The Sans the Fandom Forgot | Undertale Character Analysis

[@Dorked]

The patrons have spoken, and so I present an in-depth Sans character analysis, using a ton of official materials, including the original demo, the alarm clock dialogue, and more! If you like what I do, consider supporting me on Patreon at patreon.com/dorked If you want to check out my other UTDR analysis vids, there's a playlist here: kzbin.info/aero/PLVzdARAAbX5EbeSqLALxWuHAwby8CYzEC I also recently put out a video on Moon, one of Undertale's biggest inspirations: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oX-wkGacqJmaZtk I've also branched out into videos on leitmotifs in games, with a lot to say: kzbin.info/aero/PLVzdARAAbX5FxPBAKFL83C_F88pbqNmOW Additionally, I recently put out a video on the Autumn 2024 newsletter: kzbin.info/www/bejne/emfTl4ZshdOYqq8 Undertale Anniversary Q&A: undertaleqa.tumblr.com/ Undertale Alarm Clock: undertale.com/alarmclock/ Papyrus Interview 1: toby.fangamer.com/interviews/papyrus/ Papyrus Interview 2: toby.fangamer.com/interviews/papyrus2/ Autumn 2024 Newsletter: toby.fangamer.com/newsletters/autumn24/ Grillby's Comic: toby.fangamer.com/comics/grillbys/ My Undertale webcomic, Inverted Fate: invertedfate.com/chapters Chapters: 0:00 - Introduction 0:44 - First Impressions 7:44 - Beyond the Snow 11:07 - Judgment and Consequences 16:11 - Neutral Endings 22:26 - A Darker Path 29:20 - Pacifist and Beyond 33:34 - Sans Casino 36:33 - Deltarune 40:12 - Conclusion

[@thedotgiver2820]

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[@Hugsloth]

I'm very engrossed in this, but if I have one constructive suggestion, it'd be that the section in the middle have a marker onscreen for which ending the dialogue you're showing is from, since it jumps between them with no cuts so it's hard to tell which dialogues are part of each ending segment.

[@ChimeraLotietheBunny]

yesss

[@Magma-Idiot-2001]

When i hear about Asgore laughing nonstop, I just think of that scene where Patrick bursts out laugh every time Squidward spoke.

[@Ryzer235]

It turns out in the end, sans doesn’t remember you’re genocides

[@Dorked]

The memes were still pretty amusing, though, in just how many permutations there were.

[@steadfast1448]

@@Dorked I remember you're inverted fate

[@zaidalvi-r2l]

Maybe the real genocides were the friends we made along the way

[@ivanlol7153]

@@Dorked "Dorked, I remember you're character analysis"

[@starmaker75]

and forget flowey/asriel is the that remember your genocides

[@kodakai727]

I love the idea that Sans isn't trying to avoid the awkwardness by turning around when Asgore crashes the party in DR, but is instead DESPERATELY trying not to bust out laughing at the TERRIBLY, yet AMAZINGLY timed joke.

[@JDH109]

This is the interpretation I subscribe to- Dude knows it's a bad time to laugh, but still can't help but appreciate a good bad joke.

[@seichhornchen]

That's painfully relatable.

[@tackyoptic]

Definitely more in character too

[@cosmicspacething3474]

It's probably both

[@jking4854]

I love the idea that bro is using all of the strength his 1HP can muster to not explode into laughter

[@SamiTheAnxiousBean]

I always felt like the mischaracterization of sans and the fact there's an entire fandom revolving around exclusively different versions of him which range from "what if" scenarios to straight up OCs just using his design but otherwise having barely any connection to the actual sans, almost all of which using the exact same mischaracterization as a base is something that needs to be studied

[@Dorked]

It's actually really interesting in how similar it became to the Onceler. I think part of it was people wanting to explore original stories and characters but not having the confidence to fully make original IPs, so using recognizable characters as a template was an easier way to get investment. Not that this is a bad thing. People should enjoy the act of creativity, no matter what form it takes. It's just a likely factor.

[@INLIGHTOFHISTORTYANDOTHE-px7mf]

@Dorked Frisk: I don’t like sans. It’s course it’s rough. It gets everywhere. Plus, a lot of those sans variants are actually really good

[@SoldadoCatolico]

Ye olde memetics The most contagious version of information is the one that gets spread around the most. That is called recessions in academic circles; truly, memes are the DNA of the soul, the genes of culture

[@BoneDaddy69420]

true. almost all sans variants do a disservice to the character as he's widely misunderstood. partly because of memes and partly because of fanworks endlessly regurgitating their edgy & dramaticized/innocent & woobified version of him until he's unrecognizable aside from an uncanny resemblance. crossbones is awesome though.

[@ninjawolfgame]

@@INLIGHTOFHISTORTYANDOTHE-px7mf i hate you yet i respect both that pun and reference

[@sauceman2885]

Sans and Papyrus are opposites and equals in many many ways -Sans has shreds of hope in his nihilism and depression -Papyrus has shreds of depression and despair in his hopeful attitude -Sans raises others up to support them while understanding his role in the underground’s morale -Papyrus raises himself up to be an idol of positivity while understanding his role in the underground’s morale -Papyrus is bombastic and loves to show off his greater strengths while mostly hiding his insecurities -Sans while not as direct in his strengths or weaknesses is much harder to read on either front -Sans is lethargic and lazy both out of his predisposed role and genuine self -Papyrus is energetic and enthusiastic both out of his predisposed role and genuine self -Both have a reliance on the other and the people around them to keep going -Both have weird and unexplainable qualities and events tied to them -Both know more than what they let on I truly think it’s a disservice to think of one and not the other in a lengthy discussion, I’m very glad you did think of them together

[@tiarahamlin6351]

YES! So happy to see someone else realize this.

[@yohumanfrisk]

I, too, am glad that the video was made with both of them thought of in tandem. They're so heavily linked and connected, and each play a SIGNIFICANT role in the other's character. The brothers are wonderful, and I truly love 'em both.

[@joo3414]

Sans is short. Papyrus is tall.

[@sauceman2885]

@@joo3414 compared to the other characters papyrus isn’t very tall but I love in artists renditions where he’s freakishly tall

[@joo3414]

@@sauceman2885 Papyrus is canonically 6 feet, but he isn’t reaching for the clouds.

[@Ten_Tacles]

If you call Papyrus outside Alphys' Lab, he will not know/understand what a lab is, and Sans tries to explain it to him. If you call him inside the lab, he will instantly know what it is, who owns it, and states that Sans would love it. Sans is nowhere to be seen during this call. I always thought that these two calls so close, yet so different to each other, said a lot about their relationship.

[@andrewdeluca7352]

In a way, the fandom just made a whole new fanon sans by trying to get rid of fanon sans.

[@qwertykins76]

I love how sans is introduced to us in a spooky manner, as if we should be afraid of him. Then we think he's just a joke character, so we get complacent around him for the whole game. But THEN finally, we understand that we should be afraid of sans. Very, very afraid... To the point where that spooky introduction he originally had is now the joke in comparison. Because the real sans if far MORE terrifying than just some spooky silhouette in the woods.....

[@Dorked]

YES. Like what makes Sans such a memorable character is how he perfectly goes from intimidating to funny and back. He keeps you guessing, and I think that aspect of him really captures the imaginations of many people. Even if I'm more of a Flowey, Alphys, and Papyrus person, I still think Sans is really cool and his popularity totally makes sense.

[@gg.420]

Sans literally crush than heavy branch into atoms which basically hard to do with 1 atk, whatever trick he use it explain why Sans could kill you the moment you first meet him.

[@INLIGHTOFHISTORTYANDOTHE-px7mf]

He’s more than just all edge all the time Or all goofy all the time he can be both in great measuring that makes it unique and interesting

[@zodiinitebestupid]

* two steps ahead.

[@NightKeo]

Funnily enough is a reverse of Flowey

[@sylvanas9329]

Quoting Andrew Cunningham: “Sans is an icon and a god. If you think sans *was* a good character and is now a meme, you have allowed fandom exposure to ruin the best character in Undertale, and should refrain from making that anyone else’s problem.”

[@Dorked]

THAT IS SUCH A GOOD QUOTE and 100% true.

