don't like what's happening to them (but not being suicidally depressed) or being more calm about it and choosing not to waste their strength attempting to fight.

[@OtherMomo]

The way I interpreted the staggered type 3 movement was that it was a third-party possession, but the menacing movements are Kris resisting them. Maybe when the heart is in his chest he's unaware of the player's control, consider the things he allegedly does and says in the 'weird route', or maybe he's aware but compliant with the player. But type 3 looks like there's a lot of friction between the action and intent of the movements.

[@beeshark222]

I personally don’t believe in the third entity theory, and I’d like to point out: You need a soul to survive, this is pointed out several times throughout deltarune and undertale, and though they aren’t the same universe, they definitely share properties. It’d make sense that Kris’ movement style is a bit odd if they’re at the verge of unconsciousness, and every movement takes effort. And before they remove the soul, they’re probably fighting against it. After all, they’re still under the command the player put on them; to go to bed. They have to struggle against that and remove the soul to get that command off them, and then they have to face intense fatigue. Also, I’d like to point out that the TV is plugged in at the start of Chapter 2 and not Chapter 1, and that the remote is in the couch when it wasn’t even remotely mentioned before. It’s very possible that Kris got up in order to savor the few moments they have to themself by eating the pie and bingewatching TV. They also could’ve created the Cyber World, but the Queen said that it was created that day and I just don’t think Kris would’ve had enough time. On the topic of the slashed tires, I think Kris deliberately did that knowing that Toriel would have to go back outside and see them, so that she’d call Undyne. Undyne didn’t believe them when they talked about the Dark World, which would be the first step to telling her about their whole soul situation, and so, not having a lot of time to make a decision, they slashed the tires so that their mother would call the police. Then, when they make the Dark World, they open the door so that Undyne can get into the Dark World, and manipulate their surroundings so that hopefully it’ll be a lot easier to navigate. On top of that, Undyne and Susie are two of the most strong-willed people Kris knows, so in the case of a Snowgrave route, it’d make sense that they can accomplish the same goal while having two people who wouldn’t listen if they tried to manipulate them. Toriel might, but she’s their mother and I seriously doubt that she’d listen to them if they said “hey, kill that guy”. Unless the player told toriel that they’re inanimate objects. It’s possible that they don’t take this into account, which could lead us to a new weird route, but that’s edging a bit too far into theory territory for me.

[@XENOHADES]

kris is my favorite depressed enby i love them very good video! this video taught me a lot of things i did not know :3

[@XENOHADES]

also i think instead of possession it's just taking a lot of energy for kris to do stuff without the soul. they want freedom from the soul, but need it in some way. so, they rip it out temporarily and put it back in so they don't die. so i think maybe they aren't suicidal, but it has to do with mostly the soul

[@XENOHADES]

ALSO SOMETHING IMPORTANT when kris is "possessed" for the first time they don't do anything... but eat the entire fucking pie. no possessor would do that, which makes me think it's their full control, they're just in pain since the soul is gone

[@d0ntwearit0ut]

Would have loved for you to analyse when Kris uses our choices to emphasise an existing feeling (eg. SCREAMING no after being asked if they’re ok after Spamton NEO, etc.)

[@ShckinglyGongas]

Great vid :D

[@andromedaborealis]

I really love kris

[@jargontrueseer]

So this was an amazing video and I'm obviously gonna keep watching your channel, though I ginuinely keep wandering why none of these Kris focused videos talk about Kris screaming no after Spamton dies or what they think about Spamton in general. Am I missing a video that does? It seems really important to Kris' character that they'd react so strongly to Spamton's death and it also feels like a really big deal the way Spamton talks to Kris in the Snowfrave route. In general I feel like these reactions are underepresented in these videos and would love to hear what you think about them.

[@SkineSky]

I get why people prefer there to not be a third entity and all, it is a pretty interesting perspective. But I've never really understood why there is so much belief in that, when the game never openly presents at that being the case? Sure, it would pretty cool if it turned out that it was Kris all along and there are pretty interesting parallels if you dig deep enough, but nothing ever presents this as the answer. It's just a possibility, and it is almost always presented as there being someone other than Kris taking over.

