Undyne

For the track named after this character, see Undyne (soundtrack).

SCREW IT!
WHY SHOULD I TELL THAT STORY
WHEN YOU'RE ABOUT TO DIE!?!
NGAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Undyne before her battle

Undyne (JP: アンダイン) (/ˈʌnˌdaɪn/ UN-dyne), is a main character in Undertale. She is the head of the Royal Guard. Undyne pursues the protagonist throughout Waterfall, though she is inadvertently thwarted by Monster Kid. She is the third boss of the game.

On the Genocide Route, Undyne transforms into Undyne the Undying after the protagonist fatally wounds her in a single strike.

Profile

Appearance

Normal

Undyne prepares to throw her spear at the protagonist.

Undyne is a piscine, anthropomorphic monster. She has red and blue fins on the sides of her head, blue scales, a long red ponytail and a pair of sharp, yellow, protruding teeth. She wears a red eyeshadow and has an eyepatch over her left eye. She also wears a black tank top and blue jeans, but debuts in armor varying in light and dark shades of gray. Her eyes have black vertical pupils and yellow sclera. Undyne has no nose.

Alphys date

During the date with Alphys, Undyne wears a white turtleneck under a black leather jacket, a scarf around her neck, pants, lipstick, a light-colored eyepatch, and lets some of her hair down.

Personality

Undyne is hot-blooded and passionate about everything that she does. She acts quickly on her ideas and is steadfast in her beliefs. Though she wants to kill the protagonist, she also makes an attempt to be fair and offers an explanation of how green mode works. Her training with Asgore taught her the value of pacifism, which is why Undyne sees the protagonist as "a wimpy loser with a big heart".

Undyne loves to help others and mentors Shyren and Papyrus in various skills. She dislikes puzzles, loves japes, enjoys playing the piano, collecting weaponry, primarily swords, and anime. The latter interest is shared with her romantic interest, Alphys. Since Alphys told Undyne that anime is human history, Undyne regards human history as exciting.

Undyne has the crudest vocabulary of any character in the game, being the source of the majority of the mild expletives. She also comes close to using stronger language in one of her phone calls. When Undyne was younger, she followed Gerson around much like how Monster Kid follows her.

Undyne enjoys greasy food, particularly the cheese fries at Grillby's. She also enjoys eating limes whole. She dislikes cold food and soda, having a "Hot Fridge" created by Alphys to remedy the former, though she still keeps bottles of soda, most likely for Alphys.

Out of all encountered monsters, Undyne possesses the most determination. She melts before her death, as her body cannot handle the amount of determination she has.

Undyne is physically strong. She is able to bench press seven children, as mentioned in the Family Ending of the Neutral Route, and she is able to lift multiple people at once. Additionally, she is the only one who is able to move when Flowey traps her with vines.

Etymology

Undyne's name is derived from "Undine", a womanly water nymph from Greek lore. It is also a play on "undying", referring her title in the Genocide route, as well as the fact she does not die immediately upon health depletion.

Main story

Neutral Route

First, however, as is customary for those who make it this far...
I shall tell you the tragic tale of our people.
It all started, long ago...

Undyne

The lighting radically changes when Undyne is near.

The protagonist initially encounters Undyne after entering Waterfall, where Undyne stands on top of a ledge. If alive, Papyrus approaches her and delivers a report on the status of the human, and then attempts to convince her not to harm them. After Papyrus leaves, the protagonist can continue, but the grass rustling alerts Undyne to their presence. She scopes out the grass for a moment before retreating.

Undyne follows the protagonist throughout Waterfall and repeatedly attacks them, but the protagonist always evades capture by either dodging her attacks or due to Monster Kid's interference. Later on, Undyne approaches the protagonist as Monster Kid hangs on to the side of a bridge. If the protagonist saves Monster Kid, they protect the protagonist from Undyne. If the protagonist does not help Monster Kid, Undyne jumps down to save them instead. Undyne takes 100 damage after doing this, which is useful for killing Undyne on the Neutral Route.