[@altf4undo01]

counterpoint: flowey

[@manufacturedfromabove79]

​@@altf4undo01I wholeheartedly agree Flowey is one of the best villain and character

[@diegozuniga4201]

*S A L T*

[@Aqua_mint]

im so sorry but i didn't understand that at all 😭😭

[@gabblepuff597]

sans is very well put together. He doesn’t feel apathy towards death, he feels rather pissed when you harm people he cares about, but he doesn’t show it a lot, mainly cause in his fight he’s not trying to get revenge or anything. He’s trying to stop you, and get some answers. He knows it wouldn’t be wise to bring too much emotion to a fight. I’m excited to see what you think about him!

[@Dorked]

Eyy, thanks! c: Hope you enjoy the video.

[@akieru9923]

My thing is, why wait till The Player is literally unstoppable (lvl 19 that is). Considering the requirements for a genocide run, there is a low chance that Frisk was going to stop, as the player is definitely along that path. This leads me to believe that Sans is a bit too laid back considering the consequences. If he truly was that caring for his friends, he should have stomped Frisk the moment they left The Ruins.

[@tyquil825]

I think what the fandom forgets the most is that Sans is super weak (physically). He doesn’t have the brute strength like Undyne or Asgore, but instead has knowledge. Realistically, in any other timeline where Frisk didn’t kill every monster, he couldn’t lay a scratch on you. But in this specific timeline he’s a threat, not cause he’s strong, but because he’s willing to fight dirty and use everything he has not to win, cause you’ll just come back, but to whittle down your determination

[@TheStupidKing]

Ngl, I still remember that very well since the start, not bragging or lying. Strange.

[@bubblelovessans]

Sans's strength is how clever and aware he is, he uses that against you in his fight, most people seem to focus on what his powerful attacks are

[@Dragon_Aoi]

He is strong/powerful in his own way; I wouldn't really call him "super weak". It just mainly comes from knowledge, strategy, smarts, abilities/powers/skills/etc., and etc. Instead of pure stats, mostly. Also, KR being connected to LV and/or EXP is fanon. And even if it wasn't, I am pretty sure he can still do stuff in other timelines where u have lower LV?EXP and/or have still sinned in some way. And u wouldn't have to go full-on Geno for him to "lay a scratch on you." It is still fanon though, and coders have tested the game, and showed KR still affects u on lower levels. Lowering IV's is also a another thing Sans can do, that can really hurt and/or kill you too. And etc. Also, this isn't what the "fandom forgets the most". Parts of the fandom are constantly downplaying Sans and calling him and etc. Or taking away literal things that he can, that help make him strong in his own way, and say, "well, he is weak and/or weaker if u take way these certain things." And yeah?, that tends to happen when u take away things that help make a character powerful. I didn't really agree with this comment much personally, but, I did like this part of ur comment, mostly: ", but because he’s willing to fight dirty and use everything he has not to win, cause you’ll just come back, but to whittle down your determination".

[@metal42]

This is kinda wrong because Sans still has the ability to remove INV Frames, so even if Frisk was a Pacifist, Sans would be a threat

[@WhoStoleKirya73]

​@@metal42 we don't know if that's meant to be a separate ability, though. It might just be part of what KR does

[@orbitalnova5713]

Lets go sans actual characterization unboxing

[@Dorked]

Yesss. It was really fun to look back at everything as a refresher, since it can be easy to lose sight of Toby's original intentions with so many different takes in fanworks.

[@TippedScale]

​@@DorkedI've always wondered what the Undertale cast would get up to after a normal pacifist run where you only kill Asgore Come to think of it, what would Frisk do?

[@Sean-qg3gg]

I find it silly that people don’t realize Sans is depressed. One of the Snowdin residents even describes how Snowdin typically conceals its depression with jokes, as a metric consisting of more jokes equaling more sadness.

[@AlexMourning5635]

This, and I've always linked Sans talking in only lower case as him being depressed. Napstablook is the only *other one who does this too I think, and Sans' lost soul at the end of a Pacifist run changes from it's usual static to floating around like Blooky's, and only changes back when he remembers you. Kinda like typing without wanting to give any effort, whereas Paps always has his finger on the shift key for the extra effort to show he cares.

[@Od1nM]

This implies papyrus is depressed too, because he makes more puns than sans

[@Sean-qg3gg]

@@Od1nM Yes. On Dorked’s Papyrus video, I believe I elaborate on how this discovery of him makes his actions even more respectable.

[@roca7268]

That's actually rather debetable, still. Ok, it's actually very possible. But at the same time, it isn't sure. "Depression" is a very strong word, after all. More than "depressed", I'd say that he's "resigned". But he's actually relatively active behind the scenes (it's possible that he tried to bake a pie following Toriel's recepies, according to what Papyrus implies when you explore their kitchen. And Sans plays Santa for Papyrus, and things like that). It seems like his philosophy is "I can't go back were I came from, so I'll try to at least appreciate what I have here. Even though it's depressing that everything will eventually be resetted".

[@Sean-qg3gg]

@ Yeah, there’s evidence that Sans actually did a lot, just in a nonchalant manner. When Toriel made the promise, he acted differently, and we just didn’t see his active side. I don’t really know actual medical terms, so I’m glad you stepped in to correct on the depressed vs resigned debate.

[@edwardramos4591]

To me, Sans is the Cheshire Cat to Frisk's Alice. He clearly knows things about the setting that he prefers to keep hidden behind a smile and a joking demeanor, can royally f with Frisk's head if he feels like it (or feels he needs to), and yet he's the closest thing that they have to a consistent friend in the Underground (certain Neutral runs not withstanding).

[@bumbabees]

i hadnt thought about that but wow, he really is the cheshire cat. all the way down to the smile. as someone that really loves alice in wonderland, thats a super fun comparison.

[@necrodeus6811]

I like the Cheshire cat comparison, considering that sans also has a lot of parallels with The Judge from Off. Both can probably trace their "inspiration dna" back to the Cheshire cat

[@ShadowSkryba]

I can't wait to see IMAGE_FRIEND become a Sans equivalant

[@ILovePlowingMedusa]

I have to look for Alice. There's not enough Alice. Give me Alice! I'm going to Alice. Where is Alice? You're hiding Alice too, aren't you?

[@kim-desu4071]

​@@ILovePlowingMedusa I knew there was one of yous in here

[@Rayaan_Pog]

I feel like alot of people forget this piece of dialogue in Sans's workshop when after the True Pacifist Ending if u check his workshop again and see the photo album the dialogue will change to "... and, one photo of you standing with sans and all your friends." i thought i would mention it here as most people forget this piece of dialogue

[@Dorked]

It's really interesting how that happens. For a while, people thought it persisted across true resets, but apparently that was a misconception.

[@orange0666]

Wait what? This opens up a whole new can of worms!

[@MutedAndReported3032]

I think it’s less like people “forget” it, and more like most people don’t even know this line exists. I didn’t know it exists

[@wandereringshadow8658]

I always personally saw Sans's memories were more like a 'Deja Vu" type of thing. He doesn't know EXACTLY what happened or whats going on, just that something always felt a little off to him.

[@SandwitchZebra]

There’s an era of fanworks with their entire premise being that he does, which is really fun to look back on I can only think of one early fanwork that explicitly says he doesn’t, and weirdly enough it’s Dusttale, the one that tried to convince people Sans could be a mass murderer. Its premise is that Sans snaps because he suddenly does remember all of them out of nowhere and he realizes just how bad things are. It’s not out of despair but desperation to change things. I still don’t think he would result to murder, but it’s something a lot of people forget

[@sundalosketch4769]

@@SandwitchZebra I like that "what if" as being the most stretched extreme of Sans' character. If he ever did break, if he did start to disown his morality system in favor of "any solution to this problem;" It makes for a compelling non-canon story to enjoy on the side of the actual canon. It's true he would never, but it is oddly fun to come up with stories of tragedies on what if he would.

[@kinglycrimson]

Which extends to the whole cast

[@taddad2641]

a lot of monstesr have deja vu too, though especially strong ones. Sans though has the aid of actively knowing about the loops via his mysterious technology. in the end he is both the depressed funny guy who wants to lift peoples' spirits, but also the terrifyingly intelligent and vicious Reaper of the underground that even flowey feels. they are ilnked, both sides, for he is that reaper cause he cares for people.

[@Whysp]

I just always saw it how he said it. That he saw anomalies in timelines (I just assume he had some way to study them) and figured out that it was us.

[@W.d_Gaster]

28:20 I think this is something that has been kinda forgotten about Sans. He believes that the Anomaly can do much better than erasing the timeline. He believes that just because the Anomaly can destroy everything doesn't mean it's evil, just upset. That if it's given a chance and some guidance, the Anomaly can be a friend. And once confronted with the proof that the Anomaly does not care about friendship, he does not want to have that knowledge ("don't tell that to the other sans-es"). Sans believes in you. Or at least tries to. I really like that about him.