[@VVen0m]

I always thought that the reason Kris moves on his own in two different ways is simply due to the soul. The way I see it Kris needs the soul to be able to move normally, or maybe the soul sort of "divides" the control of their movements between Kris and the player. As such when in normal cutscenes they're able to control their movements better, because their muscles aren't weakened and partially paralyzed, which is what happens when their soul is out - I mean, we can control the soul in the bird cage - that may be where part of their ability to move has gone (or rather - stayed). I feel like Occam's Razor needs to be employed in here - explaining the weird, zombie-like movements with just Kris having their muscles partially paralyzed due to lack of soul in their body is first and foremost simpler than making up an entire entity that we have no clue about who they are and what their deal is, or how they are able to control Kris in the first place, so it feels more believable to me.

[@CricketyCrickey]

Great video! I'm pretty skeptical about the third entity theory, I've seen multiple videos covering it, but I can't wait to see what the future has in store for us.

[@vanceler3855]

I want to take a moment to discuss outside of the objectiveness of the events of the game and go more into the themes: I feel oftentimes things like depression, derealization, or dissociation can make it feel like one's body is on autopilot. Kris not having control over their body could easily be a metaphor for this. The soul that control's their body is Kris's "autopilot," it's not them and it is instead just letting something else take the wheel while they're stuck within their head. For me personally, when I go through dissociation (which is a lot) I do have these moments of clarity where I become suddenly aware of the situation for a short while and act accordingly, and that could be represented in those moments where Kris acts on their own. These moments especially happen when the situation gets quite intense (Protecting Susie), but they can also happen at random moments (Doing a cool pose for the camera). Completely ripping out the player's soul to do bad things is a whole other discussion, perhaps it means something about the necessity of that autopilot to maintain your routine and decency and not descend further into madness or depravity, who knows.

[@michaelkindt3288]

@22:43-.-I have a few points to make about this segment: First, it is my belief that if Kris isn't the Knight, then they did not slash the tires, or at least, we're not the figure Toriel saw out to the window. The only silver bullet piece of evidence against Kris being the knight is how long it would have tooken them to get to the library with how slow they move without the soul, nothing else is strong (or valid) enough to eliminate Kris as the knight. However, by this token, it would then be incredibly unlikely that Torial would not be able to recognize her own child in the window when they walked by, nor would it make sense for her to just ignore a shambling figure with a knife coming from her backyard. It might sound like an argument from incredulity, but I just don't see how Kris could get away with walking past the window where Toriel could see them. And so is Kris is too slow to be the night then Chris is also too slow to be the entity Torial saw, which means there is a second candidate for who slashed the tires. Secondly, if we assume Kris did slash the tires (which would make them be the night possible), It's possible that their motive was to get Undying, or some other member of the police force, to come to their house. They wouldn't need to slash the tires in order to keep Susie at their house, but the police would probably need some reason to actually go there. Why Kris would want that is unclear. But it could be that they just want to make sure Undying nose about the dark worlds, and sees this as the only way to make sure (either because the player never talk to Undying, or because undying waves off the possibility every time the player brings it up to her). There could be other potential reasons, but this is the one people tend to come to, because it's the simplest.

[@THEFRISKIESTDINGO]

On a serious note, Kris's stilted jerky movements taken in tandem with these actions opening a dark portal, an escape from the suffocating stresses of the real world, or resorting to slashing tires to avoid an interaction that seems small, but intersects with a potential torrent of unresolved feelings and trauma, _feel_ like actions where Kris is in control, _even though he absolutely does not want to do them._ _Addendum:_ The scene of tearing his heart out to then open a portal and eat all the pie conveys relapsing into an addiction with _terrifying accuracy._

[@slyblue8761]

Actually, I like to think that the reason why Kris slams de keys on the piano is because it's not Kris playing, it's us, and we can't control them in that level of precision.

[@theJennicat]

If kris is possessed maybe that's why the twisted sword does the opposite of the hypnosis effect we have to make the sword to save kris from being possessed by whatever else is controlling them!

[@TheGlenn8]

Every time someone mentions Asgore I get kinda sad. He's one of my favorite characters, a very tragic figure who loves his broken family too much. Unable to move on from the love of his life. A good man who has made (what we can assume to be) a terrible mistake that cost him everything. One regrettable moment in his life that will define him for the rest of it. I hope we get a chapter that is dedicated to him.