After this, Undyne confronts the protagonist and stands atop a crag while giving a monologue that she has rehearsed many times before. However, she cuts the monologue short because she forgot the rest of it and launches head-on into battle. If Papyrus has been killed, Undyne is distraught and does not shout at the protagonist before the battle. If Papyrus has not been killed, but Snowdrake, Shyren, or any member of the Snowdin Canine Unit were killed, Undyne will comment on their deaths.

Battle against Undyne.

After Undyne chases the protagonist into Hotland, she collapses due to dehydration. The protagonist can offer Undyne a glass of water, spill all the water in front of her, or continue into Hotland. If she receives water, Undyne stands up, looks around, and slowly returns to Waterfall. If Undyne does not receive water, she develops heatstroke and cannot be befriended, thus barring the protagonist from the True Pacifist Route.

If Undyne's HP is depleted during her battle with the protagonist on the Neutral Route, she clings on to life with determination. The protagonist's SOUL returns to green mode, preventing the protagonist from fleeing. However, Undyne attacks become slower with each turn, and every time she attacks, more of her body begins to ripple and split apart. Eventually, after six turns, she reforms due to her determination, causing her to have more determination than her monster body can handle. Because of this, she melts and begins to disintegrate. The protagonist is unable to end the battle by sparing her while this is happening, and whether or not they attack her has no effect on how quickly she dies.

After she dies, the dialogue of the NPCs of Waterfall will change, usually talking about the change of atmosphere in the area and generally feeling unsafe. Most of the Echo Flowers will also become silent as well.

True Pacifist Route

Hey! Human! If you got past ME, you can do ANYTHING!
So don't worry! We're with you all the way!

Undyne

Undyne interrupts Alphys's date with the protagonist.

Papyrus calls the protagonist during Undyne's chase and suggests that they and Undyne should hang out at her house. If the protagonist gives Undyne water and has no EXP, they can backtrack to her house to meet Papyrus, and begin their hangout with her. Following the hangout, Undyne's house becomes inaccessible due to it being engulfed in flames.

After the protagonist completes the Neutral Route, they can backtrack from the CORE into the MTT Resort, and Undyne will call them to ask for a favor. In Snowdin Town, Undyne gives them a letter that she asks them to take to Alphys in Hotland. During Alphys's subsequent date with the protagonist, Undyne travels to the garbage dump and interrupts a romantic roleplay Alphys had set up, forcing Alphys to confess her feelings for her. Undyne encourages Alphys to work on her self image and confesses her own feelings for her.

Later on, following Toriel's arrival, Undyne appears to interrupt Asgore's encounter with the protagonist and demands that they befriend one another. Prompted by Mettaton, Alphys and Undyne almost kiss before Flowey's ambush, but Toriel chastises them for kissing in front of a child. When Flowey ensnares the protagonist's friends with vines and attempts to kill the protagonist, Undyne protects them along with the rest of their friends. Flowey then absorbs the six human SOULs and the SOULs of most of the monsters in the underground, including Undyne's.

During the battle against Asriel, Undyne appears as one of the Lost Souls.

Undyne during the ending credits.

When the protagonist talks to Undyne in the epilogue, Undyne states that she is glad that she lost to the protagonist and then resolves to watch anime with Alphys. The Royal Guard is disbanded. Toriel also texts the protagonist that Undyne was able to lift Asgore, Sans, Papyrus, Alphys, and Toriel herself at once, but was uncertain as to how to put them down.

On the surface, Undyne pursues Papyrus after he runs off to meet more humans. In the True Pacifist ending credits, Undyne is seen kissing Alphys on her left cheek and laughs when she faints in embarrassment. She then punches the sidewalk beside her while laughing, causing it to crack.

Genocide Route

Undyne persisting, as But the Earth Refused to Die plays.

On the bridge, Monster Kid confronts the protagonist after Undyne tells them that they had hurt many people. When the protagonist attacks Monster Kid, Undyne leaps in to protect them, taking the fatal blow in their place. After Monster Kid leaves the scene, Undyne realizes the protagonist is a danger to both humans and monsters, then transforms into her Undying form and battles the protagonist.