[@Dorked]

Yeah, Sans' pursuit of the anomaly is actually rather smart in that rather than going for an all out offense, he tries to be a kind, funny person to kind of help the anomaly feel welcome. He's smart enough to realize that someone who messes with time probably has something driving them to do it, and he's certainly not wrong. Even Flowey did so out of a pervasive emptiness.

[@fruitloops2058]

It's funny because it applies to people playing the game *and* Flowey (who probably is the anomaly). People want to give the monsters a happy ending because they experience nice moments and Flowey didn't start off as a lunatic and can end better than before with your interference.

[@fruitloops2058]

Well, I say this but it makes the fight more depressing considering people do the No Mercy route because they care about the game and in a weird way the characters in it too much they want to experience more of it and them.

[@syweb2]

@@fruitloops2058 At the very least, Flowey was the anomaly before the player was, but I'm pretty sure both have taken that title. Sans just wasn't aware that there was more than one Anomaly.

[@Cruxin]

​​@@syweb2 both would be considered it to him with what they can do, however it's definitely Flowey who he was mostly collecting data on since you can literally just do Genocide immediately with no timeline stuff at all

[@TheSkyGuy77]

Sans is an expert at manipulation. He manipulates the battle box, he manipulates you to try to keep you on the right path, he manipulates the audience into thinking he's "funny bone man". Perhaps, a little too effective 😂

[@HotDogGodorno]

so true, mans is a god at manipulation

[@TheSkyGuy77]

Sans might be from another world and is only here (in Undertale) because he's a time cop of sorts. The big broken machine in Sans' lab is a clue. As well as the badge in the drawer.

[@HotDogGodorno]

@@TheSkyGuy77 interesting

[@seilakkkk5252]

I disagree but i respect your intrepertation

[@kau_for_thee_8567]

Curse of popularity. You ever think on how Sans would probably not be a big fan of his popularity to begin with?Which is funny, since he's also popular in-game.

[@Dorked]

It's really interesting in how Sans is basically known by everyone. They think he's this cool, funny, and likable guy, and he seems sociable enough, considering he is a performer at MTT's resort, but I think there's definitely this sense of loneliness, too, in that so many people don't know about the anomaly, and I don't think he wants to burden them, tbh.

[@kau_for_thee_8567]

@@Dorked Yeah,overall it almost seems as if Toby loves to play around with the skelebros,and there's big chances for him to play around with that even more with Deltarune(I definitely think he's cooking something with Papyrus).

[@solanaheart]

​@@DorkedI didn't understand much about the anomaly, this video made me learn many things that I didn't know before about sans thank you so much for this video!

[@conuspdogus2535]

I always thought it was funny that sans is more popular than undertale AND THEN megalovania is than sans

[@jollyjadentnt7963]

I mean, there’s literally nothing that implies that he’d hate his popularity, expect for his loneliness or apathy, but that comes more from his existentialism instead of… being popular at grillby’s or some crap

[@DinoEggStudios]

7:33 Slight Correction: Sans doesn't "coldly asks you why you killed Papyrus" when you say you did the right thing. Instead, it comes after him questioning whether or not a person with [The ability to SAVE and LOAD] has the RESPONSIBILITY to do the right thing. As thus, it changes from him telling you off from feeling like you did the right thing by killing Papyrus, into telling you off for knowing you should be trying to make the world better, and choosing not to.

[@thatdaybeforetomorrow2290]

The thing about Sans I see a LOT of people overlook is the fact that he does, in fact, keep his promise in genocide. His entire goal during the fight is to get you to QUIT before you do something irreversible, he's still trying to protect you and maybe get you to change. It's just that at that point, the only thing that seems to speak to you is unrelenting physical violence. After all, if he fails, you REALLY aren't going to like what happens next =) (There's also the fact all of Sans' dialogue can apply to both Frisk and the player without him knowing of our existence which I always thought was really cool)

[@HumanoidDerpling]

While that is an interesting point about the promise, Sans definitely has not thought of it that way. He says "sorry, old lady, this is why I never make promises" right before his battle.

[@dram3711]

​@@HumanoidDerpling i think that's because now he has to kill the child. Over and over and he knows it.

[@estrelaplatinada6506]

He hates he said. But not that he broke.​@@HumanoidDerpling

[@HumanoidDerpling]

@@estrelaplatinada6506 He doesn't like making promises because he might have to break them. It's the only reasonable interpretation given the context.

[@catdownthestreet]

That interpretation makes me think the same basically goes for Chara. It doesn't seem like they really want to destroy everything- rather, they're doing their best to make the experience of geno much worse for you. They're just trying to make you stop doing this over and over again. In this interpretation, they're the last line of defense for Undertale's world. Chara also goes out of their way to ensure you feel extremely terrible about what you've done, even after you reset and try being a pacifist to make up for your sins. (if you couldn't tell, I'm a huge fan of that one Chara character analysis video lmao)

[@nappa1381]

Fanon Sans: Either an absolute memelord or an edgy nihilist who wants to atomize every bone in your body for looking at Papyrus wrong. Canon Sans: wisecracking funny skull man who just wants to live his life and understandably gets upset when you kill people

[@PhantomGato-v-]

Sans is just like the majority of us in the sense that if you kill people, we won't like it.

[@taddad2641]

would say at minimum that he knows that you can loop and the reason why he doesn't attack you too early is cause he wanted to make sure you are trapped in a loop with him and that by frustrting you into quitting, everyone will come back. he had to wait for th right moment.

[@glitchdragonmasterdxd17th19]

At least ya got canon sans right since they misinterpreted him as this joke that cares for no one deaths

[@nathanpierce7681]

fanon sans depending on the flanderized trait: my BROTHER!/my KETCHUP! canon sans: friiisk, that kiills people. don't do thaaat.

[@nathanpierce7681]

@@glitchdragonmasterdxd17th19 exactly, it's hilarious seeing the overcorrection from "edgelord who gets too emotional if his bro dies" to "as empty and apathetic as flowey"

[@penntopaper9305]

I really love the dialogue that demonstrates how papyrus knows more about sans than anybody else. his likes, his pet peeves, his hobbies. The fuller scope of his personality. and casually spills it when sans won’t. I feel like papyrus is often mischaracterized as being completely naive about sans’ whole deal, but he isn’t. He’s just trying to help him out too. trying to get him to be more passionate and motivated, and open as well. Their care and concern for each other is mutual.

[@BitrateBilly]

the entire sans room sidequest literally proves this too, papyrus asks you if he's pranking you across space-time and that he hates when he does that, dude knows what sans is capable of and the secrets he has, he just doesn't seem to view it as important to bring up.

[@SonicFan10125]

Great video. Something that really turned me off was this fanon vs canon trend which ended up creating the abomination called 'canon sans'. This guy was made after people started using memes from the 2016 undertale fandom. So basically, Sans was turned into a souless joke sh*tter that doesn’t care about anyone. People genuinely believe this is who sans is as a character unfortunately. This is mostly due to Sans 'not caring about papyrus dying'. He clearly does care, in neutral endings where sans is pissed off at you when you kill his bro. In the Genocide route, sans is unable to express many emotions because of his inner-depression and sadness. He gave up a long time ago but now as he stands looking at the one who killed hundreds of his own kind, he feels as if he can’t afford to not care anymore.

[@Dorked]

Yeah, the "2024 fanon Sans" is a huge overcorrection mostly used in fan discussions more than fanworks, but I think the thing is that Sans is emotional... he's just in control of his emotions. Sans masks, Sans has a great deal of composure. You can tell when he's angry or sad, but the way he conveys those feelings is pretty subtle, and sometimes subtle character writing doesn't hit as clearly as bigger, more bombastic personality traits like with, say, Papyrus or Undyne.

[@SonicFan10125]

@@Dorked Yeah, something I’ve also noticed is sans’ smile never changes up until the time you finally hit him. it’s pretty subtle but it’s like it’s hinting how much less he conveys his emotions through his expressions unlike Undyne and Papyrus. The only way he can really show that he’s angry or upset is through making his eyes pure black. It’s a pretty nice detail to his character in general.