[@taffles7498]

i’m not a lore expert. 2:48 cos kris is shy 3:15 to practice. to have fun. for literally any reason a person would play the piano. 4:57 that editing note makes no sense. if they did it cos it reminded them of their stress, then why would they have enjoyed playing before us? why would they look pissed off when susie says that they thought kris could actually play. most probable answer is that kris cant play because we are mostly in control of them. 13:35, 13:40 doubt it. in susie’s dialogue, i assumed that she saw kris and toriel holding hands another time, or she was making a metaphor-y kinda thing because of kris’s character. ‘susie watching’ is so random and isnt indicated at all really. 18:19 i dont necessarily disagree that kris has seen the inside of a dark world before (because of the kris save file thing), but it doesnt really make sense. how would they get out? it seems only the player soul could seal a fountain cos otherwise susie could do it. it just seems like a stretch to say kris entered one before. you could just say the kris file thing was just a metaphor for the player taking over kris’s life, or the start of the game being a ‘save point’ 20:42 no no pls no 22:15 on the third one, this isn’t entirely true because kris moves like that before the soul ripping 23:13 kris wanted susie and toriel to all be in the same area for the fountain they were going to summon. you can see kris scheming for something with all the weird things they do at the end (opening the door, turning the tv on…) 23:25 but…we’re controlling kris? how could they ask… also, with the whole third entity thing, i just feel like its too much, if that makes sense. i would not like to see anything like that in the game moving forward. im not a lore expert.

[@rattyxoxo7397]

I think there’s definitely other reasons why third entity may not work that other people are explaining, but I also find issue with your argument that Kris wouldn’t slash Toriel’s tires. It’s not hard to argue that Kris would feel that their mother doesn’t listen to them when we see that Toriel is already concealing her feelings about Asgore trying to reconnnect with her and therefore Kris, shutting down any chance of Kris getting to spend time with their father. Sure perhaps it’s extreme, but that extreme action is something that cannot be undone by the player’s control, and thus it’s explainable as a desperate attempt to ensure what they want happens regardless of the player. It’s definitely not out of character, at least in how I read Kris’s character with the limited info we have.

[@jesseburgener442]

As someone who's done a lot of research on attachment styles (and has admittedly kind of been through a relatable scenario), the relationship between Asgore and Toriel looks a lot like a dismissive/anxious relationship; the dismissive avoiding confronting her problems at all costs and wanting nothing to do with her ex, and the anxious not being able to let go and doing everything in their power to save the relationship. It's heartbreaking watching it unfold over the course of the games, but it's a neat way of showing that Toriel's motherly sweetness is actually masking her insecurities and that Asgore isn't the confident, calculating leader Undertale lead us to believe they both were.

[@Gianttope]

man- I've been in a divorce where i gave my ex so many chances to fix our issues together and kept getting blown off until I lost all love and feeling for them and expressed this very plainly and clearly when requesting a divorce. It wasn't until this moment that they suddenly wanted to try to fix things and try to go to therapy ect when it was already beyond too late. Throughout it all they kept calling me a cold harpy unwilling to fix things, unreceptive to any attempts at affection. I once worked with a guy who was a crazy religious dude who claimed his wife betrayed him and christ and started practicing witchcraft because she left him and refused to allow him back into her life. It had apparently been several years at that point since they separated and he still refused to cooperate with divorce proceedings because he believes he will be able to get her back- despite the fact she moved across the country, is with another guy, and has had multiple children with the new guy. I'm not saying asgore is a bad guy but holy hell some people can be insanely delusional when it comes to relationships. It doesn't matter how clear you make your position. She's likely behaving this way with Kris because she rightfully doesn't want to involve her underage kids in relationship drama.

[@rancidavocado2166]

I guess I never noticed that the stranged movement happens before the soul is taken out.

[@twan.brazzyOD]

22:23 FINNALLY SOMEBODY DIDNT IGNORE THIS FACT ITS SO OBVIOUSLY CHARA WHO CONTROLS HIM IN THESE POINTS IN TIME. WHO ELSE WOULD OPEN MORE AND MORE FOUNTINS KNOWING WHAT COULD HAPPEN HE ALSO HOLD HIS HEAD DOWN WHILE RALSEI EXPLAINS THE LORE TO THE QUEEN TYSMMMM

[@s.sumbrella7616]

as a quiet person I wished people were as accepting as npcs in video games to silent protags.

