Ralsei and the Player's Concerning Relationship | Deltarune Analysis

[@Dorked]

This was an impromptu video topic mostly done as an emergency measure because the Paper Mario video I did underperformed. If you have time, please do check it out! kzbin.info/www/bejne/bWrTqpJ4eppjaNE I do plan to do a larger and more comprehensive Ralsei analysis at a later date, but it's one of those topics that will take a lot of time. I'd also love to do a full Kris analysis, but because of the amount of work it would require, I've made it a Patreon milestone for now. patreon.com/dorked Other Undertale & Deltarune theories and analysis: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aofJeZt4nZaWbsU kzbin.info/www/bejne/gabIeZp3j8iJZpI My Undertale webcomic, Inverted Fate: invertedfate.com/chapters Additional credits and links: Ralsei Blush Theory Post: www.reddit.com/r/Deltarune/comments/qfc4mm/why_does_ralsei_blush_near_kris_my_crackpot_theory/ Kris, Ralsei and Identity - The Queer Undertones of deltarune: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h3jFfXivbc9satE kzbin.info/www/bejne/i4XYnqp8a52mmpI - Ring footage by Sniper Spider kzbin.info/www/bejne/eV7RmoqjnN50d6M - All Ralsei Boat Options by Faz Faz kzbin.info/www/bejne/omqygah-nLt1iq8 - Manual Trashcan dialogue by Faz Faz kzbin.info/www/bejne/pInMf5p_lrOCaKs - Realy don't care about Susie by Faz Faz Chapters: 0:00 - Introduction 00:31 - Introspection and Acknowledgement 3:36 - Eager to Please... Who? 5:51 - Beyond the 4th Wall 7:51 - Destiny and Double Standards 9:12 - Strings? What Strings? 11:19 - Player on a Pedestal 12:42 - Why Kris Prefers Susie 13:31 - Shadow Crystal Holder? 14:10 - Conclusion

[@llewelynshingler2173]

I hope the underperformance doesn't prevent other Paper Mario games

[@Yuti640]

It really sucks that it didn’t go well, I loved that video

[@PhantomGato-v-]

Oh no! The Paper Mario video was so good tho!

[@yellowbunny812]

And if you go off the theory that ralsei is the red headband, that would make him a forgotten mpc. So wouldn't that make him a secret character. And if you were to defeat him, would he turn into a wearable scarf, like the one you can buy on the fangamer page

[@devlinmcguire7543]

Dorked, please read. 😄😊🥺🙏🙏🙏 I have a theory of my own on my channel. But I don't want to be rude by pugging my video here... So instead I'll summarize the theory. I really want to know what your thoughts are on my theory. But to summarize the video........ It explains that, because of how fountains work, water that is deep underground building up pressure until it shoots upwards, a geyser... The definition of a geyser according to google is (a hot spring in which water intermittently boils, sending a tall column of water and steam into the air.) Friendly reminder that Jevil says "• *SOON, THE "QUEEN" RETURNS, AND HELL'S ROAR BUBBLES FROM THE DEPTHS...* • *LIGHTNERS, CAN YOU STOP IT?"* With the 'roar' bubbling sounding kinda like boiling water. Now, if there is no geyser, this adds pressure with no where for the water to go, until the ground can't take it any longer and it all comes out at once. How are dark fountains opened? A lightner has to stab the ground with something, regardless if it's a knife, a sword or even a pin. So... where DO _Lightners_ get so much *_DARK_* energy or whatever that they can use their 'own' power to open whole fountains of the stuff? Well.. What if there's a massive natural reservoir of darkness underground? The darkness is really spewing from the ground isn't it? So, isn't closing the holes that relieve this building pressure a bad thing? Yes. Yes it is. Then that calls into question Ralsei, because he DESPERATELY wants them closed

[@thegreatpapyrus7319]

I adore how many different things Toby could do with Ralsei. He could be evil, could be a hero, could be Asriel, and then there's a lot of mystery as to if he knows about "us" and what he knows that we don't. I'm massively looking forward to your deeper dive into Ralsei!

[@Dorked]

Thanks! It's one I'd love to do, but I really have to replay chapter 2 and then string together all the little things across the two chapters. Luckily I did get pretty much all the alt dialogue in chapter 1 already.

[@thegreatpapyrus7319]

Best of luck!

[@ABP0727]

Either way, he is all of him.

[@lorrainebrunner2490]

​@@ABP0727 We're walking into his mystery.

[@lorrainebrunner2490]

​@@ABP0727 can you see all of him? 😂 Dark writings on the wall?

[@theninjaguy2]

Personally I think that Ralsei is both aware and afraid of the player's power. I have a feeling that Ralsei is going to end up paralleling Sans's role in undertale rather than flowey. Specifically, ralsei's actions remind me of one particular line of Sans's: "sounds strange, but before all this i was secretly hoping we could be friends. i always thought the anomaly was doing this cause they were unhappy. and when they got what they wanted, they would stop all this. and maybe all they needed was... i dunno. some good food, some bad laughs, some nice friends." Ralsei is appeasing the player because he's worried that if the player isn't happy, they'll destroy everything. This would explain why he gets uncomfortable when the player chooses less kind options, or gets upset at him, but also goes out of his way to not voice his concerns in front of the player.

[@ivanelias3916]

maybe the player is the roaring that will bring the end of the dark and the light world.😐

[@DoubleBoost23]

Yeah, my personal theory on if Ralsei knows about the Player is something like this too: how's he supposed to stop you? The more knowledge he has, the less likely he is to think he'll succeed. Even if he thinks you only have precognition, that would be enough to have "Hey, imagine this!" occur- you can't use precognition if your mind is too focused to notice it happening. A Reset, Return, and all that? Kris would have to wrench control back, and they clearly can't do that for too long- the Player seems to have _directly_ hijacked their SOUL. The more power it has, the more power they have. And if Ralsei were to know you have _three_ timelines at your command? Well.. Who would you bet on in a contest of control, someone who might have control of one timeline, or someone who has control of three enough to have one become a copy of another or delete the progress of said timeline to start over if they feel like it? Of course, my other theory is he geniunely doesn't get why his actions are weird/maybe he has voices in his head from all his time alone. While the Dark Worlds don't actually exist as long as they think they do, it's real enough to the Darkners that their psychology fits how long they've lived and the way they would've.

[@ma.2089]

The way he talks to Kris seems like he’s trying to convince Kris of this. We don’t get much of it but it sure sounds like he’s trying to explain something in pacifying way. Which is in character

[@cassiovieira2939]

I completely agree, sans was all about manipulation and when he noticed he couldn't stop your actions with words or by manipulating you, he decided to confront you by cheating in his battle with things normal monsters wouldn't be able to do, I think Ralsei is the same, he's trying to manipulate you in doing the "correct" thing but he is probably way more scared than sans considering he is giving his all to satisfy the player

[@Pandasword93]

​@@ivanelias3916best theorie

[@herosshade2247]

I've always seen Ralsei as just a very railroady DM. He always wants the story to go a certain way and has to deal with a murder hobo and one of those reluctant players that doesn't really seem to have a lot of investment in the story he wants them to experience. The manual, the way he explains combat and ACTS, the way he brushes aside the secret bosses and discourages other routes... And then Lancer and Suzie just constantly keep derailing this whole thing he had planned out. He's literally just a really neurotic DM that has to deal with an extremely chaotic group that just wants to do their own thing.

[@doom64hunter]

If he's the DM, doesn't that mean that he's also responsible for the Dark Fountains being created in the first place? What if what's controlling Kris at the end of chapter 2 isn't themselves, but Ralsei? He obviously needs another fountain so the game can continue...

[@willow5945]

@@doom64hunter That could be the secret plan he explains while we're with Susie. No mind control necessary.

[@theactualgarfield5024]

Not really the DM, but definitely the DM's self-insert NPC who's goal is to try to railroad the party

[@MutedAndReported3032]

M-murder… hobo?? Who are you referring to with that? Kris? How on Earth is Kris a ‘murder hobo’?

[@willow5945]

@@MutedAndReported3032 "Murder hobo" is a term used by D&D players to refer to characters in the most common campaign structure: travelling around the countryside killing monsters.

[@skydragonslayer9820]

Ralsei is one of the most mysterious characters honestly.

[@Dorked]

He's super mysterious, and I can't wait to learn more about him in later chapters. :o

[@00nex]

I wonder if he's still gonna stay as an ally throughout the chapters

[@juliocesarcamilo5132]

​@@00nex probably

[@LunaMinuna]

I’m not surprised if he becomes the main antagonist, he’s sketchy af

[@fernoagent8581]

If he stay's that way by the end of the game i wouldn't be surprised

[@ToyFreddyGaming1987]

6:36 is incredibly concerning. The fact Ralsei is just okay with being hurt like that if it makes the player happy.

[@Dorked]

YEAH. That and the way he acts when you call him a lackey and how excited he gets. This dude needs some self-assurance. Poor kid.

[@swordsunknown5226]

Kinky

[@forkgodsdescendant2503]

@@swordsunknown5226 “Ralsei is submissive.” -JaruJaruJaruJaruJaruJaruJaruJaruJ

[@steampunkfox1411]

I WILL SPLIT DIMENSIONS ASUNDER FOR HIM

[@swordsunknown5226]

@@forkgodsdescendant2503 he is definitely a bottom

[@supershyguy1476]

Fun Fact: Beings that are detached from their reality have demonic traits. Jevil: Imp creature that is the Devilsknife. Spamton NEO: Bat winged person that makes deals, and can’t reach Heaven. Gaster: Associated with 666 and has a fall that may parallel Lucifer. … Ralsei: Red horned goat-like being, prince of darkness, uses fire magic.