[@Robots2124]

@@Dorked It's a common fandom trend, unfortunately. Fans become aware that the fandom is mischaracterizing this character, but instead of doing introspection on how the character actually acts, they do a 180 and go in the complete opposite direction and do more mischaracterization. "Alphys is a cute trashy weeb! Wait, she has serious character flaws? Flipturn! She's actually a depraved mad scientist! Asgore is our sweet pure goatdad! Wait, he was willing to kill to ensure people's freedom? He's actually a sick monster in over his head!" (I know Alphys and Asgore weren't the examples given but the UT fandom has such a huge problem with characterization and character analysis.)

[@Chivecookies_domain]

​@@Robots2124 Watch when next year, people turn fanon Papyrus from "sweet innocent uwu cinnamonroll" to a heartless asshole

[@Robots2124]

@@Chivecookies_domain I've already seen that happen and seen portrayals of Papyrus as like this weirdly edgy (not as in the "OW THE EDGE" sense, the other meaning) jerk.

[@CrustyFox87]

It’s sad how much Flanderization can make people forget how characters were actually written

[@Dorked]

Yeah, but it happens everywhere in every fandom, tbh. It's just really apparent with UT due to how short of a game it is and how big of a fandom.

[@BonJoviBeatlesLedZep]

I used to scoff at people being so upset by flanderisation. But I've seen it in real time with Sans and it makes me want to tear my hair out

[@CrustyFox87]

@@BonJoviBeatlesLedZep Fr, and it’s not just Sans. Papyrus in canon only yells at Sans making puns when it’s inappropriate, but the fandom constantly portrays him as someone who despises all puns.

[@king_poyo64]

@@CrustyFox87They also think Papyrus has a spaghetti obsession

[@CrustyFox87]

@@king_poyo64 Yeah! He doesn’t love eating it, he just makes it because he thinks everyone else loves eating it

[@Lylybeebee]

There’s nothing more emotionally chilling than sans telling you “This is what happens when I take it easy” it’s such a jokey indirect way to tell someone i know this was your fault, but also tell the audience, i feel like it was mine

[@AEdgyAhhCookie]

I love the game that fr says "Your choices matters" is the same game where the fandom can't understand morally gray characters and keeps mischaractering the characters edit: the point I made in this comment sucks I'm for anyone who got mad at my comment :") if this is comment is gone in the future this is why

[@Dorked]

I think mischaracterization often comes from time leaving people's memories fuzzy, tbh. People who play the game once and then just stick around for fanworks, and fanworks that feed into other fanworks until the original characterization gets obscured. That's part of why I like to make these videos, as a nice refresher and reference. c:

[@AEdgyAhhCookie]

@@Dorked And your videos are awesome!! and you do have a good point!

[@louzo5175]

​@@Dorked THANK YOU

[@zabzab444-4]

I also think it has to do with the fact most of the fan base since Undertale's release is young kids/teenagers. They just haven't reached that point in their maturity where they can understand the complexities of these characters, ​which leads to these mis-characterizations. Now that veteran Undertale fans have grown up, I've definitely seen more nuanced tales on them, your videos included.@@Dorked

[@KazShiro]

Thats then what leads to these Fandom vs canon videos. Chara and Asgore tend to get it the most in terms of mischaracterisation

[@Magic_Ice]

Dorked, I remember you’re *sand analysis.*

[@Dorked]

Ah, sand. A natural part of this world's ecosystem, yet have you really sat down to consider where sand comes from? These small, unassuming particles are an iconic feature on many beaches, but in this comment, I'll-- /brick'd

[@Senkerly_senkerson]

@@Dorked ah, bricks. Gets you wondering how we came up with them. Originally in Ancient Rome ancient concrete was made with bits of brick and stone inside, however bricks can be traced all the way back to-

[@INLIGHTOFHISTORTYANDOTHE-px7mf]

@Dorked Frisk: I don’t like sans. It’s course it’s rough. It gets everywhere.

[@zaidalvi-r2l]

​@@Senkerly_senkersonah 'to' a very common word in the English language but one that often gets overlooked. Well I am here to change that and to inform you that 'to's inception can be dated-

[@Senkerly_senkerson]

@@zaidalvi-r2l the concept of “dating” or keeping track of events and measuring the amount of of time elapsed has gone through many stages throughout history, for instance-

[@sweethistortea]

Tumblr will DEFINITELY never forget Sans. 🙈

[@Dorked]

Never forget the Sans and Reigen tumblr sexyman polls...

[@INLIGHTOFHISTORTYANDOTHE-px7mf]

@Dorked Gaster: Tumblr, I remember your sans Undertale (an entire catalog of different variations of sans stands in the background)

[@diegodankquixote-wry3242]

​​​@@Dorkedit was a well earned win. The real upset on the Poll was Megamind beat the Oncler!

[@mmgmagic]

One of the minor Sans moments that always sticks out to me is his conversation about the Echo Flowers. The dramatic irony about our knowledge of Flowey helps ground Sans more into the world. That, for all his knowledge on the Underground or timelines, he isn't some all-knowing force as some see him as. He has limits. And yet, he isn't dumb here, either. He logically extrapolates from what he knows, whether that's by deducing this to be someone pranking Papyrus over the Echo Flowers or assuming you to be the sole reason for the anomalies, despite Flowey undoubtedly playing a role there yet scrubbing his slate clean due to said resets. He's a brilliant mind, but one only so great as the limitations around him.

[@mihaitirlea2509]

In conclusion: sans does not, in fact, remember our'e genocides.

[@LouisWeaver-m4j]

No!

[@notsquare304]

mihaitirlea2509... I remember you are conclusions

[@catdownthestreet]

There's a joke that I'm missing here. If I had a nickel...

[@PoyoPowerPlant]

Sans is a complex character that shouldn't be held to extremes like "caring so much" and "not caring at all." If we can interpret him in any accurate way, it won't be black and white.

[@seilakkkk5252]

Was this pun intended ??

[@PoyoPowerPlant]

@@seilakkkk5252 yes. ererererer

[@glowchips7386]

I really love that Dorked is willing to chat with each comment, it’s really rare to see a larger creator do something like that and it’s quite fun to see

[@Dorked]

I do try to respond when I can! Sometimes I get really busy, so I can't reply to everyone individually, but I do appreciate comments regardless.

[@Betta-c3w]

I didn’t know our fandom is THAT lost, that you decided to make the whole analysis for actually the MOST popular character in the game.

[@TheStupidKing]

It was, always was

[@bumbabees]

undertale dealt with a lot of people missing the point back in 2015, and we're still dealing with the consequences of all those misconceptions being spread around almost a decade later. its been a problem since the beginning.

[@plaguevampyr]

I have to be honest, I didn't know people viewed sans that way... I always did view him by how he is in the game 😭

[@so_oox]

​@@plaguevampyr me too help

[@lorettabes4553]

@@plaguevampyr Same. I'm lucky to be older gen z cuz I can see the Canon Game Sans and Fanon Sans as two very different entities

[@RossOriginals]

I have thought about it a lot, and I too think that Sans doesn't directly act, even when Papyrus is killed, because he's aware that someone is messing with the timeline and so his calls to you at the end are his way of encouraging you to fix your mistakes. He knows he can't defeat a time traveller, he can only encourage them to change. Like you said, he only fights in the worst timeline because he knows he's the last man standing.

[@grianjuju9438]

29:08 and if you go back to the previous checkpoint after killing him, he can piece together what probably happened, and it gives me goosebumps just thinking about it, his last fuck you card is sort of wasted on a monster that might want to kill him again.

[@cultofmel]

Fanon: PAPYRUS DIED!!!! I WILL KILLED YOU HUMAN!!!!1 "Canon" (still fanon): ok lol i don't care. Canon: hrhrhrrhrrhrhrrhrhrhr

[@Dorked]

It's interesting how the recent canon vs fanon debates kinda sparked this cool appreciation for lesser known details from the game, though. That was part of what inspired me to cover this topic and add it to the patron poll. xD

[@droycon]

That sans animation by ‘J Bug’ tho

[@conuspdogus2535]

​​@@Dorked I swear why is the Fandom either saying "sans broke down crying" or "he didn't care" when I think he saw papyrus's scarf and went "that little shit killed my brother"

[@sarafontanini7051]

canon: *barely restrained rage* fuck you. Still gonna be chill with you tho. But still, fuck you.

[@GoofyGooberlyv2]

"grrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you kil my bro!!!!!!!!!!!1 now i use the power of gay oyster to kill you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! rah!!!!!!!!!!!!" "9 billion phase with 999999 gastr blstr" actual sans "aint no way you just killed my bro "

[@markopujic660]

You know what I noticed? Toby is master at writing implications. That's why his characters have so much appeal.

