undertale

Please... Young one...
This war has gone on long enough.
You have the power...
Take my soul, and leave this cursed place.

Asgore Dreemurr

The Neutral Route is one of the three primary routes in Undertale. In this route, the final boss is Omega Flowey, though after fighting him once (without performing a True Reset or a Genocide Route), Flowey only destroys Asgore's SOUL and his fight is skipped, as he knows the SOULs would revolt again.

On a True Pacifist Route, the protagonist must reach one of the Neutral Endings to unlock the quest line leading to the True Pacifist Ending.

Method

This ending occurs when the requirements for either the True Pacifist Route or a Genocide Route have not been met, or if the protagonist on their first playthrough did not kill anyone as a prerequisite to the True Pacifist Route.

There are many versions of this ending, all consisting of Sans calling the protagonist's Cell Phone and leaving a message telling the protagonist of the Underground's fate. However, the content of the phone call is based upon the actions that the protagonist has made throughout the game. The track An Ending plays during the call, except in the Mettaton, Leaderless, Dog, Alphys, and Impossible variants.

Neutral Route Epilogue

In all of the Neutral Route endings (except for after aborting the Genocide Route in Hotland), Alphys tells the protagonist that they must kill Asgore and take his SOUL, as a human SOUL alone cannot pass through the barrier. Consistent across all Neutral Route epilogues:

After the brief, lackluster credits of the Neutral Route, Sans calls the protagonist's Cell Phone to leave a message. He can begin the call with a special comment if certain requirements are met. Sans will only ever make one comment; this table lists them in order of descending precedence. (For example, if the protagonist neither removed the Bandage nor used consumables, and did not kill Papyrus, Sans will give his comment about getting something to eat.)

Requirement(s) Result
  • Never used consumables.
  • Never killed Papyrus.
  • Never removed the Bandage.
  • Is at LV 1.
 Sans comments on the protagonist's ability to challenge themself, but tells them not to brag about it.
  • Never used consumables.
  • Never killed Papyrus.
 Sans asks if they ever had something to eat.
  • Wearing the Bandage.
  • Never killed Papyrus.
 Sans comments if the protagonist is still wearing the gross bandage they started out with.
  • Never SAVE.
  • Never killed Papyrus.
 Sans suggests that the protagonist SAVE their game.
Sans mentions that a certain snowman is really happy.
  • Did not meet any of the special requirements listed above or has killed Papyrus.
 Sans simply leaves a message for the protagonist.
  • Aborted the Genocide Route in Hotland after killing Undyne the Undying.
 Sans immediately hands the phone over to Alphys.

The phone call then branches into their respective ending.

Note: The following names are unofficial.

Toriel Ending Tree

Requirements: Toriel is spared.

Toriel has returned to her throne to rule over the Underground and has instated a policy of non-hostility towards future humans that fall into their world. This ending then branches into one of three variants: the "Family Ending," the "Betrayed Undyne Ending," or the "Exiled Queen Ending."

Family Ending (Flawed Pacifist)

Requirements: The protagonist has befriended Papyrus and Undyne and did not kill any monsters.

Despite the disappearance of the human SOULs and Asgore's tragic death, Toriel rouses the spirits of the Underground's inhabitants and tells them not to give in to despair. Sans likewise encourages the protagonist never to give up.

The call passes to Papyrus, who proudly proclaims his new position as "CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD." This turns out to be a figurehead position, as the Royal Guard (whose primary responsibility was to keep watch for human SOULs) has in fact been disbanded. His only real duty is tending to the garden of the New Home castle.

The former Royal Guard captain Undyne then enters the call and explains that she has found new work as Alphys's lab assistant. She has also been appointed to be the gym teacher of Toriel's new school; she boasts that she can bench-press seven children. She then begins to mourn the loss of Asgore, but then goes on to reassure the protagonist that it was not their fault and that they were just doing what they had to. The next part of this ending varies depending on whether the protagonist has dated Alphys.

At this point, it occurs to Undyne/Alphys to ask Toriel to join the conversation; however, Toriel simply tells her that she is busy, not realizing that the protagonist is on the other end of the line. Papyrus and Sans joke that Toriel would probably tie up the line for hours if she only knew the protagonist was on the phone, and that they "HAVE THE MERCY TO SPARE [THEM] FROM HER." Undyne and Alphys (if she was dragged into the call), then suggest calling back anytime as she would love to talk.