[@bottledsanity9853]

that actually a pretty good point, idk if i actually believe it but it is something I'm gonna consider.

[@greyscaleadaven]

Similar idea for me, but each one of them suffers from a form of insanity that drives them into madness: Jevil: Mania Spamton: Determinism ??? ??? ??? ??? Seam: Nihilism

[@bottledsanity9853]

@@greyscaleadaven OH SHIT ANOTHER GOOD ONE...

[@TheYeetedMeat]

Doesn’t the King call kris lightbringer? Because Lucifer quite literally means light bringer in latin.

[@gristen]

the boss monsters also fit that description and theyre not detached from reality. also, does ralsei use fire magic? the boss monsters in undertale do, but i dont remember it ever being mentioned that ralsei has the same ability.

[@crimsonyogurt]

11:22 "he wants us to keep playing the game" huh...I hadn't thought of that. Interesting. That was Flowey/Asriel's motivation in Undertale, wasn't it? To keep the player around as long as possible because he thought we were Chara, no? He wanted us to "keep playing" with him because of how lonely he felt and how dull he found everything else. The parallels between those two continue, huh?

[@Dorked]

Yeah, I fully suspect that there's something similar going on, as Ralsei's purpose is the prophecy. I could see the "Only 1 ending...?" thign tying into it, with this angle of as long as there's hope we can get a "better" ending, we'll keep trying, and so there are multiple saves, etc.

[@autistic_potato1037]

Well it's fairly clear that Chara IS Kris, or rather . Keep in mind it's confirmed that Chara isn't the true name, Chara is both short for character and close to Char, which is how the player is referred to in the game files, and since the PLAYER is named Char in the files, and Chara is supposed to share a name with the player, the "true name" is therefore Chara. Chara also shares both design and personality with Kris, down to (presumably) the same knife. Both love chocolate, the color green, striped shirts, khaki pants, similar hair color, same family, both are separated from Humans and adopted by monsters, where they slowly begin to not like other humans. I think Chara was supposed to represent Kris, but Toby might have altered a few details due to the success of Undertale, and him not wanting Deltarune's cast to be part of Undertale, much less the protag. Keep in mind Asriel in Undertale was, himself, based on Toby's concept art of Ralsei. TLDR; signs point to Chara being the original design for Kris, which got altered for Deltarune when Toby decided he didn't want the main cast directly affiliated with Undertale.

[@dagreenpc]

I mean, Chara is just the way to refer to them, the actual name is whatever you name the fallen human in the start of the game​@@autistic_potato1037

[@Persona_Random_]

I'd like Ralsei's lack of agency to be explored in next chapters. The guy was created just to guide the heroes and not to think by himself! It wouldn't surprise me if he goes through an identity crisis in the future

[@gabrote42]

There's a cool comic strip about it, it's very funny

[@CalvinNoire]

Sounds Very, Very, Interesting.

[@singoflovesongs]

same, it looked like hints of that was showing during the swan boat scene when you tell him that you like him as himself... i hope he'll be able to take this into a positive direction and grow into his own person.... or have it be a major drama point later lol

[@horrific_hank]

@@gabrote42 "You survived having free will for a week!"

[@gabrote42]

@@horrific_hank "Yaay!" "GOOD JOB, JOB!"

[@mihaitirlea2509]

This is a bit out of topic, but I'd like to believe that as the game goes on, Kris will become more and more disobedient towards us to the point that they will completely ignore our imputs. That would be an interesting outcome.

[@Dorked]

I think it depends a lot on how we choose to play. If we are kind to Kris and their friends, perhaps they'll instead come to trust us and if we do meaner paths, they rebel more actively.

[@thepainpanda7681]

@@Dorked that would make sence, there is the twisted sword in the files that decreases the thing that would allow you to control people easier so maybe you get it if you keep doing weird routes which helps Kris rebel against you

[@wezumira]

That way our choices really would not matter... :o

[@NeyamRye]

Yea

[@Diamond1234]

Hey I'd support them lol, you go be independent Kris, even if it hurts me. ;w;

[@Eraser_Tracer]

I feel like the whole aftermath of the Neo fight is more so his own coping mechanism, Ralsei through out the game always kinda cuts himself off whenever he’s thinking of something he doesn’t like.

[@Dorked]

Oh, it's entirely possible that he's coping and doesn't want others to think about it either. It's just that it kinda sat weirdly with me.

[@tobysinbad]

Both can be true! He can totally be upset or freaked out and also hoping Kris doesn’t notice or express their discomfort at the parallels in a very manipulative way. I especially think it’s indicative that Ralsei hurries to make Suzie stop asking Kris directly

[@lolinontot7642]

yeah he seems to think self-awareness, the knowledge that there's some other force pulling the strings in the story, is nothing more than a glitch. To Ralsei - the story is -should be- playing out exactly as it is intended. Kind of like a _"don't question god, he knows what he's doing, everything happens for a reason that only god knows, don't question it and everything will be okay."_ type of ordeal.

[@lolinontot7642]

After all, the only characters we've seen who has (to our knowledge) ever, full out, questioned it - has all basically gone insane.

[@jissmol8738]

i've always thought he's just socially awkward. he's a lonely prince, never had any friend so he doesn't really know how to interact with other people. that's why he tries to be patient and nice to kris, as he literally said during the tunnel of love scene, he thought that being friends was "just being always nice" until he met susie, and ralsei even started to use sarcasm. dude is just learning (even tho he could still be aware of the player's power, i think he also cares for kris)

[@Cloudeefella]

I think one thing about the post Spamton stuff people overlook is something he says. “With a power like that… maybe you 3 can break your own strings.” Something about this never felt comfortable, Spamton is talking about Susie and Ralsei too. Maybe Ralsei isnt fully in control either, which could further explain why he wants to sweep it under the rug. He doesn’t want to think about it. He just wants to please us endlessly. Poor guy…

[@Drax69420]

I get being worried by that line, but I feel like that line gives a little hope as well. At the end of the day, if we play our cards right, maybe our favorite fluffy boy will be freed from the game's shackles along with his new friends.

[@forkgodsdescendant2503]

Hmm... Remember how scared Spamton got when he tried to talk about The Knight with Kris? Might be the same deal with Ralsei.

[@zottorus6176]

what if ralsei’s strings are more metaphorical? such as… the prophecy? maybe he feels like he needs to constantly let the prophecy decide his actions

[@Drax69420]

@@zottorus6176 Good point. I didn't think of that.

[@zottorus6176]

@@Drax69420 thank you! i’m not sure what susie’s strings would be, though. maybe something we haven’t learned about her yet?

[@snakesbakecookies]

ASRIEL - a goat - has questionable friends - way too much pressure put on him - refers to the soul as the culmination of your being - teaches the tutorial and is the only character to mention controls/buttons - literally died RALSEI - a goat - has questionable friends - way too much pressure on him - refers to the soul as the culmination of your being - teaches the tutorial and is the only character to mention controls/buttons *i don’t like where this is going.*

[@nullserendipity]

.... Oh shit bruh OH SHHHIITTT!!

[@markanthonypittaway1539]

:o

[@DanniIsASquid]

Uh ohs

[@Micah_silly]

i don't think asriel is dead but that's my opinion lol /lh

[@commanderruby901]

@@Micah_sillyalright. i’d like to hear the logic behind that opinion

[@BlindStarLily]

Here’s something I noticed that I don’t think a lot of people have mentioned before in talking about how uncomfortable Kris probably is. Throughout the game, there are several times where you can hug Ralsei for no apparent reason, the first one happening during the tutorial fight against the training dummy. They’re spontaneous, like when Ralsei will hug them if we say no about being okay after the Spamton NEO fight. But, in chapter one, if you go to visit Asgore, he’ll run over and hug Kris, then quickly pull away and apologize, remarking that he forgot Kris doesn’t like hugs like that. When Kris asks Susie for a hug, they’re asking, they’re inviting an embrace. All of the other times, it’s something that’s happening to them. Even with the way Toriel hugs them after she drives them to school. It’s expected and they know it’s going to happen. As somebody who doesn’t like a lot of uninvited physical contact, I can sort of sympathize with Kris in this situation. The many times they’re touched in some way without their permission. We the player might want it, but Kris does not. Just thought I’d share since I’ve not seen anyone talking about this. Edit: Of course, this is up for interpretation, everyone. This is just how I personally view this scene in relation to Kris and their lack of consent throughout the game. If you have a different way you see this scene, that’s great! This is just how I read it when I first started to really delve into the lore and story of the game.

[@chongwillson972]

@Blind Star Lily but its ralsei who got kris to cheer up in that scene with the hug , the scene tone changes quickly after that, susie even picks on this by being humorous, kris dos not seem bothered by it at all....