[@mittag983]

Yes, he really does. He also worked on one of my favorite music videos and subtly called out girls falling for abusers, despite knowing they are abusers. As in the magical bad boy x good girl trope. He's a master storyteller and I'm truly envious.

[@Robots2124]

@@mittag983 To be fair, if you're talking about what I think you're talking about (The Greatest Living Show), that was also Itoki Hana and Bani-chan's work too.

[@mittag983]

@@Robots2124Ofc! Yes, musically and art wise the others deserve their due credit. But the storytelling, like how everything unfolds gives me huge Toby Fox vibes. And this video is about Toby's work after all.

[@Bonnet9330]

Nothing infuriates me more than people being like "Erm Sans is mid 🤓" just because he was popular at one point and forgetting that he's still a well written character. Excited to watch this video!

[@Dorked]

Yeah, popular is not the same as bad. I can understand being annoyed with your favs being overshadowed (I've had that happen before), but I think the best solution is to just share the love for those favs rather than put other characters down.

[@Bonnet9330]

​@@Dorked Agreed. For me personally it just feels really unfair to let the way a fandom treats a character affect your opinion of them. I get that Sans may have gotten more praise than he deserved initally, but that doesn't mean he was never good to begin with. And that's what peeves me off

[@redballoon9007]

I do get why some people are like that. Especially when your favorite is Alphys and people will say to you how “Sans would make a better scientist” when we have no way of knowing that. Stuff like that as well as over exposure will throw people off of a character no matter how well written they are.

[@TheStupidKing]

It's like saying Red from Pokémon is overrated for me, because he's the first trainer and is the most popular. Sure, there's stronger trainers than him, but he doesn't have a player controlling anymore (except playing gen 1 or gen 3) but yeah, nothing of we winning against him is canon or confirmed

[@catdownthestreet]

​@@Dorked The whole fan belief that popular = bad reminds me of the HORRENDOUS Zelda cycle. New game comes out -> Everyone loves it -> Some people hate it because it's popular -> Everyone starts hating it for some reason, and then eventually the fanbase calms down and starts enjoying or not enjoying the game for themselves without jumping on the "everyone loves/hates it so I'm going to do that too" train.

[@krow1551]

Seeing the sans fight as an older person feels so much sadder and desperate. I dont see many games that can write out a character like Sans. It wasn't his fault, it was always out of control and yet he feels upset at himself for not trying to stop something unstoppable. Mechanically the only way for him to win is for the player to give up, having to instead CONVINCE the player to give up is so fascinating. I think of the scene in Invincible where Omni-Man is talking to Cecil. That sort of powerlessness and dodging, trying just to talk because that's all that can be done.

[@christopherbravo1813]

"You can't stop me." "You're right, but I can do what I've been doing since I found out you were a lying piece of shit, and buy time."

[@Libralines]

Always love the lv judgments they get me on a different level

[@Dorked]

God, there are so many and it's crazy how much hidden dialogue Toby snuck into the game. The amount of routing internally musta been insane.

[@insertherealotofeyeemojis2185]

(Of violence)

[@INLIGHTOFHISTORTYANDOTHE-px7mf]

@Dorked Frisk: sans quit it with the sick burns 😑 Sans: I don’t think I will

[@Libralines]

@@Dorked surprise no one really documented the dialogue instead of just battle dialogue

[@catdownthestreet]

​@@Libralines same. His speech variants in Judgement Hall are really interesting and definitely worth discussing, but because of the glorious Flanderization effect... no one actually paid attention to that. Because that would introduce nuance. And we in fandom can't handle that for some reason.

[@Ammiteur9]

People always ask "how to beat Sans" but never "how is Sans" /j

[@INLIGHTOFHISTORTYANDOTHE-px7mf]

True he needs help just as much as anybody else

[@ameredelusion]

GODDAMN THAT HURTS 😭

[@F1areon]

Here's a better one: "Why is Sans?"

[@1th_to_comment.]

Where is sans- *clonk* 🔨💀 - "sup?"

[@thepotatoportal69]

"whether is sans" Now we're asking the REAL questions.

[@Ammiteur9]

I feel like you just saved Sans for me. He actually was my favourite character shortly after I finished Undertale for the first time, and hadn't really interacted with it much yet, but seeing how much he overshadowed every other character, when I slowly got into the fandom, it really soured him for me (I would never call a character or piece of media bad because they're popular btw, but I'm sadly not immune to liking them less when that happens) It's really nice to get reminded that there actually is a lot to love about Sans, and funnily, you really showed me that I can actually relate to some of his character traits. Amazing video as always!

[@lorettabes4553]

Haha I can totally understand this comment. This happened to me with Big Man from Splatoon. Nothing can ruin Sans for me though

[@k_klaw2097]

Rubbing my hands together OUGH im ready for this one

[@Dorked]

I worked all week on this puppy. Hopefully it'll be a fun watch!

[@LegendrySoldiers]

Yeah, the fanon has really changed Sans as a character. The whole apathy interpitation I understand to a extent since does kinda allued to it, and it makes sense considering what he knows and his situation. Still, at the same time his eye glows with Cyan/Paitience, him waiting for untill the near end to confront the Player made a lot of sense once I noted the color of his eye glow, I've seen poeple does stuff with yellow/Justice side of things. In general, I feel like the fact that his eyes glows with those specific colors doesn't get enough attention. Heck KR in a way ties into the eye glow, it's a slow acting poison that gets stronger based on the target's karma.

[@Dorked]

This is a great addition, too! There's definitely a lot of interesting color symbolism you can read into Sans, and what's interesting is that the karma system was apparently going to be a bigger deal at one point in the game.

[@c1oudsky]

what is KR?

[@LegendrySoldiers]

@@c1oudsky KR = Karmic Retribution, the pink poison-like effect/status that's unique to the Sans fight.

[@QueSitoMx]

​@@LegendrySoldiers Akshually 🤓 is just karma, the sans battle at one point says "*KARMA coursing through your veins." with 20-30 KR and "Doomed to death of KARMA!" with 30-40 KR

[@TheeEnglishKnight]

im so happy to see this. even though sans is heavily talked about, no one really talks about the intricacies of his character, cant wait to watch!

[@Dorked]

Yeah, Sans has a lot of videos and materials out there, but I really wanted to go into his in-game characterization because a lot of the hype surrounding him tends to focus on one or two things, when there's really a lot to him.

[@se.224]

I love the arc he goes through in pacitist, it doesn’t get talked about enough

[@rigboy1234]

The thing with him and the photo, hinting at the fact he's giving It a shot? If that's what you're talking about, then yeah, same, It should honestly be more acknowledged

[@SkyNinjaDelta]

April Fools Day video idea: Character Analysis of the Annoying Dog, which starts out with genuine analysis of Annoying Dog lore, but then you slowly change the subject into whatever you want.

[@kaleeshsynth9994]

Turns into talking about Toby Fox saying Tohou PRAWJECT

[@Auburn_Rusame0704]

Dorked, I remember you’re *God-tier character analysis*

[@Dorked]

Eyy, thank you very much. c:

[@INLIGHTOFHISTORTYANDOTHE-px7mf]

@Dorked WD gaster appears background

[@張謙-n3l]

I think not only Sans, everything happened in neutral and pacific route is very underrated, most fanmade contents are highly focused on genocide run 7:05 I guess Sans probably had a very complicated feeling at that time, maybe not because of his promise to Toriel, but because Frisk was acting kind towards everyone, singing with Shyren, while they killed the one who deserved to live most, Papyrus Besides Sans, it's quite funny to think about the fact that in neutral runs, Alphys keeps lying, but the part she talk about creating a machine to erase human, is real

[@Pokeball35]

7:06 I had NO idea Sans watches you during the Geno Shyren fight. Such an amazing detail.

[@CyborusYT]

finally a good sane serious video about sans seriously this was great!

[@Dorked]

Eyy, thanks a bunch! c: It was fun to finally sit down and make a video about the funny skeleton man.

[@FestiveAngel06]

Sans was always an investing character, but it's debatable whether they were for the right reasons initially. His story goes deep, and he probably comes from a different universe. I'd say there's been progress, though.