In battle

For an in-battle description, see Undyne/In battle.

Relationships

Alphys

I don't want you to have to lie to anyone anymore.
Alphys... I want to help you become happy with who you are!

Undyne on a date with Alphys

Alphys and Undyne love one another. Undyne first met Alphys in the garbage dump while searching for swords. She listened to Alphys's theories for hours on where the garbage dump's abyss led. The two became close friends soon after, with Alphys introducing her to anime at some point, although Alphys told her that they were history biopics about humans. They hang out often, and Alphys uses the seagrass throughout Waterfall to make a special frosty treat for Undyne. Alphys and Undyne also worked together to create some of the puzzles in Waterfall. At some point Undyne fell in love with Alphys due to her confidence in what she liked and her work, but didn't know how to express this. She apparently called her once just to ask her what the weather was like, even though the underground has no weather. She would also constantly write letters expressing her feelings, but she'd always change her mind when she went to deliver them and go back to write another one.

In the Family Ending of the Neutral Route, Undyne quits her job as head of the Royal Guard to be Alphys's lab assistant, where she apparently caused a lot of explosions.

On the True Pacifist Route, Undyne calls the protagonist to have them deliver one of her letters to Alphys, but quickly changes her mind after changing into some casual clothes. She discovers them in the dump, having a pretend date due to Alphys thinking the letter was from the protagonist, where she hears Alphys saying she loves her. This leads to a conversation where Alphys confesses everything to her, which she mostly accepts, but she starts freaking out after Alphys leaves due to being told that anime is not real. She asks the protagonist if it is true, and if they confirm that it is, she becomes devastated but decides to put up a brave face for Alphys's sake. If the protagonist says that anime is real, she is elated and raves about "gigantic swords" and "magical princesses". Undyne and Alphys nearly kiss while visiting the protagonist after the fight with Asgore fight is interrupted, but Toriel tells them not to kiss in front of the protagonist. Undyne is seen kissing Alphys on the cheek on the beach during the credits and laughs when the latter faints.

Papyrus

Papyrus, who I have trained every day...
Even though I KNOW he's too goofy to ever hurt anyone...

Undyne about Papyrus if he is dead

Undyne considers Papyrus a close friend. She is impressed by his persistence, but is concerned about his well-being and secretly does not want him to join the Royal Guard because she believes he is too kind to even fight. As a result, she teaches him how to cook in hopes for him to defer from joining. Undyne sometimes enjoys messing with Papyrus, but she often forgets that he usually takes things literally. She is heartbroken and infuriated if the protagonist kills Papyrus during the Neutral/Genocide Route.

The protagonist

Now I know you aren't just some wimpy loser.
You're a wimpy loser with a big heart!

Undyne after faux battle with the protagonist

Undyne initially despises the protagonist and believes that they would be more useful dead than alive. If the protagonist spares her and offers her water in Hotland, she begrudgingly befriends them if they have earned no EXP. Though Papyrus tricks Undyne into befriending the protagonist, she genuinely cares about them at the end of their hangout. However, if the protagonist betrays her by killing monsters after her hangout, she ends up hating them more than she would if they did not hang out with her at all.

If the protagonist earned no EXP and befriended Undyne in a previous playthrough, she remembers them vaguely as a friend but brushes off the feeling before battling them.

Asgore

It seems that you and ASGORE are fated to fight.
But knowing him...
He probably doesn't want to.

Undyne about Asgore after faux battle with the protagonist

Even though Asgore is her boss, Undyne sees him as a friend and knows his favorite type of tea. When she was younger, Undyne challenged Asgore to a fight but could not land a single blow on him. She was humiliated because he did not fight back and only dodged her attacks. Asgore then offered to train Undyne and eventually promoted her to head of the Royal Guard.

After Toriel refuses to "be friends again" with Asgore on the True Pacifist Route, Undyne sympathizes with him.

Gerson

Hey!
That's the store of Gerson, the Hammer of Justice!
The toughest monster that ever lived...!
He fought in the war between humans and monsters...
And he survived! He's a real hero!