[@marseafish]

​@@chongwillson972 it's very obviously Susie that gets them to cheer up in that scene, it isn't until she starts talking that they seem to feel better

[@ChimeraLotietheBunny]

I get it

[@singoflovesongs]

Honestly I'd personally just argue that Kris just doesn't like being manhandled like Asgore did. The man just swung the poor kid around like a ragdoll. Everyone else hugs Kris a lot less forcefully like he did. I also want to put in a small defense to Ralsei - though this doesn't necessarily disprove Kris being hugged without permission - that they might actually like how fluffy Ralsei is. Though this depends on how much weight you'd like to put in the flavor text, but there's this part that can be easily missed in chapter 2 when you go out to fetch the Chapter 1 crew from the Light World to bring back to Castle Town. Instead of leaving immediately, you can go turn right and check on the Ralsei dummy. It'll specifically say that "*(... no one's looking.) / *(Hug the dummy?)" then after choosing yes, the flavor text will say "*You hugged the dummy. / *Nothing wrong with a little extra fluffiness in your life." If Kris REALLY dislikes something, they'd normally make it WAY more obvious (like reading Alphy's anime review or talking to Burgerpants) So one can also guess that Kris is shy about outwardly showing affection to some degree, or like you said, Kris prefers hugs that are expected.

[@BlindStarLily]

@@singoflovesongs That’s a valid way to look at things. I’ve also seen an argument about Kris not liking any hugs at all and how Toriel can’t seem to respect that. I honestly didn’t know about that thing with the dummy. It’s really friggin cute imo. Maybe Ralsei’s fluffiness reminds Kris of what it was like being near Asriel. Who knows? Okay but seriously, the fact you can just hug the dummy at random is adorable. It reminds me of how you can attempt to eat the mannequin at the start of chapter 2-

[@RealCoolstriker64]

"Mr. Fox, I'm going to need you to tell me RIGHT NOW if Ralsei is my brother." -a fan comic

[@SemiHypercube]

I just can't wait to see what Toby does with Ralsei in future chapters, how this could develop. I feel like he has some of the most interesting potential for what he could even be, as well as what he might do in future chapters

[@Dorked]

Oh, for sure. The meta nature of Ralsei could go in so many directions. I could see a scenario where he tries to justify weird route as we're just... trying to enjoy the game in our own way, hahaha... ha... this isn't bad at all. After all, we still sealed the fountain! It's fine! REALLY...

[@nicholasaugello2534]

I just think Ralsei is just the personification of Kris wanting to play DnD with his brother again, and the disire to play with Asriel created Ralsei, that's what I understood from the character but he is actually sentient and potentially acts differently from how big bro Asriel would. And Kris probably isn't a fan of that desire anymore because Ralsei is like a fake romanticized version of his brother and likes Suzy alot more as a result.

[@deethwarrior]

​@@nicholasaugello2534dnd? Nothing here has to do with dnd???

[@MeloniestNeon]

The concept that Ralsei may end up driving the story forward of his own will despite the horrors of the Snowgrave route, even after finding out what Kris, or rather the Player, has done is such a fascinating idea. I'd love to see what sort of weird, unconvincing justifications he makes up for continuing on in the dark worlds (probably with some classic Toby humor to sugarcoat the severity of the situation), but at the same time its a sort of dark fascination. I do hope Deltarune gets darker, yet darker as the game goes on, but MAN do I want these precious little goofballs to come out alright in the end! I especially feel bad for Kris and Ralsei's friendship with eachother in comparison to Susie, as they would assumedly get along quite well as a trio if the Player wasn't there to distract from genuine bonds (Ralsei growing very close to Susie in chapter two, even admitting his doubts about how the world works stem from her, it all makes me think Susie might be the one to snap Ralsei out of his weird obsession with the Player either intentionally or not).

[@wardabatool717]

thats so big brained woah. id love to see the dynamic between our trio equalize a little more, and susie having such a strong effect on ralsei would be an amazing way to do it.

[@mewsiul]

I feel offended both that you assume the Snowgrave path as the default and that you assumed our Brogoat Ralsei (MINE!!! Not Kris's friend, MINE!!!!) would turn against us/me.

[@willow5945]

Berdly probably continues to have story relevance in future chapters, so imagine if Ralsei creates some artificial darkner doppelganger, a Fake Berdly, just to keep the adventure on script. Like, you start chapter 3, you're in the TV World, then Berdly just inexplicably shows up with some lame explanation like "Gamers don't die, they respawn" then bears no hard feelings, acknowledges nothing, and the chapter carries on as it would in pacifist. Then, when you get back to the Light World, Berdly is eerily absent again.

[@forkgodsdescendant2503]

If that happens, there’s definitely gonna be an event paralleling Susie’s rebellion in chapter 1. This time it’s much more serious instead of simply being about Susie disliking her role as a hero. And she leaves the party because they aren’t good people to her anymore. I imagine that she and lancer later become the main opposing force trying to stop you. Leading strengthened card castle soldiers if the confrontation happen in Castle Town.

[@chongwillson972]

@@willow5945 i mean ralsei could find some way to get berdly dark world body , then unthaw him out heal up and maybe get rid a few of his memories .maybe?

[@damien678]

I honestly love this 'middle ground' between those that think he's evil and that he's a friend. Because... He's a friend to us, the player. He values us the most. Which, if that gets revealed to the others ... Would put him in a really bad light to them. I don't think Susie would be ok with us controlling Kris and Ralsei knowing and being ok with that.

[@chongwillson972]

@Damien to be honest he might just be cautious of us, after all he knows the player can save and load and without a way to counter that, confronting the player in any direct way is just unreasonable. and he truly may not the nature of this new entity, wither or not it attached to kris willing or not and wither or not it is malevolent or benevolent. and there is also the fact he NEED to do prophecy if he wants to save the world and there might be an chance we are needed for ,in some way...

[@hisprincessprincess4916]

​@@chongwillson972 without the player, the darkness will occur no matter what It's the player that is kind to these characters from the beginning and chooses to spare instead of hurting (I'm specifically referring to the pacifist route)

[@chongwillson972]

@@hisprincessprincess4916 "without the player, the darkness will occur no matter what" we don't know that. and regardless sense he already knows about the players power of SAVES, anyone with that power could easily fail into a mindset of "what if?". and given what the "player" chooses we can sketch out what their possible goals and character are. I think what we are playing as is not really just us the player but something else, something which is a part of story in a non 4th wall breaking way. the fact its hinted at kris had "YOU" apart of them for at least for a while, to have the bird cage in the wagon and doing the thing with the running sink in the bathroom. i feel sort unconfident in what is happening with kris and what we are REALLY playing as, but i guess that happens when you only have 2/7ths of a story.

[@theluigifan1]

Tbh, I’ve said this under other Deltarune video essays before but I’ll say it here as well: I know y’all’s backs must be hurting keeping the Deltarune discussion alive in between chapter releases through your video essays. Makes the wait go by and the hype grow exponentially. Even if your overall thoughts end up not playing out exactly one to one to events in future chapters, it’s fun to take in and speculate anyway. :)

[@Dorked]

Half the fun is trying to piece together an incomplete puzzle! We didn't have that luxury with Undertale, and I think that makes Deltarune such an interesting contrast. Toby didn't intend to release chapters this way, but it does help keep the discussion alive!

[@theluigifan1]

@@Dorked Yeah! Undertale was a complete package that surprisingly still has discussion to this day for one thing or another. But Deltarune is still being released in parts and has yet to fully reveal the big narrative it’s going for. You’re absolutely right, it’s one big contrast and I love it so much for that.

[@Kyumifun]

Fr, they definitly hold us back from going insane due to our increasing impatience. Although we're already going mad after waiting for 1,5 year.... Good news is a Deltarune newsletter is coming soon in few weeks so somewhere in Aprill! (This better not be an Aprill Fools joke or i'll....)

[@momothegooglecat1185]

When is the next newsletter after that? I’ve signed up to receive one but no idea when it will be

[@pitcheralex1262]

Ok Im gonna go on a limb here and say that 4th wall break was just him collecting his thoughts. People may face a different direction when talking on sensitive matters; and whenever a character isnt facing Kris, its usually facing the player. That glance could be him recollecting himself and at the same time gives us a good look at him.

[@Dorked]

It's the fact that the direction changes depending on the response is what gets me. He faces the camera and is grateful if we make the positive choice, but faces away if we pick the negative one. That's why I think it ties into his other meta aspects, haha.

[@Infinitecreek25]

Also there's more than four directions you can go to like looking straight down

[@Sekaidestroyer]

To me, the moment Ralsei taught Susie how to heal, it's a foreshadow of the fact he won't be there for her the whole time. Whether because he knows he will have to drop the kind boy act eventually, or because he knows his life is limited somehow. It wasn't a random thing.

[@DM-Oz]

Idk, it may be something else. I mean, look at Susie, she started as the standard berserker. Then in chapter 2 she not only starts learning healing magic, but also decided to do the action comand, that is weird.

[@Lagw1020]

Oooh what if Susie teaches Ralsei about how to care for himself! Already made him do his independent decisions and taught him sarcasm! He looks like he was having fun too!

[@mrperson4542]

My favorite theory atm is that the secret bosses are all past attempts made by Gaster to make a Ralsei-like helper for the Delta Warriors, considering the shared information between the 3 of them

[@chongwillson972]

@mr person since isolation is kinda a key aspect of those who gaster has messed with... i wonder is gaster the reason why ralsei is all alone...?