[@Dorked]

I think Sans blew up due to the genuine interest in the early days of the game, but then so many fanworks and permutations followed, as one would expect when a fandom gets so ridiculously big. Add that to UT's appeal across all ages and you get a lot of people creating at different skill levels. I think there's something beautiful about that inspiration coming from so many walks of life, and I've kinda come to accept that even the "fanon" works are made with passion. I just like to share helpful characterization details in hopes that they can be a good reference for others. c: That, and it's just fun to analyze.

[@legendarytronic7774]

​@@Dorked Not to mention the music

[@KingStudios360new]

*human, I remember being a more complex character than "haha funny meglovania guy" *Wait didn't I talk with captailization In the beginning? *oh well. *sup' *I'm sans. *sans the skeleton. *youre probably confuse about why im so popular. *well to be honest, *i dunno *honestly it should be my bro who should get this popularity. *he's the coolest. *but maybe you learn something from the top video. *yea it's good. *... *i guess this is a very roundabout way for this commenter *to tell you he enjoyed the video. *honestly dont know why he made me the one to tell you. *kinda werid. *welp im off the grilbys, you wanna come? *oh wait, you cant. *cuz this a youtube comment. *whoops. *welp, uh. *Bye.

[@DaZebraffe]

9:59 "-further intensified by the photo in his secret lab of monsters you don't know." *People* you don't know. It says people, not monsters. That wording is significant, because it means that-as far as we know-the photo could include at least one human...

[@felementsofficial5685]

That one post on twitter showing how much different 2024 Fanon sans is from the original UNDERTALE sans was EYEOPENING.

[@Dorked]

That 2024 fanon Sans is interesting because it's less a fanwork thing and more a discussion thing. It's an overcorrection that almost feels born out of insecurity, in a weird way?

[@felementsofficial5685]

@@Dorked Yeah exactly, It feels as if they were trying to make fun of 2016 fandom sans but they took it too far especially when they started acting like sans couldn't fight at all and he could only throw ketchup bottles at people.

[@IDK-qq7ct]

@@felementsofficial5685 Tbh I think he’d still would… probably as distraction

[@willytor7899]

i wonder if this was spurred by that really terrible "canon sans vs fanon sans" tweet where it seemingly implied that ""canon"" sans would not care about the death of his brother

[@Robots2124]

That's completely ludicrous to me. His whole deal is that he cares a lot but doesn't show it! He's not breaking down sobbing, he expresses his grief through passive-aggression and controlled anger.

[@susususmoogus5777]

finally, a toriel character analysis

[@Dorked]

All jokes aside, that may come at some point. Patrons were pretty interested in Flowey/Asriel and Mettaton, so those would probably come first, but I'll probably cover every major character at *some* point.

[@Bone-dry]

Sans is the type of person that if you insulted him he'd be like "lol, hater's gonna hate" and then do a fornite dance

[@Dorked]

...dang it, I forgot to mention his canonical fortnite dance in the video. OOPS.

[@crypt5129]

​@@DorkedYou're going to have to make a part two specifically for the fortnite dance

[@spoopdydoo7103]

I hate that given everything, this is a good characterization

[@tigerbear5845]

Another great Dorked video. Generally, I find it more interesting that Sans don't remember resets and instead just uses the deja vu most monsters experience, combined with a deduction from Frisk's actions, to figure out what's going on. As a concept, that's way more cool than just "I remember your *_genocides_* " and really conveys how Sans is smarter than he looks. (Which makes sense seeing as he's friends with Alphys.")

[@KingofLalaland]

sans is such a good character but I dislike how the fandom edgy-fied him beyond comparison. People compare him to the secret bosses, even though jevil and spamton share way more in common with chara and asriel than him. sans is much more compatible with Seam with their mysterious yet friendly nature. sans at his core is an elusive jokester who lost faith in the world, wants to forget his (Gaster related) past, and wants to help his brother with his more optimistic life. He is way more interesting than the anime protagonist the fandom makes him out to be.

[@Dorked]

I think the comparisons may be due to how Sans in many regards feels like Undertale's secret boss? Given that unless you know of the route and how to trigger it, it basically is hidden behind some of the most obtuse, tedious gameplay decisions. In terms of difficulty, he also fills a similar niche (but so does Undying). I think as a character, he does have more in common with Seam, though.

[@KingofLalaland]

@@Dorkedya I can see that, then there’s the theory that seam will be fightable on the weird route with megalovania (which has a habit of showing up in all of Toby’s projects)

[@TheStupidKing]

Gaster is not even confirmed to be related with him, what?

[@chirumiruchirunocirno]

gaster blasters, custom font, relation to the royal scientist and other stuff

[@conuspdogus2535]

​@@KingofLalaland i think Susie or seam would be good for that role

[@idkwhattoputherelol-c1d]

how people think sans reacted to papyrus death: NOOOOOOO BROTHERRRRR **sad music.mp3 + gaster reference for some reason** how people think sans "actually" reacted to papyrus death: oh no, anyway how he probably reacted: you little shit. **stalks the player through the entire run 'till the judgment hall**

[@frozenburrito2.087]

15:47 I agree with your points regarding your interpretation that Sans is depressed. When I was depressed, I coped using humor. I had a lack of motivation, and when I wasn’t around others I was the complete opposite of who I was when I was with my friends.

[@Sunny_Knight27]

Something I think has also been often misinterpreted is why Sans “lets” you kill Papyrus in the geno route, doesn’t physically stop you because of the promise, sure, but like not even stopping Papyrus himself? We dont really know if he didnt to be fair, cause If Sans really did talk to Papyrus trying to stop him from confronting you, it’s clear it didn't work. Even if he would have “listened” before, he’d probably just confront you even later when you're in Waterfall, Hotland, or New Home. And even stronger and more dead inside. But what I think what happened is a bit different/more likely, Sans knows Papyrus. He knows he is beyond talking out of this. Of course, maybe in the back of his mind, he hopes his brother is right! But even so, there's so MUCH on the line. He MIGHT not listen, but his life is on the line. Why do I think Sans/why would Sans not even bother to try and stop his brother/you??? Because Sans knows him. it's Papyrus’ choice, and he knows that despite his brother being awesome, cool and perfect, he's also really stubborn- And if the choice to confront you was taken away from him, Papyrus would have probably considered that worse than death. To believe that he could have talked you down, and stopped countless lives from being taken, but didn't. To know that his chance was taken away by his brother, who doubted him. Sans knows that Papyrus won't change. He doesn't even really want him to. Sans would rather his brother die knowing that Sans never doubted him for a second.

[@what3v3rmann]

This video is great and reinforces a lot of the canon characterization of Sans that tends to get lost. At the end of the video I believe you gave room for recommendations of more characters to make videos about, and I’d personally love to see more in-depth individual character analyses of Toriel and Mettaton each since they’re some of the only ones I want to see that you haven’t yet covered , but no pressure.

[@katamariofsoul]

I think Sans is ultimately just one of the most outstanding examples that always happens in fandoms: When you have a character where certain elements of them are left deliberately ambiguous, there's always a push, often unconsciously mind you, for the fandom to coalesce around one concrete reading of them... even though that's precisely the opposite intention of what the writer has in mind by leaving questions about them unanswered

[@kalkuttadrop6371]

Fandom Sans is so smothering he's managed to take out not only his own Sans, not only Deltarune Sans, not even OTHER Fanon Sans, but he's effected the fandom characterization of Pablo from OFF just because of the comparison between the two, and managed to steal a song from Garnet from Steven Universe to the point people parody the Sans version and not the original.

[@aeolianthecomposer]

The worst fanon is Sans's eye being blue. It's not blue, it switches between blue and yellow

[@eltiolavara9]

TRUE actually

[@fa-mr9xi]

And he only ever used it on gravity atacks and teleporting you The fandom makes his WHOLE POWER comes from that eye

[@kj_i_guess1079]

Well, if ya want to nitpick it's cyan and yellow, but yeah, I don't know why people keep forgetting the yellow

[@aeolianthecomposer]

@@kj_i_guess1079 I'm Russian, I can't tell the difference

[@StafkiGTN]

The filename says it's a blue eye..

[@sanstheskeleton3279]

Sans is such an intriguing character, there's still so much we don't know about him, why does he bleed? how does he know so much about timelines? where did he get the machine? why are his blasters called ''Gaster Blasters''? and what is his relation to Gaster?, I hope one day we will know the answers to all those questions...

[@Dorked]

Yeah, there are many loose ends that seem to be there deliberately, and it's interesting in that if Deltarune doesn't touch upon them, then it'll probably just remain an open book. Either approach is fine, but it'd be cool to see more development without overshadowing the core DR plot.