Undyne, Cell Phone call near Gerson's store

Undyne looked up to Gerson when she was a small child, often following him around, and still respects him as an adult. Before she assumes her Undying form on the Genocide Route, she uses the same language as Gerson does if "Hero" is selected as a conversation topic in his shop, declaring that she will "strike [the protagonist] down". Additionally, one of Undyne's battle themes is titled Spear of Justice, echoing Gerson's "The Hammer of Justice" nickname.

Reinforcing the connection between the two, Gerson's Deltarune counterpart primarily uses Spear of Justice's first leitmotif, and the battle with him uses the same SOUL mode as Undyne's.

Toriel

Uh, yeah...?
Nice to meet you!

Undyne, upon meeting Toriel

Undyne first meets Toriel in-person at the end of the True Pacifist Route. They both treat each other in a friendly manner and immediately find something in common between them. In the Neutral endings, their relationship can be positive or negative. If the protagonist killed monsters, Undyne will not accept Toriel's new policy regarding humanity and will overthrow her before exiling her back to the Ruins. If the protagonist didn't kill any monsters, Undyne will not take issue with the policy and work at Toriel's new school. At the end she says that she supports her.

Napstablook

Napstablook and Undyne live in the same neighborhood, and Napstablook is intimidated by her. She still tries to be a good neighbor to them. She seems concerned about them being alone after their cousin left and tells the protagonist to be nice to them.

Mettaton

I don't really like that guy.
But I admire his lifestyle.

Undyne about Mettaton

Undyne does not know that Mettaton is Napstablook's cousin. She has a distaste for him, and she does not like his show. Though she does acknowledge that she "admires his lifestyle".

Shyren

Shyren, who was just learning to sing...

Undyne about Shyren if she's dead

Undyne used to give piano lessons to Shyren, but one day she stopped coming — presumably after her sister fell down.

Monster Kid

Hurt? It's nothing.
Next time, listen when I tell you to leave, okay?

Undyne after rescuing Monster Kid on the Genocide Route

Undyne appears to care for Monster Kid's safety, as evidenced by her saving them after they fall off a cliff. This can be seen more prominently on the Genocide Route, where Undyne takes a fatal blow in their place.

Creation and development

Undyne was one of the most difficult characters for Toby to finalize. Various designs and personalities were considered, and all kinds of accents were tested to make her more "interesting". One early characterization noted is that she had an interest in fashion and singing, which stuck around for a long period of development. It took until her monologue when Toby finally understood the character and decided on her final characterization.

An alternate armor design shows a more traditional knight holding a non-energy spear. Two lighter eyepatches were considered, only shown in early dialogue portraits, one of which featuring a heart design on it. Dialogue portraits for her with her helmet on are included as well, and all sorts of body styles were considered for her unarmored sprites, ranging from slimmer with an hourglass form to bulkier and more muscular. An alternate outfit for her date with Alphys depicts her with a short-sleeved white jacket, zipped up, rather than open like in the final game.

Early mockups of Undertale shown in the UNDERTALE Art Book spell Undyne's name as "UNDINE". Additionally, Undyne's name is spelled as "Undine" in the code of the Undertale Demo.

Undyne's text sound is a very short, pitched down cut of Venus singing from the Runaway Five's musical performance in EarthBound. According to Toby, when Undyne jumps off the cliff to save Monster Kid, he wanted her armor to be cracked in addition to the damage she takes, but he forgot to add it.

Outside of Undertale

Newsletter

In the ISSUE 5 - Winter 2024 of the Newsletter, three random Valentine's Day cards were included in the email version of the Newsletter. Undyne has a total of two different Valentines, which are both normal rarity.

The first is of Undyne noticing that a heart-shaped boulder is blocking the path, and she offers to punch a "heart-shaped hole" into it for the recipient. The second is Undyne offering to attack any Valentines that are bothering the recipient.