[@willow5945]

Each one is a successive improvement on the last. Jevil just flat out refused to engage with the story. Spamton grasps the concept of a quest, but tried to twist it to his own ends. Maybe the next secret boss will be too open to the player's input, and get us completely off track.

[@luigicraveiro]

This is the best theory that I've read about the secret bosses and gaster damn

[@violetnocte]

I saw a theory that Ralsei acting this way is him basically trying to appease an otherworldly being, and he's afraid of angering the player because he doesn't know what we are, what we want, or what we're capable of.

[@chongwillson972]

@Violet Nocte he knows that we save and reset , which honestly what do people want him to do about that?

[@Momofan69]

I think he actually knows more than he lets on when it comes to what is controlling Kris, I take this from the fact that he has, twice, had a conversation with Kris that the player isn't present for.

[@beaufuller8222]

I honestly think the shadow crystal idea is a great one, since they seem to reflect the light world when Kris and Susie are in the Dark world if I remember right. That’d probably be how Ralsei knows where they are, since he can just use that to track their movements and make accurate predictions on what each object has come to life as. Like you said, there’s so much baggage to Ralsei that it’s almost confusing. For a video that’s just an appetiser, this is already a great topic even if it was standalone. Hope Toby actually does something with Ralsei, since he’s got a lot of explaining to do and apart from a few select scenes or places (Namely the mansion and arcade game), he’s VERY absent.

[@Dorked]

Yeah, it's really interesting how little we know about the guy. Chapter 2 just upped the mystery with him, and I'm sure that Chapter 3 will be an interesting case since it's inside the Dreemurr home. If Ralsei IS an object that used to belong to Kris, we could see things at a head here.

[@RaphielShiraha64]

@@Dorked The strange thing is the interactions you do with the shadow crystal in the LIGHT world, for example if you use spamton shadow crystal/glass in chapter 2, it will mention that kris see susie doing a angry expression at them on the glass, but then when they stop looking at the glass and look at the actual susie she is just smilling and acting like normal. I'm starting to think the shadow crystals aren't showing us the dark world, it's showing us the future, the reason it showed the unused classroom in chapter 1 was because that is where we go after the chapter end. At least this is how i feel about it.

[@KiraSlith]

Ralsei is well aware of the player, and probably the expected RPG tropes. Don't forget about the vessel we made, Toby LOVES to mess with expectations, and we were explicitly interdicted by "someone" during the intro.

[@autistic_potato1037]

Oh my god, imagine Ralsei ditches Kris and Susie to join the Vessel when we get access to it and has like, a character arc where he decides it's more important to stick with Kris and Susie regardless of the red soul

[@EEE-1409]

​@@autistic_potato1037That would be so cool! But I wouldn't want to separate Ralsei from his friends. I just wanted us to have our vessel so we can befriend Ralsei without using Kris! It's been made clear that Kris and Ralsei don't really feel much for each other. Ralsei seems more interested in us specifically. That's why I want to be able to connect with him directly >.

[@alficiro3238]

if you skip chapter 1 Kris apparently equips the white ribbon on Ralsei, so they do like him -- at least at that point (pre prison talk). Unless you believe Kris was already possessed as implied by them having a birdcage in his bedroom; the real Kris probably would've gotten the dice brace for it's connection to Dess.

[@kaitogirldraws]

I am not really sold on the birdcage being prepared for us specifically. I think they just had that cage because they had a pet birb or something, Kris does not have any problems in throwing us into a bird cage or a bathroom closet, whatever is most convenient. And again, I don't really know who Dess is in relation to other characters; perhaps they don't really like her to begin with. I didn't know the ribbon would be automatically equipped on ralsei tho, that's very cute

[@snosibsnob3930]

I've always thought it was fucked up (in an interesting way) that you can get kris into romantic situations with somebody who resembles their own brother.

[@EEEEEEE36364]

This reminds me so much of a comic I saw about Kris dragging toby fox out the acid river and saying “toby fox you need to tell me if Ralsei is my brother” in a crappy mic voice, though I agree. It’s hella weird yet interesting, makes you wonder what is gonna happen next and what Ralsei’s true motives are. Maybe he’s not nice, and is using us (both the player and Kris) to do something sketchy…???

[@leezxbeanzz]

@@EEEEEEE36364 NAH I SAW THAT COMIC IT WAS WAY TOO FUNNY---

[@EEEEEEE36364]

@@leezxbeanzz Ikr?? Now I headcanon kris’ voice to be like that when they’re mad or confused xd

[@DemiIsNotHere]

That explains why he does enjoy teasing the rest of his friends. Even Noelle who he is strangled with.

[@xbirdshorts5075]

Step* brother. Big difference

[@TheSchrodingerdog]

Something I've been thinking about a lot is that it seems like Kris and Ralsei may have known each other some time before the game starts, and that him introducing himself to the party at the start of the game not actually be to Kris, but to us! Especially considering that Kris has a save file in the Dark World at the start of the game, and that Ralsei seems adamant about talking with Kris while we, the player, aren't around... Great video, and your Paper Mario video was phenomenal too! :))

[@Dorked]

Oh yeah, Kris absolutely has something going on with dark worlds, given their existing save file. It's part of why I like the "Ralsei was made when Kris lost the headband in the bunker" theory. It ties things together. xD

[@Fatumity]

@@Dorked Susie told Kris maybe they could bring Ralsei to the light world, that may be why he made the fountain IN the house out of anywhere else, if anyone is going to accept Ralsei in the light world besides Kris themselves or Susie, it'd be Toriel

[@kaitogirldraws]

This might not be exactly true, since Kris DOES have a save file, but does not specify any location where the file was saved. That is definitely strange, mind you, but still, doesn't really mean they went into dark worlds before. Also the party also has Susie, so Ralsei DOES have to introduce himself even if he's met Kris before. And if it WAS the case, the Tea flavors don't really reflect any deep connection between them Meanwhile, I don't think Ralsei is trying to talk to Kris without us around just because they're friends, but that's another theory....

[@lukergamerz4455]

Great analysis! I think there are a lot of implications and undertones to Ralsei’s relationship with the player that suggest what we might expect from the future of the story. I have some takes on what’s happening here myself… Something that really catches my eye is Ralsei’s insistence on following the prophecy, and on sparing enemies. Although he does concede to our desires, he makes it very clear what he thinks about the future adventure. If you consider what he’s actually saying - “Follow the prophecy and be nice to people, or there will be consequences” - it sounds like a bit of a warning. It’s clear that Ralsei is aware of the player and some of the game mechanics available to them. (He’s not the only one, but he’s easily the most prominent.) Do you think that there is a possibility that Ralsei is aware that the player is able to kill characters? If so, it would reframe a lot of Ralsei’s actions so far. Behaving like a total sweetheart to make the player adore and trust them, giving the player choices when the rest of the world is telling them they can’t, controlling what the party can and can’t do, making his Castle Town a hub for all of the Darkners you spared… He almost makes you forget that you don’t have the ‘freedom’ to kill that Undertale provided. Is it really a coincidence that the first time the player is able to kill via the Weird Route is also the first time that the player gets to act alone without Ralsei or Susie present? Something that the initial two choices Ralsei provided would have ensured was impossible? Another thing. When you return to Castle Town at the end of chapter 2, Ralsei suddenly cuts in to recommend that Kris (the player) save the game. Why…does he do that? Most players were probably going to save in Castle Town anyway, so why does Ralsei push you to? Well, the interesting thing about saving here is that, once you do so, returning to the Cyber World is impossible in that save file. Every choice that was made there is now irreversible. Could it be that Ralsei WANTS you to save over that Cyber World file, and prevent you from going back and trying more options? As far as he knows regardless of your route through the chapter, nobody died, but there is an opportunity that the player could experiment with that time where he wasn’t there to watch them… I can’t 100% say that Ralsei might be motivated by a desire to stop the player from killing, but if you consider his actions under this lens, there are some confusing things that really get put into perspective.

[@NiennaFan1]

I think the most interesting answer would be this and that he is balancing his desire to make Kris happy, to make the player happy, and to save everyone

[@kjolt947]

since ralsei likes to sugarcoat everything I’m almost certain it’s to compensate for something he knows will happen later. not sure what it could be, but one of my big stretches is that the middle titan with the horns looks vaguely like asgore and I can’t help but wonder if ralsei is a ticking time bomb trying to make the most of his current state

[@forkgodsdescendant2503]

Simple but makes a ton of sense. How does he know so much detail about The Roaring, despite it never having occured? He IS or WAS one. The Titans being destructive and chaotic are also similar to how the secret bosses act. I also thought of this same thing before, but didn’t take it as seriously. SIE SIND DAS ESSEN UND WIR SIND DIE JÄGER

[@thecubularemperor]

@@forkgodsdescendant2503 “they are the food and we are the hunter” I am learning German so I know that off the top of my head

[@forkgodsdescendant2503]

@@thecubularemperor I actually got one of the words wrong sorry bout that

[@kau_for_thee_8567]

I feel like while Ralsei does seem to focus on the player,he does show that to Kris too,which would explain his goat apperance,the weird "So that's why,Kris",and stating that Kris's choices do matter. Although there's still the mystery of the dialogue after beating Spam NEO,the paralels,and if Kris is even comfortable with Ralsei in general.

[@Dorked]

Oh yeah, I did try to address that it's totally possible he wants to appease Kris and the player- rather, my point was that by placing so much emphasis on us, it probably leaves Kris in a position where they might doubt how much of Ralsei's words are really for their benefit and not ours. It makes it hard to tell what's sincerely for Kris, etc.