[@LegionEagles22]

i like to think it's ketchup

[@AldinRamic]

I heard of theory that it's red slime.​@@LegionEagles22

[@INLIGHTOFHISTORTYANDOTHE-px7mf]

determination maybe

[@CatSlapps]

@@INLIGHTOFHISTORTYANDOTHE-px7mfno then undyne would bleed too

[@christopherearth9714]

Funnily enough... after watching this, I think Prologue Horrortale gets Sans's character very well. (well, until he goes bonkers but like shur ttoekejsndll) He knows that worse has comes to worst, and is willing to sacrifice his mental state to keep others alive, but when he needs to, he will take defensive actions towards those who have wronged him or the people he loves. He actively tries to help any way he can. The pear scene is very telling...

[@dull1831]

I wrote this before but before I watch the video, this is how I'd describe Sans: a person who yearns to return to something he can't have, while not having enough faith in the future to truly commit or believe in it.

[@LoiValdes]

Saddest thing is that this doesn't apply only to Sans but to basically every character in UT Frisk being an innocent baby "girl" Alphys being an really awful person Flowey and Asriel as two different person's And Chara being a yandere or the purest person on earth UT was a game that missed its core audience and we're still having those consequences today

[@Magicallord9]

Frisk isn’t a girl tho Like i get that u put it in quotes but at that point just don’t include it

[@LoiValdes]

@@Magicallord9 Just to emphasize how most of people turned Frisk into a female for no reason

[@Robots2124]

@@LoiValdes You'd think the Undertale fandom wouldn't have an issue with non-gendered protagonists, but so many people are weird about it or lie that Toby said their gender is up to interpretation. (He never said anything like that.)

[@LoiValdes]

@@Robots2124 Is incredible how wide spread that misinfo got that is basically common knowledge within the fan base that they're up to interpretation and is the first thing that appears on Google if you search it up The only time that Toby has ever talk about any of the protagonists gender was before the reveal of UNDERTALE where he said that Frisk is androgynu

[@bumbabees]

@@Robots2124 theres a surprising amount of transphobes in both the undertale and deltarune fandom. its wild the amount of people that misgender kris and defend it with "its up to interpretation!!!" when toby literally could not have made it ANY clearer kris is their own person. i think they just dont like non binary people, because they do they do this to napstablook and MK too.

[@mrblinski]

it’s kinda funny how 2016 fanon sans is “the least furthest” from the actual sans, rather than this new gen idgaf no personality CURRENT fanon sans

[@orrorsaness5942]

IKR 😅 Current Fanon Sans is more like Chara (Post True Soulless Pacifist Ending) than 2016 fanon sans

[@Frisk-s6in]

1:35 YOOOO WHAT THE ACTUAL FU

[@GameJam230]

Sans is an interesting character, because despite not having the ability to save or load, he could easily take any monster in a fight if he had the desire to be rid of them as much as he does you in the genocide route. He literally could have taken the human souls, or even just one, and he’d probably be unstoppable. Flowey may be immune to the memory wiping effects of loading due to his own insight into the timeline and resets, but all Sans has is a memory of other timelines he’s SEEN with whatever device allowed him to see timelines “stopping and starting”, and the ability to read anyone like a book. Just by seeing how pissed off Frisk’s face looked, he could tell how he killed you and even how many times he did so. Sans isn’t powerful because of any supernatural abilities, but because of his heightened understanding of “turns” in combat and the battle box your soul is trapped in. As far as I know, the only beings that have any real awareness or ability to manipulate it in any way that isn’t just shooting attacks would be Flowey and the Amalgamates- beings with determination. I guess it makes sense though, both Jevil and Spamton Neo have big final attacks that remove the battle box like Asriel’s fight, and both of them interacted with a strange someone that Sans also likely knew… maybe that’s where he gets his power and hyper awareness from?

[@StafkiGTN]

I feel like, as a fandom, we went to two extremes when it comes to sans. In the past, it was "sans would be very emotional when his facade fades, like if papyrus died" to the modern fandom going "sans literally just doesn't care about anything and would just go "lol" if papyrus died" can't we reach some kind of middle ground, people?

[@fishyfishyfishy500akabs8]

Yeah to me Sans is draws a lot from that cool uncle type of personality and the concept of a judge like character. He doesn’t start bawling like Jojo’s Esidisi when something goes wrong and isn’t completely broken and edgy like Rick and Morty’s Rick. It is uncharacteristic of him to show extreme emotion, not because he’s a heartless monster but because the way he expresses himself is through down to earth conversations and things like jokes, one liners, and the very occasional, raw statement like his threats. And he also doesn’t show too much emotion because he acts as a judge and in a way a mirror and looking glass for your adventure which forces you (the player) to confront yourself and take a look back at what you have done, being someone who occasionally takes your attention for a moment and nudges you to be mindful and make the right decision. The jokes here serve mainly to help get your attention, to endear him to you and provide some extra something asides from pure seriousness. That’s what the original Fanon type jokey version misses, the fact he isn’t grinning ear to ear and giggling to himself when he pranks people (saying this metaphorically but I’ve seen it literally in some cases where his expressiveness is turned up to 11), but is instead perhaps a bit coy about it at most while still keeping a similar enough tone, someone who can switch between the serious and unserious. The Quantum Physics Joke book works as a great metaphor for this as the game has certain things happen like the extra focus given to both of you when he asks about the “echo flower”. Said big moments like the infamous “…you’d be dead where you stand.” leaves a massive impression in people precisely because he is so subdued most of the time. I feel like some fan interpretations lack that extra bit of subtlety with sans. Whether that be when he is emotional or when he is unemotional.

[@CatSlapps]

It is time to clean the fandom waste bin 💀👏😭

[@Dorked]

At the very least, I hope this video will be a useful reference for people! c:

[@AEdgyAhhCookie]

fr

[@childeofepickness]

finally god it’s so dirty

[@Plaguedocwhoneedsabreak]

But I like my aus D:

[@Dorked]

@@Plaguedocwhoneedsabreak There's nothing wrong with AUs! I have one myself. xD

[@ApocalypticJay]

I always headcanoned Sans as having executive dysfunctioning. It's one of those "I'm projecting my problems onto this character" headcanons. I have it mostly because it's interesting to think of him as not really being able to do things unless he has no other options, putting things off until the last moment, etc. He does what he can when he's motivated to, such as spur of the moment things (helping the player/frisk out, telescope prank, hot dogs/cats) and dropping them completely when he's done. He rarely goes out of his way to do things, and maybe hates making promises because he doesn't feel like he can keep them. He doesn't stand up to the player in the genocide route until it's actually convenient to him at the last possible chance (he's always at the final corridor no matter what route you're on). I wasn't really in the fandom for the most part when I originally enjoyed the game (and by "the fandom", I mean online. I was a kid, I heard playground rumors akin to "gaster is under the truck") so that affects how I view the characters of both UT and DR.

[@wrong_thyme]

m8 this headcanon ate, i'm stealing it

[@xcaedes]

Thanks for making this Dorked. It is about time everyone remembered he is more than just the memes.

[@yourdemiseishere]

Not just that, the eye flashing being remembered as just a blue glowing eye.

[@sarafontanini7051]

the conversation about the flower also shows how sans is omniscient and doesn't know everything. he jsut thinks someone's pranking papyrus, he is unaware of flowey's murderous intention, let alone the fact the flower is a living, talking entity.

[@professorhazard]

There's such a good backstory puzzle between Sans, Alphys, Gaster, "the anomaly", and how they might all be tied together. I sure hope it all pays off some day.

[@Krimpsopher]

Well damn, I really didn't expect to have my overly pessimistic views on Sans to change now, but I'm glad I gave the vid a shot. My main problem was Sans' cowardice, seemingly thinking he's stronger than he actually is through his threat, and not taking Frisk's perspective into consideration when judging them. But after a No Mercy run (Neutral run where you kill every encounter without clearing out every single enemy) it really got me thinking, especially about his way of judging Frisk (I got LOVE 13 and in his dialog I did see him acknowledging Frisk's situation), and even after clearing the run the lack of the usual somber song there was just wind, I didn't think much of Sans' words then. But now I really took a deep consideration about Sans as a character and will be sure to keep it in mind, thanks. (this comment will prolly never be seen)

[@5Klo5]

You have been seen 👁

[@SoulRobot33210]

do you guys remember the: Steven After Not Surviving theory?