The call ends with Sans mentioning that the phone is low on batteries, and everyone says goodbye.

Betrayed Undyne Ending

Requirements: The protagonist spared Papyrus and Undyne while killing fewer than 10 monsters, but did not befriend Undyne or killed monsters after befriending her (Undyne can't be befriended if the protagonist has any LOVE).

The first part of this call plays out like in the Family Ending. Toriel tries her best to tell the inhabitants of the Underground not to give up even though their situation is pretty grim. Sans also tells the protagonist that they should not give up either. Sans then hands the phone over to Papyrus, who takes over for the remainder of the call.

Papyrus states that since Toriel disbanded the Royal Guard, he has no idea what to do with his life, but he resolves to continue working hard, "EVEN IF IT'S ON NOTHING AT ALL!" However, despite Papyrus's reassurance that he is doing fine, he states that Undyne has it rough since she lost her job and her house, and he says that he and Sans are taking care of her at their house. Sans has hired her at his illegal hot dog stand in Hotland, except Undyne hates working there. The rest of the phone call branches into three different paths depending on what the protagonist has done.

The call ends with Papyrus saying goodbye (forever, if in the third branch, and the protagonist has not killed Mettaton) to the protagonist.

Exiled Queen Ending

Requirements: The protagonist has killed ten or more monsters, Papyrus, or Undyne.

Toriel's new policy was met with severe backlash since not only was Asgore killed, but the human SOULs disappeared as well along with the lives of Papyrus, Undyne, or countless other citizens. As a result, a rebellion was formed to overthrow the queen.

Sans mentions that he decided to accompany Toriel when she returned to the Ruins and brought her books from the library in Snowdin so that she does not have to read the same ones.

Undyne Ending

Requirements: Toriel is dead but Undyne is alive.

Undyne becomes the ruler of the Underground and enforces a policy to destroy all humans who enter, and she has militarized the Underground in order to help her do so. She plans to find a new way to destroy the barrier, and once she does, she plans to wage war on humanity and personally hunt down and destroy the protagonist. Sans mentions not being able to reach Toriel and, if Papyrus is dead, implies that he is aware she has been killed and that the protagonist is responsible. He then warns the protagonist to watch themself as "things are lookin real bad for [them]."

However, if Papyrus is alive, Sans simply says that Toriel might not be feeling well, allowing Papyrus to interrupt the call and tell the protagonist that Undyne has appointed him to "THE MOST IMPORTANT ROYAL POSITION," which is a figurehead position where he stands around and looks cute, but he is proud of it. Despite the fact that Undyne would "PROBABLY KILL [THEM]", Papyrus encourages the protagonist to come and visit, stating that it would be worth the risk.

Regardless of Mettaton's status, it has no effect on the dialogue of this ending.

Mettaton Ending

Requirements: Toriel and Undyne are dead, but Mettaton is alive.

Mettaton becomes ruler of the Underground since Undyne disappeared, and establishes a dystopian society in which he brainwashes the entire Underground with his television show. Sans mentions that he became his agent and then hands over the phone to Mettaton.

Mettaton establishes a policy on humanity that any human that falls can join his fan club for free. He says that among the many statues and monuments he has built in his image, he has built a statue of Alphys as well. Mettaton goes on to say that he was "NOT THE GREATEST TO HER." He says that he was going to apologize to Alphys and ask her to help him rule, but could not find her, and emphasizes "TRUST ME. I LOOKED." Mettaton even implies that she has committed suicide, as he hopes that the protagonist's life after meeting him "HAS BEEN WORTH LIVING." Mettaton then asks the protagonist to think of him always and, if Papyrus is dead, ends the phone call there.

If Papyrus is alive, he then joins the call to mention that he has become Mettaton's second agent. He says that things have gotten a lot better since the protagonist came (excluding the fact that everything sucks for anyone who does not worship Mettaton; according to Papyrus, those people tend to "disappear"), but misses Undyne and asks the protagonist to say "hi" if they see her.