[@Isactuallyabear]

I've been thinking a lot about how the other characters see Kris. How they react to our actions but they can't see us, only Kris. How Ralsei and Susie are essentially forming a bond with an entity that has two people inside with conflicting desires. How Kris's real self and desires that are separate from our actions are becoming clearer and clearer. And very notably, the shipteasing and how Toby is subtly encouraging us to lean into the (for now?) pseudo-romantic options for him. It's very interesting that Ralsei blushes when the SOUL gets close, not necessarily KRIS. I kept wondering if Ralsei had feelings for us or just Kris. This is fueling my theory that the rift between the Ralsei positive actions WE can make, and Kris's ACTUAL desires are going to come to a head and cause conflict later in the series. I think at some point, Deltarune may lean more and more into the romantic subtext. Allowing US to get ever closer to Ralsei while Kris is forced to basically mime actions that WE presumably want to do. That at some point it'll become too much and they'll fight back. Assuming Ralsei noticing the distress in Kris's face and body language in reaction to us going too far doesn't deter him, anyway. But even if the game DOESN'T choose to do that and the tunnel of love is as far as it'll ever go, I think that at the very least the separation of Ralsei's feelings for US and feelings for KRIS will be made clear at some point. And when it does, it'll be a fascinating thing to witness. Especially if that will somehow effect the overall plot in some way. Great analysis as always. I appreciate your thoughts and theories on these games that I love.

[@Claire_Gotham]

I think it will probably go further, given that Noelle seems to be a recurring character and her subplots.....and then the fucked up non-consensual sort of undertones in snowgrave...but, I think it will be done tastefully and masterfully, in a manner that really makes a salient point and is full of drama and possibly a lot of character lore, and that befalls the responsibility for any trauma had onto the player for making those choices.

[@dailyralsei]

i feel like him blushing only when the soul overlaps with his sprite isn't that deep, it's just a way to code blushing to happen because kris's hitbox is that soul. i don't think it would be easier on toby to code a completely separate hitbox for kris's whole sprite than use what's already there. otherwise, interesting video!

[@qjo_maste]

i don't think toby would chose save less than 10mb of space and simultaneously make the implication that the soul "is" the player

[@PhantomGato-v-]

Hello Angle! I have your shimejis!

[@dailyralsei]

@@PhantomGato-v- haha that's a random place to find someone who uses them!! hope you enjoy the gote infestation on your device

[@drdca8263]

@@qjo_maste 10 mb?? Why would it take 10mb? You could just use Kris’s sprite as the other hitbox sprite. I wouldn’t think making it use Kris’s sprite would take more than at most a kilobyte. (I think sometimes file sizes are quantized at multiples of 1 kilobyte which is why my estimate isn’t lower.)

[@qjo_maste]

@@drdca8263 yeah it's probably around that size i was just exaggerating bc i didn't want to underestimate the file size

[@auramaster2068]

This summarizes my thoughts perfectly. I wonder how far Ralsei would go to support the player’s choices? Would he go so far to still support the player in snowgrave?

[@billybobjoephilcorncobtiptopge]

there is actually an easter egg that at first glance only looks like a bug, during snowgrave where you are normally supposed to watch susie and noelle with the ferris wheel part. Instead of Ralsei falling asleep, there is a small chance that the sprite changes to a "staring at the player" sprite instead of the sleeping sprite, that sprite also looks a lot like another sprite from the game but there are some pixel differences. Ralsei also looks worried during it, he might be judging the palyer during that.

[@NiennaFan1]

I wonder if he will ever be in a position to have to make that choice in future chapters

[@papermachete8071]

No matter how sketchy and mysterious ralsei is, he'll always be the most fluffiest and good boy ever

[@Night-yv4hy]

57 Likes And No Comments? I'll Fix That. (im not a bot)

[@papermachete8071]

@@Night-yv4hy tyty

[@2o2kk22k]

​@@Night-yv4hyI'll help

[@unvatocualquiera5814]

That's exactly what Ralsei wants

[@FlubbCat]

Yes

[@ele_abnormal]

I always like how thorough you are with your analyses, instead of just skimming the important details. It's a real treat every time you release a new video :D

[@Dorked]

Aw, thanks! I do feel like I could've touched on a few more things, but I ran outta time and I needed to get at least another vid out this month. Maybe when I do a full Ralsei analysis I'll touch on things there.

[@Ongle_Spongle]

This is EXACTLY what I’ve been saying and I’m so happy someone else sees it too!! I’ve said this before but Kris *at best* only ever gets a 50/50% chance of having their own opinions chosen by us, which is why it was so weird that Ralsei said that Kris’s choices matter WHEN WE’RE THE ONLY ONES WHO EVER CHOOSE FOR KRIS. Although technically you could include Susie’s ability to negate our choices as making a choice for Kris, but she tends to put it in the context of her making a choice for the both of them, which is super interesting how she’s able to do that.

[@Splashzone263]

Seeing this and all the stuff about this game makes me realize how much steps ahead Toby is to his community and how great of a story teller he is He isn’t thinking we’re dumb and he’s trying his hardest to make his (literal) dream come true and I can’t wait for 3-5 and later 6-7

[@deitylight780]

Even with all of that information, there is no doubt that Ralsei considers Kris a friend given that both Kris and Susie's tea values for him are 120.

[@Emerald-Fluffie]

On the topic of Kris and the Player… So there’s Kris, who’s been kinda not the nicest/friendly person to everyone, but still has been with them all along, but then there’s the player, who has formed these bonds and lead these adventures with them So I feel like eventually there will be a part where the player soul will be transferred to the vessel from chapter 1, and the rest of the group will need to face the conundrum of which “kris” they were really loyal to, perhaps this dilemma may split up the group as they have different feelings about the situation

[@DM-Oz]

That would be cool. I can see it being divided with Susie staying with Kris while Ralsei sides with the player

[@Finn_the_Cat]

​@DM-Oz imo Ralsei would side with the player regardless as I believe that's what he was meant to do. I don't think anyone out of Kris' actual circle would matter, more specifically Susie and Noelle would be the only ones to matter, maybe Berdley. I couldn't see it being possible on Snowgrave though. Too many hints that it's you the player who isn't being a very good person. But on a regular playthrough they'd be left with the question is it Kris or the player that's been nice/mean to them and how much of their relationship has been Kris or the players actions

[@Lil_Brimstone]

12:34 Ah, I knew it was coming. I regret making that post to this day. The thing I missed which completely debunks this theory is... that's not Kris' soul. That's just the hitbox made for gameplay reasons only. We can actually see the soul when it's outside Kris after they rip it out at the end of chapter 1, it's much smaller and if placed on Kris' sprite, would not actually overlap Ralsei during the blushing.

[@Dorked]

Ah, dang. Thanks for pointing that out, though! That's hindsight for ya. xD I included it because I asked Bread about the topic and they sent me the reddit post.

[@sandwich2473]

Ralsei is such a mood honestly People pleasing, getting frustrated when things don't go along with the way that you plan things, being fluffy and soft :P But the interactions with him after the spamton fight are very interesting indeed and really put me on edge He's a very interesting character, I can't wait to see more of him and who he is

[@llumi_nate]

super interesting analysis of ralsei! i've always thought ralsei has just kind of an obsession with kris, but this take is much more disturbing lol

[@Dorked]

I don't even think he means to make it weird, either. I just think he's like... in a situation where he knows more than everyone but a few exceptions and thus he's trying to appease us as some sort of higher being.

[@josequiles7430]

I don't think Ralsei "knows he's in a videogame". Undertale broke the fourth wall a lot but did it in a way that never actually acknowledged the player or the fact that it's world is fictonal. I think Delature will be the same way, the thing controlling Kris won't be adressed as a player but rather as something diegetic like a demon or supernatural entity or something of that nature. (and yes I am saying this because of the Andrew video) Edit: I just realized I might be wrong on this. Wasn't chapter one released as a weird survey program thing given by a gaster-esque character through twitter? That already shows a greater willingness to involve the real world into the plot of the game.

[@CM-hx5dp]

I feel like this game is more meta than undertale.

[@raq619]

Flowey & Chara both directly interact with the player. If you open Undertale after completing a true pacifist run, Flowey will plead with the player to let the characters continue to enjoy their lives on the surface; he mentions Frisk by name along with the others, so we know for a fact that he was speaking with *us* there, not Frisk. Chara, infamously, directly addresses the player after completing a genocide run; literally every other character is dead by that point, & Frisk has become a complete non-entity through Chara & the player's possession of their body & soul. And like you said, Gaster, although technically not confirmed, is likely to have been the one communicating with players through Twitter & the Deltarune vessel creation. In Undertale/Deltarune, it seems like becoming a "demon" (as Flowey, Chara & Gaster are all either associated with demonic imagery or are straight up called demons) is what allows a character to see through the 4th wall & directly interact with the player.

[@thenobody7509]

I feel like Ralsei's relationship with us is similar to the relationship asriel and chara had. Both aren't able to think us/chara did anything wrong. Both of them aren't able to say we/chara made a bad choice. Both of them are ok with being hurt. Both of them hold us/chara on a pedestal. Considering ralsei's meta knowledge and his knowledge about the roaring I feel like the game is setting up We the player once existed in the world. We destroyed the dark world before leaving ralsei all alone and ralsei's role is probably to help us the player get our discared vessel back. Least, this is my theory. Meanwhile, Kris's goal is to figure out a way to get rid of us.