[@heroftime518]

Sometimes I’m like kris, a quiet weirdo who everyone bullies but secretly powerful, someone who feels controls and suffers

[@MsMarikutsa]

I think Chris is possessed by Ralsei to make new fountains, cause Ralsei doesn’t want to be alone in his world. Also, if it’s really Asriel figure, he does it for Kris to have more friends and don’t be alone.

[@Calzonieee]

Risk Murderer

[@pedrorosa9893]

Fuck..:..

[@cosmictheorist6091]

I constantly wonder if the vessel we built is the third entity. And that entity wants the game to go on regardless of both the player and Kris's wishes. Per example if I was playing the game I would want Kris to be themself and just watch Kris be at the end that would make us both happy. But the Vessel would want to force a reset or push us to area beyond the ending. Like saying go back and fight every superboss or I will delete your progress. Something only the Shadow gems can stop.

[@crazygamingoscar7325]

i saw a theory that changes the context of "they'd just ask her". The theory is basically that Kris wants Asgore to come over, in an attempt to fix the family relationship? Because asgore used to be police, Kris hopes that opening the fountain will get asgores attention.

[@CloudMouth27]

so cool

[@masonasaro2118]

my personal theories on kris’s actions at the end of chapter 2 is that it *was* of his own accord, and either it was to alert the authorities (and Toriel) of the potential danger going on, or, alternatively, part of some plan to find dess (even if he didn’t talk to spamton and hear the “unused” dialogue snippet, he’d probably think she might be in the darkness somewhere anyways)

[@ddlcfan2763]

Kris isnt a boy

[@Chair_hater]

​@@ddlcfan2763Depends on the headcanon. Toby always makes main characters like that

[@ddlcfan2763]

@@Chair_hater Kris is referred to as they and them by multiple characters

[@Chair_hater]

@@ddlcfan2763 Of course lmao, because there's no "gender" option in the settings,so the game doesn't know which you choose. Also, you're one of the reasons why transphobic people exist, you hate other genders.

[@meloncholicc]

kris slashes the tire because they guessed that toriel would call the police, and that'll show undyne how dangerous the dark worlds are

[@cwolf0915]

15:17 Oh, you n didn't mention when they fight against NEO Spamton....they fail to run away. Kris relents and sits on the ground as Spamton charges up

[@clearededpl8937]

Ever since Undertale I kinda hated Toriel, through Asgore is always my #1. Okay, I'll be honest, my ranking was like: Asgore, Alphys, Papyrus, Flowey, Undyne, Toriel and Sans

[@philltheotherguy1868]

What did sans do to you.

[@hopelessamaturerougeofhope4399]

​@philltheotherguy1868 He must have given him a bad time

[@ashermccathern3847]

I would like to respond to your idea that Kris is being possessed, by refuting your evidence of movement. The way I see it, there is a simple explanation of why their movement is different in these cutscenes, it is because they are either having to actively fight player control, or are going without their soul. In every other instance of active action by Kris, they are doing so within a cutscene, where players normally do not have control. Each "episode", begins with Kris taking action, essentially attempting to make their choices without needing a cutscene. As a result, they move differently because they aren't supposed to be doing this, I believe their movements in these cutscenes are shown in a different framerate to imply that these movements are extremely difficult for Kris. This makes even more sense after their soul has been removed, while the player may not be able to resist anymore as we are tethered to the soul, Kris still, y'know, doesn't have a soul, which must make things pretty difficult for them. After all, they always put us back in, despite the clear distress we cause them, presumably because they need us. In my opinion, considering that this explanation makes sense, and is the simplest, Hawkum's razor would imply that this is the most likely explanation, and that Kris is not being possessed, but is instead simply making their own choices (with extreme difficulty) in an environment that does not allow it. Kris is shown to be the #3 smartest kid in the class, despite seemingly sleeping through it regularly, implying that they are actually very smart, which implies to me that they are even more intelligent when they actually care about something, and could very easily plan these sorts of "episodes" in advance. The Chapter 1 ending sequence shows Kris putting us in a cage in a wheelbarrow, an easy place to put a soul, and it's even portable, telling me that these episodes are pre-planned, likely by Kris. This is further supported by Chapter 2, in which Kris prevents us from using the sink in the kitchen so that they can slash the car tires (after having asked Susie to come over to their house) in order to force her to stay over, so they can make a fountain. All of this tells me that these "episodes" are the result of Kris themselves acting on their own volition.