Deltarune

Main article: Undyne

Undyne is the chief of Hometown's police force in Deltarune, having been promoted to the position after Asgore's firing despite being a rookie at the time. She is often bored due to the low crime rate in Hometown giving her nothing to do. Napstablook works under her as a fellow police officer.

Unlike in Undertale, Undyne in Deltarune has both eyes intact, and therefore does not wear an eyepatch.

Gallery

• 
  Undyne as seen during the True Pacifist Route's credits
• 
  An unused sprite of Undyne wearing her armor, with her old spear design.
• 
  Undyne's Steam Trading Card.
• 
  Concept art of Undyne by Temmie Chang.
• 
  Undyne Little Buddy figurine sold on Fangamer.
• 
  Undyne plush sold on Fangamer.
• 
  Undyne pin sold on Fangamer.
• 
  Undyne's official tarot card as Major Arcana XI, "Justice".
• 
  Undyne Nendoroid sold on Good Smile Company.
• 
  Bonus group postcard made by Gigi D.G. for Fangamer.
• 
  Artwork from Undertale's 5th anniversary.
• 
  Undyne holding Alphys's hand and waving at the screen, as seen in the 10th Anniversary Stream.

Trivia

• If the player attempts to name the fallen human "Undyne", the narration reads "Get your OWN name!" and the game bars the name from use from being used.
• Unlike the Amalgamates, Undyne can control her determination.
• Undyne is consistently shown to be right-handed; however, after scoping the protagonist after Papyrus's report, she handles her spear in her left hand.
• Undyne's presence causes the sound of rushing water (internally referred to as mus_ambientwater) to slow down by 10% in two cases:
  • After the floating tile, before the spear throwing part starts. The next time the water can be heard, it's back to normal.
  • After the scene where Undyne drags Monster Kid off-screen. Loading a SAVE or re-entering the area reverts this to normal.
• There is a glitch where if the protagonist is standing as far to the left as possible while initiating Undyne's monologue, they can be shot very high up. The protagonist can then enter the cave, effectively postponing the first fight.
  • If the battle is initiated normally at this point, the protagonist is still able to move in the air, but Undyne pursues them on a glass bridge similar to the one utilized for the Art Club room in Hotland.
• If Papyrus is killed, Undyne's face appears in the dialogue box before her battle despite never taking off her helmet. If the protagonist approaches to fight Undyne, she appears without her helmet.
• Undyne and Toriel are the only bosses that the protagonist can flee from during a battle on a Neutral Route. However, Undyne's battle can only be fled from if the protagonist's SOUL is red.
• Despite having an eyepatch over her left eye, it is absent in Undyne's west-facing sprites.
• Undyne's "En guarde!" before her fight with the protagonist is misspelled. The correct spelling is "en garde", as the sentence is in French. This could also be a combination of the French and English spelling, Garde, and Guard, giving "Guarde".
• Undyne and Mettaton are the only characters to use attacks whose colors correspond to how they move instead of how they do damage. All of her green mode spears are either white and blue or yellow.
• While in Undyne's house for the befriending scene, the table that the protagonist sits at is decorated with a doily. The doily cracks along with the table after Undyne throws a spear at it.
• When the protagonist tries to interact with the door to Undyne's room, she tells them that no nerds are allowed. Then, she says that some nerds are, possibly referring to Alphys.
• In Undyne's faux battle, she has one more DF than in her actual battle, despite being unarmored.
• Due to her "research", she references a lot of anime and anime cliches.
  • When in battle her armor is very similar to the Battle Armor from the Dragon Ball series.
  • She has a giant sword in her house, stating that the humans she researched had swords up to ten times their size. This is a reference to anime sometimes having characters with impractically large swords, such as Bleach and Berserk.
  • When calling Undyne in front of the Royal Guards blocking the way to the elevator, she admits that she is unable to help, because she already told them to disregard her orders if they involved helping a human. She explains that, after "researching" with a specific animation, she found out that humans could supposedly control minds during wartime. Undyne also mentions the animation is "really good", making the talk a possible reference to Code Geass for its similar premise and critical acclaim.

See also

• Undyne article on the Deltarune Wiki