[@grace-eq3ok]

i really liked this video and how you contrasted susie liking kris for kris and saying “your choices dont matter,” with ralsei potentially liking kris for the player and saying “your choices do matter”

[@midnightpingu7551]

Hopefully this video does perform better because it really deserves it. 👍 Ralsei sure takes the Darkners' purpose thing to a whole new level with himself as well as putting the Player on a big pedestal and not wanting to doubt them. Deeeeefinitely not worrying and that deeeefinitely won't be taken advantage of by some players.

[@Dorked]

I definitely worry for Ralsei. Despite everything, he does genuinely want to do the right thing, but he doesn't value his own agency and opinions nearly enough. :(

[@EpicAndrew97]

@@Dorkedthat’s what I really love about him

[@Jibash]

Ralsei always felt like an extension of Dungeon Master's influence in this DnD session. Roaring revelation felt like an imporovisation to prevent the party from going the evil route. Snowgrave shows it too, but mostly to get rid of Queen so that Kris can be punished for toying with Noelle by Spamton

[@poisonousbobalina]

Really great video! I love how your videos put more focus on the character's own diegetic intentions. I think many essayists focus on the greater, metatextual messages of Deltarune as a whole, which is super cool! But I'm glad you put a lot more focus on character intricacies that are sometimes missed by other creators. Digging deep and understanding the type of *person* that Toby wants to write and what kind of history and feelings these characters have, and how that supports the story Toby wants to build up for the Player is just stellar. (Also, your effort in creating captions for every video and always using they/them for Kris is just really heartwarming to see. In a fandom where I feel like those accommodations and respect for pronouns is lost on a lot of people, it makes me hopeful to see you (and the Deltacast folks as well!) be so, SO considerate and thoughtful about everything you make. I'm super glad I'm subscribed!! Can't wait to see what you have to say when more content comes out! )

[@Dorked]

There are some older videos I do need to go back and caption when I have the time, but since the Mew Mew video I've been trying to make them as accessible as possible to make sure that they can reach a wider audience. And yeah, they/them pronouns for Kris are so important. Bugs me how many people call them a guy.

[@roarinfireball]

Ralsei is too adorable. I refuse to attempt to ruin his day, because I know he won’t fight back.

[@matti.8465]

I don't think Ralsei has bad intentions, he's just very adamant about the prophecy playing out EXACTLY as it should, not only because it's the sole purpose of his existence, but because he knows the world will end otherwise. His interactions with Kris/the player feel very forced, like he's REALLY eager to please them, not because of personal attachment (at least initially) but out of fear. Kris/the player needs to have a good time in order to keep "playing" and fullfilling the prophecy, so Ralsei is very careful with his words, not wanting to come off as annoying or preachy. As for Spamton, I think Ralsei is clueless about what happens outside the main "storyline", and it bothers me. His dismissal of what happened to me comes off more like a "I don't know what happened, let's just ignore it and get back to our mission please"

[@Drax69420]

I think stuff like this is a big reason why I love ralsei. He's such a mysterious character, yet the stuff we do know and can infer makes it clear he's also a tragic character. Even though he tries to move the game along, we can never know what he truly wants out of life. Perhaps part of him doesn't like upholding the prophecy, but he might not have a choice. I can't wait to see what Toby and his crew have in store for him. For now though, I'm gonna save up money get one of his plushies cause why not. Also, can't wait for the full analysis

[@EggyEggtoast]

Anyone else notice Ralsei freely walking out of bounds in the post spamton scene from 9:30 onwards?

[@RaphielShiraha64]

Lancer also do that in chapter 1 to be honest.

[@TheYeetedMeat]

@@RaphielShiraha64 Lancer also mentions the menu button by the first dark candy tree in the game, right? The two seem to share certain pieces of knowledge. I mean, Lancer even knows the prophecy, right? And judging by Queen’s actions, I’m pretty sure it wasn’t that she just didn’t know about the Roaring part of the prophecy, because it’s pretty clear that something bad happens when the balance is broken. So it seems like the prophecy is pretty uncommon knowledge.

[@urnix69]

I'm glad you've mentioned the relationship between Ralsei and the player, it's something that's subtle but not many people really discuss. Additionally, the more subtle cues like looking at or away from the player was very interesting, and it does bring some interesting points about how Ralsei views Kris, the player, and everyone else around him. My only problem is how you approached the post Spamton NEO fight section. Personally, I don't believe that Ralsei is trying to completely ignore the situation at hand. While he may be quick to shut down further discussions, it's probably not done in any nefarious reasons, I just see him trying to help everyone around him, and fulfilling his purpose as a Darkener. Also, I find it disappointing that you misinterpreted one of Ralsei's most important dialogue lines in that scene. Ralsei says to Kris "Don't think about what happened too hard, OK?". You said that he was telling Kris to ignore the situation COMPLETELY. However, if you acknowledged how he said not to think about the situation TOO HARD, then you'd realise that he wasn't trying to ignore the situation COMPLETELY, but rather to do deal with the situation at another time because it seems clear that Kris (potentially the player) isn't comfortable with talking about it at that moment. After all, do you think that Ralsei wants to solve a situation by stressing everyone out even more and interrogating Kris? I doubt that. However, scenes like these allow us to question whether he will continue doing this in later chapters. Perhaps it could be a lesson to him, that he may have to confront situations head on, whether they are comfortable or not, but we just have to see what will happen next in order to get the full picture. Sadly, misinterpretations like these have caused people to claim that Ralsei is trying to gaslight Kris for some evil purpose, steering away from the actual scene in mind and therefore continuing to misinterpret various moments in the game to fulfill this accusation which doesn't seem to hold any light as of now. Besides that, I'm glad you've acknowledged Ralsei and even brought to light some information I didn't know. I hope more people can see this and understand that Ralsei isn't just a simple character, but rather complex with many scenes that can be interpreted in different ways.

[@supermemoluigi]

i guess the relation between Us and Ralsei is really complicated, he want us to be kind and be pacifist but at the same time he doesn't want to be in our path if we do bad choices since he doesn't want to fight us, mainly because of 2 reasons, the Legend in Which he's trying so hard to get it right, and at the same time because he knows he can't defeat us no matter what at the end (with the reset and all that protagonist stuff). he desperately wants to be with us and guide us, while at the same time not want to oppose us if we go to the wrong route.

[@shadowofroserade]

Ok, wow! That was a wonderfully concise and well put video! (I swear I'm not just saying that cause I got the shoutout lol) All your points were very well founded and easy to follow, which is really the ultimate goal of these kinds of analyses. Now to properly comment on the actual content of the analysis, the idea that Ralsei is not only aware of the player but willingly subservient to the point that he caters to them above all else is one I was well aquainted with before watching this video, heck I even brought it up in my own analysis. However, I hadn't exactly considered the particular connection with the another notable aspect of his character, which is his stalwart belief in the prophecy. I had always considered these two aspects of his character somewhat independent of each other, but after watching this video, I know see how interlinked they truly are. At this point, I find it doubtless that the prophecy Ralsei is telling us is incomplete at best, and maybe even straight up misleading at worst. It seems clear to me that due to the fact that Ralsei knows of us at all, we must be a part of the prophecy in some form. Possible as the only ones able to seal the fountains as you said. This makes for an even more fascinating meta-dynamic. Ralsei as a sort of "guide character" as decided by the prophecy (i.e the structure of the plot, more on that in a bit) cares predominetly about helping the player reach the end of the game, and also to have fun, which is why he's so reluctant to impose anything on us, insisting we can make our own choices. He's a people pleaser at heart after all, so he's genuinely afraid of upsetting people by being too strict or forceful. So even when we do something he disagrees with, he can't stop himself from going along to make sure the player is having a good time doing what they want. The idea that the reason why he's strict on Susie because he doesn't view her as as important as the player, her own wishes being less important than the fulfilling of the prophecy as was dictated to him is one I hadn't considered but I find to be very illuminating and poignant. Good catch! Another smart idea that I haven't seen explored nearly as much as one would expect is the idea that what Ralsei says to Kris during our cutaways is him simply trying to convince them to play along for the sake of the prophecy or maybe even for the sake of themselves. Ralsei, being entirely subserviant, trying to convince Kris to just play along because it'll be better for them... What an incredibly engaging premise! And one that, if I may be so bold, further fuels the fires of my reading, but I'm getting ahead of myself. It seems clear that he's aware of Kris' suffering, but in some way feels it is necessary for a greater good. I just have to wonder how much that must have stung for Kris... Imagine trying to find solace from your eldritchly horrifying situation from your new friend but instead having him reaffirm the idea that you don't need your autonomy, that it's actually better if you're controlled by someone else. After all, it's only under our control that they become friends with Susie, and reforged their friendship with Noelle. Maybe they truly have to come to terms with the idea that them being someone else is better for everyone around them... Truly a chilling thought. On a tangeant, I personally find the way in which Gaster, or the man in the intro at least, is portrayed very fascinating. From the survey and the tweets it makes it sound like deltarune is somehow a world under his control or of his own creation but that's a whole other can of worms. If we assume he fed Ralsei the prophecy, it would make him a meta representation of an author, or at least the person who's creating the story, which goes hand in hand with all the other themes of escapism which Andrew Cunningham already explored in depth. Perhaps then the prophecy represents the set in stone plot structure of deltarune as a whole, the epitome of what is expected from our characters in a sense. Alright, that's a good point to veer into a principal thing I wanted to speak about. How this whole thing added to the queer reading. Firstly I still hold onto the idea that Ralsei is "comphet personified" (if you want a more in depth explanation of how we got that point just watch my video on the matter) and the interperetation of those critical sole dialogue scenes between Kris and Ralsei being Ralsei trying to convince Kris to act the part is... well it adds up, doesn't it? Kris literally being told by the representation of what they are supposed to be and act like how they're supposed to be and act like, and how they're supposed to succumb to the player (which I have claimed is a parallel to society)... it all gets an entirely new and fascinating dimension. In fact, this whole video just made me all the more convinced that the soul is analogous to society in some way, which is good because that was the part I was the least confident about in my original analysis. The parallel of Ralsei condemning Susie's harmful actions due to how they go against what he expected of her, while remaining quiet and even complicit in the soul/player's own bad actions with how in the real world many people simply accept the injustices of society as inherent and put the blame on those fighting against "order" and such... I feel like it really works. I still strongly suspect Ralsei will undergo a significant character arc where he'll realize that there's more to life than just following the prophecy and his own role in it and will try to form his own identity outside what the prophecy has assigned him. After a dramatic conflict of course! I'd be interested in seeing this as some form of explicit transition storyline for Ralsei, but obviously I heavily doubt Toby will go down that route even if it is properly set up by this point. (+ it would be really funny to see that Treesicle video be correct in the most bizarre way imaginable lol) The way you put the reason that Kris likes Susie so much being because she sees them for who they are rather than for who's controlling them was so sweet... Susie is such a supportive friend, while Ralsei is so muisguided and (albeit propbably somewhat unintentionally) toxic, it really does paint a realistically queer (ha ha) picture of this friend group, especially when you add Noelle into the mix. GOD I could keep going, I haven't even mentioned Snowgrave yet, but I reckon that's enough structured rambling from me. Thank you so much for the shout out and also for this incredibly insightful and well thought out video! (and I PROMISE I will catch up with inverted fate soon I promise don't smite me LOL)