It's Showtime! plays when Sans hands the phone over to Mettaton, but stops when he talks about Alphys's obscure fate and when Papyrus joins the call if he was spared.

Papyrus Ending

Requirements: Toriel, Undyne, and Mettaton are dead, but Papyrus is alive.

By process of elimination, Papyrus becomes the ruler of the Underground, though Sans does most of the work. Sans tells Papyrus that Asgore, Alphys, Mettaton, and Undyne are on vacation. The Underground is improving: productivity is up, and Papyrus cooks everyone spaghetti. (However the "improvements" are quite ironic, given that Papyrus isn't the best at cooking, and that he simply makes the other monsters keep working instead of finding a way to leave.) The human policy instituted is that they cannot be judged to be all good or all bad; either way, they get puzzles. Once Sans leaves, Papyrus expresses distress on his new responsibility as the ruler when people "WANT TO GIVE UP" and how he misses all his friends; he mentions how Undyne never picks up his calls and assumes that she must be really enjoying herself on vacation. However, Papyrus reassures the protagonist that he is determined to "MAKE EVERYONE GIVE UP GIVING UP", and hopes to get out of the Underground and hang out with the protagonist again.

Dog Ending

Requirements: Only Toriel, Papyrus, Undyne, and Mettaton are dead. All other monsters are alive, Glyde, Muffet, and So Sorry included.

A small, white dog becomes the president of the Underground amidst the chaos that ensued due to the disappearances of a number of important people and nobody else being harmed. The dog sleeps on the throne and does absolutely nothing. Sans comments that this seems to be the best life for everyone and thanks the protagonist for the results. "Dogsong" plays during the call just like in the Impossible Ending.

Leaderless Ending

For the other definition of "No Mercy Route", where all possible monsters are killed, see Genocide Route.
Requirements: Toriel, Papyrus, Undyne, Mettaton, and at least one (but not every) non-boss monster has been killed.

The Underground is leaderless, and things have gotten pretty bad. The mood is somber, and people feel as if they are just going to die in the Underground, trapped in the dark. Sans says he is not the ruler because he is not cut out for something like that, and he likes to take it easy (which is a joke; he says this is what happens when people like him decide to take it easy). If 20 or more non-boss monsters were killed, Sans remarks on how the Underground is less crowded before telling the protagonist to "go to hell." If fewer than 20 non-boss monsters were killed, Sans simply says "see ya." instead.

A variant of this, where all encountered monsters were killed, is known as the No Mercy or Neutral No Mercy Route, which yields an identical ending.

mus_wind plays during this ending, an ambient track similar to that played when the game is restarted after a Genocide Route and after the battle with Omega Flowey (mus_f_wind2).

Alphys Ending (Near Genocide)

Requirements: The protagonist followed the Genocide Route requirements throughout Waterfall but aborted the route during the travel through Hotland.

The protagonist does not encounter Alphys during this route, as the ending requires killing Undyne the Undying, which preempts the protagonist's meeting with Alphys in Hotland. Sans does not address the protagonist when he calls them. After finding the protagonist's contact information, he instead immediately hands the phone over to Alphys, who has now become the new ruler of the Underground.

Alphys explains that after hearing Undyne's last words, her resolve was strengthened, and she proceeded to evacuate the remaining monsters in the Underground to a safe location (presumably the True Lab, as she mentions that if she evacuated everyone, they would have to learn the truth about her). The survivors lauded her as a hero and elected her as the new ruler. Despite her confidence in her governing abilities, she remains anxious around people. After mourning the losses of Undyne, Asgore, and Mettaton, she ends the call saying that she should have killed the protagonist when she had the chance.

No music plays during this ending.

Impossible Ending (Dirty Hacker)

Requirements: The protagonist has somehow met none of the above requirements or hacked the game.

As "Dogsong" plays in the background, Sans says that he has no idea what the protagonist has done to get this ending, and explains that the call is an error-handling message. He goes on to suggest contacting the developer so they can fix the game or add another ending. Breaking the 4th wall, Sans also suspects the protagonist hacking the game before hanging up.

Flowey's Parting Words

After the phone call, if the protagonist had spared Flowey, he appears to talk to the protagonist. His dialogue depends on the protagonist's actions during the Neutral Route.

Trivia

External Links