[@Dorked]

I loved when the Spamton Sweepstakes made a reference to it.

[@twohundredcats]

@@Dorked Spamton After Not Surviving

[@Bananabread-and-Icecream]

Ironically the same thing going on with Sans in the fandom is what's happening to Steven too. The countless aus that basically change the characters so fundamentally that it's not Steven anymore, even the selfshipping, and mischaracterisation in the fandom in various ways even when talking about canon material. Truly a Steven After Not Surviving moment. (Honestly though, I've been tempted to do an essay on Steven's character because of it. Even some of Sans' and Steven's mischaracterizations overlap)

[@LegionEagles22]

my undertale hyperfixation is long gone, but Sans is so flanderised that I almost want to reanimate it simply to write a decent fanwork about him

[@AdCamelium]

Thank you so much for creating my favourite Sans video of all time! Your attention to detail is exquisite. Not only did you cover every last bit of canon and bonus material that I was hoping to hear about, your analysis of it all was both in depth and delightful. I can tell you had some fun with this one and you made me laugh a lot. Thank you again, so so much, for contributing to this conversation on Sans's personality and worldview. You're my favourite Undertale KZbinr and your videos have given me a lot of comfort in hard times. So far you've delivered only the best takes. From media literacy to script writing to editing and humour... your work is practically flawless. The only thing I still wanted from you was more Sans content- and oh boy, you've given me all that I could ask for and more! Again: thank you!!! I feel like I could show this video to anyone (who's already played UT or doesn't mind spoilers) and say "this is why I love Sans." That's how well you've summarised him. Very skillfully, you laid out all the reasons why people feel so drawn to him, myself included. I love Sans very, very much, in a decidedly Not Normal way, so I have very strong feelings about his character. That doesn't mean I'm particularly bothered by his Flanderisation in the fandom. It just excites me even more when I see the Sans that *I* fell in love with depicted accurately. Videos like yours showcase his character perfectly and will hopefully inspire more people to write him as he actually is. But even if not, I'm a strong believer in "being the change you want to see." I'll always champion The Real Sans (as I know him), and sharing this video with others will be a part of my campaign. Even though Sans is not your personal favourite from UTDR, you've portrayed him in a way that resonates with someone who's beyond obsessed with him. I know I'm just a random person you'll never meet, but I hope you can tell that this is a great accomplishment. Really! It's a big deal! At least it is to me, haha... because I love Sans, I love your videos, I love Undertale, and I love you for reading my whole rambly comment! Thank you, thank you. I can't say it enough. I'm gonna watch the whole thing over again and bask in how much I adore Sans. Dorked, you're the best. Thank you for bringing him home to me.

[@KitsuneFaroe]

As soon as I read the thumbnail I knew this video was going to be a banger! At it definetly was! This is the Sans that made me question my entire phylosophy on Undertale and games once I fought him. This is the Sans that kept me hyped during his fight even though with how sad it is. There got to a point where I honestly started to feel like one of the only ones that got his character right and kinda started to forget who he truly was. You really did an amazing job at disecting him in the best way posible. And shows how much of an actual amazing character he truly is! He is the most perceptive and aware character in the game and his thinking was always something that facinated me. Is not only about Sans but the main phylosophy of the game is reflected on him and explained very well in this video! Now I want to show this video to anyone I know that played Undertale!

[@Fusednebula]

FINALLY! I hate fannon sans, when i talk to fans most see him as his boss battle or depression/angst. I love silly goblin sans and especially how human he is.

[@bubblelovessans]

SILLY GOBLIN SANS :DD

[@radekkanikowski8817]

Sans is embodiment of a saing "fear the wrath of quiet man" in genocide. good natured and holding back until left with no other option hoping for best but when he breaks. he will break your bones.

[@graysongdl]

What a lot of people don't get about Sans is that he isn't a hero. He's not trying to stop you, or make you go back, or save the world. He even says it himself that he's given up on going back, and on going to the surface, because he doesn't believe that to be a genuine option anymore. Rather, the reason he fights you in the first place is PURELY to make you suffer. That's the really interesting part about Sans's quiet anger. He doesn't yell, he doesn't even SEEM angry on the outside. He's just getting revenge, because he knows he'll lose his chance to if he waits too long. He's cold, merciless, and makes fun of your pain as he kills you over and over. He's one of only THREE characters in the whole game to intentionally kill you repeatedly. Asgore does it because he'll happily re-do the fight as many times as it takes if it means he'll be freed from his responsibility. Flowey is just a psychopath. But Sans? He just wants to hurt you. It's an interesting character flaw I feel a lot of people forget about. Also, I feel like the "Sans assumes you're responsible for Flowey's resets because he's lacking crucial data" bit is tragically under-explored in fanworks.

[@BoneDaddy69420]

38:09 i feel like part of this is definitely the tense awkwardness, but most of it is that the abrupt and perfectly-timed "eggs-husband" bit caught him off guard as the funniest thing he's ever heard and he's trying very hard not to laugh out of respect.

[@poopet1976]

0:33 broke me for some reason

[@drago_the_enchantwing]

I see the pun, I go to the comments, and the first non-pinned comment is about it lmao

[@Atomic_Dusky]

I wanna see a Part 2 on Papyrus and how he truly is the most important character in Undertale and what role he'll eventually play in Deltarune.

[@Dorked]

I actually did do a Papyrus character analysis YEARS ago that's in the playlist! It only focuses on UT because it was made a while ago, though I did do some separate videos on the skelebros in DR and a popular theory.

[@Atomic_Dusky]

@@Dorked I've seen then, but lately the "Blink Motherf@$ker" Tumblr post about Papyrus being secretly OP, the "Papyrus is the Knight" Deltarune Theory, and then the implications of a majority of that makes Papyrus, well Papyrus, is all related to the underground which means Deltarune Papyrus is gonna be a vastly different character. And as we know that Toby Fox likes to bring back scrapped concepts, there's a possibility that Incel Beta Papyrus could actually (and I hope and pray that it ain't) be a thing in Deltarune. Point is that if you really think about it, Papyrus is just as mysterious, if not even more mysterious than sans.

[@miniwhiffy3465]

He is not the most important character

[@ClodsireBcuzYes]

"human, i remember you're.... uhm, hold on." **looking at your expression** "nah nvm ur good kid. probably."

[@garrettfish8471]

I adore the judgments because they add a necessary nuance to Sans's character. Underneath all of his jokes and tricks is a character who wants you to do the right thing. He's Papyrus in the Genocide route without the naivety, juxtaposing hope with a realism about how things truly are. That's why I fell in love with him.

[@TheSeedierItGets]

Couldn’t agree more, and while fanworks typically have their own interpretation of how Sans goes about things/comes to grasp, there is an iteration that actually come to mind in regards to how Sans is in actuality/in this. Firstly, ‘The Thought’’s sans. While it’s based off a neutral ending with its own spin, it actually does a remarkable job at interpreting Sans psychology - he is not inspired/fueled by any particular thing(and while you could argue it’s more or less stated he remembers the timelines) that does little to nothing to change his melancholic state, where he’s come to terms with just how the world works, regardless of the characters in the story pushing him to make a decision. He’s apathetic as ever, and chooses to have no say in the ending. But that’s just my two cents; LOVE LOVE LOVE your analysis.

[@jbark678]

Flanderization is an unfortunate phenomenon, but at least it's not actually canon in this case.

[@ragingmonkeycritic]

Every now and then an Undertale video essay will appear and I'll think to myself "Yeah, Undertale is just the best piece of art humanity has ever made"

[@Moon_dude_plush]

I think the line about fried food is actually more meant to be a reference to his fake fried snowball business

[@glyon506]

I think the whole “emitting slime” thing might be jabbing at the fact that skeletons can somehow sweat in undertale, but I don’t know for sure

[@RifoTheRifle]

40:54 The outlook of the use of 'overrated' as a term to undermine things that people love is a pretty poignant part of this video and has made me think about how I've been looking at 'enthusiastic fans' of media that I find rather grating at times. Not to say I've ever told someone straight to their face that some piece of media they enjoy is completely not worth their time, but I've oft looked at them at a pretty negative light, though I've never managed to pin down why exactly I felt that way. Me being 'less enthused' compared to them makes so much sense now that I think about it. Really good video, and I'm surprised to catch a recent one from you since I've had 'The Truth About Papyrus - A Character Analysis' as a video I accredit to my appreciation of the more subtler characterizations. Hoping for more in the future!