[@Dorked]

Thanks for leaving such a thorough and thoughtful comment! :) It's always cool when my discussions can jumpstart thoughtful discussions with others, and I'm happy to have given your vid a shoutout because it was such a cool concept and really does seem like a wholly feasible read b ased on what we know so far.

[@epic_burger_3000]

when ralsei turns to the camera on the acid tunnel of love, i used to think he just looked away on embarrassment lol

[@OccultistOfTheBloodMoon]

This all reminds me of some idea I had ages ago that if Ralsei found out about you doing the weird route, he'd be against it at first, but if you were... I guess.. Pushy enough? About it to him, then he'd just. Go with it.

[@kaomedy]

i really love this this analysis!! A while ago i was actually thinking about Ralsei and how he’s more than it seems, and how some of this information could also work in a completely different direction! He most likely knows about the player and if that’s the case maybe he knows that they’re controlling Kris, so he might want to help Kris so they can free themselves from the control of the player, so maybe that’s why Ralsei in chapter 2 insists that the player should watch what Noelle and Susie are doing, maybe he wants to talk to Kris privately, and maybe that’s also why he gets scared when Kris doesn’t go along with the script in the Weird Route, he’s scared that the player might start getting suspicious of Ralsei too because of Kris rebelling against them, so in general he’s trying to follow the player’s script until he can find out how to help Kris!

[@ahomestucker]

i always thought he symbolized escapism tbh... bein all wholesome, giving u an adventure to go on, and after the spamton fight he tries to comfort kris in a way that seems.... unhealthy

[@duncanbrenner9243]

So glad someone finally did something on this. Even if Ralsei didn’t know about the player, any romance involving Kris would be… kinda messed up. It’s interesting to speculate on which of Ralsei’s lines are aimed at Kris and which are meant for us, because it’s such muddy water. I think a lot of what he says may be directed at us both. (Okay, this is where I start rambling and sounding insane, so be forewarned) I always thought the way Ralsei panicked when we didn’t go check in with Susie is because it didn’t give us a chance to talk to Kris alone. He gave off this really strong panicking-caretaker sort of vibe in that part of the weird route. It’s why he was ushering everyone along so urgently, even intentionally skipping the boss fight with Queen. He knows something is very, very wrong and it has to do with us. I get the idea a lot of his stage managing is to keep things from the player, not out of maliciousness but simply because he doesn’t know if he can trust us. It could also be he needs us to stay engaged because he sees that as “the only hope” for whatever big world ending thing is on the horizon. Also, I’m fairly certain the doors we can’t enter in Castle town are part of what’s being hidden from us, and the reason he told Susie to stay with him while we got stuff from the unused classroom was so he and Susie could talk alone. I’d also like to know how he managed to get to the Cyber World without passing through the light world. My guess is either the door to the East that used to connect to the ch 1 dark world, or Susie brought him as an inventory item of her own. I really enjoy every aspect of his character. The way he looks at himself and looks at relationships is relatable to me, and I’m fascinated by how that’s a result of his waiting for Kris and Susie for who knows how long. The way he just wants everyone around him to be okay, tries to just be a good friend despite not understanding the nuances of how relationships work is endearing and is one reason I consider himself a sort of comfort character. But despite that there’s another layer. He isn’t as innocent or naive as he seems, and the very quality that makes him appear to be is part of what feeds the other side of his personality. He’s a sort of veiled guardian figure in a way. His goal is to protect his friends, and despite appearances, I think somehow he’s being extremely calculated about that. And he still is as caring and sweet as we see him. Just because he’s not innocent or naive doesn’t detract from the core of who he is. The way he can be this behind the scenes mastermind with a secret plan to keep his friends safe from otherworldy threats (ok that’s a bit of a stretch but you know what I mean) but does all this because he’s still just a caring and lonely guy that just wants the people he cares about to be okay is a really underrated part of his character. He’s a balancing act (kind of like balance between light and dark, hmm?). Anyway, that’s my somewhat coherent take on fluffy goat boi.

[@Reddception]

Amazingly, Susie is an anagram for "issue" and she doesnt let the player make the choices...

[@LynxGriffin]

Ahh that was a fun little analysis, and I'm looking forward to your future videos on Ralsei! The idea that he's got one of the shadow crystals, and perhaps he's got the last one that we need (assuming we'll be collecting one every chapter) is very interesting!

[@gabrote42]

After determinators went up in smoke, I needed more content like this. You delivered. Thank you.

[@Dorked]

Aw, no problem! It's sad what happened to determinators, though. They got driven off the platform due to harassment. :(

[@gabrote42]

@@Dorked Yep. A real shame. Like the burning of the library of alexandria. Hoping they live a good life and that you have success in digging up the secrets of the game! (At least their keystone Narra!Chara post is preserved in Judgement Boy's channel)

[@luuc4sflp]

"Facing the camera", He could very well just be facing away from Kris but they probably just didn't want to make a new sprite for that. But cool theory I also thinks Ralsei knows something we don't.

[@luuc4sflp]

Also I think Kris doesn't like us forcing his interactions with Ralsei and is more fond of Susie instead (Even though NOELLE likes Susie too, and eventually Berdly does too.) (Man Susie is a crush magnet...)

[@luuc4sflp]

Oh wait you did comment on that...

[@swampprinceofsaturn]

I've been saying things like this ever since I first played ch2 (especially after tea theory came to light) and Im SO GLAD other people picked up on it. We NEED to talk about Ralsei's player-centric people pleasing attitude and the very specific way that he interacts with the fourth wall, it says a lot about him and his place in the story imo

[@Spamtonthedude_]

I’m glad you did a theory on Ralsei! I recently got his plushie and he’s very polite. If you haven’t done one, please do a video on JEVIL. He honestly has a lot more lore than I thought. Thanks!

[@redrooster3420]

I'm too fatigued atm to process info rn lol, so I will go rest asap and rewatch this video sometime later, but I just wanted to say this video is packed with so many interesting and cool ideas, theories, and thoughts I hadn't realized/heard of before! I'm really looking forward to hearing more about your thoughts on ralsei if you ever have more to share in video format :) Either way, thank you for your work and wishing you a great day!

[@johnsolaas185]

It is likely that due to Ralsei belonging to the grand fountain, he has no light world form and is instead made of pure darkness. This would explain his ability to travel between dark worlds without us bringing him with us.

[@Vivat_Veritas]

A great video as always Dorked, I think this is probably the best Ralsei-based video I've watched (alongside the mentioned Shadow of Roserade video) and I think it's a great examination of some of the weird and kind of overlooked/complex aspects of Ralsei's character without fully committing to any one particular theory. Exactly my kind of analysis.

[@Deimos0VI]

One thing I thought of one day but didn't give much thought is what if Ralsei is Kris from a different timeline? I don’t have any evidence towards it, but it's a gut feeling I had.

[@infinitynakashima6664]

The shine of the fluffy boy fills you with DETERMINATION

[@Mixoww]

Yeah he can't be evil

[@RaphielShiraha64]

If i remember right Seam said that only powerful opponents are the ones with tthe shadow crystal (and i assume darkners) so if we follow the logic that Ralsei is a hero of a prophecy and is a darkner, you can probably call him strong, maybe strong enugh to be a shadow crystal holder so i do like that theory.

[@forestfreaks1810]

I’m so excited! Deltarune chapters 3-5 are due August this year at the earliest!

[@Glitch_Real]

No matter what, you'll still love that fluffy goaty boy

[@EpicAndrew97]

I agree

[@luakk1226]

My jaw DROPPED about the overlap soul theory, good ducking video

[@dwerical]

Even at such an early stage of the game there are already a ton of moments in it that can prove that Ralsei does acknowledge the player. It really makes me curious about the further development of his character throughout future chapters. I hope that more of the mystery that surrounds him does clear up as we go down the line.

[@ima-human9593]

I think that ralsei will finally grow a backbone in snowgrave route and go like “ABSOLUTELY NOT SCREW THAT” and pretty much stand up for Noelle (of stay a doormat pushover who has a noodle for a spine)

[@mikiczm3248]

Love this idea, makes Ralsei look like some sort of cultist/worshipper of an lovecraftian being that the player sort of is.

[@MysLooni]

This is a great video!! This is a bit of a different topic, but I would love an analysis of the Player's relationship with the world of Deltarune in general. I've seen it pointed out that we aren't exactly wanting to control Kris either, because we were making a character of our own to inhabit in the beginning. People in the fandom tend to characterize the player as evil, but like...it's us. And we're certainly not evil. I think it would be really cool if at some point in the story we get the option to inhabit our vessel again, and what impact that would have on the story.

[@amndmirk]

its so funny to me that ralseis definitive character trait is having no character traits of his own my skringly dingly. my oinkly spoinkly. im slamming him against the wall

[@Jasarkirion-]

I mean it could just be Ralsei facing another direction because of said shyness and all that, which I feel would make much more sense.

[@ChaosEnthusiast]

another thing that concerns me is that ralsei refers to rectangles as "like messed up squares"

[@Yahahuuythefunniman]

I think the manual was scrapped because of what happened with the punch card in undertale, i really dont think toby fox wants us to skip as much as we were able to via punch card wih how much care he put into most deltarune scenes

[@quedtion_marks_kirby_modding]

I always felt that ralsei was more of a pararell to flowey rather than to asriel. While being an opposite personality whise. Both act self aware of the game, both try to guide you down an spesific route, both talk directly to the player,both know more about the player/determination than most others, etc. I do wonder if we will see more pararells between both of them in future chapeters. And opposites as well, as one of the most interesting diffferences is how flowey dow rigth begs you to stop playing the game after a pacifist route, while ralsei seems to want you to keep playibg at any costs.

[@Enforc3r]

First: flowey IS asriel second deltarune hasn’t even ended yet.

[@quedtion_marks_kirby_modding]

@@Enforc3r He is flowey, but they are still different.

[@horsewings3561]

I don't see ralsie attitude as crush like, it's like he's shy because he's meeting someone he looks up too and sees as a hero, like one might look up to a cool older sibling. He was the players sibling in an alternate reality (undertale) so it's weird and uncomfortable saying he has a crush. I 100% believe with all the talk of timeliness and alternate realities in the undertale franchise that Chara is the player in an alternate reality. And when we played the game that was us being spared from what our alternate CHARActer did in the past by our sibling asriel. It's why towards the end asriel recognizes us.

[@slothturtle9815]

Awesome video! I LOVE Ralsei, Ralsei theories, and especially theories about Ralsei and his relationship with The Player! You've made some great points, and pretty much all of the points I would make if I were to make my own video about this! What you said at 8:40 that's more or less my guess for it too, that it's Ralsei convincing Kris that having the player in control is necessary. Here's my take: Based on what we've seen so far in the first few chapters, Susie represents autonomy whereas Ralsei represents obedience, and I think this is going to keep being important in future chapters. Susie is a rule-breaker, Ralsei is not. Susie defies orders, Ralsei does not. Susie is always herself, she always tries to stay true to herself. This is not true for Ralsei. I use the term obedient for Ralsei because it seems like even if Ralsei doesn’t particularly like something, he’ll still do it for you (the player). He can equip the PUPPETSCARF to abandon healing saying “If I have to fight…” he can drink poison (the S.POISON) and trys to thank you for it (“Ow... er, thanks, Kris!”) he will let you hit him if you want to (“...If you want to hit me, that’s OK, too!”). When Ralsei asks you to try and get by without fighting, encouraging pacifism, if you respond with “.....” Ralsei will immediately apologize and claim that “whatever you choose is up to you”. Implying that whatever you choose he’s going to go along with. So this goes back to what I said earlier about how Ralsei doesn’t stay true to himself the way Susie does. Additionally, Toby's concept art for the sprite of Ralsei wearing a badge (from the tasque manager fight) calls it Ralsei obedience badge, and while this is obviously because dogs are obedient (the sprite also has him with dog ears) I do find it relevant that he's given this badge, anyway. Bonus, since I just remembered this: it's unused but in the early version of the tasque manager fight when Ralsei did R-ACTION and was given the obedience badge, tasque manager said "he really loves to do what he's told, doesn't he?" (referring to Ralsei) so... do with that what you will, or wont.

[@audreygo1828]

You've just given me some thought to your "Ralsei is a Shadow Crystal holder" headcannon and I'm starting to believe it, too.

[@pumpkin6192]

I also believe Ralsei has a shadow crystal inside of him,or maybe two(which might explain why he can freely travel to different dark worlds)

[@the_mailman]

Toby casually feeding the kralsei community

[@Agent_Cube]

I love ralsei. Especially knowing that ralsei likes me, not kris.

[@thymecrafter]

@@Yonatan...ok and?

[@NukeTelAvivToday]

I struggle with depersonalization and disassociation alot, so nothing gives me more existential dread than Deltarune's very obvious "vessel for a soul" theme. It can also be a take on the question of "how much is our human decisionmaking controlled by our conscious/subconscious mind" which I find equally as interesting.

[@PatTheFox]

Wow! I just finished watching the Papyrus video and now I have another thing to watch! Thanks!

[@Dorked]

Eyy, no prob! Hope you liked the Papyrus vid.

[@PatTheFox]

Yes,it was great! Really helps to make me smile now that I'm sick

[@Hydrant749]

thank you for putting the " not " in the thumbnail just where the duration thingy is. i appreciate this

[@AbsolutelyAri1]

It's "us" not not

[@iiTzSunrise]

@@AbsolutelyAri1well bro wouldnt know because the duration thingy is in the way

[@AbsolutelyAri1]

@@iiTzSunrise true

[@FroststormFrenzy]

Maybe Ralsei is trying to seem so friendly so he can convince us to stick to Kris's intended role in the story?

[@soupnoodle4983]

I’ve never considered the moments where ralsei turns to us to be him looking at us but thanks to your video I have a new perspective to think over, thank you for the great video❤

[@FrecklesHasAQuestionMark]

If we view Deltarune, as it is now, as a metaphor for using fiction/other forms of entertainment as escapism, we can view ralsei's desire to serve lightners (and his belief that darkners exist for that purpose) as him basically trying to fulfill his role as a fictional character: entertaining and providing escapism for real people (in this interpretation, lightners. though there is the player as an entity, as well). Not that it's a 1-1 comparison, obviously. Ralsei does, as far as we know, have actual feelings and desires. whereas your favorite anime girl probably doesn't care about how you feel about her as she is not real. But I do think that this is, at least partially, what Deltarune is going for. I also think Ralsei and Noelle may be meant to be mirrors of each other. At least in the snowgrave route. The game itself insists upon how much of a soft, cute, fluffy boy that Ralsei is. You are given multiple opportunities to hug him, to reassure him, to compliment him. Which many players gladly take up, despite it possibly being not something that Kris themself would want to do - Ralsei exists for the purposes of being a cuddly fluffy boy, and the option to treat Ralsei like a cuddly fluffy boy is right there. The game, however, also gives you options in how you interact with Noelle. You can - if you read it a certain way - act in ways which are uncomfortably "close" with her ("noelle will ride with me"). You can tell her what to do, including enacting violence on the darkners. Ralsei, as he explains, is completely willing to go along with you in enacting violence on other darkners as long as you tell him to. He's alright with you hugging him and such. He'll do anything you tell him to. Part of the difference of these two situations is that Noelle is not a darkner - not a fictional creation. In the universe of the game, she is real and has her own desires beyond serving lightners. Maybe that's the reason her going along with whatever you tell her to is much more immediately unsettling. of course, like I said, the metaphor of darkners being fictional characters/other forms of escapism and lightners being real people is not one-to-one. There's a lot of context behind kris and noelle's relationship - and how comparatively sinister the options of interacting with noelle are to ralsei's - that make the snowgrave route disturbing beyond that, and there's a lot to imply that ralsei is more than just an entity to serve lightners. However I do think the parallels here are very strong and also I've spent too long trying to get my thoughts on this together lmao

[@FestiveAngel06]

Ralsei as a character is shrouded in mystery, and his interactions with Kris and us, the Player, can have certain implications. Only time (we'll, the future DR chapters) will tell what becomes of him and us. Anyway, great work on this one!

[@TheVIBEGod-u9e]

Whatever ralsei's intentions are for now he is just a fluffy goat boi